By Craig Daly: Trainer Malik Scott says it looks like Deontay Wilder could be facing Andy Ruiz Jr next before he meets with Anthony Joshua in December in Saudi Arabia.
Malik isn’t sure that the former WBC heavyweight champion Deotay (43-2-1, 42 KOs) will take the dangerous clash against former three-belt unified champ Ruiz (35-2, 22 KOs) because he would be risking a lot.
If Wilder, 37, loses, it would ruin his chances of a fight in Saudi Arabia against Joshua. With Deontay’s inactivity issues since 2020, it would be foolish for him to take on the speedy combination puncher like Ruiz, who would be looking to take his spot for the December bout against AJ.
The World Boxing Council already ordered Wilder – Ruiz to fight in a WBC title eliminator, but thus far, that hasn’t happened.
Wilder’s popularity is to the extent that he doesn’t need to fight in a title eliminator to get massive fights against Joshua or IBF, WBA & WBO champion Oleksandr Usyk.
“That’s a buzz right now. That looks like a route we may end up going, but Deontay is in a position where any possible opponent could change. Andy Ruiz is definitely one of the main options right now. We’ll see where it lands at,” said Malik Scott to ESNEWS about Deontay Wilder potentially fighting Andy Ruiz Jr next ahead of a Saudi mega-bout against Anthony Joshua.
“In my opinion, I would love to see it [Wilder vs. Ruiz] at the Crypto Center. I would love to see it in Vegas.”
Wilder needs to fight someone for a tune-up to help him prepare for the bout against Joshua in December because he hadn’t fought since last October when he knocked out his former sparring partner Robert Helenius in the first round at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
That fight ended so quickly that it didn’t give Wilder time to get the ring rust out from another year of inactivity.
Ruiz, 33, has had the same inactivity issues as Deontay, fighting just twice in the last four years since 2019 against the 40+ Chris Arreola and Luis Ortiz.
‘The Destroyer’ Ruiz didn’t look all that impressive in either of those fights against those older heavyweights, and it appears that he’s lost the hunger to stay active since becoming wealthy from his two fights against Joshua in 2019.
Ruiz upset Joshua in their first contest in 2019 to become the IBF/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion but then slacked off, didn’t train properly for the rematch, and lost the rematch in December of that year.
Ruiz is rich now with a net worth of $10 million+, and he doesn’t show the urgency that he once did to fight often.
