Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, Dec. 7
TV: DAZN
By Peter Lim
Ruiz tipped the scales at a whopping 283 pounds, 15 pounds heavier than he did in the the first encounter six months ago. It's safe to say Ruiz did not put on muscle. Joshua, on the other hand, came in at 237, 10 pounds lighter than he was in the first fight.
Granted, boxing is not a body building contest and the more sculpted fighter does not always come out on top. But this is the heaviest Ruiz has weighed in over eight years and a good 20-30 pounds over what he has weighed in his best outings. It is a patent giveaway that he under-trained and over-ate in the weeks leading up to the rematch.
The fight unfolds the way most people predicted for the first encounter. Joshua beats Ruiz to the punch with his long thudding jab and gradually finds the range for his power punches. The flabbier, slower Ruiz is a split second off the trigger to do what worked for him in the first fight - counter punch in bunches.
A sense of deja vu fills the air when Joshua drops Ruiz heavily in the fourth round. But instead of going in for the kill with reckless abandon, Joshua remains guarded and tactically measures Ruiz with jabs before unloading the heavier artillery. The gambit works to perfection as he drops Ruiz twice more prompting the referee to step in and call a halt to the one-sided affair.
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