Conor McGregor congratulated new heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr. on Twitter, after saying 'boxing is great' and that he wants to rematch Floyd Mayweather

Advertisement
Conor McGregor congratulated new heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr. on Twitter, after saying 'boxing is great' and that he wants to rematch Floyd Mayweather

Advertisement
Andy Ruiz Jr. wins the heavyweight titles

Photo by Nick Potts/PA Images via Getty Images

Andy Ruiz Jr. won four heavyweight titles after his shock victory over Anthony Joshua.

  • Conor McGregor has congratulated Andy Ruiz Jr. after the Mexican fighter became the first from his country to win the heavyweight championship.
  • Ruiz Jr. scored one of the greatest upsets in heavyweight history when he rose from the canvas in the third round to drop Anthony Joshua four times, stopping him for good in the seventh.
  • McGregor said: "It is never over until it's over with the Mexicans."
  • He also said how great boxing was and that he challenges his 2017 opponent Floyd Mayweather to a rematch. Mayweather is yet to respond.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Conor McGregor congratulated Andy Ruiz Jr. on becoming Mexico's first heavyweight world champion, adding that he knows first hand how tough Mexican fighters are.

Ruiz Jr. won four boxing titles thanks to a stunning performance that saw him drop Anthony Joshua to the floor four times, before stopping him for good at the end of the seventh round.

The fight at Madison Square Garden in New York, Joshua's debut in the US, was supposed to introduce the Briton to the American market.

Instead, the bout introduced the world to a new king in the division as Ruiz Jr. won immediate praise for scoring "one of the biggest upsets in heavyweight history," according to The Ring editor Doug Fischer.

Advertisement

Watch: Andy Ruiz Jr. shakes up the world by beating Anthony Joshua, knocking the Briton down 4 times in a heavyweight shocker

McGregor, a former two-weight world champion in UFC, also reacted on Twitter, recalling his two-fight rivalry with Nate Diaz as an example of Mexican toughness.

"I know first hand the toughness of the Mexican chin," McGregor said. "They come up off the floor like something out of thriller. God bless them. Congrats Andy Ruiz."

The tweet followed McGregor saying how great boxing is and that he is "going to relish another go" in the sport.

McGregor, an accomplished mixed martial artist in the Octagon, fought once under boxing rules when he was stopped on his feet in the 10th round of a 2017 duel with Mayweather in Las Vegas.

Advertisement

It is a fight McGregor wants to do again, as he challenged Mayweather to a rematch.

Read more: Deontay Wilder just said Anthony Joshua's career 'consisted of lies' and that he was never 'a true champion'

McGregor's status as a fighter with the UFC is ambiguous. He announced a shock retirement from mixed martial arts in March, five months after his submission loss to his lightweight rival Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229.

Within weeks, it became apparent that a return to the company was possible, as the UFC boss Dana White hinted that the fighter's retirement wouldn't be for good.

McGregor has also said he's "in talks" about a return to the fight game.

Advertisement
{{}}