Deontay Wilder confirmed that they are again in talks with Andy Ruiz’s team to be able to arrange a confrontation between the two for the beginning of 2024, after the Mexican-American underwent surgery on his right arm.
Speaking to Blue Blood Sports TV, Wilder commented that the fight with Ruiz was not lost yet and that after both teams apologized, negotiations began again to see if they reach an agreement this time.
“That fight is not lost… These guys get on my nerves, but we’re still in talks, man. We return to the conversations. There were a lot of apologies and things like that, but it was well received. We’ll see what happens,” he said.
It should be noted that last July, the former heavyweight champions were in a constant give-and-take in interviews and social networks after failing to agree on the negotiations for the confrontation. According to Andy Ruiz’s father and manager, Deontay Wilder offered him only 30% of the purse and they want to receive 50% ($10 million dollars) to accept the fight.
This inconvenience has made it impossible for both parties to reach an agreement and led the World Boxing Council (WBC) to cancel the fight as a final eliminator to face champion Tyson Fury, who will now face Oleksandr Usyk, possibly in February.
As the fight with The Destroyer has not materialized, although the Mexican-American remains interested, Wilder began negotiating a fight with Anthony Joshua in Saudi Arabia in early 2024, but they did not reach a deal either because, according to Malik Scott, the British is not really interested in this confrontation and now aims for a duel with Francis Ngannou.
Now again, Deontay Wilder and Andy Ruiz will try to reach an agreement to make the long-awaited return of both of them to the ring in an interesting fight that could define the challenger of the next undisputed heavyweight champion.
Deontay Wilder, 37, last entered the ring with Robert Helenius, whom he knocked out in the first round in October 2022. The American, former WBC heavyweight champion, has a record of 43 wins (42 knockouts) and 2 defeats .
For his part, Andy Ruiz, 33, will now have to wait until 2024 to try to find a new opponent and make his long-awaited return to the ring. The Mexican-American, also known as The Destroyer, has a record of 35 victories, 22 of them by knockout, and two defeats as a professional.