Anthony Joshua leaves a shirt on to the last moment. Ruiz stripped. And we are ready to go.
Round one – Joshua
Ruiz on the front foot. Throwing a lot of jabs. Josh looks focused, strong, slim and godlike in his physicality. Joshua short steps, not dancing, looks like he has settled early in his work. He has got Ruiz at range. And now he has cut Ruiz above the left eye! A strong right hand, the blood coming now. That was a great shot. And Joshua doesn’t lose his head and rush in behind it. Excellent round for Josh.
Round two – Joshua
Ruiz comes out well, though. Double jab, snaps Joshua’s head back. But Joshua lands a jab of his own and that has opened the cut again. Everything going as AJ would have planned so far. Jab, jab from range, and now he has added a left hook into the mix. Ruiz is in trouble, he has to come inside somehow, and he’s clipped with a right form Josh as he comes in. But there has been a clash of heads – and Joshua is cut too.
Deffo another round for AJ though. Other than the clash of heads, this has gone more or less ideally so far.
Round three – Joshua
Another good round from AJ. He is keeping Ruiz at distance, the jab is working, Ruiz looking lumpen as he lurches forward and AJ can just tag him on the body.Ruiz cannot force the pace, and he cannot get close enough really. Macklin: “this sort of approach (AJ’s) requires a different sort of energy though because it is mentally tiring, it can be draining. He has to keep it up and keep concentrating.”
Round four
Ruiz can hardly get near AJ at the moment, he is moving around him, and moving Ruiz around. But Ruiz is having a better time of it now, he’s cutting off the space, he is looking to get inside. Ruiz has not thrown much and he has not really done much – could that be a positive if it goes long? AJ the one making all the running.
Ruiz in his way is putting Joshua under pressure. Josh with a wild effort. Ruiz slips it… and here comes Ruiz! Ruiz has clipped him, and again, Joshua suddenly the one who looks rattled.
Round five – Joshua
Bellew: “Ruiz is a fighter who does very important work in just a few spots.”
This round, five, AJ a bit more circumspect. Did he get a bit carried away in the last one? Corner was telling him to chill.
Ruiz’s pace has dropped again, and this round is going to be AJ’s again. Especially as he drills Ruiz with a right late on.
Round six – Joshua
AJ swings, Ruiz is quicker and Ruiz has cracked him across the face with a left hook. That’s how AJ loses this fight, for me. Going for the spectacular with a punch that travels just a leeeetle bit too slowly through the air. Ruiz saw it and went bang. But AJ rallies well.
And that is the only moment of the round really that you can score to Ruiz. Nice work from AJ again, reminiscent of his work as an amateur, classy and correct and sniping well with that lovely jab.
Chalk another one up to AJ. At the halfway stage I make that six round to nil for AJ, or arguably five and a half to a half.
Round seven – Joshua
Scrappy round, Ruiz hits AJ around the back of the head, and the ref has a word. AJ, riskily perhaps, looks to be a bit more rooted here, perhaps looking for the bigger shot. Don’t, man. Just keep moving at range with the jab.
They go toe-to-toe for a bit – that’s what Ruiz wants. Neither lands a telling shot.
AJ says something to Ruiz and pounds his (own) chest with a fist. He lands a right.
Round eight- Ruiz
Ruiz has hit Josh on the top of the head, Joshua looks angry. Ref stops them both to have a word. Ruiz, a wily campaigner, is looking to rattle Joshua.
And it is working! Ruiz has landed a couple of body shots, and he is getting inside, this is good from Ruiz, he has hit him and hurt him. Joshua is drawn into it! As the round ends, Ruiz has hit him hard in the face with a swinging left hook.
He rattled Joshua and he got in close. Scoring that round to Ruiz.
Round nine – Joshua
Ruiz coming at AJ, who responds well, calmly, competently, sticking to the plan and sticking him at range. Now Josh clips Ruiz! Big shot, Ruiz just shakes his head. Got a chin, the big Mexican lad. I reckon that’s another one to AJ.
Round ten
If this goes the distance, AJ wins barring something freakish.
JOSHUA VS RUIZ JR – ROUND ELEVEN
Desperation time for Ruiz and the plan seems to be to get AJ onto the ropes and then look for the right hand bomb.
But the agility of Joshua is sublime so far, ducking away and making sure he’s not in danger of the knockdown….
Last round – only a knockout will do
Andy needs to go for broke obviously. He needs to get a hold of AJ. He’s swinging but not landing. But AJ has landed one, Ruiz is bleeding again down the left side of the face.
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