I have a feeling they will strip Andy Ruiz of the WBO belt. Interesting fury is fighting the number 2 in the rankings and I could see ol’ Frank working some magic to get Fury in that spot when he beats him. Fury to fight for the vacant title at the end of the year? I can see it happening.
Your right about frank been able to pull strings with the wbo. But as long as ruiz jumps through any potential hoops he should be ok but there will always be the hoop that you just can't jump through, I suppose.
IBF is next mandatory Hearn will just get them to apply for that exemption he spoke about that fury didn't do after beating Wlad
Whyte vs Fury for the vacant WBO belt, could see Top Rank and BT coming together to win the purse bid
I personally don’t have a clue but all journalists are saying it’s the WBO next and that they wanted a defence towards the end of the year.
It's Ruiz's team that will have to apply for any exemptions. If they don't feel like paying all the sanctioning fees though, they can choose not to. With all the sanctioning fees, he could end up paying out $800k just to defend the belts in the rematch.
I think people are underestimating Ruiz Jr's potential drawing power If they base him out of the staples center they will go mad for him in Cali, he will generate a lot more than Wilder does over there . Sanctioning bodies won't be stripping him, he's not unmarketable like Fury was in 2017.
Nothing has been announced yet. Journalists are reporting the WBO wanted a defence for the end of the year. So the title may go vacant and they’ll announce who they want to fight for it. Like I say, I have a feeling fury will be involved.
Wouldn’t mind it going vacant, makes the division a bit more interesting and opens up more big fights rather than the belts being held hostage. Would be bad for the division if AJ didn’t get a rematch imo. Then the belts will be stuck with Haymon. Still think the AJ, Fury and Wilder triangle is the key to the most exciting and biggest fights. AJ’s loss wasn’t a fluke but he’s certainly capable of beating Ruiz, he’s beaten better fighters previously and has the tools to win that rematch.
Can’t see WBO losing sanctioning fees on the Joshua vs Ruiz rematch. More money in that now than any Fury routine defence. My guess is Hearn will cover the sanctioning fees on the Ruiz side if it became a problem. All of those belts are his bargaining power in any Wilder or Fury negotiations. If (and it’s a big if) AJ blasts Ruiz in the rematch he will still be a major cash cow as his fights are exciting. Wilder and AJ will always be the champs the governing bodies want.