Tyson Fury thinks boxing fans will get a repeat performance in December when Andy Ruiz Jr. and Anthony Joshua have their rematch in Saudi Arabia. Outside of holding a win over Joshua, Fury seems to think the location is a bad idea for Joshua and favors Ruiz. Ruiz was a heavy underdog leading up to their last bout in June for Joshua’s first match in the United States, but according to Fury, there’s a lot on the side of Ruiz this second time around.
Speaking with Business Insider, Fury said the location is “bizarre,” and that “the heat might affect both fighters.” However, Fury thinks of the two men, Ruiz might be used to competing in warmer temperatures. “If anything, Andy Ruiz might be more used to the heat because he’s Mexican and lives in California,” Fury said. While Fury is used to competing around the world, his countryman that is facing Ruiz already lost when he stepped outside of the UK. California can get hot and Fury said of Saudi Arabia, “It’s always hot there whereas Joshua lives in London and it’s not always hot there.”
Aside from the climate favoring Ruiz, Fury also thinks his skill set is just better than Joshua’s. “He’s already been knocked out, so that favors Ruiz,” Fury said and added, “ I think fighting fire with fire with someone who is quicker than you and puts better shots together is a disaster.” Fury thinks if Joshua makes some changes to his game and “boxes on his toes,” he could pull off a win but also said boxing on his toes is something Joshua cannot do.
Fury says he does well in boxing because he’s used to competing in different locations but while critical of Joshua, he added, “There’s always going to be somebody out there to beat somebody else.” While critical of Joshua’s style, he did say it is the nature of boxing. When reflecting on their first fight, Fury said, “No matter what people want to say about Joshua or whatever, it’s a fight. You can only do your best on the night and his best wasn’t good enough that night.”
Do you think Fury had a point about the location?
