Holyfield absent, but Ruiz to fight anyway

Dean Juipe

Friday, July 26, 2002 | 9:59 a.m.

It has been 31 months since John Ruiz has fought anyone other than Evander Holyfield, which opens the door for more than a little speculation.

Is Ruiz a better fighter for having tussled three times with Holyfield?

Or did those same three bouts, which were more grueling than not in nature, deplete rather than add to Ruiz's physical resources?

A definitive answer should emerge Saturday when Ruiz, the World Boxing Association heavyweight champion, defends his title against mandatory challenger Kirk Johnson in the Mandalay Bay Events Center.

Johnson is a minus 230 betting favorite. Ruiz is a plus 190.

"Those fights made me more positive, more confident that I belong in the ring with the very best heavyweights in the world," Ruiz said, leaving no doubt how he stands on the value of having fought Holyfield three times. "I really feel they helped me a lot."

Ruiz lost the first fight with Holyfield, in August of 2000, by disputed decision. He won the rematch, in March of 2001, by clear-cut decision. And he settled for a draw in the third fight, last December, in an underwhelming bout that did neither he nor Holyfield much good from the perspective of public opinion.

"That last fight, I had a bad night," Ruiz said. "It was 'one of those days' for me and it showed.

"But having taken part in three fights against a man of Holyfield's stature has made me more relaxed as I come into this fight. I can withstand the pressure of the situation and I can withstand more physically.

"If nothing else, fighting Holyfield taught me about being tougher. You know, being able to take all those elbows and things like that."

Ruiz, 30, is 37-4-1 with 27 knockouts and will be paid $1.5 million for this fight.

Johnson, also 30, is 32-0-1 with 23 KOs and will receive $1 million.

At today's Nevada State Athletic Commission meeting, Joe Cortez was selected to referee and Patricia Jarman-Manning, Dave Moretti and Jerry Roth to judge.

A crowd of around 6,500 is expected in an arena that has been scaled back to seat 8,500 for this fight and its eight-bout undercard.

"Ruiz probably gained something from those fights with Holyfield," said Johnson's co-trainer, Lou Duva. "But, actually, that's not a good barometer because Kirk would have knocked Evander out.

"Ruiz just plodded through those fights, yet, having done it, it probably gives him a little more confidence. He can say, 'Hey, I fought Holyfield three times, but Kirk Johnson hasn't fought anybody like that.' "

Ruiz, who moved to Las Vegas last year and is the first heavyweight champion with an Hispanic background, realizes the jury is still out when it comes to evaluating his career. Was he simply lucky to have been around when the WBA stripped Lennox Lewis of that title, or will he be seen as an emerging talent who overcame a devastating loss to David Tua to earn the respect that's due a worthy champion?

"The positive side of me came out after the Tua fight," Ruiz said of a 19-second loss to the Samoan slugger in 1996. "That was the changing point of my career. I became more focused."

Yet he still can't escape its consequences.

"I'm the champion and I went 36 rounds with Evander Holyfield, but still when some people think of me all they think of is the Tua fight," Ruiz admits. "It gets frustrating.

"I guess I'm used to it now, but hopefully after I win Saturday people will start looking at me in a different way."

As it is, he says he's "stuck in the background" in part because "nobody looks good against me."

Ruiz has had his ups and downs, breaking in as a cruiserweight in 1992 before moving up a division two years later. As a cruiser he lost to the late Sergei Kobozev by decision, then he lost a decision to Danell Nicholson in his third fight as a heavyweight.

His best win, prior to handling Holyfield in their second fight, came against former champion Tony Tucker in 1998. Ruiz has not fought anyone but Holyfield since a TKO-2 win over Thomas Williams on Dec. 11, 1999.

"I let my heart do the fighting," Ruiz said. "I work hard and can go 12 rounds."

He said he knows just enough about Johnson to be wary of the Canadian's power.

"I've only watched one tape," Ruiz said. "But my trainers have watched some others and they told me to watch for his overhand right and to keep my hands up."

The mutual respect between the fighters has been evident leading up to this bout.

"Johnson is a good fighter," Ruiz said, "and I know he's waited his whole life for this opportunity. But so did I."

Johnson, likewise, has been complimentary of Ruiz, as has Duva.

"I don't think we're going to lose," the veteran trainer said. "But if we had to lose, there's no better person to lose to than John Ruiz."

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