What to Know
- Former world heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr. of California will return to the ring after a two-year absence.
- Ruiz Jr., newly signed to Matchroom Boxing, will face Polish heavyweight Damien Knyba.
- The fight is the main event of the September 4 edition of TNT Sports “The Fight,” the only regular boxing series on U.S. linear television.
Former American world heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr. is returning, and “The Fight” has got him.
Ruiz Jr., who has been out of the ring nearly two years due to injury and lack of a promotional contract, has signed with Matchroom Boxing and will fight Damian Knyba in the September episode of “The Fight,” the third episode of the new TNT Sports live boxing series.
Ruiz Jr. vs Knyba is the main event on Saturday, September 4 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The card will also be co-broadcast on DAZN Boxing and truTV.
Andy Ruiz Jr. Begins Quest to Become a Two-Time World Champion
Most boxing fans have a vivid memory of Ruiz Jr.’s brief reign as the world heavyweight champion after a stunning upset win in June 2019. The affable Mexican-American from Imperial, California, stepped in as a last-minute replacement for Jarrell Miller, who had failed a pre-fight drug test.
Ruiz Jr. knocked down and knocked out Joshua in the biggest upset in boxing since Buster Douglas took down Mike Tyson.
What followed is a cautionary tale. Ruiz Jr., of Imperial, California, a dusty desert town along the Mexican border, went on a media tour that included late-night TV appearances and talk of comedian Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias playing him in the movie version of his story.
Ruiz Jr.’s hometown threw him a massive parade. This writer was one of the few boxing journalists on hand. If you’ve never seen it, it’s worth a look.
But Ruiz Jr. indulged himself and lost his drive. He came into the rematch with Joshua overweight and out of shape. Joshua won his belts back, and the six-month reign of Ruiz Jr. as the world champion was over.
Ruiz Jr. went through some trainer changes, scoring victories over Chris Arreola in a record-setting slugfest for the most punches thrown by two heavyweights in a 12-round fight (1,137), and a rough decision victory over Luis Ortiz.
In Ruiz Jr.’s last ring appearance, he fought to a disputed majority draw against Jarrell Miller in Los Angeles on the Crawford vs Madrimov undercard. The 36-year-old revealed he fought the second half of the fight with a broken hand.
Ruiz vs Knyba A Must Win For Both Big Men
Now Ruiz Jr. (35-2-1, 22 KOs), who has bounced trainers in Southern California, has finally returned to the trainer who saw him to his huge victory, Manny Robles. He claims the old fire to prove himself as a heavyweight world champion is back.
Knyba of Poland (17-1, 11 KOs) plans to ruin Ruiz Jr.’s plans. Standing even taller than Ruiz Jr.’s foe Anthony Joshua at 6-foot-7, Knyba hopes to come back from his first loss to Agit Kabayel in Germany in January. Knyba, who fights out of Suffolk County on Long Island, will appear at the Prudential Center for the fourth time.
In a statement as part of the fight announcement, Ruiz said, “I’m going to be fighting in Newark, New Jersey on September 4, baby. After we get this victory, I would love to fight all the guys that have the belts the Oleksandr Usyk vacated, and we’re going to become a two-time champion next year, let’s get it.”
“I can’t wait to be back at the Prudential Center, my second home,” said Knyba. “I’m excited to be back in the ring in front of the New Jersey and New York fans, and they will fill the seats with white and red.”
Ruiz vs Knyba Undercard Features Vito Mielnicki Jr. vs Ammo Williams
Supporting Ruiz Jr. vs Knyba on the undercard is another newly signed Matchroom Boxing athlete, Roseland, New Jersey native Vito Mielnicki Jr. Mielnicki (23-1, 13, KOs), who is co-promoted with BoxLab Promotions, will take on Austin “Ammo” Williams of Royal Palm Beach, Florida (20-2, 12 KOs) in the middleweight division.
Mielnicki Jr., age 24, will be on familiar turf at the Prudential Center, where he made his pro debut while still a high school student. He is now training in Houston with Ronnie Shields. We spoke with Mielnicki Jr. while training before his last fight.
“Every fight is another chapter in my story, and on September 4, I’m ready to write my biggest one yet,” said Mielnicki Jr. “I respect Ammo Williams because he has proven himself against top competition, but this is my time. I’ve dedicated my life to becoming a World champion, and every sacrifice I’ve made has prepared me for moments like this.
“When that bell rings, fans are going to see a fighter who is hungry, confident, and ready to prove he belongs among the elite. I’m coming to make a statement and take another step towards a world title.”
Williams vows fans will see the return of what he calls ‘The Ammo Show.’ “I am brimming with excitement to have this platform and opportunity to display my talents globally once again. After my previous World Championship bout with Adames, I learned valuable lessons about what it takes to dominate at the highest level.”
Like Mielnicki Jr., Williams has relocated to Texas to train in Dallas with Derrick James.
“The hardest thing for me to do was separate from my family for the first time, all for the sake of seclusion and total focus.
“Every day I get to soak in new knowledge from a completely different perspective. This is the move and sacrifice that will unlock my superstardom and propel me to the level of undisputed world champion.
“I feel refreshed, renewed, happy, and focused to leave the world wide-eyed and gasping for air from the artistic mutilation of a human being live on global television.”
Also scheduled on the undercard is promising prospect and Newark native Zaquin Moses (7-0, 3 KOs). The 21-year-old is scheduled for his first eight-round bout.
New Turf for Matchroom Boxing
This will be Matchroom Boxing’s first-ever card at the Prudential Center.
“This is going to be a great night in New Jersey,” said Matchroom Sport chairman Eddie Hearn. “It’s great to have Andy as part of the Matchroom team, and everyone knows that at his best, he can be a devastating performer. Andy is driven to getting back into the world title mix, so September 4 is a must-win night for him against the giant Pole Knyba.
“Mielnicki Jr. vs. Williams is a cracking fight in the middleweight division, with Vito stepping up in his first bout with Matchroom to take on the always-dangerous Ammo, who has the world title experience to build on – the winner of this one is going to arrow in on a massive fight at 160 pounds later this year.
“I’m excited to see Zaquin fight at home for the first time in his young career, it’s really important that rising stars like Zaquin get the opportunity to shine in front of their own fans at home,” said Hearn, who says additional fights will be added to the undercard.
Gayle Falkenthal is an award-winning boxing journalist with more than four dozen awards for both written and video coverage from the Boxing Writers Association of America, Society of Professional Journalists, and San Diego Press Club, where she is the past president. She is the only woman journalist who is a full voting member of the BWAA. She is the Boxing Editor for NY Fights based in San Diego, California.
