Andy Ruiz v Anthony Joshua 2 Presser
Following considerable amounts of bickering and legal maneuvering, we finally got the first official presser for Ruiz v Joshua 2!
The low-key event took place in Saudi Arabia, where the prizefight is scheduled to take place December 7.
At the beginning of the event, Matchroom Boxing promoter, Eddie Hearn resumed his typical talking points of late. Hearn would happily reiterate how this upcoming event was going to establish Saudi Arabia as a new boxing hotspot.
He has been adamant that boxing is a ‘global’ sport and needs to expand beyond the US and UK. Whether that happens, or if this is the fight to establish this shift, is yet to be seen.
“I have to tell you, sitting there just now, watching that incredible show having been a fight fan for over thirty years, I felt a little bit emotional because this is such a monumental occasion for our sport.
“Sometimes our sport is very narrow minded, you know? There is Las Vegas, there’s New York, there’s London.
“No, there is a whole world out there and now there is Saudi Arabia for boxing. This is such a monumental opportunity for our sport!”
Eddie Hearn – Promoter for Anthony Joshua
The presser itself was a fairly low energy affair. Both fighters and their coaches spoke briefly, yet nothing out of the way or truly noteworthy was uttered.
The media section presented zero inquiries to the fighters seated on stage.
ANTHONY JOSHUA CHIMES IN
When it came Ruiz and Joshua, they seemed to exhibit the same demeanor from the night of June 1. Joshua stated that he remained hungry, was feeling positive and that he would reclaim his usurped glory on December 7.
Unfortunately, AJ still maintained the rather spacey, far-away gaze in his eyes as he did once in the ring at Madison Square Garden.
“I never thought I’d be fighting outside of London or outside of America, so it’s a blessing and I’m humbled to be here.
“With the fight, I feel I was up against a good challenger at the time and as I mentioned, I was only champion until June the first.
“As Andy is champion right now, that will last until December the seventh until he has to put his titles in the air and two warriors go to war and the best man will walk out victorious.”
Anthony Joshua – Former Unified Heavyweight Champion
A great portion of the hype for the premiere bout was ascertaining if Joshua could win on the road. So far, the answer is no.
Naturally, going into their much anticipated rematch, the question will remain: Can Anthony Joshua win on the road?
WORDS FROM THE CHAMPION
A few seats down from AJ, Andy Ruiz sat on stage smiling like the cat who unsuspectingly ate the cannery.
At no point did Ruiz become belligerent, boastful or overly aggressive. Much in the same fashion that AJ did, Ruiz simply stated that he was thankful to be in his position.
Also, he has every intention on maintaining his reign as champion when the two lock horns once again in December.
“But on December seventh I know Anthony Joshua is coming hard, he’s going to come strong. I know he is going to be preparing really good but so am I, you know?
“I’m really hungry. A lot people are saying that I’m not training, that I’m not taking it serious, but come on, I got all these belts. Like he said, there is a lot of responsibilities to this, but I’m going to try my best, and God knows I’m going to try my best.
“I’m going to keep these belts, I’m going to have ’em back in Mexico, but I’m really excited man.
“December seventh, I’m going to make another history and I’m going to win here in the same fashion, the same way that I won June first and I’m going to prove everybody wrong.”
Andy Ruiz Jr – Unified Heavyweight Champion
LOOKING TO FIGHT NIGHT!
Although the presser was rather lackluster, we can rest assured that the fight will provide a great deal more excitement.
Regardless of who you were pulling for, Ruiz v Joshua 1 was an electric firefight that saw both men touch the canvas and forced to dig deep. If the second bout is even half as thrilling as the first, we have quite a night of boxing on the way.
Let’s just hope that the Saudi Arabia audience has more life and vibrancy than this kickoff presser!
By: Bakari Simpson
Be the first to comment