Andy Ruiz Jr caused one of the biggest shocks in the history of heavyweight boxing by stopping Anthony Joshua in seven rounds to inflict his first defeat and win the IBF, WBA and WBO titles.
On the occasion of the defending champion's US debut, at New York's revered Madison Square Garden, he was dethroned as the world's leading heavyweight by a significant underdog who took advantage of becoming a late-notice opponent to secure a life-changing win.
When he was knocked down in the third round, he appeared on the verge of losing as routinely as Joshua's previous 22 opponents, but he immediately responded with two knockdowns that left Joshua fortunate to survive.
If Joshua appeared to recover throughout the fourth and fifth, in the sixth he again became hesitant even if there was little sign that he was about to be stopped.
Two further knockdowns in the seventh again left him fighting for survival, and though he returned to his feet after each, he was no longer able to defend himself, forcing referee Mike Griffin's intervention while he was on his still on his feet after one minute and 27 seconds.
Here is how Mirror Sport's David Anderson saw the fight...
Round One:
Ruiz started aggressively and took the centre of the ring. Joshua began to establish his jab, but Ruiz stepped inside his longer reach to catch him.
Round Two:
Ruiz flew at Joshua at the start of the round and landed a right on his jaw. Joshua found his range by the end of the round and caught Ruiz with a right and a left hook in quick succession.
Round Three:
Joshua floored Ruiz with a left hook a minute into the third round. He foolishly rushed in to finish Ruiz off and the challenger put him down with a right hook.
Ruiz pummelled away at Joshua when he got up, his legs like spaghetti, and he put him down again a second before the end of the round with two left hooks.
Round Four:
Ruiz failed to press home his advantage and he took a breather during this quiet round, which let Joshua off the hook.
Round Five:
Joshua showed signs of a comeback as he rocked Ruiz with a strong left hand. The challenger quickly regained his composure and jabbed at Joshua’s body.
Round Six:
Ruiz regained the initiative and connected with a short left and a short right before landing a body shot. The tired Joshua looked gun shy and he did not respond as Ruiz fired shots at him.
Round Seven:
Joshua was knackered and Ruiz unloaded on him to put him down. Joshua managed to get up only to go down again under a succession of unanswered blows from Ruiz.
Referee Mike Griffin sent him to his corner and began counting before waving the contest off one minute and 27 seconds into the seventh round.
Incredibly, despite this beating, judge Pasquale Procopio had Joshua winning 57-56 after six rounds. The others, Michael Alexander and Julie Lederman, had it 57-56 to Ruiz.
