Did Andy Ruiz Jr. lose his belts? The story of the Mexican's historic title win over Anthony Joshua and subsequent rematch

Andy Ruiz Jr. shocked the combat sports community when he became the first to defeat and knockout British megastar Anthony Joshua in the sport of professional boxing. Ruiz also holds the distinction of being the first person of Mexican descent to win a pro boxing heavyweight title.

Besides, 'Destroyer' is the second-ever Latino heavyweight champion in the sport, with the first being John Ruiz who's an American of Puerto Rican descent. Andy Ruiz Jr. was born in California, USA, to parents who'd immigrated to the US from Mexico.

Ironically, Ruiz's return to the ring in 2024 will be against a fighter who set off a chain of events that ended with the Mexican-American fighter facing Joshua twice.

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Did Andy Ruiz Jr. lose his belts?

Britain's Anthony Joshua was scheduled to fight America's Jarrell Miller at the iconic Madison Square Garden (MSG) in New York City, New York, USA, on June 1, 2019. Joshua's WBA (Super), WBO, IBF, and IBO heavyweight titles were to be at stake in the fight.

Nevertheless, in April 2019, it was announced that Miller tested positive for banned PEDs (Performance Enhancing Drugs) namely GW1516, HGH (Human Growth Hormone), and EPO (Erythropoietin). The NYSAC (New York State Athletic Commission) refused to license 'Big Baby,' and Joshua was bereft of an opponent for his debut on American soil.

Andy Ruiz's first attempt at winning a major world title, a shot at the vacant WBO heavyweight belt, had ended in a closely contested majority decision defeat against Joseph Parker in Dec. 2016. Ruiz notably bagged a fifth-round stoppage victory against Alexander Dimitrenko on April 20, 2019, before which he'd volunteered to face Joshua.

Ultimately, the Joshua-Ruiz clash transpired at MSG on June 1, 2019. After getting knocked down by the heavyweight kingpin in the thrilling third round, Ruiz returned the favor by knocking the Englishman down twice in the same round.

Andy Ruiz Jr. carried the momentum and knocked Joshua down twice in round seven to clinch a TKO victory. Ruiz had thereby handed 'AJ' his first professional boxing loss and had become the new unified heavyweight champion -- making history as the first heavyweight champion of Mexican descent.

An immediate rematch took place at the Diriyah Arena in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, on Dec. 7, 2019. This was after Andy Ruiz Jr. had asserted that their fight wouldn't take place in Anthony Joshua's native UK.

Speculation abounded that Ruiz was a tad distracted by the newfound championship lifestyle. For his part, he'd vowed to enter the rematch even lighter. However, Ruiz came in at 284 pounds. He'd weighed in at 268 pounds for their first fight.

Joshua steered clear of his Mexican-American foe's fast hands and deftly utilized his reach advantage to fight at long range in the rematch. At the middle and close ranges, 'AJ' would stick and move, leaving Ruiz swinging at thin air.

In the end, Joshua secured a unanimous decision (118-110, 118-110, 119-109) victory, and Ruiz lost all his heavyweight belts. He called for a trilogy against 'AJ' but hasn't received that opportunity. Subsequently, Ruiz competed just twice, scoring unanimous decision wins against Chris Arreola in May 2021 and Luis Ortiz in Sept. 2022.

Presently, Andy Ruiz Jr. is scheduled to make his long-awaited return to the boxing ring against Jarrell Miller. They'll clash on the Terence Crawford vs. Israil Madrimov undercard at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, California, USA, on Aug. 3, 2024.

As for Joshua, he's booked to fight IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois for the title at Wembley Stadium in London, England, on Sept. 21, 2024.