Heavyweight

Anthony Joshua will make his U.S. debut on Saturday, putting his four heavyweight world titles on the line against Andy Ruiz Jr. at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Joshua (22-0, 21 KOs), arguably the best heavyweight in the world, has risen to the top of the sport of boxing fighting exclusively in the United Kingdom. Already famous the world over, Joshua is broadening his horizons, bringing his fighting talents to new audiences.

His stateside debut is exciting, though it could be better. Joshua is not fighting America's best heavyweight, WBC world titleholder Deontay Wilder (and it's not going to happen anytime soon). The 29-year-old Englishman isn't even fighting his original opponent. That was supposed to be the trash-talking, Brooklyn-born Jarrell "Big Baby" Miller. The would-be hometown challenger failed multiple drug tests.

In steps Andy Ruiz Jr. (32-1, 21 KOs), a rotund journeyman from Imperial, California, who will easily get the biggest payday of his career by agreeing to box one of the scariest fighters on the planet on relatively short notice. 

Joshua gets the chance to impress on new shores, but no matter the outcome Saturday night, fans will be left wanting more.


Joshua vs. Ruiz Jr. Fight Info

When: Saturday, June 1 at 9 p.m. ET

Where: Madison Square Garden in New York City

TV: Sky Sports Box Office (UK, pay-per-view)

Live Stream: DAZN (U.S.)

Odds: Joshua -2000 (bet $2,000 to win $100), Ruiz Jr. +1200 (bet $100 to win $1,200)

Odds courtesy of Oddschecker.com and updated as of Friday, May 31.

When we last saw Joshua in September, he was busy pummeling Alexander Povetkin to a seventh-round TKO win. Joshua overcame some early problems, as Povetkin started the match brightly and broke the champion's nose. Hurt but unfazed, Joshua steadily increased the punishment over the next few rounds, dispatching his challenger. 

Povetkin is a solid pro, as is Ruiz. So a similar fate for the 29-year-old challenger should be expected. The match might even end sooner, depending on what kind of lungs the portly Ruiz has on him.

We've seen Joshua beat up solid pros time and time again. There's nothing wrong with getting into a groove and playing the hits, but at some point, fans start wanting something with some depth and excitement to it. Something that feels like it might shift the Earth on its axis, like Joshua's epic battle with Wladimir Klitschko that earned him his world titles.

Joshua is in danger of stagnating if he can't get a fight with the likes of Wilder or Tyson Fury put together soon. Miller was supposed to at least tide things over until the megafights are made, stirring up drama with his flashy persona and confident fighting style. Then he flunked out of the match. As HannibalBoxing.com's Carlos Acevedo points out, Joshua can't do much to burnish his credentials fighting Ruiz:

"If Joshua is extended by Ruiz, he will lose further ground in the marketing wars. (Not that it matters: the only roadblocks to fights among Joshua, Wilder, and Fury are avarice and short-sightedness, the usual boxing foibles.) This matchup became a publicity mishap the moment it was announced. The contrast between the pudgy, baby-faced Ruiz (given to photo-ops with Snickers bars as props) and the strapping Joshua—who looks like he stepped out of the pages of a Marvel comic—makes for what political consultants would call 'bad optics.'"

Joshua needs to move quickly after he, in all likelihood, beats up on Ruiz. Wilder has already scheduled a rematch with Luis Ortiz for later this year, so he won't cross paths with Joshua until at least 2020. With Wilder committed, Fury appears to be the target.

"I said I want to meet Wilder, chat to him, and the next day he announces a fight with no date or venue attached to it. I still say there is hope, but I think the next person I want then is Fury," Joshua said, per BBC.com's Luke Reddy.

Fury and Wilder have already fought to an entertaining draw. A Fury-Joshua matchup would become the battle of Britain and put all the pressure in the world on the winner to take on Wilder. This is the dream scenario the way things stand.

Boxing, of course, with its titanic egos and backroom shenanigans, is prone to disappointment. Joshua is one of the meanest dudes in the world, but not everything is up to him. For now, he and his fans will have to make do with what's in front of them. 

Prediction: Joshua by fourth-round KO

Deontay Wilder (40-0-1, 39 KOs) is talking a dangerous game ahead of his world heavyweight title defense against Dominic Breazeale (20-1, 18 KOs) on Saturday night. 

There's plenty of bad blood between the two boxers, who are set to fight for Wilder's WBC world title at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. It goes back a couple of years and has simmered since, but Wilder has escalated things to an irresponsible level. Here's what he had to say on Tuesday, per The Ring's Ryan Songalia:

Deontay Wilder on the Dominic Breazeale fight: “His life is on the line for this fight and I do mean his life.” Later adds “I’m still trying to get me a body on my record.” #WilderBreazeale pic.twitter.com/k7kg3xZpaV

— Ryan Songalia (@ryansongalia) May 15, 2019

Boxing is a dangerous, bloody sport. There's a huge amount of risk every time a fighter steps into the ring. Wilder has hurt dozens of people in his career, with 39 knockouts in 41 fights. His threats may be promotional bluster, but if something tragic were to happen in the ring or afterward, one has to wonder what he would say then.

