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Tyson Fury Says He Would 'Only Need One Hand' to Beat Andy Ruiz Jr.
August 21, 2019
Tyson Fury has said he could beat Andy Ruiz Jr. with one hand behind his back.
Asked if he could fight Ruiz, who stunned the boxing world in June when he knocked out Anthony Joshua to win the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight titles, Fury told TMZ Sports:
"We never know what's gonna happen in life, and I can never say no to anything.
"But, one thing I will say is, I will let the fans decide which hand I put behind my back, and beat Ruiz with the other hand. Because I only need one hand for him. One hand."
Despite holding a 32-1 record heading into their fight, Ruiz wasn't expected to cause Joshua too much trouble at Madison Square Garden in New York.
However, after sending him to the mat as early as the third round, the Mexican-American ended the fight with a double-knockdown in the seventh round (U.S. only):
Ruiz did so despite appearing to be out of shape during the fight, per The Ringer's Kevin Clark:
Fury once held the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, IBO and The Ring heavyweight titles after he beat Wladimir Klitschko in 2015.
Although he was stripped of the IBF and The Ring titles and relinquished the others during a three-year absence from the sport, he would likely be a heavy favourite against Ruiz.
Like Joshua, he'd also have a considerable size advantage against him.
The Destroyer should not be taken lightly, though, as he demonstrated on June 1.
Showtime's Luke Thomas was impressed not only with Ruiz's speed, but also his approach to the fight:
Luke Thomas @lthomasnewsI see a lot of "Ruiz has fast hands!" has an explanation for yesterday. Ruiz has dangerous hand speed, but I'd argue his strategic approach is the most impressive and explanatory factor for his success last night. There seems to be little willingness to acknowledge this. https://t.co/wYIY8oETxE
If Fury does fight him in the future, he'd do well to analyse the fight with Joshua to help him avoid suffering a similar fate.
A potential meeting won't take place in the immediate future, though.
Ruiz will meet Joshua again on December 7, while Fury will fight Otto Wallin on September 14. The Gypsy King is also set to take on Deontay Wilder in a rematch next February, per The Athletic's Mike Coppinger:
Asked if he would knock out Wilder, Fury said:
"100 per cent. It's gonna be an epic fight. I'm really looking forward to the fight in September first, and then I'm gonna look forward to knocking Deontay Wilder out.
"Or, even if he knocks me out, I'll still be looking forward to it, because that's boxing, you win some, you lose some.
"Every great dynasty has to come to an end, but I don't believe Deontay Wilder is going to put the Gypsy King to rest. No way!"
The pair fought to an incredible draw in December last year.
Fury largely controlled proceedings but was knocked down twice by the Bronze Bomber. The latter occasion came in the 12th round, with the Englishman dramatically hauling himself off the canvas to beat the count and take the result to the judges.
If Fury wins their rematch and takes the WBC heavyweight title—assuming Wilder does not lose the belt to upcoming opponent Luis Ortiz—his next opponent after that could depend on who holds the other titles after Ruiz and Joshua's rematch.