By Tim Parsons-
WBC champion Deontey Wilder is supporting Andy Ruiz Jnr to defend his belts and believes the support of Mexicans will see him through a victory in his rematch with Anthony Joshua in December .
Ruiz produced a shock win against Anthony Joshua in New York, knocking him down four times to win the undisputed world heavyweight title as a 25-1 outsider last June in Newyork.
The usually animated Wilder told Sky Sports that he believes Ruiz has all the confidence and motivation to win his rematch again. The unbeaten American has always said Joshua’s body language in the last fight told him everything he needed to know. He warns that Ruiz has al the needed motivation to win again and that the real reason of Joshua’s defeat is not known, but he has the secret.
CONFIDENCE
‘ I think Ruiz got all the confidence and motivation that he needed in the first fight ‘Look at what his life has done. I don’t think he’s someone that is going to dwell on obtaining a little bit of a taste of success. ‘Making a million, three million, whatever the purse was, it’s just the beginning, especially when you become a champion.
‘And you can’t get caught up into thinking, “Oh, three million!” You have to think, if you can get that, then you can get more. But you’ve got to stay hungry. ‘It’s like my man [Marvin] Hagler said, you can’t get out of bed in silk pyjamas, that’s what it is. You get too lazy, and you get so comfortable, you feel like you’ve made it.
BOOSTER FEELING
‘You get that feeling in your heart, you only wake up when you want to, you only do what you want to do, you have the money to go anywhere you want to go. ‘So he can get lazy, but with the win that was a big booster and I think he’s got a lot of people around him – especially the Mexican people – that’s every day reminding him.’
Joshua was previously unbeaten in 22 fights and considered Britain’s hope until the unexpected defeat which now requires that he proves his doubters, like Wilder wrong. Joshua insists the defeat was a blip and is confident of revenge when he meets Ruiz Jnr in Saudi Arabia.