Ryan Taylor
It’s so, so hard to call particularly given that there is still doubt over what exactly happened to AJ in New York.
If there was nothing wrong with him and he wasn’t concussed beforehand from sparring, then it’s hard not to see the same outcome in Riyadh.
Stylistically, Ruiz is a nightmare for Joshua and is like nobody he has ever faced before. His quick hand speed is arguably unrivalled in the heavyweight division, but this time around Joshua’s whole camp has been preparing for the Mexican, unlike earlier this year when he was due to face Jarrell Miller.
I have doubts about the heart of AJ, particularly following comments in which he has already considered what it would be like to lose again. To Ruiz, he is playing no games. For instance, he would never let AJ hold his belts like the Brit did ahead of their June 1st clash.
Nonetheless, I have to go with Joshua. This is a fight for the ages and he looks extremely focussed, had a good camp and if he can learn from his mistakes then we can’t forget how devastating he can be at his destructive best. Praying for the right result because quite frankly, losing the belts to Al Haymon changes everything. Forever.