It has been nearly a year and a half since we last saw former heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr in the ring. However, fans will need to wait a while longer to see the first-ever Mexican world heavyweight champion back in the ring, as his date with Chris Arreola has been pushed back until the 1st May after a clash with UFC 261, which was scheduled to take place on the same night.
It seems like a sensible move from the organisers, as the main event of said UFC event is the rematch of Jorge Masvidal vs Kamaru Usman.
Boxing News: Ruiz Jr Return On PPV
However, not all fans were happy with the announcement, as the Ruiz Jr return will still be on PPV in the United States. Many believe that the bout isn’t worthy of having its own PPV. Regardless, there is a sense of excitement with seeing the Mexican return to the ring. Despite defeat against Anthony Joshua in his last fight, Ruiz Jr’s stock remains relatively high.
A couple of defeats in quick succession could put him back into a strong position to challenge for the unified crown against Joshua or Tyson Fury. Many believe that a trilogy fight could be the most interesting potential bout, as the Ruiz Jr that we are likely to see in May is a completely different version of the heavyweight that we saw back in Saudi Arabia in 2019.
Boxing News: Could Ruiz Jr Get Back To The Top?
It would have seemed unlikely back before the first Joshua/Ruiz Jr fight that another world title opportunity could be in the Mexican’s thoughts. He stepped up at the last minute to take on the Brit, and many believed that it would be yet another straightforward defence for Joshua. However, his stunning KO/TKO victory on that night in New York saw his star rise to levels that many would have considered impossible.
History didn’t repeat itself against Joshua in Saudi Arabia, but that doesn’t mean that his hopes of regaining the world title are over. However, a bid to have another title opportunity does look much harder this time around with a number of huge names also in contention for the price. Oleksandr Usyk, Deontay Wilder and Joe Joyce are all at the front of that queue, which means that Ruiz Jr will likely have to go through at least one of them to get back to the top of the mountain.
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