Former heavyweight champ Andy Ruiz says he is “for sure going to fight this year.” The Mexican-American has, by all accounts, been working hard, losing weight and getting the right type of hunger back. Speaking with ESNEWS, Ruiz said he doesn’t have an opponent yet, but that he has a few guys on his radar.
Ruiz says he would “like to shut up Dillian Whyte,” and he also wants a third go at Anthony Joshua. Ruiz firmly believes he has what it takes to become world champion all over again.
“I’d like to fight Dillian Whyte and I’d like to shut him up,” Ruiz said. “That would be an amazing fight in the United States or over there. I know I can win. I feel like I can win against everybody, but it’s just up to me. I’d like to fight the rematch again, the third fight with Anthony Joshua, and either between Wilder and Tyson Fury. Nobody thought I’d be champion of the world with the way I looked. I want to get back at it and be the man I’m supposed to be.”
Ruiz, who came in grossly overweight and out of shape for the December 2019 return with AJ, has a lot to do to convince fans he has the desire and the discipline needed to again reach the heights he reached back in June of last year. The first fight back should tell us a good deal. If Ruiz looks somewhat slimmed down (he’s never going to svelte) in his first fight back (there was talk it could be against Chris Arreola), thus proving to us that he has worked hard, that he IS serious, then we can talk about his chances of ruling again.
But until a focused, in shape Ruiz steps into the ring, it is just that – talk. Let’s hope Ruiz has got his desire back, a good, exciting fighter who slings plenty of leather with those fast hands, “The Destroyer” makes for good action fights. When he’s right. And Ruiz is definitely right when he says a fight between he and Dillian Whyte would be a great one.
In fact, that match-up has the stuff needed; the styles of the two men combined with their fighting attitude, to make for a possible Fight of the Year battle.
