Former unified heavyweight world champion Andy Ruiz Jr has given his thoughts on last weekend’s combat spectacle which saw Tyson Fury pushed to the limit by debutant, Francis Ngannou.
Fury was confirmed as the victor via split-decision in what was undoubtedly one of the nearest misses to losing his undefeated record, suffering a knockdown in round three that shook the boxing world before going the ten-round distance.
The Brit took the Ngannou fight after saying that there were no heavyweight contenders willing to face him and claiming that Ruiz priced himself out of a bout by asking for around $20 million.
Instead, Ruiz was expected to face Deontay Wilder in an eliminator for a shot at Fury, which would secure him a 30% purse split as the WBC Mandatory Challenger.
However, that fight also failed to manifest and now Mexico’s first heavyweight world champion has just announced that he has undergone surgery, confirming 2023 as a year of inactivity.
On his Instagram, the 34-year-old confirmed that he was keeping an eye on the WBC Champion and that he watched the crossover spectacle, agreeing with many viewers in believing that the scorecards were wrong.
“Recovering and watching this crazy fight yesterday. It was a robbery. Francis Won.”
Ruiz’s injury is likely to rule him out of a challenge for Fury’s WBC title any time soon, meaning the Wilder fight likely won’t happen anytime soon.
‘The Bronze Bomber’ and his team have entered talks with Ngannou for what would inevitably be another high-profile showdown.
The clash would not only result in a mammoth payday for the pair of them, but it may also serve as much-needed preparation for Wilder’s long-awaited contest with Anthony Joshua, with the American boxing just one round since October 2021.