Tyson Fury was recently on the verge of arguably the biggest fight of his career, but was left without an opponent when negotiations collapsed.
The WBC World Heavyweight Champion has been off the grid since those talks with Oleksandr Usyk, the division’s other world titleholder, came to nothing.
Rather than immediately searching for a new dance partner, Fury took a family holiday and remained off social media amidst many fans and pundits blaming him for the failure to make the undisputed fight.
His UK promoter, Frank Warren, didn’t rule out retirement for the undefeated star, but others believed he would push for a fight with domestic rival, Anthony Joshua.
Bob Arum, who handles Fury’s promotion in the United States, has now revealed that it could be the fighter who first beat ‘AJ’ that’s occupying the other corner for his man’s return.
The veteran promoter updated Cornerman Boxing.
“He’s been in Italy on vacation with his family. He’s back in England, and we’re talking to him, and we’re looking for the best available guy for him to fight this summer in the UK. Maybe it’ll be Andy Ruiz [who faces Fury] or somebody like that.”
Ruiz Jr became the first male Mexican heavyweight champion in history on the night he beat Joshua. Unfortunately for him, it was short lived. ‘AJ’ regained his unified titles in an immediate rematch, and the 6ft 2in fighter has been building back since.
Following wins over Chris Arreola and Luis Ortiz, Ruiz was number 2 in the WBC’s rankings, and the sanctioning body ordered him to face Deontay Wilder to determine who would be Fury’s next mandatory challenger.
The order has largely been ignored, with Wilder’s team set on searching for a ‘bigger fight’, and that seems to have played well in Ruiz’s favour.
With Usyk set to start serving his mandatory obligations, first against Daniel Dubois, there’s a hope amongst fans that the fight with Fury can be revisited later in the year should the pair continue to win.