On Wednesday, both fighters held a press conference in the suburb of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia\u2019s capital and largest city.<\/p>\n
Ruiz knows that he\u2019ll likely see a different Joshua on Saturday, one who has lost some weight \u2013 the weigh-in for Saturday\u2019s bout will take place on Friday \u2013 and who has had six months instead of six weeks to prepare for him.<\/p>\n
However, knowing that Joshua will come in motivated will only make Ruiz more motivated.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve been doing this since I was 6 years old, and it\u2019s finally paying off,\u201d Ruiz said. \u201cThere\u2019s no way that I\u2019m going to let these belts go. I\u2019m going to die trying, and I\u2019m going to do anything that\u2019s possible to get that victory.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Joshua said he has been asked if it would be a special moment for him if he should beat Ruiz and become a two-time champion. He replied that it wouldn\u2019t because he knows he belongs at the top.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not here to put on a show,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m just here to win.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sports streaming service DAZN will broadcast the bout in the US. Coverage will begin at 2:30 pm ET, with the bout expected to start around 4 pm ET.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nWhat’s Up Next?<\/h2>\n
The winner of Ruiz-Joshua 2 my very well face the winner of another pending heavyweight rematch late in 2020.<\/p>\n
Tyson Fury (29-0-1) and Deontay Wilder (42-0-1) are expected to fight on Feb. 22. On Dec. 1, 2018, the two fought to an epic draw as Fury survived a 12th round knockdown. The location for the rematch has yet to be announced.<\/p>\n
On. Nov. 23, Wilder knocked out Luis Ortiz in the seventh round. He had been trailing Ortiz for most of the fight, but he needed just one punch to end the bout.<\/p>\n
William Hill currently lists Fury as the slight favorite in the rematch, with -138 odds, compared to Wilder\u2019s +110.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Six months after posting boxing\u2019s most stunning upset in decades, Andy Ruiz Jr. will once again walk into the ring and face Anthony Joshua as an underdog. However, this time oddsmakers give Ruiz (33-1) a much better chance of retaining the IBF, WBA, WBO, and IBO heavyweight belts he took from Joshua (22-1) in June […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":121537,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,1074],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Ruiz Still an Underdog to Joshua in First Heavyweight Title Defense<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n