Few were on record in backing Andy Ruiz to pull off his massive upset knockout win over Anthony Joshua earlier this year. Plenty are on board with the belief that boxing’s first ever heavyweight titlist from Mexico will repeat the feat in December. Chief among them is the sport’s lone other claimant to the heavyweight throne.
IBF, IBO, WBA, WBO heavyweight world champion Andy Ruiz believes Anthony Joshua is worried about their upcoming rematch in Saudi Arabia on December 7. Back in June, Ruiz shocked the sport when he dropped Joshua four times to secure a seventh round knockout to capture the unified crown at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
MGM GRAND, LAS VEGAS, NV - BoxingScene.com recently caught up with middleweight veteran Gabriel Rosado who was in town for Canelo Alvarez's knockout victory over Sergey Kovalev. The Philadelphia native discussed a variety of topics including the December 7th heavyweight rematch pitting WBA/WBO/IBF/IBO heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz against Anthony Joshua.
Whether it comes against the winner of the Andy Ruiz Jr.-Anthony Joshua rematch or another contender, Kubrat Pulev kept himself in position for his second world title shot last week when he boxed past Rydell Booker to win a unanimous decision.
Heavyweight contender Tyson Fury has a backup plan in place - in the event Deontay Wilder will lose his upcoming rematch with Luis Ortiz. Wilder will defend the WBC heavyweight title against Ortiz next Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
His black and gold T-shirt was drenched in sweat following a recent open media workout, but its message—‘SPEAK IT, BELIEVE IT, RECEIVE IT’—stayed intact both in visibility and meaning for Deontay Wilder. It has long been a way of life for the still unbeaten heavyweight titlist, who is brimming with confidence ahead of his Nov. 23 rematch versus Miami’s Luis Ortiz (31-1, 26KOs; 2NCs). Their Fox Sports Pay-Per-View headliner—which airs live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas—comes nearly 21 months after their thrilling March 2018 encounter, where Wilder had to survive a scary 7th round in scoring three knockdowns en route to a 10th round stoppage win.
Top Rank, who co-promote heavyweight contender Kubrat Pulev, are firm that their man is next in line for the winner of the upcoming rematch between Anthony Joshua and Andy Ruiz. Joshua and Ruiz will collide for the IBF, WBO, WBA, IBO world heavyweight titles on December 7th in Saudi Arabia.
Former two division champion David Haye, the manager of heavyweight contender Derek Chisora, broke down the recent sparring session that his boxer had with former unified world champion Anthony Joshua.
On Saturday night in Fresno, California, Kubrat “The Cobra” Pulev (28-1, 14 KOs) retained is mandatory status under the IBF, when he won a ten round unanimous decision over Detroit-based veteran Rydell Booker (26-3, 13 KOs). The scores were 99-91, 98-92 and 98-92.
David Haye, the manager of heavyweight contender Dereck Chisora, says his boxer was very impressed with the recent body of work by former world champion Anthony Joshua. Chisora joined Joshua in camp for a sparring session, as the British superstar prepares for a scheduled rematch with WBO, IBF, IBO, WBA heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz on December 7th in Saudi Arabia.