Having suffered one of the biggest upsets in boxing back in June in New York City, Anthony Joshua came back and regained his titles in Saudi Arabia on Saturday night.
Six months after a stunning knockout loss, Anthony Joshua used his size and feet to regain control of the heavyweight division and put both his career and status as a global boxing superstar back on track.
Joshua (23-1, 21 KOs), who came in 11 pounds lighter than his upset loss in June, outboxed Andy Ruiz Jr. in Saturday’s rematch and avoided trouble to regain his WBA, WBO and IBF titles via wide unanimous decision.
All three judges in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, by scores of 118-110 (twice) and 119-109. CBS Sports also scored the fight 118-110 for Joshua, the 2012 Olympic gold medalist from Great Britain who put his seventh-round TKO loss during his U.S. debut in the rearview mirror.
Ruiz (33-2, 22 KOs) showed plenty of heart by getting up off the canvas in their first fight to floor Joshua and become the first heavyweight champion of Mexican descent. But the robust native of Imperial, California, was never able to land more than one punch at a time after weighing in 15 pounds heavier than he did in the first fight.
Instead of looking to slug with Ruiz, Joshua relied on his athleticism and advantages of four inches in height and eight inches in reach to keep his opponent at the end of his jab and constantly circle out of trouble. Joshua held strategically at times and responded well anytime Ruiz did land clean power shots.
“It was his night. I don’t think I prepared how I should, I gained too much weight. But I have no excuses,” Ruiz said. “But if we do a third fight, I’m going to get in the f—ing best shape of my life. I thought I was going to feel stronger and be better but next fight I’m going to be prepared.
“It’s all about preparation,” Joshua said. “One day when I release a book on my career, I’ll talk about my experiences. Anyone can do it, life is a roller coaster.