Pulev on Joshua-Ruiz-‘Ruiz Will Beat Joshua Again’

The heavyweight rematch of Anthony Joshua and Andy Ruiz Jr. is slowly around the corner, which will shape up the landscape fo the heavyweight division in 2020, and one man who has a rooting interest is IBF mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev.

Pulev is coming off his unanimous decision victory over Rydell Booker in Fresno, California, on Veterans Day weekend. While that match won’t make anyone’s “Best of 2019 lists”, the victory will get him a title shot at the winner of this battle taking place on December 7th in Saudi Arabia as ordered by the IBF by May 2020.

Speaking with Keith Idec of Boxingscene, Pulev, if he had to pick his winner of the fight, is going with Ruiz to retain.

“With Joshua and Ruiz,” Pulev said to BoxingScene.com, “I think if Ruiz is seriously prepared, not lazy in training, I think he wins a second time.”

It’s great to be back home! Като България няма друго място на света! ?????? Photo credit: @LAPbg pic.twitter.com/UiWzxHgy5W

— Kubrat Pulev (@KubratPulev) November 14, 2019

Anyone who has glanced at Andy Ruiz’s Instagram account has seen the change it has been for him. Ruiz went from being a late-fight replacement to take on Joshua in June to becoming to first Mexican heavyweight champion of the world after winning the titles. Pulev feels that despite the life-changing event if Ruiz is focused, he wins again.

“I don’t know, because now to him [winning was] like a shock,” Pulev stated. “He’s a popular guy now, at this moment. There’s a lot of cars, all the time pictures everywhere. When he stays focused and serious with training, about boxing, I believe he will win. This time it’s not so easy to win, but I think he can win when he’s serious.”

When the rematch takes place on December 7th, which will air in the United States on the streaming service DAZN, Pulev thinks we’ll see a different matchup from the one that we saw back in June from both opponents.

“This time, it’s not so easy because I think Joshua this time will be different,” Pulev mentioned to Boxingscene. “He learned from his mistakes, and now I think his team and himself are maybe different. They’ll have a different strategy, and they’re more serious. This loss he had, I think it’s because he thought, ‘I’ll just win easy.’ But it’s not like that.”

The mandatory challenger of Pulev may legitimately be neither one of the challenges he faces next for the IBF title next year, but getting Pulev’s two cents will be some of a lot of loose change coming out of this rematch.