Right Then — Ruiz Is Finally Back
Right then, let's get into it: Andy Ruiz Jr fights again. Two years out of the ring — a majority draw with Jarrell Miller back in August 2024 the last time he laced up in anger — and Ruiz vs Knyba is finally the fight that ends the wait. It's set for September 4 at the Prudential Center in Newark, live on TNT and DAZN as the third headline show of TNT Sports' "The Fight" series. Ruiz has also put pen to paper with Eddie Hearn and Matchroom, the promoter who took him to New York back in 2019 to shock Anthony Joshua and become the first heavyweight world champion of Mexican descent. That's a proper reunion, and it tells you exactly how seriously Ruiz is taking this comeback.
Who Is Damian Knyba?
Make no mistake, this isn't a gentle voyage back for Ruiz. Damian Knyba — the "Polish Hussar," 6-foot-7, 17-1 with 11 knockouts — is levels above your standard comeback opponent. His only defeat came in January, a third-round stoppage against Agit Kabayel in an interim WBC title eliminator, and Kabayel has since been elevated to full WBC champion after Oleksandr Usyk vacated the belt. Knyba is New Jersey-based these days, and Ruiz vs Knyba will be his fourth fight at the Prudential Center — he knows the building, he knows the crowd, and he'll fancy putting Ruiz's comeback in the ground early.
The Size Question
Ruiz has never fought a heavyweight with Knyba's reach and height before, and that's the story of Ruiz vs Knyba as much as anything else on the card. Ruiz's whole game is built on getting underneath taller opponents, working the body, and using that short, explosive punch resistance nobody wants to deal with at close range. Knyba is a rangy operator who likes the jab and controlling distance. If Ruiz can't close it down quickly, this fight gets long and uncomfortable — and two years out of the ring is not the ideal time to find that out.
What A Ruiz Win Actually Needs To Look Like
Here's the thing — Ruiz doesn't just need the win, he needs to look like the fighter who beat Joshua, not the one who wobbled home to a draw with Miller. He's already said he wants a crack at the belts Usyk vacated next year, and Kabayel now holds one of them. Beat Knyba well and that ambition looks realistic. Scrape past him and it looks like wishful thinking from a fighter who's had it easy in LA for too long. If you know, you know — heavyweight comebacks live and die on the very first performance back.
My Prediction
I'm not sitting on the fence on Ruiz vs Knyba. Ruiz gets to him in the second half, the hand speed and body work are a class above anything Knyba has faced, and I've got Ruiz stopping him somewhere around round seven or eight once the big Pole's legs start to go. If Knyba boxes patient and smart early and Ruiz looks slow off a two-year layoff, though, this could run the full twelve — and that would tell its own story about where Ruiz's career actually stands. Back Ruiz to get it done, but don't be shocked if it's grittier than the name suggests.