Andy Ruiz Jr. says he was happy that Deontay Wilder lost to Joseph Parker, and he feels that he could have done a better job against Anthony Joshua than Otto Wallin last Saturday night at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
There’s little chance that Ruiz would have been given the chance to fight Joshua because he’s still rebuilt mentally since his two defeats against Oleksandr Usyk.
Joshua’s promoter has been careful with him lately, matching him against Wallin, Robert Helenius, and Jermaine Franklin, fighters that Ruiz would obviously beat if he was in good condition.
Ruiz (35-2, 22 KOs) traveled to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, last Saturday night with the hopes of setting up a trilogy fight against Joshua.
It was a waste of Ruiz’s time because Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, has already said he wants to match him against #1 IBF Filip Hrgovic next for the title if it’s vacated. Ruiz has nothing to offer Joshua.
Andy has been pushing for the third clash against Joshua since losing to him in December 2019, but he’s not been taken seriously.
“I wish it was someone with more skills, who wanted to win the fight, and wanted to throw more punches, like me. I wish it was me fighting him. Hopefully, we can do the trilogy. If not, he’ll probably go another route,” said Andy Ruiz Jr. to Fight Hub TV, talking about how Anthony Joshua should have chosen him rather than Otto Wallin last Saturday night in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Most fans believe that Ruiz, 34, has been his own worst enemy by not staying active in the last four years since losing to Joshua in 2019. Ruiz has fought just twice, beating Luis Ortiz and Chris Arreola.
He should have fought eight to ten times since 2019, and he’d be in the thick of things, not needing to beg Joshua for a fight.
“If not, there’s always Joseph Parker. Man, I was praying for Parker to win. I was so happy. He got the victory, and I wanted the chance to beat Wilder, and I wish I had the opportunity,” said Ruiz, sounding bitter.
Ruiz is still upset that the former WBC heavyweight champion Wilder (43-3-1, 42 KOs) chose not to fight him. Wilder and Ruiz were in brief talks for a fight recently, but they couldn’t agree to terms. Wilder would have fought Ruiz if he hadn’t priced himself out in the negotiations. That was another example of Ruiz shooting himself in the foot.
