Joshua vs Ruiz

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Lee Cleveland Updated August 14, 2019

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Heavyweight

Record: KO: KO Pct: Age: Height: Weight: Reach: Stance: Nationality: Titles:

Anthony Joshua 22 -0 -0 21 95% 198cm/6 feet 5" 247.8lbs/112.4Kg/17stone 9lb 208cm/82" orthodox United Kingdom WBA/IBF/WBO

Andy Ruiz Jr 32 -1 -0 21 64% 188cm/6 feet 2" 268lbs/121.6Kg/19stone 2lb 188cm/74" orthodox USA -

WBA / IBF / WBO Heavyweight Title

Joshua vs Ruiz Results and Scoring

Ruiz TKO 7 Joshua

57-56 - Ruiz, 57-56 - Ruiz, 57-56 - Joshua

Joshua vs Ruiz Date, Location and Broadcast

June 01, 2019
Madison Square Garden, New York, NY, USA

9PM ET / 2AM London time.

Main event start time: In the U.S., look for the fight to start between 10:45 and 11:30 ET. Fans in England should expect to wait until the early hours of Sunday, June 2nd for the main event to start; Between 3:45 and 4:30 AM London time.

Joshua vs Ruiz Stats, Facts & Fight PursesJoshua vs Ruiz Stats, Facts & Fight Purses

In one of the biggest upsets in heavyweight history, Andy Ruiz Jr (33-1, 22 KOs) stopped WBA/IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua (22-1, 21 KOs) in round seven on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

After two slow rounds, Joshua floored Ruiz in Round 3 with a well-timed left hook, and the route was on .... Or so it seemed.

When Ruiz arose and the battle ensued, the fighters engaged in a close-quarters exchange and AJ, who got the worst of it, was dropped for only the second time in his career. And while he survived that knockdown, he was clearly more hurt than Ruiz had been when he tasted the canvas moments earlier.

A battered, weary Joshua would hit the deck again before the round's conclusion. Joshua beat the count and would be saved by the bell as it chimed just before the action could resume. As AJ staggered back to his corner, fans in attendance watched in disbelief.

In Rounds 4-6, a tentative Joshua appeared to look for opportunities instead of create them. Now, aggressive and confident, Ruiz was able to rattle AJ a few times despite getting caught with some sweet shots. Joshua had been weakened but was still dangerous and was unleashing zingers. Nevertheless, Ruiz took some good shots and appeared to be the stronger, more assertive fighter, controlling the tempo from Rounds 4-6 even if he didn't carry all of them.

In Round 7, the fighters got into another fierce, close-quarters exchange and quicker Ruiz rocked Joshua, dropping him two more times to prompt referee Michael Griffin to stop the fight.

After suffering his fourth knockdown, and the second in Round 7, Joshua beat the count and replied in the affirmative when the referee asked him if he wanted to continue, However, AJ's body language told a different story as he chose to lean on the ropes instead of walk to the center of the ring.

Time was 1:27. And Andy Ruiz is the new heavyweight champion!

There is a rematch clause and promoter Eddie Hearn said Joshua vs Ruiz 2 take place in the UK in November or December.

At the time of the stoppage, Ruiz led 57-56 on two scorecards while Joshua was up 57-56 on the third card. FightSaga has Ruiz ahead 58-55.

Facts / Stats

Ruiz was a late replacement for Jarrell Miller, who was pulled from the bout after failing three pre-fight drug tests.
Joshua landed 47 of 176 (26.7%) total shots while Ruiz connected on 56 of 206 (27.2%)..
Ruiz had a 39-23 edge in power punches landed. Joshua managed to land an average of just 7 of 25 punches per round.
AJ connected just one power shot in the opening round
There were five knockdowns; Ruiz was down once, AJ four times.
AJ landed some quality zingers; Ruiz demonstrated a fine beard to absorb them so well.
A rematch in the UK is likely for November or December 2019

Purses

Joshua is set to earn between $28 and $32 million USD for the fight, which would be a new career-high. The revenue will be generated from DAZN, which will broadcast the fight in the U.S., and pay-per-view sales in the UK.

Big Questions / Key TakeawaysBig Questions / Key Takeaways

Can Ruiz upset Joshua the same way Rahman upset Lewis in their first showdown? Hasim Rahman chimed in:

"Joshua has so much more on the line [than Lewis did with me]. Boxing in the heavyweight division is so different to when Lennox was defending his titles. Anthony knows what is at stake, and he doesn't want to mess up potentially the biggest undisputed fight ever. He doesn't want to jeopardise that," Rahman told Sky Sports.

"With the performance that Deontay Wilder [put in against Dominic Breazeale], Joshua has to at least match that. It's a must. He has to. If he goes the distance with Ruiz Jr, it will make things harder at the negotiating table. Deontay has done his part."

Post Fight

How good is John Ruiz?
He's 33-1, 22 KOs and his lone loss is a controversial verdict to then WBO heavyweight champion Joseph Parker in 2016. He clearly deserves to be rated among Joshua, Wilder and Fury.

Can AJ bounce back?

Does Ruiz have AJ's number?

Joshua vs Ruiz Predictions and OddsJoshua vs Ruiz Predictions and Odds

Fight QuotesFight Quotes

Post-Fight

Manny Robles, Ruiz's trainer

"This is for all of Mexico. Mexico has its first heavyweight champion of the world, and we made history."
"As soon as Andy dropped him, he really slowed down."
"He [Joshua] didn't want to continue. We had a great game plan -- to stay low, not fight tall and work behind the jab. Hit the chest, the body. I told him to either fight inside or stay outside. I did not want him to fight at midrange and put himself in front of the big punches."

Andy Ruiz

"I could [sense he was hurt] but I just didn't want to throw away what I had. I just wanted to hunt him down even more and work the body," Ruiz said. "I just wanted to listen to the game plan."
"That was my first time getting dropped on the floor. It just made me stronger. It just made me want it more. I just had to knock him down back. [I took his power] because of the Mexican warrior I am. I have that Mexican blood in me. Talking about the Mexican fighting style, I just proved it."
"I just feel so good, man. This is what I have been dreaming about. "This is what I have been working hard for. I can't believe I just made my dreams come true. I just want to thank my team and my family. The sky is the limit, baby."

Anthony Joshua

"Heavyweight boxing, baby. Thank you to the people who came out this evening. That's No. 1," Joshua said. "Heavyweight boxing is on fire. I just have to turn it around a few notches and bring it back my way. I don't want people to drown in their sorrows. This will show I have the power and the strength. It just wasn't my night. But listen, it is good for the TV. Good for DAZN and the people watching."

Eddie Hearn, Joshua's promoter

"AJ got sloppy. It was a beautiful combination in the third round. "He was in total control of the fight, but he got sloppy and never recovered. Listen, tonight was [Ruiz's] night, but AJ will come back 100 percent and we will make the rematch in the U.K. in November or December.

"But this night now belongs to Andy Ruiz. He made history in the heavyweight division. It will go down in history as a very big one. AJ has the heart of a lion and will come back stronger. Now at least we know the opponent for the end of the year in the U.K. Absolutely we will enact the immediate rematch. He will be devastated when it sinks in. It makes the fall fight a must win."

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