On Saturday, 7 December 2019, we were witnesses to the rollercoaster rematch between Anthony Joshua and Andy Ruiz Jr. Although the former suffered defeat at the hands of Andy Ruiz in the first match, the belts are back to AJ! The rematch, which held at Saudi Arabia, lasted over 12 rounds and here are our key takeaways:
1. Anthony Joshua Had Health Issues Before the First Fight:
Earlier in June this year, Anthony Joshua and Andy Ruiz Jr met at the boxing ring in Madison Square, New York. The latter won via a technical knockout in the 7th round and this sparked controversies as the biggest upsets in the boxing history. Following his win on Saturday however, AJ told the 5 Live Boxing Podcast that he had some issue with his health which he was going through for a long time.
He went on to add: “I didn’t know what was wrong with me. I felt so tired and drained and thought it must be down to training… The responsibilities of being world champion are difficult. All that stuff, feeling so tired, dealing with obligations.”
2. Andy Ruiz Blames Loss to Being Overweight:
Sequel to his loss on Saturday, Andy Ruiz Jr mentioned that three months of partying and lack of proper training left him ‘overweight’ against the rematch. “I should have trained harder. I should have listened to my team and coaches”, he said. He went on to add that he would be “a lot better” if he gets a third fight.
3. Anthony Joshua Set to Double His Net Worth to Over £100:
AJ is currently estimated to be worth around £42 by Forbes. With the rematch, however, there are high tendencies for a spike in AJ’s net worth. This will be due to the pay-per-view sales generated by the event in Saudi Arabia. Reports simultaneously hold that the event on Saturday broke the record for UK pay-per-view sales. iFL TV reports that “it’s massive, massive just a monstrous success”.
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