Taking place in Newark, New Jersey, USA, former unified world heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr will take on Damian Knyba in his first fight in over two years.

Knyba has more recent fight experience, albeit a loss against Agit Kabayel earlier this year. Still, they will both enter the ring with victory on their minds on Saturday, September 5, from 11:00 AEST. Boxing fans have been waiting for Ruiz Jr’s return for quite some time, but will he have been worth the wait?

Quick Picks

Our pick: Ruiz Jr to win

Value bet: Ruiz Jr by decision/points

Long shot: Knyba to win

Tale of the Tape

Both are orthodox, so the fight is less about open-stance angles and more about whether Mexica-American fighter Ruiz Jr can consistently cross a colossal distance gap without taking on too many of Knyba’s jabs and right hand reaches.

The Polish fighter has a major physical advantage in terms of height and reach. Knyba should be able to touch Ruiz Jr with the jab from a distance at which Ruiz Jr cannot safely answer. That could see Knyba control the centre of the ring.

Ruiz Jr, who has undergone hand surgery after an injury sustained against Jarrell Miller in 2024, may find his route to victory could be to make that distance disappear in controlled bursts rather than chase it all night.

Ruiz Jr’s statistics are first:

• Age - 36 vs 30
• Height - 6'2" (188cm) vs 6'7" (201cm)
• Stance - Orthodox vs Orthodox
• Record - 35-2-1 vs 17-1-0
• KO Record - 22 vs 11

Betting Preview

How have they performed in their last fights?

Ruiz Jr's last five fights:

Jarrell Miller - Draw (MD, 12) - Aug 2024

Luis Ortiz - Win (UD, 12) - Sep 2022

Chris Arreola - Win (UD, 12) - May 2021

Anthony Joshua - Loss (UD, 12) - Dec 2019

Anthony Joshua - Win (TKO, 7) - Jun 2019

Knyba's last five fights:

Agit Kabayel - Loss (TKO, 3) - Jan 2026

Joey Dawejko - Win (TKO, 7) - Oct 2025

Marcin Siwy - Win (TKO, 8) - Jun 2025

Andrzej Wawrzyk - Win (TKO, 3) - Feb 2025

Richard Lartey - Win (TKO, 3) - Nov 2024

Betting Markets to Watch

Ruiz Jr has been made the pre-fight favourite to win in the moneyline in the latest Grade B fight odds, although they are admittedly relatively close, partly because of the time since Ruiz Jr was last in the ring, and maybe partly because he hasn’t won a fight for four years.

Consequently, there may be some value in Knyba as the underdog , as he has fought much more recently, is younger, and has a much larger physical frame that could offer an edge.

Based on the odds, Ruiz Jr is favoured to win by stoppage . This perhaps goes along with the former champion's knockout power and the Pole's recent knockout in his last fight.

However, we think there’s better value in Ruiz Jr by decision . His last four fights have all gone the distance. Remember, too, that he produced one of the biggest upsets in heavyweight history when he dropped Anthony Joshua multiple times, albeit seven years ago now. If you are unsure how those scorecards work, our guide to boxing decisions explained breaks down what results like UD and MD actually mean.

Knyba will use his size well enough to survive, but Ruiz Jr’s cleaner, more damaging work swings enough middle and late rounds.

Our Prediction

Check the latest Ruiz Jr vs Knyba betting odds. Our prediction is a likely Ruiz Jr win with a points/decision outcome being our value pick.

A long shot is for Knyba to win as the underdog . He’ll need to avoid getting into a physical fight and stay controlled/disciplined, but if Ruiz Jr shows ring rust, it could present an invaluable opportunity for the Pole.