Eddie Hearn claims Tyson Fury’s next fight will be a surprise clash with Andy Ruiz Jr on July 22 as the heavyweight champion appears to opt against facing Oleksandr Usyk in a unification clash
- Eddie Hearn confirms Tyson Fury’s next fight will be against Andy Ruiz Jr
- Fury will battle former undisputed champion Ruiz this summer on July 22nd
- Plans for a unification fight in April with Oleksandr Usyk collapsed over terms
Eddie Hearn has revealed that Tyson Fury’s next fight will be against Andy Ruiz Jr on July 22nd following the collapse of his undisputed clash with Oleksandr Usyk.
Fury will put his WBC Heavyweight Championship on the line against Mexican- American Ruiz, as he looks to towards a monstrous meeting with either Anthony Joshua or IBF, WBA & WBO champion Oleksandr Usyk in December’s massive Saudi Arabia event.
Speaking to Boxing King Media, Heard, who isn’t even Fury’s promoter stated ‘Andy Ruiz, July 22nd’ when asked about his next opponent.
There had been expectations that Fury’s next clash would be a unification fight with Ukrainian champion Usyk, the first time the division would be unified since Lennox Lewis beat Evander Holyfield in 1999.
The two camps had been back and forth for months over a potential fight and had a planned date for April 29, but the parties failed to come to an agreement on various terms and instead Fury went on a family vacation.
Promoter Eddie Hearn has revealed that Tyson Fury will take on Andy Ruiz Jr on July 22nd
Tyson Fury’s next clash is set to be against Mexican-American fighter Andy Ruiz Jr this summer
Fury hasn’t been in the ring since December’s win over Derek Chisora, where after his 10th round victory he called out Usyk and the pair squared up in the centre of the ring.
However, despite fans clamouring for a unification clash between the two, it’s Ruiz who Fury will now step into the ring with, where the hope is a win would add leverage to finally negotiating a fight with Usyk in December.
Ruiz Jr will go into the fight as an underdog, but it’s a position the 33-year-old is used to having famously beaten Anthony Joshua to become the unified champion in 2019.
Boxing fans across the world were eager for a deal to be struck between Fury – the current occupant of the WBC title – and Usyk – the current occupant of the WBA, WBO and IBF belts
The victory made Ruiz the first-ever male boxer of Mexican heritage to win a win a world heavyweight championship, and another victory over Fury could throw a massive spanner in the heavyweight title plans.
He last stepped foot in the ring in September 2022 – beating Luis Ortiz via unanimous decision – and it was a victory that saw the WBC order a fight between Ruiz Jr and Deontay Wilder as a final eliminator to determine Fury’s next mandatory challenger.
That fight failed to materialise and Wilder switched focus to Francis Ngannou, however, it now looks like Ruiz Jr will get his shot at Fury’s championships in July’s bout.
