By Charles Brun: Eddie Hearn reacted negatively to hearing about Deontay Wilder expressing interest in facing Andy Ruiz Jr soon, and he doesn’t see him winning that match.
Hearn says the former WBC heavyweight champion Wilder (42-1-1, 41 KOs) won’t beat Ruiz Jr (33-2, 22 KOs) now that he’s with trainer Eddy Reynoso, and he won’t beat Anthony Joshua either.
According to Hearn, there aren’t many heavyweights that can defeat Ruiz. Hearn doesn’t mention who he feels can beat Ruiz, but he likely sees Dillian Whyte, Filip Hrgovic, and, of course, Joshua all beating him. In other words, Hearn’s Matchroom stable heavyweights with beat Ruiz.
It’s difficult to know if Hearn is feeling bitter because he could not negotiate a fight with Wilder years ago or if he truly believes what he says that he can’t beat Joshua or Ruiz.
What perhaps hurt Hearn’s chances of getting Wilder to agree to a fight against Joshua was him talking about flat fees and how he didn’t bring in the same type of audiences as AJ. Hearn’s preoccupation with making it clear that Wilder was the B-side wrecked things.
Wilder hasn’t fought since his loss to Tyson Fury last year in February, and he wants to get back in action. The 6’7″ ‘Bronze Bomber’ has several talented heavyweights that he wants to take on, Ruiz, Fury, and Joshua are his shortlist.
Ruiz is planning a tune-up fight in the spring against 40-year-old Chris Arreola. That’s a winnable fight for Ruiz as long as he’s in shape and ready to fight hard.
The former IBF/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion has been inactive since December 2019, when he lost to Joshua in a rematch. Ever since that fight, Ruiz has slowly been taking off the weight.
“Deontay Wilder does not beat Anthony Joshua, and he does not beat Andy Ruiz either, that’s for sure,” said Hearn to iFL TV.
“He has to be very careful of those fights, and now Andy Ruiz has teamed up with Eddie Reynoso in the team; I think he’s going to be a real force,” said Hearn.
Wilder is more than capable of beating both Joshua and Ruiz if he’s in top form, not fighting with an injured bicep, and getting hit with rabbit punches to the back of the head.
If Wilder is 100% healthy, he will be a massive problem for Joshua and Ruiz.
With Wilder’s long reach, he’s capable of keeping Ruiz on the outside in the same way he did in his win over Chris Arreola. Wilder beat Arreola with one hand in stopping him in the eighth round in 2016.
“I don’t think there are many heavyweights out there who will beat Andy Ruiz, honestly. I think he’ll give Deontay Wilder fits,” said Hearn.
Right now, Wilder has to prove himself all over again because of the time out of the ring, and his loss to Fury has many boxing fans doubting his ability to beat any of the top heavyweights.