Andy Ruiz Jr. has thrown has into the ring, offering to jump in a late substitute for Anthony Joshua to fight next Saturday night on August 12th at the O2 Arena in London after Dillian Whyte was scratched from the card after a failed VADA test.
Given reports of Ruiz asking for $20 million for a fight with Tyson Fury, it’s pretty unlikely that Joshua will use him as his opponent for August 12th. Andy’s inflated sense of what he’s worth doesn’t match the reality of the marketplace.
Ruiz has been begging for a trilogy fight with Joshua for the last four years since losing twelve round decision in their rematch in December 2019.
“Eddie Hearn, Joshua, I think I found a new replacement again. Let’s run it back, let’s get the trilogy,” said Andy Ruiz Jr today on social media.
It would be a miracle for Joshua to use Ruiz as his opponent because the numbers that Andy would want wouldn’t match what Hearn would be offering.
Eddie Hearn told Ruiz back then that if he wanted a trilogy fight with Joshua, he needed to get some solid wins against top-level opposition. Sadly, Ruiz did the opposite, fighting journeymen Chris Arreola and Luis Ortiz.
If Ruiz had followed Hearn’s direction, he would have gotten the trilogy match against Joshua by now, but many fans believe he’s been too busy enjoying the $10 million he made from his two fights with AJ and has not interested in going back to work, especially against top rung opposition like Arslanbek Makhmudov, Jared Anderson or Filip Hrgovic.
Joshua (25-3, 22 KOs) intends to stay on the card but needs a suitable opponent to be found quickly. Under normal circumstances, Ruiz would be a good option, but using him isn’t ideal with a week’s notice.
Joshua’s been preparing for Whyte’s style, and it would take time to get ready for the speedy combination punching Ruiz, 33, is known for.
The 35-year-old Whyte’s VADA conducted test returned adverse analytical findings, making removing him from the card necessary.
In hindsight, Joshua should have listened to the boxing public, who were deadset against him using Whyte as his tune-up opponent to prepare him for a fight against Deontay Wilder in Saudi Arabia.
This would have been the equivalent of the Super Bowl for Whyte, who is pretty much on his last leg at 35, having lost two out of his last four fights.
They might as well have used Derek Chisora for Joshua’s opponent for August 12th because it would have amounted to the same thing.
Other options for Joshua:
– Agit Kabayel
– Demsey McKean
– Frank Sanchez
– Jonathan Guidry
– Fabio Wardley
– Justis Hunis
– Nathan Gorman
