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Joshua vs Ruiz: Live results, round by round and discussion

Anthony Joshua faces Andy Ruiz Jr in tonight’s main event from New York.

By Scott Christ and Wil Esco Updated
Anthony Joshua v Andy Ruiz Jr. - Weigh-in Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images

Results

Round By Round

ANTHONY JOSHUA vs ANDY RUIZ JR.

Round 1: Ruiz steps in but falls short with a jab to the body. Joshua misses on a left hook and Ruiz responds with three punches that miss. Jab to the body lands for Joshua. Joshua touches Ruiz to the body again and then lands a right hand upstairs. Joshua starting this fight really cautiously, staying on the back foot and letting Ruiz come to him. Ruiz misses on a left hook upstairs. Another three punch combination just misses from Ruiz. Jab lands for Joshua. Joshua touches Ruiz to the body again and then lands a stiff jab to the face. Joshua 10-9.

Round 2: Joshua’s trainer urges him not to rush his offense in between rounds. Ruiz starts out with a combination that’s pretty ineffective. Ruiz misses on a right hand that comes up short. Joshua touches Ruiz to the body with a jab again, waiting for Ruiz to overextend himself and walk into something big — Ruiz hasn’t taken the bait yet. Jab from Ruiz gets parried by Joshua. There hasn’t been any real action in this fight so far, and it looks like the crowd is getting a little anxious. Left hook lands for Joshua but Ruiz takes it well. Another touching jab to the body scores for Joshua. Slow fight thus fight. Joshua 10-9, 20-18.

Round 3: Ruiz probes Joshua’s defense and tries to step in by using a lot of head movement. Right hand lands for Joshua, then a left hook that drops Ruiz! Ruiz beats the count and takes a deep breath. Hard right hand lands again for Joshua and then a left hook. Both fighters trade and Ruiz drops Joshua with a counterpunch! Oh My God! This has escalated quickly! Joshua beats the count and Ruiz tries to maul him! Right hand lands for Joshua and Joshua’s legs are wobbly! Ruiz comes with a combination and Joshua is hurt badly in the corner and goes down again! WHAT IS HAPPENING?! How do I score this? Ruiz 10-8?

Round 4: Ruiz comes out and is trying to finish Joshua off! Joshua still doesn’t look like he has his legs under him. Ruiz stalking Joshua and Joshua looks hesitant and he’s breathing heavy. Joshua biding his time by circling the ring but Ruiz is sort of letting him off the hook by giving him time to recover. Joshua has hardly thrown a punch in this round, he’s purely on the defensive. Jab to the body lands for Ruiz this time. Ruiz 10-9, Joshua did absolutely nothing this round. Ruiz 38-37.

Round 5: Joshua doesn’t even know what punch knocked him down! He asked his trainer in between rounds. Joshua misses on a jab, then a left hook. Lead left hook partially lands for Ruiz, then a right hand that follows. Lead left hook scores again for Ruiz. Another slow round as Joshua is still taking time to recover and not throwing many punches. Ruiz isn’t doing himself any favors by not pushing the pace. Solid shot lands for Joshua and he tries to follow it up with big punches that Ruiz evades. Ruiz jabs Joshua in the chest, then the gut. Glancing right hand from Ruiz lands upstairs. I’m going with Ruiz again. Ruiz 10-9.

Round 6: Ruiz pushes forward with a couple of jabs, Joshua responds with one of his own. Joshua is back to fighting now and reaches on a left hook. Left hook from Ruiz partially lands on Joshua. Two clean punches land for Ruiz as counters. Joshua jabs but has it blocked by Ruiz. Ruiz lands a good shot, Joshua gets one back. Big left hook lands for Ruiz. Ruiz lands another left hand that pushes Joshua back. Hard right to the body lands for Ruiz. Ruiz 10-9, 58-55.

Round 7: Joshua comes out with a grin on his face. Ruiz jabs to the head and body. Hard punches land for Ruiz and Joshua goes down again! Joshua gets up with a bloody nose! Joshua lands a jab and then a right hand and he basically collapses all on his own once Ruiz throws back! That’s another knockdown. Joshua lost his mouthpiece and the referee thinks Joshua isn’t fit to or just doesn’t want to continue! IT’S OVER. RUIZ HAS UPSET JOSHUA! RUIZ TKO-7!

