Before the fight took place, former two division champion David Haye gave Andy Ruiz absolutely no chance of victory in the anticipated contest with unified champion Anthony Joshua.
On Saturday night at Madison Square Garden in New York City, Ruiz pulled off one of the biggest upset in boxing history when he dropped Joshua four times before the contest was waved off in the seventh round.
Joshua was down twice in the third round, and then two more times in the seventh.
Haye was shocked by what he witnessed.
The contest was the United States debut for Joshua, with the rematch almost for sure heading over to the UK.
When the contest was stopped, Haye felt Joshua did not have the appearance of a boxer who wanted to continue any further.
“This was probably the biggest upset since Buster Douglas knocked out Mike Tyson. This was a sustained beating. For me it was crazy situation to see Anthony Joshua get manhandled by someone so physically inferior to him. Just to look at him, you wouldn’t give him no chance whatsoever, but he showed that he’s got the heart. He’s got that," Haye told IFL TV.
“He’s the next Mexican superstar. Canelo has some fans. How many people in Mexico can relate to Andy Ruiz Jr? Look at him. You have to respect the heart. This guy didn’t come in shape, and he still did it. He obviously got knocked down against Wladimir Klitschko, but he got back up and closed the show. This time, he got beat up. He looked like he didn’t want to fight. He put his hands on the ropes. He didn’t say to the referee, ‘yes, let’s go,’ and walk forward.
"I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, but everybody has a bad day at the office. He has a chance to prove it. He has a rematch clause."
