Anthony Joshua avenged his defeat against Andy Ruiz Jr back in June as he emerged victorious via unanimous points decision in their world heavyweight title rematch in Saudi Arabia on Saturday night.
It was a different Joshua on parade in the rematch as he served up 36 minutes of movement and well-timed punching to reclaim IBF, WBA and WBO titles.
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After the end of the 12 rounds contest, the judges scored it 118-110 118-110 and 119-109 all in favour of Joshua.
The win saw Joshua become a two-time world heavyweight champion and now joins boxing greats which include Muhammad Ali, Lennox Lewis, Evander Holyfield, Mike Tyson and Floyd Patterson to reclaim the world heavyweight title.
After cutting his Mexican rival inside the first round Joshua never looked back and picked out smart jabs and right hands throughout.
Ruiz, the bookmakers’ underdog again, was cut above his left eye in the first round but landed two jabs of his own in the second but ended up taking a left hook.
However, there was always tension given the speed with which Ruiz’s gold gloves can move and in the eighth he served up a first scare. As the pair tangled, Ruiz made things ugly and winged in a hook.
The ninth felt key, as Joshua landed a solid uppercut but saw Ruiz fire back wildly instantly. Again, the incredible durability of the champion and the constant threat he carried was evident.
As the fight went deep into the 12th round Ruiz went all guns blazing looking for a lucky knockout punch, but Joshua kept his distance before seeing out the round.
