Undefeated Joshua makes his debut on U.S. soil against Ruiz Jr.
Having built a monumental following in his native Great Britain, heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua knows that expanding his brand necessitates the U.S. fight market’s approval.
Joshua will make his introduction to American fight fans Saturday night in New York. For the first time in his professional career, Joshua will fight outside of Great Britain when he faces Andy Ruiz Jr. at Madison Square Garden.
In an effort to become acclimated to a new time zone, Joshua moved the final phase of his training camp to Miami Beach earlier this month. A recent promotional video shows Joshua running with the locals on the Miami Beach boardwalk.
Joshua’s maiden U.S. appearance will come with additional attention. True, Joshua has risen to pound-for-pound best fighters’ rankings thanks to his 22-0 record and 21 knockouts and the accumulation of three sanctioning body belts.
But Joshua needs to maintain the conversation of the bout that remains an illusion — his unification fight with fellow champion Deontay Wilder. Two weeks ago, Wilder, the World Boxing Council titleholder, did his part to hype the dream fight with a first-round knockout of Dominic Breazeale.
“The big fights will happen,” Wilder said to the crowd after his victory over Breazeale. “I just want you to have patience.”
Consequently, attention shifts to Joshua and how he will follow up Wilder’s performance that became the lead story in many sports highlights shows. Not that Joshua needs to wipe out Ruiz in one round, but an overwhelming outing against Ruiz will further spice the much-discussed bout with Wilder.
Joshua has downplayed the expectations that he will also make quick work of Ruiz (32-1, 21 KOs). Ruiz took the bout on short notice after Joshua’s original opponent, Jerrell Miller, tested positive for a banned performance-enhancing substance and was eventually suspended.
The 6-2 Ruiz, who weighed 259 pounds for his recent bout — a fifth round TKO win over Alexander Dimitrenko on April 20 — is perceived as an overmatched opponent not only in skills but when physiques are compared with the 6-6 Joshua.
“It’s not about what you look like, it’s a craft, a skill, and what’s in your heart and your head matters in the end,” Joshua told British media. “Andy has shown he has all that, he can fight and box. That’s what matters. I think Andy is a great challenger and will bring it on [Saturday].
“Take me out of my body but keep the same attributes and height, same jab, same chin, same heart and same mind, but I looked different — I’d still get to the same position I am in because it’s what is within you that makes a champion — your genetics. And his genetics are the same, and he took the fight.”
Joshua’s fight occurs during a six-week span that streaming service DAZN will showcase its three signature fighters.
A week after the Joshua-Ruiz bout, former middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin will make his debut on DAZN when he fights Canada’s Steve Rolls at Madison Square Garden.
The bout, listed at a catch-weight limit of 164 pounds, is Golovkin’s first since the loss of his middleweight title against Saul “Canelo” Alvarez last September. Golovkin agreed to a six-fight contract with DAZN earlier this year.
Alvarez made the second appearance of his 11-bout $365 million deal with DAZN in his victory against Daniel Jacobs on May 4.
AROUND THE RING
▪ Late Saturday, Jamell Herring won the World Boxing Organization junior-lightweight title with a unanimous decision over defending champion Masayuki Ito in Kissimmee. A former U.S. Marine, Herring (20-2) used his boxing skills to offset Ito (25-2-1) and won the bout on two judges’ scorecards 118-110 and 116-112 on the third.
▪ Aventura resident Ahmed Elbiali scored a second-round knockout win over Marcos Simoes in their light-heavyweight bout Saturday in Biloxi, Mississippi. Elbiali is now 19-1 with 16 knockouts.
This story was originally published May 28, 2019 at 2:23 PM with the headline "Undefeated Joshua makes his debut on U.S. soil against Ruiz Jr.."