CALLUM SMITH vs HASSAN N’DAM

Round 1: Smith comes out with a strong feint and then starts pressing forward with a long jab. N’Dam leaps in with a left hook and Smith catches it on his glove. Another stiff jab lands clean for Smith. Now N’Dam lands two short punches to the body on the inside. N’Dam starts bouncing around and slips a right hand from Smith. N’Dam tries a jab but Smith blocks it. Smith lands a left hook to the body after leaning on N’Dam’s neck with his right forearm. Smith misses on a right hand to the body. Now N’Dam steps into a left hook that drops N’Dam! N’Dam gets up and might not be on steady legs! N’Dam ounces around and gets pushed down to the canvas, not ruled a knockdown. Smith 10-8.

Round 2: Smith starts by walking forward and tries to land a long jab. N’Dam leaps in with another left hook and gets caught with the same left hook from Smith again and goes down! N’Dam gets right back up and he needs to stop throwing that wide hook from such a far distance against a taller, longer opponent. N’Dam tries an uppercut that partially lands. N’Dam skipping along the ropes and takes two heavy hooks on Smith’s guard. Smith is just way too big for N’Dam, he’s feeling the weight of Smith’s punches even on the punches he blocks. N’Dam lands a jab. Smith 10-8, 20-16.

Round 3: N’Dam starts off on the move, using herky-jerky movement to disrupt Smith’s timing. Jab to the body lands for Smith. N’Dam lands a jab as he stops and pops. Another jab comes from N’Dam who then throws a crazy overhand right. Left to the body lands for SMith with N’Dam on the ropes. Clubbing right lands for Smith. Uppercut lands on the inside for N’Dam. He’s having a much better round here, but I guess that’s not saying much. Smith lands another left to the body. SMITH TIMES A MONSTER RIGHT HAND THAT DROPS N’DAM HARD! N’DAM GETS UP BEFORE THE 10-COUNT BUT THE REFEREE WAVES IT OFF ANYWAY. SMITH TKO-3.

KATIE TAYLOR vs DELFINE PERSOON

Round 1: Taylor feint before throwing a jab. Now Taylor throws another jab and follows it up with a combination and lands a solid hook against Persoon. Another combination lands clean for Taylor. This is bad news that Taylor is landing so easily already. Persoon tries to charge forward behind reckless shots and Taylor steps out of range. Another combination comes from Taylor who is easily outclassing Persoon right out the gates. Persoon can’t keep up with Taylor’s footwork and fluidity. Left hook lands to the body for Taylor. Persoon tries to rough Taylor up in a clinch. Taylor 10-9.

Round 2: Persoon presses forward but steps into a Taylor jab. Now Taylor counters with a couple shots after slipping a punch from Persoon. Persoon is walks right into another straight jab from Taylor. Taylor steps to the side and lands a clean right hand, but Persoon comes back and lands her first clean shot against Taylor. Another clean shot lands for Persoon and Taylor fires back with a couple punches of her own. Persoon lands a right hand and gets in a couple more clean hooks. Three punches come from Taylor but Persoon comes right back and lands a sharp left. I like Persoon in that round. Wow. Persoon 10-9, 19-19.

Round 3: Persoon steps in and blocks a couple of Taylor jabs. Persoon misses on a right hand but lands clean jab shortly after. Persoon misses on a wide right hook and ends up in a clinch with Taylor. Both fighters trade some rough shots on the inside. Persoon throws a flurry but Taylor ducks most of it. Taylor steps back and Person walks into another combination. Jab lands for Persoon. Both fighters trade and Persoon is pressing Taylor pretty well now. I’m going to slightly edge this round to Persoon too. Persoon 10-9.

Round 4: Left hook lands for Taylor. Jab lands for Taylor and the fighters clash heads. Jab lands for Person as Taylor steps back in a straight line. Taylor rattles off a combination on the inside. Persoon misses on a right hand but rushes in behind four more punches that don’t land clean but make some contact. Taylor throws a combination to the body and head. Taylor looks like she has a cut on the left side of her face. Hard left hook lands for Persoon. Persoon 10-9, 39-37.

Round 5: Persoon comes out quick but misses on a lunging right hand. Check hook lands for Taylor. Persoon jumps in and strafes Taylor along the ropes. Taylor fires back but she’s bleeding from the nose now too. Taylor fires a flurry and then turns from the ropes and throws another combination. Clean left hand lands for Person, Taylor fires back a few punches of her own. Persoon works her right hand on the inside with a number of uppercuts. Persoon couldn’t box with Taylor so she’s just roughing her up! Persoon 10-9.

