Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn has made an offer to PBC for former heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr. to face Derek Chisora next.
PBC wants Hearn to sweeten the offer, but he’s hoping he can put a deal together. This would be a dream fight for the 38-year-old Chisora (32-12, 23 KOs) at this late stage in his career, as he’s lost his last three fights.
There are no words to describe how bad Chisora looked in his loss to Joseph Parker last December. Chisora was hopelessly outclassed in that fight and was fortunate to see the final bell after 12 one-sided rounds.
Although Hearn has talked of wanting to match Chisora against Deontay Wilder, that’s completely unrealistic. The best that Hearn can hope for is Ruiz (33-2, 22 KOs).
The only reason Hearn has a chance of making this fight is that Ruiz seems to have lost all his ambition after getting two massive payday fights against Anthony Joshua in 2019. Ruiz has only fought once since, struggling to beat Chris Arreola.
Hearn made an offer to PBC
“When is Chisora out next? I want to make Chisora against Andy Ruiz Jr,” said Eddie Hearn said via TalkSport. “I made PBC an offer for that fight on Friday. They want more money, understood.
“But I want to make Chisora vs. Ruiz, that’s a great fight,” said Hearn.
Ruiz has the capability to recapture titles
“Listen, I’ve said this time and time again and I’ve done so many interviews about Andy Ruiz,” said Ruiz’s former trainer Manny Robles to Fighthype. “It’s up to Andy.
“Andy has the potential to be world champion again, and it wasn’t a coincidence when Andy won a world title because I believe in Andy.
“Andy has great capability, he’s an incredible fighter. He may not look the part, but he can play the part. No way,” said Robles when asked if it was ‘good luck’ on his part when he upset former IBF/WBA/WBC heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua in their first fight in June 2019.
“They can say what they want. Yeah, it was discipline. The problem with Andy is discipline. He’s got to want it, he’s got to be hungry, he’s got, and I believe if he does stay disciplined and gathers himself and puts himself in the right position to say, ‘Listen, man. The time doesn’t stop. It keeps on ticking. So you’ve got to wake up and say it’s now or never.’
“If he does that and looks at himself in the mirror and says, ‘It’s now or never’ and gets back on the horse, back in the training and back into being disciplined, there’s no doubt in my mind that he can become a world champion.
“I really don’t know what happened because I’m not there,” said Robles when told that Ruiz Jr. had ‘another slip-up, a hiccup’ at the Canelo Alvarez gym with his training problems rearing their ugly head again.
“I don’t know what happened between Andy and the Canelo camp. All I know is from my experience in knowing Andy if he disciplines himself and gets back on the horse and does some inner soul-searching, ‘I’m going to get right, back to work.’
“Again, there’s no doubt in my mind that he can become a world champion. I don’t know, it’s up to them, it’s not up to me,” said Robles when asked if he’d be open to working with Andy Ruiz Jr again.
“Look, I coach. Luckily for me, I’m busy. I’m working tomorrow night, next week, the week after. We have fights every week. This game doesn’t stop. I’m here, and I’m blessed to be in the position I’m in today.
“That’s entirely up to Andy and his team. He’s got to sit back. Like I said, what does he want? I’ve said this time and time again, and I’ve said to my fighters, ‘You’re either hot or you’re cold, but you can’t be warm. You can’t be in between.’
“You either do it or you don’t, but you can’t be in between. If you don’t do it, that’s fine. Don’t do it. But if you’re going to do it, do it all the way. You can’t be half-a****, do you know what I mean?
“If you want it, go get it,” said Robles.
