Anthony Joshua vs. Andy Ruiz Jr. (1st meeting)

Challenger rankings

Org.	Pos.	As of	Published
1+ Mth. Old
WBA	12	31.03.2019	31.03.2019
WBC	18	03.03.2019	by 09.03.2019
IBF	14	28.02.2019	07.03.2019
WBO	NR	21.03.2019	21.03.2019
Ring	NR	16.03.2019	27.03.2019
2+ Mth. Old
WBA	12	28.02.2019	28.02.2019
WBC	18	02.02.2019	by 09.02.2019
IBF	14	31.01.2019	04.02.2019
WBO	N/A	N/A	N/A
Ring	N/A	N/A	N/A
3+ Mth. Old
WBA	13	31.01.2019	31.01.2019
WBC	16	01.10.2018	by 18.10.2018
IBF	14	30.11.2018	10.12.2018
WBO	N/A	N/A	N/A
Ring	N/A	N/A	N/A

Anthony Joshua 248 lbs lost to Andy Ruiz 268 lbs by TKO at 1:27 in round 7 of 12

• Date: 2019-06-01
• Location: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, USA
• Referee: Michael Griffin
• Judge: Michael Alexander 56-57
• Judge: Pasquale Procopio 57-56
• Judge: Julie Lederman 56-57

Notes

Timeline

• It was reported as early as July 2018 that Joshua would have his next two fights at Wembley Stadium: first on September 22 and then on April 13, 2019, with expectation to have the unification showdown with the WBC Champion Deontay Wilder on the latter date.[1][2]
• On November 17, Eddie Hearn hinted in an interview with IFL TV that Joshua's next opponent after Alexander Povetkin would be Wilder or Dillian Whyte, or "it might be a wildcard". Among the names reported to be the potential wildcard were Oleksandr Usyk, Wladimir Klitschko, Vitali Klitschko and Jarrell Miller, with Miller being given the highest odds to get the fight.[3]
• Joshua was one of the commentators for the fight between Dillian Whyte and Dereck Chisora. After the fight Joshua and Whyte faced off in the ring; both fighters expressed interest in fighting each other again.[4] In response, former long-reigning heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis accused Joshua of avoiding both Wilder and Tyson Fury: "He doesn’t want any of those guys. When he saw that fight he was like 'Wow, these guys can box'. I don't think he'll come over here [to the US] right now. I think he's too happy in England being protected, and boxing in front of the British crowd."[5]
• Two days later, Eddie Hearn told the press that Whyte rematch was the most likely next option: "Joshua wants the undisputed [title] fight but he also wants to fight Dillian Whyte. The priority is he wants Wilder, but I don't believe that will happen. If it's an April 13 date at Wembley you'll need it on sale at the end of January. He's 80 percent likely to fight at Wembley on April 13."[6]
• Whyte said in an interview to IFL TV on January 3, 2019 that he didn't believe he would get the fight: "I don't know what's going on. I expected him and his team to have at least contacted me. I'm not meeting Eddie [Hearn] until another two weeks. That's not enough time to prepare for a fight like that." He had also reportedly heard rumors that Joshua was instead going to fight Jarrell Miller at Madison Square Garden.[7]
• Miller's promoter Dmitriy Salita told Sky Sports on January 9 that Jarrell was the best American heavyweight at the moment and was always interesed in fighting Joshua, "so the ball is in his court." He also added: "This is one of the biggest possible fights in boxing for 2019. If it happens at Madison Square Garden, it would bring back the heavyweight memories of Mike Tyson and Riddick Bowe, the boxing greats from Brooklyn, New York. Jarrell grew up in Brooklyn, it would be a huge event in New York."[8]
• On January 23, Eddie Hearn told East Side Boxing "not to be surprised" if Joshua fought Miller at MSG in June. East Side Boxing also reported that Joshua vs. Whyte II was still possible for April 13 at Wembley, however Whyte was unhappy with the money he was offered.[9]
• Ring Magazine reported on January 29 that Miller had been sent an official "multi-million deal" offer; if signed, the fight would take place at MSG in June.
• On January 31, Hearn confirmed to IFL TV that a fight on April 13 was unlikely and claimed that Whyte demanded more time for preparation. He also claimed that Joshua vs. Miller at MSG in June was "very close" to being finalized.
• According to Hearn, three offers were sent to Whyte with each turned down; Whyte, however, denied this and accused both Joshua and Hearn of ducking him: "They've had the [Wembley] date booked for ages and have known AJ was available since he beat Alexander Povetkin in September yet didn't even make an initial offer. We could have made this fight if Joshua really wanted it, but it has been clear to me all along that they've been focused on making the Jarrell Miller fight in New York City on DAZN."[10][11]
• On February 13 Matchroom Sport officially announced that Joshua would face Miller at Madison Square Garden on June 1.[12][13]
• On April 19, ESPN reported that knowedgeable sources told them that Miller had failed three drug tests: a blood sample provided March 31 tested positive for HGH, while a urine sample provided the same day returned positive results for EPO and GW1516.[14] The same day as the news came to light, Hearn confirmed that the bout was off and he was now looking for a replacement; he acknowledged that the opponent should preferrably be American "or someone that the American market is also familiar with."[15]
• Ruiz, who stepped up to be a late replacement for Miller, signed the contract on April 30.[16]
• Ruiz formally announced as the replacement on May 1.[17]

Ranking Movements

• Miller ranked No. 2 contender by the WBA since September 30, 2018. No. 1 contender Trevor Bryan was the Interim Champion; Manuel Charr was the Regular Champion.
• He was also steadily rated fourth by the WBO since October 2018. In late February he moved up one spot to No. 3.
• Miller was not in the IBF Top 15, WBC Top 40 nor The Ring Magazine Top 10 at the time of the cancellation.
• The same day Ruiz signed the contract, WBA moved Ruiz from No. 12 to No. 5.

The Fight

• WBA, WBO, IBF and the IBO world heavyweight titles were at stake.
• Ruiz down in third round. Joshua down twice in third round and twice in seventh round.
• Ringside DAZN commentator Sugar Ray Leonard's comments echoed respect for Ruiz' victory, and the concept that in the ring, anything can happen at any time: “This is a surprise to boxing fans and the world. You (Andy) are the epitome of don’t judge a book by his cover. I am impressed. Ruiz fought like a big man, and fought like Joshua should have. Andy, you proved all of us wrong, and that’s why I love boxing.”
• Promoter Eddie Hearn and Joshua both noted that a mandatory rematch clause would be exercised in the United Kingdom in either November or December of 2019. "One hundred percent (we will fight a rematch in the UK next)," noted Joshua.
• Official Scorecards.
• CompuBox Punchstats.

Preceded by: Joshua vs. Povetkin	WBA Heavyweight Title Fight # 106	Succeeded by: Ruiz vs. Joshua 2
Preceded by: Joshua vs. Povetkin	IBF Heavyweight Title Fight # 73	Succeeded by: Ruiz vs. Joshua 2
Preceded by: Joshua vs. Povetkin	WBO Heavyweight Title Fight # 58	Succeeded by: Ruiz vs. Joshua 2