Shawn Porter would like to see former IBF, WBA & WBO heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr. face Daniel ‘Dynamite’ Dubois this year.
Porter feels that a fight between the inactive but still popular Ruiz (35-2, 22 KOs) and former WBA ‘regular’ champion Dubois (20-2, 19 KOs) makes sense for both.
Ruiz’s career took off after a seventh round knockout victory over Anthony Joshua in June 2019, but he’s done very little with his career since. That victory turned out to be a curse for Ruiz, and it’s taken away his ambition ever since.
The 34-year-old Ruiz Jr. recently said he will be involved in a big fight in 2024. He was over in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, recently for the ‘Day of Reckoning’ event, hustling with the hope of persuading Anthony Joshua into giving him a trilogy fight.
“I want to see Andy Ruiz back in the ring. I think Daniel Dubois makes a lot of sense,” said Shawn Porter to ProBox TV about his wanting former unified heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr. to face Daniel Dubois next.
“Salute to Triple D because that man came ready to fight. He fought himself out of a reputation of quitting,” said Porter about Dubois showing heart to defeat previously unbeaten Jarrell ‘Big Baby’ Miller last month on December 23rd on the ‘Day of Reckoning’ card in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Sadly, Ruiz Jr. has fought just four times in the last five years and has wasted so much time sitting on the sidelines. The Southern California native, Ruiz earned $10 million for his two fights against Joshua, which seems to robbed him of his motivation to keep active with his career.
Ruiz didn’t give any hints about his big fight, but it would be ideal if he faced the 26-year-old Dubois or Joseph Parker. Andy lost a controversial twelve-round decision to Parker in New Zealand in 2016, slowing his career momentum.
Dubois temporarily saved his career with a tenth round knockout victory over 35-year-old Jarrell ‘Big Baby’ Miller on the December 23rd card, and he needs a big name to keep the momentum going to put him in position to potentially make a lot of dough fighting AJ or WBC champion Tyson Fury.
