ANDY RUIZ JR will return to the ring against Jarrell Miller on August 3.
The former heavyweight champion, 34, is set to fight for the first time since beating Luis Ortiz in September 2022.
Ruiz Jr’s next bout will be part of a stacked undercard as Terence Crawford takes on Israil Madrimov at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.
His opponent Miller, 35, had been due to fight Anthony Joshua at Madison Square Garden in June 2019.
The bout fell through, however, after “Big Baby” tested positive for multiple banned substances.
This gave Ruiz Jr an opportunity to step in at short notice, with the Mexican-American shocking the world by knocking AJ out to become heavyweight champion of the world.
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He was subsequently beaten by Joshua in the Saudi rematch in December that year.
Ruiz Jr was then out of action until May 2021, when he returned to beat Chris Arreola.
In his most recent fight he defeated Ortiz in LA before requiring surgery on his right shoulder.
Miller, 35, fought for the first time since his cancelled AJ bout in June 2022 against Ariel Esteban Bracamonte.
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He subsequently stretched his winning streak to 26-0 with wins over Derek Cardenas and Lucas Browne.
Last time out he was knocked out with eight seconds remaining by Brit Daniel Dubois.
Both Ruiz Jr and Miller will hope to clamber back towards the title picture with a win.
Reacting to the bout, one fan wrote on social media: “That’s just an unreal card. A year ago this would be impossible.”
Also on the undercard, Martin Bakole will face Jared Anderson.
Pitbull Cruz is set to fight Jose Valenzuela, while David Morrell will take on Radivoje Kalajdzic.
Andy Cruz rounds off the undercard with a bout against Antonio Moran.
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
