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Fury, Wilder: Who could ex-AJ rival Ruiz face in comeback fight after 'now or never' warning?
The clock is ticking for Mexico’s first heavyweight world Andy Ruiz, who continues to tease a ring return by early 2026.
Ruiz recently rejoined Manny Robles, who guided him to pulling off one of the biggest upsets in boxing history, knocking out Anthony Joshua to become the unified heavyweight champion.
Speaking on his reunion with Ruiz, Robles made it clear that it is “now or never” if Ruiz, soon to turn 36, hopes to get back to the top of the heavyweight division.
Robles told The Ring: “He’s at a stage of his career where it’s now or never.
“I’ve got to get him to work, back in the ring as soon as possible and get the ball rolling again.”
Since losing his rematch to Joshua, Ruiz has fought only three times, struggling with injuries and discipline outside of the ring. He claimed two forgettable points wins over Chris Arreola and Luis Ortiz before a draw against Jarrell Miller, which he was fortunate to walk away with.
He has since been rehabilitating a hand injury suffered in the Miller fight. But who could the former unified heavyweight champion return to face to get his career back on track?
Anthony Joshua trilogy
Since the pair first shared the ring in 2019 for one of the most spectacularly dramatic fights in heavyweight history, it has been a story of mixed fortunes for both.
Joshua came back a slimmer and more tactical version of himself to reclaim his heavyweight titles from Ruiz in the rematch, but what followed has left Joshua left looking to rebuild for the third time.
Two losses to Oleksandr Usyk, a devastating knockout defeat by Daniel Dubois, and an injury have seen Joshua’s career stagnate, and he is now looking for a comeback opponent of his own.
What better opportunity to give the fans a bit of nostalgia and complete the trilogy with what would be a competitive fight if both men came in at their best?
If Joshua wishes to unlock a super fight with Tyson Fury, the de facto boxing boss, Turki Alalshikh, has said he would like to see them both have one fight before they meet.
Ruiz would also be able to use it as a platform to show that he is still in the conversation at the top of the division against a top-ranked heavyweight and former rival.
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Deontay Wilder
Deontay Wilder and Andy Ruiz circled each other for a few years, and it looked as though a fight between them was almost made in 2022.
This came shortly after Tyson Fury had put an end to his bitter rivalry with Wilder, taking the knockout win in their trilogy fight.
The WBC ordered a final eliminator between Ruiz and Wilder to see who would become the mandatory challenger for Tyson Fury’s belt, even though he had only just beaten Wilder.
But in August 2023, the order was cancelled due to issues in the negotiations, and one of Ruiz’s trainers, Jorge Capetillo, claimed that the fighters priced themselves out of the fight, speaking to Betway that year.
Now with Wilder approaching 40 and Ruiz being told he is in the last chance saloon, a fight between them could be the boost Ruiz would need for one last run at a world title.
It would be a fight that would be hard to separate for the bookies, but Ruiz may come in as a slight favourite due to being younger and Wilder’s extreme drop off in the last three years.
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Jarrell Miller rematch
If Ruiz and his team were not in a rush to throw him back in against fighters as dangerous as some of those closer to the top of the tree, then picking up where he left off would be a good proposition.
It is a fight that is sellable, billed as round 13. Ruiz started positively in their initial meeting, but a hand injury hampered his punch output after round five, which saw Miller take over and he had a real argument for taking the win, but two of the three judges scored it a draw, with one in favour of ‘Big Baby’.
If Ruiz’s hand does not cause any more trouble and he bounces back with a definitive win over the man that held him to a draw in his last fight, then there would be few better ways to make a statement of intent.
Ed Mulholland/Matchroom
Jared Anderson
Jared Anderson was touted as the next great American heavyweight hope, and was returning the investment of the fans with interest – knocking out his first 13 opponents.
But when he took on Martin Bakole he faltered on the big stage in August last year, getting knocked out by the Congolese power puncher.
He has since returned and claimed a unanimous decision victory over Marios Kollias at the beginning of the year.
Before losing to Bakole, Anderson was very interested in a fight against Andy Ruiz and said he would take the offer if it ever came.
Anderson told Boxing Scene on Ruiz: “It will definitely get accepted if its offered.”
Although the circumstances have now changed, it remains an equally enticing option for both men.
It is a chance for Anderson to prove he can still be the next big thing in US heavyweight boxing, with a victory over a former unified champion and Ruiz, who does not currently hold a top 15 world ranking, would get the opportunity to beat a top-ranked contender and reinstate himself in the division.
(Mikey Williams/Top Rank via Getty Images)
Martin Bakole
While there have been no talks of a fight between Bakole and Ruiz, it would be a great match-up of styles.
Bakole’s stock has taken something of a dive over the last year since his knockout defeat by Joseph Parker on a two days’ notice and the draw with Efe Ajagba that left a bitter aftertaste with spectators.
Both men are coming off a lacklustre draw - most thought they deserved to lose - and they shared a card on the night of Ruiz’s draw and Bakole’s breakout win against Jared Anderson
The talk ahead of those fights was that Anderson and Ruiz would fight if they both came through with a win, so perhaps a fight against Bakole would be a better match for Ruiz's resume and world title ambitions.
Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing
Tyson Fury
While it does not look like Tyson Fury will return anytime soon after making yet another U-turn on his retirement, you never know with Fury and the appropriate purse should be enough to draw him out.
If he is unable to access the trilogy with Usyk as he wishes, then the next best option would be an all-British fight with Anthony Joshua.
But as aforementioned, if the fight is to take place in Riyadh Season - the only time when that amount of money is available - then Fury will have to bend to the demands of Turki Alalshikh and take a fight beforehand.
Ruiz will not be anywhere near the front of the queue to fight Fury on merit, but if he wanted to try and send a message to Joshua, he could take the fight with Ruiz and put on a statement performance against the man who knocked him out.
The former champion is no stranger to upsetting the odds, and taking an opportunity against a fighter like Fury is where Ruiz seems to thrive.
Richard Pelham/Getty Images
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