Joshua vs Ruiz Jr: The Anthony Joshua fight is a big deal for world famous Madison Square Garden
Watch Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz Jr at Madison Square Garden, New York, on Saturday, live on Sky Sports Box Office
Tuesday 28 May 2019 17:57, UK
Anthony Joshua was courted by famous New York venue Madison Square Garden, and fell in love when he attended last year as a fan.
Joshua will make his US debut against Andy Ruiz Jr and defend his IBF, WBA and WBO heavyweight titles at Madison Square Garden on June 1, live on Sky Sports Box Office.
The executive vice president of MSG Sports, Joel Fisher, explained why Joshua's arrival is big news for The Garden.
Anthony Joshua follows in the footsteps of legends by boxing at Madison Square Garden…
This is huge. There is no bigger place for Joshua to make his US debut than The Garden.
Watch Joshua vs Ruiz Jr online
Concerts, events and sports are all huge here but there is nothing like a world heavyweight championship fight at The Garden. We are known worldwide for many things but one of those is boxing. We had the Fight of the Century here, Ali vs Frazier. So a heavyweight fight at the Mecca of Boxing is the epitome of reaching the pinnacle of any sport.
How did you convince Joshua to choose The Garden as the venue for his US debut?
We spent a lot of time with Joshua, Eddie Hearn and the whole team. When Joshua came here for the Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez fight [against Rocky Fielding in December] and experienced the atmosphere, I think he made up his mind right there.
Joshua is a guy who truly appreciates history and he realised that, to make history in the United States and stake his claim as the best fighter in the world, he has to fight at The Garden. He wants to fight where history is made.
Do you hope to be Joshua's US base in the future?
We are confident but that's his decision. Once he fights here and experiences a sold-out crowd he won't want to fight anywhere else. We'd love to be his US home and we've told him so.
How famous is Joshua in America?
He is growing. He is big. When he came for the Canelo fight he was mobbed so, clearly, all boxing fans know him. I've seen Joshua on US commercials. As this fight approaches he will grow.
Does everybody in the United States know him? No. But he and his team are smart enough to branch out - in order to get the greatest exposure, the only place to fight is New York City and Madison Square Garden.
Joshua will be in illustrious company…
We've had Vasyl Lomachenko fight here, we've had Canelo, Terence Crawford, Gennady Golovkin the week after Joshua. The best fighters in the world choose to fight at The Garden and that speaks for itself.
Do you dream of staging Anthony Joshua vs Deontay Wilder?
Our goal is to stage any big event. If that fight happens, would we be extremely interested? Absolutely and we would make our interest known.
Watch Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz Jr at Madison Square Garden, New York, on Saturday, live on Sky Sports Box Office, from 10pm. Book it via your Sky remote or book it online here.
Even if you aren't a Sky TV subscriber you can book and watch it here.
