Ruiz Wants The Joshua Trilogy – ‘I’m Back, Want To Become A Two-Time Heavyweight Champ

Andy Ruiz Jr. is desperate to secure a trilogy fight with Anthony Joshua.

The record stands at one apiece. Ruiz won the first bout, where he stopped Joshua on his American debut at Madison Square Garden. The upset victory made him the Unified Heavyweight Champion of the World. The rematch took place. However, Ruiz came up short after suggestions he did not train properly for the fight. He was outboxed on his way to a unanimous decision defeat. Since then, there has been speculation over whether they would run things back in a third fight.

Ruiz is preparing to face Jarrell Miller on August 3 on the Terence Crawford vs. Israil Madrimov card. A victory would put Ruiz back into the conversation for the biggest fights in the heavyweight division. He has not boxed since 2022, when he beat Luis Ortiz. Given Ruiz is 34, he must remain active at the tail end of his career. The August 3 card is taking place with the help of the Saudis and Matchroom Boxing.

If Ruiz can secure a good relationship with the Saudis and Matchroom, it will help make the Joshua trilogy much easier. Joshua has spoken about his desire to retire from the sport within two years as he seeks the biggest fights. When he was asked about who he would like to face, he did mention Ruiz. That was the Mexican’s focus moving forward.

Ruiz On Joshua

“He’s getting his mental back, he’s getting his confidence back, and I’m happy for him. But I would love to have a trilogy with him. He gave me an opportunity, and I gave him back an opportunity and there’s one more. I think that’s good. He’s doing what he’s supposed to do. I salute him. I’m not here to talk bad about any fighter. I think Joshua is doing his thing, but now it’s my turn. Now that I’m back 100%. I want to get busy and become a two-time heavyweight champion of the world, and this is just the beginning for me,” Ruiz said

Nevertheless, Ruiz will not be the first name on Joshua’s list. AJ is close to securing an undisputed heavyweight title shot as he is in a position to face the winner of Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk. They do have a rematch clause in place. However, the winner will likely face Joshua, giving AJ the opportunity to become undisputed. There is also talk over a fight with Deontay Wilder. Joshua and Wilder had a two-fight deal in place. However, it was scrapped after Wilder failed to be Joseph Parker.

Wilder will now face Zhilei Zhang on June 1. A Wilder win will increase the momentum to make a Joshua-Wilder fight. An undisputed fight and a Joshua-Wilder bout will generate more money. It also does more for Joshua’s legacy. That leaves Ruiz further down the pecking order. Ruiz had the opportunity to fight Wilder in a WBC Interim Heavyweight Title clash. However, Wilder and Ruiz could not agree on terms. The bout was scrapped, preventing Ruiz from putting himself in a position to face the current WBC Heavyweight Champion Fury. Looking back, Ruiz may have missed a chance to become a world champion again.

Comments

Find all the latest boxing news and MMA breaking updates on boxingnews.com.