Ruiz will end a two-year layoff to clash with the Pole September 4 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

Though Knyba is the underdog, five inches taller and has a 12-inch reach advantage, Ruiz aims to come through against his younger, more active opponent.

“Anthony Joshua is a better fighter than Damian,” Ruiz told The Ring’s CEO Rick Reeno on the Mr. Verzace Podcast. “But he’s a good competitor, a good fighter, and he has a long reach.

“He starts good in the first few rounds. I don’t know how it goes in the later rounds, but my goal is to try and take him out. Get him tired and let my hands explode. I’m used to fighting all these giants. I’m used to fighting all these big guys. Usually the guys that I fight, they’re always bigger than me.”

Ruiz famously stopped Anthony Joshua in June 2019 at Madison Square Garden to become the WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight champion, but he lost the rematch six months later.

Since then, the Californian hasn’t been seen much, fighting just three times since. In his last appearance, Ruiz settled for a majority draw against Jarrell Miller. He also broke his right hand in that bout which led surgery.

Knyba (17-1, 11 KOs) hasn’t been a world-beater, but he’s hoping that a victory over Ruiz will change the perception of him. The 30-year-old was last in action against Agit Kabayel on January 10, but lost the fight via third-round stoppage in Germany.

Ruiz wants to add to Knyba’s losing streak. But to do that, he knows that he’ll have to navigate some difficult early-round waters. Once he does, however, he expects him to be rendered unconscious.