Category: Ruiz vs. Joshua II

Andy Ruiz Jr. on first fight with Anthony Joshua: ‘I think that he quit’

Andy Ruiz Jr. said on a Sky Sports show that he believes Anthony Joshua quit in their first fight but then seemed to contradicte himself.

Did Anthony Joshua quit in the first fight with Andy Ruiz Jr.? Ruiz thinks so.

Ruiz said as much to Joshua’s face on the Sky Sports show “Gloves Are off,” hosted by Johnny Nelson, who asked Ruiz whether he agreed with those who think Joshua opted out of the fight after the fourth of four knockdowns in the seventh round in June.

“A little bit,” Ruiz said. “I feel he quit because of the way that it was won. I think he was still out of it, I didn’t think he knew where he was at that moment. I think that he quit.”

Naturally, Joshua took exception to that.

“The referee waved off the fight,” he said. “It’s just opinion. … I roll with it, I ride with it. I’m a champion through and through, no matter what anyone says to me.”

Nelson then asked Ruiz what he’d do in that position.

“Depends how hurt I was,” Ruiz replied. “I’m not gonna quit. If I fall, I fall.”

Joshua responded again.

“The conclusion is I quit, but I feel like, why wouldn’t I have stayed, though?” he said.

Ruiz then seemed to contradict himself, saying, “He was still up. The referee was the one that waved it off.”

Ruiz also said he has no choice but to end Joshua’s career with another victory when they meet again on Dec. 7 in Saudi Arabia on DAZN.

“I have to,” he said. “I have to, right? He’s trying to take my career as well. It’s either me or him inside the ring.”

Dillian Whyte to fight on Ruiz-Joshua II card in wake of PED scandal

Dillian Whyte will take on Mariusz Wach on the undercard of the Andy Ruiz vs. Anthony Joshua rematch, despite his ongoing drug scandal.

Dillian Whyte has been quieter than a church mouse for the past several months but we’ll hear from him soon.

The British heavyweight contender will take on Mariusz Wach on the undercard of the Andy Ruiz Jr.-Anthony Joshua rematch Dec. 7 in Saudi Arabia, it was confirmed in a release today. The news comes as Whyte has been embroiled in a PED scandal that has seen him disappear recently from the public eye.

Whyte tested positive for a banned substance before his July 20 fight against Oscar Rivas, in which Whyte survived a ninth round knockdown to win a unanimous decision. The test was administered by UK Anti-Doping.

Whyte’s “A” sample reportedly showed small amounts of epimethandienone and hydroxymethandienone, which are metabolites found in the banned substance Dianabol.

It was revealed afterward that the British Board of Boxing Control, as well as Whyte and his promoter, Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing, had been notified of the results before the fight while Rivas and his team were kept in the dark. Hearn said he couldn’t share his knowledge of the test results because of confidentiality requirements.

The BBBofC reportedly conducted a hearing before the fight, which included UKAD, and Whyte was cleared to participate in the fight against Rivas without Rivas’ knowledge.

Whyte isn’t the only fighter on the card to have failed a drug test. Wach, Alexander Povetkin (who takes on Michael Hunter) and Eric Molina (who faces Filip Hrgovic) also have tested positive for banned substances.

Ruiz-Joshua II will stream on DAZN.

Ruiz-Joshua II: Construction of 15,000-seat arena well underway

The site of the Anthony Joshua vs. Andy Ruiz rematch is coming along well, according to Eddie Hearn, who posted updates on his social media.

It appears the biggest rematch of the year will have a home.

When it was announced in September that Anthony Joshua vs. Andy Ruiz II would take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, there was just one problem: An actual arena had to be built from scratch.

No biggie, it turns out. Promoter Eddie Hearn shared photos of the near-complete, 15,000-seat outdoor arena on his Instagram, adding, “haters said it wouldn’t be ready.”

Hearn’s decision to stage the fight in Saudi Arabia was not greeted universally with open arms. Many critics pointed out the country’s dreadful human rights record. But the site fee offered Saudi backers, reported to be at least $40 million, was too much to turn down.

Joshua recently traveled to Saudi Arabia and was given a tour of the construction site.

The rematch will stream live on DAZN.

If Anthony Joshua beats Andy Ruiz Jr., ’I want everyone to bow to me’

Anthony Joshua told Sky Sports that he is going to “whoop” Andy Ruiz in their rematch on December 7 in Saudi Arabia.

This much is certain: After the most humiliating experience of his professional boxing career, Anthony Joshua is talking as if his confidence is intact.

The British heavyweight looks to regain his title belts from cherubic Andy Ruiz Jr., the current poster child for the proverbial underdog, on Dec. 7 in Saudi Arabia on DAZN. Ruiz stopped Joshua in the seventh round in June, an achievement that ranks among one of the early century’s most improbable upsets.

