is Ruiz trying to wriggle out of the rematch ???

[cormack]

Seems odd to me that he has gone V quiet since the Saudi announcement and today has been quoted as saying he wont fight there but will only take the rematch in the US .
Can help but think he knows deep down he cant beat AJ again and is trying to hide behind various stumbling blocks to get out of the rematch .

Hope I am wrong !

[ironbeard]

Seems odd to me that he has gone V quiet since the Saudi announcement and today has been quoted as saying he wont fight there but will only take the rematch in the US .
Can help but think he knows deep down he cant beat AJ again and is trying to hide behind various stumbling blocks to get out of the rematch .

Hope I am wrong !

You are wrong.

I don’t blame him a bit if he refuses to fight in that perverse totalitarian sandtrap.

[cormack]

yes I get that and it wasnt exactly my dream venue !

but he signed the contract for two fights and if its not respected could find he is in a long legal wrangle which could see him stripped of the belts anyway .

[Enlightened-One]

Andy Ruiz Jr. isn’t trying to wriggle out of anything. He's probably following orders. It's a political thing.

There’s a commercial rivalry between Haymon/PBC/Showtime/Fox and Hearn/Matchroom/DAZN.

Each side are simply looking after their fighters’ best interests in an attempt to regain or maintain ownership of the WBA, WBO & IBF titles.

At the moment, the PBC owns all four main versions of the world heavyweight title and I’m guessing that the Fox/Showtime networks, as well as Al Haymon, want to control the heavyweight division in the long-term.

[SteveO]

yes I get that and it wasnt exactly my dream venue !

but he signed the contract for two fights and if its not respected could find he is in a long legal wrangle which could see him stripped of the belts anyway .

Plus Matchroom would probably sue his ass off.

[cormack]

I am old enough to recall a certain Buster douglas not wanting to reprise his fight against tyson and he just went pop !

[Onetimeonly]

I am old enough to recall a certain Buster douglas not wanting to reprise his fight against tyson and he just went pop !

Douglas was contractually obliged to fight holy field. Ruiz is obliged to fight Joshua.

[ironbeard]

yes I get that and it wasnt exactly my dream venue !

but he signed the contract for two fights and if its not respected could find he is in a long legal wrangle which could see him stripped of the belts anyway .

Have you seen the contract? Has anyone on here seen the contract?

I have no doubt that it is very strong with regards to the rematch and the $$$ split, but it has seemed less so relative to venue. I am reasonably certain that there is potential legal recourse with regards to the fight being held in Saudi Arabia.

As E-O has pointed out, this is not about TFKoB individually. This is business, and Andy did not sign that contract without consultation. The legal fight could potentially go on for many months or years, which would not be productive for AJ / Hearn

TFKoB could conceivably fight Wilder or someone else in the meantime.

Most on here who have commented on this situation have suggested that TFKoB needs this fight more than AJ. I am of the opposite opinion; Hearn and AJ May have a contract, but I do not think that they want the legal fight.

I am convinced that the contract does not give those belts back to AJ if the fight does not happen.

[margaret thatcher]

Well apparently not seeing the contract doesn't stop people being convinced about the legal situation, so who the hell needs to see it anyway

[keirw]

Doubt it will be worth his while not to take part in the rematch. He will likely end up out of pocket by a ridiculous amount.

Also, who would he fight?

Wilder, Fury and Ortiz are tied up fighting each other and Whyte may be looking at a ban. Rivas, Kownacki etc would be miniscule pay days.

He also has two mandatories lined up, neither of which will bring in the kind of money the rematch would make him, and both are skillful, awkward technitions who are difficult to look good against.

It really isn't worth his while not to fight Joshua. Let's face it, if he wins the world is his oyster.

[ironbeard]

Doubt it will be worth his while not to take part in the rematch. He will likely end up out of pocket by a ridiculous amount.

Also, who would he fight?

Wilder, Fury and Ortiz are tied up fighting each other and Whyte may be looking at a ban. Rivas, Kownacki etc would be miniscule pay days.

He also has two mandatories lined up, neither of which will bring in the kind of money the rematch would make him, and both are skillful, awkward technitions who are difficult to look good against.

It really isn't worth his while not to fight Joshua. Let's face it, if he wins the world is his oyster.

All good points. The world is his oyster now, win, lose or draw in the rematch.

[Bandog]

Ruiz admits he has to fight AJ next, but where he fights him is the question. Any of us are just guessing about who calls the shots as far as the venue because we have not seen the contract. Hearn said Ruiz is guaranteed $9 million, but he is well known for offering flat fees when he knows the fight will be a big seller. There is room to negotiate.

[Onetimeonly]

Ruiz admits he has to fight AJ next, but where he fights him is the question. Any of us are just guessing about who calls the shots as far as the venue because we have not seen the contract. Hearn said Ruiz is guaranteed $9 million, but he is well known for offering flat fees when he knows the fight will be a big seller. There is room to negotiate.

