Location: Diriyah, Saudi Arabia
Time: 21:00 (approx.)
TV: Sky Sports Box Office
Anthony Joshua takes on Andy Ruiz Jr. in a rematch for the WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight titles.
Fighting for his career
Anthony Joshua is looking to regain his old heavyweight titles as well as his reputation after one of the biggest shocks in boxing history when he lost to Andy Ruiz in June. The comments from his camp suggest he will come into this bout lighter and there has been less focus on weight training. One of the main criticisms of Joshua as a fighter was that his muscular build made him gassed in the later rounds of his fights. Will his new frame help him to victory? STS have odds of 42/100 for Joshua to regain his belts.
Upset of the century
Andy Ruiz shocked the boxing world in the first fight, not only because he won, but because of how he won. He outboxed Joshua and the speed of his punches fooled a lot of onlookers considering Ruiz’s rather wide frame. He will be looking to box the same way as in the previous fight but will be wary that Joshua will be looking for revenge. You can back Ruiz at 13/8 for him to keep his belts.
Fight
The element of surprise seems to have been what caused the Joshua loss and a possible underestimation of his opponent. Ruiz certainly won’t be underestimated this time, and it won’t be until the fight itself that we’ll see if Joshua has recovered mentally from his first loss as a pro. The previous contest almost followed the same pattern as nearly all of Joshua’s other fights. Waiting for an opening and knocking his opponent down and then finishing them off. Immediately after Ruiz was knocked down in the 3rd round, he caught Joshua with a flurry of punches that the Brit never recovered from. He was knocked down a further three times in the fight before the referee stopped it in the 7th round. If he is to regain his belts, Joshua will know to be a bit more cautious after learning of Ruiz’s power while at the same time controlling the fight. Anthony Joshua is at 15/4 to win this bout by decision.
Aftermath
A win for Joshua could well see a third fight in the trilogy either immediately or in the near future. His reputation won’t be completely healed until he faces Deontay Wilder or Tyson Fury. A Ruiz win will see Fury and Wilder as the two best heavyweights in the division and Ruiz would look to fight either of those two or the only man who has defeated him so far – Joseph Parker. Joshua could still fight for another heavyweight title against Wilder, but he’d have to accept a much lower fight purse.
Betting tip
Our betting tip is for Anthony Joshua to regain the heavyweight crown with either a KO, TKO or DQ against Andy Ruiz. You can get boosted odds of 5/4 on STS for this to happen!
Whatever you bet on, enjoy the game and don’t forget that our prices are subject to fluctuation. Please check sports betting page for the latest odds.