Voice of London

Almost 15,000 people watched on during heavy thunderstorms in the newly built open air Diriyah Arena as the ‘Pride of London’ claimed his redemption bout after suffering humiliation against Mexico’s own Andy Ruiz. Joshua produced a boxing masterclass in Saudi Arabia, winning back all four belts by unanimous decision and becoming a two time heavyweight champion of the world.

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Joshua was eleven pounds lighter than the previous fight in June while his opponent came in three stones heavier than him. Some critics have lauded Joshua’s win as his most impressive boxing performance to date. Dressed in all-white in honour of his idol Muhammad Ali, Joshua danced around his opponent flicking jabs and stunning his opponent with his famous right hand.

In the final round of the fight AJ could be seen knocking his gloves together, sticking his tongue out and taunting his opponent as the outcome of the fight seemed inevitably in Joshua’s favour. It was only in the beginning of the eighth round when he got hit with a strong right hand that he winced with pain but AJ soon bounced back and resumed with his relaxed yet sharp performance.

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The victory has come at an interesting time for Anthony Joshua, with WBC champion Deontay Wilder set to face former lineal heavyweight champion Tyson Fury in February, a possible unification bout could be on the cards for 2020. While Andy Ruiz Jr interrupted Joshuas victory speech to demand a trilogy fight, it seems unlikely as Joshua has already been given a mandatory defence against Ukranias Oleksandr Usyk.

Word By: Max J Stott