Anthony Joshua had to bore the life out of Andy Ruiz to save British boxing, says Frank Bruno
ANTHONY JOSHUA had to ignore his warrior instinct and bore the life out of Andy Ruiz Jr to save British boxing.
Ex-heavyweight world champion Frank Bruno was bowled over by AJ’s new-look, slick performance which saw him regain his WBA, WBO and IBF titles last Saturday.
But Joshua’s mainstream supporters would not have been used to seeing him box so defensively for 12 long rounds.
Bruno, currently mentoring British and Commonwealth king Daniel Dubois, knows how hard it would have been for AJ to resist the urge to chin the Mexican and stick to jabbing his head off.
And Bruno said: “Joshua boxed Ruiz in the right way and got his belts back, which makes things so much better for British boxing.
“If AJ had boxed Ruiz in the first fight, the same way he did in the second, then they would never have needed a rematch.
“But AJ is a warrior, wants to please his fans and be macho.
‘HE TOOK CRITICISM WELL’
“In the end he boxed his ears off. Some people said it was a boring fight but sometimes that is what you have to do to get the victory.
“He took a lot of criticism from the first loss and it hurt him, but he took it well.”
Undefeated Dubois, who has his FIFTH fight of 2019 on Saturday in London against Kyotaro Fujimoto, was caught in two minds about the performance.
‘Dynamite’ admired how Joshua, 30, dictated the pace of the Saudi Arabia showdown from start to finish, but was disappointed it ended in a damp squib.
Dubois, 22, said: “I look at Joshua’s win in two ways.
“I was impressed that he used such a different gameplan but also a bit disappointed that we didn’t get the dramatic fight, especially after all the build-up.
“I had never really seen AJ box like that, using his jab for the full 12 rounds. But it worked wonders because he has his belts back.
“On the flip side, we want to see heavyweights rocking ’n rolling, with excitement, it did lack that but a win is a win.
“AJ is not like other fighters, he is a great natural athlete.
“Not many sportspeople in this country have made the money and had the career he has.”
One thing Dubois is certain about is who, out of AJ, WBC champ Deontay Wilder and the 6ft 9in Gypsy King Tyson Fury, he would most like to face for a world title next year.
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Dubois said: “I would take on any of the top three but I’d probably like to fight AJ the most.
“We’re fellow countrymen and it would be a great fight.
“That would be amazing, a top night of boxing with the whole world watching.”
Tickets for Dubois v Fujimoto and the return of Tommy Fury are available at seetickets.com and ticketmaster.co.uk