World heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua says his US debut against Andy Ruiz Jr will be “more of a boxing match” than it would have been against original opponent Jarrell Miller.

Ruiz, 29, will fight on 1 June instead of American Miller, who was replaced because of failed drug tests.

“It is about selecting punches and breaking him down; Miller would have been more of a slug-fest,” Joshua said.

Joshua, the IBF, WBO and WBA world champion, has not fought since his impressive stoppage win over Alexander Povetkin in September.

He was well into training camp when news of Miller’s failed drug tests emerged, prompting a search for a suitable opponent to face at Madison Square Garden in New York.

In his only world-title shot and defeat to date, Ruiz was beaten on points by New Zealand’s Joseph Parker, who later lost his WBO title to Joshua.

Joshua is ‘a robot’ – Ruiz

Ruiz, a Mexican-American based in California, is bidding to become Mexico’s first heavyweight world champion.
He claims 29-year-old Joshua “fights like a big robot” and has vowed to “make history” when they meet.