ANDY RUIZ JR is set to make his long-awaited ring return on April 24 in a shock pay-per-view bout against Chris Arreola.
The Mexican-American has not fought since December 2019, when he lost an immediate rematch against Anthony Joshua.
According to BoxingScene, his comeback fight will come 16-months on from when his short spell as unified heavyweight champion came to an end.
And he is lined up to face Arreola, who turns 40 this week, the man who was knocked out by ex-WBC king Deontay Wilder in 2016.
The American has only fought three times since that defeat, with his current record standing at 38–6–1 with two no-contests.
Like Ruiz, Arreola has not been seen since December 2019, in a losing effort against Adam Kownacki.
But he has long been touted as Ruiz’s comeback opponent, with talks progressing for over a year.
In the US, the heavyweight fight is understood to be on a Fox PPV card, to the surprise of many, with no word yet on whether it will be the headliner.
Ruiz, 31, shot to fame in June 2019, when he stepped in for drug cheat Jarrell Miller, 32, and challenged Joshua, 31.
He pulled off a stunning upset, dropping AJ four times in New York on the way to a seventh round stoppage.
But Ruiz ballooned up to 20 STONE for the rematch in Saudi Arabia and laboured to a points loss over 12-rounds.
Since then, he has switched training camps and linked up with Canelo Alvarez’s esteemed coach Eddy Reynoso in their adopted San Diego base.
And Ruiz appears to be reaping the rewards, with a recent picture showing the underdog hero trimmer than ever before.
