Former unified heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr has announced his return after almost a year away from the ring.
Ruiz will face kickboxing veteran Tyrone Spong at a Triller pay-per-view event in July. The unexpected booking will take place in Mexico, marking the first time Ruiz has fought in his home country for over a decade.
'The Destroyer' has fought just once since losing his heavyweight titles to Anthony Joshua in their 2019 rematch. Ruiz shocked the world by becoming the first man to knockout 'AJ' earlier that year, winning the Brit's belts on short notice in a thrilling fight at Madison Square Garden.
Ruiz took over a year away from the sport before returning last May against Chris Arreola. He won a unanimous decision against Arreola but was tested by the American throughout the fight. Ruiz's return to boxing comes a month after Canelo Alvarez questioned his discipline to the sport.
What are your thoughts on Andy Ruiz Jr vs Tyrone Spong? Let us know in the comments section below
"You could ask Oscar Valdez and Frank Sanchez. I don't know what happened to Andy Ruiz, it's the same (as Ryan Garcia). It came one day and then it doesn't come anymore, "Alvarez told ESPN.
"Eddy [Reynoso] has time for all fighters, you can ask everyone. If you take the time to be in the gym and train properly with discipline, Eddie will always be there. If you come and train for 20 minutes, you won't come for four days or arrive after the time you agreed to... You must be disciplined," said Alvarez.
Ruiz teamed up with Alvarez and coach Reynoso after parting ways with his trainer Manny Robles following his loss to Joshua. The 32-year-old has previously admitted that Alvarez used to shout at him to work harder during training
“He gives everybody motivation because we all wanna be like him, we all wanna be pound-for-pound. We all wanna be exactly in his position, but we can’t be in that position if we’re not putting all this hard work and dedication in," Ruiz told the Last Stand podcast.
"When I’m sparring, he’s screaming at me and telling me, ‘Come on, you’ve gotta f***ing train harder, you’ve gotta do things how I do.’ I can’t get mad, I can’t say nothing back because he’s the man right now."
Although Spong is unbeaten in 14 professional boxing fights, he hasn't fought in the ring for over two years. He was last booked to fight current heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk in the ring, but the fight was cancelled after Spong failed a drug test.
The 36-year-old kickboxer most recently competed in UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov's MMA promotion Eagle FC where he was stopped in two rounds by Sergei Kharitonov.
