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Anthony Joshua needs to be more switched on for Andy Ruiz Jr rematch

Andy Ruiz Jr and Anthony Joshua

Former unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua says he will need to be more “switched on” when he seeks revenge on conqueror Andy Ruiz Jr in December.

Joshua lost his three world heavyweight titles to the Mexican-American at Madison Square Garden in New York in June.

The Briton appeared to lack enthusiasm for the fight as early as during his walk to the ring, leading fans and pundits to later question whether he was up to the task.

Speaking on Eddie Hearn’s BBC podcast ‘No Passion, No Point’ Joshua said: “I need to start taking this approach to my fights where I’m a bit more lively.”

The reason, according to Joshua, was because he was consciously trying to stay relaxed before the bout.

But now the 29-year-old says he will let his natural energy bubble to the surface on fight night.

“I know I’m capable of it,” Joshua added. “There is too much at stake. If I go in there where I’m switched on, a time like the Ruiz fight where I am so relaxed, that might be the difference.”

Joshua will rematch Ruiz Jr in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia on December 7.

In their first bout Joshua hit the canvas four times before being stopped in the seventh round against late replacement Ruiz Jr, who was a massive underdog after taking the fight on just six weeks’ notice.

It was Joshua’s first professional loss in 23 contests and he now says he will revert to a “challenger mindset” he had before winning the IBF, WBA and WBO heavyweight championships.

Joshua also revealed how he dealt with his first defeat.

“I think I had to grieve and ask myself all the questions you would expect,” he said.

“People say ‘you lost’; I call it a blip.

“I can’t wait to get in there and fight him. Every time I have fought a champion I have risen to the occasion.”