Andy Ruiz Jr shocks Anthony Joshua: reactions after the huge boxing upset

Mexican claims the belts with seventh-round
stoppage in New York

Reaction

The Mexican challenger floored the previously-unbeaten Briton
four times at Madison Square Garden before claiming the win with a
seventh-round stoppage.

Ruiz Jr only got the opportunity to face Joshua after
Jarrell Miller’s failed drugs tests and was a massive underdog
going into the fight.

However, in this week’s press conference the 29-year-old
said he could cause a shock and that’s exactly what he
did.

Ruiz Jr, who was also sent to the canvas in round three,
said: ““I just feel so good, man. This is what I have been dreaming
about. This is what I have been working hard for. I can’t believe I
just made my dreams come true.

“It’s because of the Mexican warrior I am. I have that
Mexican blood in me. Talking about the Mexican fighting style, I
just proved it.”

Joshua: I shall return

British star Joshua went into his US debut as the
overwhelming bookies’ favourite to retain his titles and much of
the talk pre-fight was about potential showdowns with Deontay
Wilder or Tyson Fury.

Now the 29-year-old Joshua must focus on a
rematch with Ruiz Jr. He has vowed to bounce back after his
New York shock loss.

Joshua told Sky Sports Box Office: “I train hard, I stay
dedicated and just got beat by a good fighter tonight. It will be
interesting to see how far he goes, so good luck to him, but I’ve
got to bounce back. This is all part of the story and the
journey.

“I’ve got to get that solid armoury. This is the risk we
take, but we’ll bounce back. He’s the champ for now. Just put that
in mind, he’s the champ for now. I shall return.”

Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn said a rematch will be
planned later this year in the UK. The Matchroom Sport boss said:
“This will devastate him. He will come back. It’s now down to the
rematch and winning that fight. To get back to the heights he has
been, he must win that rematch.

“AJ will be back 100%. We’ll make the rematch in the UK,
November, December, but tonight belongs to Andy Ruiz. He made
history. It was a massive heavyweight shock
tonight.”

Wilder and Fury have their say

Joshua’s heavyweight rivals Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury
both tweeted after Ruiz Jr’s victory in New York – and their
messages could not have been more different.

In a scathing attack, WBC champion Wilder said: “He wasn’t a true champion. His
whole career was consisted of lies, contradictions and gifts. Facts
and now we know who was running from who!”

Fury urged his British rival to “rest up” and
“recover”, he said: “We have our back and Forth’s but
@anthonyfjoshua changed his stars through life. heavyweight boxing,
these things happen, rest up, recover, regroup and come
again.”

‘A broken man’: how pundits and press
reacted

The Mexican’s win against Joshua goes down as one of the
biggest shocks in boxing history.

BBC
Sport’s Luke Reddy said: “Ruiz, from appearance to pedigree,
was an underdog in every sense of the word. When Britons wake up on
Sunday morning, they will read of a truly iconic upset.”

Here’s how the boxing writers and pundits
reacted.

James Dielhenn, Sky Sports: “Joshua was floored four times
and beaten in seven stunning rounds in a result to rival any
surprise in the sport’s illustrious history. The shock harks back
to Mike Tyson’s infamous loss to the unfancied Buster Douglas in
1990, or Lennox Lewis’ defeats to Oliver McCall and Hasim
Rahman.”

Steve Bunce, BBC
Radio 5 Live boxing pundit: “Anthony Joshua was a broken
man in that seventh round. He spat his gum shield out and went back
to the ropes. The referee had no option but to stop the fight.
Anthony Joshua is not going to be able to get away with saying
‘what a great fight that was – everyone was entertained’. That is
not good enough.”

Mike Costello, BBC
Sport boxing correspondent: “Anthony Joshua looked vacant
in the ring after the fight.”

Gareth A Davies, The Daily Telegraph: “They will compare
this to the night in 1990 when the unfavoured Buster Douglas
knocked out then-undefeated Mike Tyson in the Tokyo Dome. Tyson
recovered from it; now the 29-year-old Briton must haul his broken
spirit and body up from the canvas and do the same. Boxing is an
unforgiving sport at the best of times. Now is the time that we
will really find out where the championship material exists inside
the body and soul of the champion they said could become the
undisputed one.”

Bryan Armen Graham, The Guardian: “This was no fluke. No lucky
one-punch knockout that can be explained away by a silver-tongued
promoter. Joshua was outboxed, out-toughed and beaten up on a night
that turned boxing’s bellwether weight class on its ear.”

Jeff Powell, Daily Mail: “Anthony Joshua fell crumbling
victim to one of the most astonishing upsets in heavyweight boxing
history. The Mexican who was supposed to be battered stripped
Britain’s golden Olympian of his four world titles. Andy Ruiz Jnr
became the first heavyweight from his country to win the world
heavyweight title. And he turned boxing’s past and future on its
head.”

Dan Rafael, ESPN: “Sold-out Madison Square Garden was
packed with 20,201, including many of Joshua’s British countrymen
who had made the trip across the pond expecting to see him smoke
Ruiz. But it became Joshua’s waterloo and crushed the chance of an
undisputed championship fight between Joshua and Deontay Wilder
that so many have wanted for so long.”

Tom Gray, The Ring: “A final word must go to the new
unified heavyweight titleholder, Andy Ruiz Jr. As he stood proudly
listening to the Mexican national anthem, Ruiz was heckled by
hordes of idiots around the ringside area over his body shape. ‘You
fat bastard!’ they cried in unison. ‘Get your tits out for the
lads!’ they sang. Not one of them would dare say any of that to
Ruiz’s face, but it’s easy to be brave when you’re several feet out
of punching range. One wonders how those individuals feel
now.”