Anthony Joshua has revealed where his rematch with Andy Ruiz Jr. will be taking place, and nobody could’ve expected the selection. Joshua took to Instagram today (Fri. August 9, 2019) and revealed that he will rematch Ruiz on December 7 from Diriyah, Saudi Arabia. Check out the official announcement below. “Neutral grounds – LETS GO […]
Anthony Joshua has revealed where his rematch with Andy Ruiz Jr. will be taking place, and nobody could’ve expected the selection.
Joshua took to Instagram today (Fri. August 9, 2019) and revealed that he will rematch Ruiz on December 7 from Diriyah, Saudi Arabia. Check out the official announcement below.
“Neutral grounds – LETS GO – Dec 7th, time to be 2X – 258MGT”
There was a lot of back-and-forth between the two sides regarding where the fight would take place. Ruiz seemed concerned with going to the United Kingdom, suggesting the judging might be in favor of Joshua. In turn, Joshua likely wouldn’t have wanted the fight to take place in the United States or Mexico for the same reason.
As Joshua mentioned in his post above, the fight will take place on neutral ground in Saudi Arabia. The pair initially met back in June where Joshua put his unified heavyweight title up for grabs against Ruiz, who was a last-second replacement opponent for Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller, who was pulled after failing several drug tests.
Ruiz shocked the boxing world by handing Joshua the first loss of his professional career, putting him away in the seventh round. It will be interesting to see how things go a second time around.
What do you think about the announced location for the Ruiz vs. Joshua II bout?
Andy Ruiz Jr. is extremely confident he can get the job done in a second go around with Anthony Joshua. Even if the rest of the heavyweight division isn’t giving him the respect he deserves. After his return to California with his newly-won IBF, WBA, and WBO heavyweight titles, Ruiz Jr. addressed his pending rematch […]
Andy Ruiz Jr. is extremely confident he can get the job done in a second go around with Anthony Joshua. Even if the rest of the heavyweight division isn’t giving him the respect he deserves.
After his return to California with his newly-won IBF, WBA, and WBO heavyweight titles, Ruiz Jr. addressed his pending rematch with the English star. The first-ever Mexican-American heavyweight champion in boxing history believes his fight with Joshua will play out the same, going as far as saying that Joshua isn’t good at boxing (via BBC Sports):
“The rematch is going to be the same. I am going to be more prepared and more ready,” Ruiz said. “I know his flaws. I can do a lot better. The only thing that he can do is just run around, he’s not good at boxing.”
Earlier this month (Sat. June 1, 2019) Ruiz shocked the boxing world when he finished Joshua in the seventh round of their Madison Square Garden meeting. Ruiz jumped in against Joshua on short-notice after initial opponent Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller pulled out due to several failed drug tests.
Following the defeat, it was announced that the rematch clause in the contract was triggered. Ruiz and Joshua will likely meet again in the next several months, with a location yet to be determined. While England would be the favorable location for Joshua, New York has also been discussed as a possibility:
“People thought I wasn’t going to do anything, I was too big, too overweight,” Ruiz said. “I don’t want to say all the things I am going to change. There is going to be a lot of changing, I am going to come at a better weight this time. It’s going to be a hell of a fight.”
Andy Ruiz Jr. shocked the world when he defeated Anthony Joshua to become the new unified boxing heavyweight champion earlier this month. Many had counted him out purely due to his physique leading up to the fight. However, one person in combat sports who knows that physique doesn’t matter is UFC heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier. […]
Andy Ruiz Jr. shocked the world when he defeated Anthony Joshua to become the new unified boxing heavyweight champion earlier this month. Many had counted him out purely due to his physique leading up to the fight. However, one person in combat sports who knows that physique doesn’t matter is UFC heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier.
Cormier has always been one of the more chubby fighters in the UFC, but that hasn’t stopped him from becoming light heavyweight as well as heavyweight champion. His setbacks against Jon Jones aside, “DC” has beaten every other competitor he has faced, who were usually always bigger and in better shape than him.
And given his as well as Ruiz’s recent success, Cormier believes more people should open their eyes and realize there’s more to a fight than how a fighter looks:
“Man, all that physical sh*t don’t mean nothing,” Cormier told TMZ. “Like everybody talks about, ‘go be a bodybuilder’ if you think that your physique is what’s going to determine a fight. Every time I go out there, I go out there with these guys that look like they’re freaking musclemen but then I just kick their a**es. It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t mean they work harder. It doesn’t mean they do things better. People are genetically the way that they are.“
“Andy Ruiz may look like a guy who isn’t in the best visual shape but that dude’s an athlete. Look at his Instagram, look at his work ethic, his feet are very quick, his hands are very quick and he’s got a killer’s mentality. It’s all you need, it’s a fight. If you look at two guys on a scale, and visually go, ‘that guy is going to win,’ you’re an idiot. You got to know that there’s much more to fighting than how a guy looks. If you want to look at physiques all the time, then go get some damn modeling magazines or something. That’s where you belong.“
It’s certainly hard to disagree with Cormier is saying, and he could prove it further when he defends his heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic in the main event of UFC 241 which takes place August 17. It could also be the 40-year-old’s last fight before he calls it a day in his career.
It’s a two horse race in boxing’s heavyweight division according to Tyson Fury. The lineal heavyweight champion comes off a second-round TKO victory over Tom Schwarz in Las Vegas last night (Sat. June 15, 2019). Fury put on quite the show with his spectacular finish over the formerly undefeated German prospect. Speaking in his post-fight […]
It’s a two horse race in boxing’s heavyweight division according to Tyson Fury.
