By Dan Ambrose: Trainer Malik Scott says Deontay Wilder could go with Andy Ruiz for his next opponent in January if they can negotiate a deal.
Malik feels that the former IBF, WBA & WBO heavyweight champion Ruiz (35-2, 22 KOs), who has fought only twice in the last four years, would be an easy mark for Deontay to knock out.
Negotiating a fight between Wilder and Ruiz could be challenging as Ruiz’s mindset seems to be that of a superstar rather than a one-hit wonder who failed to maintain his career.
Even though it would be amazing to see Wilder take on Ruiz next, the negotiations for this match might be impossible due to Ruiz’s inflated ego.
Malik says he’d also like to see former WBC heavyweight champion Wilder (43-2-1, 42 KOs) fight the dangerous southpaw Zhilei ‘Big Bang’ Zhang next in China.
That would be a very risky fight for Wilder because he’s not been fighting southpaws, and his inactivity could be a problem for him going up against the dangerous two-time Chinese Olympian.
Andy Ruiz is a possibility for Wilder
“Ruiz is an option. We may go with Ruiz,” said Malik Scott to Daily Mail Sport Boxing regarding Deontay Wilder’s next fight.
“Don’t be surprised if we went with Andy Ruiz in January and knocked him out, and then see what we can do from there. Andy Ruiz is available, and he was available four months ago, and we gave him an offer. So, we’ll see,” Malik continued.
Ruiz’s career has slowed since he hit the jackpot with his two fights with Anthony Joshua, picking $10 million from those bouts and enjoying his wealth rather than fighting.
The Southern California native Ruiz earned a tremendous amount of money from his two fights with AJ quickly, which has affected his motivation to continue fighting.
If Ruiz had remained active in his career, he could have secured a lucrative third fight with Joshua. As a result, he wouldn’t have to beg fighters like Wilder and Tyson Fury for a fight.
Rather than using the washed Andy Ruiz Jr. as an opponent, Wilder should focus on one of these motivated go-getters:
- Arslanbek Makhmudov
- Frank Sanchez
- Filip Hrgovic
- Jared Anderson
- Martin Bakole
“I wouldn’t mind if Deontay knocked out Zhang, who recently defeated Joe Joyce,” said Malik. “Zhang has now become a viable option, and I would welcome the opportunity for the fight to take place in his home country.”
There’s very little chance that the management for Wilder will agree to match him against the 6’6″ Zhang because his punch resistance might not be up to the task of taking on a brawler like him, and it could end badly for the Alabama native.
“He [Ruiz] was saying he wanted to fight Deontay, but when you say you want to fight Deontay, you have to be ready to sign a contract,” said Malik.
“Who is available for Deontay because everyone at the highest level [Tyson Fury & Oleksandr Usyk] is tied up with other big fights. So that’s the frustrating part.”
There are a lot of quality heavyweights that would jump at the chance to fight Wilder, but the main issue is that they’re not popular enough to make it a marketable contest for PPV purposes.
If Wilder couldn’t handle Fury’s Grizzley bear-like mauling style, he wouldn’t last against other heavyweights like Zhang, Makhmudov, Anderson, Bakole, Sanchez, or Hrgovic. These guys can actually punch, and they would be a lot of trouble for Wilder.
“If you saw him now, you’d think he’s fighting tomorrow,” said Malik. “He’s in dog shape. We’re always drilling and working on fundamentals. Whenever he’s at home, he’s training in his gym. He’s always ready.”
“He’s at a point in his career where he can’t just fight anybody, he’s a big-time boxer and should be in big-time fights,” said Scott.
