Anthony Joshua declares ‘I haven’t become a p***y overnight’ as he dismisses Tyson Fury claims and vows to beat Andy Ruiz Jr in rematch
Anthony Joshua insists his defeat to Andy Ruiz Jr has not affected him mentally, declaring: “I’ve not become a p***y overnight”.
The Brit insists he is in a great place and determined to win back his WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight titles from Ruiz, when they meet for the second time on December 7 in Saudi Arabia.
Ruiz Jr pulled off one of the biggest boxing upsets in history when he stopped the previously unbeaten Joshua in New York in June, but AJ has bristled at suggestions he may be severely damaged by that setback.
“We haven’t done anything differently mentally,” he declared.
“I am a champion. I walked into a boxing gym and three years later I was Olympic champion. I have had one loss but I am not about to become a p***y overnight and not be able to fight.
“I can fight, that is it, I don't need to reflect on that, I just need to win.
"One defeat doesn't strip your skin off. And when you've put down the solid foundations the way I have since I started boxing, one chip in a brick doesn't bring down the entire building."
Joshua also responded to claims from Tyson Fury that he didn't want to be in the ring in his first fight against Ruiz Jr, insisting his desire and hunger hasn't wavered.
He said: "Of course I wanted to be there in that ring. I still love boxing. I was in a good place.
"He's another one entitled to his opinion but Tyson is in a different stage of his career.
"He turned pro the year I had my first amateur fight. He would never understand what I'm going through now."
Joshua has altered his preparations for the rematch, bringing in former world title challengers Andrew Tabiti and Bryant Jennings into his camp for more intense sparring sessions.
"I feel like sparring has added a different element of preparation for this fight," Joshua added. "Last time let's say I didn't invest in the sparring I need.
"Fighters don't want to invest what they earn. You earn £100, you pay £43 to the taxman, you pay a percentage to your management and before you know it you have 30%.
"So this time around we have really invested in the right sparring partners, championship sparring partners. That's the kind of thing that gets your muscle memory firing."
The 30-year-old appears to be looking lighter than the 17st 9lbs he weighed for the first fight, but dismissed claims he has dramatically stripped down to match Ruiz's speed.
“I think it is more to do with the angles of the photos. I am still as strong and heavy as ever," he said.
“Weight is a big factor in the heavyweight division these days but I don't think it should be such a big deal.
“I am not really focused on my weight, I am just focused on my sparring. I could weigh anything but it just comes down to how I perform in the ring.
“If I sparred six times and, after a chat with Rob [McCracken], we decided which one was my best spar, we will know what weight I was and adjust to that.
“I will never get my weight down and then adjust my sparring to that. I am not concerned with anything apart from how I am performing in the ring.”
So, what will be the outcome this time around? Joshua is in no doubt...
"I'm confident that I know what I need to do now, and I've prepared to the best of my capability to go out and perform. Performance leads to the win," he said.