Boxing
Knyba eyes Ruiz refinements as springboard to Kabayel rematch
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NEWARK, N.J. — In keeping Andy Ruiz Jr. behind the jab and even surprising him with a devastating knockdown, Damian Knyba believes some of his attributes can carry over to a possible rematch with Agit Kabayel.
“I definitely think I can carry over my footwork, just keeping a cool head, staying calm under the pressure,” Knyba told DAZN News amidst a pool of reporters during the post-fight press conference after defeating Ruiz by unanimous decision Friday night at the Prudential Center, and live worldwide on DAZN.
“And like I mentioned previously, I had a lot of troubles in the camp with Kabayel,” Knyba continued. “I didn’t sleep for a whole month. I would just lay down with my eyes closed and I got absolutely zero sleep. That improving alone [while in preparation for Ruiz] definitely made big difference.”
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Prior to defeating Ruiz, Knyba suffered a third-round TKO at the hands of Kabayel in January, squandering his chance to claim the WBC heavyweight interim title. The German fighter was later elevated to full-status champion after Oleksandr Usyk relinquished his unified heavyweight crown.
Well, that being said, Knyba didn’t waste time calling for the Kabayel rematch immediately after defeating Ruiz.
In fact, looking back on their fight, a couple of things still bother Knyba about the bout — namely the lack of sleep he got in preparation for the German fighter and then there’s what he deemed as a poor move on the part of the referee.
“The referee really did a bad stoppage in my fight with Kabayel,” he tacked on, “and I really want a rematch with Kabayel.”
Terence Crawford, who was providing analysis Friday night, agreed with that notion of a bad stoppage.
In defeating Ruiz, Knyba showed excellent lateral movement around the ring and great discipline behind the jab, which he threw as both a pawing and power option. The jab even earned him praise from Crawford.
On Friday night, Knyba even pounced on an unsuspecting Ruiz with a hard combination that led to a seventh-round knockdown, flexing his power game.
Against a more skilled Kabayel, Knyba would count on those refined attributes — and more — showing up for him behind a boost of confidence.
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