The lineal heavyweight champion comes off a second-round TKO victory over Tom Schwarz in Las Vegas last night (Sat. June 15, 2019). Fury put on quite the show with his spectacular finish over the formerly undefeated German prospect. Speaking in his post-fight press conference, Fury was asked about his eventual rematch against WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder.
When the rematch finally takes place, “The Gypsy King” says Wilder will be fighting a version of Tyson Fury that is at 100 percent:
“Deontay Wilder is coming,” Fury said. “This fight is going to happen. There were three horses in the heavyweight division. And then there were two, and I’ve already beaten one. So I’ll beat him again, and again, and again, and again. And he ain’t gonna fight 50 percent Tyson Fury anymore.
“He’s gonna get a fully match fit, back active, back sharp, Tyson Fury. You know, it’s heavyweight boxing and anything can happen at any given moment, but the way I box and my style, I think it’s kryptoine for anybody, as long as they don’t knock me out, which you’ve seen can happen. But you’ve got to keep me down. If you don’t do that, I’m going to keep winning.”
Fury and Wilder put on a classic in their initial meeting last December. Despite out-boxing Wilder for 12 rounds, Fury was planted to the canvas twice, nearly being finished in the 12th round with a hellacious shot. However, the Englishman was able to get back to his feet, and seemingly win the round.
The judges rendered a Draw on their scorecards, but in a rematch, fight fans expect to see a clear winner now that both men have had the chance to download their adversary’s tendencies. In Fury’s eyes, his rematch with Wilder is the biggest fight in boxing, bar none:
“I think it’s the biggest fight in the world of boxing, barring none,” Fury said. “Deontay Wilder – Tyson Fury, the rematch, is the biggest fight you’re going to see in the next years, next few years anyway. I don’t see anyone else coming up who can beat two undefeated heavyweights, one champion – WBC champion, fighting in their prime. It doesn’t get any bigger than this.”
Another man to keep an eye out for in the heavyweight division is unified heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr. He pulled off a major upset when he handed Anthony Joshua the first loss of his professional career. When Fury was asked about a possible fight against the Mexican-American champion, he responded by reminding Ruiz is tied up in a contract to rematch Joshua.
However, if their paths ever should cross inside the ring, Fury believes he and Wilder beat Ruiz quite easily:
“No disrespect to Andy Ruiz, he’s done great performance, but he’s locked into a contract with Joshua,” Fury said. “So, I don’t consider him a part of this two horse race now. I think me and Wilder beat Andy Ruiz quite comfortably.”
Despite his feelings on the matchup, should Ruiz defeat Joshua in their rematch, Fury fully expects the winner of his own rematch against Wilder to face the unified champion:
“Yeah, 100 percent. If he beats Joshua in the rematch, he’s next in line,” Fury said. “Whoever wins out of me and Wilder will fight Andy Ruiz. I don’t see why these fights shouldn’t be made. I see nothing of Andy Ruiz that makes me afraid. I’m thinking it’d be a good fight, a good matchup as well.”
Before a rematch with Wilder can happen, “The Bronze Bomber” must get through former foe Luis Ortiz first. The pair first fought back in March of 2018. Ortiz nearly finished Wilder in the early rounds, however, the former football star was able to rally and finish the Cuban slugger in the 10th round.
Now, Wilder will be rematching the man who gave him the most trouble inside the squared circle, but Fury finds no reason for concern. He believes Wilder has what it takes to get the job done against Ortiz early in the fight:
“It doesn’t concern me, like I’ve said before, Luis Ortiz is 147 years old,” Fury said. “So, Wilder should knock him out quicker than he did last time. I believe Wilder will get him out of there in a couple of rounds. Catch him early, and gone. Got no legs underneath, like I said, he’s 147 years old. It was a clash of styles before the first time, probably fought southpaw, it was experience, so, I think he’ll get him out of there quite quick.
“I’m not concerned. Even if the worst does happen, Wilder gets chinned in a round – when a door closes, another one opens. What’s meant to be will be. We can’t alter what’s going to happen in the future. We have no control of it. So, I only can control myself and do what I’ve got to do for my end of the deal, and I’ll look to do that in October the fifth or September 21, whichever one we go with. And I can only do what I can do as a fighter to prevent it from happening to me.“
Check out Fury’s full post-fight press conference here:
Ever since Conor McGregor faced Floyd Mayweather in the boxing ring back in 2017, rumors have been swirling about UFC parent company Endeavor getting into the sweet science. Precious little has actually been confirmed on that front since. However, that…
Ever since Conor McGregor faced Floyd Mayweather in the boxing ring back in 2017, rumors have been swirling about UFC parent company Endeavor getting into the sweet science. Precious little has actually been confirmed on that front since. However, that could all be changing in a big way soon. According to a recent Q&A from […]
Eddie Hearn may want Anthony Joshua to return home for a rematch with Andy Ruiz Jr., but his fighter might have other plans. On June 1, Joshua was stunned by Ruiz Jr inside Madison Square Garden in New York City. Joshua put the WBA Super, IBF, WBO, and…
Eddie Hearn may want Anthony Joshua to return home for a rematch with Andy Ruiz Jr., but his fighter might have other plans. On June 1, Joshua was stunned by Ruiz Jr inside Madison Square Garden in New York City. Joshua put the WBA Super, IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight titles on the line. Joshua […]