ANTHONY Joshua will be looking to regain his four heavyweight titles on December 17 when his rematch with Mexican Andy Ruiz takes place on the outskirts of the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh.
In an upset that shocked the boxing world, Joshua got knocked to the canvass four times during the course of the fight in June, forcing the referee to end matters in the seventh round. In a development that completely shook up the heavyweight scene, Joshua lost the World Boxing Association, World Boxing Organisation, International Boxing Organisation and International Boxing Federation titles to the unfancied Ruiz.
However, the fight’s contract had a rematch clause in it compelling Ruiz to another face-off if he won and Joshua’s camp triggered this within a few days of the June fight. Now, the bout dubbed the Clash on the Dunes, will take place in Diriyah, just outside Riyadh, in a town which incorporates the Unesco World Heritage site of Al-Turaif.
Joshua, who was previously undefeated, is expected to regain his belts when the fight takes place for which investors put up a £33m site fee to make it happen in Saudi Arabia. For now, however, there is still a small hiccup as Ruiz appears to be demanding more than the £7.5m he initially agreed to.
