It was a one sided affair yesterday in Saudi Arabia. Anthony Joshua faced Andy Ruiz in a rematch of their June 1st bout. In June, Ruiz shocked the world by stopping Anthony Joshua in eight rounds. Ruiz made boxing history in the process by becoming the first Mexican-American heavyweight champion.
In an ironically rainy night in Riyadh history did not repeat itself. This go around, the fight went the distance. Joshua controlling the match from the first round on. Utilizing his height and reach advantage Joshua effectively boxed from the outside all night long. Ruiz had his moments. The eighth and ninth rounds, stand out, as Ruiz landed left hook and right hand combinations that wobbled Joshua. However, Ruiz never put together a sustained attack. More importantly never closed the distance where he could land power shots and/or take advantage of his faster hand speed. The result, Joshua pitched nearly a shutout with a unanimous decision. Two judges scored the bout 118-110 and one had it 119-109.
So what’s next for Anthony Joshua? After the bout Ruiz asked for a trilogy. Joshua’s camp seems open to it. Yet, that can simply be optics. Anthony Joshua’s promoters once again hold all the cards and there are bigger paydays to be had in the form of Deontay Wilder, Tyson Fury and Oleksander Uysk. Until then take a look at the highlights of yesterday’s bout.