Eddie Hearn thinks the wide open heavyweight division has a Mexican problem waiting in it.
Andy Ruiz Jr returns on Friday against Damian Knyba at the Prudential Center in Newark, his first fight under the Matchroom banner. Hearn told Pro Boxing Fans that a good night puts Ruiz in with anyone.
Andy Ruiz is a massive problem, if he is on it this Friday. If he looks great this Friday, give me Hrgovic, give me Itauma, give me Dubois, Kabayel, he can beat all of those guys.
The division cracked open last week. Filip Hrgovic upset Moses Itauma to take the vacant IBF title and become Croatia’s first heavyweight world champion, handing the 21-year-old his first defeat and ending the assumption that Itauma was next in line. Hrgovic wants a rematch with WBO champion Daniel Dubois or a unification with WBC titleholder Agit Kabayel, though he is mandated to face Frank Sanchez first. Oleksandr Usyk has vacated and is close to being done.
Ruiz has not fought since a majority draw with Jarrell Miller in August 2024, and his last win came against Luis Ortiz four years ago to the day. He is 35-2-1 and back with Manny Robles, the trainer who guided him to the 2019 upset of Anthony Joshua at Madison Square Garden.
The weight is the story of the camp. Ruiz came in at 254.3lbs, his lightest in years. Hearn said on the weigh-in broadcast that he had not been that light since the Kevin Johnson fight, while noting it does not automatically mean a better version.
Knyba is not a soft return. The 30-year-old Pole is 17-1, with his only loss coming to Kabayel in January. He stands 6 ft 7 in with an 86-inch reach, and he has fought at the Prudential Center three times before.
This is the perfect guy to show what Andy Ruiz has left. If he doesn’t have the goods anymore, he’ll get beat on Friday night. If he does, if he’s hungry, if he’s still got those fast hands, that power, and that horrible style, especially for a taller fighter, you got a guy that could really be a major threat to the heavyweight division.
