Was Donovan ruddock a shot fighter when he faced Tommy Morrison and ?

He didn't have much left to offer compared to his prime of just 5 or so years earlier.

 

https://www.boxingforum24.com/threads/how-much-did-1995-razor-ruddock-have-left.699581/

 

Ruddock was never the same after the 2 Tysons.

 

Yes but I remember Morrison not being a spring chicken either

 

Both were clearly past it, getting brutally beaten and stopped more than once

 

Yes, Ruddock was basically done at the world class level at that point.

 

That's true.
Tyson took a lot from Ruddock, he was still quite young then but never the same afterwards.

 

He was damaged physically but I think inactivity (with a lack of serious opposition) and management problems were also factor.
And of course, the monstruous counter left hook played a big part too.

 

I agree. Lewis shortly after certainly didn’t help matters.

 

I always think Tommy is criminally misremembered. Anytime he has a big win, its because the opponent was old, shot, slow. Tommy was a handful on his best night. All action, big power and a heart the size of a football. RIP wild man.

 

It was a mean left hook and I wonder if it knocked him out and hitting the ground woke him up. I've seen worse stoppages, it was probably just about the right call.

 

Ruddock burned out very quickly.

 

The ‘Ruddock was completely shot after Tyson’ narrative is a creation of Tyson pumpers. He gave Mike two very good fights, therefore he must have been much better when he fought Mike and it completely sapped him of all future ability, because, clearly, other people stopped him with relative ease.

Maybe that version of Mike isn’t all it was cracked up to be. I think Tokyo Douglas picked apart the Tyson of Ruddock I/II more easily than he did when they actually fought.

 

I mean it’s a night and day difference between Ruddock before and after he fought Tyson and it’s not exactly hard to believe, two back to back horrendous beatings (followed by a brutal KO no less) could take something out of a fighter.