Former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua is still one of the biggest names in the sport.
Despite having his ups and downs in his career, ‘AJ’ still maintains a big fanbase, with many people yearning for a potential blockbuster fight between Joshua and Tyson Fury.
In what was perhaps the biggest surprise of Joshua’s career, he was defeated by Andy Ruiz Jr. As the two fought in Madison Square Garden in New York, short-notice Ruiz scored a shock TKO victory.
The bout took place in 2019, however, Joshua has since revealed his thoughts on the first loss of his career.
Anthony Joshua discusses Andy Ruiz Jr. loss
Despite the nature of the loss and the shock factor it provided, Joshua seemingly had a positive outlook on the world title fight.
Speaking to Gary Neville on the loss, Joshua accredited his determination as an amateur for his resilience as a professional. “If I would’ve given up when I lost as an amateur, I’d never be here. If I let the ridicule, and the stick, and the bit of banter, get to me now, there’d be no future.”
“This is my journey at the end of the day, and however I ride this journey is up to me.”
Joshua would then add that he believes people can draw inspiration from other people’s wins and losses.
In terms of why he felt he lost, Joshua didn’t go into detail but said, “It just sometimes happens. It’s just the way the stars align that night.”
When asked by Neville what he learned from the loss, the former champion said he learned to be “independently strong.”
Joshua then began to discuss the prospect of taking positive points from negative situations, “When I lost to Ruiz, look how many Mexicans I made happy.”
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Anthony Joshua avenged his loss to Andy Ruiz Jr.
Losing his heavyweight titles to Ruiz in June 2019, Joshua would be given a rematch six months later.
An arena was built for Joshua vs Ruiz II in Saudi Arabia, as the two competed in December 2019. Despite both fighters being knocked down in their first meeting, neither man hit the canvas in their sequel bout.
The fight would go all 12 rounds, with Joshua having a convincing win on the judges scorecards.
‘AJ’s’ revenge win would once again make him the heavyweight champion of the world until he met Oleksandr Usyk in 2021.