Andy Ruiz Jr will return to the ring this weekend around the same weight he was when he stopped Anthony Joshua to become heavyweight world champion.
The American has fought just once since Joshua reclaimed the belts in their rematch in late 2019, and will take on Luis Ortiz on Saturday night in Los Angeles. Ruiz Jr tipped the scales at 268lb for the first Joshua fight, but ballooned to 283lb for their rematch six months later after failing to properly prepare.
Just months after losing to Joshua and leaving trainer Manny Robles to join Eddy Reynoso and Canelo Alvarez's team, Ruiz's ring return hopes were dashed when the coronavirus shut down boxing in 2020. He made a brief return against Chris Arreola last year after losing a massive 27lb, although he struggled to victory and was even dropped.
