Andy Ruiz Has Been Confirmed As Anthony Joshua’s Opponent For June 1st

Following Jarrell Miller’s disqualification after failing three drug tests, we were left wondering what would be Anthony Joshua’s fate, as he was billed to fight the American on June 1st at Madison Square Garden.

Joshua’s quickly team went looking for a replacement and came up with a shortlist that had Andy Ruiz as the most likely new opponent. Well, it’s now official: Ruiz will be facing the unified heavyweight champion on the day.

The replacement doesn’t change much about the fight, except that Joshua won’t be facing a drug cheat in the ring after all. The fight remains the champ’s debut in the US as a pro, and he’ll still be defending his coveted titles against a US boxer since Ruiz is Mexican-American.

29-year-old Ruiz is going to make a ton of money from the fight, but that isn’t the main thing on his mind right now. He’s looking to make history by stripping Joshua of his heavyweight titles and taking them back to Mexico, but we know how difficult that is going to be.