Deontay Wilder facing Andy Ruiz Jr. in a WBC heavyweight title eliminator, is back in the works following months of doubt over the contest.
Despite the WBC ordering the fight after Wilder stopped Robert Helenius in his WBC mandatory semi-final, “The Bronze Bomber” failed to follow through.
Instead, Wilder opted to keep his options open, even as Ruiz played his part in securing a spot in the final by defeating Luis Ortiz.
The World Boxing Council set up the four-strong tournament in the middle of 2022. The end goal was to sanction a mandatory from Wilder, Ruiz, Helenius, and Ortiz.
WBC officials confirmed the plan before Fury put his belt on the line in the UK last year.
Deontay Wilder vs Andy Ruiz Jr
“Champion Tyson Fury will make a voluntary defense against Dereck Chisora on December 3 in London. Fury will have the option to fight a unification fight against Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed championship.
“The winner will be committed to fighting the WBC mandatory. Therefore, Andy Ruiz is to fight Deontay Wilder in a final eliminator for the mandatory position,” they added.
As frustrated boxing fans and media are now aware, the whole blueprint collapsed. None of the fighters could secure their negotiations.
Fury disagreed with Usyk on monetary terms. Meanwhile, Wilder had his eyes on Francis Ngannou and Anthony Joshua. All three of those bouts are now off the table. Wilder vs Joshua was a pipe dream from the start, according to Amer Abdallah of Skill Challenge.
Abdallah stated no paperwork was ever sent. No formal offer was ever made despite comments to the contrary on Joshua’s side.
AJ’s loss is Ruiz’s gain. Wilder’s trainer Malik Scott expects talks to be underway soon for a late summer clash in Las Vegas or Los Angeles.
Las Vegas or Los Angeles
“That’s the buzz fight right now [Wilder vs Ruiz. It’s looking like that might be the route we end up going,” Scott told ESNews,
“Deontay is in the position where so many big fights are lined up that anything or any opponent can possibly change.
“Andy Ruiz is definitely one of the main options right now. We’ll see where it lands. I’d like to see it at the Crypto Centre, and I like Vegas,” concluded the former heavyweight contender.
News of Wilder vs Ruiz will please Al Haymon as his company Premier Boxing Champions, will be favorites to promote the fight.
Wilder and Ruiz worked with PBC before becoming free agents, making a TV deal easy to conclude for a Showtime Pay Per View.
Follow experienced boxing writer Phil Jay on Twitter @PhilJWBN.
