It is do or die time for Anthony Joshua. Win and he will regain his spot at the top of boxing’s heavyweight division.
Lose and that could be the end of his professional career as we know it. Defeat is out of the question – the British fighter MUST settle the score.
Joshua was out of sorts in the build-up to that fight on June 1st. He looked far too relaxed during his ring walk and most agree that the 2012 Olympic gold medallist was complacent.
This time around, Joshua will be more focused and we could see a professional performance in what could be one of boxing's best rematches.
Andy Ruiz Jr has been hard at work in training camp, with photos showing the 30-year-old in much better shape ahead of the Clash on the Dunes.
According to the latest odds, Ruiz Jr is the underdog once again at 21/10 despite knocking Joshua out in their first bout.
Without further ado, it is time to take a look at the evening itself.
888sport is the place to be for all of your need-to-know fight night information ahead of Ruiz vs Joshua 2, with tips and boxing odds on every fight. Fingers crossed December 7th lives up to the hype…
When Is Ruiz vs Joshua 2?
The fight is slated to take place on Saturday 7th December 2019. The initial bout was held at Madison Square Garden, New York and Anthony Joshua will be chomping at the bit to settle the score after his shock defeat.
According to the latest reports, ring walks are expected to take place at approximately 9pm UK time.
Obviously take that start time with a pinch of salt as it depends on the undercard bouts and whether a few of those go the scheduled distance.
Where Is The Fight Taking Place?
Eddie Hearn has confirmed that the rematch will take place at the Diriyah Arena in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia.
Fight fans will have to arrange travel to the Middle East if they want to watch one of the best British boxers in the flesh.
Less than one month until fight night, the venue is currently under construction but will seat up to 15,000 spectators.
With VIP tickets costing up to £10,000, you’ll have to pay a small fortune to sit ringside for the Clash on the Dunes.
How To Watch Ruiz vs Joshua 2
Instead, most of us will have to watch Ruiz vs Joshua 2 on Sky Sports Box Office.
As with most big shows promoted by Matchroom Boxing, the card will be available to buy on Sky’s pay-per view service at £19.95.
As with the first fight, the full Ruiz vs Joshua 2 card will be replayed twice on Sunday.
So if you want to watch the bout but can’t view it on the Saturday, this is a viable option for UK boxing fans.
Ruiz vs Joshua 2: Undercard
The full undercard is yet to be announced but there are more than a few high-profile names on Matchroom’s card.
Heavyweight veteran Alexander Povetkin is due to fight Michael Hunter in a WBA eliminator, with the American looking to extend his professional record to 19-1.
Meanwhile, Eric Molina will look to record one of boxing's biggest shocks when he faces reigning WBC international heavyweight champion Filip Hrgovic.
Molina has fought for world titles in recent times but he is expected to struggle against the 9-0 Croatian. Hrgovic is priced at 1/25 to make light work of Molina on December 7th.
Scott Quigg and Jono Carroll are well matched on paper and that could turn out to be one of the fights of the night.
Quigg (35-2-2) will be looking to use all of his big fight experience to his advantage but the Irishman could prove a tough nut to crack.
As more fights are confirmed, we will add boxing betting tips and odds here. For now, the confirmed Ruiz vs Joshua 2 undercard line-up can be found below:
- Alexander Povetkin vs Michael Hunter
- Filip Hrgovic vs Eric Molina
- Scott Quigg vs Jono Carroll
- Dillian Whyte vs Mariusz Wach
- Mahammadrasul Majidov vs Tom Little
Ruiz vs Joshua 2: Betting Tips
Labelled as the ‘Clash on the Dunes’, boxing fans are attempting to compare this fight to the famous bout between George Foreman and Muhammad Ali.
While today’s fighters are not quite in the same league as either of those boxing greats, an enthralling bout awaits in Saudi Arabia on December 7th.
Write Ruiz Jr off (again) at your peril. With a full training camp this time around, Ruiz Jr will almost certainly be in the shape of his life and Joshua will need to be at his brilliant best to keep him at bay.
There are doubts over whether the defending champion can shed so much weight and retain his punching power but we won’t know until fight night.
The stage is set – history is waiting to be made. Will it be Andy Ruiz Jr celebrating another major scalp over Anthony Joshua or will it be ‘business as usual’ for the British fighter?
The anti-Joshua brigade will be reminding boxing fans of June’s demolition job but it is difficult to look past the British star in this fight.
Joshua will have learned a lot from the first fight and he won’t be making the same mistakes again. The heart says Joshua wins early but the head says he will box smart and wait for a clear opportunity.
The 3/4 for AJ to emerge victorious by KO, TKO or DQ is my top tip ahead of the Clash of the Dunes.
*Credit for the main photo belongs to Frank Franklin II / AP Photo*
