Promoter Eddie Hearn has a lot going on right now (an understatement if ever there was one!), with a number of fighters – Dillian Whyte, with Hearn firing back at the “cheat” claims currently aimed at the highly-ranked heavyweight, Luke Campbell, who is preparing for his massive fight with Vasyl Lomachenko, and others – yet high on Hearn’s agenda is securing a UK venue for the return fight between Andy Ruiz and Anthony Joshua.
And Hearn, despite all that has happened with Whyte and the ramifications of his PEDs woe (Ruiz recently tweeting how he will no way come to the UK to fight now), remains optimistic the sequel WILL take place in the UK.
Speaking with reporters, as quoted by Talk Sport, Hearn stated: “I do believe the fight will take place on December 14 in Cardiff. We will have to see if that’s finalised, but it will be finalised very soon.”
Apparently the two venues the fight has been narrowed down to are Madison Square Garden in New York, on November 29 (MSG scene of course of big underdog Ruiz’ even bigger upset win to become the three-belt champ) and the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on Dec. 14.
Ruiz has said many times he does not wish to fight in the UK (he said so even before the whole Whyte situation) and he may stick to his guns. It could prove to be a very testing time for Hearn and his empire. If the worst happens and Whyte’s B sample comes back positive and the once-beaten heavyweight contender is punished with the maximum penalty, and if Joshua and Campbell lose their upcoming fights, Hearn would have experienced perhaps his toughest five months in the sport.
In terms of who wins the Ruiz-Joshua return fight, many fans see a repeat win for the Mexican “Destroyer,” while Joshua’s faithful fans feel he merely had a bad night back on June 1. Whether it unfolds in New York or in Cardiff, we will soon find out who is right.