Andy Ruiz is Boxing’s Newest Cinderella Man

New York, NY — Tonight at Madison Square Garden, the so-called Mecca of Boxing, Andy Ruiz Jr. became the first Mexican-American heavyweight champion and etched his name in boxing lore with a massive upset of WBA/WBC/IBF world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua. This was the second biggest upset in the annals of heavyweight championship boxing, trailing Tyson-Douglas but above Braddock-Baer. Ruiz came off the canvas to accomplish the feat.

Standing six-foot-six, Joshua reportedly had a four-inch height advantage, but to the naked eye the disparity was larger than that. AJ scored the first knockdown of the fight in the third round and it appeared that he was on his way to scoring his 22nd knockout in 23 fights. But before the round over, Ruiz had Joshua on the canvas twice. Round 3 became the instant favorite for the 2019 Round of the Year.

After the first knockdown, Joshua looked more embarrassed than hurt as he followed the referee’s count. But he was clearly hurt following the second knockdown which left his torso sprawled partly outside the ropes. In both instances it was no single punch that did the damage, but a windmill flurry.

In round seven, Joshua was down twice more, in both cases after absorbing multiple punches. After his second trip to the canvas, he did not heed the referee’s instructions to walk toward him and the bout was waved off. There was a rematch clause in the fight contract and Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn indicated that Joshua and Ruiz will go at it again in November or December in the UK.

The night wasn’t altogether disappointing for the large British contingent in the sold-out arena. Callum Smith, who holds a version of the WBA super middleweight title, looked sensational in scoring a third round stoppage of two-time Olympian Hassan D’Dam N’Jikam. Smith scored two knockdowns with short left counters and a third knockdown with his other hand. He has been mentioned as a possible opponent for Canelo Alvarez, but Canelo may now have second thoughts. Also, lightweight Katie Taylor became the second female fighter (following Claressa Shields) to unify all four major belts with a majority decision over Delfine Persoon in a robust 10-round fight that was all-action from the opening bell.

This is a developing story. Check back Sunday for more detailed analyses.

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