Andy Ruiz messed up royally going into his rematch with Anthony Joshua and he knows it. The former heavyweight champ shocked Joshua in the first fight, but he then partied hard, way harder than he trained, and he blew the rematch. Ruiz is still bothered by this and he is still insistent that a trilogy with Joshua “has to happen.”
Speaking with @idboxingnews, “The Destroyer” went as far as to say a trilogy fight would still have to be made even if AJ lost his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk (the August 20 fight in Saudi Arabia being one Ruiz feels can “go either way”) and even if he lost his September 4 fight with Luis Ortiz.
“Of course, that’s something that should have been done,” Ruiz said when asked about a trilogy fight with Joshua. “Once he beat me over there (in Saudi Arabia), there should have been a trilogy. I should have had one more opportunity to get those belts back just like we gave him the opportunity with the rematch. Things happen, he lost again to Usyk and the best man wins. Of course, there has to be a trilogy. Even if he loses or wins, or if I lose or win, there has to be a trilogy some day and somehow.”
If Joshua manages to get revenge over Usyk, the big – as in super-big – fight everyone will be calling for will be the fight with Tyson Fury, yet if Fury does stay retired the way he says he will, then maybe Joshua could fight Ruiz a third time. It’s not exactly a fight fans are demanding, and it will be even less attractive if both guys lose their next fight, but Ruiz is still hoping.
Again, he screwed up in the return with Joshua and he needs to make amends. He knows he does. Now seemingly refocused and fit, Ruiz needs to show his stuff in the Ortiz fight. If he can do so, who knows, maybe, just maybe, Ruiz will get what he wants, what he needs.
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