Notebook: Hrgovic-Ruiz purse bid on tap but unlikely to result in bout
Mayer's move to lightweight for Linardatou done deal; bridgerweight title bout announced; Jared Anderson gets foe; Janibek mandatory ordered; co-feature for Stanionis-Ortiz; Quick hits; Show and tell
A note to Fight Freaks Unite readers: I created Fight Freaks Unite in January 2021 and eight months later it also became available for paid subscriptions for additional content — and as a way to help keep this newsletter going and for readers to support independent journalism. If you haven’t upgraded to a paid subscription please consider it. If you have already, I truly appreciate it! Also, consider a gift subscription for the Fight Freak in your life.
When the IBF ordered a fight between Filip Hrgovic and Andy Ruiz Jr. for its vacant interim heavyweight title it seemed unlikely the sides would make a deal before a purse bid.
While they still could up to 15 minutes before the bids are unsealed, the auction to determine promotional rights is scheduled for Thursday at 12 p.m. ET at the IBF offices in Springfield, New Jersey, and via video conference.
On Wednesday, the IBF board of directors participated in a video conference during which they determined the purse split and notified Hrgovic promoter Nisse Sauerland of Wasserman Boxing and Ruiz promoter Tom Brown of TGB Promotions.
The split will be 60-40 in favor of Hrgovic (15-0, 12 KOs), 30, of Croatia, who is the organization’s No. 1 contender after defeating Zhang Zhilei in an August final eliminator.
As unlikely as it seemed that former unified titleholder Ruiz (35-2, 22 KOs), 33, of Imperial, California, would fight for only 50 percent it is even more remote he’d do the fight at 40 percent, especially as the much bigger name and the prospect of a far higher-profile fight with former titlist Deontay Wilder, which has been ordered as a WBC final eliminator.
It would be a surprise if anybody from Team Ruiz even showed up and entered a bid.
