Former WBO heavyweight champion Joseph Parker has expressed an interest in fighting Andy Ruiz Jr for a second time.
The two fighters contested the vacant strap in December 2016 which Parker won narrowly on points. After two defences against Razvan Cojanu and Hughie Fury the New Zealander would drop his title to Anthony Joshua in 2018. A year later Ruiz would shock the boxing world by stopping ‘AJ’ in seven rounds to claim three of the four heavyweight titles.
With each man still in a rebuilding phase Parker has taken to social media to call out Ruiz in an attempt to get the wheels moving on a potential clash.
“Who’s keen on this rematch with @andy_destroyer1?” Asked Parker.
“My team been reaching out bro. Let’s make it happen! #ParkerRuiz2
Parker has just come off back-to-back wins against Dereck Chisora, with his second performance a significant improvement on the first one under new trainer Andy Lee. Ranked in the top three with the WBO and WBC another world title shot is near but there are a lot of blocks to be moved while the title holders make their next defences. In the meantime, a number of contenders need to be active and a fight between Parker and Ruiz would make sense for the division.
Ruiz, now slimmed down and working with Eddy Reynoso, shook off some rust to beat Chris Arreola last May in his first fight since losing to Joshua in their 2019 rematch. ‘The Destroyer’ is one spot behind Parker in the WBO rankings and facing Parker would give fans a good idea as how realistic the hopes of either man becoming a two-time champion are.