Negotiations between former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder and former unified champ Andy Ruiz Jr have reached an impasse after Andy’s dad refused the split offered.
Andy Sr believes Wilder (43-2-1, 42 KOs has no other options for his summer fight besides Ruiz, so he thinks he’ll eventually cave in and give them the 50-50 split they’re asking for.
If not, Ruiz Jr will be high & dry once again, foiling another big fight after whiffing on his attempts to negotiate a bout against WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury after reportedly asking for $20 million.
It’s presumptuous on Ruiz & his dad’s part to be insisting on a 50-50 deal with Wilder because Andy has been rarely seen since his loss to Anthony Joshua in 2019.
“Wilder wants to offer Andy around 30%. It’s not good money,” said Ruiz’s dad to Izquierdazo about them not willing to accept the 70-30 offer from Deontay Wilder.
30% is likely more money than Ruiz has made in his last two fights against Chris Arreola and Luis Ortiz. If Ruiz beats Wilder, it would potentially put him in the slot to face Joshua in December in Saudi Arabia, and he’ll be glad to have accepted the 30%.
Right now, Ruiz & his dad are looking at things from the narrow scope of them not getting the 50-50 deal that they want, but they’re failing to realize what they stand to gain by winning this fight against Wilder. Greed seems to be getting in the way of Ruiz’s from taking in the big picture.
“We want 50-50 because Wilder is no longer a champion,” said Ruiz Sr. “They are not offering a fair split. The only thing we are asking is a 50-50 split, we are not asking anything else. 50-50, and we are ready to fight Wilder and give him a good beating.
Ruiz Jr will be missing out on another massive payday against Wilder after Andy’s dad deemed the money they would get from a 70-30 split wouldn’t be good enough for them to take the fight. Ruiz & his dad want a 50-50 deal, and that’s not going to happen.
“Wilder doesn’t have any other options at this moment. Andy is not a random name. Andy is a former world champion, the first Mexican heavyweight world champion in history. A former champion, he made history.”
Ruiz (35-2, 22 KOs) is no longer a world champion, having lost his three heavyweight straps four years ago, and he’s not stayed active enough with his career to be putting himself on the same level as Wilder.
