Father and manager of Andy Ruiz, Andres Ruiz, remains hopeful of a fight between his son and Deontay Wilder despite being of the opinion that ‘The Bronze Bomber’ doesn’t want it.
Both PBC fighters are coming off impressive wins. Ruiz Jr defeated the ever-tough Luis Ortiz over twelve rounds, whilst Wilder reminded the boxing world of his devastating power with a first round knockout of Finland’s Robert Helenius.
Now, the two are on a collision course. The WBC have officially ordered them to face off as a final eliminator, the winner getting in line for a shot at Tyson Fury’s title – one previously held by Wilder. Despite the lack of business obstacles in the way and the governing body’s orders, Ruiz Sr isn’t convinced that Wilder’s team want the fight. He spoke to Izquierdazo, as translated by Boxing Scene.
“There is nothing [official] … We have until December to decide who he’s going to fight. But Wilder is the one we want.”
“I think Wilder wants [unified champion Oleksandr] Usyk or [Anthony] Joshua, he said he was not interested, but we hope the fight will take place because they are going to make it a mandatory.”
Moving onto other potential opponents for his son, Ruiz Sr mentioned Frank Sanchez – a highly-touted Cuban prospect who is building on an undefeated record.
“There is one more fight left [with PBC] and they have not told me who we are going to fight with. It can also be with the other Cuban, with Frank Sanchez, but we will see who they want to put him with.”
Whilst the Sanchez bout would be intriguing for a few reasons, the Wilder fight still remains the most likely. The former-champ from Alabama may hold out for Usyk, but with an undisputed fight between the Ukrainian and Fury set for early next year, Ruiz Jr may just be his best route back to world titles.