Andy Ruiz Jr was towered over by Poland’s Damian Knyba as they came face to face for the first time ahead of their upcoming clash.Ruiz Jr returns to the ring against Knyba on September 4 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.Ruiz Jr’s last performance against Miller left a lot to be desiredMark Robinson / Matchroom BoxingIt marks his first outing since August 2024 when he held Jarrell Miller to a controversial draw.Ruiz Jr (35-2-1) broke his hand in that bout and spent a considerable stretch on the sidelines before reuniting with long-time coach Manny Robles and signing with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing.On Friday night, Ruiz Jr and Knyba met in Los Angeles to make their fight official with a launch press conference.After both men had their say on the mic, the stage was cleared for a face-off.Knyba, who stands 6ft 7in tall and boasts a monstrous 86in reach, cast a shadow over Ruiz Jr, who is by no means a small man at 6ft 2in.Fans were left stunned by the size difference, with one writing: “That is a big bloke.”Another posted: “Andy looking good, the other dude is huge though.”A third commented: “Damian is so much bigger, it’s scary.”Meanwhile, somebody else added: “The reach alone is a problem.”Damian Knyba’s last fightKnyba (17-1) suffered the first defeat of his professional career last time out against newly crowned WBC heavyweight champion Agit Kabayel in January.View Tweet: https://x.com/hashtag/TheFight?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwKnyba got off to an excellent start, tagging Kabayel with multiple uppercuts and straight shots before he was rocked by a leaping right hand.Kabayel then followed up with a flurry of shots as referee Mark Lyson stepped in and waved off the fight prematurely midway through the third round.Knyba couldn’t help but feel hard done by the intervention, but he now has the opportunity to change the course of his career against Ruiz Jr.What was said at the press conference?“I want to thank Matchroom, Eddie Hearn and Andy Ruiz Jr and his whole team for the opportunity,” said Knyba.“I have my sights set very high, and I hold myself to a very high standard, and opportunities like this are a blessing, and I’m looking forward to it.”For Ruiz Jr, an impressive performance against a live and game opponent would see him take one step closer to his ultimate goal of becoming a two-time world heavyweight champion, 7 years removed from his stunning upset over Anthony Joshua.Knyba stands 6ft7 in and has one of the longest reaches in all of boxing (86in)Getty“Thank God, I never thought I was going to be here again, especially with you and Matchroom,” said Ruiz Jr.“It’s a big blessing, especially with all the downfalls I had, from the surgeries and all the stuff that was going on.“But I’m so blessed to be here, and I’m hungry and excited.“Reuniting with Manny Robles, now I know what hard work is again because that’s how I became champion, that is how I made my dreams come true.“These last few fights of me doing my own training, it wasn’t the way, so that’s why I think I struggled so much in these other fights.“But now, it is a lot different. So I’m really happy and proud of myself for taking the next step and taking it seriously.”Watch Boxing on DAZN*If you click a link in this boxout, we will earn affiliate revenueSign up to DAZN to access the definitive subscription for boxing fans.Upgrade to DAZN Ultimate from just £24.99/month, guaranteeing access to 185+ fights annually, a minimum of 12 pay-per-views at no extra cost, as well as every Lega Serie A match and other elite football access.Alternatively, DAZN Standard is just £15.99/month, with the caveat you will have to pay for pay-per-view events.Click here to sign up.