One of my favorite songs from the late, great Nipsey Hussle is “Dedication.” The track, featuring Kendrick Lamar, is woke, energetic, intelligent, lyrical and dynamic – oh and the beat knocks. Still, with all the amazing choices made in regards to lyrics, cadence, production, etc., there is a part of Nipsey’s hook that stands out for me every time I listen.
Dedication, hard work plus patience / The sum of all my sacrifice, I’m done waitin’
It’s a line that could easily get lost in the excellence of the dynamic duo, but for me it is such an eye opening line. Everybody associates hard work with dedication, but patience? Having the patience to allow the hard work to blossom into success is an idea that many people overlook.
What does any of this have to do with the bout between Andy Ruiz Jr. and Anthony Joshua? Well – everything.
Approaching the rematch, many believed (this columnist included) that Ruiz’s aggression and hand speed would once again give Joshua problems in the ring. Joshua’s shaky chin and consistent stamina issues made him vulnerable to Ruiz.
Joshua was still the betting favorite, despite a shocking KO loss to Ruiz in June. If Ruiz stopped Joshua after taking the fight on short notice, what would he do to him with the benefits of a full training camp under his belt?
Unfortunately for Ruiz, training camp wasn’t the only thing he had under his belt when it came time to fight. A day before the bout, Ruiz weighed in at a whopping 283.7 pounds. That is nearly 16 pounds over his weight when he defeated Joshua in June. Even back then, he looked more like the Michelin Man than a professional prizefighter.
As I noted in last week’s article, Ruiz initially claimed he would enter the rematch lighter and leaner. As the fight approached, he backtracked and stated that he’d enter the fight at the same weight. That was the first alarm bell that he may not have been taking his training camp seriously. When he stepped onto the scale, he shattered the idea that he stood any chance to defend his titles.
Conversely, Joshua stepped onto the scale at 147 pounds. That is a full 10 pounds less than he weighed six months ago. His weight loss confirmed that, unlike Ruiz, he had been working his tail off. While Ruiz was snacking on Snickers and gulping down Coronas on his world celebration tour, Joshua was in the lab grinding like the Clipse.
When the two fighters stepped into the ring, Joshua not only showed off his superior fitness, he also showed off a remarkable amount of patience. Joshua normally overpowers his opponents. Of his 22 victories going into the fight, 21 had ended via KO.
It was clear though that Joshua’s game plan was to out-box Ruiz rather than get into a firefight. The 6-foot-6 fighter utilized an exceptional jab and superior ring movement to keep his distance from his 6-foot-2 opponent.
With the extra weight, Ruiz was completely neutralized. He didn’t appear to have enough energy to jab his way inside. The few times Ruiz did manage to get up close and personal with Joshua, the UK fighter quickly tied him up and prevented any type of inside fighting.
Even as Joshua racked up round by round on the scorecards, he never got too eager. He stayed patient. He stuck to the plan.
It didn’t necessarily make for the most-exciting fight. It is impossible to argue that it was the most effective strategy to guarantee a victory for Joshua.
It will be interesting to see whether this new style is a one-off for Joshua or whether he will stick to this more-cautious approach. He reminded me of Wladimir Kltischko after he installed Emanuel Steward as his trainer.
Klitschko, the man who Joshua defeated to become the unified heavyweight champion the first time, was an offensively-talented fighter who was also known to possess an iron-deficient chin. Following his loss to an unheralded Lamon Brewster, Steward convinced Klitschko to adopt a more defensive “jab and grab” style. Klitschko went on to rattle off 22 straight victories over the next 11 years.
If Joshua does incorporate the more cautious style in future fights, it remains to be seen how effective it will be. He’s not as fluid as lineal heavyweight champion “The Gypsy King” Tyson Fury. It’s highly unlikely that he would be able to effectively avoid power shots from the athletic 6-foot-7 Deontay Wilder in the same way he did the shorter, slower Ruiz.
Joshua has proven that he has the ability to make adjustments and to overcome adversity. Some have accused Joshua of quitting during the first fight with Ruiz. I disagree. He was beaten, battered and likely concussed. He didn’t quit. He was whipped.
In the rematch, he was focused and disciplined. We can also look back at his fight with Klitschko, when he pulled himself off the canvas before knocking out the longtime champion. Even though Joshua will still have several questions to answer in the ring, people should no longer question his heart.
With the titles back around his waist, Joshua will likely go back to selling out arenas in England and making gargantuan paydays. The future for Ruiz is murkier.
He still possesses the talent to be a major player in the heavyweight division. If holding three major world titles is not enough to motivate him though, will he truly ever realize his full potential?
Ruiz’s former trainer, Abel Sanchez, called him a “lazy fighter.”
In an interview with TMZ, Ruiz stated, “I think I ate everything….everything! That’s why I gained so much weight.”
It’s a glaring omission that he did not take his training seriously. It would be understandable for people who purchased tickets, and possibly flights, for the fight in Saudi Arabia to feel cheated.
Ruiz has stated that he will seek a rubber match. Right now, it is unlikely that a third fight will be made anytime soon. The WBO is set to enforce a mandatory fight for Joshua versus Oleksandr Usyk.
From a monetary sense, Joshua’s promoters would likely demand that Ruiz defeat another championship-caliber fighter to prove that it wouldn’t be just another one-sided fight against an underprepared fighter.
A few weeks ago, people were suggesting that Ruiz could be one of the top heavyweight fighters in the world. Now, his waistline has become a punchline. If he could’ve shown more patience on his partying – if he’d sacrificed on the smorgasbord, maybe he would still be the champ. Instead, it looks like he was a one-hit wonder after all.
Be sure to check In the Clutch online and also follow Ishmael on Twitter @ishcreates.
