"If there was a legitimate reason why Team AJ knows he lost, let's go for that rematch and let's put the record straight."
Tuesday 2 July 2019 09:28, UK
Anthony Joshua's team should only take the Andy Ruiz Jr rematch if they know the reason for his defeat and not just attempt to repair his reputation, says David Haye.
Britain's heavyweight star is expected to reveal details soon of a second fight with Ruiz Jr after his world title reign and unbeaten record were ended by a stunning upset defeat in New York.
Haye hopes that Joshua knows the cause of that loss before enforcing a second fight and would have backed the 29-year-old, if he needed a few more fights to prepare for Ruiz Jr.
He told Sky Sports: "The fact that I'm hearing that there's going to be a direct rematch is actually quite heart-warming, because it gives me the thought that the powers that be, Team AJ, realise they got it wrong, and they know what needs to be done to rectify it.
"If they do go for a rematch, they are a smart team, they know what they're doing. They've got him to this stage. They are not going to put him back in a fight against someone who has got his number.
"If he says 'I need two or three fights to work against smaller guys who come forward, to prepare me better for that,' I would be happy with that as well. Okay, smart move.
"The fact they are talking about an immediate rematch, I hope they are not just doing it for PR sake. I hope they are doing it because they truly know that it was a freak thing that happened and he'll be better."
As AJ analyses his first professional setback, Haye questioned whether Joshua maintained a stringent training regime after relocating his camp to Florida for the first time in his career.
"Maybe AJ enjoyed Miami a little too much," Haye said. "It seemed a bit of a strange thing to go to Miami as he hadn't done it in the past, prior to that point. I lost my fight when I trained in Miami. The last two times I trained in Miami, I lost. I don't think it was down to lack of motivation, I was just too old, particularly for the last fight.
"I'm not sure how AJ was training out there. Who was he sparring with out there? Was he paying the price in training? Only he knows and if he wasn't, that's a good thing, because all you need to do is pay the price and he should win.
If he was tip-top, everything went great and he still lost, maybe we need a couple of fights.
"But if he was in Miami training to his maximum, if he was pushing it to the limit, if he was having hard rounds of sparring, day in day out, and was peaking at the right time he got into the ring. He didn't have glandular fever, or a cold, or didn't have a dodgy hand.
"If he was tip-top, everything went great and he still lost, maybe we need a couple of fights. But if there was a legitimate reason why Team AJ knows he lost, let's go for that rematch and let's put the record straight. Let's just put it down to a bad night at the office."
