Ruiz, Johnson fail to capitalize

Dean Juipe

Thursday, Aug. 1, 2002 | 9:28 a.m.

John Ruiz was right when he said "No one looks good fighting me."

He is so right, in fact, that he has pinpointed the precise reason he will continue to have a limited marketability in spite of owning the World Boxing Association heavyweight championship.

Ruiz, who lives in Las Vegas, successfully defended that title last Saturday at Mandalay Bay when mandatory challenger Kirk Johnson was disqualified in the 10th round for repeated low blows.

It was a bad fight that did neither man any good, beyond the $1.5 million it put in Ruiz's pocket and the $1 million earmarked for Johnson.

Unlike most fights that end with the uncertainty a DQ usually generates, there has been no discussion of a rematch, no clamor to put these men back in the ring.

They're going their separate ways, and for Ruiz that likely means a trip to his native Puerto Rico.

As promoter Don King has undoubtedly considered, the best -- and perhaps only -- way to make any money with Ruiz these days would be to match him with another Puerto Rican, Fres Oquendo, on their island paradise.

Oquendo also has links to King, so arranging such a fight would take a minimal effort and absolutely no arm twisting. (It also gives King an excuse to visit Puerto Rico and try to persuade Felix Trinidad to come out of retirement, given that there's $10 million on the table for Trinidad if he'll fight Oscar De La Hoya early next year.)

Ruiz doesn't have too many other options, and meeting Oquendo in Puerto Rico would have to be a natural from his perspective. Nor would the WBA object, as it not only has Oquendo ranked No. 5 but it is always willing to spread its title fights throughout Latin America and the Caribbean.

Ruiz can fight Oquendo and go from there, perhaps to a fight with one of the Klitschko brothers in Germany next year.

As for where Johnson goes from here, it's difficult to say.

For all the hype his handlers spewed about his power and his tactical mastery, Johnson came across as too inexperienced in big fights and too reliant on borderline punches in his fight with Ruiz. It was the second time Johnson had run into trouble with low blows, having been held to a draw with Al Cole in an earlier fight that saw him repeatedly penalized.

Johnson needs to get back into the ring as soon as possible -- and against someone of stature -- to erase the memories of this fight with Ruiz. He needs a Michael Grant-type of opponent.

Unfortunately for Johnson and Duva Boxing, which has a small fortune tied up in him, had Johnson beaten Ruiz the door to the vault would have swung open. World Boxing Council and International Boxing Federation heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis has delayed making plans, in part, to see if a fight with Johnson would prove to be beneficial, and now it's clear that it won't.

If anyone gained something from Ruiz's win last Saturday it's Chris Byrd. He's the IBF's mandatory challenger to Lewis and as unlikely as it seemed a week ago that they would actually fight, with Johnson now out of the picture it's 50-50.