Former heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz underwent successful knee surgery on Tuesday in Mexico. Initially, Ruiz was expected to fight Charles Martin in October, but he opted to undergo surgery after reportedly putting it off for years. Now, he’s hoping to return to the ring before the end of the year.
“He underwent surgery on his right knee, he had been struggling with that knee for about three years,” his father, Andy Ruiz Sr., said.
“He could not run very much, he could not do certain movements, he used gel to mitigate the pain, but it was not enough and he made the decision to get the procedure done, which was an arthroscopy. It was done by the same doctor who operated on Canelo [Alvarez], Pedro Lomeli Jaime.”
Thankfully, Ruiz’s surgery was successful and he is expected to make a full recovery. However, a return in December is not promised. He could very well make his return in May after defeating Chris Arreola in May.
“They gave us hope that he would come back in December,” Ruiz Sr. added.
“The physical trainer and the doctor told us that if everything goes well as it is now, then there is that possibility, but we will see when the time comes. For now we are happy that the surgery went well.”
Whenever Ruiz does return, there are a ton of exciting matchups waiting for him. Luis Ortiz, Charles Martin, Michael Hunter, Joe Joyce, Joseph Parker and Dillian Whyte are all potential matchups for the former world titlist as he works toward another opportunity to shock the world.
