WBC Officially Cancels the Wilder vs Ruiz After Multiple Failed Negotiations
In November 2022, the WBC ordered a final eliminator Wilder vs Ruiz bout between Deontay Wilder, the sanctioning body's top-ranked heavyweight, and second-ranked Andy Ruiz Jr. The winner of this Wilder vs Ruiz fight was set to become the mandatory challenger for the current champion, Tyson Fury. Initially, there was significant excitement about this match-up, but negotiations did not lead to a confirmed fight. After a quiet period, negotiations between the two parties reignited in the early summer. During these talks, Ruiz Jr.'s team claimed that they received an unsatisfactory offer from Wilder’s team for the Wilder vs Ruiz, which led to another breakdown in negotiations. Today, the WBC released an official statement declaring the initial order for the Wilder vs Ruiz final eliminator bout to be null and void due to the inability to finalize the fight. The statement read:
“The WBC Board of governors has ruled to cancel the order which was issued during the last annual convention calling for a final elimination bout between Deontay Wilder and Andy Ruiz jr to determine the mandatory challenger of the division. The WBC will evaluate the current situation in the division in order to review the viable options and if necessary, issue a new ruling during the WBC annual convention to be held in Uzbekistan in November.”While Ruiz Jr. is currently without a confirmed opponent, Deontay Wilder is reportedly in advanced negotiations to face Anthony Joshua in early 2024. This potential bout would pit the WBC’s first-ranked heavyweight (Wilder) against the third-ranked heavyweight (Joshua), offering an alternative path to establishing a mandatory challenger for Tyson Fury. In a notable departure from traditional title defenses, Tyson Fury is set to face MMA star Francis Ngannou in a crossover boxing match. This event is slated for October 28 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, rather than Fury defending his title against a ranked boxing contender in 2023. Saudi Arabia is also the anticipated location for the potential Wilder-Joshua fight, should that bout reach a final agreement. The American boxer, Wilder, has not ruled out the possibility of another fight before this proposed match-up with Joshua.
