The rematch between Andy Ruiz Jr. and Anthony Joshua on Saturday is as compelling as it gets because of their first fight.
Ruiz, a replacement opponent known as much for his paunch as his ability, pulled off one of the great upsets by putting Joshua down four times and stopping him in Round 7 on June 1 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Can Ruiz do it again in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, the site of the rematch? Or will Joshua have made the necessary adjustments and avenge his career-changing setback?
Of course, we can only imagine whether Ruiz-Joshua II will live up to the original. Some sequels are as good or better than the first fight, some fall short.
Here are 10 heavyweight rematches – or third fights – that remain in our consciousness for reasons unique to each of the fights.
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GENE TUNNEY VS. JACK DEMPSEY II
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OeeCfbahwQ&w=560&h=315]
Date / Location: Sept. 22, 1927 / Chicago
Result of first fight: Tunney UD
Result of rematch: Tunney UD
Background: Tunney, the superior boxer, had no trouble outpointing the once-feared knockout artist to become heavyweight champion in September 1926. Their second meeting – dubbed “The Long Count Fight” – wouldn’t be quite as uneventful. Tunney was winning again after six rounds when, in Round 7, Dempsey put him down with ferocious flurry of punches but Dempsey then made a mistake. He forgot the new rule requiring fighters to go to a neutral corner after a knockdown; instead, he hovered over his wounded prey. The referee got Dempsey to retreat but that process extended the count, allowing Tunney more time to recover. Did he need that time? That debate rages to this day. Tunney won another unanimous decision and Dempsey never fought again.