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Add FightsATW on GoogleAndy Ruiz Jr. tried to regain the momentum he once had on Friday night, but his two years of inactivity caught up with him as he dropped a unanimous decision to Damian Knyba at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, live on TNT Sports.
Knyba (18-1, 11 KOs) controlled the action throughout the fight and scored a knockdown in the seventh round that left Ruiz (35-3-1, 22 KOs) badly hurt. Although two of the judges scored it 114-113, the 117-110 scorecard better reflected how the fight played out. During the in-ring interview, Knyba called for a rematch with Agit Kabayel but also said he is willing to work his way up for one. Ruiz, on the other hand, called for a rematch during his interview and still feels he can compete at the championship level.
The opening round was a jab fest as both fighters used their left jabs almost exclusively. Neither fighter committed to anything for man that. Ruiz’s jab was targeting the body, while Knyba was jabbing down to Ruiz’s face.
The second round was more of the same, as both Ruiz and Knyba exchanged jabs throughout. Both were hesitant to get inside and threw their jabs from the outside. The third and fourth rounds were similar, but in the fifth, things began to open up as Knyba followed his jab with an overhand right that kept Ruiz from coming inside. There were moments when Ruiz would get inside and land a flurry of punches, but Knyba landed cleaner, more effective punches.
Ruiz kept putting the pressure on Knyba in the sixth round but still had a hard time landing anything significant. Ruiz did land one overhand right that opened a small cut over Knyba’s left eye. In the seventh round, Knyba landed a four-punch combination that hurt Ruiz badly, sending him down to the canvas. Knyba went for the finish, but somehow Ruiz was able to make it to the end of the round. Ruiz was saved by the referee, who gave him some critical extra seconds to recover.
Knyba went right after Ruiz in the eighth round, but Ruiz somehow landed a big right hand and hurt Knyba. Ruiz had a huge bounce-back round after being almost knocked out on his feet the round prior. Things settled back down for both fighters in the ninth, as Knyba got back to his left jab and Ruiz tried to get inside, landing his left jab to Knyba’s body.
In the championship rounds, it was all Knyba as Ruiz was bruised, bloodied and tired. Knyba won the fight pretty easily despite the scoring of two judges.
Andy Ruiz vs Damian Knyba Undercard Results
Vito Mielnicki Jr. (24-1, 13 KOs) delivered the best performance of his young career, scoring a one-sided unanimous decision (98-91 x 3) over Austin Williams (20-3, 13 KOs) in the co-main.
Eridson Garcia (24-2, 14 KOs) scored a huge upset unanimous decision victory over Alan Chaves (22-1, 19 KOs), who was a 7-1 favorite at the start of the fight. Garcia scored four knockdowns, and the judges scored it 99-87, 99-88, and 98-88; a dominant performance.
Zaquin Moses (8-0, 4 KOs) forced Angel Antonio Contreras (18-11-2, 12 KOs) to quit on the stool, earning a fifth-round TKO victory. Moses looked sharp and has a ton of potential as he continues his young career.
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