JOKES ASIDE
Anthony Joshua branded a disgrace after reports his rematch against Andy Ruiz will take place in Saudi Arabia
ANTHONY JOSHUA has been slammed by fans after reports claimed his rematch with Andy Ruiz Jr would take place in Saudi Arabia on December 7.
The country has reportedly put up close to £82MILLION for the highly-anticipated showdown to take place in Riyadh.
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And the Saudis are understood to have beaten Dubai in order to become the hosts of the blockbuster fight.
But the decision didn't go down well with Joshua's fans, who branded the Brit "a disgrace" for picking the Gulf nation to organise the contest.
Keith tweeted: "If this is true that's a disgrace, talk about a kick in the b****ks for all AJ fans and boxing people, who wants to go to the desert to watch a fight."
Jamie wrote: "Didn't everyone watch Kahn v Dib? Amateur hosting."
Dan added: "Are you for real?! What a complete joke."
While Luke said: "AJ just interested in money now and has lost his hunger. Ruiz Jr will get the job done quicker this time."
MIDDLE GROUND
Cardiff's Principality Stadium and Madison Square Garden in New York were considered the favourites to host the mega-money bout.
But Joshua, 29, and Ruiz, 29, have reportedly been recently searching for a "neutral ground" to stage the rematch .
And Eddie Hearn confirmed options "around the world" were being considered as AJ are looking to retrieve his WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight titles.
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The Brit lost the belts on June 1, suffering a humiliating seventh-round defeat by the Mexican underdog at MSG in New York.
Ruiz floored Joshua four times on the way to pull off one of the biggest upsets in boxing history.
Saudi Arabia are now set to organise another major boxing contest after Amir Khan beat Billy Dib in Jeddah in July earlier this year.
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