Eddie Hearn WON’T let Tony Bellew fight Andy Ruiz Jr.

By Boxing News - 04/29/2020 - Comments

By Charles Brun: Eddie Hearn says he won’t let Tony Bellew come out of retirement to face former unified heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr. Bellew (30-3-1, 20 KOs) unleashed the dogs of war this week in saying he would make a “fool” of former IBF/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Ruiz Jr. (33-2, 22 KOs), and beat him easy.

Hearn could get in the way of Bellew taking on Ruiz, being that he’s against letting him take the fight. There would be a lot of money for Bellew to make if the match took place on Sky Box Office.

Those comments led to Ruiz and Bellew messaging with each other. Ruiz Jr. needs a tune-up opponent, and the 37-year-old former WBC cruiserweight champion Bellew would be an ideal opponent for him. Bellew is popular in the UK, and he would be an excellent option for Ruiz to help set up a trilogy match with Anthony Joshua down the road.

Bellew is still young enough to fight, and he possesses excellent punching power and better hand speed than most of the current top heavyweights in the division. What Bellew lacks is size, stamina, and a good chin.

Hearn will NEVER let Bellew fight Ruiz Jr.

“No, never ever,” said Hearn to IFL TV when asked if he’d let Bellew fight Andy Ruiz Jr. “I actually felt quite sorry for him. He phoned me up last week, and then [Andy] Ruiz came up, and he was ‘get me Ruiz. I’d play with him and beat him easy.’ So I brought it up in the interview, and I probably shouldn’t have never brought it up.

“The next thing was like, ‘Bellew could come out of retirement.’ They [Bellew and Ruiz] were even messaging each other last night. I would never let Bellew get in the ring again, and if he did, it would be for another promoter. He would never fight without me.

“So I won’t want to see Tony, one,  get hurt, and he wouldn’t agree with that. For years and years, he was mocked. He was thought of a loudmouth scouser, a British champion. He worked so hard to the European light-heavyweight, to the European cruiserweight,” said Hearn about Bellew.

It would be interesting to know how Bellew feels about it. He’s the one that will miss out on a lot of money in a fight against Ruiz with Hearn blocking it. Why wouldn’t Hearn let Bellew take the fight with Ruiz?

It’s not as if Bellew took a lot of punishment in his last three fights against Oleksandr Usyk and David Haye. Bellew was knocked out in the eighth round by Usyk in 2018, but he didn’t get hit a lot in the first seven rounds of the fight.

Tony would need to fight Ruiz a lot differently than he did Haye and Usyk, as he’s a lot bigger than those guys, and his combination punching power would a problem for Bellew.

Image: Eddie Hearn WON'T let Tony Bellew fight Andy Ruiz Jr.

Bellew put together big wins late in his career

“People forget that he came through two Isaac Chilemba fights,” said Hearn. “I know one was horrendous, but he came through those two fights and ended up going to Canada to fight Adonis Stevenson, and he got spanked up there. He came back and moved up to cruiserweight.

“Watch the Mateusz Masternak fight; it was for the European cruiserweight title. It was a brutal war. Massively underrated [win for Bellew]. He was fighting for his career that night, and came back and beat Ilunga Makabu in Goodison Park. Look at what Makabu has done now.

“He’s now WBC cruiserweight champion, and he’s been on a run and beaten three of the best cruiserweight in the world. So he won that, he defended his WBC world title [against BJ Flores], and he beat David Haye twice at heavyweight.

“We know that Haye was injured in the first fight. But still, he stepped up and battered him in the second fight [in beating Haye by a 5th round knockout],” said Hearn.

The 6’2″ Ruiz is the same height as Bellew, so he wouldn’t be giving away four to seven inches in height like he would in fights against Joshua or Tyson Fury.

If Bellew stands and fights Ruiz, he won’t last more than two or three rounds. He would need to use his feet and try and box him the way Joshua did last December.

Hearn proud of what Bellew has accomplished

“He [Bellew] then tried to become undisputed cruiserweight champion by fighting one of the best pound-for-pound fighters of all time. By the way, Bellew was arguably winning that fight until he was knocked out, [by Usyk],” said Hearn. “Usyk was the better man on the night.

“So I’m so proud of what he’s achieved. He has a load of money, a beautiful house, and he’s got his health. He could fight tomorrow, and he’s got loads in the tank. But never turn the engine off when the tank is dried out.

“Always leave a little bit of petrol in the tank, you know? It leaves the engine moving better. So it makes me so proud. With all the haters, you can’t mock Tony Bellew. Listen, it’s been nearly two years since Usyk.

“Probably,” said Hearn when asked if he’d get involved in a fight between Carl Froch and Joe Calzaghe if they both came out of retirement. “It’s never going to happen. Froch against Golovkin is the one that I wish we could have got,” said Hearn.

For Hearn to be willing to promote a fight between Froch and Calzaghe but not a Ruiz vs. Bellew, it makes him come across as hypocritical. Why would Hearn be open to letting the 42-year-old Froch come back to fight Calzaghe, but not the 37-year-old Bellew to face Ruiz Jr?

It doesn’t make sense. If Hearn wants to block that fight, then Bellew should consider finding another promoter that would be willing to put the fight together. It’s not as if Bellew will ever get another opportunity like this to get a big payday against a former world champion.

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