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Andy Ruiz Jr. came in at his lightest listed weight in years before his heavyweight return against Damian Knyba. Ruiz stepped on the scale at 254.3 pounds for Friday's Matchroom Boxing main event at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, continuing the comeback path that began when he signed his multi-fight Matchroom deal. The official Matchroom Boxing weigh-in video is below. Knyba, a 6-foot-7 Polish heavyweight, weighed 255.5 pounds. The bout is scheduled for Friday, September 4, 2026, with the main card airing on TNT Sports and DAZN. Matchroom lists Ruiz at 35-2-1 with 22 knockouts, while Knyba enters at 17-1 with 11 knockouts. On the weigh-in broadcast, Eddie Hearn said Ruiz could have taken an easier comeback assignment after more than two years away, but argued that Knyba gives a better read on where the former unified heavyweight champion stands. “Andy Ruiz was probably entitled having been out for two years to take a slightly easier opponent maybe in terms of style, in size, in reach and all of those kind of things. But let's be honest, there's no point hanging around. You've either still got it or you haven't.” “But at least we're going to find out if he's still got it. You know, if you fight a lesser opponent, sometimes you can just win. But you're not proving actually if you're ready to step back up to world level.” Ruiz Comes In Lighter For A Tall Heavyweight Test Ruiz has not fought since his August 2024 majority draw with Jarrell Miller. His return arrives in the same heavyweight marketplace that has kept names such as Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua tied to bigger-picture title talk, but Friday's result has to come first. Hearn framed Knyba as a useful test because of the size, reach and style problems he can present. “This is the perfect guy to show what Andy Ruiz has left. If he doesn't have the goods anymore, he'll get beat on Friday night. If he does, if he's hungry, if he's still got those fast hands, that power, and that horrible style, especially for a taller fighter, you got a guy that could really be a major threat to the heavyweight division.” The broadcast also pointed to Ruiz's reduced weight as one of the central questions around the comeback. Hearn said Ruiz is lighter than he has been for a long stretch, while cautioning that the change still has to hold up in the ring. “He comes in for this fight lighter than I think he has done in what, six, seven years. I think Kevin Johnson was the last fight where he came in as light as he is now. Not always a great thing, by the way, for the heavyweights, but let's see if he can maintain that speed and danger in there tomorrow night.” The Ruiz-Knyba main event lands one week before the next major Zuffa Boxing card involving Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn. For Ruiz, the immediate business is simpler: make the lighter camp matter against a taller opponent and leave Newark with his first victory since 2022.