Dave Allen Wants Andy Ruiz Jr for His 40th and Final Fight

Andy Ruiz Jr's comeback didn't go to plan, but the phone's already ringing. Two weeks removed from a unanimous-decision defeat to Damian Knyba — a loss that included a heavy seventh-round knockdown — the former unified heavyweight champion has been floated as the retirement dance partner for British heavyweight Dave Allen, who plans to return in December.

Ruiz went into the Knyba fight as a sizeable favourite, which tells you how much rust was expected to matter after a two-year layoff. It didn't help. The Mexican-American hadn't fought since a controversial draw with Jarrell Miller, and before that his last meaningful result was surrendering his world titles to Anthony Joshua in their 2019 rematch — the same Joshua he'd shocked earlier that year in one of the biggest upsets the division has seen.

Why Knyba Was No Gimme

Knyba came into the bout off a third-round stoppage loss to WBC champion Agit Kabayel, now 27-0 (19 KO), so it's not as if the 30-year-old was untested. He'd given Kabayel enough trouble to prove himself a genuine fringe contender, then used his size and reach to outbox Ruiz for the full distance. That context matters: this wasn't a soft touch handing Ruiz a bad night.

Allen's Pitch

Enter Dave Allen. The Doncaster man is coming off a strange no-contest against Thomas Carty and told IFL TV he's aiming for a December outing, with Ruiz penciled in as a dream 40th and final bout. Allen didn't oversell himself either — he described his own game in blunt, self-deprecating terms, calling himself a big, hard-nosed fighter who's well-skilled and can drag opponents into deep water.

To his credit, Allen conceded he probably hasn't earned the fight on merit. But he made clear he'd jump at it the second it materialised — the kind of honesty you don't get from most fighters angling for a payday.

For Ruiz, the calculus is simpler than it looks. At this stage of his career, name-value fights against willing British opposition keep him relevant and paid without demanding he climb back through the contender ranks. Whether he wants Allen specifically is another question — but as comeback losses go, this one clearly hasn't scared anyone off.