The British promoter believes in Ruiz so much that he inked the former unified heavyweight champion to a multi-fight deal recently. With their partnership now in place, Ruiz will headline a Matchroom Boxing show against Damian Knyba on September 4 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

Hearn doesn’t expect Ruiz (35-2-1, 22 KOs) to slip up against Knyba, despite a two-year-plus hiatus. Once the 36-year-old gets the rust off, Hearn has a feeling that the Mexican star will wrap a belt around his waist relatively soon.

“I think he’s gonna be a massive threat to the division,” Hearn told iFL TV. “He’s got a massive fanbase, he’s a huge name, he’s a very, very good fighter, and we all know with Andy Ruiz, he’s serious. When I look at the heavyweight division right now, you look at the champions – [Murat] Gassiev, WBA, beats him.

“I also think he beats Daniel Dubois and Fabio Wardley. I believe he can beat Agit Kabayel. Don’t get me wrong, he hasn’t boxed for two years and he’ll have his comeback fight in early September, but I believe he beats those guys.”

Dubois, The Ring’s No. 1 contender and the WBO champion, is coming off a “Fight of the Year” contender against Wardley, whom he stopped in the 11th round May 9 in Manchester, England. Dubois (23-3, 22 KOs) picked himself up off the canvas twice that night on his way to becoming a two-time champion.

Kabayel (27-0, 19 KOs), ranked right behind Dubois in The Ring’s ratings at No. 2, was recently elevated from interim to full WBC champion once Oleksandr Usyk vacated his titles. The 33-year-old German easily defeated Ruiz’s upcoming opponent, Knyba, via third-round technical knockout in January.

Despite their status in the division, Hearn views Ruiz as a cut above Dubois, Kabayel and Wardley. In a way, promoting Ruiz is a full-circle moment for him.

Ruiz stepped in as a late replacement for Jarrell Miller seven years ago and scored one of the most memorable upsets in boxing history against Anthony Joshua, Hearn’s former heavyweight king.

Since then, he hasn’t been as consistent as he wanted. He has fought just four times, losing to Joshua in the immediate rematch and, more recently, settling for a disputed majority draw against Miller in August 2024.

Hearn still remembers that upset at New York’s Madison Square Garden like it was yesterday. But he never disliked Ruiz for spoiling their party.

Now that he’s a part of his Matchroom stable, Hearn wants to put his new fighter in a position where the lights will shine brightly on him.

“I’ve always liked him,” Hearn said. “I think he’s a great guy, but he’s struggled with consistency. But what I see right now looking in his eyes is someone who wants it bad. At the moment, it’s talk isn’t it? He’s got to prove himself in September that he’s still a great fighter. But he’s got a great chin, he’s got fast hands, he can whack, and he’s got good IQ. He’s a serious fighter.”