Andy Ruiz Jr will forever be the man who snatched Anthony Joshua’s undefeated record along with his unified world heavyweight titles.
That night in New York back in 2019 represents one of the biggest heavyweight upsets in the sport, and many feel it affected Joshua as a fighter even despite him comfortably winning the rematch less than six months later.
Since then, the Brit has lost his belts to Oleksandr Usyk conclusively, unable to do the same in their second fight. He has found himself on the comeback trail and, for him and his team, all roads apparently lead to Deontay Wilder.
Despite positive talks earlier in the year, an offer from Saudi Arabia to stage the fight has recently been taken off the table and the contest is up in the air.
Ruiz Jr believes it won’t happen – not because of the business side of things, but because his former foe is scared. He told Fight Hub TV he backs Wilder to win should it ever materialise.
Ruiz has been angling for his shot at the hard-hitting ‘Bronze Bomber’ for some time now, but he has been accused of demanding too much money.
It’s something he disputes as he continues to push for the fight, but Wilder’s team claim there’s little chance of it happening.
The two former champions represent a frustrating stagnancy on the heavyweight scene, and fans would like to see them out regardless of who fills the opposite corner.
