Joshua vs Ruiz round-by-round live: SunSport’s boxing expert Wally Downes Jr gives his verdict from Riyadh – The Sun

ANTHONY JOSHUA faced Andy Ruiz in Saudi Arabia in a bid to get his heavyweight titles back.

Here's how our SunSport boxing expert Wally Downs Jr, live at ringside, saw the fight.

ROUND ONE

Ruiz finally took his shirt and and looked every gram of the 20st 3lbs he was announced as on Friday in a huge surprise.

AJ looked ripped and shredded, so much more like a boxer than the bodybuilder he resembled in June.

Ruiz jabbed to the body, Joshua danced away and threw his first big straight right which Ruiz ignored.

Both men jab again to the body and AJ lands a huge right that slashes the corner of Ruiz’s left eye.

ROUND TWO

The crowd roared during the break when AJ's arrow-like right hand ripped Ruiz's eye was replayed on the four huge screens

A stiffening double-jab from Ruiz robbed AJ of any early bravado but his left eye was already leaking again.

A left hook from AJ landed just as Ruiz darted in for another jab and the champ cried foul for a shot on the back of the head and AJ almost wiped him out but then Ruiz cut’s AJ’s left eye with a hook.

AJ was almost dragged into a battle but he ended the round dancing with his hands down.

ROUND THREE

The third crept by without much incident, the biggest punch Ruiz threw sailed wide but warned the Brit of his bludgeoning intentions.

Everytime Ruiz edged forward an inch, Joshua pinged him back with a jab and a brilliant combination won him the third when a four-punch combination ended with a low left hook into Ruiz’s wobbling gut.

ROUND FOUR

AJ was just pawing his jab into Ruiz’s face to annoy him and an occasional jab would snap his head back.
Then two near misses, AJ slung a big right but Ruiz dodged it and threw left hook that Josh just managed to swerve.

Ruiz then evaded a huge right at the final nanosecond but another landed and stunned Ruiz but it was AJ clinging on the end after AJ was pinned onto the ropes and whacked with two right hooks to the left side of his face.

ROUND FIVE

AJ dictating the range perfectly and everytime they do engage Ruiz hurls scruffy shots that prove Rob McCracken’s tactics are spot on.

Joshua is exuding the ring generalship he had talked about and spanked teh champ with a right hand.

The Watford ace was stacking up miles on the clock, shuffling around the ring but he was surely banking rounds and points with his amateur style scoring points on the back foot and nullifying the little bomber who thrives on close encounters.

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