Clash of Titans
Heavyweight boxing has always had a special place in every fan’s heart. Ever since the days of Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson, the division has been able to bring excitement to the fighting community by hosting historic fights featuring boxing’s all-time legends. The modern era is no different, as talented boxers hope to reach superstardom by facing tough opponents and displaying their skills on a world-wide stage. Such has been the case with Andy Ruiz Jr., an underdog who shocked the world last June when he beat heavyweight boxing’s poster boy, Anthony Joshua, stealing Joshua’s WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO heavyweight championship belts. With the first fight creating a great upset in the boxing community, the fighters have decided to run back the scrap once again in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Dec. 7, to crown the baddest man on the planet.
When the two fought for the first time in New York City last June, it was expected that Joshua would finish the job and score another win to add to his undefeated professional record. When the fighters first entered the ring, it was clear that Joshua was acting a bit laid back, taking time to analyze Ruiz’s game plan, and after a few rounds one of his shots hit Ruiz to knock him down — immediately, everybody thought that the fight was over. Yet Ruiz did the unthinkable, he stood back up and responded to that blow by throwing deadly shots of his own. He sent Joshua to the canvas multiple times, such that the referee had to stop the fight in favor of Ruiz as Joshua seemed to not be able to defend the upcoming shots anymore.
Now, with the rematch being days away, it is only fair to wonder whether the same outcome is to be expected. Since Joshua had a hard time chasing Ruiz down, it is understandable why he has decided to go back to training camp to work on his endurance. It will be interesting to see how this will affect the rematch, as endurance training usually interferes with strength and conditioning if done excessively. We are not used to seeing Joshua as someone who would take the long route to win decision fights through the quantity of shots thrown. Ruiz, on the other hand, does not seem to have changed much about his game plan as he is seen working on the same set of drills and skills with his trainers. It’s as if he is telling the world that he has always been the same and given that he dominates over Joshua again, his first win was not a fluke.
Overall, it will be exciting to see what the outcome will be, given that both fighters box sharply and are cautious of each other’s strategies this time. A closer fight the second time around would be a better indicator of who the true heavyweight champion is. It is also expected that the winner of the rematch fights the World Boxing Council (WBC) heavyweight champion to unify his belts and become the undisputed one, just as how things were back in the glory days of boxing.
Hate it or love it, the underdog came out on top in the first match, but will it happen again? We will all witness for ourselves
on Dec. 7.