School me on 'Razor' Ruddock...

Its hard to say how good Razor Ruddock was when he was at his best. He was at his very best at the time when he destroyed Bone Crusher Smith and Michael Dokes along with many other high light knock outs. He'd go on and fight Tyson at a time when Tyson was still a very dangerous fighter and give Tyson hell in both fights. After that he seemed to go back a step or two and after two decent performances knocking out fringe contenders he'd get blasted out by a young Lennox Lewis in two rounds. I feel Ruddock could've done a lot better in the fight with Lewis it was just a matter of getting caught by a puncher. Ruddock would come back a few years after this bout and never seemed to get back into the shape or forum that he had in his hayday and would lose a back and forth slugfest to Tommy Morrison. I feel Ruddock at his very best was quite good, better then most contenders but not quite championship material. I feel his power made him dangerous against anyone but at the same time he relied to much on his left hand and his signature punch "The Smash" instead of using his good jab and good right hand more often. Also Ruddock didn't have the greatest stamina or punch output. I think he had potential of winning a world title if he got his shot at the right time he could've potentially beat guys who won the belt like Frank Bruno or Oliver McCall but I'd bet on any of the real hamps of his time such as Bowe, Holyfield, Moorer etc to beat him.

Its hard to say weather he reached his full potential. Of course theres always things that certain fighters could do differently in their style to be more effective. As mentioned I feel Ruddock could've used his right hand and jab a lot more in his prime but perhaps that's just how he fought. Also his stamina could've been better but from all accounts I've heard Ruddock was a very hard worker in the gym, his stamina issues may have more to do with his composure and the fact that he threw a lot of hard punches. Ruddock worked with good trainers such as Floyd Patterson who tried to improve many of the holes in Ruddock style but didn't seem to make much of a difference this would lead one too believe that Ruddock was a finished product and had reached his full potential at the time that he fought Tyson and there were no other adjustments that he could make to his style effectively.

As far as I know he did well as an amateur I know he beat Lennox Lewis but I'm not sure if he ever made any waves internationally.

In todays heavyweight division I feel a prime Ruddock would've been able to work his way up to number 1 contender status but I'd bet on both Klitschko to beat him handily.

I would've liked to see Ruddock in his hay day go against any of the top heavyweights in the division it would've been great to see how him and Holyfield woud've matched up or Big George Foreman and Riddick Bowe. I would've liked to see him go against Michael Moorer, David Tua and Ray Mercer as well.

His power I'd say was a 10 or close to it. He hit about as hard as any heavyweight. His "smash" was one of the more devastating punches. His knockout of Michael Dokes was amongst the most brutal I have ever seen. His chin I'd say was about a 7. He went toe to toe with Mike Tyson in two bouts and was able to withstand many devastating blows while getting off the deck four times. He was also rocked by Mike Weaver and floored by Bone Crusher Smith but was able to recover in both instances and win the fights. Lennox Lewis was able to catch him early and take him out but I believe this can happen to almost anyone when you get caught by guy as big as Lewis. Tommy Morrison hit him with one of the better left hooks I've ever seen and Ruddock got up and continued the fight though being stopped on his feet after a barrage of punches from Morrison which could've even be argued as a premature stoppage. I feel Ruddock could take a pretty good shot and definitely had good recuperative ability.

Fights I'd recommend to watch him vs Dokes, Bone Crusher Smith, both against Tyson, Greg Page and Tommy Morrison.

 

1.he didnt fulfil his full potential(to bad manny stewart didnt get him in 87)
2.good amatuer career beat lennox lewis
3.ruddock/bowe(bowe bailed 2x to fight phil brown and pierre coetzer(ruddock wanted bowe badly)
4.power 10........ chin 8....heart 10

must watch fights......weaver/bonecrusher/dokes tyson 1 and 2...page fight was great man underated fight...and morrison(although ruddock was shot to shitt by dis time)

 

Yes I believe he fulfilled his potential, he was limited but made the most of what he had.
Don't know anything about his amateur career.
He would do fair against today's Heavyweights since the division is so weak, if he fought either of the Klitchkos he would get KO'D in 2 or 3 rounds.
What people most remember about him is that he was Tysons personal punching bag for 2 fights, way back in the early 90s.
He reminded me of a poor mans Tommy Morrison, big left hand, hook, unreliable chin, and had balls..

 

What most people do not realize is that Ruddock changed his style 180 degress in the middle of his career.

For the first half of his career he was a jabbing machine, so much so that in his fight with Carlos Hernandez in June 1987, Hernandez was disqualified for throwing Ruddock around the ring out of frustration of Ruddock moving and jabbing.

Somewhere after this fight Ruddock discovered his frightening power in his left hook. Which turned out to be a double edged sword, as now knowing he could KO his opponent with one shot, he seemingly forgot how to use his jab.

 

Once he fell in love with his power he became a flatfooted, one handed, predictable fighter. He never was able to relax in the ring enough to box smartly. I believe he had great physical tools, size, speed, power and coordination.

Razor was always trying to end the fight the easy way after he caught Dokes. Didn`t lay the groundwork to set up the knockout. His balance was very shaky because he threw so many haymakers.

He was a pretty smart guy but as a boxer he was one of the dumber fighters who had supreme talent that I can think of.

He could have been much more than he was. I was a fan of his and I saw his potential even after the Tyson fights. He just couldn`t go to the next level.

 

He showed that against Weaver. He had respect for Weaver`s power and that was a good gameplan. Had he stayed that way he may have been a champion.

 

Three Most Important Facts About Donovan Razor Ruddock:

Big Jamaican Canadian.

You don't ever want to be hit by him.

Mike Tyson wanted to kiss him on the lips.

Dave Jaco proved to be better.

Built a great trash compactor.

 

Good, but fought dumber than a box of rocks. He never used the skillset he had to it's full potential.

Did he fulfill he potential? Mmmm...no. He never won anything worth winning. He had the perfect combination of size, power, hand speed, heart, determination etc. but fought with only one thought in mind: knockout. In his biggest fights, it cost him.

I don't know anything about his amateur career.

Today? He wouldn't beat the K bros, although if he landed his big shots against Wlad it would be catastrophic for the big Ukrainian. He'd have a chance of course, but likely outboxed.
Otherwise, he'd be a top contender for sure. Certainly he'd be a very dangerous guy for just about anybody.

I think both Bowe and Mercer would have been fun fights to watch.

Power - well you could arguably give him full marks there, for his big left hand. Massive punch. Certainly a 9 if not 10.
Chin - About an 8. He could be dropped, but hard to finish. Withstood some truly terrible punishment against Tyson, got up off the floor when hit by a monster counter left from Morrison. Only Lewis truly flattened him.

 

Ruddock had asthma if I recall. He lost to Jaco because of an attack that he had, I believe.

 

Jaco outwitted and overpowered him.

 

:yep

 

I think Ruddock was very comparable to Tommy Morrison in skills only with a slightly better chin. Ruddock was a vicious puncher, and maybe a little more accurate than Morrison because he was shooting an uppercut rather than a hook, but overall they are in the same class. Top ten guys who never won a "real" title.

 

did you have to go to wikipedia ??? my fellow porto pimp??