Andy Ruiz Jr. reportedly will return before the end of the year.
The former heavyweight champ and longtime contender Chris Arreola have agreed to fight in late 2020, although contracts haven’t been signed, according to The Athletic.
The all-Mexiacn-American matchup would be Ruiz’s first fight since his two-fight series with Anthony Joshua last year, in which he stunned the boxing world by stopping Joshua to win three titles in June only to lose a wide decision and his belts in December.
Ruiz (33-2, 22 KOs) was criticized for weighing in at a flabby 283.5 pounds for the rematch, 15.5 more than in the first fight.
The Imperial, Calif., fighter has vowed to take his training more seriously. He has posted numerous workout videos purportedly showing that he’s putting in the work.
He also left longtime trainer Manny Robles and brought in Eddy Reynoso, who also trains Canelo Alvarez and Ryan Garcia.
Arreola (38-6-1, 33 KOs) had the same issues as Ruiz but the 39-year-old from the Los Angeles area, working with trainer Joe Goossen, finally saw the light. He’s coming off one of his best performances in years, a close decision loss to then-unbeaten Adam Kownacki in August of last year.
Arreola threw a heavyweight record 1,125 punches (94 per round) against Kownacki, which is remarkable for a man his size. Their combined punches of 2,172 also was a division record.
Then-titleholder Deontay Wilder stopped Arreola in eight rounds in 2016. Arreola defeated two journeymen leading into the Kownacki fight.
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