Joshua-Ruiz rematch scheduled for late 2019
Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn wasted no time in invoking the rematch clause which would set back up the bout of Anthony Joshua and newly crowned IBF, WBO and WBA (Super) heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr. The promoter made news of this Tuesday through his Twitter account.
After meetings with AJ, Rob Mc and the management team in NY, we have today triggered the contracted rematch clause with Andy Ruiz Jnr. The fight will take place in Nov/Dec at a venue to be confirmed shortly.
— Eddie Hearn (@EddieHearn) June 4, 2019
While we all knew that the rematch clause was going to be used as Hearn mentioned this immediately in the ring after the fight which Ruiz won by stoppage in the 7th round in an upset over Joshua, but the quick turnaround of the rematch being in November or December of this year is surprising.
Joshua (22-1, 21 KOs) having his rematch at the end of the year and not in early 2020 is seemingly quick and when they announced the turnaround of this, I was quickly reminded of Issac Dogboe’s rematch he had earlier in the year where he was unsuccessful in his attempt to regain his WBO Jr. Bantamweight title back from Emanuel Navarrete. While Dogboe, wasn’t knocked down four times like Joshua was in his bout, the short time off from which both fighters took some extreme punishment was alarming.
This is Andy’s night, congratulations Champ 🇲🇽 pic.twitter.com/5gE8uFx4MG
— Anthony Joshua (@anthonyjoshua) June 2, 2019
Another interesting note is where will this rematch take place.
Ruiz (33-1, 22 KOs), who pulled off one of boxing’s biggest upsets with his victory, took the fight on short notice and fought in Madison Square Garden in front of a pro-Joshua crowd. He has gone on to say after the fight that he would like to have the fight in his native Mexico as he became the first heavyweight fighter of Mexican descent to ever capture the titles.
Ruiz mentioned in a YouTube video on Monday. “I’m the champion … I call the shots now.”
Hearn has stated however that the rematch would likely take pace in Joshua’s homeland of the United Kingdom.
Hopefully for Joshua, history will not repeat itself in the rematch when and where it’s setup at the end of the year.
Marquis Johns is a unknown humorist and avid boxing fan. His love for the sweet science goes back to when matches were 15 rounds and has been covering fights since closed-circuit pay-per-views. Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth is not only a quote by Mike Tyson, it's also a pretty good reminder to keep your guard up.
