Ruiz-Joshua: No clause in the contracts for a third fight

By Keith Idec

NEW YORK – The team of Andy Ruiz Jr. has made numerous requests before proceeding to his second confrontation with Anthony Joshua.

The addition of a clause to his contract that would have guaranteed him a draw in case he lost their rematch of the heavyweight championship was not among them. Ruiz told Thursday at BoxingScene.com that he was not asking for the type of contractual clause that guaranteed Joshua an immediate rematch, as he is certain that he will beat Joshua again on Dec. 7 at Diriyah, in Saudi Arabia.

"We are confident that we will win," Ruiz said before the press conference in Manhattan. "And there are other important things for me, you know? There are other great things, but on December 7 we will win.

The risk, of course, is that if Joshua wins, Ruiz (33-1, 22 KO's) is not assured of a third fight with the British superstar. Prior to Thursday's press conference, Joshua joked with a group of reporters that he would not give Ruiz revenge if Joshua reclaimed his IBF, IBO, WBA and WBO titles in three months.

Eddie Hearn, Joshua's promoter, did not rule out the possibility of a third fight if Joshua (22-1, 21 KO's) won.

"I think if we had another fight like the first," said Hearn, "and that Joshua won, I think everyone would be cool with a number three."

Ruiz, from southern California, who replaced Jarrell Miller at five weeks' notice, had one of the biggest setbacks in boxing history by beating Joshua by knockout on June 1 at Madison Square Garden.

Ruiz quickly recovered after the reversal of the third round and abandoned the highly favored Joshua twice in the third and twice in the seventh. Referee Michael Griffin ended the round scheduled at 1:27 of the 7th round, with a Joshua still dazed.

After defeating Joshua, 29, three months ago, so violently, Ruiz is certain he will get a similar result in their second leg.

"We'll be good guy," said Ruiz, who will turn 30 on Wednesday. "God is on our side and we will win. And as I said, there is still a lot to do after this fight. "

Despite Ruiz's impressive performance in his first fight, the handicappers consistently placed Joshua 3-1 in their second leg. Joshua was widely cited as more than 20-1 favorites before their first fight.

Keith Idec is a senior writer / columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be contacted on Twitter @ Idecboxing.