Ruiz relieved the Brit of his three world titles with Joshua claiming he did so with a “lucky punch sent from the Gods.”
But as the rivals prepare to clash again next month, the champion has hit back, claiming he wasn’t hurt when he was dropped in the third round.
“That was a lucky shot for him, too,” Ruiz Jr told Sky Sports. “I got lazy. It was a punch in the blink of an eye. I thought: ‘What just happened?’
“I wasn’t that hurt because I wasn’t wobbling. I still had the will and the fire inside of me. I wanted to keep fighting and win the fight.
“Once he dropped me, then got me with a really good right hand, I could eat his punches. Mentally he thought, ‘This guy isn’t going down, what is happening?”
“I had to do everything possible to change the fight, and that’s what I did with the left hook.
“The left hook was a really great shot in the temple. The other times I hit him in the head, he loosened up and got wobbly. I was the better fighter that day because I pressured him, threw more punches and the body shots put him down.”