Why Andy Ruiz vs Anthony Joshua rematch is one of the biggest fights in modern boxing history

Perhaps the biggest rematch in boxing history this weekend takes place in Saudi Arabia as Anthony Joshua seeks to reclaim heavyweight glory against Andy Ruiz. It’s a fight which has the world talking, one which carries significant meaning not just for boxing, but for sport as a whole. In an era of global chaos, sport can unite even the most disparate, and though this event can’t cure every ill, for an hour, it’ll distract us from the despair of civilisation.

While this is an incredible fight that is almost impossible to predict, we have to start with a negative. And it’s a big one. To legally watch the fight in the United Kingdom, consumers are being forced to pay £25 to Sky for the privilege. This is the most expensive sports pay-per-view this country has ever seen, and makes zero sense considering the location the fight is being held in.

Promoter Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Boxing have been candid and honest that they chose Diriyah, Saudi Arabia as the venue because of the enormous offer made by the Middle Eastern country. Saudi Arabia has been the host of Formula E and WWE events in recent months and view sport as a means of introducing potential tourists to the country.

With the money generated by the deal, Hearn and Sky could have done the decent thing and given their long-suffering customers a financial break over the festive period. Instead, the price has been bumped up from the last fight slap bang in the most expensive month of the year.

Expecting class from boxing promoters and legit respect for their paying audience is a foolish endeavour at the best of times, but it’s likely a record number of geezers in fake Stone Island jackets will be sending last-minute letters to Father Christmas asking if he can take care of the cost on Saturday night.

Price aside, this is a fight you’ll want to find a way to watch, especially given the sublime ring time of around 9pm. You won’t have to conjure up increasingly illicit ways to stay awake for a 4am start, instead you can enjoy a delicious Chinese takeaway, a raspberry Pepsi Max and the big fight, before switching over to Match Of The Day.

But which fighter will be watching the Manchester derby highlights with all the gold and all the plaudits? The tale of the first Joshua/Ruiz fight has already reached folklore and doesn’t need much re-telling.

A seemingly ill-prepared Joshua, making his US debut, faced late replacement Andy Ruiz in what many believed to be a walkover. Indeed, Joshua did knock Ruiz down to the canvas in round three, but that was the last time he would achieve success in the fight.

Incredibly, the Mexican-American rose from the canvas, shook off the punch, and unleashed his own barrage onto Joshua, knocking down the Brit twice in the closing stages of the round. Ruiz continued to dominate the contest, and eventually finished a stunned Joshua in the seventh round.

It was a victory which seemed otherworldly and unbelievable to those watching across the globe. Just as the world gasped when Holly Holm took out Ronda Rousey or when Hasim Rahman smashed Lennox Lewis, this was a result that just wasn’t meant to happen. But it did. And the repercussions still emanate six months on, with the lingering doubts of Joshua’s legacy and credibility now set to be tested once more against Ruiz.

Losing his world titles and undefeated record was the least of Joshua’s worries after the fight. Anyone can lose a boxing match, even the most heralded in history have suffered defeat. It was the manner of the loss that was so unnerving however, the ease in which Ruiz sliced up Joshua, stealing his aura second by second and eventually carrying out a full house robbery on his entire soul.

For casual fans at 4am, watching a chubby lad beat up an adonis was astonishing, for the dad bods of the world it represented a revelation. Overnight, Andy Ruiz went from unknown to iconic, with Snickers bars replacing iron bars as the ultimate training method.

The champion is in better shape now but still weighed in over three stone heavier than Joshua. Has Ruiz got the number of Joshua? Is his explosiveness, power and speed simply too much for a fundamentally unsound opponent? Or will we see the Joshua of old, the cunning stalker whose intensity and power was too much for even the bravest of foes.

Many wonder if Joshua will play differently this time, if he’ll revert to his Joseph Parker jab and potshot tactics, but against a shorter fighter who is full of confidence that not only can he hurt Joshua but withstand his shots too, is there anything that can be done to halt the Ruiz momentum?

Joshua has spoken of returning to his boxing roots and has visited rough and ready gyms in preparation. Sparring has increased, training methods altered and mindsets switched, but is it enough? Rocky Balboa found the Eye Of The Tiger because he was in a film with a banging soundtrack. Smelling the sweat of authentic gyms doesn’t mean you’ve rebooted, just that you’ve rerouted.

Where does the new road lead to? Honestly, it’s up to you to decide. Predicting heavyweight boxing is foolish even at its most obvious. In a fight like this, it’s ludicrous. History tells us that Joshua will wipe out Ruiz clean and early. Lennox Lewis did it. Joe Louis did it. Floyd Patterson did it. All suffered shock heavyweight defeats but returned to vanquish their foes in the rematch.

History is accurate until it isn’t and Ruiz holds all the aces heading into the fight. He knows he can outwork Joshua, he knows he’s quicker, knows he can put him under pressure, knows he can hurt him and knows that he can take his best punch and get straight up and fight on. What’s Joshua’s rebuttal? He knows he can get hurt, harried and stopped by a guy five inches shorter and 40 pounds heavier.

Where can the confidence come from that he’ll do better this time around? How much does he want this? With tens of millions in the bank, a personality and aesthetic much loved, endorsement deals galore and with an eye on outside business, how much does he want to win again? When you quit once, you’ll always be more susceptible to quitting again no matter what excuse you can give yourself.