Columnist Dean Juipe: Don’t dismiss Ruiz without reading this

Dean Juipe

Friday, July 26, 2002 | 9:52 a.m.

Dean Juipe's column appears Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. His boxing notebook appears Thursday. Reach him at juipe@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4084.

Rarely has a man fought so little in Las Vegas and yet so enraptured bettors.

Kirk Johnson has had 33 professional fights in his career and only three of them -- the most recent of which was in 1994 -- have been held here. For the most part he has fought on the East Coast and faced only marginal opposition.

Yet when Johnson steps into the ring Saturday at the Mandalay Bay Events Center with World Boxing Association heavyweight champ John Ruiz, most of those who will have placed a wager will have placed it on him. He's a minus 230, with Ruiz a plus 190.

It would be one thing if Johnson were coming off wins over an elite fighter or two, but, in truth, he has been matched with guys he was supposed to beat. The last man he faced, which was more than a year ago, was the habitually lethargic Larry Donald and going 12 rounds with him is hardly a feather in Johnson's cap.

Earlier wins over limited pretenders such as Derrick Banks and Oleg Maskaev are likewise taken with a grain of salt. And what was with Johnson being held to a draw by Al Cole, even if he avenged that blemish with a decision win?

The point is, Johnson's credentials are hardly astounding. Yet when oddsmakers posted a number on this fight and bettors didn't challenge it, it was a sign of a greater factor at play.

It was a sign that Ruiz is perceived to be little more than a temporary champion, a lucky man holding the throne until a more worthy fighter comes along.

The line setters and the public think that man is Johnson. But I'm not so sure.

If nothing else, Ruiz has 36 rounds of top-flight competition in having faced and gone the distance three times with Evander Holyfield. Perhaps those fights have taken something out of him, but, conversely, perhaps those experiences have made Ruiz a better fighter.

If they have, it will be an advantage that could affect the outcome of the fight.

Johnson would seem to be quicker and he certainly has better movement, but he may be no stronger than Ruiz in spite of his reputation as a big hitter. Add in this yearlong layoff, his inability to take out Donald and the belief that he has never tasted any serious leather but might once he gets in the ring with Ruiz, and Johnson, it can be alleged, has his faults as well.

Yet the public is backing him in the city's sports books, which begs the question: Is it an anti-Ruiz sentiment that has determined the numbers? If Ruiz were fighting, say, Jameel McCline or Fres Oquendo, would he be the underdog in that fight, too?

Would he be the betting underdog against any top-10 ranked opponent? The answer might be "yes."

It's not a unique situation that Ruiz finds himself in, but it's one within his power to dispel. With one superb fight, he can alter his professional image and erase the stigma that has accompanied him thus far.

This fight is make or break for him. It will either solidify his spotty reputation or force it to be positively revised.

It's in his hands. But, while I personally wouldn't bet on it, there is something to be said for taking a guy who has been fighting in the boxing capital and facing formidable opposition.

Ruiz has some value.