Andy Ruiz, the Mexican heavyweight who caused one of the biggest upsets in boxing history by stopping Anthony Joshua in New York in June 2019, has suggested that a trilogy fight with the British star is inevitable.
‘I would love to have that trilogy with him,’ Ruiz said. ‘He gave me that opportunity. I gave him back that opportunity, and there’s one more. I want to become a two-time heavyweight champion of the world.’
Ruiz, who lost his unified world titles to Joshua in a rematch in Saudi Arabia six months later, believes that Joshua is getting back to his best form.
‘He’s getting his momentum back,’ Ruiz said. ‘He’s getting his confidence back. He’s doing what he’s supposed to do. I think he’s doing his thing. I’m just happy for him.’
Joshua has bounced back from two consecutive defeats to Oleksandr Usyk, winning three times in 2023 against Jermaine Franklin, Robert Helenius and Otto Wallin. The former two-time champion then scored a huge KO over Francis Ngannou in March, and is pushing for a shot at the winner of Tyson Fury’s clash with Usyk.
He is expected to return to the ring in September in the UK, and any clash with Ruiz is unlikely to be in 2024, given ‘The Destroyer’ will fight again in December after facing Miller.
It has been a tough period for Ruiz, who has fought just twice since losing his rematch against Joshua, with his last outing coming against Luis Ortiz in September 2022. But he will be hoping to finally work his way back into the title mix by getting back in the win column this summer.
