Boxing: Ruiz surprisingly takes the world title from Joshua

Unforgettable remains the victory of Anthony Joshua over Vitali Klitschko, who sent Doctor Iron Fist into retirement in 2017 with an impressive fight and massive superiority. Now the somewhat roundly built Ruiz looked almost without a chance against the muscular showcase athlete Joshua. From the outset it was clear that Ruiz was a candidate who had hopes but could never stand a chance against the massive Joshua, at least that was the preconceived notion of many. But Ruiz left no doubt: "I want to become the first Mexican to win the world heavyweight title!"

In the ring Joshua surprised with an inexplicable kind of restraint and caution. And something became obvious right away in the ring: Ruiz may not be as athletically built as the big Brit, but he is an excellent boxer who knows how to move, who is fast, explosive, and you could feel that the American with Mexican roots was serious about what he was doing. Again and again Ruiz attacked. But the first knockdown Ruiz experienced in the third round after a right uppercut. But then Ruiz's reaction was admirable, how courageously he came back and how determined he fought back until he sent Joshau to the boards. That had left a strong impact on Joshua, especially psychologically. Joshua had to fight for survival in the fourth round as well. Even though the two were about even on the judges' scorecards, you could sense that Joshua realized it was going to be close, because Ruiz wasn't going to let up. In all, Ruiz's quick punching combinations sent Joshua to the floor four times. But after the fourth knockdown in the 7th round, with 1:31 to go, it was over, and the referee stopped the fight for technical knockouts. Ruiz danced around in joy.

In a fascinating fight at Madison Square Garden in New York, Andy Ruiz claimed the WBO, WBA and IBF heavyweight world titles, creating an outright sensation.