It seems that ever since Andy Ruiz Jr beat Anthony Joshua in a shock upset at Madison Square Garden, the 29-year-old Englishman has become a lot more outspoken. Before being knocked to the canvas repeatedly and subsequently stripped of his heavyweight belts during a disastrous showing in New York, Joshua was regarded as a phenomenon in the world of boxing as the Watford-born superstar always chose to let his boxing do the talking.
Joshua’s reluctance to criticise his opponent and join in the usual smack talk before any bout had many people believing that he had the temperament to become the greatest the world had ever seen. He would never bite when asked by the media about what he was going to do to his opponent. Instead, Joshua would focus on what he had to do well and not what his rival did badly.
Such introspection is very rare in the world of boxing but Joshua exhibited it throughout. It has, however, been in short supply since his world was turned upside down by a man that was a massive underdog. In a remarkable and even telling change of tack, Joshua has gone on the rampage in recent months with his once admired diplomacy now a thing of the past.
On my journey I fell down a couple times but I never fell off ? #AJBXNG pic.twitter.com/I2OqQmCB2f
— Anthony Joshua (@anthonyfjoshua) August 23, 2019
In recent times, Lennox Lewis has come in for the treatment after Joshua labeled the 53-year-old a clown and insisted he did not respect the former three-time world heavyweight champion. Lewis has since offered Joshua an olive branch and a chance to sit down to sort out their public feud but Joshua is yet to decide if that is what he wants to do.
It wasn’t just Lewis that was caught in Joshua’s crosshairs but also Tyson Fury’s next opponent Otto Wallin after AJ questioned . the Swede’s pedigree as well as saying that he would never be able to fight a guy of Wallin’s stature and be able to get away with it. It’s almost as if Joshua has forgotten that he was stopped in the seventh round by Andy Ruiz, a guy who had previously lost in his career, whilst Wallin is still undefeated.
Joshua’s comments leave him wide open for criticism, especially when you consider that Wallin is at 10/1 to beat Fury in the latest boxing odds and Ruiz was three times that before he fought AJ. You would think that after having been so severely beaten up in New York, that Joshua would be aware of the upsets heavyweight boxing has a habit of handing out
I proved to the world that it doesn’t matter what you look like or where you come from. It’s all about the mindset you have to overcome any obstacle. ????? no importa como te mires se gana con la mentalidad de afrontar los obstáculos. pic.twitter.com/C2sfjAXoQB
— AndyRuizjr (@Andy_destroyer1) June 14, 2019
Even if Fury is taking the easy way out, it is only to ensure that a fight with Deontay Wilder goes ahead next year. Something that Joshua decided against pursuing and because of that, currently has a legacy in tatters.
Has the mask slipped or does Joshua think that his best chance of regaining his belts is by being as mouthy as his peers? Maybe it’s a case of joining them after not being able to beat them. Whatever it is, his ramblings so far have been laughable and are doing as much damage to his legacy as Andy Ruiz Jr’s left hook did.