Veteran trainer and Hall of Famer Teddy Atlas has praised the rematch efforts of IBF, IBO, WBA, WBO heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua.

Back in June 2019, Joshua was dropped four times and stopped in the seventh round by huge underdog, Andy Ruiz.

But in the December rematch, Joshua got revenge when he fought smart by staying at a distance to easily outbox Ruiz over the twelve round limit.

Atlas was very impressed with Joshua's ability to reinvent himself, and how he broke away from the boxer who only came forward and threw big power shot combinations while hunting for a knockout victory.

"A lot of people thought Joshua was the best, but then he gets knocked out by Ruiz Jr, but then he reinvent himself, which is not an easy trick," Atlas explained on his podcast.

"Joshua remade himself, he was a guy that was in front of you, he used his physicality, big guy, sculptured body like an Adonis. He'll look to counter and lead, he's an Olympic gold-medallist, he had a little dimension to him.

"But for the most part, he was taking the fight to you. He then gets knocked out by Ruiz Jr, reinvents himself and he becomes a poor man's version of Muhammad Ali. And I'm not knocking him, because everyone is a poor man's version of Muhammad Ali. He did a real good job by doing what he had to do to beat Ruiz Jr in the second fight, to play into Ruiz Jr's weaknesses. In his next fight with a new style, will it be a combination of his new and old style? That's interesting."

Joshua is scheduled to fight mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev on June 20 or July 25.

Atlas is not giving Pulev much of a shot to win that contest.

"Pulev had a big amateur career but he's not a spring chicken, he's 38, very close to 40. Things change at 40. You got Pulev who's been a little bit of a disappointment, he was a good amateur, he's from Bulgaria, but he's not quite what they thought he would be," Atlas said.

"He got knocked out by Wladimir Klitschko back in 2014, he's won all his fights since but not at that level."