Andy Ruiz Jnr pulled one of the biggest upsets in boxing history when he pummeled and knocked out Anthony Joshua in New York in June 2019 to strip him of his WBA, WBO, IBO and IBF titles.
Nobody saw that coming! As a matter of fact, Ruiz Jnr was a last minute replacement for Jarrel Miller who originally was to fight Joshua but was caught in a drug web and subsequently banned.
The Mexican- American stepped in, seized the moment and became the unified world heavyweight champion after a dominant performance against the hitherto unbeaten 2012 Olympic gold medalist. To ascend the throne, the Destroyer bounced back from a third round knock down and sent Joshua to the canvass four times, before the Referee called off the contest.
Joshua was not the first heavyweight champion to suffer such a fate, The great Muhammad Ali was beaten by Leon Spinks, Iron Mike Tyson was whipped by James ‘Buster’ Douglas, Lennox Lewis- incidentally, the last undisputed heavyweight champion of the world got one of the greatest shocks of his career from Hashim ‘the Rock’ Rahman.
Like they say: success is not in never falling but in rising each time after a fall. Muhammad Ali got his title back from Spinks, Lewis comprehensively smashed Rahman to reclaim his crown; but Tyson’s defeat by Douglas was the beginning of the end for the Iron man.
This Saturday, December 7, in Saudi Arabia, Anthony Joshua will have the chance to redeem himself as he steps into the squared rope against his conqueror, Ruiz Jnr.
Many have described the rematch as now or never, do or die, win or burst for Joshua.
The former champion is now under pressure to bounce back from the unexpected setback, repair his damaged reputation and reclaim his pride of place among the heavyweight top dogs and rivals, particularly Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury who are already questioning his credentials.
Will AJ get his swaggers back like Lewis did against Rahman or will Ruiz Jnr confirm his superiority over him?
Post match analysis revealed that AJ was anything but his best against Ruiz Jnr in their first match. He looked dull, he was not sharp and after he was knocked down, he was dazed (punch drunk) and the Referee did the right thing by calling off the fight.
If Ruiz Jnr was good back in June, he probably would be better in Riyadh – after all, the underdog is now the top dog. He has tasted success and the glamour of being the world champion. He won’t want to throw all that away without a fight.
The man who must fight the fight of his life is Joshua. There are clear indications from his preparation for this bout that he has put the past behind him and ready to go toe to toe with Ruiz. The element of surprise that worked in favour of the Mexican-American back in June no longer exists. Joshua now knows the threat posed by Ruiz and must devise the right strategies to liquidate him.
AJ has everything to fight for. Apart from the sweetness of revenge, victory for him will be re-invigorating and this will be good for fight fans that are eagerly looking forward to the prospect of a Wilder – Fury – Joshua triangle.
Back to back victory for Ruiz Jnr on the other hand will leave a permanent scar on Anthony Joshua’s boxing credibility.
Saturday is the day. Riyadh is the place where Joshua and Ruiz Jnr must settle the scores in the squared ropes with millions of boxing fans across the globe on the edge of their seats. I hope the duo will give boxing faithfuls a night to remember this December.
Best of luck to AJ as he bids to reclaim his titles.
By Yemi Fagbolagun
