Former heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz thinks that Anthony Joshua is finally starting to show the aggression that once defined his career, before he ran into a chunky power puncher with fast hands.

Ruiz was an athletic question mark before he dropped Joshua four times and stopped him to capture three heavyweight titles in their 2019 slugfest in Madison Square Garden. Joshua seemed to emerge from the first fight a little gun-shy, a little tentative. He won the rematch with Ruiz in a carefully calibrated, cautious performance, and his temperament seemed to be more safety-first than full-speed ahead. With two recent knockouts – including a whiplash, highlight-reel KO of Francis Ngannou – Joshua, Ruiz believes, is starting to regain his offensive-minded form.

“He’s getting his momentum back,” Ruiz said on Wednesday before a press conference in Manhattan, New York, to announce his bout with Jarrell Miller on Aug. 3 at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, as part of a stacked card headlined by Terence Crawford and Israil Madrimov. “He’s getting his confidence back. I think that’s the most important thing. He’s doing what he’s supposed to do. I think he’s doing his thing. I’m just happy for him. I would love to have that trilogy with him. He gave me that opportunity. I gave him back that opportunity, and there’s one more. I want to become a two-time heavyweight champion of the world.”

Ruiz (35-2, 22 KOs) qualified his remarks by saying that Joshua’s offensive success could be due in part to his opponents. Joshua dominated a very skilled but somewhat unproven commodity in Otto Wallin last December in a fifth-round stoppage and then blasted out a boxing novice in Ngannou in March in just two rounds.

“AJ’s been doing good. He’s been taking out the guys that he’s supposed to,” Ruiz said. “I’m not saying they’re super-good opponents that have really good skills. I’m sure if he fought someone else that had more skills, that wanted to win the fight and aren’t just facing him for the payday or the exposure, they want to win the fight and do whatever it takes – and I feel that should be me,” he said with a chuckle. “I give it all I have. I die inside that ring. But he’s been doing good and he’s been doing his thing.”

Ruiz hopes to return to the ring again in December following his bout with Miller (26-1-1, 22 KOs). Ruiz hasn’t fought since he decked Luis Ortiz three times on his way to a unanimous decision in September 2022. Ruiz underwent surgery on a torn rotator cuff last year.

“I have to climb up the ladder again,” Ruiz said. “After I do these fights and get back into the groove, I’d love to fight Joseph Parker, [Deontay] Wilder and Joshua. The main thing is training and staying in shape. After this fight, I plan on training and training and come back in December.”

Anthony Joshua is known by many to be a class act, both inside and outside the boxing ring.

The former two-time heavyweight world champion has fired back at times when provoked by the likes of Jarrell Miller during fight build-ups, but usually keeps things respectful.

A prime example of this has been the preamble to his fight with Francis Ngannou on March 8, which has seen the two titans show a mutual appreciation for one another with no spiteful words exchanged.

Perhaps most famously, AJ was accused of being too nice before his disastrous first fight with Andy Ruiz in 2019 that saw him lose for the first time.

When Miller failed his drugs tests, he was replaced at short notice by Ruiz, who was almost treated like a competition winner at the pre-fight presser.

Joshua even allowed the Mexican to hold his belts for a picture before the fight.

A few days later, the WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight world titles formally changed hands as Ruiz floored AJ four times and stopped him in round seven.

However, Ruiz weighed in more than a stone heavier for their rematch in Saudi Arabia six months later after plenty of partying and poor preparation.

As a result, he was comfortably outboxed and Joshua triumphantly regained the belts.

Ruiz later said that he struggled with depression in the aftermath and ballooned up to 320lbs.

One shining light for him during this period though were the messages of support he received from his rival.

Having only recently experienced defeat for himself, AJ decided to console his opponent.

Ruiz Jr revealed to the Mail: “There were a few messages.

“We were just saying that I’d bounce back, that I’m a great fighter.

“I have nothing but love for him. I don’t have no grudges.”

The coronavirus pandemic delayed Ruiz Jr’s ring return, but he eventually came back and beat Chris Arreola in May 2021.

He then picked up a solid win against Luis Ortiz in August 2022 and is hoping to get in on the Saudi Arabia heavyweight party with a return to action again in 2024.

Former unified heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr, has slammed Anthony Joshua promoter Eddie Hearn for refusing to agree to a trilogy bout with the Nigerian-born British boxer.

The 34-year-old Mexican-American boxer said his chances of a trilogy showdown with Anthony Joshua are slim, believing that promoter Eddie Hearn is still ‘traumatised’ from their first bout.

Anthony Joshua lost his WBO, WBA, IBO and IBF titles to Andy Ruiz Jr at Madison Square Garden in New York in August 2019 in a fight that shocked the boxing world. Still, he reclaimed his world heavyweight championship in Saudi Arabia by outclassing Andy Ruiz Jr December 2019.

Ever since, there has been the potential of a rubber match, and the subject is always raised when ‘AJ’ is short of an opponent.

In an interview with Fight Hub TV, Ruiz revealed that a third clash with Joshua is unlikely, saying Hearn ‘doesn’t want to fight him against anyone good’.

“I don’t think that they want the fight, Eddie Hearn is already traumatised. He doesn’t even want to fight him against anyone good unless they are going to just try and get their money and then leave.”

“Of course, I’d fight him in the UK, I’d go over there. Remember, when I fought him in the rematch I wasn’t good, I was overweight, I forgot everything that I was [meant to be] doing in the rematch. Now, it’s a whole different ball game, now it’s all different.

All I want to do is just show my talent, hopefully next year, and everybody is going to know who the heck Andy Ruiz is again.”

Whilst Ruiz’s next move is anybody’s guess, many fans are anticipating that Joshua will target the IBF world title by next facing either Filip Hrgovic or Otto Wallin and taking one of the respective spots in a proposed contest for the vacant IBF belt, which the winner of Fury-Usyk is expected to abandon.