By Dan Ambrose: Deontay Wilder says he would still like to take a summer tune-up fight, but if it doesn’t happen, he’s prepared to sit until his mega-0-bout against Anthony Joshua in Saudi Arabia in December or January.
The former WBC heavyweight champion Wilder (43-2-1, 42 KOs) has been trying to negotiate a warm-up contest against Andy Ruiz Jr, but it’s not looking good with the former IBF, WBA & WBO champion’s dad wanting a 50-50 purse split.
With Ruiz roughly fighting once every two years now, we might not see another sighting of him until 2024, as he’s already been out of the ring for a year.
Ruiz is like Halley’s comet, which orbits the Earth every 76 years and won’t be seen again until 2061. If we’re lucky, Ruiz will pass this way next year to be seen by fans with their eyes peeled and ready to come out for one of the rare sightings of the one-hit-wonder.
Ruiz, 33, has only fought twice in the last four years, beating 40-ish heavyweights Luis Ortiz and Chris Arreola.
Wilder laughed off that request, making it clear that Ruiz (35-2, 22 KOs) needs to accept the offer, which is rumored to be a 70-30 split.
There may have been a brief window where Ruiz would have gotten a 50-50 deal with Wilder, but the way he’s nosedived his career with his inactivity and focus on fighting just old guys in the last four years, he’s not going to get that kind of a cut.
If Ruiz doesn’t accept the deal, Wilder predicts that his career could be heading downhill, not that it’s going swimmingly.
“I’m still looking to fight, but if a situation comes where I have to sit out, then so be it,” said Deontay Wilder to 78SportsTV. “I’ve built myself to the point where I can either take opportunities or sit out without worrying about money.
“Everything I have, I own. We’ve got some things lined up, everything is lined up. So I can sit, rest, and do what I do; I can chill. I paid the cost to be the boss and live how I want.”
If Wilder wants to take a tune-up bout this summer, he needs to forget about Ruiz and turn his attention to one of these heavyweights contenders:
- Frank Sanchez
- Agit Kabayel
- Dempsey McKean
- Otto Wallin
- Efe Ajagba
With the huge money Wilder is getting for the Joshua fight, it doesn’t make sense for him to be taking a tune-up. As long as he’s staying in the gym, he should be ready to fight Joshua (25-3, 22 KOs) in December or January in Saudi Arabia.
