Andy Ruiz Jr has renewed his pursuit of a trilogy fight with Anthony Joshua, insisting their rivalry remains unfinished and predicting his former opponent can defeat Tyson Fury if the long-awaited showdown takes place.
Ruiz famously stopped Joshua in seven rounds at Madison Square Garden in 2019 before losing a one-sided rematch later that year, and now believes a third fight is necessary. “I think there has to be a trilogy with ‘AJ’,” he said. “His life changed when we fought and my life changed when we fought… But I’ll definitely beat him, 100 per cent.”
Reflecting on the rematch defeat, Ruiz admitted his lack of preparation cost him. “I gave our rematch away. I weighed almost 300 pounds, so I wasn’t in shape,” he said, adding that he underestimated Joshua and failed to take the fight seriously. Now, he is focused on discipline and redemption, believing he can return to the top. “Can we become champions again? Yes, we can… my time will come.”
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Since their second fight, Ruiz has fought just three times, beating Chris Arreola and Luis Ortiz before drawing with Jarrell Miller in 2024. Joshua, meanwhile, lost his titles in two defeats to Oleksandr Usyk, rebuilt with four wins, and was later stopped by Daniel Dubois before reviving his momentum with a win over Jake Paul.
Looking ahead, Ruiz expects Joshua to overcome Fury if they meet. “If it was him and Tyson Fury, I think Anthony Joshua would win,” he said. He pointed to Joshua’s power and suggested pressure could be the key, adding that doubts about Joshua often come from focusing too much on his past losses rather than his strengths.
Ruiz also suggested Joshua’s mindset has been an issue in recent fights, claiming he can become too cautious. Still, he welcomed Joshua’s recent move to train with Usyk, believing it could help him improve. “I hope it’s good, so we can do the trilogy,” Ruiz said.
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