During a live chat with his fans, the WBA/IBF/WBO heavyweight champion put the kibosh on the recently announced plans of Eddie Hearn, Anthony Joshua?s promoter, to stage their rematch in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
?AJ got the rematch, yes we do got the rematch,? said Ruiz, ?but it?s gonna be on MY terms. We?re gonna bring it back here in the United States. AJ, he?s scared. Hell yeah. Why do you think he?s over there trying to make the fight in Saudi Arabia??
Joshua has reason to be scared, there?s a lot to learn and little time to learn it, while Ruiz is skilled and resilient, neither of which can be said of hi opponent.
?You saw that AJ couldn?t take what Ruiz did with him,? said Frank Warren, Fury?s partisan co-promoter. ?He put it on him, he was on the floor two or three times and he never won a round of the fight after that knockdown, not one round.?
Busy as he is taking potshots at Lennox Lewis, Joshua has remained mum on the subject of Saudi Arabia, managing to retain his poise, unlike when fought Ruiz, while his promoter assured Sky Sports that Ruiz will fight AJ in Saudi Arabia, whether he likes it or not.
?His choice is to have a legal battle that could put him out of boxing for years,? threatened Hearn, ?or to defend his belts for a lot of money against a guy he has already beaten. There isn?t any doubt he will take the fight.?
Despite Hearn?s claim that Ruiz and his team had ?100% signed the contract? to fight Joshua in Saudi Arabia, Ruiz told ESPN Deportes, ?I have not signed anything yet, we are negotiating everything. They want to do the fight over there (in Saudi Arabia), but we have to see where (it will take place) and we will negotiate that with my team. I would like it in New York again, where I won. I?ll give him a chance to try to beat me, and if he wants the belts, he has to do it there.?
A contract is a contract is a contract, and Hearn said the contract for the rematch, which was agreed to before the first fight with Joshua, stipulated that Matchroom Boxing will decide when and where the rematch will take place. But with the possibility of a lawsuit tying up his career ?for years,? Ruiz will either fight for what he wants or fold under pressure, and if his performance against Joshua is any indication, it won?t be the latter.