                   

Wilder vs. Breazeale Fight Info

When: Saturday, May 18 | main card begins 9 p.m. ET

Where: Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York

TV: Showtime

Live stream: Showtime Anytime

Odds (via Caesars): Wilder -850 (bet $850 to win $100), Breazeale +575 (bet $100 to win $575)

                 

According to Yahoo Sports' Kevin Iole, the animosity between Wilder and Breazeale stems from a confrontation in a hotel lobby in Birmingham, Alabama, in February 2017, after the pair had won their respective bouts. Per Iole, the two blame each other for the incident, and that's all it takes in a sport in which egos more than match the sizes of the fighters involved. 

Breazeale is getting a second crack at a world title after losing to then-IBF champion Anthony Joshua by seventh-round stoppage in June 2016. A former college football quarterback for Northern Colorado, the 33-year-old is getting his big chances at a later age than most, but he's no less hungry.

Wilder, 33, is a knockout artist of the highest order. The Alabama native has cut down just about everyone in his path, with his only blemish being a draw against lineal champion Tyson Fury in December. Even then, the Bronze Bomber scored a vicious 12th-round knockdown that nearly won him the fight. What he lacks in technique, he makes up for with jaw-dropping power. He's also careful to limit the damage he takes. 

Everything about Wilder, from his comments to his imposing size (6'7", 83-inch reach) to his KO record, seems set up to strike fear in Breazeale. The contender isn't having any of it, calling Wilder a "paperweight champion" and questioning the skill level of Wilder's competition, per Iole. Harsh words, though they pale in comparison to Wilder's.

Virgil Hunter, Breazeale's trainer for Saturday's bout, thinks Wilder has gone too far with his death threats. "He needs to really ask himself if that's what I'm all about," he said, per BBC Sport. "Is this the legacy I want to leave?"

English boxer Curtis Woodhouse has also spoken out against Wilder's rhetoric:

https://twitter.com/curtiswoodhous8/status/1128670275804049409

There are recent examples of boxers dying or coming close to death because of bouts involving fighters with far less raw power than Wilder. Longtime light heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson had to be put into a medically induced coma when his brain swelled up after a knockout loss to Oleksandr Gvozdyk in December. 

German boxer Eduard Gutknecht is unable to walk or talk because of a brain injury suffered during a 2016 fight against George Groves.

Two boxers, Scott Westgarth and Christian Daghio, died after fights last year. The list is long.

Wilder will likely get the win on Saturday night. That's all he should want. A victory sets him up for more title fights and bigger paydays. He doesn't need anything else.

                

Prediction: Wilder by middle-round KO.

Boxing legend George Foreman tweeted that "all is well" after the garage in his Texas home caught fire Sunday.

Don’t worry all is well, Dogs are barking and I don’t mean my feet.
Thanks to all the fire fighters. Huffman, Houston New caney. Atascosita. Al them guy and women

— George Foreman (@GeorgeForeman) April 15, 2019

https://twitter.com/KHOUStephanie/status/1117633251701600257

Firefighters who responded on the scene said they found heavy smoke in the garage, per Vincent Crivelli of Click2Houston. It is believed a golf cart caused the fire.

Rachel Moreno of the Harris County Fire Marshal's Office said property in the garage was mostly unscathed. There were around 40 cars, among other items, in the garage. 

"Right now, it looks like the cars are in pretty good shape," Moreno said. "We do have an origin that's in the back of the garage, but there is a lot of smoke damage and water damage."

There were no injuries, and the fire did not enter the rest of the home.

 

Tyson Fury's next opponent has been revealed, with Tom Schwarz getting a shot at the undefeated lineal heavyweight champion.

Per an official announcement from Top Rank Boxing, Fury and Schwarz will square off on June 15 in Las Vegas:

The Lineal Heavyweight Champion @Tyson_Fury is coming to Las Vegas for his first Top Rank bout 👑

June 15 | Las Vegas | 📺: @ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/dDYEpkGf07

— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) March 24, 2019

Fury had been expected to give Deontay Wilder an immediate rematch following their split-decision draw last December.

However, the World Boxing Council announced last month it wouldn't happen, as Fury was looking to fight a different opponent.

BREAKING NEWS: @BronzeBomber vs @Tyson_Fury is officially not happening next. The @WBCBoxing has received communications as our process and while Wilder confirmed its willingness to fight the rematch, Fury will take on another fight with expectations to do rematch at a later date pic.twitter.com/vCkXwsQqCd

— World Boxing Council (@WBCBoxing) February 26, 2019

Top Rank CEO Bob Arum told World Boxing News' Joe Hewlett that Fury's rematch with Wilder will hopefully happen in February 2020.

"Assuming he [Fury] wins this fight [with Schwarz], he'll have another appearance in the United States," Arum said. "Then hopefully next year in February he'll end up fighting Wilder."

Fury will instead turn his attention to the unheralded Schwarz. The 24-year-old German owns a 24-0 record with 16 knockouts. His last appearance was a second-round knockout of Kristijan Krstacic on March 2.

The June bout will be Fury's second straight match in the United States. He will look to run his career-long unbeaten streak to 29 fights.