Joshua fears another defeat by Ruiz Jr would ‘tarnish legacy’

The bout is the first heavyweight world title fight to take place in the Middle East and will be staged in the 15,000-seat Diriyah Arena.

Work on the purpose-built stadium only began in October but it is now close to completion.

Joshua visited the arena, which promoter Eddie Hearn described as “utterly breathtaking”, on Saturday.
In June, Mexican-American Ruiz floored Joshua four times en route to a seventh-round stoppage at Madison Square Garden, handing the Briton his first defeat as a professional.

Work on the Diriyah Arena began on 7 October – just two months before the fight.