Andy Ruiz Jr lost his comeback fight to Poland’s Damian Knyba on a unanimous decision at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The judges scored it 117-110, 114-113 and 114-113 for Knyba. Ruiz, 36, walked out with a black eye and a request to do it again.
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It was his first fight in two years, and only his fourth since he lost the rematch to Anthony Joshua in December 2019. BBC Sport put the long gap down to injuries.
Why he had been away so long
Ruiz’s last outing before Newark was a draw with the American Jarrell Miller in August 2024. The Sporting News reported that he fractured his right hand in that fight. He had already spent nearly two years out after rotator cuff surgery on his right shoulder.
He came back with a new promoter. Ruiz had recently signed with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom.
How Knyba won it
Knyba stands six foot seven to Ruiz’s six foot two, and Yahoo Sports reported that he threw 720 jabs over the 12 rounds. That left hand kept Ruiz from closing the gap, and Knyba took the early rounds.
The seventh round nearly ended it. Ruiz’s legs gave way after a knockdown, and the bell saved him. He answered with his best spell of the night, landing overhand rights in the eighth and ninth. Knyba then went back to the jab, and Ruiz had no reply for the rest of the fight.
Two judges had it by a single point. Yahoo Sports called those cards a poor reflection of the fight, and said the 117-110 card was far closer to the truth. The loss leaves Ruiz at 35-3-1.
What Ruiz says went wrong
Ruiz blamed Knyba’s holding. He told reporters he could not let his combinations go because Knyba held him “really tight” every time he came in. He also pointed to the “long layoff” and said he chose a big opponent over an easy return.
He did not talk like a man about to retire. Ruiz said he still has it in him and wants to fight again, as long as he stays active.
Why a loss here still matters
Ruiz is the fighter who knocked Joshua out in the seventh round on June 1, 2019, taking the WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO belts in a huge upset. He came into that fight as a late replacement for Miller, who had failed drug tests.
Knyba, now 18-1, has his own target. He wants a rematch with Germany’s Agit Kabayel, the WBC heavyweight champion, who knocked him out earlier this year. Ruiz wants his rematch too.
