ANDY RUIZ JR will begin his comeback trail on his way back to the top against Chris Arreola in the spring.
The former heavyweight champion of the world hasn’t fought since his defeat to Anthony Joshua in December 2019.
Ruiz Jr, 31, is out with a point to prove after he was ridiculed for being overweight and unfit in his rematch against AJ.
The Mexican stunned the world when he stole the Brit’s three title belts in June 2019 before waving the white flag six months later.
He has since undergone a dramatic body transformation and looks in fighting shape to cause further upsets in the heavyweight division.
According to Boxing News 24, talk over fighting 39-year-old Arreola is set to end with both fighters ready to sign a contract.
Arreola last fought in August 2019 and lost to Polish fighter Adam Kownacki.
If Ruiz Jr wins, he is likely to land another big-name fight such as Dillian Whyte, Alexander Povetkin or Daniel Dubois.
Meanwhile Ruiz Jr is taking inspiration from Tyson Fury’s comeback to salvage his reputation, according to his trainer.
Fury overcame depression, drug and alcohol addiction and weight issues before getting his hands on the WBC title belt from Deontay Wilder.
Jorge Capetillo told Sky Sports: “It would be huge for me, professional and personally, if they could share the gym, share a chat, share how their families are.
“It would be positive motivation for Andy.
“Andy knows that Tyson has also taken care of me. Andy speaks highly of Tyson. They share the same faith too.
“Andy, like Tyson, is a man of faith and family. We all make mistakes. They have a good feeling for each other.
“This is what life is about. We make mistakes, we fall down, but we have to get up and move forwards.
“A fighter never loses because they get knocked down. They lose because they don’t get up.
“I want Andy to prove to himself that it was not a lucky shot.
“Because it was not lucky, let me tell you, because Joshua went down but got back up. Joshua didn’t run. But you saw what happened.
“I would love to see Andy as a champion again.”
