Andy Ruiz Jr, springs huge upset, dethrones Anthony Joshua to become heavyweight champion

In one of the biggest upsets in recent years, late replacement, Andy Ruiz Jr 33-1 (22 KOs) rose to the huge occasion to overwhelm the WBA/IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua 22-1 (21 KOs) in seven rounds on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden in New York..
Ruiz, a replacement for original opponent Jarrell Miller came in a deceptive six pounds heavier than he weighed for his victory over Alex Dimitrencko only 6 weeks ago, but demonstrated how you should never judge on appearances, boxing with a patient authority from the start.. The champion broke the momentum in round 3, dropping Ruiz with a quick combination.. but moments later got caught loading up with a hook to the temple which scrambled Joshua’s equilibrium, dropping the Champion for only the second time in his career. With a minute left in the round, Joshua backed up straight into the ropes, being trapped by a cluster of shots from the explosive challenger, landing AJ onto the floor for the second time in the round.. Anthony regrouped through rounds 4 and 5, settling back behind the jab, but began to appear fatigued towards the end of the 6th, allowing the shorter Ruiz to land frequently with single punches.. Between rounds, Joshua was heard asking his trainer Robert McCracken, “Why do I feel like this?” Obviously struggling to process the disastrous situation.. A minute into the seventh, Joshua, stood straight up once again, and got caught with a fast cluster of hooks from Ruiz, unable to maintain his composure Joshua remained straight in the line of fire to take a further bunch of clean shots, dropping him for the third time in the bout.. Rising at 8 with a huge gulp of air, Anthony looked on the cusp of defeat, a short exchange saw the Champion collapse to the floor once again, instantly spitting the mouthpiece whilst struggling to climb upright, AJ walked towards the corner, turning his back on referee Michael Griffin, who looked closely at the fighter.. Joshua didn’t appear in immediate distress but vacantly failed to respond correctly to instructions.. Griffin waved it off to a short protest by a disorganised Joshua.. 1.27 of the round.. Ruiz now hold the largest portion of the richest prize in sports, becoming the first man of Mexican heritage in history to do so.. Ruiz can enjoy a famous Victory but is held to a contractual rematch clause, more than likely in the United Kingdom, later in the year..