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Andy Ruiz Jr. is eyeing a trilogy fight with Anthony Joshua in December.
'AJ' is fresh off his knockout win over Robert Helenius last month in the U.K. That was his second win in a row under new head coach, Derrick James. That second fight was taken partially to prepare for 'The Bronze Bomber' later this year.
The two heavyweights have stated that the fight is all but signed for December in Saudi Arabia. Prior to Joshua's win over Helenius, he stated that 'The Nordic Nightmare' was all that was standing between the historic bout. It's turned out to be far more complicated than that.
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Recently, Eddie Hearn has revealed that Anthony Joshua vs. Deontay Wilder is likely not going to happen this year. Furthermore, the Matchroom executive stated that 'AJ' will likely take a stay-busy December bout. That could be good news for Andy Ruiz Jr.
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'The Destroyer' is riding a two-fight winning streak, but also had a fight with Wilder fall through this year. With that being the case, he took to X. There, the former heavyweight champion called for a trilogy fight with Joshua.
In 2019, the two champions had a historic pair of fights. That June, Ruiz Jr. stepped in on short notice to score an upset win. However, in their rematch in December, Joshua dominated to re-win the gold he lost.
Eddie Hearn explains breakdown in Anthony Joshua vs. Deontay Wilder talks
As Eddie Hearn has explained, Anthony Joshua vs. Deontay Wilder likely won't happen due to Saudi Arabia.
The country has taken a heavy interest in the sport over the last few years. However, in 2023, they made a dramatic push to bring big fights to the country, scoring both Jake Paul vs. Tommy Fury and Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou.
They intended to hold Anthony Joshua's fight with 'The Bronze Bomber' there this December. However, in a recent interview with Boxing King Media, Eddie Hearn explained why things fell apart. In fact, he has to do with the two aforementioned boxing matches with the Furys.
Hearn stated that Saudi Skill Challenge was looking to do more hybrid fights like Fury vs. Ngannou and less like Joshua vs. Wilder. Speaking in the interview, the promoter revealed:
"You saw yesterday they throw a lot of money in these things and make some noise. For us, we've agreed to terms for Joshua and Wilder, but until we receive a contract, the fight's not happening. Everybody has agreed to terms, but until the money is put in place, the fight's not happening."
