Andy Ruiz Jr. faces a long time out of the ring, having already spent the last fourteen months on the shelf after undergoing surgery.
The former unified heavyweight champion went under the knife to repair a knee ailment and gave his fans a birdseye view of the operation.
In the gruesome, gut-wrenching video posted on social media, his doctor explains the process before filming the whole procedure.
WBN decided not to add it to this article, but you can head to Ruiz’s timeline to see it here.
Andy Ruiz Jr. undergoes gruesome surgery
After getting through it, Ruiz said: “I want to thank God for getting me through another successful surgery and to Dr. Steve Mora.
“To all my fans and supporters, thank you for your patience during my recovery. It means a lot to me. Remember, this setback is only a minor obstacle on the path to my major comeback.”
Ruiz is not wrong when he states it’s a setback. He’s only fought twice in the last four years. By the time he competes again in the spring or summer, Ruiz will have one fight under his belt since May 2021.
The 34-year-old hopes the surgery will prolong his career. But he needs to get a move on if he’s going to challenge for honors again.
At 35-2, Ruiz is considered one of the top five heavyweights in the world today. By the time Deontay Wilder retires in the next two years, Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, Oleksandr Usyk, and Ruiz will be the top four.
Wilder vs Ruiz
However, it’s the Wilder fight that Ruiz wants the most. Before being informed that he needed surgery, Wilder was the main target on his mind.
“We’re back from the cage. We were locked up. I’m back. I feel good,” Ruiz told Fight Hub TV. “I feel blessed, especially with the people I’m around, a lot of support.
“Me and him [Deontay Wilder] need to negotiate. We need to talk man-to-man, ‘Let’s fight. If it’s not 50-50, let’s negotiate whatever it is. Let’s make it happen!”
Wilder will focus on other options while Ruiz enters a long recovery process. “The Bronze Bomber” is currently linked to a clash in Saudi Arabia on December 23.
In the spring, a long-awaited battle with Joshua could follow on the same card as Fury vs Usyk.
For now, Ruiz is out of commission and out of the running. The focus is on returning to one hundred percent before a potential warm-up fight in the late spring of 2024.
Phil Jay is an experienced boxing news writer.
Editor of World Boxing News since 2010.
