Andy Ruiz calls for Anthony Joshua trilogy fight after Tyson Fury signs to face Deontay Wilder
Joshua is weighing up his options after a coveted undisputed bout with Fury collapsed
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Andy Ruiz Jr has called for a trilogy fight against Anthony Joshua after the Briton’s undisputed bout against Tyson Fury collapsed last week.
Joshua has been left aggrieved after an arbitrator ruled that Fury must honour a previous contract and rematch Deontay Wilder next.
Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, has accused Fury and his camp of purposefully dodging the bout, despite months of protracted negotiations.
Fury signed his contract to face Wilder live on ESPN last Saturday before Josh Taylor defeated Jose Ramirez to become the undisputed champion of the light welterweight division,
Joshua, who holds the IBF, WBA and WBO belts, has now been ordered to face his mandatory challenger Oleksandr Usyk as a result, with negotiations ongoing for a London stadium bout later this summer.
If Joshua does not agree a deal to fight Usyk, he will have to vacate the belt, however, Hearn said no options are being ruled out and revealed a third fight against Ruiz in the US remains a possibility.
He told iFL TV: “In an ideal world, if there’s good business to be done with Oleksandr Usyk, it’s got to be good business for him as well, that’s the fight next.
“I wouldn’t rule out any scenario at the moment for Anthony Joshua. We’ve probably got 10 days to decide what we’re going to do.
“There’s quite a few (options). If you’re going to America, he’s already messaged me, it’s like deja vu, Andy Ruiz. He messaged me on Instagram and said: ‘I’m ready, let’s do this, AJ v Ruiz three’. That’s a fight I think we’d be interested in, if you’re going to America, Luis Ortiz is another guy you could fight.
“If you’re doing the UK, I don’t know... Dillian Whyte, that’s a fight to make.”
Joshua reclaimed his belts from Ruiz in December 2019 after a spectacular upset in their first fight. The Mexican has since teamed up with Canelo Alvarez’s trainer, Eddie Reynoso, and made a belated ring return against Chris Arreola earlier this month.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments