Wilder and Ruiz will fight in the spring of 2023

The face-to-face match between two ex-world champions - Andy Ruiz and Deontay Wilder - will take place in the spring of 2023. Deontay's trainer Malik Scott believes the fight will go ahead despite the differences between the sides.

“Joshua doesn't want to fight Deontay right now, so we're looking at Ruiz and another contender. But, most likely, Deontay will fight Andy this spring."

Last November, the WBC sanctioned a fight between Ruiz and Wilder. The winner of the fight will thus become the next mandatory challenger for the WBC heavyweight title held by Tyson Fury.

In his last fight, Ruiz defeated Luis Ortiz by unanimous decision. At the same time, Andy knocked down his opponent three times. After the fight, Ruiz challenged Deontay Wilder to a face-to-face fight.

Wilder defeated Finn Robert Helenius by knockout in the first round in October. After the fight, Deontay offered to fight WBA/WBO/IBF/IBO World Heavyweight Champion Oleksandr Usyk.