The renaissance of the heavyweight division moves forward Saturday night in New York City, as undefeated champion Anthony Joshua makes his U.S. debut as a prohibitive betting favorite against relative unknown Andy Ruiz Jr. Joshua, who was supposed to fight Jarrell "Big Baby" Miller on the June 1 card at Madison Square Garden until the would-be challenger failed three drug tests, is laying a huge price on Las Vegas oddsboards. The most attractive number on the Brit is -2000 at Caesars (bet $2000 to win $100), with Ruiz getting back odds of 10/1. The hefty price puts boxing bettors in a typical predicament – play the favorite for a miniscule return, or swing for the fences with the underdog who has virtually no shot to win the fight. An alternative, of course, is the total rounds prop, listed at 6.5 at the Westgate SuperBook, with UNDER juiced as the -130 favorite. Of Joshua’s 22 victories, 21 have come by knockout, and 16 within the first six rounds. While he knocked guys out for fun early in his career – he finished his first 14 opponents in three round or less – his four most recent fights have gone at least seven. Ruiz, meanwhile, boasts a 32-1 record (21 KOs), but his resume is comprised mostly of undistinguished opponents. His sole loss came by majority decision in December 2016 to Joseph Parker, the only fighter to take Joshua the distance. Joshua beat Parker by unanimous decision in March of last year. While Joshua figures to have little trouble with Ruiz (DAZN has television coverage), his ascension highlights a revitalized heavyweight division. Boxing observers have long looked forward to the day when Joshua – who holds the WBA, IBF, IBO and WBO titles -- gets in the ring with American Deontay Wilder, the WBC champ. The Westgate hung a line on the prospective fight and is currently dealing Joshua as the -180 favorite and Wilder the +150 underdog. For action to count, however, the fight has to take place before the end of this year, which feels impossible at this point. That’s because like Joshua, Wilder has more immediate business. After dispensing of Dominic Breazeale in the first round at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on May 18, Wilder announced this week that his next bout will be a rematch against Luis Ortiz, who he TKO’d in the 10th round in March 2018. The date and site of Wilder-Ortiz II has not been announced, but ESPN.com [reported](http://www.espn.com/boxing/story/_/id/26842656/wilder-picks-rematch-ortiz-next-bout) it’s likely to take place in September at Staples Center in L.A. At U.K. bet shop Ladbrokes, Wilder is a -450 favorite, [per Bookies News](https://bookies.com/news/deontay-wilder-favored-in-early-odds-for-luis-ortiz-rematch). The lone blemish on Wilder’s 41-win record is a draw with Tyson Fury, so a rematch between those two is on boxing minds – and betting boards – as well. It’s priced as a coinflip at the SuperBook, bettors on both sides laying -110. That fight, too, must happen before Dec. 31. With Wilder's announcement on Friday, that just might happen. <a href="https://twitter.com/BronzeBomber/status/1134580191819206656" class="embedly-card" data-card-width="100%" data-card-controls="0">Embedded content: https://twitter.com/BronzeBomber/status/1134580191819206656</a> Fury, meanwhile, is scheduled to fight Tom Schwarz in Las Vegas on June 15 and is a massive -5000 favorite, with Schwarz catching 15/1 odds. So while we’ll have to wade through some less-than-intriguing fights, the message from the betting market is clear: the heavyweight division is on its way back.