It’s been 6½ years since Ruiz walked around as a unified heavyweight champion. But the joy he felt from his upset win over Anthony Joshua in June 2019 didn’t last long, as Ruiz lost in the immediate rematch six months later.

To make matters worse, the 36-year-old Ruiz has just two listless wins since then.

The Imperial, California, native is hoping, however, that things will change soon. He recently signed a multi-fight contract with promoter Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing.

They’ll start that partnership September 4, when Ruiz takes on Damian Knyba at Prudential Center in Newark New Jersey. The opportunity will provide Ruiz with plenty of exposure, as their 12-round main event will be broadcast by TNT in the United States and streamed elsewhere globally by DAZN.

Over the last few years, Ruiz (35-2-1, 22 KOs) knows that he hasn’t been focused. He also realizes that he hasn’t put his best foot forward.

With a brand-new deal and a new mindset to match, however, he is confident that he has another run in him.

“I’m a dangerous man and I’m hungry,” Ruiz said during a press conference Friday in Carson, California. “I want to prove, not just to my family or my fans, but to myself, that I am capable of becoming two-time heavyweight champion. That is my mission and that mission will be accomplished.”

That goal isn’t out of reach according to Hearn. The British promoter recently stated that Ruiz is more than capable of beating Agit Kabayel and Daniel Dubois, the division’s titleholders.

He might’ve been flattered, but Ruiz doesn’t want to get too ahead of himself. The 30-year-old Knyba (17-1, 11 KOs), from Bydgoszcz, Poland, should be motivated, considering he was stopped in the third round by Kabayel on January 10 in Oberhausen, Germany.

Still, the 6-foot-7 Knyba isn’t viewed as an elite opponent. And in the past, Ruiz says that he had trouble getting his juices flowing for that sort of opposition.

Ruiz mostly blames his 12-round majority draw with Jarrell Miller in August 2024 on a lack of motivation. He won’t allow that to happen again.

“I’m not looking over him,” Ruiz said. “I’m not underestimating him like I did with Miller and other fighters. I know he’s coming for everything. I’m not gonna let anybody down, especially myself.”