By Jim Calfa: Teddy Atlas believes that a potential fight between Deontay Wilder and Andy Ruiz Jr. for the final eliminator of the WBC heavyweight title is one that could go either way between these two powerhouse fighters.
If Wilder (42-2-1, 41 KOs) defeats Robert Helenius (31-3, 20 KOs) on October 15 in their semifinal eliminator for the WBC title, then we could see him face Ruiz in the final eliminator. .
According to Atlas, he sees that the fight between Wilder and Ruiz Jr comes down to which one can drop their bombs first.
While many boxing fans would assume that Wilder has too much power for Ruiz, who is easy to hit, that may not matter. If Ruiz gets to Wilder first before he can land his huge right hand, he can potentially knock him out.
Tyson Fury is nowhere near the puncher Ruiz is, and yet he scored two knockouts against Wilder.
“I would like to see Wilder and Ruiz; I’d like to see that,” Teddy Atlas said on The Fight.
“Am I so crazy to think that Ruiz is so easy to hit sometimes that Wilder is going to hit him with a bomb and get him out of there? That’s what I see happening,” said Ken Rideout.
“If he can stay off Wilder for 12 rounds, I’d be surprised if he can’t get one, and he only needs one. Although Ruiz has a chin, but man, Wilder can break.
“Ruiz also has some boxing ability,” Atlas said. “We are also looking at it the wrong way. ‘If Ruiz can survive the right hand, blah blah blah. Will he be able to win the fight? Will he be able to survive the rounds? Maybe he gets to Wilder first.
“Maybe that’s their strategy. They were wrong. The [Ruiz] the right hand does not have to survive. He has to not get hit with it, and he has to survive his right hand first before Wilder lands on his.
“If he can do that, he can win the fight. If he can get to Wilder first. As much as you’re saying, ‘Isn’t Ruiz easy to hit?’ The last thing I saw of Wilder, he wasn’t exactly Claude Rains. [actor from the 1933 film, The Invisible Man].
“He’s not exactly a ghost in there. It’s also not hard to hit. Wilder did not write the basics of boxing book. He only knows how to hit with his right hand. That’s it,” Atlas said.
