Tyson Fury has claimed Andy Ruiz Jr demanded $20million (£16m) for a heavyweight fight this summer which saw negotiations end.
Fury was set to meet Oleksandr Usyk in an undisputed clash in April, but the fight collapsed which saw him turn attentions to an outing this summer in the UK. Reports confirmed that Fury was in talks with leading contender Ruiz Jr over a voluntary title defence, which also saw Zhilei Zhang shortlisted to compete in the event.
However the 'Gypsy King' was left facing a lengthy absence from the ring after his promoter Frank Warren confirmed that financial demands from his rival had put a halt to talks over a showdown. Ruiz Jr had made it clear that he intended to take the opportunity and had even teased confirmation of a date on his social media.
But in Fury's own return to Instagram he explained all in a fiery video, during which he shouted: “I’ve tried to fight everybody. Andy Ruiz has asked for $20m, silly little b*****d. I don’t know where he’s getting that from. I’ve not fought since December, through no fault of my own.
“I’ve tried to fight that little midget Usyk, and he’s not wanting anything; I’ve tried to fight ‘AJ’ [ Anthony Joshua ], he don’t want no smoke. Who’s out there? Who’s available? Zhang, he was a good little fight, but Joyce wants his rematch, so that’s not happening now. “I’m looking to fight anybody, any time, any place. I cannot wait to fight Usyk, AJ.
"Whoever’s out there, I’m f***ing you up. I've been off Instagram for a while, I've been on holiday, I've been chilling, I've been eating, I've been doing all sorts of s**t. But I just wanted to say to everybody that I want to knock out all these motherf***er out and I'm ready to rumble."
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Ruiz Jr met Fury last year and the pair talked up a WBC clash, with the former champion having his eyes on the prize as the final one to add to his collection. It has been difficult for the potential challenger who has fought just twice since his two-fight series with Anthony Joshua.
Equally it could be a difficult period of inactivity for Fury whose promoter Bob Arum has suggested he could now wait until December for a fight against Oleksandr Usyk. "They’re waiting now, both fighters, for the end of the year, to fight each other in the Middle East, because that’s where the big money is," Arum told ProBox Tv when asked if Fury still intends to compete in the summer. “Right now I think he’s going to wait [to fight], but with Tyson Fury it depends on how he wakes up in the morning.
