By Miguel Maravilla,
It’s back to business as former heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr. (35-2-1, 22 KOs) returns to the ring tonight when he takes on Poland’s Damian Knyba (17-1, 11 KOs) at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, headlining the third installment of TNT Sports and DAZN.
“I’m really excited for this fight. I’m ready. I’m excited to go out there, expect the best, and get that victory,” Andy Ruiz Jr. said.
Making his Matchroom Boxing debut, Ruiz signed with Matchroom in July as he looks to make a statement once again in the heavyweight division.
“I’m so happy and thankful for signing with Matchroom and taking another step forward to continue my mission and become a two-time champion,” Ruiz said of signing with Matchroom.
Reuniting with the coach who guided him to his first world title, Andy Ruiz is once again working with Manny Robles Jr. One of boxing’s most respected trainers, Robles is looking to begin the journey once again as the duo held camp in South Gate, California.
“I’m just happy that I reunited with Manny Robles because before the other fights and the other opponents that I had, I wasn’t doing the right things that I was supposed to. I just appreciate Manny always pushing me and calling me. If I’m not at the gym, he’s over there calling me, ‘Remember the mission. Remember the dream that you want to be. You want to become a two-time heavyweight champion,’” Ruiz said of reuniting with Manny Robles.
Returning to the ring after battling Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller to a 12-round majority decision draw in August 2024, Ruiz is back following a two-year hiatus. Prior to that fight, Ruiz had also been out of action for two years before defeating former world champion Luis “King Kong” Ortiz by unanimous decision in September 2022.
“There is a lot of pressure under this fight because a lot of people are expecting the worst or the best,” Ruiz explained.
Inactive for much of the past two years, Ruiz has fought only sporadically since suffering his last defeat, when he relinquished the heavyweight titles to Anthony Joshua in their rematch in December 2019. Six months earlier, Ruiz scored a stunning knockout over Joshua after stepping in as a late replacement at New York’s famed Madison Square Garden, becoming the first Mexican-American heavyweight champion in boxing history.
“I just want those belts back. I want to prove to myself and to all my family and my fans that I am capable of becoming champion again,” Ruiz said.
Ruiz hopes to secure a rubber match with Anthony Joshua, a possibility that could be realistic now that both fighters are promoted by Eddie Hearn and Matchroom.
On the road back, however, Ruiz must first find a way past the Polish fighter. Knyba won his first 17 fights before suffering his only defeat to Agit Kabayel in his last outing, when he was stopped in three rounds in his bid for the WBC heavyweight title.
“I’ve got to climb up the ladder once again. I have a tough opponent in Damian. I know he wants to win this fight just like me. That’s going to make it an exciting fight,” Ruiz stated. “I’m going to have to do whatever it takes to get that victory,” Ruiz added.
A win over Knyba would mark Ruiz’s return, but what follows this fight is the bigger question. Will Ruiz disappear from the ring for another two years?
There are many possibilities out there for Ruiz. At the top of the division are WBC champion Oleksandr Usyk, WBC interim champion Agit Kabayel, WBO champion Daniel Dubois, WBA champion Murat Gassiev, and newly crowned IBF champion Filip Hrgovic.
Other notable names in the heavyweight division and potential matchups include former world champions Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder, as well as rematches with WBO interim champion Joseph Parker or Jarrell Miller. The most logical possibility, however, could be a trilogy bout with former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua to settle some unfinished business.
For now, we will wait to see what transpires in Ruiz’s fight with Knyba. With a victory, let’s hope Andy Ruiz Jr. stays active.
“I just want to look good and be victorious,” Ruiz said.
