The World Boxing Council on Wednesday ordered a bout between No. 1 Deontay Wilder and No. 2 Andy Ruiz Jr. The winner of the match will face heavyweight champion Tyson Fury for his belt as the mandatory challenger.
The two boxers will need to accept the fight before it will officially happen.
To reach this point, Wilder knocked out Robert Helenius in the first round of his Oct. 15 WBC eliminator win, while Ruiz won a narrow decision over Luis Ortiz on Sept. 4.
Wilder has faced Fury in three big bouts, only winning their first meeting in the 2018 World Heavyweight Championship.
Fury beat Wilder in the 2020 and ‘21 World Heavyweight Championships. There could be a rematch this year if the Alabama native can take down Ruiz first.
Wilder held the WBC heavyweight title from 2015-20. The 37-year-old holds a 43-2-1 record, with 42 total knockouts.
The 33-year-old Ruiz, who holds a 35–2 record with 22 knockouts, will be a tough matchup for Wilder. Ruiz previously took down Anthony Joshua in 2019 to win the WBA, IBF, and WBO heavyweight titles.
There’s been rumors that Wilder could retire sooner than expected after he previously said he would in roughly three years. If the 37-year-old isn’t able to take down Ruiz, then it’s possible he’d contemplate retiring from the ring sooner than originally planned.
