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Mike CoppingerESPN
Andy Ruiz Jr. is set for yet another comeback, but in a twist, his next bout will be promoted by Triller, not PBC.
The former unified heavyweight champion will meet ex-Glory Kickboxing champion Tyrone Spong in a 10-round Triller Fight Club pay-per-view bout on July 16 at the Plaza de Toros bullring in Mexico City, the organization announced Wednesday.
Ruiz, 32, was in talks to fight fellow PBC heavyweight Luis Ortiz, but that proposed bout will apparently have to wait until at least later this year.
He became the first heavyweight champion of Mexican descent when he shocked Anthony Joshua via seventh-round stoppage in ESPN’s 2019 Fight of the Year. Six months later, Joshua regained his three heavyweight titles with a unanimous-decision victory over Ruiz in Saudi Arabia.
Ruiz (34-2, 22 KOs) was admittedly not in shape when he fought Joshua in the rematch. He weighed a career-high 283.5 pounds and was lethargic during the fight, in stark contrast to June 2019 when he weighed 268 and consistently beat Joshua to the punch with his lightning-quick hands.
Ruiz, ESPN’s No. 5 heavyweight, has fought just once since the rematch, a May 2021 decision win over Chris Arreola. “The Destroyer” weighed 256 pounds for that bout but was surprisingly dropped in Round 2 and struggled at times during the first half before he took control.
He underwent surgery on his right knee in August and will now prepare for just his second fight since Ruiz lost his three titles to Joshua.
Spong (14-0, 13 KOs) isn’t an accomplished boxer, but the native of Suriname impressed as a kickboxer with a record of 107-7-1 (73 KOs). He stepped away from the sport in 2014 following a 13-year run and made his pro boxing debut in 2015.
The 36-year-old has feasted on low-level opposition but was supposed to step up against Oleksandr Usyk in 2019. The fight was cancelled after Spong tested positive for the banned substance clomiphene, which can be used to boost testosterone levels.
Spong also competes in MMA. He won a bout in 2012 and another in 2013 before he was stopped in Round 2 by Sergei Kharitonov in January on an Eagle FC card.