'He wasn’t a true champion': Wilder savages Joshua after Brit stunned by 'fat no hoper' Ruiz

Anthony Joshua's stunning upset defeat to Andy Ruiz Jr in New York on Saturday night is evidence that the British fighter was never among the upper echelon of the heavyweight division, according to rival Deontay Wilder.

The landscape of the boxing heavyweight division changed immeasurably inside Madison Square Garden, where the unfancied Ruiz dethroned the generally accepted ruler of the sport's biggest division by seventh-round TKO.

Unlike some of the sport's previous lofty upsets, this wasn't the one-hitter-quitter that Hasim Rahman landed on Lennox Lewis all those years ago, or an exercise in the perils of ill-preparation like Mike Tyson's loss to James 'Buster' Douglas. When the fight was waved off, Ruiz was ahead on two of the scorecards and had sent the previously undefeated Joshua to the canvas on four separate occasions, including in a remarkable third round in which both men were dropped.

The result puts a significant spanner in the works of Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn who had been navigating a money-spinning path towards Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury, a sign perhaps of the over-marination rife in boxing.

Had they struck while the iron was hot, Saturday's fight could have been a massively-lucrative showdown between Joshua and one of the other two men considered among the division's elite. Instead, Joshua's reputation has been irreparably tarnished and any future showdown between Joshua and Wilder or Fury has lost a significant amount of its sheen.

Wilder, though, appears unconcerned with that for the time being. After the surprise outcome, the 'Bronze Bomber' took to social media to throw shade at the defeated Brit.

"He wasn’t a true champion. His whole career was consisted of lies, contradictions and gifts," Wilder wrote. "Facts and now we know who was running from who!!!!#TilThisDay".

© USA TODAY Sports / Sarah Stier

The third man atop the heavyweight pyramid, Tyson Fury, was little more conciliatory in his post-fight comments, telling the former champ that "these things happen" and that he will "regroup and come again."

Ruiz, who was a short-notice replacement for Joshua's original opponent Jarrell Miller, now stands alone as the unified WBA, WBO, IBO, and IBF heavyweight champion - a remarkable achievement considering his status as a massive underdog before the first bell. 

He is an underdog no more. After all of the barking between Joshua, Wilder and Fury in recent months, the portly Mexican fighter has overtaken them all to become the most decorated fighter currently competing at heavyweight, as well as the first Mexican heavyweight champion in history.

© Action Images via Reuters / Andrew Couldridge

Ruiz admitted afterwards that jibes regarding his physique had motivated him in advance of the fight. Despite being the smaller man, Ruiz outweighed Joshua on fight night and admitted that the torrent of comments surrounding his weight on social media motivated him.

"I was waiting for him to open up and break him down to the body. He hits really hard, man. But I thought he opened up too much so I could counter him," Ruiz said. "I've been working really hard, man. I wanted to prove all the doubters wrong, I'd seen all the comments."

Early reports suggest a rematch will be arranged for later this year in the United Kingdom, a necessary do-over for Joshua and Hearn after what was a disastrous US debut for the Olympic gold medalist.