By Dan Ambrose: Luis ‘King Kong’ Ortiz predicts that former WBC heavyweight champion Deonty Wilder will destroy Andy Ruiz Jr if that fight comes off in the summer.
Wilder (43-2-1, 42 KOs) needs a tune-up opponent, and he’s offering the former a second chance to better himself to return from the mess he’s made of his career by not training hard and staying active in the last four years.
A win here for Ruiz potentially puts him in a position to fight Anthony Joshua in December in a trilogy fight in Saudi Arabia.
Ruiz has been banging the drum for a third contest against AJ since he lost to him in December 2019, but he’s been unable to get that match due to his unwillingness to take risks by fighting A-level opposition since that defeat.
“He’ll kill Andy Ruiz. Andy Ruiz, we need the rematch. I loved that fight, but Deontay has a strong heart; he’s like me. He wants the belts, and I want the belts, too,” said Luis ‘King Kong’ Ortiz to Blue Blood Sports TV about his belief that Deontay Wilder will destroy Andy Ruiz Jr if that fight comes off.
Wilder has the right hand power to obliterate Ruiz if he can land a big shot on the button as he did in his last fight against Robert Helenious last October.
By the same token, Ruiz has enough power to knock out Wilder if he lands his shots. If a slapper/rabbit puncher like Tyson Fury can stop Wilder twice, a far, far better puncher like Ruiz can do it more cleanly.
If Ruiz (35-2, 22 KOs) prices himself out for the fight, he may not ever get any other opportunities to turn his sagging career around to earn the massive money he craves in battles against the popular Anthony Joshua & Tyson Fury.
Ruiz is a risky warm-up clash with Deontay, who has hurt his own career by fighting just once since his loss to Tyson Fury in 2021.
Wilder feels he’s up to the task of beating the stubby 6’2″ Ruiz, but he may not get the chance if the Imperial, California native fails to confront the unpleasant reality that he’s no longer a world champion and his popularity has dropped off due to his inactivity and loss to Joshua.
It’s admirable that Wilder is willing to throw a bone to the needy Ruiz to offer him the chance to avert the disaster that his career is heading toward, but if he’s unable to grasp the reality that he’s no longer in a position to demand tremendous money for his fights, he’s going to end up missing out on this bout.
