Andy Ruiz Jr ‘destroyed Anthony Joshua’s soul’ now ‘the old AJ’ must return claims Froch
Andy Ruiz Jr may have shattered Anthony Joshua’s impeccable record, but Carl Froch believes ‘The Destroyer’, fittingly, “destroyed” the Brit’s soul.
The Mexican only needed seven rounds to shatter Joshua’s impeccable record of 22 victories, 21 knockouts and zero losses at Madison Square Garden in the summer of 2019. Joshua corrected the record in Saudi Arabia six months later, reclaiming his IBF, WBO, and WBA titles courtesy of a unanimous decision.
And now Joshua must repeat that very feat when he returns to Saudi to face Oleksandr Usyk, the titanic Ukrainian who so classily outfoxed the 32-year-old at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last September. However, Froch believes the Brit will need to banish any demons lingering from his first loss to Ruiz Jr, if he is to have any chance of overcoming Usyk.
Read More: Anthony Joshua told to make muscle transformation ahead of Oleksandr Usyk rematch
“Since he lost to Andy Ruiz in New York, I was there that night, I feel like it destroyed his soul,” Froch said in an exclusive interview with Daily Star Sport. “It’s taken something away from him.
“Now he is a safety first fighter. We saw it in the rematch against Ruiz, we saw it in the fight against Kubrat Pulev, then we saw it in his one-sided whooping against Olekdsandr Usyk.
“He needs to go get some psychological training, change his mindset, and go back to the old mentality he had when he was with Rob McCracken early doors. But he needs to go back to the OG he used to be, because his mindset and his safety first boxing doesn’t work for him.”
Do you think Anthony Joshua will avenge his defeat against Oleksandr Usyk? Let us know in the comments section below
Froch was not the only boxing legend to slam Joshua’s approach against the Ukrainian. Lennox Lewis laid into the Brit soon after, slamming him for being “so tentative”. Even Joshua admitted everything was wrong on that fateful night in north London.
His recent appointment of new trainer Robert Garcia could very well be a sign that something is changing in the 33-year-old. The American followed Angel Fernandez into Joshua’s circle to complete a new look team, designed to rip those titles away from Usyk.
It appears to be paying dividends already as Richard Riakporhe, a cruiserweight who is also being trained by Fernandez and Garcia, warned a more “old-school” and “dangerous” AJ will confront Usyk in Jeddah.
And that is exactly what AJ needs to be if he is to stand any chance against Usyk. “He needs to be focussed, and tunnel-visioned, and maybe a bit back to the old AJ,” Froch added.
“When he was a little bit naïve early on in his career, when he got chinned by Dillian Whyte and he was wobbling or when he got knocked over by Wladimor Klitschko and he got up off the floor to win. That kind of tenacity and aggression when he was just shooting from the hip and going for it.”
Froch was speaking at the launch of the McLaren Turbo Series on PartyPoker, in association with McLaren Racing. The full McLaren Turbo Series schedule can be seen here.”
Read next:
