According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Former unified Heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua has exercised the rematch clause that will set up the fight with the man who dethroned him, Andy Ruiz Jr.
“After meetings with AJ, Rob Mc and the management team in NY, we have today triggered the contracted rematch clause with Andy Ruiz Jnr. The fight will take place in Nov/Dec at a venue to be confirmed shortly,” Joshua promoter Eddie Hearn wrote on social media.
“There was no point in waiting,” Hearn told ESPN. “We’ve talked about it and it’s happening. There’s no other fight AJ wants, so there was no point waiting 30 days. Everybody needs clarity. We sat down and it wasn’t even a case of him asking what else is out there. The rematch is the fight we need, and that’s what we’ll be doing.”
“It’s an upset. One shot on top of the dome rattled me quite a bit. Tried to stay in there a few more rounds but the better man won. Respect to Andy and I move forward and look out for the end of the year,” said Joshua, more than two hours after the fight, when he decided to meet the few remaining media members still at the Garden after it had been announced he would not appear because of a concussion. “I never underestimate anyone. He’s a decent puncher, decent fighter. This was his chance, and I always say anyone who comes to box me is 50, 20 percent better than what we’ve seen. These guys are coming to win and he was the better man.”
“It’s a minor setback, if that’s what you want to call it. I feel like this is just part of the journey I’m on, and this is boxing, so what I have to do is evaluate the situation, make it better and we go again,” Joshua said. “I just got beat tonight. On the record it says I got beat, and that’s it. It’s a test of character. I don’t want to say this went wrong, that went wrong. I ain’t dwelling on this. Just move forward, correct it.
“I’ll bounce back and get my hands on those belts again. … I’m gonna beat him up. Tidy up, brush off the cobwebs and fight again. Losing is something we can learn from. Tighten up. Get smart. There’s more to come. Winning is everything, but if you do happen to take an ‘L,’ reset, readjust and bounce back. I do not condone losing. On to the next one. The hunger is always there. I’m ready to go back to work tomorrow.”
“The way I look, the extra flab that I carry — now I want to get in really good shape and look like a Mexican Anthony next time we fight,” Ruiz said with a laugh about why he was so dismissed. “We made it happen. No one can take that from me. Nobody. I just shocked the world. Now I’ve got to work even harder and make a legacy. I’m not going to let these belts go.”
