A heavyweight fight between former unified world titleholder Andy Ruiz Jr. and former title challenger Chris Arreola has been agreed to, a source confirmed to ESPN on Friday. While no date and venue were announced, the bout is supposed to take place later this year.
After coming in at 268 pounds for the first encounter, Ruiz, 30, weighed in at 283.5 pounds for the rematch and was soundly criticized for his training habits leading into that fight. Ruiz replaced his head trainer, Manuel Robles, with Eddy Reynoso, best known for his work in developing Canelo Alvarez.
The 39-year-old Arreola has been a fixture in the heavyweight division for years. He has gotten two shots at the world title, against Vitali Klitschko and Deontay Wilder. After getting stopped by Wilder in eight rounds in 2016, he took nearly a year and a half off from the ring but returned to score stoppage victories against Maurenzo Smith and Jean Pierre Augustin before losing a unanimous decision to Adam Kownacki last summer.