WBC Gives The Green Light For Deontay Wilder Vs Andy Ruiz Jr Mega-Fight

Andy Ruiz Jr could have a second chance to fight for a world championship crown against WBC champ Deontay Wilder, according to the World Boxing Council.

The 30-year-old Mexican-American stunned the boxing world in June when he caused a sensational upset against Anthony Joshua and captured the world heavyweight titles.

But Ruiz was outboxed in their rematch last week and lost the world titles to the 30-year-old Brit superstar in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia.

However, the WBC has released a statement suggesting that the 'Destroyer' may have the 'opportunity to dispute the heavyweight title.'

According to WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman, Ruiz would 'occupy a high position in the rankings of the WBC' and 'would be a viable option' against Wilder.

"Andy is going to be well rated and not only because of the big surprise he gave in June," he said.

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"He has a good record, showing good things. He's in the boxing elite.

"Andy doesn't need to have qualifying rounds or something else.

"Maybe he should rest, reflect on what he did wrong and move on with his career."

Ruiz admitted that he was too heavy going into the rematch with 'AJ' and he hadn't properly prepared for their second bout.

But Sulaiman has defended the harsh criticism directed towards the former unified heavyweight champ and believes that he won't repeat the same mistakes.

"I don't add up to the many statements that criticise Andy," he said.

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"He made a mistake, it cost him and now he has to learn so he doesn't repeat that again."

Ruiz could have to wait before he has a shot at Wilder, who successfully defended his title for the tenth time against Luis Ortiz last month.

The 'Bronze Bomber,' 34, is scheduled to defend his WBC championship crown on 22nd February in his hotly-anticipated rematch with Tyson Fury.

And Brit star Dillian Whyte has also been reinstated as WBC mandatory challenger after his doping violation charge was dropped.

Ruiz has since broken his silence on social media over his defeat to 'AJ' and vowed to become a "champion once again."

Topics: Bronze Bomber, Boxing News, Andy Ruiz Jr, Boxing, Deontay Wilder, WBC

Adnan Riaz

Adnan Riaz is a journalist for SPORTbible. He studied for a B.A. in History at the University of York and followed it up with an M.A. in Multimedia Journalism at MMU. Before he started writing about sports, he spent over four years in the gaming press. He has worked for several publications, including Hardcore Gamer, LADbible and the Manchester Evening News. Follow him on Twitter to find out what he is working on next. Got a story tip for Adnan? Email him: [email protected]

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