Andy Ruiz Jr. completely reshuffled the heavyweight division in boxing with a stunning upset win over Anthony Joshua at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night.
Joshua was 22-0 and viewed by many as the best heavyweight in the world, not to mention one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in all of boxing. He was originally set to face Jarrel Miller in the fight, which marked his first ever in the US. Miller tested positive for PEDs and was replaced by Ruiz a month before the fight.
Ruiz was fighting on short notice, but you wouldn’t have realized it watching the fight.
After being dropped in the third round, Ruiz knocked Joshua down twice in the round. Then in the seventh, Ruiz knocked Joshua down twice. The referee stopped the fight after the second knock down, giving Ruiz a TKO victory.
In his postfight interview on DAZN, Ruiz reflected on the accomplishment of becoming the first heavyweight champion of Mexican descent.
“It means everything. This is what I’ve been dreaming about since I was six years old,” Ruiz said.
He also credited his Mexican style for rebounding after being knocked down.
“Because of the Mexican warrior that I am. I got that Mexican blood in me. Talking about the Mexican style, I just proved it,” he said.
Immediately after the fight, promoter Eddie Hearn said the two would meet in November or December for a rematch in the United Kingdom, which is where Joshua had fought all his fights prior to Saturday.
Ruiz, who was 32-1 entering the fight, was about a 20:1 underdog.
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