Andy Ruiz Jr. won’t be happy if Oleksandr Usyk gets his wish to give Deontay Wilder a shot at the heavyweight title in the coming months.
The Mexican-American is currently on track for a massive pay-per-view against Wilder, who has been lined up by Al Haymon for the past two years.
Ruiz is one hurdle away from landing a big payday against Wilder. He just needs “The Bronze Bomber” to defeat Robert Helenius on October 15 and earn a WBC final eliminator.
However, Usyk’s interest in offering Wilder a shot at the WBA, WBO and IBF titles puts that in jeopardy. The whole scenario started after Tyson Fury reneged on his promise to retire.
Deontay Wilder vs. Andy Ruiz Jr.
Had WBC champion Fury gone, Ruiz and Wilder had plans to fight for the vacant green and gold belts.
The World Boxing Council organized a four-person tournament to crown the new WBC title holder. That went to pot when Fury backed away.
Mauricio Sulaiman still planned to allow the winner of the knockout competition to face Fury as a mandatory. However, Fury blew those jobs by agreeing to a two-fight deal with Anthony Joshua.
A second fight is almost certain to happen if their planned British showdown happens on December 3. This scenario leaves Ruiz, Wilder and Usyk in a tough spot as they try to get a shot at the lineal championship.
“The Gypsy King” also walked away from facing Usyk for the undisputed crown, leaving the Ukrainian to jeopardize Wilder vs Ruiz in the deal.
Oleksandr Usyk Curveball
When asked who he wanted to fight next, Usyk told Ring Magazine, “Deontay Wilder.”
He added: “Wilder is a dangerous fighter, and that fight would probably be in the United States.”
Manager Egis Klimas reiterated that call when he said that Usyk would like to fight the winner of Wilder vs Helenius: “Usyk would like to fight Wilder, but whoever wins that fight would be Usyk’s next.
“Usyk is not like Fury. He is looking for the winners, not the losers.”
Reports suggest that Usyk will be ringside at New York’s Barclays Center to watch Wilder vs. Helenius. However, Ruiz will not be happy with the current situation.
Now it’s up to Al Haymon of Premier Boxing Champions. Will it disappoint fans hoping to travel to Las Vegas in February 2023?
The top two heavyweights on the planet outside of the title picture would have been an explosive Pay Per View for the right to challenge for the WBC heavyweight title.
Wilder, who beat Bermane Stiverne to become WBC champion in 2015, is currently training alongside Malik Scott for the Helenius fight. He’ll get a boost if he could get a chance to compete for all the belts he hasn’t won after Brooklyn next month.
After title defenses against Gerald Washington, Chris Arreola, Johann Duhaupas and others, Fury took the belt from Wilder in 2020.
Fury defended him against Dillian Whyte before stating that he would hang up the gloves earlier this year.
Who will Deontay Wilder fight next?
Wilder, who has 41 knockouts in 42 wins, didn’t know when his next opportunity would come. That is why Ruiz’s clash was enlisted if both won their respective fights.
Ruiz thought he had earned the opportunity through a unanimous decision victory over Luis Ortiz last month. Turns out his success at Staples Center might lead to nothing.
Taking on the man from Tuscaloosa, Alabama was the plan all along. If Haymon has to alter that, it is Ruiz who will suffer the consequences.
To soften the blow, Ruiz would have to be guaranteed the winner of Usyk vs. Wilder later in the year.
WBN editor Phil Jay has over ten years of boxing news experience. He follows WBN on Facebook @officialworldboxingnews and Twitter @worldboxingnews.
