NEWARK, N.J. — Andy Ruiz Jr.’s bid to return to the heavyweight championship picture suffered a major setback Friday night.
Damian Knyba used his size, reach and disciplined jab to outbox the former unified heavyweight champion and earn a unanimous-decision victory in the main event at Prudential Center.
The judges scored the 12-round bout 117-110, 114-113 and 114-113, giving Knyba the biggest win of his professional career and handing Ruiz his third career defeat.
While two scorecards had the fight separated by only a single point, the 117-110 card more closely reflected Knyba’s control for much of the night.
The victory moved Knyba to 18-1 with 11 knockouts, while Ruiz slipped to 35-3-1 with 22 knockouts.
For Ruiz, the performance raised questions about the impact of his lengthy absence from the ring. The 36-year-old had not fought in approximately two years and struggled to generate consistent offense against an opponent who stood six inches taller.
At 6-foot-7, Knyba enjoyed a significant physical advantage over the 6-foot-2 Ruiz and made full use of it. Rather than allowing Ruiz to get into the pocket and unleash combinations, Knyba established his jab early and used it to keep the former champion at distance.
Knyba threw approximately 720 jabs during the fight, repeatedly disrupting Ruiz’s attempts to close the distance.
Ruiz offered little resistance offensively during the first half of the contest. His attack was largely limited to isolated punches to the body, while Knyba methodically accumulated rounds.
Trainer Manny Robles urged Ruiz to become more aggressive heading into the seventh round.
Instead, Knyba produced one of his most damaging sequences of the night.
With less than a minute remaining in Round 7, Knyba connected with a right hand followed by a left that badly shook Ruiz. Ruiz’s legs buckled, and he struggled to regain his balance.
Knyba immediately seized the opportunity.
Ruiz was unable to defend himself effectively as Knyba continued throwing, eventually sending him crashing face-first onto the canvas.
There was obvious concern in Ruiz’s corner between rounds, but the former champion was cleared to continue.
Ironically, the eighth round became Ruiz’s strongest stretch of the fight.
Knyba appeared eager to capitalize on the knockdown and began engaging Ruiz at closer range. That decision gave Ruiz the opportunity he had been searching for. Ruiz began connecting with powerful right hands and forced Knyba to retreat and tie him up.
Ruiz carried that momentum into the ninth round, repeatedly finding Knyba with overhand rights.
For a brief period, Knyba appeared to be tiring, and Ruiz seemed capable of turning the fight around.
But the surge didn’t last.
Knyba returned to his jab in Round 10, regained control of the distance and prevented Ruiz from building another sustained attack. Ruiz struggled to find an answer over the final three rounds as Knyba comfortably protected his lead.
After the fight, Ruiz acknowledged that Knyba’s strategy had frustrated him but maintained that he still believes he can compete for another world championship.
“I don’t know what went wrong,” Ruiz said. “I think it was just him holding. Every time I tried to come in, he held me really tight, and I couldn’t let my combinations go. He played a good game plan.”
Ruiz also expressed interest in an immediate rematch.
“I’d love to run it back and do things a lot differently,” he said.
Despite the disappointing result, Ruiz insisted that his championship ambitions remain intact.
“Of course I believe I can still win a world title,” Ruiz said. “It was just a long layoff, and it was a great opponent. I didn’t want to take an easy fight; that’s why I took Damian. He’s a big guy, but we’ve got to take risks.”
Ruiz also made it clear that retirement is not currently part of his plans.
“I’m not done just because of this loss,” he said. “I’ve still got it in me. I just need to stay active. And I want to fight again.”
Knyba, meanwhile, left Newark with his reputation significantly enhanced. The Polish heavyweight demonstrated that he can handle a former champion while maintaining a tactical game plan over 12 rounds.
Main Card Results
Heavyweight: Damian Knyba def. Andy Ruiz Jr., unanimous decision (117-110, 114-113, 114-113)
Middleweight: Vito Mielnicki Jr. def. Austin Williams, unanimous decision (98-91, 98-91, 98-91)
Lightweight: Eridson Garcia def. Alan Chaves, unanimous decision (99-87, 99-88, 98-88)
Super Featherweight: Zaquin Moses def. Angel Antonio Contreras, fifth-round TKO (corner stoppage)
Preliminary Card Results
Super Featherweight: Dennis Thompson def. Jose Casillas, unanimous decision (80-72, 79-73, 77-75)
Super Welterweight: Kahshad Elliott def. Jean Pierre Valencia, split decision (60-54, 55-59, 58-56)
Lightweight: Brooke Mullen def. Bria Miller, unanimous decision (60-53, 60-53, 59-54)
Super Lightweight: Jordan Simpson def. Michael McDonald, fourth-round TKO
