Anthony Joshua is looking absolutely leaner going into his much-awaited rematch with Andy Ruiz Jr.
The heavyweight rivals are set to meet again on December 7’s Clash of the Dunes in Saudi Arabia for the re-run of their June 1st showdown.
Repeat vs revenge is going to be the theme of this titanic clash as Joshua looks to avenge the seventh round knockout loss, the first defeat in his professional career.
The Mexican champion, meanwhile, seeks to pull off another massive upset as he plans to send the British boxer to retirement.
Joshua admitted he was less prepared in his first meeting against Ruiz Jr, who stepped in as late replacement for his original opponent, Jarrell Miller.
But for the rematch, AJ is wasting no time to be more physically and mentally prepared.
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Leaner
In a recent Instagram post, the former unified heavyweight champion flaunted his slimmer physique, which made fans more excited for what could be an all-out war this weekend.
Here are some of the craziest reactions from Joshua’s rabid followers:
“Leaner and faster. All that bulk was slowing you down. Good job. Looking forward to seeing your hand speed and free movement in this fight. So tight and awkward when you lost,” a fan commented.
“Looks a little smaller, hope it helps you.”
“My man has lost too much weight.”
“Look how lean he’s looking now. He’s got the W for sure this time round.”
“Finally lost that muscle that was not needed,” another fan added.
“Looking lean brother, ruiz is gonna get some heat.”
“AJ slimming down he’s changing the game plan.”
Another fan replied to the post, saying “looking a lot slimmer, not as much heavy muscle, can’t wait to see you rectify what happened last time out.”
Check out the photo below:
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Prison Mindset
Aiming to recapture the heavyweight titles, Joshua revealed he has adopted a prison mindset to prepare for the upcoming rematch.
“It’s just a mindset, a prison mindset, like a military mindset,” he said.
“Lock-down. Training, focus, sleep. You have to have that mindset. You have to be in that mindset.”
“I’ve been boxing 11 years now and I have always been on top, from the amateurs to the pros, so this has been six months of letting Andy Ruiz take all that pressure.”
“You’ve seen all the stuff he’s had to deal with; we’ve been dealing with that for 10 years now and it’s a breath of fresh air.”
“I’m no longer focused on any other opponent than Ruiz, and it feels good to just be focused on one guy.”
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(Featured Image Source: Instagram/ Anthony Joshua)