Anthony Joshua vs. Andy Ruiz Jr: The Rematch – Everything you need to know

One of the most anticipated boxing fixtures is the rematch between Anthony Joshua and Andy Ruiz Jr. and it will all unfold on December 7th in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia. Anthony Joshua’s camp has had the upper hand with regards to deciding where and when the rematch will take place, however, despite their advantage, fixing a date and a venue had proved a little tricky. 

Their first preference was seemingly the Cardiff Stadium which can hold as many as 80,000 spectators. However, Ruiz Jr. was quick to shoot this option down and stated that he would not travel to the UK for the rematch! Joshua’s camp has now settled on Saudi Arabia and this has brought with it the tagline for the rematch – ‘Clash of the Dunes’. 

Saudi Arabia seems to be an up and coming spot for boxing clashes, having recently hosted big fights such as Callum Smith Vs. George Groves and Amir Khan Vs. Billy Dib. 

In order to promote the rematch, Ruiz and Joshua did press conferences in the Middle East nation and also in New York and London over a period of three days in September. Joshua made confident statements in these conferences and said that Ruiz Jr. would only remain champion until their bout on December 7th. On the other hand, Ruiz simply stated ‘I’ll be ready, god is on my side’. 

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What happened the last time around?

If you looked at these two men, Anthony Joshua is a towering physical specimen who is muscular, lean and looks like what you would imagine an elite athlete to be cut out like. On the other hand, Andy Ruiz Jr is unapologetically chubby and one would never think him to be a sportsman or an athlete if you were to see him our in the real world. 

When these two boxers were pitted against each other, Joshua was the heavy favorite. This was not only because of their contrasting physiques, but also because of the form and confidence that Joshua had going for him. 

It would not be an understatement to say that Andy Ruiz Jr. shocked the boxing world when he emerged triumphant courtesy of a technical knockout. We should make it clear that it was no fluke either. The fight went on for seven rounds and both fighters had their moments. However, Ruiz got the better of Joshua and had him back tracking and slipping on several occasions until he finally delivered the blows that got him the T.K.O victory in round 7. 

In fact, Ruiz was not even the original opponent for Joshua’s US debut. Joshua was supposed to square off with Jarrell Miller from Brooklyn, but Miller failed three drug tests for performance enhancing substances. Alas, Ruiz Jr. was the alternative and this made way for the first fighter of Mexican descent to win the heavyweight title. 

What are the odds for the rematch? 

Who will win this time is the golden question on everyone’s minds? Joshua is looking at a must win fight! He is hungry to avenge his almost embarrassing defeat in Madison Square Garden. Ruiz on the other hand made a great deal of money from the original fight and also from the upcoming rematch. Has that taken away the hunger? Or is it also more motivation to prove himself once more and for good? 

We can only wait and watch. If you are interested in punting on this fight or any upcoming fighting events, and want to compare bets, you can compare all the free bet offers in the UK with freebets.com

At this time, the odds are as follows – Anthony Joshua to win is at 4/11, a draw is at 33/1 and Andy Ruiz Jr to win is at 5/2. In other upcoming boxing matches, we have John Ryder Vs. Callum Smith on Nov 23rd in Liverpool’s Echo Arena and also on Nov 23rd is Deontay Wilder Vs. Luiz Ortiz in the one and only MGM Grand, Las Vegas. Callum Smith is the favorite in the Liverpool fight with odds of 1/18 and John Ryder is the underdog with odds of 8/1. Coming to the Wilder Vs. Ortiz fight, Wilder has already won this fixture once and is the favorite with odds of -700 while Ortiz has odds of +450. 

Given how their previous outing was action packed and had everyone on the edge of their seats, it is safe to say that we have one hell of a fight on our hands!