This is Rummy's Corner.
I don't know shit about boxing.
These are exciting times to be a fan of heavyweight boxing.
Last Saturday night in a heavyweight championship contest that was televised in the US by the
relatively new powerhouse streaming app service known as DAZN - unified IBF/WBA/WBO heavyweight
world champion Andy Ruiz Jr defended his belts against the man he beat to become the unified
champion - Anthony Joshua!
Back in June, Andy Ruiz Jr scored a sensational upset victory when he stopped Joshua by 7th
round stoppage.
Joshua had gotten off to a good start, and he dropped Ruiz with a crisp combination in
round 3.
But Ruiz persevered and battled back, and he dropped Joshua twice in that very same
round.
Ruiz knocked Joshua down twice more in round 7 before referee Michael Griffin had ultimately
seen enough.
How did Ruiz beat Joshua?
For starters, Ruiz was patient, poised, and had an excellent strategy.
The main thing Ruiz was able to do that made him successful, was that he was mostly looking
to stand his ground and counter whenever AJ attacked and got into mid-range.
The strategy worked, and Ruiz Jr made history.
What was different in the rematch, and how did Joshua get his revenge?
Joshua similarly exhibited great patience in the rematch, and he also had an excellent
strategy where he made the proper adjustments to his fight plan.
Joshua was able to keep things at long range, and he was able to smother Ruiz whenever he
got inside.
Joshua also exhibited tremendous discipline in not making himself vulnerable by overextending
with unnecessary combinations, and when he did throw punches in combinations, he was
typically only doing so when the angles and distance were favorable to him.
In short, the main thing AJ was able to do this time around, was making Ruiz come to
him, where Joshua was able to pick and choose his spots.
AJ wisely rarely ventured into mid-range, and this forced Ruiz to attack rather than
hold his ground looking for countering opportunities.
The result was a lopsided unanimous decision in favor of Joshua.
What Joshua lacked in adaptability inside the ring during their first encounter, he
more than made up for with the adaptability he showed in his stellar preparations for
the rematch.
I had my doubts that Joshua would be able to pull this off.
I thought he'd need to make too many little changes to his style, and didn't believe he'd
be able to make all of these changes in just six months.
I was clearly wrong!
Not only was Joshua able to make all of these changes, but the execution of his strategy
was nothing short of brilliant as reflected by his dominant victory.
So AJ made history by becoming a two-time heavyweight champion.
That puts him in a fairly exclusive group, and he accomplished this by defeating the
man he lost his championship against to achieve this.
A fairly recent historical example of this is the situation involving Lennox Lewis and
Hasim Rahman, when Rahman scored a shocking upset knockout against Lewis, and Lennox avenged
that loss with a devastating highlight reel knockout of his own.
Joshua may not have scored a sensational knockout to avenge his loss and regain his titles the
way Lennox did, but even so, I think what AJ accomplished was equally definitive.
Beyond that, I believe what Joshua did was actually more impressive, because when Rahman
stopped Lewis, it was a single well timed punch that did him in.
With Joshua, he wasn't dropped and stopped by a single punch - indeed, Joshua was being
thoroughly outboxed and outfoxed by Ruiz in most facets of their first contest.
But this time, Joshua put on a boxing masterclass as he showcased an entirely new dimension
to his game.
Make no mistake, Ruiz's victory back in June was no fluke.
It was no �lucky punch�, and to claim so does a great disservice to both Ruiz and
Joshua.
Ruiz earned his victory in June, every bit as much as AJ earned his in the rematch.
With the victory, Joshua has re-established himself as one of the top three heavyweight
champions in boxing today, along with WBC champion Deontay Wilder and lineal heavyweight
champion Tyson Fury.
Considering the fact that Joshua is the biggest draw among this trio of heavyweight champions,
that largely puts Joshua in the driver's seat - and as such, Joshua has the opportunity
to choose his own path.
Will Joshua look to build himself a timeless legacy by actively seeking out the fights
that can potentially make him a heavyweight legend?
I think he could, and I sure hope he tries!
If Joshua can become the lineal heavyweight champion, this would solidify his claim beyond
reproach as the �real� champion.
And if Joshua can add the WBC title to his existing collection of three major world championship
belts, he can stake a claim as undisputed heavyweight champion if he is in possession
of all four major world titles.
And if he can do both - if he can earn a valid claim to the lineage, and if he can win the
WBC while keeping hold of the three titles he now has - that would make AJ the baddest
man on the planet!
And we haven't seen a heavyweight champion who held every major world title of his day
along with a valid claim to the lineage since the great Lennox Lewis himself accomplished
this feat back in 1999.
Fortunately for AJ - if the rematch between Wilder and Fury goes ahead as rumored in February,
he would be just one victory away from making heavyweight history in the modern era.
So with Anthony Joshua being the biggest draw among the three heavyweight champions, he
is in the best position of the three to make this happen - IF, that is, he truly cares
about carving out a meaningful heavyweight legacy that can solidify him beyond any shadow
of a doubt as the best heavyweight in this era.
So assuming a Wilder-Fury rematch carries forward as expected sometime early next year,
the would-be winner of that rematch will likewise have a potential legacy-defining moment with
a unification bout for all the heavyweight marbles against AJ.
This is what the heavyweight division needs, and this is what boxing fans deserve!
It's back to the point where any match-up involving Joshua, Wilder, and Fury that isn't
against one of the other three is an inherently inferior match-up.
That's not to say that someone else can't score a shocking upset the way Ruiz did back
in June.
But the opportunity exists RIGHT NOW for all three of these heavyweight champions to settle
matters once and for all.
And with AJ being the huge draw right now, if he really wants it, all he has to do is
demand the winner.
I know that there are some contractual considerations that may complicate things in an undesirable
fashion.
But back in the day, if HBO and Showtime were able to come together to bring us megabouts
between Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson, and more recently between Floyd Mayweather Jr and Manny
Pacquiao - I sincerely believe the money is there that similar compromises can be reached
regarding broadcasting rights.
And this again all boils down to the fact that Anthony Joshua is the big draw right
now.
If he truly wants it, I'm betting he can make it happen if he shows a willingness to compromise
and a desire to dare and be great.Same goes for Fury and WIlder, compromise is the key.
I for one, hope Joshua does whatever it takes to make a fight against the winner of the
Wilder-Fury rematch, because based on Joshua's stellar performance this past weekend - he
has proven to be an absolute ace when it comes to pre-fight preparation and sublime execution.
And in an ironic way, losing to Ruiz might well prove to be the greatest thing AJ could
have hoped for in terms of carving a legacy for himself.
Is Anthony Joshua now in the midst of building a long lasting heavyweight legacy?
Time will tell.
But I for one, hope he does.
AJ has already made his mark in the long rich history of heavyweight boxing.
But if he wants to create a long lasting legacy among heavyweight legends, he needs a valid
claim to the lineage, and he needs that WBC strap.
Thanks for watching everyone, hope you enjoyed, and have a wonderful night.
This is Rummy's Corner.