David Haye praises Andy Ruiz Jr, says Anthony Joshua will return

Former world champion David Haye has expressed his disbelief at seeing Andy Ruiz Jr 33-1 (22) manhandle Anthony Joshua 22-1 (21) en route to a stunning seventh round stoppage of the now former unified heavyweight champ at New York’s Madison Square Garden on Saturday night.

The challenger had Joshua on the canvas four times in the contest to win by TKO and claim the IBF, WBA and WBO heavyweight titles.

Haye believes it was the biggest upset in heavyweight boxing in almost 30 years.

“This was probably the biggest upset since Buster Douglas knocked out Mike Tyson (in 1990),” said Haye in an interview with iFL TV after the fight.

“This was a sustained beating. For me it was crazy situation to see Anthony Joshua get manhandled by someone so physically inferior to him. Just to look at him, you wouldn’t give him no chance whatsoever, but he showed that he’s got the heart. He’s got that.

“He’s the next Mexican superstar. Canelo has some fans. How many people in Mexico can relate to Andy Ruiz Jr? Look at him. You have to respect the heart. This guy didn’t come in shape, and he still did it.

“You’ve got to give Andy Ruiz Jr all the credit in the world. Everyone’s talking about how Anthony Joshua lost. Andy Ruiz won, and we should be praising this young man, who showed the world he’s number one. A lot of people believe he beat Joseph Parker when they fought. It was a close fight. It could have gone either way.

“I’m a huge fan of Andy Ruiz Jr now. I’m looking forward to the rematch. If you thought this fight was big, we’ve got to get it back at Wembley. It’s got to be a football stadium. 20,000 isn’t big enough for this type of fight. We need at least 60-70,000 people for that fight, and Anthony Joshua has a point to prove in this fight.”

Haye contrasted Joshua’s performance against Ruiz Jr with his TKO11 victory over long-time champion Wladimir Klitschko two years ago, saying they were two very different styles of fights.

“He obviously got knocked down against Wladimir Klitschko, but he got back up and closed the show,” said Haye. “This time, he got beat up. He looked like he didn’t want to fight. He put his hands on the ropes. He didn’t say to the referee, ‘yes, let’s go,’ and walk forward. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, but everybody has a bad day at the office. He has a chance to prove it. He has a rematch clause.

“Anthony Joshua is a great fighter, and he’ll prove to everyone that this was an anomaly. Things happen in sports. This was the worst night in his life. Everyone deserves a bad night from time to time. It’s going to be a long couple of months for him. I believe he’ll be back. He’s made of the right stuff. We’ve seen it in the past.

“There’s a reason why he’s an Olympic champion. There’s a reason why he held three top belts. I hope he just looked at the picture [of Ruiz Jr.], and said, ‘I’ve got this’ and mentally switched off.

“He’s got a lot to workout. At no stage was he in full control of that fight. There wasn’t one round where he dominated that round. The first round was kind of close. At best, it was close rounds. It was strange.”