By Matt Horan
Andy Ruiz Jr has put forward Mexico as his desired location for a rematch with Anthony Joshua.
The Mexican-American produced a shocking upset at Madison Square Garden in New York, ending the British heavyweight star’s title reign with a seventh-round stoppage to claim the WBA ‘Super’, WBO and IBF belts.
In the aftermath of Ruiz Jr’s stunning victory, Joshua and promoter Eddie Hearn stated their intention to host an immediate rematch in the UK, but the newly crowned champion admits he would love to take a return fight back to his home country.
“I’d love to do the rematch but first I’ve got to talk to my team, we’ll go from there and figure things out,” ‘The Destroyer’ said.
“I’d love to be in Mexico, there’s never been a heavyweight champion in Mexico so I’d love to have a rematch there.
“I’m still pinching myself that this is true, all that hard work and dedication, I’ve made my dreams come true.
“We’ve been working for this my whole life, it’s overwhelming and I’m just excited.”
Joshua confirmed his interest in a second bout, saying: “He’s the champ for now. Just put that in mind, he’s the champ for now. I shall return. I’ve got to bounce back. This is all part of the story and the journey.
“I’ve got to get that solid armoury. This is the risk we take, but we’ll bounce back.”
Having never previously been put down in his professional career, Ruiz Jr admits that touching the canvas in the third only went to spur him on before an eventual seventh-round finish.
“I’ve been saying in a lot of interviews that this would be the biggest upset in Anthony Joshua’s career and what do you know, I ended up doing it.
“It made me a little hungrier as I had never been on the canvas, I took a little breathe and knew I just had to return the favour.
On the finish, the Californian added: “Even if the referee didn’t stop it, I saw his [Joshua’s] legs, his body was tired and shaking, I think I would’ve ended it in a dramatic way.”
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