The official rematch between Andy Ruiz Jr. (33-1, 22KO’s) and Anthony Joshua (22-1, 21KO’s) is set for December 7th in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, with the World Boxing Association (WBA) Super World Heavyweight Title on the line.
The card will be called “Clash on The Dunes” and will be promoted by Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Sport.
The fight is a highly anticipated rematch after their initial fight that took place on June 1st at Madison Square Garden in New York City, where Ruiz shocked the world as he dropped Joshua four times to secure a seventh round stoppage and a huge upset victory.
Ruiz was down in the third round, but got up to lunch between Joshua’s combinations to drop him twice in the same round and then two more times in the seventh.
Ruiz had accepted the fight on late notice after the original opponent, Jarrell Miller, was pulled from the contest after testing positive for banned substances in three separate drug tests administrated by VADA.
There was a lot of speculation as to where the fight would be held, with Ruiz holding out for Mexico and Joshua wanting it on his home turf once again, but Saudi Arabia surprisingly securing the fight with nearly $100 million put down by investors.
The world awaits this highly anticipated rematch, to see if Ruiz can once again beat Joshua and prove that it was not a fluke, or to see if Joshua will rise to the occasion to secure his belts back.