Andy Ruiz Jr. vs Damian Knyba Preview September 4th, 2026
Former IBF, IBO, WBO and WBA (Super) Heavyweight Champion Andy Ruiz Jr. of Imperial, California returns to the ring this Friday, September 4th to take on Damian Knyba of Poland. The 12-round fight from Newark, New Jersey can be seen live in most nations on DAZN while fans in North America can also catch it on TNT and Tru TV. Ruiz last fought two years ago when he battled to a 10-round draw with Jarrell Miller. His previous outing was two years before that in September, 2022 when he beat Luis Ortiz by a close 12-round unanimous decision despite dropping him in the second and seventh rounds. Knyba’s last foray into the ring saw him controversially stopped by Agit Kabayel in the third round in January in a shot at the WBC Interim Heavyweight Title.
Ruiz Jr. vs Knyba Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Damian Knyba +189
- Andy Ruiz Jr. -250
My Pick
Ruiz is just a week away from turning 37 years old, and is also a former NABF Heavyweight Belt Holder. He enters the ring with a mark of 35-2-1 with 22 Ko’s. His first loss was a majority decision for the vacant WBO World Heavyweight Championship against Joseph Parker in December, 2016. His second defeat came at the hands of Anthony Joshua via a unanimous decision in their 2019 rematch. Ruiz had stopped Joshua in the seventh round seven months earlier to take the majority of the world heavyweight titles. He was dropped in the third round while Joshua was down twice in the third and twice in the seventh before it was halted.
Ruiz is an intelligent boxer with an effective jab which he uses to set up his power shots. His best weapons are the left hook and overhand right and he’s been able to stop 14 of his past 24 opponents. There’s no doubt he has decent power as 62.9 per cent of his wins have been by stoppage. However he’s gone the distance in his last four outings and hasn’t stopped anybody since upsetting Joshua in 2019. Ruiz has boxed 199 rounds since turning pro in 2009 following a decent amateur career. He also has wins over Chris Arreola, Alexander Dimitrenko, Kevin Johnson, Siarhei Liakhovich, Joe Hanks, Tor Hamer, Ray Austin, Josh Gormley, Franklin Lawrence and Carl Davis.
The ex-champion stands 6-feet-2-inches tall with a 74-inch reach and won the NABA, and WBO Inter Continental Heavyweight Crowns when he stopped Manuel Quezada in the second round in 2014. The knock against Ruiz is that he doesn’t always come into the ring in the best of shape. He was 268 lbs against Joshua in their first fight; 283.5 lbs in their rematch[ down to 256 lbs against Chris Arreola; back up to 269 lbs against Ortiz and weighed 274.5 lbs against Jarrell Miller in his last outing. However, that’s not too bad perhaps, considering he weighed 297.5 lbs in his pro debut.
The 30-year-old Knyba isn’t very well known in the heavyweight ranks but he sports a fine record of 17-1 with 11 Ko’s and has boxed 80 rounds as a pro since making his debut in 2021. He has good speed, range and power and enjoyed a fine amateur career with a reported 23-7 record. Knyba won the 2019 Polish Youth Championship and captured the Polish Senior Championship the next year. He stands 6-feet-7-inches tall with an 86-inch reach for a five-inch height advantage and 12-inch edge in reach on Ruiz.
As far as power is concerned, Knyba is slightly above Ruiz as 64.7 per cent of his wins have been by stoppage, including his last four. His level of competition certainly doesn’t equal Ruiz’s though even though he did clash with Agit Kabayel. His biggest victories so far have come against the likes of Joey Dawejko, Marcin Siwy, Richard Lartey Harrison, Terrell Jamal Woods, Michael Coffie and Curtis Harper. Knyba has a fine jab and right hand and appeared to get the short end of the stick when his fight against Kabayel was prematurely stopped.
Prediction…
The main question concerning Ruiz is usually about his weight and conditioning and it’s being reported that he will weigh in just south of 260 lbs. Ruiz has good boxing skills even when he’s out of shape though and as he proved against Joshua and Arreola, he has what it takes to get off the canvas to win. However Knyba has a huge size and reach advantage and Ruiz hasn’t done himself any favours by fighting just three times in the past six years. Ruiz has fine skills but inactivity and his size is going to make this a very close call. Also, Knyba more or less boxes out of New Jersey, where there is a large Polish fan base. I can see this fight going either way really but considering his age, inactivity and size, don’t I think Ruiz will be able to pull it out.
I’ll go with Knyba in a tossup.
Play: Knyba +189 @ BetOnline.ag
Check out my recent boxing betting picks to see my current form.
Andy Ruiz betting • Damian Knyba betting