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Home » Never Say Never! – Tony Bellew teases Andy Ruiz Jr. comeback

Never Say Never! – Tony Bellew teases Andy Ruiz Jr. comeback

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World Boxing News posted an update on the training camp of Andy Ruiz Jr. this week, prompting a response from the retired former cruiserweight champion Tony Bellew.

Tongues began wagging in the early hours of Wednesday morning (UK time). Bellew replied to WBN’s post with, ‘Never Say Never.’

‘The Bomber’ has been linked to facing Ruiz in the past. He seems to fancy his chances against the man who took out Anthony Joshua in New York.

Andy Ruiz Jr

Ruiz was a snow-white underdog when challenging for the heavyweight crown at Madison Square Garden in June of 2019.

As it turns out, AJ was far too overconfident going into the fight and let his guard down enough to be dropped four times and stopped in the mid-rounds.

Bellew, no doubt, would love to share the ring with Mexico’s first top-division ruler. This is despite retiring in November 2018.

A loss at the hands of undisputed 200-pound king Oleksandr Usyk prompted the staunch Everton supporter to walk away.

Now could be when the 37-year-old Creed star comes back for one more shot.

It may not happen until fans return to boxing. But that gives Bellew, and Ruiz, for that matter, ample time to prepare.

Both needed to get back to peak physical condition to fight, as both hadn’t had a camp for over a year.

An appearance on Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins would have done much for Bellew’s fitness levels as he reached the final day. But that was last year before coronavirus hit.

For his part, Ruiz was ticking over in California before recently switching camp to Las Vegas. ‘The Destroyer’ works alongside Jorge Capetillo until Canelo trainer Eddy Reynoso takes the reigns.

Bellew return

Both could require a warm-up first, although it may not be essential, with the UK going to be the favorite to host any bruising battle.

Promoter Eddie Hearn would have put the feelers out on Ruiz by now and held discussions with Bellew about returning. It’s just a case of gauging whether everyone is entirely on board.

If so, negotiations could be pretty straightforward if the carrot of a trilogy with AJ was dangled in front of Ruiz for a win over his countryman.

We will see.

WBN Editor Phil Jay has over ten years of boxing news experience. Follow WBN on Facebook @officialworldboxingnews, Instagram, and Twitter @worldboxingnews.