Former heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr. looks set to finally decide an opponent after Deontay Wilder delayed a return to the ring.
As World Boxing News first reported in 2020, Ruiz and Wilder got earmarked by Al Haymon for a massive Pay Per View clash.
Wilder remained off-limits due to a third fight with Tyson Fury and a subsequent hiatus.
As time continues to tick and Ruiz faces another year out of the ring, the Mexican-American is closing on his next fight.
Luis Ortiz, an evergreen foe stopped by Wilder twice in the past, is emerging as the frontrunner.
Ruiz confirmed the news on his channels when asking fans their opinion. Of all the options Ruiz has mentioned, Ortiz is the most viable.
A third fight with Anthony Joshua is off the table, as is Dillian Whyte and other top names.
Premier Boxing Champions are fully aware Ruiz vs. Ortiz is their best heavyweight effort on the PPV platform. Of those that don’t include Deontay Wilder.
How many of my fans would like to see this fight happen ???? pic.twitter.com/y8xUFZD9pe
— AndyRuizjr (@Andy_destroyer1) March 24, 2022
Ruiz is certainly up for it, as will Ortiz be once the ink is dry on the contract.
It would be easy to say the Ruiz and Wilder could get it on later in the year. The same won’t happen to Ortiz, though.
His two defeats to “The Bronze Bomber.” in New York and Las Vegas end any hopes of a trilogy.
For now, Haymon could do a lot worse than pitching the two together for what promises to be an entertaining match-up.
And with both rated in the World Boxing Council Top Ten Rankings, some eliminator might be on the cards for a shot at Tyson Fury.
Ryan Hafey
DEONTAY WILDER
Regarding Deontay Wilder, it’s becoming harder to predict what the former WBC ruler will do next. As far as social media is concerned, he’s shown no signs of returning to the ring and is not in the gym with Malik Scott.
Scott got back from a trip to Russia recently and immediately took to training fighters. Wilder, at this point, is still evaluating his options.
Phil has over ten years of boxing news experience. Founding editor of World Boxing News since 2010. WBN has over one billion views on all platforms.
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