Round 6: Taylor’s corner seems to be a little anxious with what’s happening here. Taylor starts off like she did in the first round, firing a flurry and then using lateral movement to escape the return fire from Persoon. Persoon misses on a right hand. Right hook partially lands for Taylor as she skirts along the ropes. Taylor lands a jab and is making it much harder for Persoon to land now. Persoon misses on a big right hook and Taylor lands a left hook of her own. Combination comes from Taylor, forearm shiver comes from Persoon. Taylor 10-9, 56-58.

Round 7: Jab partially lands for Persoon. Now Persoon falls short and Persoon jumps in with a couple punches that don’t land. Taylor side steps a hook from Persoon and then both fighters trade combinations. Taylor lands a right hand following a left that came up short. One-two lands clean for Taylor. Persoon doubles up on the jab and the looks to go to the body, but can’t quite land a clean shot. Now Persoon lands a clean right hand, pushes Taylor back, and then looks to land another. Taylor gets in a right and left hand. Close round, this one I’ll edge to Taylor. Taylor 10-9.

Round 8: Persoon has a mouse over her left eye. Clean jab lands for Taylor. Now Taylor tries a combination but eats a shot in between. Persoon is hunting Taylor down no matter what. Taylor jabs a couple times but doesn’t find the mark. Left hand lands clean for Persoon, who follows it up with a flurry that rocks Taylors head back. Persoon is just bullying Taylor in the ring. More punches come from Persoon as Taylor tries to get in some counters. Persoon 10-9, 77-75.

Round 9: Persoon steps forward behind a jab. Taylor jabs to the body and lands a right hand that follows. Persoon steps into a Taylor left hook. Taylor lands some clean shots that might’ve gotten Persoon’s attention. Short uppercut lands on the inside for Taylor. Right hand lands for Persoon and Taylor gets pushed to the canvas afterwards. Clean right hand lands for Persoon. Persoon chases Taylor down and lands a left. Persoon closed strong but I like how Taylor started. Taylor 10-9.

Round 10: Taylor leads with a flurry. Persoon steps forward and the fighters wrestle on the inside. Persoon throws several straight shots as Taylor covers up. This round coupld make the difference and Persoon looks like she’s closing out strong. Persoon stuns Taylor for a moment with a right hand. Taylor is completely gassed out! Persoon still throwing — she just wants it more! Both fighters exchange to the final bell and the crowd loves it! Persoon 10-9. I’ve got Persoon edging it on the cards, 96-94.

Tonight on DAZN in the US and Sky Sports Box Office in the UK, Anthony Joshua returns to defend his WBA, IBF, and WBO heavyweight titles against Andy Ruiz Jr, in Joshua’s US debut at Madison Square Garden in New York.

The show also features Callum Smith defending his WBA super middleweight title against Hassan N’Dam, and Katie Taylor and Delfine Persoon meeting to fully unify the lightweight division, plus much more.

Wil Esco will be on the round by round call for the main card starting at 8:30 pm ET, with the main event expected to start at approximately 10:15 pm ET. Prelim coverage starts at 5:30 pm ET.

Join us tonight! Sign up for DAZN if you still haven’t!

Here’s the run order:

Prelims (DAZN, 5:30 pm ET)

  • (float) Diego Pacheco (3-0, 2 KO) vs Jared Chauvin (1-2, 0 KO), middleweights, 4 rounds
  • (float) Austin Williams (1-0, 1 KO) vs Quadeer Jenkins (0-1, 0 KO), middleweights, 4 rounds
  • Souleymane Cissokho (8-0, 6 KO) vs Vladimir Hernandez (10-3, 6 KO), middleweights, 8 rounds
  • Chris Algieri (23-3, 8 KO) vs Tommy Coyle (25-4-1, 12 KO), junior welterweights, 10 rounds
  • Joshua Buatsi (10-0, 8 KO) vs Marco Antonio Periban (25-4-1, 16 KO), light heavyweights, 10 rounds
  • Josh Kelly (9-0, 6 KO) vs Ray Robinson (24-3-1, 12 KO), welterweights, 10 rounds

Main Card (DAZN, 8:30 pm ET)

  • Katie Taylor (13-0, 6 KO) vs Delfine Persoon (43-1, 18 KO), lightweights, 10 rounds
  • Callum Smith (25-0, 18 KO) vs Hassan N’Dam (37-3, 21 KO), super middleweights, 12 rounds
  • Anthony Joshua (22-0, 21 KO) vs Andy Ruiz Jr (32-1, 21 KO), heavyweights, 12 rounds

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