Anthony Joshua's opponent Andy Ruiz Jr: ‘God damn I am ready. I am scared of no one except God’

Sign up to our free sport newsletter for all the latest news on everything from cycling to boxing Sign up to our free sport email for all the latest news Sign up to our free sport email for all the latest news SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Andy Ruiz Jr has seen two of his closest friends killed by the sport which has enveloped his life since he was a ‘chubby’ six-year-old kid, but he is adamant there will be no fear when he steps through the ropes at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night. Ruiz hit the jackpot after Jarrell Miller’s drug abuse put paid to his own crack at Anthony Joshua and the three world heavyweight titles the Watford man carries with such pride. The Mexican-American sent Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn a message via social media, more in hope than expectation, insisting that he should be the man to replace ‘Big Baby’ at the Mecca of boxing this weekend. Ruiz admits he was left contemplating his own position in the sport as a result of the dual tragedies but eventually concluded that, on the contrary, boxing had already ‘saved’ his life.