Work propels Ruiz into 1st big payday

Dean Juipe

Thursday, Jan. 9, 2003 | 10:06 a.m.

It's a measure of how far John Ruiz has come to realize that eight years ago he took a fight at the Silver Nugget in North Las Vegas.

He won that fight, vs. Boris Powell, and has won quite a few since, which partly explains how it has come to pass that Ruiz was at Caesars Palace on Wednesday and will be fighting Roy Jones Jr. on March 1 at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Ruiz, for all of his humble upbringing, has gone uptown.

"Back then ... it seems so long ago, just to look back and wonder, but -- here I am -- and it's amazing," he said, reflecting on his innocuous, 10-round decision victory over Powell at a casino that has long since given up on boxing and his own ascension in its aftermath.

Ruiz was 19-2 when he fought Powell for a pittance, and now he's 38-4-1, the World Boxing Association heavyweight champion and in line for a payday that could approach $10 million. Ruiz took the fight with Jones without a guaranteed purse, yet his take figures to be substantial.

"I could make some good money, but if (the promotion) goes horribly wrong I could walk out with absolutely nothing in my pocket," Ruiz said of his agreement with promoter Don King.

But, not to worry. Ruiz vs. Jones is a pay-per-view fight (with tickets from $100 to $1,200) that has an intriguing storyline and is assured of being something of a smash.

The central issue is easy to summarize: Jones, 47-1, is surrendering his undisputed light heavyweight championship to try his hand as a heavyweight. He'll be giving up some 35 pounds and will attempt to compensate with a mix of quickness and flash.

The betting line at Caesars changed Wednesday and now has Jones at a minus 180 and Ruiz at a plus 150. That's down from the previous day when Jones was a minus 190 and Ruiz a plus 160.

"I always thought hard work would pay off," Ruiz said, thinking back to his Silver Nugget (and equivalency) days. "It's been a roller-coaster ride ... ups and downs. But it's given me character."

That trait has allowed him to suppress the hurt feelings that arise when he's shortchanged by contemporaries, fans or observers who see him as something of an undeserving champion. Ruiz may not be Hall of Fame material, yet he has lost only once since getting blown out by David Tua in 1996 and he avenged that most recent setback, to Evander Holyfield, which is what allows him to claim the WBA title today.

"People say Holyfield was old when I beat him, but he's a tough guy," Ruiz said of the criticism directed his way. "I have to brush it off and keep going.

"The recognition is something I thought would come (after beating Holyfield). But then Lennox Lewis started bashing me, and he definitely has a network behind him that I don't."

Beating Jones would certainly bridge the credibility gap that Ruiz routinely encounters.

"He's one of the few people I've met with a big ego," Ruiz said. "He's coming to win and coming to prove some of the media and fans are wrong."

Ruiz, nicknamed "The Quietman," lives in Las Vegas but will train in Boca Raton, Fla., in an attempt to keep his weight at a minimum. While he normally fights at 230 pounds, he's counting on the Florida humidity to get him down to 225 for the speedy Jones.

"I want to lose some weight," Ruiz said, "as long as I feel fresh and can move around. I have to use a lot of jabs and cut the ring off (in the fight).

"If I can't do those two things, I might as well kiss the fight goodbye."