Damian Knyba Cannot Show Andy Ruiz Is Back

Andy Ruiz Jr. wants to show fans that he is neither old nor washed up when he faces Damian Knyba tonight at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Beating a Polish heavyweight who was stopped in the third round by Agit Kabayel in January will not prove either point.

“I know that people are underestimating me just like everybody did my whole life,” Ruiz told The Ring’s Rick Reeno. “A lot of people are saying, ‘He’s too old, he’s washed up, he’s way past his prime.’ But in reality, I haven’t taken a lot of punishment. I’ve just been on my couch with my family, relaxing and waiting for this opportunity to come.”

Although Ruiz may not have absorbed years of punishment, inactivity creates another form of decline. His success came from unusually fast hands, short combinations, and the ability to counter between an opponent’s punches. Those skills depend heavily on timing and repetition. Raw heavyweight power often survives long layoffs better than combination speed.

The couch admission reinforces the criticism rather than answering it.

Knyba Can Make Ruiz Look His Age

Knyba lacks elite credentials, but his six-foot-seven frame and 86-inch reach present an awkward test for a short heavyweight returning from more than two years away. A persistent jab, movement, and clinching can prevent Ruiz from reaching the inside, where his hand speed carries the most value.

The former champion should win, particularly because Kabayel exposed Knyba’s difficulty handling sustained pressure. The question is how long Ruiz needs to find his range and how many punches he can produce once the fight extends beyond the early rounds.

The scale provides one encouraging sign. Ruiz was 268 pounds when he stopped Anthony Joshua in June 2019, then ballooned to 283.7 for their rematch. He weighed 274.4 against Jarrell Miller and faded following a fast start. Ruiz came in at 254.3 pounds Thursday, his lightest weight since 2018.

That shows he trained without establishing that his reflexes and conditioning have returned.

Nearly Seven Years Cannot Be Recovered

Since losing the Joshua rematch in December 2019, Ruiz has fought only three times. At 36, the former champion must do more than flatten a carefully selected opponent. He needs frequent fights against progressively stronger heavyweights.

Knyba offers Ruiz activity and confidence, nothing more. Beating him cannot erase nearly seven years of inconsistency or confirm that Ruiz remains among the elite. The real evidence will come later, if Ruiz follows through on his plan to fight again in December.

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