Manny Robles said he was not overwhelmed by the prospect of trying to defend a world heavyweight title but he did also appear to suggest that Andy Ruiz Jr had been distracted in his preparations for a rematch with Anthony Joshua.
Joshua regained his WBA, WBO and IBF world titles in Saudi Arabia last night, earning a unanimous decision to beat the man who had knocked him out in New York six months ago.
Ruiz had raised eyebrows ahead of the fight when weighed in at more than 20 stone on Friday, suggesting all had not been well in his training camp, and trainer Robles hinted ahead of the fight that their 12-week camp had not been perfect.
‘I needed three months to get him right,’ Robles told Boxing Scene.
‘I saw him getting better and better with each passing day. He’s a big guy, but everything has been balanced.
‘I wasn’t overworking him. Heavyweights are a special breed, and it requires a different approach.
‘It’s not easy [training] with the distractions. I never thought our lives would change this much.
‘The situation has not controlled or overwhelmed me. It’s all about how you handle things, staying grounded and hungry and not losing sight of the prize.’
Joshua weighed in at his lowest mark for five years, keen to display more speed than the sluggish performance that saw him lose his titles in a shock defeat.
The Brit produced one of the best performances of his career to win all but two rounds of the bout with Ruiz consistently unable to close the gap between the two fighters.
And the Mexican-American blamed his extra pounds for his inability to have an impact on the result.
‘It was his night. I didn’t prepare how I should have, I gained too much weight,’ Ruiz said afterwards.
‘I don’t want to give too many excuses, he boxed me around.
‘If we do the third, best believe I get in the best shape of my life.
‘[The weight] affected me. I thought I’d feel stronger, thought I’d feel better. I tried to train myself, but I don’t want to give no excuses. Anthony Joshua did a hell of a job.’
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