British heavyweight star Anthony Joshua (23-1, 21 KOs) recaptured his position as the unified world heavyweight champion with a masterful unanimous decision victory over Andy Ruiz (33-2, 22 KOs) in a rematch in front of thousands of rabid fans at the Diriyah Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Joshua exacted his revenge against Ruiz, who six months ago dethroned the undefeated kingpin in epic fashion at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Ruiz dropped Joshua four times to secure a seventh round stoppage to capture unified IBF, WBA, WBO and IBO world heavyweight titles. Joshua reclaimed his titles to become a two-time world champion.
The two biggest future options for Joshua are WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder and unbeaten Tyson Fury.
Joshua has called for those fights, but he doesn't plan to call for them any longer. If they want him, Joshua expects them to make the call.
“What can I say? I have been speaking about these guys a long time. You see this time, when I had the opportunity to just focus solely on Andy, my head is in the right place," Joshua said.
"When Wilder, Fury, Ortiz and Usyk are really ready, they will make the call. Until then, I respect them. I won’t continue to call them out. I am making my own lane and if they want to be a part of that, they will call. Ruiz did it and created a legacy.
"If those guys want to do it, they can create a legacy too. Look at all I have done, come on. When I call them out and do all of that, I lose focus."
