Two Years Is A Long Time At Heavyweight
Right then. On Friday night at the Prudential Center in Newark, Andy Ruiz Jr fights for the first time in two years. The man who produced the biggest heavyweight upset of the modern era when he flattened Anthony Joshua at Madison Square Garden in 2019 is 35-2-1 with 22 knockouts, a brand new Matchroom deal, and a very awkward night in front of him — live on DAZN and TNT as the headline act of September's edition of The Fight.
Because make no mistake, this Ruiz comeback is not a gimme. Damian Knyba is a 6ft 7in Pole with a 17-1 record, 11 knockouts, and the kind of long, heavy jab that ruins the night of anyone standing in front of it half-sharp. His only defeat came by knockout against Agit Kabayel in January — and losing to Kabayel, the most avoided man in the division, is hardly a stain on anybody's record.
The Question Nobody Can Answer Until Friday
Everything about this fight comes down to one thing: what has two years on the sofa done to the fastest hands in the heavyweight division? When Ruiz is right, he is a nightmare for tall, upright Europeans — he slips the jab, steps inside and unloads four-punch combinations before big men can reset. That is exactly the blueprint for a Knyba fight. When Ruiz is wrong, we get the version who turned up soft against Joshua in the Saudi rematch and gave away a career on the scales.
The Matchroom Factor
The new promotional deal matters here. Matchroom did not sign Ruiz for one nostalgia night in Newark — the plan is a proper run at the division while the belts are moving. That means this camp had eyes on it, and every report out of it says Ruiz has taken the reset seriously. A motivated Ruiz at the Prudential Center is a very different animal to a bored one.
Luke's Verdict
Let's not beat around the bush: Knyba is big, game and improving, but he is there to be hit, and Kabayel already showed the world that pressure and body work break him. Ruiz does both of those things brilliantly when he's fit. I think the first three rounds are cagey while the ring rust sheds, then the combinations start coming and the big man wilts. Ruiz by stoppage, round eight. The Destroyer announces himself all over again — and the heavyweight queue gets interesting. Full card details on our fight cards page.