By Jim Calfa: Moments after Andy Ruiz Jr’s 12-round unanimous decision victory over Luis Ortiz last Sunday night, Deontay Wilder made it clear that he is an opponent to fight Ruiz.
Wilder was ringside to see Ruiz defeat Ortiz in a thrilling fight at the Crypto Arena in Los Angeles. Deontay said he is open to fighting Ruiz (35-2, 22 KOs) after he gets through his Oct. 15 fight against Robert Helenius at Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Ruiz looked shaky at times tonight, getting hurt and scarred by many heavy shots from Ortiz. Ruiz pulled out the win by knocking Ortiz down three times in the contest.
“It was a great fight just like I thought it would be. Ortiz fell short tonight. I thought he should have let go of his hands a bit more. He was very cautious,” Deontay Wilder told Fighthype.
“All praise to Andy. He put up a great fight. He fought the right fight, so you have to give him a lot of support. We all do bad and good things there. That depends on our description as we go back to the ring to see what we have to fix and what not.
“Overall, it was a great fight, and I think people got their money’s worth for sure. I definitely have mine. That’s definitely how the road looks to go,” Wilder said when asked if he would entertain a fight against Ruiz.
“Everyone is hinting about that fight. When you’re in a fight, chances are the Powers That Be are trying to line something up. We’ll see what happens.
“If he [Tyson Fury] he overestimates himself [for the Oleksandr Usyk] for that fight, they know where to find me. Five hundred million is definitely valuing itself. I’m here. Deontay Wilder is back. I’m here to make the division strong and exciting again.
“I’m here for all the smoke, but we’ll see what happens. Boxing is strictly a business, and you must treat it as such. We will see what the business is and how it is being managed to make that fight happen.
“I’m in the heavyweight division, so I’m ready for anybody in the heavyweight division,” Wilder said.
