Andy Ruiz Jr. will make his comeback to the sport in 2024 after confirming he has undergone surgery.
The former unified heavyweight champion has not hit the heights as he has done ever since he defeated Anthony Joshua on the latter’s American debut to become world champion. Since then, Ruiz’s biggest win has been against an aging Luis Ortiz in 2022 via a unanimous decision.
Thereafter, big fights against Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder have failed to materialize. Reports stressed that Ruiz demanded $20 million in order to face the WBC heavyweight champion. Meanwhile, Wilder and Ruiz butted heads over purse splits for what would have been a WBC title eliminator. Ruiz refused to budge on a 50-50 split after having been offered 70-30 as talks broke down. And in the process, the WBC title eliminator was scrapped. Despite this being the case, Ruiz does foresee a positive 2024. And after confirming he has had surgery, the boxer had big plans for next year.
Andy Ruiz has revealed that he's undergone surgery for a "minor setback", but is now back in the gym training again: "2024 is my year."
— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) October 31, 2023
“Hey guys, I just got done working out. Five days out of my surgery, and we’re back in the gym, feeling good, feeling blessed, and I can’t wait to get back in the ring. 2024 is my year, baby, it’s my year. Remember that. I had a little minor setback for a major comeback, and we’re coming, baby. Let’s get it,” Ruiz
Moving forward, Ruiz can only continue to win to put himself in the conversation for the biggest fights. But in order to do so, the boxer must get those fights made, which may involve being the B-side.