Clash On The Dunes: Joshua Reclaims Heavyweight Titles

Britain's Anthony Joshua beat Andy Ruiz Jr on a unanimous points decision in Saudi Arabia on Sunday to seize back the heavyweight world championship belts he lost to his Mexican-American opponent in a shock upset last June.

The Clash on the Dunes in Diriyah was for the IBF, WBA, WBO and IBO titles and Joshua set the pace from the start with a measured masterclass that showed he had learned from the nightmare of New York.

The judges scored the fight 118-110, 118-110 and 119-109 to the 30-year-old Briton.

"It was his night, man," said Ruiz as his six-month reign ended in the 15,000 seat arena on the outskirts of the capital Riyadh.

The decision to take the fight to Saudi Arabia had been criticised by human rights campaigners but Joshua complimented the hosts and welcomed Ruiz's suggestion that there should be a third encounter.

"If you heard, we're going to do it a third," said the champion.

- Read More: aljazeera.com