Because it was put into the contract, a rematch between Andy Ruiz Jr. and Anthony Joshua was expected as soon as the referee in their first fight earlier this month declared Joshua could no longer continue, allowing Ruiz to capture three of the four major heavyweight titles in a stunning upset. It took less than a week for Joshua to exercise the rematch clause, and the two biggest questions regarding the rematch ever since have been where and when.
Joshua's promoter at Matchroom Boxing, Eddie Hearn, addressed both of those questions in a recent interview.
"The job over the next week is just to finalize the details now of just where and when that will be," Hearn told Sky Sports News of the rematch. "I can't tell you too much, just because I don't know other than, between November 16 and December 14 will be the date of the fight.
"We've had offers from five different countries to stage the fight. For me, it's a straight decision between the UK or America. In the UK, we're talking to Cardiff, to Wembley, to Tottenham, and in America, we've had a couple of approaches, but our preference is Madison Square Garden."
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Ruiz has stated he would like the rematch to happen in his native Mexico. Hearn has made it clear he would like it to occur on Joshua's turf in the United Kingdom. But after talking with the 29-year-old Joshua, Hearn says his fighter wants to return to the scene of the upset at MSG.
When it comes down to it, Hearn will present Joshua with all of the options on the table, and the megastar will decide on how he wants to proceed.
"Anthony feels as though it would be special to rewrite history and get the win at Madison Square Garden," Hearn said. "It's not about the money so much; it's just about where we believe this fight should take place, and those decisions will be made in the next week."
Hearn added: "He's going to make the decision at the end of the day, wherever he wants the fight is where it's going to be. Right now, there's definitely an element of, 'I feel like I should do it there.' But like I said, he will be the one who calls the final shots, and once we give him all the information, the dates, the possible venues, he'll make a decision."
