Anthony Joshua, the former heavyweight champion of the world, wants to fight against Andy Ruiz Jr. in Great Britain. The English fighter who recently lost the title against the Mexican boxer hopes he might regain it in front of his crowd.
As the perfect place for the fight, Joshua mentioned Cardiff.
“I went there off my own back, so for the rematch now, I would love it to be in Cardiff,”
he stated, but also told that since Ruiz is the champion now, he also needs to agree upon that.
Joshua wants to increase his chances of winning the titles back. Having the crowd behind him would no doubt help him in his intention. Just to remind you, the 30-year-old fighter had a perfect record until heading for the United States. In his first pro match outside Great Britain, he suffered a knockout which shook the world of boxing.
All of his previous big successes were either at O2 Arena, Wembley or the Principality Stadium in Cardiff. As soon as he moved away from them and headed for the famous Madison Square Garden, AJ suffered a catastrophe.
However, he didn’t rule out the possibility of fighting in Mexico.
“I’d fight in Tijuana and Ruiz’s uncle could be the referee, and I would still whoop him. It don’t matter to me where it is,”
Joshua told SkySports.
That immediately cased for a reaction from Ruiz’s side. The current champ stated that if his rival feels that way, then they should fight in Tijuana. After that, there were no comments from both Joshua or Ruiz on the matter of the venue.
It appears that the arrangements for the fight are still not in progress, and that both sides want to make the starting positions. For Ruiz, this is the chance of a lifetime for establishing himself as one of the top heavyweights on the planet. And also, to financially secure him and his family. There is no doubt that the rematch might bring the Mexican money he never dreamed of having before.
Meanwhile, Joshua’s reputation and the entire career are at stake. He was projected to be the new boxing king, but this loss interrupted everything. Before the event in Madison, he didn’t want to fight Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury. Even then, many experts believed that Brit doesn’t have the capabilities to be the best. The two other rivals then clashed with one another, taking the spotlight away from Joshua, and shifting the publicity to them.
His original plan before the trip to New York was to make his name overseas, and start preparing the terrain for the fight with Wilder. But the unexpected loss against Ruiz Jr. interrupted everything and created even more problems for the British fighter. He now has to regain the belts, and then to see how the situation between Wilder and Fury turns out. After all that is sorted, he might make plans once again.
The fight between Joshua and Ruiz should be around the New Year, and it seems that this is the plan of both sides. The only question is where.
