Tricky Business: Appreciating John Ruiz
Greg Smith - 4/7/2005
I am not, nor have I ever been, a fan of John Ruiz. John Ruiz is probably
the most unpopular champion in boxing today, and being a John Ruiz fan is
tantamount to being on the wrong side of a McCarthy hearing. Supporting Ruiz
can get you into a lot of trouble with the boxing cognoscenti.
For boxing purists, his style is odious and about as aesthetically pleasing to watch as Hillary Clinton in a thong contest. Regardless of the noxious reaction, the difference between Ruiz and Hillary is that Ruiz always seems to get the job done no matter how politically incorrect, or how bad it looks.
On April 30, HBO is scheduled to broadcast Ruiz’s WBA heavyweight title defense against James Toney from Madison Square Garden. It’s a very important and pivotal fight for many reasons, one of which is that most fans will be on the edge of their seats hoping for the final and inevitable demise of The Quiet Man and his caustic manager, Norman Stone.
To be sure, before the knee jerk reaches full extension, let’s be fair and take a look at Ruiz’s tangible and intangible accomplishments. In truth, accomplishment is what counts, and Ruiz deserves his props despite being maligned like a wrestling villain everyone loves to hate.
First, John Ruiz has fought just about all of the big names in the division. Only Chris Byrd has sought out stiffer competition than Ruiz in the last few years. With a record of 41-5-1 (28 KOs), Ruiz is battle tested against the top contenders. Moreover, he fought on even terms in a trilogy with Evander Holfyield. Granted, Holyfield was past his prime, but Holyfield was coming off two close bouts with Lennox at the time they started their trilogy.
In the last three years, Ruiz has beaten Kirk Johnson, Hasim Rahman, Fres Oquendo, and Andrew Golota.
Ruiz doesn’t duck anyone and believes in himself. Unlike many alphabet, paper champions practiced in the art of low risk and high yield, Ruiz continues to call out the elite in the division, and seeks unification sooner rather than later. Ruiz resume is solid and not manufactured. It doesn’t really matter that he’s an ugly and dirty fighter so unrefined in the art of fouling that Zivic and Greb probably turn in their graves in horror when Ruiz fights. What matters is that Ruiz is one of the toughest fighters in boxing who doesn’t listen to the critics while he compiles his wins and counts the cash.
From the intangible side, it is said that the true test of character is not how one gets knocked down, but how one gets up that counts. When I think of John Ruiz, all of my thoughts aren’t pleasant, but in his unique way, he cuts to the essence of character and perserverance and exemplifies the Horatio Alger and Rocky Balboa ethic of an underdog overcoming the odds. Chuck Wepner revisited, but in a different age with a different outcome.
For instance, he lost on an embarrassing and scary first round knockout to David Tua a little over nine years ago. It’s one of those knockouts where you’re hoping the victim doesn’t suffer permanent neurological damage. Ruiz not only rebounded and reconstructed his career, he became a champion.
In an age of public opinion polls and stealth manipulation, Ruiz has taken his risks the old fashioned way, and they’ve paid off.
Perhaps even more embarrassing than Ruiz’s loss to Tua was his loss to Jones. I actually picked Jones to stop Ruiz inside of ten rounds. I noticed that Ruiz busted up badly in the Holyfield fights, and thought Jones would look to open up some cuts, shut his eyes, and stop him while giving the Nikes a good workout in the process.
It was almost worse than that. In the midst of a nasty personal problems, Ruiz was virtually shutout by Jones. Many experts picked Ruiz to win, but he really wasn’t ever in the fight. It came at exactly the wrong time, and many wondered if Ruiz would fight again. It seemed natural that Ruiz would end up back on ESPN, and then fade into oblivion. As we've learned, The Quiet Man's resolve is much deeper than that.
Two years later, the careers of Jones and Ruiz have taken twists and turns few could’ve imagined when Max Kellerman was pontificating about a mythical match-up between Jones and Joe Frazier. Jones has been knocked out twice in back-to-back bouts, and many hope he doesn’t risk his health by fighting again.
In stunning and ironic contrast, Ruiz is a heavyweight title holder with two defenses under his belt, and is hoping to unify the division. Boxing is a strange and unpredictable business, and one of the most interesting studies over the last few years is the demise of Roy Jones, and the comeback of John Ruiz. I loved watching Roy Jones in his prime, but in an unexpected way, this is a study of substance over style.
Although I’ve come to respect John Ruiz despite his many faults, I’m jumping on the conventional wisdom bandwagon and am picking James Toney to dethrone John Ruiz on April 30. I think Toney will win a decision in the range of 118-110 to 116-112. Even though evidence exists suggesting that Toney’s body is breaking down, he has a deep, burning desire to win a heavyweight belt. He’ll apply too many old school tricks and angles. Simply put, he has too much game. He’ll slip, counter, and mix up his attack. He’ll be a step ahead of the ballgame for most of the fight.
More frustrating is the fact that Toney is so tricky, that Ruiz will think he's winning when he's not. Toney is a trap fighter in the tradition of Moore, Burley, and Charles. Ruiz will be entering the center of the cyclone when he thinks he's headed for smooth waters.
From a tactical standpoint, I think Ruiz will try to do what Jirov didn't do. Jirov's trainer, Tommy Brooks, tried to make Jirov vs. Toney into Marciano vs. Moore. In the end, Brooks and Jirov miscalculated. Jirov threw too many punches, lost snap in his punches when he needed it most, and Toney used his skill and experience to dominate down the stretch.
Ruiz's battle plan will capture the fundamental framework of his style and persona: Ugly but effective. Ruiz will try to throw 2-3 punches at a time, and then nullify Toney’s counters with wrestling tactics and clinching. Toney is a born counter puncher. Indeed, I was talking to a friend on the phone about this fight a few days ago, and facetiously theorized that Toney countered the poor doctor who slapped his ass when he was born. Toney will find a way to keep Ruiz off of him. He's just too good and wants it too bad.
When the maligned reign of John Ruiz ends, cheers will reverberate throughout the boxing community. James Toney is infinitely more marketable than Ruiz, and he’ll be a welcome addition to one of the most unpopular crop of heavyweight belt holders in history. Toney is colorful, quotable, and crafty. Bluntly put, we need him.
Ruiz is resilient, and expect him to move on. He’ll try to find a way to earn himself another title shot. He’ll probably ask for a rematch. I doubt he’ll succeed, but that probably doesn’t matter. What matters is that John Ruiz took almost nonexistent marketability and limited skills, forged himself in adversity, and became a champion after losses that would've ended the careers of lesser men. Boxing is the most unfair and Darwinian of sports. John Ruiz found a way to survive after seemingly insurmountable setbacks, and as winners do, he ultimately found a way to climb to the top of the pecking order and succeed. It wasn't pretty, but it was effective.
When Ruiz’s career finally ends, I’ll remember how bad he looked in both victory and defeat. More importantly, I will remember him by an old John Wooden saying:
“Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are; your reputation is merely what others think you are.”
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