British-born Nigerian boxer, Anthony Joshua, on Saturday, December 7, 2019, beat Mexican-American boxer, Andy Ruiz, to reclaim the Heavyweight World Championship belts he had earlier lost, through a unanimous decision in Saudi Arabia on 7 December 2019. In a shock upset on June 1, 2019, Joshua was beaten by Ruiz, a match that raised questions regarding Joshua’s dominance in the boxing world. The IBF, WBA, WBO, and IBO titles were in contention for the Clash on the Dunes in Diriyah. Joshua who started the match with the brilliant master class was announced the winner by the judges after the decision of the Judges saw him record a 118-110, 118-110 and 119-109 points.
Read more about Anthony Joshua
Man, the first time was so nice, I had to do it twice…I’m used to knocking guys out but last time I realized ‘hang on a minute, I hurt the man and I got caught coming in’. I gave the man his credit. I said to myself I’m going to correct myself and come again.
-Anthony Joshua
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A defeat against Ruiz could have left the career of the 30-year old Joshua shattered as he would have lost his place among top boxers globally. With Saturday’s victory, Joshua now joins the likes of Muhammad Ali, Evander Holyfield, Mike Tyson, Lennox Lewis, and Floyd Patterson, who like Joshua during their boxing days, reclaimed their world heavyweight title.
Sources:
Aljazeera
BBC
Featured Image Source: The Sun.co.uk
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