World Boxing Council President Mauricio Sulaiman explained that his organization has positioned former unified world champion Andy Ruiz to face the winner of next month’s heavyweight clash between Deontay Wilder and Robert Helenius.
This past Sunday night, Ruiz scored three knockdowns to secure a twelve-round unanimous decision win over Luis Ortiz in a WBC eliminator.
On October 15, Wilder will face Helenius at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center in another WBC eliminator.
Sulaiman indicates that Ruiz will have to face Wilder-Helenius in a sanctioned final eliminator, with the overall win making him the mandatory challenger for reigning WBC world champion Tyson Fury.
Wilder has already faced Fury three times, with his third contest being played in October 2021. Wilder knocked Fury down twice, but also suffered three knockdowns and was ultimately stopped in the 11th round.
“As of writing this column, I am looking forward to going to the Crypto.com Arena (Staples Center) in Los Angeles to witness a huge card on which Mexico is heavily represented,” Sulaiman wrote in his weekly column on Sunday.
“Ruiz vs. Ortiz is an official WBC elimination fight. The winner will get the pass to fight a final eliminator for the mandatory position of the division. Deontay Wilder returns to the ring on October 15 to face Robert Helenius at the Barclays Center in another Winner Goes Winner Semifinal Elimination Match between Ruiz vs. Ortiz.
“While all of this is going on, WBC world champion Tyson Fury is hoping his and Oleksandr Usyk’s promoters will come to an agreement for the first heavyweight unification fight of the four-belt era. If this fight is signed, Fury, our WBC champion, will face Usyk, WBO, IBF, IBO and WBA champion.”
