“If you want street fight, let’s go. If you want boxing, I show you. But people think I am, like, gangster. No. Ring is different world. Very dangerous.” –Gennady Golovkin
If not for the ongoing NBA finals, sports fans would be discussing Anthony Joshua’s shocking technical knockout loss to Andy Ruiz, Jr. last June 1 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. While the championship showdown between the Golden State Warriors and the Toronto Raptors could potentially run until June 16, Joshua’s embarrassing defeat came after seven rounds.
The name Joshua has always been associated with courage, brilliancy, and heroism; however, unlike the Bible’s Joshua, who vanquished 31 kings and conquered their lands, the boxer Joshua couldn’t put Ruiz away after sending the challenger butt-first to the canvas with a quick knockdown early in the third round. He is the only Joshua to fall in disgrace. The biblical Joshua, successor of Moses, was a brilliant military leader who fought at the Walls of Jericho and hailed a hero who led the Israelites into the “Promised Land.”
“Who is Andy Ruiz, Jr.?”
Victor Mather of New York Times posed the question “Who is Andy Ruiz, Jr.?” in a June 3 article. “Actually, he’s the heavyweight champion of the world,” he added. With his victory earlier this month, he is now a World Boxing Association/International Boxing Federation/World Boxing Organization/International Boxing Organization champion. Meanwhile, Joshua, who entered the fight with a 22-0 record, with 21 knockouts, has amassed a number of world titles, defeating various opponents, including former world heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko.
Mather pointed out Ruiz was a substitute, filling in for Jarrell Miller, who earlier tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs. However, despite a 32-1 record, as the fighters he had beaten not considered “world class,” he was widely dismissed (optimistic oddsmakers gave Ruiz a 15-1 chance at victory).
The NYT writer offered a description of the new champion: “Ruiz is the first fighter of Mexican descent to win the heavyweight title. Mexican fans follow boxing avidly but have mostly paid attention to the lower weight classes and boxers like Julio Cesar Chavez, Canelo Alvarez, and Juan Manuel Marquez. Ruiz’s success could change that.”
“I wanted to prove everybody wrong, all the doubters thinking I was going to lose,” Ruiz said after the fight. “I can’t believe I just made my dreams come true.”
At 6’6” and 247 pounds, Joshua has an imposing physical presence. Ruiz, meanwhile, is 6’2”—and 268 pounds. Yet, he was fit enough to knock Joshua down four times.
Was Drake involved?
Canadian rapper Drake has become known as a curse for athletes. His support for the Toronto Maple Leafs in the National Hockey League, University of Alabama football, and mixed martial artist Conor McGregor has reportedly caused them all to lose. However, last March, Drake and Joshua poked fun at the “curse,” posing for a photo together, which was posted to Twitter with the caption: “‘Bout to break the curse.”
Will there be a rematch? The contract gives Joshua the right to a rematch in the event of a loss. Despite losing the initial bout, he is still considered the favorite, although his odds have declined to 3-1.
What about Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury?
The other top heavyweight fighters, Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury, will have to wait for their opportunity, despite talk of a Joshua-Wilder bout; fans continue to question if it will ever happen. While Wilder is expected to next meet Luiz Ortiz, whom he knocked out last year; Fury fights Tom Schwarz of Germany in two weeks. A Wilder-Fury rematch could be in the works following last December’s draw; however, the Ruiz upset will delay the fight fans have most wanted to see, Joshua-Wilder.
“He wasn’t a true champion,” Wilder said of Joshua on Twitter. “His whole career was consisted of lies, contradictions, and gifts.”
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Alex P. Vidal, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo./WDJ