Deontay Wilder's coach says Andy Ruiz is a viable option for January if they reach an agreement

Malik Scott, Deontay Wilder’s trainer, expressed that Andy Ruiz remains a viable option for his pupil in January if both parties reach an agreement economic after the fall of the confrontation with Anthony Joshua.

In an interview with Daily Mail Sport Boxing, Scott indicated that they are willing to negotiate with Ruiz and knock him out, but if he is not ready to sign the contract with Wilder, also They have a fight with Zhilei Zhang in China in mind next.

“Ruiz is an option. We can go with Ruiz. Don’t be surprised if we pick Andy Ruiz in January and knock him out, and then we’ll see what we can do from there. Andy Ruiz is available, he was available four months ago and we made him an offer. Then we’ll see,” he said.

“I wouldn’t mind if Deontay knocked out Zhang, who recently defeated Joe Joyce. Zhang has now become a viable option and would welcome the opportunity for the fight to take place in his home country. He (Ruiz) was saying that he wanted to fight Deontay, but When you say you want to fight Deontay, you have to be ready to sign a contract. Who is available for Deontay? Because everyone at the highest level is busy with other important fights. That’s the frustrating part,” he noted.

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 He offered them only 30% of the stock 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 to the World Boxing Council (WBC) to cancel the fight as a final eliminator to face the champion Tyson Fury next.

As the fight with The Destroyer does not materialize, although the Mexican-American remains interested, Wilder began negotiating a fight with Anthony Joshua in Saudi Arabia in early 2024, but they also did not reach a deal because, according to Malik Scott, the British is not really interested in this confrontation.

Deontay Wilder, 37, He 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 setbacks.

For his part, Andy Ruiz, 33, has not had action since he defeated Luis ‘King Kong’ Ortiz by unanimous decision in September 2022. The Mexican American He has a record of 35 victories, 22 of them by knockout, and 2 losses as a professional.

Keep reading:
· Andy Ruiz only has Deontay Wilder in his mind and heart: “I’m going to win the fight”
· Andy Ruiz challenges Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua again, but assures that “no one wants to fight”
· Andy Ruiz asks Mauricio Sulaimán for a fight with Tyson Fury in Mexico: “Give me the opportunity”