Heavyweight Boxing: I’ll Help AJ Reclaim Titles – Foreman

BY EDMOND ODOK – With a rematch between Anthony Joshua and his conqueror Andy Ruiz Jr already scheduled for November or December, offers of help are pouring in deluges for Anthony Joshua to rebuild his temporarily shattered career.

The British Nigerian-born Joshua lost his World Boxing Association (WBA), International Boxing Federation (IBF) and World Boxing Organisation (WBO) crowns to Ruiz in an embarrassing seven rounds Technical Knockout (TKO).

Besides former champion and heavyweight great, Lennox Lewis, telling Joshua that he needs a new trainer, another all-time great in the heavyweight division, George Foreman, says having a new manager might be what the former champ needs to change things in his favour going forward.

Putting his services on offer, ‘Big George’ told TMZ Sports, that he is ready and willing to help Joshua rebuild from his crushing upset defeat by the hitherto unfancied Ruiz

Foreman, the legendary two-time heavyweight king (1973 to 1974 and 1994 to 1997) said of Joshua; “He needs someone like me”, adding; “They’re gonna have to go back to the gym. I think he’ll be a greater fighter, Joshua now.”

According to the 70-year old Foreman, “If he goes back and gets his mind together, he’s gonna even be better. But right now, he better learn to box and he better gets a good manager. I’ll do it.”

George further said; “That’s certain. He needs someone like me. If I’m Anthony Joshua’s manager, I say, ‘let sleeping dogs lie.’ I don’t want to fight that guy (Ruiz) anymore, because you don’t know what you did wrong. You go back and you’re gonna do the same thing. Let it slide. Leave Ruiz alone. Let him alone.”

Foreman also suggested that Joshua can come back better now that he has “the fear of losing,” something he perhaps never had before (although AJ had shown vulnerability in previous fights before the Ruiz disaster, being decked by Wladimir Klitschko and before that being badly wobbled by Dillian Whyte, and at least a few experts felt a loss was always on the cards even if AJ never felt that way himself).”

Already, boxing pundits are wondering if Foreman’s experience counts when he suggested that Joshua should not go for that revenge rematch with Ruiz.

But as the old George maintained, a second loss by Joshua to Ruiz would be disastrous and may put an end to his illustrious boxing career

Foreman’s suggestion is certainly not being considered by the Joshua camp that is still smarting from their upsetting loss to the American based Mexican fighter, Ruiz Jnr, a clearly an unknown quantity before the championship bout.

Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn is already upbeat about the prospects of a rematch against American-born Mexican Ruiz who produced one of the biggest shocks in heavyweight boxing history to take Joshua’s three world heavyweight titles in New York on the night of Saturday, June 1, 2019.