Holyfield Wins Unanimous Decision, but will he be considered champion?

Tim Dahlberg

Sunday, Aug. 13, 2000 | 12:26 p.m.

LAS VEGAS - Evander Holyfield can call himself a champion once again. After 12 tough rounds Saturday night, though, the boxing world may join John Ruiz in questioning his latest credentials.

Holyfield battled back in the late rounds to win the WBA version of the heavyweight crown with a unanimous but close decision over Ruiz that made him the first four-time heavyweight champion.

Though it gave him a title once again, it did little to bolster Holyfield's claim that he is the legitimate champion.

Ruiz didn't think so, after a Holyfield rally in the 12th round prevented him from pulling an upset in his first title fight.

"It was highway robbery without a gun," Ruiz said. "I definitely won the fight, and he knows I won the fight."

Holyfield became the first heavyweight to win titles four times, taking the WBA crown that Lennox Lewis had to vacate when he declined to fight Ruiz earlier this year.

He did it only one fight after losing his WBA and IBF titles to Lewis last November. And it didn't come easy against Ruiz, who was fighting for a title for the first time while Holyfield was in his 20th championship bout.

"He has two belts and I have one," Holyfield said. "He didn't beat Riddick Bowe. He didn't beat Mike Tyson. I'll fight anybody."

Holyfield wouldn't have the WBA belt, either, had he not upped his intensity level in the final round, battering Ruiz, who was about to pull out the win. Two judges had the fight even going into the 12th round, and Ruiz would have been the new champion had he won the round.

"I wasn't able to knock him out even though I hit him with hard punches," Holyfield said. "He fought a defensive fight."

Still, Holyfield thought he did more than enough to win.

"I knew Ruiz was tough and would give everything he had," Holyfield said. "There was no doubt I won the fight."

In a fight that was entertaining, but hardly a heavyweight classic, Ruiz exposed Holyfield's deteriorating skills much as Lewis had in a controversial draw and win over Holyfield that made him the undisputed champion.

But in the end, it was the ring generalship in his 20th title fight that allowed Holyfield to dominate the final round and pull out the win.

Judge Fernando Biso had Holyfield winning 116-112, while judges Duane Ford and Dave Moretti had him winning 114-113. The Associated Press also had Holyfield ahead 114-113.

If Ruiz had won the 12th round, he would have won the fight.

"This was a big setback," Ruiz said. "This was something I had been dreaming about."

There were no knockdowns in the fight, although a left hook in the final round by Holyfield seemed to put Ruiz down and caused blood to flow from his nose. Referee Richard Steele ruled it a slip, however, though Holyfield went on to dominate the latter part of the round.

The 28-year-old Ruiz, who had never been in a big fight before, followed through on his pre-fight promise to take the fight to Holyfield, at least in the early rounds.

Holyfield had trouble early and was consistently beaten to the punch by Ruiz. Most of the rounds were marred by holding by both fighters, although Holyfield appeared to do most of it.

"Holyfield threw everything at me, including elbows and heads," Ruiz said. "I am surprised he didn't throw a knee at me."

Holyfield, who came into the fight off the draw and loss to Lewis, was given another title chance only because a judge took the WBA title away from Lewis for failing to defend against Ruiz.

Lewis had mocked the fight all week, calling Ruiz "Johnny Louise" and saying the public would not recognize Holyfield as a legitimate champion.

"The people know there's only one real heavyweight champion," Lewis said earlier.

Ruiz, a 4-1 underdog, appeared ready to take advantage of his first big chance at a title, outboxing Holyfield through many of the middle rounds and beating him to the punch on many occasions.

He only did so, however, after barely surviving the third round, when Holyfield rocked him with a right hand with 25 seconds left and sent him reeling across the ring. Holyfield was unable to finish off Ruiz, however.

The fight was close in the 10th round when Holyfield seemed to stun Ruiz with a left hook and then hit him with a punch that Ruiz complained was low. Steele, who spent much of his night separating the two fighters, allowed Ruiz about 45 seconds to recover in Holyfield's corner.

Holyfield (37-4-1) earned $5 million for the fight, bringing his total purses to $100 million since beating Tyson in November 1996 in one of boxing's biggest upsets.

Ruiz (36-4) got $1.1 million.