Anthony Joshua has weighed in three stone lighter than Andy Ruiz Jr. ahead of the world heavyweight title rematch between the pair in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Joshua tipped the scales at 16 stone 13 lbs, cutting fully 10 pounds from when he first fought Ruiz in New York in June.

Ruiz, by comparison, has put on more than a stone to weigh in at 20 stone 3 lbs as he looks to retain the IBF, WBA and WBO titles he gained during the shock seventh round stoppage of previously undefeated Joshua.

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Joshua had been widely expected to be lighter than in the first fight but few expected Ruiz to bulk up in such a manner.

Speaking to the media on Thursday, Joshua intimated he was happy with his weight on fight week and stated that he was “punching like a horse kicking backwards right now."

Joshua had previously revealed he had been doing less weights in this training camp and was focusing more on sparring.

Speaking before the weigh in Boxing analyst Steve Bunce said the rumours of Joshua’s weight loss was surprising.

“I think it’s startling,” said Bunce. “Heavyweights like Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson that didn’t carry flesh, they don’t lose three pounds between fights, they normally increase slightly. They don’t drop weight.

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