Ruiz Comeback Questions Dominate Boxing Mailbag

Andy Ruiz returns to the ring this weekend, but veteran boxing writer Scott Christ questions how seriously fans should take yet another comeback attempt from the former unified heavyweight champion.

In his latest mailbag for Bad Left Hook, Christ noted that Ruiz has shown up out of shape and inactive for seven years running since his stunning 2019 upset of Anthony Joshua. "The truth is that as talented a boxer as I think Andy Ruiz is — and I was among those telling people to take him seriously before the first AJ fight — it's been years since I could really take him seriously as an active professional boxer," Christ wrote.

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Hrgovic Deserves Reassessment After Itauma Win

Christ also argued that Filip Hrgovic warrants a fresh evaluation following his IBF title victory over Moses Itauma. The Croatian executed a disciplined game plan that absorbed punishment early but proved effective against the young prospect. Christ placed Hrgovic in a cluster of contenders below Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury but alongside Daniel Dubois, Joseph Parker, and Fabio Wardley rather than a tier below them.

On hypothetical matchups, Christ gave Katie Taylor the edge over Claressa Shields in a fantasy welterweight bout. He pointed to Taylor's proven ability to grind through adversity in her fights with Amanda Serrano and Delfine Persoon, while Shields has rarely faced that level of pressure as a professional. Christ cited Floyd Mayweather's response in the Jose Luis Castillo and Marcos Maidana fights as examples of greatness revealed under duress.

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For the September 26 Zuffa Boxing card on Paramount Plus, Christ expects Johnny Fisher's heavyweight debut to draw more attention than the competitive Liam Davies versus Nathaniel Collins featherweight title fight airing the same day on DAZN.

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• Bad Left Hook — Boxing Mailbag: Andy Ruiz comeback, Fury vs AJ problems, De La Hoya overrated or underrated?