ANDY RUIZ JR hailed Tyson Fury’s British grudge match with Dillian Whyte as ‘a hell of a fight’ – and wants to challenge the winner.
Former champion Ruiz has history with both men following prior callouts and was in talks to face Whyte in 2020.
It started an online feud between the pair which is yet to be resolved in the ring.
But despite their previous animosity, Ruiz admitted Whyte – ranked No1 in the WBC for over 1,000 days – is more than deserving of his title shot.
He told EsNEWS: “I definitely want the winner of the fight. A lot of people wish it would have been Fury and me.
“But you know, I think that Whyte deserves his shot, so we are going to see what happens. I think it’s going to be a hell of a fight.”
Ruiz, 32, shot to fame in 2019 after becoming the first man to beat Anthony Joshua, 32, scoring four knockdowns before winning in round seven.
But just six months later the undisciplined Mexican-American ballooned up to 20 STONE and lost the unified WBA, IBF and WBO titles on points.
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He returned last May, beating 40-year-old veteran Chris Arreola but had to get up off the floor to do so.
Meanwhile Whyte’s long-awaited shot at the WBC belt was confirmed following a record-breaking £30.6million purse bid to stage the fight.
It was won by Fury’s promoter Frank Warren with talks now to finalise a date and venue.
Cardiff was an early frontrunner but appears to be ruled out now, with English stadiums like Wembley, Tottenham and Arsenal other options.
Whyte, 33, has remained silent since the announcement, but could come face-to-face with Fury, 33, at a press conference next week.