That’s all anyone has been able to talk about over the past few months, much to Joshua’s noticeable chagrin.

“I’m gonna whoop him, show (Ruiz) how great I am,” Joshua told Sky Sports in a recent interview. “If they think he’s that great, if I beat him, I want everyone to bow to my feet and tell me how great I am.”

That’s all Joshua used to hear, how great he is. Now? The conversation is about his shaky chin, how he went down to defeat meekly, how he was never as good as hyped, how he must win on Dec. 7 to save his career. Above all, the last few months have been a constant reminder of the prowess of the Mexican-American from the Imperial Valley, flabby waist and all.

That’s a massive shift in the boxing discourse. That’s why Joshua is adamant that when he defeats Ruiz, he wants everyone to kiss his feet.

“I couldn’t beat Andy Ruiz before and get the credit I deserved,” Joshua said. “I wasn’t fighting King Kong was I? … Now apparently I am fighting the quickest hands and the best fighter in the division. Once I beat him, I want everyone to bow to me.” 

Just like they used to do.

Andy Ruiz’s trainer: ‘You’ll see a better fighter’ in Joshua rematch

Andy Ruiz Jr’s trainer, Manny Robles, says his fighter will be better prepared when he faces Anthony Joshua again on December 7.

Trainer Manny Robles repeatedly watches the video of Andy Ruiz Jr.’s upset of Anthony Joshua. But not to celebrate. That party is over. His critical eye is searching for what to do next.

Turns out, there’s plenty, more than enough to make Robles happy at the chances Ruiz can do it all over again on December 7 in Saudi Arabia on DAZN.

“Sitting back and looking at the fight on numerous occasions, I feel like he wasn’t at his best,’’ Robles told iFL TV. “I feel like we had more to do. More work to do mentally and physically. I feel you’ll see a better fighter, mentally and physically, this time around.’’

The key difference is that Ruiz isn’t a late stand-in for the rematch. For the June 1 bout in New York, Ruiz got the call after news of Jarrell Miller’s positive PED test. Ruiz said sure. He took the fight. Then he heard the jokes about his flabby upper body and his chances. He had nothing to lose, so he won it all.

Andy Ruiz Jr. (right) did fine in his first fight with Anthony Joshua but his trainer insists he can do better. AP Photo / Frank Franklin II, File

Now he’s in a new role, although he is still the betting underdog, yet by a much smaller margin than the 25-to-1 odds he faced six months ago.

“I think he’s still the same person outside of boxing, but this time around, I think he’s got a bigger responsibility, boxing-wise, knowing he’s a world champion,’’ Robles said. “He’s got that sense of responsibility.

“We talk about that from time-to-time. I tell him, ‘Look, this isn’t just about you anymore. You got a whole country behind you, here and in Mexico.’‘’

Taking the fight to Saudi Arabia was Joshua promoter Eddie Hearn’s decision. In effect, Robles said, it makes Ruiz feel like the challenger, even though he has three of the belts.

“We’d be fighting in America, maybe Las Vegas or Southern California,’’ Robles said. “With that said, we’re coming in as challengers. We understand we’re not the favorites.

“So we’ve got to prove the world wrong, and everyone that does not still believe, we’ve got to make them believe.”

Will Dillian Whyte make his return on the Ruiz-Joshua II card?

Eddie Hearn has said that Dillian Whyte might make his return on the Andy Ruiz-Anthony Joshua II card on December 7 in Saudi Arabia.

A recurring injury to Scott Quigg could usher in the return of Dillian Whyte.

Quigg, the former junior featherweight titleholder, was scheduled to fight Jono Carroll on the Andy Ruiz-Anthony Joshua II card on December 7 in Saudi Arabia but Quigg had to pull out with a bad elbow.

Promoter Eddie Hearn, looking for a replacement fight that could generate some interest, has suggested that Whyte could step in against someone.

Whyte (26-1, 18 knockouts) hasn’t fought since he outpointed Oscar Rivas to become the mandatory challenger to titleholder Deontay Wilder in July. It was later learned that Whyte failed a drug test before that fight but he reportedly was cleared to fight by UK Anti-Doping after a quickly organized hearing. Still, he lost his mandatory status to Tyson Fury and had to get back in line.

That’s where December 7 comes in. Whyte needs to get back into the mix. And what better platform than the Ruiz-Joshua II card?

The news that a fight involving Whyte might replace Quigg-Carroll first surfaced when Hearn was in Los Angeles for the Logan Paul-KSI fight. The promoter was asked on a iFL TV video who might replace Quigg-Carroll and he suggested Whyte.

Hearn had no opponent at that time but said, “It’s not going to be a top five-10 guy. But it will be a good fight. We’re working it out.”

Whyte has won 10 consecutive fights since he was stopped by Joshua in 2015.