Anthony Joshua was originally supposed to face Jarrell Miller at Madison Square Garden in New York, but the American failed three separate drug tests.
Anti-doping agency VADA found that miller had performance-enhancing drugs GW1516, HGH and EPO in his system during the lead up to his bout with Joshua.
Miller originally denied any wrongdoing after news broke of the first failed test.
But once it was revealed in the third test that EPO, a substance that can only be injected, had been found in Miller’s blood, the Brooklyn-Born fighter admitted his wrongdoing.
The hunt for a new opponent for Joshua has subsequently begun, with Hearn holding various meetings to decipher who would best suit a crack at ‘AJ’ in New York.
The likes of Luis Ortiz, Michael Hunter and Manuel Charr have all been rumoured to be in the mix, but according to Eddie Hearn, who s[ple too ESPN, Mexican Ruiz Jr is the latest to throw his hat in the ring.
“Anthony Joshua, I’m your opponent for June 1,” he wrote on social media.
“I’m here I’m ready. Sign your portion. It’s been a long time coming. We should’ve met few years ago when I fought for the WBO belt.
“Styles make fights, I know my style is one that you haven’t met before. That WBO belt is actually mine because the whole world knows I beat Parker for it in New Zealand.
“I’ve been waiting a long time to get these straps from you. You can hold them for me until June 1.
“To anybody counting me out already get in line I’ve been counted out since I first started fighting. Nothing is stopping me now.”
“We will be ready on June 1st.”
Ruiz also stated that Joshua has a belt that supposedly belongs to him – the WBO strap which he lost out to against Joseph Parker – who Joshua beat in 2018.
“I’m coming for those belts. That WBO belt belongs to me. Everyone knows I beat (Joseph) Parker,” he added.
A fight with Joshua would mark a significant turnaround for Ruiz Jr, who only fought on Saturday in California against Alexander Dimitrenko.
Despite his rotund size, Ruiz Jr is known for having quick hands and has never been stopped in a fight.