Former world heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz "Little Fat" Jr. confirmed that he will be battling WBC champion Tyson Fury, and revealed the time of the fight - July 22!
The 33-year-old has not played a boxing title since his 2019 rematch against Anthony Joshua in a rematch, and he was once seen as a Buster-Douglas-esque figure, a symbol of quick climb to the top and quick destruction, but if Ruiz and Fury make a deal that proves that he is better than Douglas, at least he has another chance to compete for the world title.
Ruiz announced the news via social media, where he wrote: Tyson Fury VS Andy Ruiz Jr. official! July 22. An emoji of the Union Jack was also added.
Whether Ruiz and Fury really reached an agreement remains to be officially confirmed, but the analysis believes that unless Ruiz deliberately lies, there is no need for him to make such jokes. It is understood that if the match between Fury and Ruiz is staged, the venue will be the famous Wembley Stadium in London. Fury's last appearance at Wembley Stadium was against Dillian White in April last year, which attracted 90,000 spectators despite being considered lacking in suspense, and given the more dramatic Fury-Ruiz clash, the crowd is expected to be at least equal to 90,000.
Ruiz stayed away from the ring for nearly 18 months after suffering Joshua's revenge in 2019 until he returned to boxing in 2021 by defeating Chris Ariola. Ruiz's last match was last September, when he defeated Cuban "King Kong" Luis Ortiz on points, in which he knocked out his opponent three times.
At first, Mr. Ruiz was seen as Fuli's favorite this summer, but with his girlfriend accused of domestic violence this month, it was thought that Ruiz could be eliminated, and China's Zhang Zhilei was seen as Fuli's new favourite.
Now, with Ruiz "confirmed" to play Fuli, it means that Zhang Zhilei is out of play, and there is news that even if Fuli and Ruiz fail to reach an agreement, it will be difficult for Zhang Zhilei to challenge Fuli, because his old rival Joe Joyce decided to directly launch the rematch, which left Zhang Zhilei with no choice.
Last month, Fury's unification fight with WBA, IBF and WBO champion Orekosande Usyk collapsed, but if Furi draws Ruiz next, he will re-face Usyk in December, Saudi Arabia has planned to spend a lot of money to build this fight, as well as the Anthony Joshua vs Deontay Wild fight, only Fury's claim that this is complete nonsense, which was refuted by Usyk promoter Alex Crassuk, who accused Fury of bluffing, And slamming the opponent is the "only obstacle" that hinders the game.
Fury is yet to train and doesn't seem in a hurry, and he plans to travel to Australia on the 24th of next month to cheer on his friend and sparring partner Joseph Parker, where Parker will face the little-known Opelu Faiga (15-3-2, 11 KOs).
According to Fury's arrangement, he should be ready for the fight after participating in Parker, so that some fans think that the time is too late? But historically, Fury's training camp is generally six weeks, so it's not much of a problem to take on Ruiz on July 22. Next, we just need to wait for the final official announcement to see if Fury and Ruiz will compete this summer.