Andy Ruiz Jr. Loses Comeback Bout; Damian Knyba Targets Agit Kabayel

Andy Ruiz Jr. (35-3-1, 22 KOs) lost his heavyweight comeback to Damian Knyba (18-1, 11 KOs) during a Matchroom Boxing event on Friday.

Renowned for his upset win over Anthony Joshua in June, 2019, the 36-year-old had only fought four times in the subsequent years, and not at all since his majority draw with Jarrell Miller in August, 2024.

At Prudential Center in Newark, Ruiz had to weather a storm mid-fight when Knyba dropped him with a right hook during a sequence of shots in the seventh round. He tried to fight his way back into the bout but Knyba was too disciplined to surrender any momentum to Ruiz, who showed bruising — particularly around the eye — by the end.

Knyba, by contrast, entered the ring looking to bounce back from his own setback — a third-round knockout loss to Agit Kabayel on January 10. After judges confirmed his unanimous decision win with scores of 117-110, 114-113, and 114-113, Knyba turned to what’s next. “I really want a rematch with Kabayel,” he said.

The loss complicates plans Ruiz’s new promoter, Eddie Hearn, had for the fighter. The Matchroom chairman was eyeing a fast track to a world title opportunity for Ruiz against Filip Hrgovic, who won the IBF heavyweight championship with a come-from-behind seventh-round knockout of rising contender Moses Itauma on August 29.

Earlier at the September 4 event, Vito Mielnicki Jr. defeated Austin Williams by a lopsided decision with scores of 98-91 (3 times). Boxing prospect Zaquin Moses, who is Shakur Stevenson’s younger cousin, scored a fifth-round retirement win over Angel Antonio Contreras.