Page 23 - ARUBA TODAY

A23
SPORTS Monday 3 June 2019
Fat chance: Ruiz set to reign as heavyweight champion

By DAN GELSTON present stirring in the home Ruiz, a portly fighter out of ter fight and I will beat An- this year. “Now that I have
AP Sports Writer of some of boxing’s most Southern California, has thony Joshua.” this time, I want to get in
NEW YORK (AP) — Andy historic bouts. The 29-year- an affable personality and Hearn agreed to the pitch shape and look like a Mexi-
Ruiz Jr. could have passed old Ruiz already has at- earned the last-minute title and a main event was can Anthony,” Ruiz said,
for any New Yorker, just a laughing. “But I was ready
roly-poly guy in a too-tight for war. I was ready for all
Knicks jersey and sideways 12 rounds.”
baseball cap weaving his Is the heavyweight division
way through a crowded ready for the upheaval
sidewalk on his way back ahead?
to the hotel. But those peo- Joshua was positioned as
ple were there cheering for the star of the division, and
Ruiz, outstretched arms for the British fighter made his
selfies, pats on the back, fight debut in the United
asking for autographs and State to great fanfare.
a few fans yelling “Mexican Joshua milked the ap-
pride!” plause of the crowd and
Maybe the boxing world soaked in the spotlight as
didn’t know much about he walked to the ring. His
Ruiz before he was near- win seemingly a mere for-
ly booed out of Madi- mality, Joshua knew big-
son Square Garden as ger, lucrative bouts against
he stepped into the ring the likes of Tyson Fury and
against undefeated cham- Deontay Wilder were on
pion Anthony Joshua. But the horizon. The oft-ignored
they learned a whole lot heavyweight division got
more after he stepped a boost over the last few
out a champion, posing years and any combina-
for pictures with the WBA/ tion of Joshua, Wilder and
IBF/WBO/IBO champion- Fury fights would mean big
ship title belts draped over business and title unifica-
his arms — an appropriate tion in the muddled mix of
number, one for each time boxing organizations.
he flattened Joshua at the Wilder, owner of the WBC
Garden. crown, decided to give
“It’s an upset, isn’t it,” Josh- Luis Ortiz a rematch. Ortiz
ua said. “The bookies said battered Wilder for parts of
I was a favorite. One shot their fight in early 2018 be-
on top of the dome kind fore running out of gas and
of rattled me a bit. But the getting knocked out. Wild-
better man won. Respect er tried to steal the head-
to Andy. Now I move for- lines this week when he an-
ward.” nounced his rematch with
Ruiz, the first fighter of Fury was set for 2020. Wilder
Mexican descent to win a and Fury fought to a split
heavyweight title, stirred draw in December in Los
memories of Buster Doug- Angeles, with Wilder retain-
las and other heavyweight ing his WBC heavyweight
shockers when the massive title after knocking down
underdog knocked down his British challenger twice.
Joshua twice in the third “Naturally, you’re going to
round and two more times speak about Wilder and
in the decisive seventh to Fury,” Joshua said. “That’s
stake his claim to shares how it is. Why would I try
of the heavyweight crown Andy Ruiz knocks down Anthony Joshua during the third round of a heavyweight championship and block out the fact that
. Debate the health or rel- boxing match Saturday, June 1, 2019, in New York. Ruiz won in the seventh round. there’s other competition
evance of boxing all you Associated Press out there? I still want to
want, but for a night, at compete. That’s why I ask,
an electric Garden stuffed tracted some A-list fans — shot (after Jarrell Miller’s hatched. what’s next?”
with celebs and 20,000 The Rock and Conor Mc- failed drug tests booted Ruiz, knocked down in the For Joshua, it’s back to
singing, roaring fans, there Gregor tweeted congratu- him to the sideline) not third round, is quick to make challenger status, a set-
was no better place to be lations — and could score through angry made-for-TV fun of his girth — his gener- back that will cost him the
in sports. more if he can stretch his 15 demands or even convinc- ously listed 270 pounds puts megafight he craved this
Most casual sports fans minutes into a few success- ing KO’s through the ranks. the heavy in heavyweight. year.
couldn’t name a modern ful title defenses. Instead, he got bold and His trunks sat a bit too low And for Ruiz? The Mexi-
boxer outside of Floyd May- “I think it’s going to do a lot sent promoter Eddie Hearn for his flabby frame as he can everyman who looks
weather Jr., and there were for my community, for Mex- a direct message on Insta- faced off against the chis- more fit for Saturday morn-
plenty of fans wearing Mike ico,” Ruiz said. “Now they gram asking for a shot that eled Joshua. With four ing sparring at the YMCA
Tyson and Muhammad Ali can say that they have the said, “Give me this fight, I championship belts in front than holding boxing’s big-
shirts at the Garden, the first Mexican heavyweight will fight harder than any of him on a table, Ruiz said gest prize must prove he’s
mystique of boxing’s past champion of the world. I’m of the names you’ve men- he would get in shape for no one-fight wonder like
that often swallows the just happy that it’s me.” tioned, I will give you a bet- an expected rematch later Douglas.q