Nigerian-born pugilist Anthony Joshua has assured boxing fans that he would bounce back quickly after his United States debut ended in fiasco.
On Saturday night, Joshua was knocked down four times and stopped by huge underdog Andy Ruiz at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
The victory gave Ruiz the International Boxing Organization, World Boxing Association, International Boxing Federation and World Boxing Organization titles.
Ruiz won it by TKO in the middle of the seventh when the referee stopped it at 1:26 of the round after the fourth knockdown.
Ruiz, sent to the canvas once himself, knocked Joshua down twice in the third round and twice more in the seventh.
Ruiz was a late replacement for Jarrell Miller, who withdrew from the bout with Joshua after failing three drug tests in April.
There is a rematch clause, which Joshua plans to exploit. And it’s very likely to take place in the UK.
“Listen it’s a loss, the rematch wherever it takes place it’s in a boxing ring. I want to get my revenge. I’d like to get a win, get those titles back. I still have my vision and my direction in the sport, That doesn’t change. On to the next and we’ll see if that’s Ruiz,” Joshua told BoxingScene.com.
Joshua, who wanted to continue after the fourth knockdown, does not blame anyone for the loss.
“I’ve always said that I never try to blame refs, judges, like the team. You know like people leave the trainers [when they lose]. I’m not like that, I’m different. The referee did his job. As I’ve said, if I wanted to carry on I should have never touched the canvass. I’ll bounce back,” Joshua said.
“[Ruiz is] good at holding him ground. And he can take a shot. Normally, it’s boom, boom, boom, boom – and Andy Ruiz should have been gone. But he stayed in there, got his revenge, and became champion.”