You really don't have to see the contract to understand that a last minute replacement making 5 times his highest payday against the second biggest draw in the sport is going to sign off on anything in the rematch clause. He's just trying to get a few more bucks, no harm in that. He'll fight in ajs moms backyard if that's where they tell him too. Or he'll just drop the belts and retire.

[greg]

..I agree that Ruiz doesn't care less where to box as long as he gets -in his "humble" opinion - adequately paid..

[3132DW]

..I agree that Ruiz doesn't care less where to box as long as he gets -in his "humble" opinion - adequately paid..

If you sign the contract for 5m for 1st fight and 9m for rematch - you knew what you were signing before you took the 1st fight.

[greg]

..I agree that Ruiz doesn't care less where to box as long as he gets -in his "humble" opinion - adequately paid..

If you sign the contract for 5m for 1st fight and 9m for rematch - you knew what you were signing before you took the 1st fight.

..that's basically what I was trying to say..

[Ilya Muromets]

..I agree that Ruiz doesn't care less where to box as long as he gets -in his "humble" opinion - adequately paid..

He said he wouldn't fight in the UK after that drug testing monkey business with the Whyte fight. But I thought the Saudi venue was settled.

[Bandog]

Wow, seems to be a lot of serious AJ fans here. Are most of the people on this forum from the UK?

Here are the facts that I know. Ruiz said he won't fight in the UK because of the drug testing snafu with Whyte and UKAD. Who could blame him? He also said he didn't feel comfortable having the fight in Saudi. I've learned though, facts and Hearn's name in the same sentence can be an oxymoron.

Hearn "said" Ruiz is guaranteed $9 mil for the rematch, so that is his minimum. If he is foolish enough to accept a flat fee thats what he'll get.

Now, anyone can speculate about money and venue, but we don't know the details, but go ahead and guess. Ruiz is being quiet for obvious legal reasons.

[Bandog]

Seems odd to me that he has gone V quiet since the Saudi announcement and today has been quoted as saying he wont fight there but will only take the rematch in the US .
Can help but think he knows deep down he cant beat AJ again and is trying to hide behind various stumbling blocks to get out of the rematch .

Hope I am wrong !

Why would anyone try to wriggle out of a rematch for millions of $$$ against someone you beat easily?

[oogiebe]

Seems odd to me that he has gone V quiet since the Saudi announcement and today has been quoted as saying he wont fight there but will only take the rematch in the US .
Can help but think he knows deep down he cant beat AJ again and is trying to hide behind various stumbling blocks to get out of the rematch .

Hope I am wrong !

Why would anyone try to wriggle out of a rematch for millions of $$$ against someone you beat easily?

You're right. The OP just posed a question. No one is "wriggling" out of anything.

[ironbeard]

Why would anyone try to wriggle out of a rematch for millions of $$$ against someone you beat easily?

You're right. The OP just posed a question. No one is "wriggling" out of anything.

TFKoB “wriggling” is quite the visual.

[oogiebe]

You're right. The OP just posed a question. No one is "wriggling" out of anything.

TFKoB “wriggling” is quite the visual.

Right! More like jiggling I'd guess! LOL!

[Strutherhill]

Ruiz must be fairly confident about the rematch.

I'm a Brit (a Scot) but have had misgivings about AJ from early on.. The result of the Olympic final in 2012 was questionable. He has greatly improved as a professional, obviously. However, there have been doubts about his speed and stamina, which he doesn't help by piling on more muscle. His chin is slightly suspect and he sometimes seems to lose his bearing rather too easily when hit (e.g. against Whyte), and his guard drops....He could improve if the focus of his training switches.

To get back to the main topic, as a Brit not too optimistic about the outcome of the rematch with Ruiz, who brings more to the bout than just fast hands. No special knowledge of contractual arrangements but why would Ruiz want to turn away from a guaranteed large purse with limited dangers. Any thoughts?

[ironbeard]

Ruiz must be fairly confident about the rematch.

I'm a Brit (a Scot) but have had misgivings about AJ from early on.. The result of the Olympic final in 2012 was questionable. He has greatly improved as a professional, obviously. However, there have been doubts about his speed and stamina, which he doesn't help by piling on more muscle. His chin is slightly suspect and he sometimes seems to lose his bearing rather too easily when hit (e.g. against Whyte), and his guard drops....He could improve if the focus of his training switches.

To get back to the main topic, as a Brit not too optimistic about the outcome of the rematch with Ruiz, who brings more to the bout than just fast hands. No special knowledge of contractual arrangements but why would Ruiz want to turn away from a guaranteed large purse with limited dangers. Any thoughts?

Limited dangers? Did you see the flush shots TFKoB got up from and walked through?

[cormack]

Re my post

yet it was posing a question really rather than making a statement .

Apart from the obvious $$$$
and the politics of TV / Media I still feel Ruiz has been " wriggling " and for quite some time especially about a US venue .