This weekend, we witnessed one of the most anticipated sporting events of the year. On Saturday, December 7th, Anthony Joshua and Andy Ruiz fought in a rematch to find out who is the superior boxer. Find out more about what happened and check out some photos from the event!
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1. Before the fight
If you have missed the summer news, the Saturday fight was not the first one for Anthony Joshua and Andy Ruiz. The two have already met in the ring in early June, when Ruiz scored a shocking victory over Joshua in a twist no one saw coming.
The Madison Square Garden event in New York saw the Mexican-American heavyweight boxer Andy Ruiz win over Anthony Joshua with a seventh-round technical knockout. It was the first defeat for Joshua, who already had numerous prestigious titles under his belt and loss them due to the knockout from Ruiz. The loss was clearly hard on Anthony Joshua, which is why the rematch was scheduled sooner than most fans were expecting.
Bleacher Report on Twitter
Andy Ruiz upsets Anthony Joshua to win the heavyweight championship in the 7th round! (via @DAZN_USA) https://t.co/3pByvV5Y3T
2. The event
The rematch between Anthony Joshua and Andy Ruiz took place on December 7 in Saudi Arabia. The choice of the arena draw a lot of criticism from the spectators over concerns of human rights violation, but both boxers shrugged off the concerns and explained they were there for the sporting event, not to improve the country’s image.
From the very beginning of the fight, it was clear that Joshua had an exact plan for the event and was going to stick to it no matter what. Instead of exchanging blows with Andy Ruiz, it looked like Anthony Joshua performed an elaborate dance routine, sending his gloved fists towards Ruiz whenever he had the chance.
In the end, after 12 rounds, Anthony Joshua was proclaimed to be the winner with a unanimous decision from the judges. The 15,000-seat audience went wild, as it was perfectly clear that most people in attendance were there to support Joshua in his attempt to reclaim his title.
Anthony Joshua the champion🥊🥊🔥🎉 #anthonyjoshuavsandyruiz #anthonyjoshuaandyruizrematch #anthonyjoshua #anthonyjoshuaworldchampion
13 Likes, 0 Comments – YS (@yemisisobogunofficial) on Instagram: “Anthony Joshua the champion🥊🥊🔥🎉 #anthonyjoshuavsandyruiz #anthonyjoshuaandyruizrematch…”
Images from ‘Clash on the dunes’ Redemption for AJ as regains his WBA WBO IBF belt from a lack luster overweight Andy Ruiz, who looked more like a pie eating champion than a World Heavy weight Boxing Champ #aj #andyruiz #boxing #anthonyjoshua #wba #wbo #ibf
8 Likes, 0 Comments – Tia Africa (@tia__africa) on Instagram: “Images from ‘Clash on the dunes’ Redemption for AJ as regains his WBA WBO IBF belt from a lack…”
🥊 Once A Champ Always A Champ 🏆 Congratulations To #anthonyjoshua On Winning Against #andyruiz. – Do You Think #AJ Deserved The Win?
7,944 Likes, 36 Comments – Rising Talents (@risingtalents1) on Instagram: “🥊 Once A Champ Always A Champ 🏆 Congratulations To #anthonyjoshua On Winning Against #andyruiz. -…”
3. The aftermath
Andy Ruiz had a calm and collected response to being defeated by Anthony Joshua. Ruiz admitted that he has been partying too hard since his June victory, gained more weight than he should have, and did not prepare well for the fight.
Andy Ruiz Jr. on his training: “I just should’ve trained harder…I think the fame just got a little to me.” [via YT/SecondsOut]
14.8k Likes, 913 Comments – Ring Of Highlights (@ringofhighlights) on Instagram: “Andy Ruiz Jr. on his training: “I just should’ve trained harder…I think the fame just got a…”
Anthony Joshua could not hide his excitement over the victory. On his Instagram and Twitter accounts, the boxer posted a series of photos with acknowledgements to his team, his fans, and even Andy Ruiz for making history together.
Strategy & loyalty! I’m not perfect but I’m trying, another defining moment for British boxing. Thank you to all my team, a night we will remember & thank you Ruiz Jr. we made history 🤜🏾🤛🏻 2X
1.2m Likes, 10.4k Comments – Anthony Joshua (@anthonyjoshua) on Instagram: “Strategy & loyalty! I’m not perfect but I’m trying, another defining moment for British boxing….”
Both boxers did not rule out a possibility of the third rematch, and although we will probably have to wait for it longer than the 6 months we waited for the second rematch, at the end of the day, the wait is certainly going to be worth it!
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