Ruiz Jr. vs. Joshua 2 results
Six months ago, Anthony Joshua left Madison Square Garden embarrassed in defeat by the hands of Andy Ruiz Jr. After acting of the rematch clause, Joshua defeated Ruiz Jr. by unanimous decision in Ad Diriyah, Saudi Arabia in convincing fashion.
The challenger cut Ruiz above his left eye in the first round and it was all down hill from there. By sticking to a jab and move gameplan, Joshua made Ruiz regret his lack of a weight cut. Based on scorecards, it wasn’t until the eighth where Ruiz even scored his first round. Ruiz spent most of his time chasing Joshua in the center of the ring while Joshua kept him at bay with the long jab.
Even in the midst of the later rounds, there was still a aura of concern that Ruiz could turn it all around with one punch. That punch never came. Even Announcer Chris Mannix only gave two rounds to Ruiz (eight and nine). There was no knockdown and there was minimal damage to the fighters. With that being said, it was a masterclass the Joshua showed.
After the fight both fighters were asked about a potential rubber match where both fighters agreed that, in time, it would happen. When event coordinator Eddie Hearn was asked about future fights for Joshua, he reacted by saying it was a night of celebration. No fights were confirmed. No call outs were made. But the better fighter regained his belts. So while it seems we will see a Ruiz trilogy fight, what will we see next for Anthony Joshua?
Ruiz Jr. vs. Joshua 2 Results:
Magomedrasul Magidov def. Tom Little via TKO (2nd Rd. 1:49)
Filip Hrgovic def. Eric Molina via KO (3rd Rd. 2:03)
Dillian Whyte def. Mariusz Wach via Unanimous Decision (98-93; 97-93; 97-93)
Michael Hunter vs. Alexander Povetkin a Split Draw (115-113 Povetkin; 115-113 Hunter; 114-114)
Diego Pacheco def. Selemani Saidi via KO (1st Rd. 1:38)
Anthony Joshua def. Andy Ruiz Jr. via Unanimous decision (118-110; 118-110; 119-109)
