Former unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua took his shock defeat on the chin and plans on coming back stronger.
Joshua was a heavy favorite going into his Madison Square Garden headliner against short-notice opponent Andy Ruiz Jr. on Saturday night.
However, he would get knocked down four times over seven rounds until the referee called an end to the fight as Ruiz became the first-ever Mexican heavyweight champion.
Despite what was a huge setback, “AJ” looked at things with a positive outlook backstage.
“All good, bro,” Joshua told iFL TV when asked how he was feeling. “Easy thing to say. Didn’t want to take the loss tonight. Boxing is about not getting hit. I got hit one too many times. Ruiz, the better man, got the win and I’ve got to take this loss like a man.
“Still looking forward, still got my eyes set on bigger things. I’ve got to make a major comeback. So we’ll see what happens next. Who I fight next. I’ve still got my eyes on the bigger picture but getting my hands on those belts always put me in a position of power so I want to get my hands back in those and still proceed with the goal I have.”
Joshua Focused On Improving Rather Than Rematch
Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn later confirmed they will trigger the Briton’s clause for a rematch to take place in the United Kingdom in November or December this year. However, Joshua is more focused on improving and fixing where he went wrong.
“Yeah, we can get a rematch on straight away,” he added. “But there’s more to it, I need to focus on immediately getting myself together, fixing where I went wrong, and whoever I take on, show where we sharpened up our tools.”
Many legendary champions have come back looking even better after their first defeat. So while this is a major setback for Joshua, it’s certainly not the end of his legacy.
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