We still don’t know “the when” and more importantly “the where,” for the upcoming Heavyweight Title rematch between new champ, Andy Ruiz and the former champ. Anthony Joshua.
However, both fighters traded public barbs and insults on Tuesday on the proposed location for their “second go-around.”
First, Joshua 22 – 1 and the former Unified Heavyweight Champ, made it clear that he wants the rematch to be held in the U.K. and likely, in the outdoor stadium at Cardiff, Wales, where he has fought twice before.
But at the same time, Joshua also made it clear in a Tuesday interview with Sky Sports, he wouldn’t back down from fighting Ruiz in Mexico, if needed either:
Joshua, his team, and promoter Eddie Hearn with Matchroom Boxing are still reeling from his humiliating 7th round TKO loss to the formerly unheralded Ruiz on June 1st at Madison Square Garden in New York. Making matters worse, Ruiz (33-1) took the fight on just seven weeks notice before stunning the previously unbeaten champion and sending Joshua’s short-term multi-million dollar plans into chaos.
There had been talk that Joshua might want to take on another fight before a Ruiz rematch, but it appears now he’s set on fighting Ruiz, probably in the month of December, somewhere.
Further important, as we have written repeatedly, Ruiz is insistent that he gets to have a say so in where the rematch would take place.
Ruiz responded to Joshua late Tuesday morning California time through social media and not surprisingly, took him up on the offer to fight in Tijuana:
Ruiz is also correct to point out that Hearn, Matchroom and DAZN streaming wanted to expose Joshua to the American fight fans by having him battle in Madison Square Garden. His original opponent, Jerrell Miller, failed multiple drug tests and sent Matchroom on a several weeks Odyssey to come up with an opponent.
They eventually agreed with the Mexican American Ruiz ,and the rest is heavyweight folklore history.
Hearn all but ruled out fighting the Joshua rematch in the United States with comments last month, but still Ruiz could stand in the way and demand more money, as the champion, if he’s having to fight Joshua on what would be his home area turf.
