David Haye has been told to expect his toughest test yet when he faces John Ruiz.

Britain's newly-crowned WBA heavyweight champion will make the first defence of his title against mandatory challenger 'The Quiet Man'.

And even though he's just overcome one huge test in beating the giant Russian Nikolai Valuev, he's been told things won't get any easier now.

Tony Cardinale, Ruiz' manager/attorney, said: "It's difficult to look good against Valuev. John scored considerably more in his two controversial fights against Valuev than Haye. John chased Valuev around the ring, not the other way around. His new trainers, Miguel Diaz and Richie Sandoval, will put together an effective game plan for John. Without a doubt, John Ruiz will be the toughest opponent Haye has ever faced."

Ruiz fought on the undercard of Haye/Valuev on Saturday, stopping Adnan Serin in seven rounds.

That was his first bout in almost 15 months, and Ruiz admitted he took some time to get toing.

"I hadn't fought in a long time and was kind of anxious the first few rounds. I settled down and started putting my punches together. I'm looking forward to fighting Haye and winning my third world title. I'm a free agent now and we'll be talking to some promoters. This is a good opportunity for me with a title fight coming next year."

Ruiz would love his showdown with Haye to happen in his current home town of Las Vegas, but says he won't mind if he has to travel.

"I live and train in Las Vegas, so I'd love to fight there. But I'm 6-0 in England and have a good fan base in Germany. Wherever I fight, I need my fans to support me, especially Latinos from al over the world.

"I'm a true fighter and David Haye's going to find that out in the ring."