Andy Ruiz Jr believes his reunion with trainer Manny Robles will inspire a new quest for world glory.
Ruiz broke his hand in a controversial draw with Jarrell Miller, in just his third fight since losing his rematch to Anthony Joshua in 2019.
But now after nearly two years out, the former unified world champion will make his comeback.
He will take on Damian Knyba on September 5 after signing with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing, promoter of his famous rival Joshua.
The heavy-handed Mexican-American has had criticism levelled at him in recent years for his physical condition and lack of activity.
But in a bid to breathe new life into his heavyweight career, Ruiz Jr has reunited with former coach Robles, who inspired his famous upset win over Joshua in 2018.
Ruiz looked in better shape in recent public appearances and looks to have shed weight with his return looming.
And in an exclusive chat with talkSPORT, he touts his return to the LA gym as a key factor in his decision to lace up the gloves again.
He explained: “I think I used to celebrate too much, especially when I fought Anthony Joshua.
“Everything happened so fast, but now I am reuniting with Manny Robles, that was the past.
“My whole team that made me a champion, they showed me the hard work.
“We split apart and I started training myself and started trying to take an easy route.
“But now we are back together, the team is stronger than ever. We are clicking and bonding and the hard work is being done.
“That is arguably the biggest reason I came back and why things will be different because of the training.”
Ruiz wants WBC glory and big fights
Standing in Ruiz’s way of a new world title push is Polish giant Knyba, who could be a dangerous prospect if underestimated.
But it is hard for the 36-year-old to not look beyond and eye a new motivated journey to becoming a two-time heavyweight champion.
Several big fights could lay in wait with the belts fragmenting after Oleksandr Usyk’s decision to vacate three of the four major world titles.
And Ruiz in particular is keen to push towards the WBC title, which is the last to add to his collection.
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He continued: “It is for me to continue my mission, and to complete my new mission.
“I want to become a two-time heavyweight world champion. I want the WBC and Ring Magazine belts.
“They are the last ones to add to my collection, an opportunity is there and I have to work hard.
“I want to become champion again and I know I can do it as I did it before.”
