By Akinwale Kasali
Ogun State-Nigerian-Born British Boxer, Anthony Joshua, heaved a sigh of relief Saturday night. And so did most Nigerians.
Joshua reclaimed the World Heavyweight Boxing Titles six months after losing the belts to Mexican Born boxer, Andy Ruiz at the Madison Arena in Las Vegas, United State of America. His defeat by a less- fancied Ruiz was a shock to boxing enthusiasts, analysts and bookmakers.
It stunned the world and Joshua who lost his first fight in his professional career. A second defeat would have left Joshua’s career in tatters. But he served up 36 minutes of movement and well-timed punching to take the IBF, WBA and WBO titles back to Britain.
As expected, Joshua took control of the fight from the first round to the 12th round, giving Ruiz no room to dictate the pace of the fight.
His jabs were accurate, as he landed a retinue of punches on the Mexican who was unable to respond till the end of the bout.
The three referees, in a unanimous decision, gave Joshua the deserved result.
After cutting his Mexican rival inside the first round, he never looked back, and picked out smart jabs and right hands, throughout, before being serenaded with chants of “AJ, AJ, AJ” by over 16,000 fans in the Diriyah Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Joshua stunned Ruiz. The Mexican never looked close to landing a knockdown and when scores of 118-110 118-110 and 119-109 were read out, Joshua jumped up and down in the ring in celebration, just as the man who wrecked his US debut did in June.
In an interview with Ruiz, he said he lost the fight due to the fact that he added more weight. However, he is seeking a third fight with the British Boxer.
