ANDY RUIZ JR was brutally floored by a vicious flurry of punches as his comeback fight descended into chaos.
The former heavyweight champion was dropped heavily by Damian Knyba in the seventh round after being caught by a barrage of shots.
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Ruiz beat the count and survived the round but fans were left questioning why the referee did not stop the fight.
Footage of the dramatic moment quickly spread online, with viewers debating whether Ruiz had taken too much punishment.
One fan said on X: “What’s the ref doing here it’s like he was going to call a TKO then didnt.”
Another said: “Why is the referee blocking punches while Ruiz is still upright.”
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While a third said: “This ref had money on the fight no doubt in my mind someone check his accounts.”
The 36-year-old had returned to the ring after more than two years away from boxing.
Ruiz was hoping to put himself back into the heavyweight picture and reignite his career.
But Knyba had other ideas as the towering Polish heavyweight used his height and reach to frustrate Ruiz.
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The American-born Mexican struggled to close the distance and was repeatedly forced to deal with Knyba’s long punches.
Ruiz did have moments of success, but the seventh-round knockdown proved to be one of the defining moments of the fight.
Knyba landed a vicious sequence of shots before Ruiz was sent crashing to the canvas.
The former champion managed to get back to his feet and continue, but the damage had been done.
Knyba remained composed in the closing rounds and did enough to secure the victory on the judges’ scorecards.
The Pole was awarded a unanimous decision, handing Ruiz another disappointing result.
Ruiz famously shocked the boxing world in 2019 when he stopped Anthony Joshua to become a unified heavyweight champion.
But after losing the rematch and enduring a stop-start career, Ruiz now faces fresh questions over whether he can return to the top.