Nelson: TKO Defeat Has Made Anthony Joshua Hungry Again

Former world champion and Sky Sports pundit Johnny Nelson is expecting a very hungry Anthony Joshua, when the British superstar faces Andy Ruiz in a rematch for the WBO, WBA, IBF, IBO heavyweight titles.

The rematch is scheduled for December 7 in Saudi Arabia.

Back in June, Ruiz dropped Joshua four times to secure a seventh round stoppage before a stunned crowd at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Nelson believes Joshua underestimated Ruiz, who entered the fight on short notice after initial opponent Jarrell Miller failed a drug test.

“The first time Anthony Joshua met Ruiz, he didn't even look at Ruiz. He thought, 'I've got this little fat guy now' and he made the mistake, but he'll never make that mistake again," Nelson told Daily Star.

“And I actually say, if Anthony Joshua was gonna lose, that was the best time for him to lose. Can you imagine if he lost for the first time against Wilder? Can you imagine if he lost for the first time against Fury? Then you'd think it's a bigger mountain to climb.

“So now it's made him hungry again. 'Cos Anthony Joshua doesn't need to fight, he's a very wealthy young man. Now he wants to fight, because he wants to prove something to himself. Now this is where he turns a corner. This is where you get fighters that are lifetime history makers in our sport, because they're millionaires but they still fight like they're paupers. You look at [Floyd] Mayweather, you look at [Muhammad] Ali, you look at [Joe] Frazier, you look at [Marco Antonio] Barrera.

“You look at all these fighters that were wealthy as hell, but they still put up amazing performances as if they had nothing. Anthony Joshua didn't fight like a hungry man, but he will now because he wants to do it. Now he wants to do it for himself.”