Anthony Joshua defeats Andy Ruiz Jr. by UD, regains titles

Andy Ruiz Jr. pulled off one of the biggest upsets in boxing history when he stopped Anthony Joshua in June. The rematch was a different story.

In June, Andy Ruiz Jr. stepped in as a late replacement to fight Anthony Joshua in Madison Square Garden. He stunned everyone by stopping Joshua by TKO. Six months later, they were at it again, but little resembled the first fight.

Instead of Madison Square Garden, they were in the hastily built Diriyah Arena in Saudi Arabia. Joshua came in at a lighter 237 pounds, while the Ruiz weighed 283 pounds. Ruiz was 15 pounds heavier in the rematch than when he beat Joshua in June. When his shirt came off in the ring, the extra pounds showed. They also impeded his performance for the entire fight.

The first two rounds were the most compelling of the fight. Joshua bounced on his toes in round 1. He moved around the ring while tagging Ruiz with punches to the body. Ruiz couldn’t find any leverage to get inside. In the last 15 seconds, Joshua hit Ruiz with a right hand to the temple that cut Ruiz.

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Ruiz pumped his jab into Joshua’s face to begin round 2. Joshua came back with a right hand that made blood flow from that cut. Joshua connected on a sharp left hook. His jab was also effective. A cut opened on Joshua’s left eye, but it was hard to tell what caused it. It didn’t bleed much and was controlled throughout the fight.

Joshua established his rhythm and strategy in the first two rounds. He constantly moved on the outside and kept Ruiz away from him with the left jab. He mimicked Joseph Parker’s 2016 performance against Ruiz, except he did it even better.

Ruiz’s added weight hurt his mobility. He stayed planted in the center ring and plodded after Joshua one slow step at a time. Ruiz couldn’t provide any burst forward and was a solitary target for most of the fight. He couldn’t get to Joshua, and he was frustrated.

In round 4, Ruiz chopped at Joshua to the back of the head out of the clinch. It was a dirty punch, but one of the few he could land. There was a point in round 9 where Ruiz stopped moving altogether. His futility against Joshua was known to all, including himself.

Joshua’s left jab was surgical. He went to the body and the head, but he put too much emphasis on the head. Joshua would have been better served to target Ruiz’s body more throughout the fight. Other than his left hand, Joshua’s bests weapons were his feet.

Joshua looked light on his feet for a 6-foot-6, 237-pound man. He was relaxed and moved out of Ruiz’s range every time Ruiz telegraphed an attack. Joshua’s hands lack speed but staying on the outside nullified Ruiz’s hand speed advantage.

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Ruiz was never in this fight. In truth, he put himself in a position to fail. He was too hungry at the kitchen table and not hungry enough with a desire to defend his world titles. Ruiz’s priorities were out of whack. He grew too comfortable as a champion and allowed bad habits to derail his short title reign.

At the end of the fight, the judges returned scores of 119-109 and two of 118-110 all for Joshua. It wasn’t close. Joshua blew out Ruiz in a tactical boxing match. He left his aggression at the front door and fought with his mind instead of his brawn.

In the ring after the fight, Joshua’s first words were, “The first time was so nice, I had to do it twice.”

While talking about his strategy for the fight, Joshua said, “The sweet science of this sport is hitting and not getting hit.”

It will be interesting to see what’s next for both boxers. There’s a chance that they fight a third time, but that’s up to Matchroom Boxing‘s Eddie Hearn. It’s more than likely he will elect to take Joshua in a different direction than Ruiz. The winner of Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury would be the fight to make and the fight that fans want. It’s time the titles were unified. It’s primarily Hearn’s decision if it happens.

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