Andy Ruiz Jr. has confirmed Deontay Wilder is in his sights as the WBC awaits a decision from Tyson Fury regarding his retirement.
As World Boxing News revealed first, Wilder vs Ruiz is the number one heavyweight fight for Al Haymon to make on Pay Per View.
It’s hoped the clash will have the vacant WBC championship on the line in the coming month if Fury does quit for good.
Andy Ruiz Jr vs Deontay Wilder
Provided Ruiz beats Luis Ortiz, and Wilder comes through Robert Helenius this fall, the collision is on the cards.
“A matchup against Deontay Wilder would be an amazing fight,” said Ruiz. “The heavyweight division is wide open.
“But I’m not overlooking Luis Ortiz. If Wilder is next, he’s next. It’s an easy fight to make.”
WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman ratified the status of both PBC bouts but hasn’t gone as far as declaring those fights a mandatory semi-final.
But WBN understands that this is the case if Fury walks away. The two winners will contest the WBC if the belt gets vacated.
Right now, with Fury stalling, the best the contenders can hope for would be a mandatory battle or interim title shot, which Haymon will undoubtedly expect is Wilder vs Ruiz.
Wilder and Ruiz could trade blows in Las Vegas around February for some green and gold if all goes well.
Tyson Fury status
Explaining how everything depends on Fury, Sulaiman told Sky Sports News: “We have accepted some elimination bouts that [was] requested to the WBC.
“One is Wilder-Helenius, the other is Ruiz-Ortiz. Those are happening as eliminations.
“But Fury is the champion. He’s got the time, and he will decide. We’ll see what happens.”
Outlining when a decision might come, the WBC already stated August 26 as the date. However, Fury may get extra time on compassionate grounds.
His cousin got tragically stabbed to death over the weekend, and Fury may not be in the right frame of mind to make such a huge decision.
WBC Mandatory
Due to his WBC stipulation against Dillian Whyte earlier this year, Fury will get afforded plenty more time if he confirms his career will resume.
“Fury made a mandatory defense in April in the great Wembley[Stadium]. At this moment, there is no mandatory [challenger] in the division,” Sulaiman said.
“There are some eliminations, no final elimination. There’s nothing set. At this time, everything is open for Tyson Fury to make a decision.”
Oleksandr Usyk threw his hat into the ring for an undisputed world heavyweight unification with Fury after beating Anthony Joshua.
Both sides will attempt to thrash out a deal. However, Fury dictates will have to be done by September 1.
Therefore, “Thy Gypsy King” will likely ask the WBC for an extra week to finally make his mind up.
But Usyk still needs to bring $500 million to the table if Fury’s unreal demands are to be adhered to by the deadline.
The views expressed in this article are the opinions of Phil Jay.
WBN Editor Phil has over ten years of boxing news experience. Follow WBN on Facebook @officialworldboxingnews and Twitter @worldboxingnews.
