Andy Ruiz Jr has considered his fighting future after suffering a shock defeat to Poland’s Damian Knyba over the weekend.
The former unified heavyweight champion was heavily favoured to have his way with Knyba, who was coming off a third-round stoppage defeat to Agit Kabayel in January.
Even during his first professional loss, though, Knyba had shown genuine signs of potential as a 6ft 7in contender, towering over the vast majority of his opponents.
He was therefore considered a risky opponent among the hardcore circles, especially with Ruiz having not fought since his draw with Jarrell Miller in 2024.
The 36-year-old was also entering the first fight of his promotional deal with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing, while weighing the lightest he has been since 2018.
Such things did not appear to bother Knyba, however, as the 30-year-old scored a unanimous decision victory after flooring his man in round seven.
In fact, Ruiz did tremendously well to survive the knockdown, but was ultimately outlanded by his more active opponent through large spells of their 12-round contest.
Speaking with DAZN in his post-fight interview, Ruiz admitted the inactivity had played a part but insisted that he will continue fighting.
“It was just a long layoff and it was a great opponent. I didn’t want to take an easy fight, so that’s why I took Damian.
“I’ve still got it in me, man. I just need to stay active and I want to fight again.”
Best known for pulling off a terrific upset against Anthony Joshua, who he stopped in round seven of their 2019 encounter, Ruiz appears eager to rediscover such form and re-join the world title picture.
