Top Rank's CEO Bob Arum believes Anthony Joshua and his handlers made a big mistake in taking an immediate rematch with Andy Ruiz.
Back in June, Ruiz captured the WBO, WBA, IBF, IBO heavyweight titles when he dropped Joshua four times to secure a seventh round stoppage at New York's Madison Square Garden.
The rematch has been set down for December 7th in the unexpected location of Saudi Arabia.
Arum expects the same outcome when Joshua faces Ruiz for the second. He believes the British superstar should have gone in another direction.
“It’ll be a Ruiz repeat. From a boxing perspective, I thought it was silly for Joshua to go right back into a rematch. It’s going to be the same results. Ruiz is a fighter that’s going to find Joshua’s vulnerabilities," Arum told thesportsman.com
“Joshua’s a straight up fighter who doesn’t like the pressure. Ruiz takes a great shot, very fast hands and I think the second fight ends like the first one.”
And Arum believes Hearn fumbled the negotiations for the rematch.
Initially, Ruiz rejected the idea of fighting in Saudi Arabia. But, after some additional money was kicked over, Ruiz was fully on board.
“With all due respect, Eddie [Hearn] handled the negotiations wrong. Once he wanted to go to Saudi, he handed the leverage to Ruiz, who despite the rematch clause, could have taken the position of that he wasn’t going to go to Saudi, because his own state’s department said that it wasn’t safe for Americans," Arum said.
“Then Ruiz and his people held Eddie up for more money. How much more? I don’t know, but it was more money. Now the fight’s on in Saudi.Whether the decision is morally right or wrong is an individual decision to be made. It’s not illegal but the morale question has to be answered by the one making the decision."
Hearn believes Arum is making his statements out of jealousy.
Arum had promoted Ruiz for most of his career, but the Mexican heavyweight parted ways with Top Rank at the start of 2019 and signed on with Al Haymon's Premier Boxing Champions.
“Bob doesn’t know the ins and outs, but what Bob said was ‘Oh you should of gone to team Ruiz and see if he’s happy to go to Saudi Arabia’. He has nothing to be happy about, we had a contract where we were allowed to choose the venue. He was told where the venue would be, from there it’s just a game of negotiations. That’s what it is," Hearn told thesportsman.com
“Eventually you work out a deal which suits everybody. He’s happy he’s at the press conference next week. Bob Arum is jealous because he can’t make a big heavyweight fight.
“Arum is more jealous because he used to have Andy Ruiz. Now he’s sick to his pants that he doesn’t have the world heavyweight champion. Now he’s making Tyson Fury versus Otto Wallin which I wouldn’t make my worst enemy watch."