Former heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz is set to face Jarrell 'Big Baby' Miller on August 3 in Los Angeles, as confirmed by sources. The fight will be part of the Terence Crawford-Israil Madrimov undercard presented by Riyadh Season, marking Saudi Arabia's first boxing event outside the kingdom.
Ruiz, with a record of 35-2 and 22 KOs, will be stepping into the ring for the first time since September 2022 when he secured a unanimous-decision victory over Luis Ortiz. The 34-year-old fighter earned his shot at then-champion Anthony Joshua in June 2019 after Miller was disqualified due to a failed doping test. Ruiz went on to lose his three heavyweight titles in a rematch with Joshua in December of the same year, which was a historic event held in Saudi Arabia.
Miller, boasting a record of 26-1-1 with 22 KOs, last fought in December, where he suffered a TKO defeat in the 10th round against Daniel Dubois in Riyadh. The 35-year-old Brooklyn native has faced suspensions for PED use multiple times in both his boxing and kickboxing careers.
In another exciting matchup, Pitbull Cruz will defend his WBA junior welterweight title against Jose Valenzuela. Cruz, with a record of 26-2-1 and 18 KOs, claimed the title last month with an eighth-round TKO victory over Rolly Romero. The 25-year-old Mexican fighter, ranked No. 5 by ESPN in the junior welterweight division, has been on a winning streak since his close decision loss to Gervonta Davis in December 2021.
Valenzuela, with a record of 13-2 and 9 KOs, is coming off a dominant sixth-round KO win over Chris Colbert in a December rematch. The 24-year-old Mexican fighter, who will be making his debut at 140 pounds, faced setbacks in his previous fights with a decision loss to Colbert and a third-round KO by Edwin De Los Santos.
