The 36-year-old former heavyweight champion is on the comeback trail following over two years out of the ring. He’ll try to get back in the mix when he takes on Damian Knyba on Friday night at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

If everything goes according to plan in a main event DAZN will stream globally and TNT will televise in the United States, Ruiz (35-2-1, 22 KOs) would love to face one of his division’s champions.

Although he isn’t picky, Agit Kabayel’s WBC title is something the Imperial, California, native wants. It isn’t personal, but having won the IBF, WBA, and WBO straps in 2019 thanks to his seventh-round stoppage of Anthony Joshua, Ruiz desperately wants to get his hands on a new piece of hardware.

“I think Kabayel is a great fighter,” Ruiz told The Ring’s CEO, Rick Reeno, on the “Mr. Verzace Podcast” recently. “He’s a helluva fighter, but he has the WBC belt that’s missing from my collection. I collected most of the other belts.”

Outside of the WBC’s green and gold belt, Ruiz has never won The Ring title either, something he eventually wants to change. Kabayel (27-0, 19 KOs) was last seen on January 10 against Poland’s Knyba (17-1, 11 KOs), who he stopped in the third round in Oberhausen, Germany.

The remaining champions are also on Ruiz’s radar. Daniel Dubois holds the WBO strap, Murat Gassiev owns the WBA crown and Filip Hrgovic just upset the odds Saturday by beating Moses Itauma by ninth-round technical knockout at O2 Arena in London.

Of course, the 36-year-old power puncher wants a shot on the big stage, but he knows he can’t demand it. In addition to settling for a majority draw against Jarrell Miller in August 2024, Ruiz has fought just three times since 2019.

That type of inactivity won’t get him where he needs to be, so if Ruiz has to knock someone else off after Knyba to prove that he belongs, then that’s exactly what he’ll do.

“I just want the opportunity,” Ruiz said. “Whoever gives me the chance, that’s exactly what we want. Even if it’s another fight that I have to go through before we get to the world title, so be it. I got some catching up to do for all of those years that I’ve been out of the ring.”