By Keith Idec

NEW YORK – Andy Ruiz Jr. doesn’t think his height will be a disadvantage against Anthony Joshua.

The 6-feet-6, 245-pound Joshua stands four inches taller than Ruiz, who’s a big underdog. While studying Joshua’s previous fights, though, Ruiz noticed that shorter opponents have fared well against the unbeaten IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion.

“All the guys that he’s fought that are shorter than him – Carlos Takam, I think he did really good in that fight,” Ruiz said Thursday prior to a press conference at The Beacon Theater. “Dillian Whyte, you know. But we looked at the Takam fight, and with my speed and the abilities that I have, I think it’s gonna be more of an exciting fight than that.”

The 6-feet-2 Ruiz is more skillful than the 6-feet-1 Takam, another late replacement whom Joshua stopped in the 10th round of their October 2017 bout at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. Ruiz, who has lost only a majority decision to former WBO champ Joseph Parker, is confident, too, that his athleticism and persistence will trouble the less mobile Joshua on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden.

“I think with the speed and the movement and the pressure, all that’s gonna come together,” Ruiz said. “He’s never fought somebody that pressures him, you know? I don’t know how he fights going backwards, but our job – we just need to stick to the game plan.”

The 29-year-old Ruiz (32-1, 21 KOs), of Imperial, California, stopped a 6-feet-7 opponent in his last fight. Of course, no one will confuse Alexander Dimitrenko for Joshua (22-0, 21 KOs), but Ruiz’s stoppage of Russia’s Dimitrenko (41-5, 26 KOs) on April 20 in Carson, California, gives him confidence entering the biggest fight of his career.

“He’s tall, but you know, he’s a good fighter,” Ruiz said. “I don’t really have nothing bad to say about him. But with the speed that I have and the movement that I have, whatever he tries to do, it’s gonna make it difficult for him.”

Ruiz realizes that if he expects to pull off an upset, he’d be best served by not allowing their scheduled 12-round fight to go to the scorecards.

“I feel I do need to get the knockout,” Ruiz said. “Hopefully, we do get the knockout. If not, being busy, letting my hands go, throwing the combinations, we can win by decision.” 

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.