Things you didn’t know about Andy Ruiz Jr

Everything you need to know about Andy Ruiz Jr

Former unified world heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr. (35-2-1 22 KOs) makes his long-awaited ring return on July 4, 2026, in Newark, America, live on DAZN.

The Mexican-American is back in action after a two-year absence after signing with Matchroom Boxing in July and agreeing to fight "Polish Hussar" Damian Knyba (17-1 11 KOs).

The former world champ believes a big win along with Matchroom's backing will propel him straight back into world title contention.

Ahead of his comeback fight, GBN have listed a whole host of facts about the heavyweight 'Destroyer' below.

Andy Ruiz Jr. Facts

His full name is Andrés Ponce Ruiz Jr., born on September 11, 1989 in Imperial Valley, California, his parents had emigrated from Mexico to live there.

His father, Andrés Sr, is a former construction worker who started his own business flipping houses. Ruiz Jr. worked for his father in construction for a time before deciding to become a full-time boxer.

Andy's grandfather owned a boxing gym in Mexicali, California, that was used by unified featherweight world champion Jorge Paez.

As a youngster, he was forced to box by his father, aged just six, even though he wanted to play baseball. He had his first amateur bout at eight-years-old in San Diego, California.

He graduated from Imperial High School in 2007.

Ruiz is known for having an unlikely combination of a podgy belly and lightning quick hands, and he often questioned if he was “too fat” to be a boxer.

Promoter Bob Arum admitted his less-than-chiselled frame meant no one would give him credit for winning as he looked like a “fat slob”. Arum said: "Even though he was winning, nobody would credit him as being legitimate because he looked like a slob – it was always, 'Yeah, he's a fat slob but his hands are so fast'."

Ruiz would go on to lose nearly a stone and a half in a bid to gain appreciation for his wins and said cutting out fast foods was the key, he revealed: "A lot of stuff, all the fast food, the cheap food, the dollar menu – I had to cut all that off. You can train so hard and eat bad stuff and you're training for no reason." He often describes himself as the “chubby little kid who has come from nowhere.”

During his amateur career, Ruiz ran his record to an incredible 105-5 under Cuban trainer Fernando Ferrer. He won two Mexican National Junior Olympics gold medals and the World Ringside Heavyweight Championship. He represented Mexico at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games qualification tournaments but lost to Cuba’s Robert Alfonso and Colombian Oscar Rivas and didn't make selection.

As a 19-year-old, he won his professional debut in March 2009 winning via a 34-second knockout over Miguel Salvador Ramirez (0-1) in Tijuana, Mexico. He has since scored nine first-round knockouts during his career.

He earned the nickname 'Destroyer' long before he took up boxing because he liked to destroy anything he got his hands on. Ruiz confirmed: "They called me the Destroyer because I was always destroying stuff. They'd buy me a toy and the next day I would break it.”

Ruiz fought mostly journeymen up to his 20th bout, his first 19 opponents had a dire record of 111-95-21 combined, but he knocked out two amateur stars in 2006 US amateur champion Jonte Willis (8-3-1) and 2008 Golden Gloves champion Tor Hamer (21-2).

On July 27, 2013 Ruiz traveled over 7,000 miles to Macau with Top Rank to fight at the Cotai Arena against undefeated 30-year-old American Joe Hanks (21-0) for the vacant WBO Inter-Continental heavyweight title. In his breakout fight, Ruiz dropped Hanks twice in round four with rapid rights, forcing the stoppage.

He fought again the Cotai Arena, four months later, on the Pacquiao-Rios undercard, successfully defending his WBO Inter-Continental heavyweight title and claiming the vacant NABF heavyweight title by defeating the aformentioned Hamer, a 2012 Prizefighter winner, in the third round when he quit on his stool.

On December 20, 2014 Ruiz fought former WBO World heavyweight champion, 38-year-old Siarhei Liakhovich (26-6) in Phoenix, Arizona and was taken the 10-round distance for the first time in his career, winning on points – 98-92, 96-94 & 99-91.

He joined well-known trainer Abel Sanchez following that points victory.

He had compiled a 29-0 fight record by September 2016 and set up a WBO eliminator with Tyson's cousin Hughie Fury.

That fight never came to fruition, instead he fought for the vacant WBO world heavyweight title against Joseph Parker (21-0), which he lost via mixed decision in December 2016, scored 115-113; 115-113; 114-114. He started brightly as the aggressor, despite being in the away corner 6,000 miles away in Auckland, New Zealand, but mistakenly took his foot of the gas during the mid-rounds, only taking control again in the championship rounds, which was too late to nick the vacant belt that Tyson Fury had just vacated, outlanded by just 12 punches.

Ruiz’s manager/advisor was Al Haymon, but he has now signed with Eddie Hearn's Matchroom in July 2026.

At one time, Gennady Golovkin's former coach Abel Sanchez trained Ruiz, but the heavyweight has transitioned to Manny Robles. The US National Team trainer has worked with heavyweight Dominic Breazeale, Terrell Gausha, Michael Conlan, Jason Quigley, Oscar Valdez and Jessie Magdaleno. After his 2019 loss to Joshua, Ruiz left Manny Robles and hired Canelo's coach, Eddy Reynoso, in May 2020. He was briefly trained by Alfredo Osuna, but he is now back with Robles once again.

Angel "Memo" Heredia, is his well known strength and conditioning trainer.

Ruiz had surgery to repair the rotator cuff in his right shoulder, causing him to be inactive for almost two years.

He is a smallish heavyweight at only 6ft 2” with a 74-inch reach. In some of his fights, he has given away over 6" in height and 12" in reach to his opponents.

He resides in Imperial, California, and is bilingual in English and Spanish.

He has said that he considers himself to be 50% American and 50% Mexican, and is often upset with the way that Mexicans are treated and viewed by others.

Whilst he loves pork and beef steaks, his favourite food is tacos.

His favourite chocolate bar is a Snickers.