Andy Ruiz Jr signs with Matchroom as DAZN comeback nears

Andy Ruiz Jr has signed a multi-fight promotional deal with Eddie Hearn and Matchroom, with his return to action on DAZN due to be announced this week. The former unified heavyweight champion is set to come back after recovering from the fractured right hand he suffered in his draw with Jarrell Miller nearly two years ago.

Ruiz (35-2-1, 22 KOs) has not boxed since that August 2024 bout, when he was held to a majority draw by Miller at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles. The injury added another delay to a career that has moved in short bursts since his 2019 fights with Anthony Joshua, but Ruiz has made clear he wants a rematch with Miller and believes he can beat him with a healthy hand.

The Miller angle carries added significance because he has recently resumed working with Matchroom after Hearn had previously vowed not to work with him again. That split followed Miller’s failed drug test before his scheduled June 2019 fight with Joshua, the bout Ruiz accepted as a replacement before producing one of the biggest heavyweight upsets of the modern era.

Ruiz stopped Joshua in the seventh round at Madison Square Garden to win the WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight titles and become Mexico’s first heavyweight world champion. Joshua regained the belts six months later in Saudi Arabia, and Ruiz has since beaten Chris Arreola and Luis Ortiz on points before the Miller draw.

His post-title run has been repeatedly interrupted. A right knee operation in Guadalajara in August 2021 derailed a planned fight with Charles Martin that October, and Ruiz did not return until his win over Ortiz 16 months later. He reunited last summer with Manny Robles, who trained him for the first Joshua fight, and is now working again with the coach ahead of his Matchroom debut.

“I’m so happy and thankful for signing with Matchroom and taking other step forward to continue my mission and to become a two-time champion of the world for Mexico,” said Ruiz Jr. “I believe everything happens for a season and I’m so grateful God is giving me a second opportunity to do everything right. Sometime God breaks you to make you a better person and a better fighter.

“I made history with Matchroom and the DAZN and best believe we are going to do it again in God almighty’s name, amen baby, let’s go!

“Thank you to all my coaches for still believing in me, we are going to make a big statement in the Heavyweight division.”

The agreement gives Matchroom another established heavyweight at a time when Hearn’s roster in the division has thinned. Anthony Joshua remains the headline name, with Dave Allen, Justis Huni, Jordan Thompson, Lenier Pero, Leo Atang and Teremoana Teremoana also among the heavyweights under or around the Matchroom banner.

Ruiz’s father and manager, Andy Ruiz Sr., said the move was aimed squarely at another title run. “We are very happy to be signing with Matchroom and Eddie,” said Andy Ruiz Sr. “I believe Matchroom is the best promoter to get Andy Jr. back to the top of the Heavyweight division. Eddie gave Andy Jr. his first opportunity to become Heavyweight Champion of the World, and with Matchroom and Eddie we will become two-time Heavyweight Champion of the World – viva Mexico!”

Ruiz spent the first decade of his professional career with Top Rank before buying out his contract in early 2019 and moving to PBC, where the Joshua opportunity quickly changed his career. His first world title challenge had ended in a majority-decision defeat to Joseph Parker for the vacant WBO belt in 2016, but the Joshua upset turned him into a central figure in the heavyweight division.

Hearn said the priority is now to bring back the version of Ruiz who won in New York. “I’m delighted to welcome Andy to the team,” said Hearn. “The Heavyweight landscape is always evolving, and a fully fit and firing Andy Ruiz Jr. is a nightmare for anyone in the division.

“Andy shocked the world in New York with his stunning victory over AJ, and if ‘The Destroyer’ from that night returns to the ring, there is no doubt he can become a two-time World champion.”

Matchroom is expected to confirm Ruiz’s opponent and date shortly. A Miller rematch is an obvious storyline if terms can be made, but the immediate step is getting Ruiz active again and into position for a meaningful heavyweight fight after another extended lay-off.