Following reports circulating that Andy Ruiz Jr. had become a free agent, the former unified Mexican-American Heavyweight champion clarified his current contract status. Ruiz reacted to the rumors surrounding him about leaving the PBC through social media and clarified that he had left TGB Promotions, rather than the PBC itself.
“On behalf of myself and Team Ruiz, we would like to thank TGB Promotions and President Tom Brown for their great support. My contract with TGB Promotions has come to an end & I will now be moving forward as part of the PBC Family with Al Haymon as my advisor.” Andy Ruiz Jr. (35-2, 22 KO’s) stated on his Twitter account on February 27.
After it was previously reported that Andy Ruiz left the PBC, the Heavyweight contender saw it fit to explain his side of the situation after his father had claimed he was a free agent following an interview with an affiliate of ESPN.
“I am excited to continue pursuing the biggest fights and taking on the top fighters in my division. Thank you all for your continued support. Can’t wait to see what 2023 brings.” Ruiz also said.
According to these new updates, Ruiz Jr. is still a part of the PBC and will employ its founder, Al Haymon, as an advisor in the future. TGB Promotions is best known for having promoted the likes of Mike Tyson and David Tua in the past, but has been slightly overshadowed in recent years by more popular American promotions such as the PBC itself, Golden Boy Promotions and Top Rank.
It is still unknown who Ruiz Jr. will be facing next. He is currently linked with fighting Deontay Wilder (43-2-1, 42 KO’s) whose last match took place in October of 2022 and resulted in a first-round knockout of Robert Helenius (31-4, 20 KO’s). He was previously expected to face the IBF’s #1 contender, Filip Hrgovic (15-0, 12 KO’s), after the IBF mandated a fight between them, but that bout will apparently still not go through.
Andy Ruiz Jr. is best known for his upset victory over former unified Heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua (24-3, 22 KO’s) on June 1st in 2019, which allowed him to become the first Heavyweight of Mexican descent to become a unified world champion. Ruiz Jr. lost in the rematch with Joshua held later in the year in December, but has continued to fight for his place at the top with two victories over Heavyweight veterans Chris Arreola and Luis Ortiz (33-3, 28 KO’s).
