Sports

Anthony Joshua names boxing legends he is learning from after beating Andy Ruiz Jr


Anthony Joshua claims he’s learning from the greats at how to fight different styles.

Joshua proved he can adapt his tactics to win by shutting out Andy Ruiz in his wide points victory to reclaim his world heavyweight titles on Saturday.

His approach, fighting at range behind his jab, was reminiscent of Wladimir Klitschko in his pomp and answered his critics, including Lennox Lewis, who felt he could only blast opponents out.

And the new two-time champion says he studies all the legends to learn from their various styles.

“If you want to be a great in today’s generation, you should do what the greats did in the past,” said the WBA Super, IBF and WBO king.

“You can’t be one dimensional in professional boxing. It’s good to have a game plan and absorb the information given to me by my coaches and execute what they expect from me.

Anthony Joshua poses for photographers

“The main people you want to please in boxing before my parents, before anyone’s opinion, are my coaches because they spend so much time putting their knowledge into me.

“If they want me to box like Riddick Bowe, Lennox Lewis, Larry Holmes, Mike Tyson, Floyd Patterson, Sonny Liston, whatever they want from me, I can produce it because I’m a student.

“There’s not just one dimension to me, I’ll always bring something new to the table. I think I’ve shown I can box a lot of styles.”

Joshua, 30, immersed himself in books and old documentaries of fighters and trainers since his shock loss to Ruiz in June and claims he learnt much.

Andy Ruiz Jr was well beaten by Anthony Joshua

Anthony Joshua celebrates

As well as obvious fighters, such as Muhammad Ali he has looked at less-celebrated ones, like Kirkland Laing, analysing his shock win over the great Roberto Duran in 1982.

“I’ve watched Laing against Duran,” he said.

“I watched a comparison of Riddick Bowe and Larry Holmes, comparing the jab. Tommy Hearns, that was really good too. I’ve started watching a lot of ex-trainers, I don’t just watch boxers. You learn what they taught their athletes and try and align that to what you’re trying to achieve.

“If you’re a true boxing fan and love boxing as much as I do, you look at the great teachers and they will tell you boxing is about hitting and not getting hit.

“I adopted that. It’s not just a brutal sport, there is a science to it and I wanted to adopt that in my rematch with Ruiz.”

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Anthony Joshua beats Andy Ruiz Jr

There was a new fire burning inside Joshua as he held court in The Globe in the futuristic Al Faisaliah Tower overlooking Riyadh.

Joshua was king of all he surveyed and revealed his fight robe carried the names of his son, Joseph, and the other children in his extended family.

“It was a bit of history and I wanted them to be part of it,” he added.





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