Joshua vs Ruiz: The message Conor McGregor sent Anthony Joshua after shock Andy Ruiz KO
ANTHONY JOSHUA lost his world heavyweight titles in stunning fashion early on Sunday morning - and Conor McGregor was on hand to hail the Brit's opponent Andy Ruiz Jr.
Anthony Joshua reveals what referee said to him at end of fight
Anthony Joshua relinquished his WBA (Super), WBO, IBF and IBO heavyweight belts to Mexican-born American Andy Ruiz Jr at Madison Square Garden in New York.
The Olympic gold medallist suffered a seventh-round TKO loss to Ruiz Jr, who took the fight on six weeks notice.
Joshua was dropped four times before referee Mike Griffin waved off the contest, an act which saw Ruiz become Mexico’s first heavyweight champion.
The entire sporting world was stunned by Ruiz Jr’s upset victory, the biggest since James ‘Buster’ Douglas stopped Mike Tyson in 1990 to hand ‘Iron Mike’ his first career loss.
Amongst those shocked by the result was former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion Conor McGregor, who gave his thoughts on the fight on Twitter.
“I know first hand the toughness of the Mexican chin,” McGregor wrote on Twitter alongside a picture of his UFC 202 rematch with Nate Diaz. “They come up off the floor like something out of Thriller.
“It is never over until it’s over with the Mexicans. God bless them. Congrats Andy Ruiz.”
Prior to that, ‘The Notorious’ teased a return to the boxing world, which he entered in August 2017 to take part in a multi-million-pound bout with Floyd Mayweather Jr.
It is never over until it’s over with the Mexicans
He said: “Boxing is great, I am going to relish another go! I challenge Juan Manuel Mayweather to a rematch.
“Under the tutelage of my old club. We’ll see then mate.”
Joshua was bitterly disappointed with the defeat, the first of his professional career, and has vowed to bounce back and reclaim his titles.
“We put together a strong team and I’m the first to take a loss. We’ll bounce back,” said Joshua.
“I’ve got to get that f****** fire in my belly – sorry about my language – get that solid armoury, but this is the risk we take. But we’ll bounce back.
“Congratulations to him, every fighter deserves respect. I respect every fighter. This is part of the legacy and story, I look forward to seeing where I went wrong. He’s the champ for now. I shall return.”
Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn was critical of the 29-year-old’s performance, saying: “AJ got sloppy.
"It was a beautiful combination I think in the third round. He was in total control of the fight and he got sloppy, got caught and never recovered.
Anthony Joshua: Ruiz was the better man on the night
“I thought at times he might have recovered in those rounds but listen, tonight belongs to Andy Ruiz. It’s a massive upset.
“AJ will be back 100 per cent, we’ll make the rematch in the UK in November/December but tonight deserves and belongs to Andy Ruiz.
“He made history, it was a massive heavyweight shock tonight, it’ll go down in history as a very, very big one and now we’ll see what AJ’s about.
“I know he’s got the heart of a lion, he’ll be back. We’ll rebuild and at least we know who our opponent is for the end of the year. It’s going to be a big rematch in the UK but Ruiz deserves it tonight.”