Heavier Ruiz hoping to push way to win

Dean Juipe

Friday, Feb. 28, 2003 | 10:15 a.m.

His people skills sufficiently polished after several weeks of mingling with fans and media, John Ruiz trusts that his boxing abilities are equally honed as he prepares to fight Roy Jones Jr. Saturday night at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Ruiz has been a one-man publicity machine, lending himself to countless requests and interviews as Jones has remained isolated.

The net result: Ruiz will step into the ring a perplexed if not bitter man.

"I find it a pleasure dealing with people and I do the best I can," Ruiz said. "This other guy isn't like that. It discourages me because of how much money he's going to make, but that's the way it goes."

Ruiz and Jones are scheduled for 12 rounds with the former's World Boxing Association heavyweight championship on the line. Their fight tops a mammoth 10-bout card promoted by Don King.

Jones gets the lion's share of the revenues and is a minus 190 betting favorite at the host casino, Caesars Palace. Ruiz, the WBA champion for almost two years, is a plus 160.

"I've worked hard for a long time," Ruiz said of his 11-year pro career, which includes a record of 38-4-1 and three fights with ex-champ Evander Holyfield. "I've been through it all."

The most debilitating portion of his journey was a 19-second loss to David Tua in 1996 that seemingly branded Ruiz as nothing but a pedestrian contender. Earlier losses to the late Sergei Kobozev and to a relatively soft Dannell Nicholson only accentuated the belief at the time that Ruiz was saddled with limited abilities.

Yet as the fights with Holyfield would later prove, Ruiz is a gutty performer with no shortage of determination. He's also the first heavyweight champion with an Hispanic background, having been born in Puerto Rico.

He lives in Las Vegas.

"I'd like to think I've built a nice following of people who believe in me," Ruiz said.

Jones has his believers as well, many of whom label him the sport's "pound for pound" champion. The evidence is compelling: Jones is 47-1 (with the loss by disqualification to Montell Griffin for throwing a late punch) and has been a world champion for all but five months of a term that began in 1993.

What few detractors this former middleweight, super middleweight and light heavyweight champion has are limited in their criticism to such items as the level of Jones' competition and his periodically bland performances.

But he also has admitted to taking it easy on some opponents and cites the catastrophic condition of former super middleweight champion Gerald McClellan as justification. McClellan was badly injured in a vicious 1995 fight with Nigel Benn and remains under the constant care of his sister today.

"I wouldn't wish that on anybody," Jones said.

Jones, at 34, is three years older than Ruiz and will be much the lighter man as well. He came in at 193 pounds at Thursday's official weigh-in. As a result, Ruiz, who weighed in at 226, will attempt to push him around.

"None of the guys Roy has fought have the reach and the size that I do," Ruiz said. "I've got to use my reach on the outside and go to the body on the inside.

"I've got to make him stop and think after the first time I hit him. I've got to take the advantages I have and make them work for me."

Both camps took interest in the appointment of the referee, and at Thursday's meeting of the Nevada State Athletic Commission former college baseball player Jay Nady was given the job.

"It makes sense to have a referee that will let us work out of the clenches," Ruiz said, giving his approval to Nady.

Named to judge the fight were Stanley Christodoulou of South Africa and Duane Ford and Jerry Roth, both of Las Vegas.

The fight will be in Nevada's standard 20-foot ring, which will allow Jones room to move.

"He's a dangerous guy," Jones said of Ruiz and the need to be elusive. "Look what he did to Holyfield."

Ruiz became only the second man -- Riddick Bowe was the other -- to knock down Holyfield when he connected with a right cross in the 11th round of their second fight, which Ruiz won by decision to gain the WBA belt.

"I think the fight will have some highs and lows for both men," Jones' trainer, Alton Merkerson, said. "But I think Roy will be able to counter and I can guarantee that he hasn't lost any hand or foot speed."

Bring it on, Ruiz says in response.

"Roy's fast, but not so fast that I can't catch him," he said.