Thursday, April 21, 2005 | 9:52 a.m.
Jeff Haney covers boxing for the Las Vegas Sun. Reach him at (702) 259-4041 or [email protected].
James Toney, who meets WBA heavyweight champion John Ruiz on April 30 at Madison Square Garden, burst into boxing's signature division only a year and a half ago -- yet he has enjoyed a quick ride to the top.
A former middleweight, super middleweight and cruiserweight champ, Toney has fought just once since stopping Evander Holyfield in the ninth round in 2003 at Mandalay Bay.
Still, Toney is ranked as high as No. 1 among heavyweight contenders by the sport's sanctioning bodies and is nearly a 2-1 favorite to defeat Ruiz, according to oddsmakers.
His opponent in the April 30 title fight suspects Toney has done it not with jabs and uppercuts, but with smoke and mirrors.
Ruiz, looking relaxed and fit Wednesday afternoon at the Round 1 Boxing Gym on West Sahara Avenue, questioned Toney's credentials as a top heavyweight contender.
"He hasn't proven it yet," Ruiz said. "How did he become No. 1? When I was the No. 1 (contender) I fought my way up there. Who's he fought? Why is he No. 1?"
Befitting a fighter long known as "The Quiet Man," Ruiz was thoughtful in crafting his statements, free of the bluff and bluster that often pervades boxing talk, particularly when guys like ... well, like James Toney are involved.
"Fighting is the main thing in boxing," said Ruiz (41-5-1, 28 knockouts), a four-year resident of Las Vegas. "You fight to work your way up to No. 1. You don't get there by being a loudmouth, or having your promoter talk about you.
"If that was the case, I would have started talking a long time ago."
Ruiz fought Holyfield in three title matches, recording a loss, a win and a draw in 2000 and 2001.
Toney's victory against Holyfield two years later should not count for much, Ruiz said, as Holyfield by that time was a shadow of his former self, at the tail end of a glorious career.
"I feel sort of sad ... a great champion like that," Ruiz said of Holyfield, who has lost his past three fights. "I feel his (last great) moment was our first fight ... (that's when) he should have moved on from boxing."
Toney (68-4-2, 43 KOs) followed up with a unanimous-decision victory against Rydell Booker last September, which cemented his place on various lists of the top fighters, pound-for-pound, in the sport.
Norman "Stoney" Stone, Ruiz's trainer, was less than impressed with Toney's recent showings, and mystified by his appeal.
"That was not Holyfield in his prime, no way," Stone said Wednesday. "Then he had trouble with the other kid, Booker. ...
"John is absolutely the best of the heavyweights. Now he just has to prove it again."
Ruiz, 33, has freqently been vilified for employing a "jab-and-grab" style that leads to dull fights filled with pushing and clinching. His most recent fight, a unanimous-decision victory against Andrew Golota, had more than its share of ugly moments, including a point deduction levied against Ruiz for hitting after the break.
It's an unfair perception, Ruiz said. When Ruiz uses his size and power -- he's 6-foot-2 and will likely weigh about 240 pounds for the Toney fight -- to try to establish his dominance in the ring, his opponents often end up grabbing him, he said.
"They want to point me out for holding, but they don't see it as a mutual thing," Ruiz said. "It's what people want to see -- the negative in what I'm doing, not the positive. ...
"I don't know why they want to talk bad about me. Just give me compliments for what I've done."
It's no secret that the heavyweight division is suffering because of its fractured titles and dearth of attractive matchups. Ruiz blames the lack of movement toward a unified championship on boxers and promoters who are unwilling to accept risky fights against the best available opponents.
Ruiz, who leaves Sunday for New York, said he's the exception -- he's eager to fight not only Toney, but also IBF champ and fellow Las Vegan Chris Byrd, WBC champ Vitali Klitschko or just about anyone else.
"I feel I'm the best out there, and I'm the only one pushing to fight everybody," Ruiz said. "Everybody else is just talking about it."
