Tyson Fury co-starred in the first undisputed heavyweight clash in over two decades this year, losing out on a split decision to Oleksandr Usyk.
Before the fight was made, the Brit’s team came under fire from some corners of the boxing world for matchmaking, choosing a voluntary defence against Derek Chisora in late 2022 before returning ten months later to face former UFC Champion and boxing debutant, Francis Ngannou.
During that time, Fury said that nobody was willing to step up and face him, including former unified champion Andy Ruiz Jr. The Mexican-American – who was ranked highly with the WBC at the time – was accused of pricing himself out, with claims that he asked for $20 million for the bout.
Speaking to Cornerman Boxing, Ruiz Jr said that it was a lie to cover up the fact that Fury was afraid to fight him.
“Tyson Fury – everybody kept saying that I was asking for too much money. Everything was a lie, bro. That’s what I know that people are scared to fight me. That’s why I gotta be 100%.
Yes [I think Fury is scared]. Everybody is. Everybody is always gonna underestimate this little man. It’s gonna be hard. With my style it’s a little hard to adapt to.”
A fight between the pair couldn’t seem further away at this point, with Fury set to rematch Usyk in December and Ruiz to return from a near-two year layoff to face Jarrell Miller on August 3.
Should he win, the 34-year-old is adamant he still wants the fight as well as a challenge against Usyk and a trilogy with Anthony Joshua – the man he won three belts from before losing them back in an immediate second fight.
