Deontay Wilder has provided a positive update on talks for a fight against Anthony Joshua but the American conceded the same cannot be said for a potential clash with Andy Ruiz Jr. The highly anticipated heavyweight showdown between Wilder and Joshua is scheduled to take place in Saudi Arabia at the end of the year.
Originally, the event was planned to feature a double-header with Tyson Fury facing Oleksandr Usyk. However, the undisputed clash between Fury and Usyk has been delayed once again.
Wilder echoed the recent comments made by Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, about the ongoing discussions for their fight. He told ESNews of the Joshua fight: “That’s looking very promising, very promising.
“I also got other offers as well from overseas so nobody needs to worry about who I fight because my life is very, very great, understand that. Don’t worry about who I fight because I could fight anybody in the world, they would love to see me come to their country, and love to see me in the States.”
However, the situation is not as optimistic regarding a potential fight with Ruiz Jr. Wilder cited his rival’s demand for an equal purse split as a major obstacle to making the bout happen.
“Andy, that ain’t so much the case, so they got to really think about this situation they are in,” said the American heavyweight. “They are talking about a 50-50, you ain’t nobody compared to me, bro, you were only a champion for a very short time, so stop that.”
Ruiz Jr hasn’t fought since his decision victory over Luis Ortiz, while Wilder made his return to the ring last October after a two-year absence, knocking out Robert Helenius. Wilder attended Ruiz Jr’s most recent contest when the Mexican-American called on promoter Al Haymon to make their fight happen.
However, the proposal from Wilder’s team has faced criticism from Ruiz Jr’s father, who stated: “They want Andy to accept a ridiculous amount. Andy is not just any boxer, he was the first Mexican heavyweight world champion in history.
“Wilder wants to offer 30 per cent. Andy and Wilder are going to fill the stadium, they are going to sell pay-per-views like crazy because everyone wants to see that fight, so it is not a fight that they are offering just enough.”
The fight between Wilder and Ruiz Jr could potentially be for the WBC belt, depending on the next move of the current titleholder, Fury. Fury has been struggling to secure his next opponent since his knockout victory over Derek Chisora in their trilogy fight last December.