RIYADH: On a rainy night in Diriyah, Anthony Joshua regained his world heavyweight titles after a unanimous points decision from the judges over Andy Ruiz Jr. An epic night of boxing in Saudi Arabia comes to an end.
You can relive all of the action with the Arab News coverage from the day below. (All times KSA)
01:40 – Joshua’s mantra of “stay hungry, stay humble” on full display in his gracious post-fight speech.
#UPDATE: @anthonyfjoshua pays tribute to @Andy_destroyer1 and his family after his #ClashOnTheDunes victory in #Diriyah – also thanks #SaudiArabia for hosting and his fans for traveling to the Kingdom #DiriyahSeason #RuizJoshua2https://t.co/wYDgjWnfxs pic.twitter.com/3beYb1Odtq
— Arab News (@arabnews) December 7, 2019
01:30 – Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman watching on during the historic fight in Diriyah…
#PHOTOS: Images of #SaudiArabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in attendance for the #ClashOnTheDunes at #DiriyahArena for #RuizJoshua2 fight (Photos: @Badermasaker)https://t.co/wYDgjWnfxs pic.twitter.com/Ng58f3Ie1t
— Arab News (@arabnews) December 7, 2019
01:05 – IT’S OVER – ANTHONY JOSHUA WINS BACK HIS HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE BELTS AFTER BEATING ANDY RUIZ JR. ON POINTS IN THE CLASH ON THE DUNES.
00:50 – FIGHT ACTION: It’s a niggly eighth round and something has riled Joshua, Ruiz is making a real nuisance of himself and probably aware that he is behind, is coming out fighting.
00:45 – FIGHT ACTION: It is a tense affair, Joshua perhaps just edging it, but Ruiz has come out with renewed belief in the fifth round. He will believe he can hang on in there and frustrate Joshua…
00:40 – Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in attendance here in Diriyah for the mega fight.
#LIVE: #SaudiArabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman watching #RuizJoshua2 here in Diriyah for this #ClashOnTheDunes mega event #DiriyahSeason (Video: @Bandaralgaloud)https://t.co/wYDgjWnfxs pic.twitter.com/h0xhghQVcU
— Arab News (@arabnews) December 7, 2019
00:30 – FIGHT ACTION: Rough opening rounds for Ruiz as he tries to find his feet, Joshua lands some good punches. But he’s still tentative as we end Round 3…
00:15 – FIGHT ACTION: Here we go, we’re ready to go and we’re fighting for the heavyweight championship –
#LIVE: The atmosphere as the two fighters enter the arena here in #Diriyah was electric…we are finally under way in #ClashOnTheDunes for the big one – #RuizJoshua2https://t.co/wYDgjWnfxs pic.twitter.com/eL2OAPTglZ
— Arab News (@arabnews) December 7, 2019
22:15 – CELEBRITY SPOT / FIGHT ACTION: A big roar goes up in the arena as Usher – who performed last night in Riyadh – arrives for the big fight. He’s just in time to see Dillian Whyte steal his heavyweight contest on points against Poland’s Mariusz Wach, in a bruising, absorbing affair…
#UPDATE: Look who just arrived at the Diriyah Arena for the #ClashOnTheDunes…
Big roar as @Usher appears on the big screen ahead of the big heavyweight clash between @Andy_destroyer1 and @anthonyfjoshua here in #Diriyahhttps://t.co/5JFOiLgWLG pic.twitter.com/Xx2ZpkSrKO
— Arab News (@arabnews) December 7, 2019
21:30 – Absolutely no guesses who these guys are supporting. The fans, both Saudi and international, are starting to stream in now and the atmosphere is definitely starting to build up…
#LIVE: But not to be outdone, the Mexican fans are here in force, convinced their man @Andy_destroyer1 can be victorious again and keep hold of his title belts in #ClashOnTheDunes #DiriyahSeason #RuizJoshua2https://t.co/5JFOiLgWLG pic.twitter.com/hXmXRU8VHm
— Arab News (@arabnews) December 7, 2019
21:00 – FIGHT ACTION: It’s another short bout as the power of Filip Hrgovic from Croatia is too much for Eric Molina, who suffers a third-round knockout and the Croatian superstar marches on!
20:45 – The victorious Saudi boxer Zuhayr Al-Qahtani had a special message for Arab News following his WBC Middle East title win…
#WATCH: #SaudiArabia’s @zuhayralqahtani with a message for Arab News after his victory at the #ClashOnTheDunes event in #Diriyah…
Follow all the coverage here: https://t.co/wYDgjWnfxs pic.twitter.com/qQ4FbcakXI
— Arab News (@arabnews) December 7, 2019
20:30 – The fans are filing in, despite the weather, the atmosphere is building up inside and outside the Diriyah Arena.
#LIVE: The crowds are starting to build, undeterred by the rain, as we edge closer to the @Andy_destroyer1 vs. @anthonyfjoshua #ClashOnTheDunes bout here in #Diriyah – not long left to go…https://t.co/wYDgjWnfxs pic.twitter.com/2CuyaEZCwX
— Arab News (@arabnews) December 7, 2019
20:20 – FIGHT ACTION: Well, that was a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it stoppage in the first televised fight of the night – Mahammadrasul Majidov of Azerbaijan lands a killer blow on the UK’s Tom “Not So” Little and it’s all over in the second round!
ALL OVER! #MajidovLittle
Majidov lands big to stop Little in the second round at the Diriyah Arena!
