Andy Ruiz, Jr. and the Fall of a Rising Star

Don't think there were a ton of boxing fans last time I posted here, but just like the Fury/Wilder fight, this one was really something, and I can't help myself. One announcer kept calling Ruiz the Mexican Rocky, and he wasn't wrong.

And what a devastating loss for the burgeoning global star, not to mention #1 ranked heavyweight in the world and defending champ, Anthony Joshua. Perhaps that was part of the problem, but Ruiz looked good, too. He didn't just rush him like it was all a fluke. He took his time -- knew what he could do and had powerful, straight punches -- and had great hand speed.

Coming back from being knocked down himself, Ruiz knocked Joshua down 4 times. While the fight went on a while, Joshua was never right after the first one. I was thinking Ruiz taking his time would let Joshua back into the fight. He has recovered from being knocked down before, most notably and dramatically against Klitschko. But that didn't happen for Joshua this time.

Amazing story. Congrats to Ruiz and condolences to Joshua, who was nothing but a class act in defeat. Hell of a fight. David vs. Goliath…..or the regular Joe who works at the garage on the corner vs. the chiseled, smart and charming rising global star….who's also a hell of a fighter, too, by the way.

It is Rocky. Ruiz was a largely unknown fighter brought in as a last-minute replacement when Big Baby Miller, also a huge underdog, tested positive for nearly every performance-enhancing drug known to man. For Joshua, this was supposed to be the Brit's coming-out party in the States, where he can start raking in bigger cash than the huge amount he already is in the U.K. And now, Ruiz is the heavyweight champ of the world. The Mexican Rocky.

I was reading the live updates of the fight. I wish I had paid to see the actual stream, but I did see the knockdowns after they were posted to Twitter. One of the knockdowns looked more like a slip to me, but there was no doubt that Joshua was done in the 7th.

Looking forward to Wilder-Fury II.

Hell, yes. Fury was robbed the first time.

Incidentally, the huge Belgian underdog Delfine Persoon was also robbed tonight in a fight against undefeated global darling Katie Taylor of Ireland. She should've been the Belgian Rocky tonight.

Also looking forward to the AJ/Ruiz rematch. Does AJ have the semi-glass jaw that has been questioned before? Ruiz was a good puncher. If you had asked me before about Wilder vs. Joshua, I would have said Joshua. Now, I'm not so sure at all.