Matchroom Room Boxing went forward with the bound contract it had dangling over The New Heavyweight Champion of the Boxing World, Mexican/ American Andy Ruiz Jr. and made a Negative (AJ losing) into a positive (cashing in on huge coveted rematch).
The Champs team and advisors quickly recognized not only the financial disparity, but the enormity and importance of this epic Heavyweight Clash.
With a little wiggle room to spare because of A previously signed agreement (Matchroom’s contract was more detailed and specific then a miniature set of encyclopedias), the Ruiz Camp stood their ground with the public’s backing (never underestimate the power of the public and common sense in court) and asked Eddie Hearn to be reasonable and renegotiate.
Eddie Hearn under pressure to sell the rematch with absolutely no glitches jumped on the idea of a sit down knowing that it was simply the best course of business.
The consensus currently between the two parties is to keep the current contract and honor it, with the exception of one caveat.
An additional contract pertaining to the fight with a non-disclosed (The privacy factor is optional and not really important) dollar amount payable to Andy Ruiz Jr. for taking the cash rich fight in The Middle East.
Both parties are in agreement since there is so much additional income coming in for this fight, both parties deserve a piece of the action. Nobody including Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Sport envisioned a rematch this big and of this magnitude.
Bottom Line:
Look for Ruiz to get Somewhere in the neighborhood of $2 million-$6 million More.
Most likely they will meet in the middle and settle on roughly $4 million so the fight can take place in Saudi Arabia instead of New York City.
A Little More Cheddar Cheese and Andy Ruiz Jr. and his Team are all happy ready to pack for the hot Desert. Besides adding a few more million dollars to the deal, Hearn has also offered a dozen bottles of sunscreen to Andy & His Team.
Original Story From August 14, 2019:
RUIZ: FIGHT IN N.Y. OR PAY ME MORE TO GO TO DESERT
It’s hard to imagine that we have gotten this far, but you really can’t make this stuff up.
Right now if I was a betting man, it looks like Andy Ruiz Junior is correct that the Rematch will be held in December and will be held in the United States of America.
Exactly what happened with the Joshua -Wilder fight just happened here. Hearn offered Wilder a set amount and Wilder’s team said no. Then a major increase was offered which raised a red flag and the idea of revenue sharing from Wilder’s side came about (realizing the magnitudes of the financial prize) and all negotiations were broken off.
In this case, Hearn unilaterally goes to the hot dry Sahara Desert for a Money grab, but doesn’t want to share in the capital. Ruiz wants more money, but Hearns shuts him out threatening court.
Hearn under pressure from Saudi Arabia to confirm the fight to get his financial deposits has an odd Press Conference and reassures the world that the fight is a 100% go.
Andy Ruiz isn’t budging and now Eddie Hearn has a serious serious problem on his hand. The only thing Matchroom Boxing can do now is to call Andy Ruiz and offer him A special undisclosed bonus amount to fight in the desert in order to salvage the fight in the Middle East.
Why is it important to Salvage The Fight in Arabia?
Saudi Arabia in the past has had trust issues with promoters wanting to bring big fights there. In the past they have been promised everything including a mega fight that involved Manny Pacquiao. Everything that was ever promised to them has always fallen through for different reasons. All this was already explained to Matchroom Sport when the Kingdom made the deal. This is the last straw probably for Saudi Arabia. After the Matchroom Press Conference, if this fight falls through, the middle east will not trust a big promoter for a long time to come.
Why the fight can’t be salvaged?
Andy Ruiz is not budging from his stance, if Hearn calls Ruiz up and offers him an extra bonus amount, The Ruiz Camp will naturally want to negotiate and wanted a bigger sum which will take time and will upset the Middle East apple cart as they anxiously await confirmation of the fight again.
Andy Is Right:
The good news is even if the fight falls through, The rematch will still happen in Madison Square Garden this coming up December with no change in the current contract.
The reality:
Cooler heads will prevail and both fighters will make a bit extra money fighting in the desert. Hearn will have to be willing to break the contract by adding money to it and Ruiz will have to not be to greedy or he will only hurt himself. Hearn & AJ already have plenty of money.
Below is the Original Story Reported by Boxing Action Magazine: August 13,2019
RUIZ INDIRECTLY SAYS: I WANT MORE MONEY!!!
In one of the strangest boxing stories in history we take a look at the possible mega rematch between Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz Jr. possible Rematch.
The History / What we Know
Andy Ruiz Junior won the Anthony Joshua jackpot / sweepstakes after a Big Baby Miller tested positive for drugs and signed for a fight with the super champion. The contact signed included a rematch Clause in case Anthony Joshua lost.
The rematch clause supposedly has every single T Crossed and every single I Dotted.
As the World Knows, Ruiz shocked the MSG crowd and made news the world over the first weekend of June 2019. Thanks to the power of social media, everyone knows who Andy Ruiz Jr. is.
The Rematch:
Both boxers want the rematch. AJ told Eddie Hearn to decide the location. Hearn wanted the UK, then Ruiz complained that he doesn’t trust AJ’s home field advantage especially after Heavyweight Whyte tested positive and was allowed to fight his fight last month.
Hearn takes the money grab from Saudi Arabia and declares the fight to be a neutral ground. Hearn insists that the contracts have been signed and that Andy Ruiz Junior has no choice but to abide by the bound contract.
It Takes Two to Tango:
Ruiz Playing a Big Game. Now that Andy Ruiz Junior has tasted money and glory, PBC is whispering in his ear that he should get more money to go to the Middle East and fight. His team doesn’t think it’s fair that Anthony Joshua who lost their original fight is getting paid tenfold what the champion is getting paid.
Hearn nonetheless has a big press conference this past Monday and announces the fight signed sealed and delivered. Hearn states that Ruiz has no say in the matter.
The Lawyers & The Game:
Ruiz gave a chance to Hearn to Up the money and Hearn said No! Now two things are at play.
1. Ruiz is playing the Safety Card and he can’t go to the Middle East for his safety. Very smart play that could hold up in court.
Remember the highlighted / Bolded word in the above article, “SUPPOSEDLY”, that gives lawyers a field day to play around with what is reasonable and what isn’t reasonable for a human being.
2. His attorneys are telling him to be very quiet and be careful what he says but at the same time telling him to spew a smidge of information as the process unfolds.
(Remember Ruiz keeps saying in Public he wants the rematch, he’s not withholding the rematch). Another check point for Ruiz in court.
The Result / Final Verdict:
The Joshua/ Ruiz Rematch In Saudi Arabia is on Rocky Ground.
Pressure On Hearn to Show Stability:
It is extremely important for Matchroom Boxing and Eddie Hearn to paint a picture of certainty and to have the image of the event having no issues. AKA the Press Conference on Monday.
The Saudi‘s have had trust issues with sports and entertainment management groups in the past. There has been events canceled due to payment agreements. Hearn needed to reassure the Saudi‘s that this event was for certain and was not on any rocky ground whatsoever. If the Saudi‘s detect any Uncertainty in the event they will certainly withhold payment and that opens up a big can of worms.
Bottom Line:
Andy Ruiz Junior is not scared of a legal battle threat from Eddie Hearn. Matchroom Boxing and Anthony Joshua need this more than Ruiz Junior does. Ruiz is in the drivers seat and simply wants more money. It is in Matchroom Boxing’s best interest to simply pay Ruiz the Extra $6 million or so and move forward.
Stay Tuned One of the oddest boxing stories in history continues and unfolds.
Photo courtesy of The WBO
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