Stoppage start to the live broadcast!#RuizJoshua2 #ClashOnTheDunes pic.twitter.com/WnKQ6jqx4S
— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) December 7, 2019
19:45 – FIGHT ACTION: He’s done it! Saudi Arabia’s Zuhayr Al-Qahtani dominates in his WBC Middle East title bout with Omar Dusary of Kuwait, who stood his ground through the eight rounds, but was visibly a beaten man by the end. The man from Jeddah takes the plaudits and is being interviewed by Sky Sports in the middle of the ring following his win…
#LIVE: #SaudiArabia’s Al-Qahtani before his WBC Middle East title bout, with chants of “Qahtani, Qahtani” from the Saudi crowd – he was on the front foot, but Dusary is hanging on after Round 7 #ClashOnTheDunes #RuizJoshua2https://t.co/wYDgjWnfxs pic.twitter.com/iiTrJbfNCG
— Arab News (@arabnews) December 7, 2019
First homegrown pro fighterFirst Saudi champion
Points victory for @zuhayralqahtani who becomes WBC Middle East Lightweight champ and moves 8-0!
Scorecards: 80-72, 78-74, 77-75#RuizJoshua2 #ClashOnTheDunes pic.twitter.com/8lbhn4I3mw
— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) December 7, 2019
19:00 – Check out this fantastic illustration for Arab News created by the Sporting Press especially for the Clash on the Dunes event…
#ICYMI: As we wait for the first bout of the #ClashOnTheDunes here in Diriyah to begin, check out this illustration for Arab News by The Sporting Press (@sportingpress1) which also featured on Saturday’s front page…
Full AN coverage of the event here: https://t.co/vtCwEblAdt pic.twitter.com/9RQqPFnbi0
— Arab News (@arabnews) December 7, 2019
18:30 – FIGHT ACTION: And the first action of the night is complete! Boxing out of the UAE, Majid Al-Naqbi gets a stoppage in the third round as he overpowers his Georgian rival Ilia Beruashvili in his lightweight contest to move 4-0 in his career. We are officially under way…
Explosive start!
Majid Al Naqbi gets the stoppage in the third round to move 4-0 in our first fight of the night #RuizJoshua2 #ClashOnTheDunes pic.twitter.com/QSxbFUdFjL
— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) December 7, 2019
17:50 – In case you missed it earlier, Hollywood legend Sylvester Stallone is in the Kingdom and he was loving the weigh-in on Friday – he was particularly delighted with Ruiz Jr.’s choice of song for his entrance…
#ClashOnTheDunes: Hollywood legend @TheSlyStallone – aka Rocky Balboa – shares his excitement on the #RuizJoshua2 bout tonight between @Andy_destroyer1 and @anthonyfjoshua at Diriyah Arena in #SaudiArabia.https://t.co/WkHKiU3Z3h
— Arab News (@arabnews) December 7, 2019
17:20 – There is plenty of boxing action for tonight’s card – here is a run down of all the bouts we have to look forward to tonight before the main event…
16:45 – Fans attending the fight might be in for a chilly evening, as the heavens opened briefly earlier and the wind has been picking up…
#WATCH: Rain was falling earlier at the Diriyah Arena ahead of the #ClashOnTheDunes fight – if you are attending the big fight, be sure to bring waterproofs and warm clothes… #RuizJoshua2 #DiriyahSeason pic.twitter.com/eIoAADnkOK
— Arab News (@arabnews) December 7, 2019
16:00 – The very impressive Diriyah Arena was put together in less than a month, you can read about it here…
#LIVE: Where history will be made… Arab News gets a sneak peek of the arena before it starts filling up for the action – as the countdown begins for @Andy_destroyer1 vs. @anthonyfjoshua in #ClashOfTheDunes #RuizJoshua2 #DiriyahSeasonhttps://t.co/wYDgjWnfxs pic.twitter.com/aoxhY21D5C
— Arab News (@arabnews) December 7, 2019
LIVE: Arab News has arrived at the impressive Diriyah Arena ahead of the #ClashOnTheDunes fight tonight – he crowds are set to arrive in an hour’s time #DiriyahSeasonhttps://t.co/9hDAiXiqjS pic.twitter.com/iOmxid2uTS
— Arab News (@arabnews) December 7, 2019
15:15 – There is also a considerable undercard for the Clash on the Dunes event – including Saudi Arabia’s own Zuhayr Al-Qahtani who is facing Omar Dusary from Kuwait for the WBC Middle East title, and Arab News caught up with him ahead of his big night…
14:30 – The fans of Joshua were in good voice at the weigh-in, with thousands of British fans in the Kingdom to support their hero, while a vocal crowd of Mexicans and Americans were cheering for Ruiz. The atmosphere in the Diriyah Arena should be electric tonight…
The @anthonyfjoshua fans were on another level today. #RuizJoshua2 pic.twitter.com/gLhbS4yPgz
— DAZN USA (@DAZN_USA) December 6, 2019
14:15 – It’s not just the boxing world taking an interest in this fight in Saudi Arabia – Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho (known to be a big fan of Anthony Joshua) was asked who he thought would win tonight’s bout …
Mourinho the boxing expert
Anthony Joshua or Andy Ruiz – who wins? pic.twitter.com/qvYTP5FMio
— Goal (@goal) December 7, 2019
13:45 – The boxing world held its breath on Friday night as the two heavyweight rivals faced off at Friday’s weigh-in at Al-Faisaliah Hotel in Riyadh. See a full gallery from the showdown here…
13: 30 – The excitement is starting to build as we inch closer to the bell going in the Clash on the Dunes later tonight. You can read all this week’s build-up to the huge fight in our dedicated Spotlight, highlights of which are below:
Anthony Joshua, Andy Ruiz Jr. weigh in for Clash on the Dunes bout in Diriyah
Andy Ruiz Jr. and Anthony Joshua focused on world heavyweight glory as they showcase skills at Riyadh public workout
Andy Ruiz Jr. and Anthony Joshua tour Diriyah stadium ahead of Saudi clash