Caesars card
Caesars Palace will showcase its outdoor Roman Plaza Amphitheatre with an ESPN Pay-Per-View card Saturday night featuring a WBO welterweight title bout between champion Antonio Margarito (31-4, 22 knockouts) and Kermit Cintron (24-0, 22 KOs).
Also on the card, three-time world champ "Sugar" Shane Mosley (39-4, 35 KOs) makes his return to the 147-pound division to meet David Estrada (18-1, 9 KOs) in a scheduled 10-rounder; and 2000 U.S. Olympic super heavyweight Calvin Brock (24-0, 20 KOs) takes on Jameel McCline (31-4-3, 19 KOs) in a 10-round heavyweight match.
McCline is coming off a split-decision loss to Chris Byrd for the IBF championship last November at Madison Square Garden. He vowed to make short work of Brock, a talented challenger.
"I don't say that to cause controversy," McCline said Wednesday at Caesars. "It's just the way I am; I'm very confident.
"(Brock) is very confident and I think his confidence will be his downfall because I won't have to go looking for him. I can put my shots right where they belong."
A WBA lightweight title fight that had been scheduled for the card was cancelled when champion Juan Diaz sustained a cut on his left eyelid Saturday while sparring in Houston. Diaz had been scheduled to defend against Ebo Elder.
Tickets for the event are $50-250.
Judah-Rivera
Zab Judah, who stopped Cory Spinks in February in a world welterweight title unification fight, will take on Cosme "Chino" Rivera on May 14 on the undercard of the Felix Trinidad-Winky Wright showdown at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Rivera (28-7-2, 20 KOs) is the IBF's mandatory challenger for Judah (33-2, 24 KOs), who dismantled Spinks before 22,370 fans in Spinks' hometown, St. Louis.
"I'm gonna hold down my title and make all my mandatory defenses," Judah said this week in announcing the fight.
It's the first world title match for Rivera, a lanky Mexican who now lives in Los Angeles.
"He's going to be in for a war because I'm no pushover," Rivera said. "I can take a good punch. My chin is tough and he's never going to put me on the canvas."
Plaza card
Heavyweights Samuel Peter and Josh Cobb, fighting separate opponents, highlight a Duva Boxing card scheduled for April 29 at the Plaza that will be televised by ESPN2.
Peter (22-0, 19 knockouts), a Nigerian who lives and trains in Las Vegas, is ranked No. 5 by the WBC, No. 6 by the WBO and No. 9 by the IBF. He is scheduled to face Gilbert Martinez (18-8-3, 7 KOs) of Sacramento.
Cobb (1-0, 1 KO), 19, is the son of former heavyweight title challenger Randall "Tex" Cobb. He grew up in El Paso, Texas, and recently moved to Las Vegas to concentrate on his boxing career. His opponent is yet to be determined.
Doors open at the Triple Crown Ballroom at the Plaza at 5:30 p.m. and the first bell is set for 6. Tickets are $45 and $75 and are available at the Plaza, by calling (800) 773-0992 or (702) 386-2110, or online at plazahotelcasino.com.
Friday fights
A 10-round welterweight fight between Adalberto Borquez (11-0, 10 knockouts) of Tijuana and Ruben Estanislao (16-8-2, 3 KOs) of Mexico City headlines a Friday card at the Gold Coast presented by Guilty Boxing.
The undercard features a welterweight bout, scheduled for six or eight rounds, between Avelino Chavez (13-1, 8 KOs) of Las Vegas and Alejandro Juarez (12-0, 8 KOs) of Tijuana; and a six-round heavyweight bout between Mika Gergen (8-1-1, 7 KOs) of San Diego and an opponent to be announced.
Six other bouts are also scheduled, including a middleweight four-rounder featuring Koji Sato (1-0, 1 KO) of Las Vegas against an opponent to be announced. Doors open at the Nevada Ballroom at 6 p.m. and the first bell is scheduled for 7. Tickets are $20-30.
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