Anthony Joshua to face Andy Ruiz Jr in Saudi Arabia on December 7 in bid to win back world titles

ANTHONY JOSHUA'S highly-anticipated rematch with Andy Ruiz Jr is set to take place in Saudi Arabia on December 7.

The bout is expected to be worth up to £82MILLION with Riyadh beating Dubai to stage the blockbuster showdown.

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Joshua, 29, was said to be considering Cardiff's Principality Stadium and Madison Square Garden in New York to host the Ruiz rematch.

But say that Saudi Arabia will officially be confirmed as the host of the heavyweight showdown later today.

The report claim that the country's sports entities "have put up close to $100m [£82m]" for the contest to take place in Riyadh.

AJ and Ruiz have been actively trying to find a "neutral ground" for their blockbuster bout recently.

The Brit's promoter Eddie Hearn said: "I know, I think, where the fight is going, but I just have to wait for some paperwork to be tied up and then we'll make an announcement.

"Cardiff is still a major option. We have two or three other options around the world for neutral venues."

And Riyadh has emerged as a shocking but viable option that could satisfy both fighters.

Saudi Arabia is now set to organise another major boxing contest having staged Amir Khan's victory over Billy Dib in July.

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Joshua will head to the Middle East hoping to inflict revenge on Ruiz, 29, and claw back his WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight titles.

The Brit lost the belts on June 1, suffering a humiliating seventh-round defeat by the Mexican underdog at MSG in New York.

Ruiz floored Joshua four times on the way to pull off one of the biggest upsets in boxing history.

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