Anthony Joshua was on the wrong end of one of the biggest upsets in boxing history. Despite being an overwhelming favorite to beat challenger Andy Ruiz Jr., Ruiz managed to knock the Heavyweight Champion down a total of four times on Saturday, forcing the referee to stop the bout in the seventh round. After the fight, Joshua made it clear that he intended to exercise his right to an immediate rematch and on Tuesday, his camp made things official.
After meeting with Joshua and his trainer/adviser Robert McCracken, his promoter, Matchroom Boxing's Eddie Hearn, took to social media where he announced that there will be a Joshua-Ruiz II.
"After meetings with AJ, Rob Mc and the management team in NY, we have today triggered the contracted rematch clause with Andy Ruiz Jr." Hearn tweeted. "The fight will take place in Nov/Dec at a venue to be confirmed shortly."
Under his contract, Joshua had 30 days to decide if he would trigger this clause of the agreement. But shortly after the ref called for the bell, Joshua used his post-fight interview to state his desire to regain the unified heavyweight title.
"It's an upset. One shot on top of the dome rattled me quite a bit. Tried to stay in there a few more rounds but the better man won. Respect to Andy and I move forward and look out for the end of the year," Joshua said before insisting he didn't overlook Ruiz. "I never underestimate anyone. He's a decent puncher, decent fighter. This was his chance, and I always say anyone who comes to box me is 50, 20 percent better than what we've seen. These guys are coming to win and he was the better man."
Due to his opponent's physique and the nature of the fight, the internet used its unrivaled humor to troll Joshua's defeat. Now, fans are interested to see how Joshua will respond in the rematch after Ruiz handed him such a humiliating loss.
This also comes after Joshua's biggest threat, Deontay Wilder stated the boxer isn't "mentally stable" and can't win a rematch against Andy Ruiz Jr.
