Seven things to know about Joshua, Ruiz rematch

Seven things to know about Joshua, Ruiz rematch

Sodiq Oyeleke

Anthony Joshua will on Saturday challenge Andy Ruiz Jr in a bid to retrieve his unified world heavyweight champion – WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO titles.

The heavyweight fight in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, is coming after Ruiz Jr defeated Joshua at Madison Square Garden in June 2019.

Here are seven things to know about the rematch:

When and where will the rematch hold?

The Joshua vs Ruiz Jr rematch will be held on Saturday, December 7 in The Diriyah Arena. The Arena is a custom-built 15,000-seater located in Saudi Arabia.

How much does it cost to watch the rematch?

Sky Sports Box Office says it will show the rematch live at a cost of £24.95.

It will also be available for purchase through NOW TV, also at a price of £24.95.

In the US, the fight will be shown live on DAZN but a month subscription of $19.99 is required.

Five other heavyweight clashes on the card

Matchroom says there are five other fights on Joshua/Ruiz rematch card.

The undercards are: Dillian Whyte vs Mariusz Wach (WBC interim heavyweight title); Alexander Povetkin vs Michael Hunter (heavyweight); Filip Hrgovic vs Eric Molina (WBC international heavyweight title); Mahammadrasul Majidov vs Tom Little (heavyweight); Hopey Price vs TBC and Diego Pacheco vs TBC.

Joshua, Ruiz to share £70m

While Joshua is expected to receive between £45m and £60m for his night’s work, Ruiz Jr would get no fewer than £10m.

After the fight, Joshua’s net worth is estimated to rise to over £100m.

What it costs Saudi Arabia to host the rematch?

The Saudi Arabian authorities have paid a fortune to host the fight – over £30m. They are expected to make returns through sponsorship, broadcasting rights and box office subscriptions among others.

Joshua and Ruiz have two things in common

Though they are heading for a career fight, both Joshua and Ruiz are 30 years old and are Orthodox.

Their differences

Though Joshua’s parent hailed from Sagamu, Ogun State, he is a British. Ruiz is an American/Mexican.

Other differences in their personalities are: Joshua is 6ft 6, Ruiz is 6ft 2; Joshua is 82 in reach, Ruiz is 74 in; Joshua had is debut on October, 5, 2013 while Ruiz debuted on May 28, 2009.

Ruiz’s nickname is Destroyer and Joshua’s alias is AJ.

Credit: punchng.com