Andy Ruiz Jr will have his first fight under Matchroom contract on Friday, September 4, when the former unified heavyweight titlist faces Damian Knyba in a main event from the Prudential Center in Newark.
The bout will headline September’s edition of “The Fight,” which streams on DAZN and also airs on TNT in the United States. The show is co-promoted by Matchroom and Top Rank.
The chief support will see Vito Mielnicki Jr meet Austin “Ammo” Williams in a pivotal middleweight clash.
The 36-year-old Ruiz
(35-2-1, 22 KO) has done very little in boxing following his earth-shaking 2019 upset of Anthony Joshua. He came to the rematch visibly out of shape six months later and lost a wide decision, and has fought just three times this decade, beating a long-faded Chris Arreola in 2021, an old but still dangerous Luis Ortiz in 2022, and then battling Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller to a draw in August 2024.
By the time Ruiz gets back in to face Knyba (17-1, 11 KO), he will have been out of the ring for over two years again. Ruiz recently signed to Matchroom.
Knyba, 30, is Polish-born and based in New Jersey. He had been set to return in October in Poland against Kacper Meyna, but this is obviously a much bigger opportunity, and could well be winnable, because we really don’t know what Ruiz is in the ring right now or where his form is at, or where his head is really at, even.
Knyba had fought on some Top Rank undercards before traveling to Germany this past January, where he was stopped inside of three rounds by Agit Kabayel. But the 6’7”, 260 lb Knyba could present some matchup problems for Ruiz, too.
The 24-year-old Milenicki (23-1, 13 KO), who sort of stalled out after PBC and FOX thrust him into an ill-designed attempt to push him as a fast-rising superstar, has simply been out there winning fights, beating the opponents in front of him, and is far too young to write off. He most recently fought in April, beating Omar Huerta by wide, 10-round decision.
Williams (20-2, 13 KO) may not be elite, but he has tools that make him a real step up for Mielnicki, too. The 30-year-old “Ammo” is coming off of a pretty one-sided beating at the hands of WBC champ Carlos Adames on March 21.
