Former unified heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr, has slammed Anthony Joshua promoter Eddie Hearn for refusing to agree to a trilogy bout with the Nigerian-born British boxer.
The 34-year-old Mexican-American boxer said his chances of a trilogy showdown with Anthony Joshua are slim, believing that promoter Eddie Hearn is still ‘traumatised’ from their first bout.
Anthony Joshua lost his WBO, WBA, IBO and IBF titles to Andy Ruiz Jr at Madison Square Garden in New York in August 2019 in a fight that shocked the boxing world. Still, he reclaimed his world heavyweight championship in Saudi Arabia by outclassing Andy Ruiz Jr December 2019.
Ever since, there has been the potential of a rubber match, and the subject is always raised when ‘AJ’ is short of an opponent.
In an interview with Fight Hub TV, Ruiz revealed that a third clash with Joshua is unlikely, saying Hearn ‘doesn’t want to fight him against anyone good’.
Read also Anthony Joshua wins with seventh round one punch knockout
“I don’t think that they want the fight, Eddie Hearn is already traumatised. He doesn’t even want to fight him against anyone good unless they are going to just try and get their money and then leave.”
“Of course, I’d fight him in the UK, I’d go over there. Remember, when I fought him in the rematch I wasn’t good, I was overweight, I forgot everything that I was [meant to be] doing in the rematch. Now, it’s a whole different ball game, now it’s all different.
All I want to do is just show my talent, hopefully next year, and everybody is going to know who the heck Andy Ruiz is again.”
Whilst Ruiz’s next move is anybody’s guess, many fans are anticipating that Joshua will target the IBF world title by next facing either Filip Hrgovic or Otto Wallin and taking one of the respective spots in a proposed contest for the vacant IBF belt, which the winner of Fury-Usyk is expected to abandon.
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