Anthony Joshua’s ex-rival to follow Conor Benn by signing with Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing

The Zuffa Boxing signings are coming thick and fast.

The Dana White-led promotional outfit stunned the boxing world on Friday by poaching Conor Benn from long-time promoter Eddie Hearn.

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And according to Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) accredited journalist and Fights ATW founder, Abraham Gonzalez, Andy Ruiz Jr is the next marquee fighter set to cross the street.

The former unified heavyweight champion hasn’t set foot in the ring since 2024.

Then he was held to a contentious draw by Jarrell Miller in August.

Ruiz Jr suffered a fractured hand during the bout, which kept him sidelined for an extended period.

However, he has since returned to the gym with the view to launching a comeback.

Ruiz Jr has even brought Manny Robles back into the fold as his head trainer.

Robles, of course, masterminded Ruiz Jr’s upset win over Anthony Joshua in June 2019 for the WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight titles.

Ruiz Jr would drop the belts in a rematch six months later after packing on 15.5lbs of unhealthy weight.

Robles was extremely critical of Ruiz Jr’s lack of discipline and lambasted him for partying too much and training too little.

The pair would split shortly after the defeat, but have since reunited on the understanding that Ruiz Jr will commit himself fully to boxing.

At 36 years old, time is of the essence if Ruiz Jr hopes to reignite his career.

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And while the only notable heavyweight signed to Zuffa Boxing at present is Nigeria’s Efe Ajagba, that is expected to change over the coming weeks.

For starters, Oleksandr Usyk has been linked with a move to the newly erected company for some time.

Usyk is currently a free agent after splitting from K2 Promotions last June.

Ruiz Jr has been campaigning for a fight with the Ukrainian superstar ever since the negotiations with Deontay Wilder collapsed.

And he could get his wish if they were both under the same promotional banner.