Boxing news: Anthony Joshua medical issue, Deontay Wilder rules out AJ bout, Canelo eyed
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Joshua says he had an 'issue with health’ before first Ruiz fight
Anthony Joshua reveals medical issues
Unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua has revealed he was dealing with a medical issue ahead of his first fight with Andy Ruiz Jr, which he lost via seventh-round TKO in front of a sold-out crowd at Madison Square Garden in New York.
"I had some issue with my health which I was going through for a long time,” Joshua told BBC Radio Five Live. “I didn't know what was wrong with me. I felt so tired and drained and thought it must be down to training.
"In the changing room before the fight I got a bucket of ice and was putting my head in it thinking 'why do I feel so tired?'
"The responsibilities of being world champion are difficult. All that stuff, feeling so tired, dealing with obligations. Now I have energy, I haven't missed a session."
He added: "After my check-ups it showed what the problem was and this is what you have to get sorted.Even in this camp I had an operation done but as I'd started training in June I had no issues."
Deontay Wilder appears to rule out Anthony Joshua unification fight
WBC heavyweight king Deontay Wilder has cast major doubt over a unification fight with Joshua, who reclaimed the unified belts with a unanimous decision victory over Ruiz Jr on Saturday night.
When asked by The Athletic for his thoughts on a multi-million-pound showdown with 'AJ', Wilder said: “I don’t think we’ll ever see a unification bout.
“We’ll never see it, and I don’t want people to get their hopes up on it because it’ll never happen.”
Wilder wasn't impressed by Joshua's win over Ruiz Jr, saying: “Joshua did what he had to do to get the win. He ran around the ring and was on his bike all day.
“Basically, he had Klitschko in the camp and he was a lot like Klitschko: that jab-grab-hold method. That’s all he did tonight.
“You want to dominate guys, man.
"Maybe I’m just too rough, too hardcore and too much of a dream for this time and era, maybe the world wants that nice s**t, but my mentality is so different from these other fighters."
Jermall Charlo sets sights on Canelo
WBC middleweight champion Jermall Charlo is confident Canelo Alvarez will return to the division and has set his sights on fighting the newly-crowned WBO light-heavyweight champion.
Speaking after his KO win over Dennis Hogan, Charlo said: “I want the most explosive fights, and I want to put myself to the tests, and challenge myself against the best competition out there that fits me at the right time.
“It’s all about timing. As long as the money is right and the timing is right.”