Anthony Joshua is the ‘best heavyweight’ in the boxing world again, after reclaiming the throne from Andy Ruiz Jr – and The Simpsons saw it coming.
After a landmark loss to Ruiz in June this year, AJ entered the ring in Saudi Arabia last night, December 7, cool, calculated and composed, taking the win by unanimous decision.
From Donald Trump’s godforsaken presidency to Disney’s purchase of 20th Century Fox, The Simpsons has proved itself to be a bit of a prescient force in the world of cartoons – and last night’s fight was no different.
Tracing back to the classic episode The Homer They Fall, photos of Drederick Tatum (written as a parody of Mike Tyson) launching his fist into Homer Simpson’s face line up near-exactly with a snap from the AJ/Ruiz bout.
It’s no criticism to say Ruiz has a less chiselled frame – considering it takes nothing away from his talents as a fighter – and in that, he’s the natural substitute for Homer. We’re pretty sure AJ is a nicer guy than Tatum, though.
Unlike the episode, the Saudi Arabia showdown didn’t end in Ruiz being airlifted out of the arena after a 12-round onslaught – but the similarities are still there.
AJ, 30, is one of a small number of boxers to reclaim the world heavyweight title – including Muhammad Ali, Lennox Lewis, Evander Holyfield, Mike Tyson and Floyd Patterson.
After the bout came to a close and AJ was crowned the winner, he told the BBC:
I said I didn’t want to get too carried away but it is emotional. This is about the public, and about British boxing. They won tonight and we created history by opening the floodgates.
To Andy Ruiz and his family and team, love and respect and I want to see him in the ring again because he is very talented. l can box but I like to fight. I’m a warrior at heart, and sometimes when you’re used to knocking a man out, it can happen to you.
I’m a man that has made mistakes and when I was on losing path in life, I matured and bounced back. After I took my loss I had to mature as a fighter. Life is in boxing and that is why I love it because they go hand in hand.
During the post-fight interviews, after the fighters embraced and showed respect for one another, Ruiz asked the crowd: ‘I want the third fight… Who wants to see the third fight?’ AJ reciprocated the call, saying: ‘If you’ve heard, we’re gonna do a third.’
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After graduating from Glasgow Caledonian University with an NCTJ and BCTJ-accredited Multimedia Journalism degree, Cameron ventured into the world of print journalism at The National, while also working as a freelance film journalist on the side, becoming an accredited Rotten Tomatoes critic in the process. He’s now left his Scottish homelands and took up residence at UNILAD as a journalist.