Andy Ruiz Jr is confident he can take Deontay Wilder‘s legendary punching power. The former unified heavyweight champion is set to face Wilder in a WBC final eliminator next year and believes he has all the tools to take home the win.
Eddie Hearn has backed Ruiz Jr to beat Wilder, branding him a ‘nightmare for tall guys’ given his short stature and rapid combinations on the inside. The Destroyer caused Anthony Joshua all kinds of problems when they first met back in 2021 with Ruiz Jr stopping Joshua in the seventh round.
Now, he hopes he will be able to do the same against another big hard-hitting boxer in Wilder.
“For me, I feel like I can take a punch. I’m not saying that [Wilder] doesn’t hit hard or nothing,” Ruiz Jr told Boxing Social. “I’m gonna get in, I’m gonna throw my combinations, I’m gonna be fast, explosive, and I throw that right hand, in his temple, and he’s gonna go down … We’re right here trying to stay busy and trying to stay focused.”
Usyk can of course vacate his strap and choose to proceed with the Fury fight. However, Fury has repeatedly stated that he will only box Usyk if it is for all-four belts, meaning the Ukrainian may be forced to take on the Croatian puncher in order to keep his hope of becoming the first two-weight undisputed champion of the four-belt era alive.
If Usyk and Fury are unable to agree on a fight for three belts, Fury – who is looking to stay active after a brief retirement in April – would likely face the WBC No1 contender in the meantime.