Andy Ruiz vs Deontay Wilder Still Possible After Ruiz Drops TGB Promotions
Former unified heavyweight champion Andy “Destroyer” Ruiz (35-2, 22KO) is no longer partnered with TGB Promotions. Luckily, the fight with former WBC champion Deontay Wilder is still an option. Ruiz originally signed with Al Haymon under the PBC banner after leaving Top Rank in 2019.
UPDATE: Since this original posting, Andy Ruiz has come out to clarify that he has left TGB Promotions but will retain Al Haymon as his advisor.
According to ESPN Knockout, Ruiz has split ties with PBC as part of a mutual agreement. The former champion was to engage in a purse bid with IBF top contender Filip Hrgovic, but he backed out. The Mexican is supposedly looking to fight Wilder next, who has expressed the fight is a top priority. In 2022, the WBC ordered an eliminator between the two former champions. In his last outing, Ruiz defeated two-time title challenger Luis Ortiz to earn the opportunity to fight in the eliminator.
Ruiz has been wanting to get a championship belt back around his waist since losing the unified title in the rematch with Anthony Joshua in 2019. The 33 year-old does not believe this prevents the Wilder fight from happening considering the former WBC champion has declared himself a free agent.
It will be interesting to see how things play out for Ruiz in the upcoming weeks.
