Your opinions on John Ruiz

Discussion in 'Classic Boxing Forum' started by steve1990, Jul 9, 2021.

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  1. steve1990

    steve1990 Active Member Full Member

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    Frankly I thought he was boring and had average skills as a fighter that only got in title fights because of Don King. I will say that he had a lot of heart.
     
    Last edited: Jul 9, 2021
    steve1990, Jul 9, 2021
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  2. roughdiamond

    roughdiamond Ridin' the rails... Full Member

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    I like him. He made the best of what he had. Also, he has one of the best trainers ever. Stone is actually a cool guy who really cares about his boxers.

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    roughdiamond, Jul 9, 2021
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  3. sweetsci

    sweetsci Well-Known Member Full Member

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    I don't disagree with that. I HATED watching Ruiz & remember getting so frustrated because it seemed like his opponents weren't even trying against him.

    Now that he's no longer active, I have much more respect for him. His career was pretty much over after the David Tua knockout, but he climbed back and had a pretty good career. He got the most out of what he had and kept plugging away. I have a lot of appreciation for guys that can do that.

    What I wonder is why Don King signed him in the first place. Ruiz was deadly dull. A promoter's job is to put butts in the seats and get eyes on the screen. Ruiz didn't strike me as someone who could do that for King.
     
    sweetsci, Jul 9, 2021
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  4. steve1990

    steve1990 Active Member Full Member

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    King was trying to attract Puerto Ricans into heavyweight boxing.
     
    steve1990, Jul 9, 2021
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  5. he grant

    he grant Historian/Film Maker

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    Underrated .. beat many good fighters ... Tucker, Holyfield, Johnson, Rahman, Golota, McCline ... he was not too exciting and a bit ugly to watch but he had a lot of heart, trained hard, came to fight .. to come back from the Tua fight and perform later on a worlds class level says a lot about the man ...
     
    Last edited: Jul 10, 2021
    he grant, Jul 9, 2021
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  6. sweetsci

    sweetsci Well-Known Member Full Member

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    Thanks, Steve. Geez, I can't believe I didn't think of that or remember it. Of course he was. He did the same thing with Golota. I saw a late Golota fight at Madison Square Garden where he fought on the undercard. The Polish guys in the crowd, and there were LOTS of them, were rabid in support of Golota. It was amazing to see.
     
    sweetsci, Jul 9, 2021
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  7. Samtotheg

    Samtotheg Active Member Full Member

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    bum
     
    Samtotheg, Jul 9, 2021
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  8. janitor

    janitor VIP Member Full Member

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    I have never liked him as a fighter, and he was not as good as his paper record suggests, but we have to take him very seriously based on what he accomplished.
     
    janitor, Jul 9, 2021
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  9. Seamus

    Seamus Proud Kulak Full Member

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    A specimen who brought back some of the forgotten skills of the early 19th c. Incredibly underrated. He will be much more appreciated by future generations who will recognize his genius.
     
    Seamus, Jul 9, 2021
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  10. McGrain

    McGrain Diamond Dog Staff Member

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    Probably squeezed about as much out of himself as was possible. I admire that.
     
    McGrain, Jul 9, 2021
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  11. Sangria

    Sangria You bleed like Mylee Full Member

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    Lennox Lewis ducked him...
     
    Sangria, Jul 9, 2021
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  12. Noel857

    Noel857 I Am Duran Full Member

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    Really?
     
    Noel857, Jul 9, 2021
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  13. mr. magoo

    mr. magoo VIP Member Full Member

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    My opinion is pretty much the same. I never made time in my schedule to watch him fight
     
    mr. magoo, Jul 9, 2021
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  14. JackSilver

    JackSilver Boxing Addict Full Member

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    If Norton was a guy who would always give Ali problems whenever they fought then Ruiz was Holyfield’s Norton.
     
    JackSilver, Jul 9, 2021
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  15. greynotsoold

    greynotsoold Boxing Addict

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    The Tua fight was a fluke and would probably never happen again if they fought 99 more times.
     
    greynotsoold, Jul 9, 2021
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