After the New York dust-cart, the right royal show in the Saudi Kingdom
Slugged into career crisis in Madison Square, Anthony Joshua danced into the realm of two-time world heavyweight champion amid these desert ruins.
Joshua jabbed to distraction the Mexican who had ripped away his belts and his honour six months ago.
He toyed with Andy Ruiz Jnr which made it hard to conceive how on earth he had brought so much pain and trouble upon himself in the first match against a shorter, more corpulent man.
The boxing world had worried about the historic risk of taking the immediate rematch but he made mockery of perceived wisdom by conducting a master class.
That required sticking to the jab, move and frustrate Ruiz plan which had to work given his dramatic weight loss.
Ten pounds lighter but light years wiser. As longer he resisted, for the most part, the street fighter’s temptation to be drawn into a brawl for bragging rights.
The statistics were stark. One judge had him winning 119-109. The two other officials had it 118-110, a cake-walk by ten rounds to two with which I concur.
Joshua credited this marvellous turnaround to this: ‘Being humble in defeat and now staying humble and hungry in victory.’
Ruiz brought up the prospect of a third fight which Joshua had raised earlier in fight week but now they have made a fortune here it is hard to see the public buying it again. So dominant was AJ in redemption.
