Andy Ruiz Jr has underlined the seriousness of his latest comeback by weighing in at his lightest for eight years ahead of Friday night’s fight with Damian Knyba.
The former unified heavyweight world champion tipped the scales at 254.3lbs in Newark, New Jersey, ahead of his first fight since drawing with Jarrell Miller in August 2024, during which the Mexican-American broke his hand.
It is the leanest Ruiz has been on the scales since his July 2018 win over Kevin Johnson, when he weighed 252lbs.
MAIN EVENT WEIGH-IN RESULTS
⚖️ @Andy_destroyer1 – 254.3lbs
⚖️ Damian Knyba- 255.5lbs#RuizKnyba live on @DAZNBoxing & @TNTSportsUS tomorrow! pic.twitter.com/z5k8ohCSkU— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) September 3, 2026
‘The Destroyer’ weighed 268lbs when he shocked Anthony Joshua at Madison Square Garden in June 2019 to capture the WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight titles, before coming in considerably heavier at 283.7lbs for the rematch six months later.
Joshua regained the belts on points in Saudi Arabia, with Ruiz later admitting he had come into the contest too heavy after not taking his preparations seriously enough.
Ruiz has fought only three times since that defeat, beating Chris Arreola and Luis Ortiz before his majority draw with Miller.
He has now reunited with Manny Robles, the trainer who guided him to the career-defining first victory over Joshua.
Knyba weighed 255.5lbs, leaving barely a pound between the heavyweights despite the Pole boasting a considerable advantage in height and reach. The 30-year-old stands 6ft 7in and enters the contest looking to claim by far the biggest victory of his career.
The fight takes place at the Prudential Center in Newark on Friday, September 4, with Ruiz returning to the venue where he last fought more than a decade ago.
For the 36-year-old in his first fight under Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing banner, the aim is to prove that another run towards the top of the heavyweight division remains possible.
Whatever follows, arriving at 254.3lbs gives Ruiz a notably different look from the fighter who contested the two defining bouts of his career against Joshua in 2019.
