‘Something wasn’t right… I’ve never spoken about it’ – Anthony Joshua confirms secret reason for Andy Ruiz Jr defeat

ANTHONY JOSHUA has opened up about the reason he lost to Andy Ruiz Jr.

Ruiz shocked the world by defeating Joshua back in 2019 to claim the WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO titles.

APAnthony Joshua opened up on his first career defeat at the hands of Andy Ruiz Jr[/caption]

But Joshua has insisted his focus is back on boxingRichard Pelham / The Sun

AJ is set to face Jermaine Franklin on April 1Richard Pelham / The Sun

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Joshua would go on to reclaim his titles six months later.

But speaking about the first fight, AJ said: “People feel boxing is about popularity but it is about skill.

“Looking at Ruiz one you could see that something wasn’t right, but I have never spoken about it.

“You can watch as much as you want but until you face me you never know.”

The 33-year-old went up against Oleksandr Usyk two years later and once again saw his status as a heavyweight champion lost.

And following a rematch in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Joshua failed to reclaim his titles, forcing him back to drawing board.

Joshua will face Jermaine Franklin on April 1 in the hopes of getting his career back on track.

Joshua added: “People ask where my head is at. But I always go to the gym and the difference is I have to put my heart back in the game.

Joshua is aiming to get his career back on trackRichard Pelham / The Sun

Franklin has a record of 21-1Richard Pelham / The Sun

“I always built businesses outside of boxing because of the fear of going back to square one.

“But I made a conscious decision last year to get rid of those distractions and focus on boxing. It’s not just the mind, it is your heart.

“It’s like being in a relationship. When you wake up every morning with your partner you have to have your heart in it to make it work.”