Anthony Joshua’s shock defeat to Andy Ruiz Jr at Madison Square Garden in 2019 still carries an unanswered question: what happened to Joshua before he entered the ring? Derek Chisora has now hinted that the circumstances behind the former heavyweight champion’s loss were more serious than fans realised.
Speaking on the Fight Your Corner Podcast in partnership with Midnite, Chisora said Joshua would eventually explain the circumstances himself. “There was something going on with him,” he said, adding: “It’s bigger than what we think it is.” Chisora said he would wait until Joshua was ready to tell people “what was wrong with him before he walked in that ring”.
Joshua had been preparing to face Jarrell Miller in his United States debut before Miller’s failed performance-enhancing drug tests forced him out of the contest. Ruiz replaced him on four weeks’ notice and initially appeared to be heading towards defeat when Joshua dropped him in the third round.
Ruiz recovered quickly, caught Joshua with a counter and scored two knockdowns in the third round, marking the first time Joshua had been dropped twice in a professional fight. The Mexican-American then knocked him down twice more in the seventh before the referee stopped the contest, ending Joshua’s unbeaten record and costing him his heavyweight titles.
Rumours about Joshua’s condition followed the loss, including claims that he had suffered a panic attack in the dressing room and reports that he had been badly hurt during sparring. Joshua denied the panic-attack story, while no confirmed account established a sparring incident as the cause of his performance.
Joshua returned six months later and reclaimed his titles with a unanimous decision in the rematch. He used his jab, movement and reach to keep Ruiz at distance across 12 rounds, producing a markedly different performance from the Madison Square Garden contest.
Madison Square Garden could now feature in Joshua’s career again if he reaches a deal to face Tyson Fury. The proposed fight has faced a venue dispute, with Fury pushing for New York while Joshua’s camp has favoured a UK location; Eddie Hearn has discussed Wembley as an alternative. Fury has since claimed the Joshua fight is off and challenged Oleksandr Usyk, leaving the proposed bout facing another setback.
