Wilder: Joshua was not a real champion, a whole career full of lies

Andy Ruiz challenged the chance to get Anthony Joshua excited and dethroned the unified world heavyweight champion via a seventh-round TKO.

Joshua is unlikely to care about Ruiz, who replaced Jarrell Miller in the Madison Square Garden showdown after failing a drug test in his US debut on Saturday.

However, Joshua lost his WBA, IBF, IBO and WBO belts after the referee stopped the fight dramatically in the seventh round in New York.

It's a comeback by Ruiz (33-1), who was sent to the canvas in the third round before dropping Joshua twice in response as the British star struggled to qualify.

Joshua (22-1) seemed to find his feet, but he was hit twice in seventh place, which ended the fight in front of a crowd in shock after the tremendous annoyance – beating his record of defeats without defeat.

In the midst of more and more calls for a successful showdown with WBC holder Deontay Wilder, Joshua had warned of a dangerous clash against Ruiz, who had won 32 of his 33 previous professional fights.

Wilder sent a message to Joshua the day after the loss.

"He was not a real champion, his whole career was made up of lies, contradictions and gifts, the facts and now we know who was running away," said Wilder.

Wilder must already face Luis Ortiz in a rematch next fall, then he has a rematch against Tyson Fury in early 2020.