Filip Hrgovic Vs. Andy Ruiz Jr Purse Bid Ordered By The IBF
Date set for February 28th, 2023.
To decide on an interim champion, the IBF has mandated a purse bid between Filip Hrgovic and Andy Ruiz Jr for February 28th, 2023.
Ruiz Jr, the former unified champion who had the IBF, WBA, and WBO titles, has already been ordered to go up against Deontay Wilder in a WBC title eliminator.
Wilder, however, apparently has reservations about the remuneration being offered by the PBC and is mulling over the possibility of squaring off with former UFC heavyweight champ Francis Ngannou instead.
A Ruiz Jr-Wilder bout makes more sense, as opposed to any bout with Hrgovic, from a financial and legacy point of view, provided that both sides can get an agreement.
Hrgovic’s last fight against Zhilei Zhang in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, was marred by controversy. Although most boxing enthusiasts believed that Zhang was the victor, the judges scored the fight in favor of the 30-year-old Croatian: 115-112, 114-113, and 115-112.
In contrast, Ruiz Jr has worked hard to regain his position as a top-ranking fighter after he lost his heavyweight titles in his second bout with Anthony Joshua in 2019.
After the loss, Ruiz Jr terminated his coaching relationship. However, in the two bouts he has contested since being outmatched by Joshua, Ruiz Jr has emerged victorious over Chris Arreola and Luis Ortiz.
Whether it is Wilder against Ruiz Jr, or the latter against Hrgovic, the victor knows they could face the winner of a potential bout between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury.