The world could be smiling on Andy Ruiz next year, as the boxer from Mexicali has ambitious plans for 2024.
Ruiz will not be stepping into the ring this year, but his recovery plans include dreams of fighting Zhilei Zhang, Anthony Joshua or Deontay Wilder.
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Andy Ruiz's last fight was more than a year ago. He has a record of 35-2, with 22 fights ending by KO, and the last time he stepped into the ring was in September 2022 and the result was a unanimous decision win over Cuban Luis Ortiz.
Andy Ruiz wants to return to the top
Ruiz's ambition is to return to the days when he was heavyweight champion and, even though he is 34 years old, he has high calibre fights in mind.
One is Zhilei Zhang, the 40-year-old Chinese star who convincingly stopped Joe Joyce in April in six rounds and again in September in three rounds.
"I think Zhang did a fantastic job," Andy Ruiz told Boxing Scene.
"I think Zhang is a really good fighter. That's a good fight that I'll take too."
Another option might be Joshua, who Ruiz shocked in 2019 via stoppage to win titles, although he lost a rematch against the Brit later that year.
"When I fought in the rematch, I wasn't right, I was overweight," he has admitted.
"Now, it's completely different. All I want to do is showcase my talent."
We'll soon find out if and when Andy Ruiz returns to the ring, and if he'll get the high-profile opponent he wants.
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