By Charles Brun: Dillian Whyte is still harboring a grudge against former heavyweight world champion Andy Ruiz Jr. for him turning down two offers to fight him.
Whyte says Ruiz Jr. rejected a $5 million offer to face him, which is the same amount of money he received for his first fight against IBF/WBA/WBO champion Anthony Joshua last June in New York.
Ruiz Jr. turned down a big offer
That’s good money for a fight involving two non-world champions, but Ruiz Jr. turned it down because he wanted more time to trim off weight following his defeat to Joshua last December, says Whyte. From Ruiz’s perspective, you can understand why he opted not to take the fight.
He was severely overweight at 283 lbs for the Joshua fight on December 7, and too fat to move around the ring and fight at a high level. In the weeks after the match, he could likely have packed on more weight.
So for Whyte to offer Ruiz at that time, it wouldn’t have been good. Ruiz had let his trainer Manny Robles go, and he wasn’t ready to take the fight at that time.
As far as Whyte (27-1, 18 K.O.s) is concerned, Ruiz Jr. (33-2, 22 K.O.s) is a fat coward, and he puts him in the same category as the other fighters that are afraid to step inside the ring with him to test themselves.
Whyte is scheduled to face Alexander Povetkin (35 2-1, 24 K.O.s) on May 2 at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England. That fight has a high probability of being postponed next week by promoter Eddie Hearn.
Andy Ruiz is a fat piece of [bleep] – Whyte
“Who knows what’s going to happen in the world at the minute,” said Whyte to iFL T.V. “He just said to keep training, stay positive and you’re fighting on May 2. Stay switched on because things may clear up in the next couple of weeks. I don’t think this WBC situation is getting any worse than it already is, man.
“They need to give me my shot,” said Whyte about his WBC mandatory status. “How much longer am I going to wait and get through? I got a hard fight against Povetkin. Once I get that out of the way, they need to give me my shot. I don’t care what happens with Wilder-Fury.
“Andy Ruiz is a fat piece of s***. We made the guy 2 offers to fight obviously,” said Whyte. “He’s trying to make it seem like I don’t want the fight.
“I told Eddie, ‘It’s a great fight. Let’s make the fight happen. He made him an offer of $2 million to fight me in the U.K. and $5 million to fight me in America, and then he turned it down and said he’s not ready in time,” Whyte said of Ruiz Jr. not being ready to fight him,” said Whyte.
If Ruiz were hurting for money, he probably would have agreed to the offer right away for the Whyte fight. The timing wasn’t right for Whyte to get that fight. Ruiz had just made $10 million+ from his two matches against Joshua, and his popularity had increased to the point where he’ll continue to make good money.
It doesn’t matter that Ruiz is no longer a world champion, he’s big boxing fans in the U.S.
Whyte not buying Ruiz’s excuse about weight
“You fought just a few weeks ago,” continued Whyte in talking about Ruiz Jr. “Yeah, you were a bit overweight, but I was overweight too. I was more overweight he is. So I was going to need to get in shape also. What’s the problem? Then he started talking and made up all this s— that I didn’t want the fight and I didn’t want the smoke.
“I told my promoter [Hearn] to contact your people,” Whyte said of Ruiz. “That don’t make no sense. I’m sick and tired of these guys talking s*** and people believing ten. These guys are talking rubbish. Andy Ruiz, Anthony Joshua, Deontay Wilder, Tyson Fury, all these guys are talking s***. I’m sick and tired of all these guys talking s***. They know I’ve been trying to tell these guys for a long time.
“I’ve wanted to fight these guys for several years now, and I’m sick and tired of it. They’re just trying to trick the fans about how they want to fight me. It’s bull-s–. They got to stop it. I’ll fight anyone. I don’t care. Win, lose, or draw, I’ll fight anyone. I don’t care. I was the one that said, ‘Eddie, go make the fight [with Ruiz].’ It’ll be a good fight,” Whyte said.
Dillian will be getting a world title shot in 2021, be it against WBC champion Tyson Fury or Deontay Wilder. One of those two will hold the WBC title next year. As the WBC mandatory challenger, Whyte is guaranteed a shot at the title.
Andy Ruiz Jr. offered $5 million for Whyte fight
“He had two bouts with A.J. He won one and lost one,” said Whyte on Andy Ruiz. “It’s a big fight. Me and him is a big fight. We offered him $5 million. That’s as much as he got to fight Joshua for the title the first time. Why would he not take $5 million to fight me? He says I’m this and says I’m that.
“Why not take $5 million to fight me if I’m garbage,” said Whyte in wondering why Ruiz rejected the offer. “That’s why I say he’s a coward because he’s not a real Mexican. Real Mexican fighters fight anyone and all comers, you know? That’s what Mexican fighters are known for doing. They fight all comes, showing heart and taking fights, and Andy Ruiz is a coward,” said Whyte.
$5 million is just a drop in the bucket compared to what Ruiz can get in a third fight with IBF/WBA/WBO champion Joshua or against WBC champ Tyson Fury. Why would Ruiz Jr. want to agree to $5 million to fight Whyte in a risky contest when he can build himself back up for a much bigger money fight against Fury or Joshua?
Ruiz is doing it the smart way in looking to pick out an excellent trainer, take off the weight, and win a couple of fights to earn a third fight with Joshua.
Whyte vows to keep training for Povetkin fight
“I’m just getting ready. As far a my mind goes, the fight [with Povetkin] is still going on,” said Whyte on his scheduled May 2 fight with Povetkin. “There’s no cancellation. The way things are going at the minute, anything is possible. I’m a professional, I’ve got to keep acting like a professional and keep training like a professional and being like a professional,” said Whyte.
“I’ve been caught off guard in taking fights when I’m not ready,” said Whyte. “I’m just going to stay in the gym and be ready when these fights come so that I’ll never get caught off guard again. I was 2 or 3 stones overweight for my last fight [against Mariusz Wach].
“I’m going to make sure that I’m ready and never in that position again. If it’s May 2 and it needs to be rescheduled, I’ll be prepared regardless. I’m still sparring and sparring three times a week at the minute. And I’m training three times a day, and everything is going ahead.
“Don’t panic,” said Whyte about being getting stressed about the coronavirus. “Be as relaxed as you can be. Wash your hands and try and be positive,” said Whyte.
It’s too bad that Whyte doesn’t have a magic crystal ball that he can look into so that he can know for sure if his May 2 fight with Povetkin will take place. Whyte’s promoter Hearn probably already knows if he’s going to postpone his May 2 fight.
Last Friday, Hearn said he’s going to be making an announcement this week about Matchroom’s May 2, 9, and 23 cards. For Hearn to say that, he’s tipping fans off that those cards will all can be postponed.
