The boxing world is still reeling from Saturday’s massive upset, which saw 17-1 underdog Andy Ruiz Jr. stun Anthony Joshua in the seventh round to claim the IBF, IBO, WBA and WBO heavyweight titles. After knocking down Joshua in the third round, he put the former champ on the ground twice in the seventh before the referee called the bout and claimed another victim to the infamous Drake curse.
A rematch is quickly on its way, with Joshua’s promoter tweeting they’ve invoked the clause in the original fight contract. While the second showdown is slated to take place in November or December, Ruiz is taking his well-deserved victory lap and riding the wave of fame that comes with one of the biggest upsets in recent memory.
Speaking to TMZ, Ruiz acknowledged that while his first title defense would come against Joshua, he’s “aiming “ for a showdown with unbeaten WBC champ Deontay Wilder.
Wilder has two rematches already on the books, one against Luis Ortiz later this year and another against Tyson Fury in early 2020. Where that puts Ruiz, or Joshua if he’s able to win the title back later this year, remains the be seen. What’s certain is the heavyweight division just got plenty more interesting.
