Jorge Capetillo has said that money is the reason why Andy Ruiz Jr and Deontay Wilder never met in the ring in what would have been a mouth-watering heavyweight clash.
The pair were ordered by the WBC to compete in an eliminator for the right to become the mandatory challenger to Tyson Fury, who had knocked Wilder out twice in three fights.
But, the fight never materialised between the powerful hitter out of Alabama and the fast counterpuncher from California, with money being attributed as the cause by Ruiz Jr‘s former trainer.
“I think it was about the purse, the amount of money,” Capetillo said to Betway.
“Both sides want to negotiate the best they can for themselves and I think they didn’t get to an agreement because of the numbers.
“I think that was a good fight for Andy. I would be so happy if he fights Deontay Wilder for sure. He’s the quicker fighter and faster fighter.
“He can punch, but unfortunately they couldn’t get an agreement. There was back and forth but you know how boxing is.”
What next for Andy Ruiz Jr and Deontay Wilder?
Wilder appears to have moved on to attempting to set up a fight against Britain’s Anthony Joshua, who was a unified champion between 2017 and 2020 before being defeated twice by Oleksandr Usyk.
If that pair were to get into the ring, it would see two giants known for their power and speed slugging it out.
It would also see a clash between two Olympians, with Wilder winning bronze at Beijing 2008 (inspiring his name ‘The Bronze Bomber’), whilst Joshua winning gold at London 2012.
Joshua has struggled for form since his shock defeat to Ruiz in 2019, but with a knockout victory over Robert Helenius in 2023 he could be nursing his way back to the form that saw him KO Wladimir Klitschko in 2017.
