Deontay Wilder and Andy Ruiz Jr. posed for pictures for the media during this week’s Canelo vs. Terence Crawford event activities in Las Vegas. The two former heavyweight champions engaged in a face-off, which has fans thinking that the aging long-in-the-tooth fighters could be set to fight soon.
It’s questionable how much interest fans would have in seeing Ruiz and Wilder fight at this late stage of their careers. The two heavyweights have been too inactive, and neither is considered relevant any longer. The reaction on social media to the Wilder-Ruiz face-off today has mainly been negative, with fans stating they no longer care about this fight.
Some older, sentimental fans might still be interested in seeing this fight, but it’s unlikely to generate many PPV buys if it were sold on Prime Video or DAZN pay-per-view.
The former WBC champion Wilder and former IBF, IBO, and WBA champion Ruiz had the chance to fight in 2022 when their bout was ordered. They bickered over purse splits and failed to happen.
The Impact of Inactivity
Ruiz has fought just once in the last three years since 2022, and is coming off a 12-round majority draw against Jarrell Miller on August 3, 2024. Although he’s been calling out the big names, trying to get fights, his chronic inactivity has weakened his ability to get fights.
The perception among fans is that Andy was spoiled by the $10 million he earned from his two fights against Anthony Joshua in 2019 and has shown no ambition to stay active and work his way back into a position to fight for another world title. Ruiz has mostly been calling out Joshua, Tyson Fury, and other big names, hoping for a fight to be given to him.
Again, it’s late in the game for both of them, as they’ve not beaten world-level opposition in many years. Wilder (44-4-1, 43 KOs), now 39, was in negotiations with Ruiz from November 2022 to August 2023 after the WBC ordered them to fight to determine the mandatory challenger for then WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.
Unfortunately, the fight failed to be successfully negotiated after Wilder and Ruiz couldn’t agree on the purse split. Ruiz (35-2-1, 22 KOs) wanted a 50-50 split or flat $10-25 million, and reportedly felt he deserved it as a former unified heavyweight champion. Wilder wanted a 70-30 split. The WBC eventually rescinded its order for the fight on August 18, 2023.
Last Updated on 09/13/2025
Read the full article here