With great risk comes great reward but is Anthony Joshua’s willingness to jump straight back in with Andy Ruiz too much too soon?
Joshua being a fighter obviously wants to right the wrong straight away and erase the loss from his mind.
Moreover, according to reports in recent weeks he’s even said he’d have no problem doing the rematch at the very same venue at Madison Square Garden.
You can see his thinking in this, in that, essentially, he wants to confront any demons he has head on.
Again an admirable trait and something a genuine fighter would do.
But there has to be a balance to everything too.
His handlers must ask themselves what would happen to his career if he were to get knocked out a second time?
It could be catastrophic for his confidence.
That being said you just don’t know what’s going on in his head at the moment — or anyone’s for that matter.
The upside of course is huge in that he’d get his heavyweight titles back and prove himself as an excellent champion who came back from adversity.
Similar perhaps to Lennox Lewis against Hasim Rahman when Lewis won the immediate rematch with a one-two knockout combination.
But on the flipside another example of what can go wrong in immediate heavyweight rematches also exists.
One David Price a few years ago who was being billed as the next great heavyweight hope of Britain suffered back to back losses to American Tony Thompson.
After going straight for an immediate rematch at the time.
He was never the same fighter again really.
It all comes down to the individual and weighing up the pros and cons of taking on the risk.
On the whole, you’d have to think he’ll go for the immediate rematch.
Where the fight happens however could be crucial though.
If he were to get it back in the UK he’d have added security and home town support there.
Going back to MSG into the lion’s den again would likely see even more Mexicans in attendance this time for Ruiz.
As Muhammad Ali once said:
“He who is not courageous enough to take risk in life will accomplish nothing in life.”
Fighting and life is about taking calculated risks and gambles.
Joshua knows this as well as anyone.
