Andy Ruiz was apparently excited to see Deontay Wilder suffer a colossal upset last Saturday night.
Ruiz, the former heavyweight champion from Imperial, California, was ringside for the much-hyped card in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which featured a host of top-tier heavyweights, including Anthony Joshua in the main event against Otto Wallin and Wilder against Joseph Parker. .
A showdown between Joshua and Wilder had reportedly been scheduled for March in Riyadh on the condition that both fighters emerge victorious on Saturday.
But while Joshua easily dispatched Wallin in five rounds, his rival Wilder had his hands full with Parker.
After 12 rounds, New Zealand’s Parker earned a unanimous decision over the acclaimed puncher from Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
In an interview, Ruiz indicated that he felt a little joy seeing Wilder lose to Parker. Ruiz and Wilder have exchanged bitter words over the past year regarding negotiating a deal for a possible fight.
“I was actually praying for Joseph Parker, I wanted him to win,” Ruiz told iFL TV after the fight’s conclusion. “I wanted him to beat up Wilder because he was talking shit. He talked so much shit to everyone saying he was going to knock this guy out, that guy, and I was super happy with Joseph Parker, man.”
Ruiz has suffered from inactivity since losing a decision to Joshua in 2019 in their rematch. He has only fought twice since then, both via unanimous decisions over Chris Arreola and Luiz Ortiz.
Ruiz, who has vowed to return to the ring next year, has expressed interest in a rematch with either Joshua or Parker, who defeated Ruiz by majority decision in their fight for the vacant WBO title in 2016.
“He beat me the first time,” Ruiz said. “I know it wasn’t like a real [defeat], but he beat me there in his hometown and I wouldn’t mind running him again. I just want to see if AJ wants to run it again and get the trilogy, maybe not.”
Sean Nam is the author of Murder on Federal Street: Tyrone Everett, the Black Mob, and the Last Golden Age of Philadelphia Boxing.
