Deontay Wilder has hit out at Andy Ruiz Jr, labelling his prospective opponent a ‘short, fat fighter’ as talks between the heavyweights stall.
Wilder last fought in October, knocking out Robert Helenius in the first round, a month after Ruiz Jr outpointed Luis Ortiz. Wilder, 37, and Ruiz Jr, 33, have since been linked to one another, but a bout between the Americans seems no closer to being confirmed.
Wilder has now blasted Ruiz Jr, telling ES News on Thursday (29 June): “Me and Andy are two different people. Andy was only a champion for the blink of an eye. I’m a five-year, 10-title-defence champion.
“What I possess is power, I put people on the edge of their seats every time, people come to see my God-given talent. On the other hand: Andy, what are we seeing from him? A short, fat fighter with small hands that make him look fast. That’s it.
“You ain’t putting nobody on the edge of their seats, ain’t nobody getting excited. The only reason this fight would be exciting is because they wanna see how fast I would knock him out. Andy’s a one-round fight.”
Wilder, who held the WBC heavyweight title and was unbeaten before losing the belt to Tyson Fury in 2020, also took aim at Ruiz Jr’s father.
Addressing Andy Ruiz Sr’s claim that Wilder had offered Ruiz Jr a 70/30 purse split, Wilder said: “Let’s ask Andy’s dad, ‘What was the offer given?’ Because we ain’t talked about no money, so how does he know if it was a 70/30 offer?
“I didn’t talk to Andy’s daddy about any type of money whatsoever. Andy’s gonna be 33 years old, f***ing broke, can’t support his children, because his daddy made decisions for him – decisions that he should’ve made for himself.
Ruiz Jr (right) during his points win over Luis Ortiz, whom Wilder knocked out twice— (EPA)
“I hate when people try to make decisions for fighters. They’re the ones risking their lives; his daddy ain’t risking his life, but he wanna grab the money. What percentage is he getting out of his son? Let’s ask that, since you wanna talk about money.
“Stop allowing your son to miss out on things, because if he misses out on this one, that’s gonna be the end of his career – and then it’s gonna be on you. They’re talking about 50/50? You ain’t nowhere compared to me. Stop that.”
Wilder is also in talks with Anthony Joshua over a potential clash in Saudi Arabia at the end of this year or early in 2024.
Prior to his knockout win over Helenius, Wilder suffered back-to-back stoppage defeats by Fury. The Briton took the WBC title from the “Bronze Bomber” in 2020 and retained the gold against Wilder in a 2021 rematch. The pair previously fought to a controversial draw in their first clash, in 2018.
Meanwhile, Ruiz Jr shot to fame by stunning Joshua to win the unified heavyweight titles in 2019. The Mexican-American beat the Briton via TKO to claim the belts, which Joshua regained on points in a rematch later that year.
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