Andy Ruiz Still Calling for Anthony Joshua Trilogy After 2019 Upset

Ruiz continues to call for a third fight, but his recent record and Joshua’s position raise questions about the matchup’s value

Andy Ruiz Jr. is still calling for a third fight with Anthony Joshua. The push comes without momentum on his side and with Joshua linked to bigger fights in the heavyweight division.

Ruiz hasn’t let go of what happened in 2019, when he shocked Joshua at Madison Square Garden and briefly flipped the heavyweight order. That night changed everything for him financially and reputationally. The problem is that everything that followed has slowly pulled him back toward the middle of the pack. A loss in the rematch, a thin schedule, and a draw with Jarrell Miller have left him without real momentum heading into 2026.

Joshua, meanwhile, has moved through a different phase of his career. Losses to Oleksandr Usyk reset his standing, and the stoppage defeat to Daniel Dubois added another dent. Still, he remains tied to bigger business, including a potential showdown with Tyson Fury. That fight carries far more weight commercially and historically than revisiting Ruiz.

That is the core issue. Ruiz is asking for closure. Joshua is being positioned for events.

There is also the question of what a third fight would actually show. The first bout proved Ruiz could capitalize on chaos. The second showed Joshua could neutralize him over twelve rounds with discipline. Nothing about Ruiz’s recent activity suggests a new version that forces a different outcome.

Ruiz can still draw interest because of that first win. Heavyweight boxing does not forget shocks like that. But time has thinned the argument for a trilogy. It feels less like unfinished business and more like a reminder of a moment that hasn’t been matched since.

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