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    Andy Ruiz Says He Wants Trilogy Fight vs. Anthony Joshua After Losing Rematch

    Paul KasabianSenior ContributorDecember 7, 2019

    DIRIYAH, SAUDI ARABIA - DECEMBER 07: Anthony Joshua punches Andy Ruiz Jr during the IBF, WBA, WBO & IBO World Heavyweight Title Fight between Andy Ruiz Jr and Anthony Joshua during the Matchroom Boxing 'Clash on the Dunes' show at the Diriyah Season on December 07, 2019 in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
    Richard Heathcote/Getty Images

    Anthony Joshua defeated Andy Ruiz via unanimous decision (118-110, 118-110, 119-109) to take back his WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight belts Saturday in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia.

    The bout was a rematch of Ruiz' upset TKO win over Joshua in June, and now the two fighters are both interested in a tie-breaking third fight, per Boxing Insider:

    Boxing Insider.com @BoxingInsider

    AJ says he’s down for a third and so is Ruiz. “If you heard, we’ll do a third.” #boxing #RuizJoshua2

    ESPN's Ariel Helwani confirmed Joshua's sentiments and also relayed remarks from the champ about why he may have struggled in June:

    Ariel Helwani @arielhelwani

    Joshua alludes to the fact that he was going through some personal things in June but doesn’t elaborate on it. Says he’ll explain one day. Also says he’s down for a trilogy at some point.

    Joshua is now 23-1 for his professional career. Ruiz fell to 33-2.

    Ruiz earned the TKO in the first fight but was notably winning on the scorecards when the fight ended early (57-56, 57-56, 56-57). He closed as a massive 11-1 underdog, per Caesars Sportsbook.

    An excellent seventh-round combination from Ruiz gave Joshua his first loss:

    DAZN USA @DAZN_USA

    Andy F—ING RUIZ JR. #JoshuaRuiz https://t.co/bjjNhWlbTD

    The rematch was a far different story, with all three judges giving Joshua the edge in at least 10 rounds. Joshua cut Ruiz early in the match and controlled the fight from start to finish:

    Andy Ruiz Says He Wants Trilogy Fight vs. Anthony Joshua After Losing Rematch
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    DAZN USA @DAZN_USA

    RUIZ IS CUT. 😱 #RuizJoshua2 https://t.co/pGVgdxKIqo

    After the match, there was nothing but respect between the two competitors:

    DAZN USA @DAZN_USA

    Anthony Joshua and Andy Ruiz hug it out after the fight 🙌 #RuizJoshua2 https://t.co/MnNCLzNQqm

    And Ruiz riled the crowd up by asking them if they wanted to see a third fight between the two:

    DAZN USA @DAZN_USA

    #JoshuaRuiz3 ⁉ https://t.co/HF8RBVC5Mg

    A matchup seems inevitable at this point with both fighters expressing significant interest. As for now, Joshua can enjoy his reign as a two-time heavyweight champion.