Anthony Joshua trainer Rob McCracken has revealed a few reasons why his man will regain the world heavyweight crown on Saturday night.
AJ lost badly to Andy Ruiz Jr. back in June and McCracken says lack of preparation time had an effect.
Ruiz came in as a snow-white underdog in New York but walked out a champion as Joshua capitulated under the Madison Square Garden lights.
Despite not changing too much, McCracken believes Joshua now has the correct mindset to win.
“Anthony is in a much better place than last time at this stage, and I’m much happier with where he’s at,” said McCracken. “Everybody has said his training camp has gone really well.
“We’ve been training well out here in Saudi. Anthony has been training at the British Embassy, he’s got his own facility, and able to train diligently and hard.
“Listen, we know how good Ruiz is, we know he’s a top heavyweight fighter. He’s the champion. We’re totally confident, completely different mood going into this fight than back in New York. And I think you will see the real AJ for sure.”
DIFFERENT
On why it’s different this time, McCracken added: “For Andy Ruiz we had about five week notice for the last fight, at the same time Anthony’s opponent pulled out. So we had to restructure and change things, but with Ruiz’s ability that isn’t easy to do. That isn’t a excuse.
“The right man won on the night. They both had 12 weeks to prepare for this fight. I think it’s a level playing field now.
“Anthony knows exactly what is in front of him. The sparring partners have been tailored to suit what Andy does.
“I think it you will see the real AJ on Saturday night. You’ll see a great performance.”
Joshua headlines in Diriyah Saudi Arabia at a purpose-built arena knowing a victory would freeze him out of the title picture.
Ruiz would join Deontay Wilder with all the titles as promoter Al Haymon monopolizes the division.
