Andy Ruiz Jr. is ready to take on Anthony Joshua and to make history.
During fight week, Ruiz spoke on what it means to him to face Joshua on June 1 with the WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight titles on the line. Ruiz said he wants to prove those who doubted him throughout the build-up to this fight wrong and wants to be Mexico's first male heavyweight world champion.
“Everyone has always doubted me. But look, I came so far, coming from a small town, a small city and now I am doing great things. I am fighting for the Heavyweight Championship of the world. I’m here to make history and to become the first Mexican Heavyweight Champion,” Ruiz said.
Joshua may be coming in here as the favorite to beat Ruiz, but there is a lot at stake aside from his three world titles. A chance at fighting WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder down the line would also be lost with a loss to Ruiz. Not only does Ruiz believe there is more pressure on Joshua to win this fight, Ruiz thinks he's a better opponent for the British champion than every other opponent he's faced.
“There’s a lot of pressure on me but I think Anthony Joshua has more to lose fighting a dangerous fighter like me. I am a better opponent than all of the other opponents they were talking about. I am here to win it all," Ruiz said.
Fightful will have live coverage of Joshua vs. Ruiz which will headline the June 1 DAZN card at Madison Square Garden. The card will feature two more word title fights: Katie Taylor vs. Delfine Persoon for the undisputed women's lightweight titles and Callum Smith vs. Hassan N'Dam for the WBA "Super" super middleweight title
