Former unified champion Andy Ruiz believes Tyson Fury will defeat Anthony Joshua in their planned undisputed heavyweight title fight this summer.
Ruiz (33-2, 22 KOs) split wins with Joshua back in 2019, shocking ‘AJ’ in seven rounds at Madison Square Garden before losing his heavyweight crowns on the cards in the return in Saudi Arabia.
Now boosted by a link-up with trainer of the moment Eddy Reynoso, Ruiz is well-placed to assess the potential heavyweight mega-fight between his former rival Joshua and unbeaten WBC king Fury, as pain-staking negotiations continue.
The Californian was underwhelmed by Joshua’s last outing against Kubrat Pulev in December and feels Fury’s superior boxing ability will most likely prevail in the eagerly-awaited meeting of heavyweight behemoths.
“I think it’s going to be an interesting fight. I fought Anthony Joshua, I haven’t fought Tyson Fury; he has a strange style, but I see Fury winning that fight. I wasn’t impressed by Joshua’s last fight, but he managed to get the job done,” Ruiz told Little Giant Boxing.
“Maybe Fury will beat him, it depends on how weird he moves, if he boxes. Anthony hasn’t fought someone who boxes, who moves around like that. We will see what happens.”
Ruiz seems likely to face fellow Mexican-American Chris Arreola next in April as he mounts a renewed challenge for the heavyweight titles, buoyed by the fresh association with trainer Reynoso and his camp of star fighters.
“It is a blessing to be here. It is very different from my last camp and where I trained, it is all concentration and dedication,” said Ruiz. “You also have Canelo, Ryan [Garcia, in camp], all these motivations that help you grow. It’s like a competition, we all want to be the best, but we help each other.
“I can’t wait to get back in the ring; I’m not going to say who I’m going to fight [yet], but it will be an interesting fight.”