The old saying is “Stay ready, you ain’t gotta get ready”.
But sometimes being “too” ready isn’t enough. Ask the former unified world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua (22-1).
The Brit is entering his training camp before one of his most important fights. On December 7 “AJ” will be entering the ring as the challenger, as he will try to get his three world titles back. Andy Ruiz Jr. (33-1) has already demonstrated that he’s not just a regular guy out there and he can change the outcome of a round in a matter of seconds.
Three months prior to the fight, the 29-year-old Joshua vowed that he needs to be more “switched on” for that fight and not being so relaxed and calm.
“I need to start taking this approach to my fights where I’m a bit more lively,” said Joshua.
“I know I’m capable of it. 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’s entrance and demeanor on June 1 were anything like champion mentality, as the Brit looked nervous and as he had just get out of bed. Asked how he dealt with his defeat, Joshua said:
“I think I had to grieve and ask myself all the questions you would expect. 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.”
