Andy Ruiz vs Anthony Joshua: time, venue, predictions, fight purse, betting odds
- The fight takes place in Saudi Arabia on Saturday night
- Joshua is the heavy betting favourite, but Ruiz is the defending champion going into the heavyweight tilt
Mexican Ruiz stunned the world earlier this year when he defied massive odds to upset the previously unbeaten Olympic gold medallist Joshua.
The 30-year-old stepped in at just six weeks’ notice to fight the unbeaten Briton after his original opponent, Jarrell Miller, was unable to fight, and in the process become his country’s first ever heavyweight champion.
Ruiz said the win changed his life and was the fulfilment of a lifelong ambition. On Saturday night (Sunday morning, Hong Kong time), he gets the opportunity to prove the first win was no fluke – as some in the sport have unkindly suggested – and potentially send Joshua into early retirement.
Have the two fought before?
They have indeed. Ruiz (33-1) handed Joshua the first loss of his professional career at Madison Square Garden in New York City back in June with a stunning seventh round TKO after knocking the champion down four times. Incredibly, Ruiz had also dragged himself off the canvas before the devastating finish.