Eddie Hearn says better sparring partners will help Anthony Joshua in Andy Ruiz rematch

As Anthony Joshua prepares himself for vindication in his upcoming rematch with Andy Ruiz, Eddie Hearn says they’re feeling good about Joshua’s training as this time they’re much better prepared to deal with the task at hand.

With Andy Ruiz filling-in as a late substitute for Jarrell Miller this past summer, Hearn says Joshua ‘struggled’ to find adequate sparring to get him ready for that fight, but that won’t be a problem this time around.

“Sparring is something we’ve been working at. First time around we only had four weeks, and three weeks of sparring. We found guys but probably not the guys we really wanted.

“Now the sparring is top class. He is focused and looking great. Eight weeks to go.

“[Last time] we tried to get the sparring in, we struggled a little bit, no excuses, but this time around the preparation has got to be spot on.”

Confidence will surely be a key for Joshua heading into this rematch. And being that he was knocked out by Ruiz the last time around, he’s obviously going to have to look for alternative sources to draw confidence from. If the sparring partner angle makes him feel better, well then, so be it.