Deontay Wilder and Andy Ruiz Jr have struggled in making a fight happen despite being ordered by the WBC to do so.
As the number one and number two contenders respectively, the former champions facing off would see the winner become a mandatory for Tyson Fury’s belt.
That has made things no easier, and months passed since the sanctioning body’s intervention without any serious talks. Negotiations ramped up recently, but a purse split dispute seems to have buried the fight for good.
Speaking to ES News, Wilder’s trainer, Malik Scott, said they were moving on to ‘bigger and better things.’
“They haven’t signed the contract, they refusing offers, they outbidding themselves, they out-pricing themselves. That’s their way of saying they don’t want to fight. So Team Wilder is gonna move on to bigger and better things anyway, and look for the biggest fights possible for Deontay.”
“We know what we have set up for December already, but before that Deontay’s looking to fight again. I want him to fight again. We looking to grab an opponent. Since Andy don’t want fight, we’ll grab someone else who wants to fight.”
Wilder hasn’t been shy in condemning Ruiz for rejecting his proposed terms, which were claimed to be 70/30 by the Mexican’s team.
It’s certainly an intriguing match-up, and would be welcomed by fans given the drought the heavyweight division has experienced this year so far.
Where Wilder goes now is unclear, but he’s set to face Anthony Joshua in Saudi Arabia this December should both avoid a loss in the meantime.
The top dogs on the heavyweight scene having difficult finding dance partners is currently a common theme, but Wilder’s team must rush to remedy that should he get active before ‘AJ.’