As good as 2023 seems to be when it has come to producing the best fights, confusion and chaos has also played a hand in ruining other potentially great fights. In particular, the saga between Deontay Wilder and Andy Ruiz Jr. can best be described as “confusing and chaotic” following the two fighters apparently going back-and-forth over the percentage split.
The art of negotiations seems to be lost in the modern era of boxing where fighters prefer squabbling on social media rather than use their hard-earned money to put their representatives, promoters and managers to task by getting them the fights they deem they want.
Such as is the case with Devin Haney and Shakur Stevenson who can’t seem to head to the negotiating table, so do Deontay Wilder (43-2-1, 42 KO’s) and Andy Ruiz Jr. (35-2, 22 KO’s) lack the ability to do the same. To make matters worse, in the case of the latter, the two heavyweights had already been mandated (by the WBC) to fight each other which would force both parties’ teams to head to the table to discuss and resolve their bout contracts.
Perhaps proving that the WBC mandates are essentially pointless, both fighters seemed set to face other opponents following the WBC’s order for them to face each other. Prior to the order, both fighters had competed in eliminator contests which would pit the two against each other to decide the eventual mandatory for WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury (33-0-1, 24 KO’s).
After initially neglecting to secure a fight with each other, Deontay Wilder and Andy Ruiz Jr. are now apparently “in talks” over a potential fight in the late summer but the two have been lightly beefing on social media rather than get the ball moving.
Wilder has since urged his potential future opponent to sign his bout contract.
In the video above, Wilder explains to boxing reporter ESNEWS that Andy Ruiz Sr., Andy Ruiz Jr.’s father, seems to misinterpret the contract talks that were commencing between the pair of fighter, arguing that Ruiz Sr. talked of percentage splits that had not been mentioned yet during negotiations.
Andy Ruiz Jr. has been less vocal than Wilder but his father seems to be involved in some manner or at least seems to act as the spokesperson for Ruiz Jr. However, none of the claims made by Wilder or other media surrounding Andy Ruiz Jr. has been refuted or acknowledged by Ruiz Jr. himself, leading many to be forced to speculate on the state of the negotiations.
The issue at hand, seems to revolve around the percentage split but recent reports suggest that Andy Ruiz Jr. is now demanding a rematch clause. However, as mentioned earlier, none of Andy Ruiz Jr.’s claims can be substantiated and BoxingScene’s own reports are devoid of any viable sources.
A rematch clause would also be unrealistic given Deontay Wilder is expected to fight Anthony Joshua in December. It would heavily hamper such a blockbuster fight from occurring, and only makes negotiations between Wilder and Ruiz Jr. harder.
In any case, there seems to be a high degree of unprofessionalism when it comes to negotiations and how information is put out. With Andy Ruiz Jr. not communicating anything surrounding the negotiations except for claims from his father (which cannot be substantiated due to a lack of sources), there is no telling what is truly going on.
Deontay Wilder shedding light on what appears to be Andy Ruiz Sr.’s lack of knowledge surrounding the contract talks makes certain reports surrounding Andy Ruiz Jr.’s apparent demands even more of a mystery.
Realistically, we only have insight into the negotiations because of Deontay Wilder, but it is unknown how involved he is in these apparent contract talks himself and there are doubts as to the validity of his own words because of this.
