Andy Ruiz Jr.’s next fight could take him to Sheffield.
British heavyweight Dave Allen told The Fight Wire that Matchroom CEO Frank Smith has pitched him a fight with the former unified champion next spring.
My contract’s actually ran out with Matchroom, so I spoke to [CEO] Frank Smith [on Friday] and he said: ‘Look, get in good shape. We’ll go back to Sheffield Arena in March [or] April [and put you in] with Andy Ruiz.'
Allen, 34, admitted it could be his last fight, and he was realistic about his chances.
The best Ruiz would beat the best me, but you never know [what will happen] on that one night, do you? He might be finished and it might be a fairytale ending for me.
Ruiz, 37, needs a win. He ended a two-year layoff in his Matchroom debut in September. Damian Knyba dropped him in the seventh round and won a unanimous decision at the Prudential Center in Newark. It was Ruiz’s first fight since a draw with Jarrell Miller in August 2024.
Ruiz famously stopped Anthony Joshua in the seventh round in 2019 to become unified heavyweight champion, but he lost the rematch later that year. He has won only twice since.
Allen’s last outing, in September, ended in a bizarre no-contest when Thomas Carty fell through the ropes in the first round. Before that, he was stopped by Filip Hrgovic in May and picked up two points wins over journeymen.
No fight has been officially announced.
