Did Razor Ruddock have the potential to be heavy weight champ?

Fury schools razor

 

We all got our opinions. I prefer mine here

 

The thing is, there is no version of Razor Ruddock that would jab and box and also have the power and warrior mentality.

It’s like you’re saying ‘if we could add this and take away that’ ... and creating a fighter who never existed.

If he abandoned his jab for one fight, sure, you can pick a version where he didn’t. But I’ve never seen an account of Ruddock pre-smash (when he was using his jab and people say he could box) where anyone said he looked like a world champ, or a future world champ.

The only time he contended was when he became a slugger. And he never mixed that with any boxing skill.

 

He's a good fighter, I just find him overall very boring and lacking more than one notable win (over Wilder, I don't count old man Wlad).

Fury has put some serious time in as champ, but I just don't feel he's done too much more than Wilder did as far as making any kind of legacy for himself. Let's see how things go against Joshua and somebody else with a pulse (Wilder again?)

 

This is (mostly) it. There's guys he would have beat - almost anyone could win a strap in the 80's if they were in the right place at the right time.

Ruddock would have a punchers chance against Wilder who i see as somewhat fragile.

Fury as some have said would be much too good. A one trick pony ain't beating him that's for sure. He'd see Ruddock coming a MILE off.

 

He could get a version of a title.

 

Would be interesting to see him fight AJ, he would be good post his own era, sad to come up and through in an era with 4 ATGs.

 

Spot on . I made the lack of ring IQ point in great detail on a Ruddock thread earlier in the year

This is a guy who during and up to the first scheduled Tyson meeting in winter 1989 seemingly had it all....as exemplified by his win over Bonecrusher Smith ...size....good mobility, a jab...chin & heart....fearless..and of course the pulverising power......at that point he needed to work on his defence a little and throwing the right more...as far back as 1986 sparring Larry Holmes he looked a good boxing and moving and jabbing with Larry...if a arch strategist like Eddie Futch had got hold of him at that point or in late 1989 he would have gone on to a better boxer in the 1990s........as it is the Tyson bout was cancelled...he demolished a top 3-4 rated Michael Dokes in awesome fashion.....than the 2 Tyson wars where he came out with his reputation enhanced and at that time the East coast magazines were saying it was between Holyfield, Ruddock and Bowe who reigned post Tysons imprisonment....... obviously we didnt know that was it........Ruddock was finished......his mobility and jab was nonexistent after the 1st Tyson fight..........he just fought dumb......and didnt seem to be into it..post 1991

 

I think he had the potential. But the same four major belts existed in Ruddock's day as now. Yeah, the WBO hadn't come into its' own yet (whatever that is), but it existed. The fact is, he didn't win one. That said, in a different time, with different matchmaking and different competition, he could have.

 

No.

 

I think he could have beaten Damiani or Mercer in 91. But nobody cared about the WBO title. He got way more $ and respect for fighting and losing to Tyson then he would have gotten for winning that title. The only titlist deemed legitimate at that juncture was Holyfield and Ruddock/Tyson was basically a title eliminator. They engaged in the second one because of the somewhat controversial ending of the first encounter. Ruddock probably would have given Holyfield problems with his size and power. I think if Evander boxed smartly he would outpoint him though. If Evander fought like he did against Bowe Razor would have had a punchers chance.

Evander was somewhat fortunate he only faced 40 something's and a journeyman after winning the title from a fat and listless Douglas before losing to Bowe.

 

Ideally a fighter wants to find a balance between the two. Ruddock was more or less a one handed fighter. Mixing some right hand in along with a solid jab would have made him more effective. He didn't have to be a pure boxer...like Tony Tubbs. There was a middle ground.

 

Ruddock would've proven troublesome for Holyfield, I have no doubts. And it would've been nice to see Holyfield fight Tommy Morrison even. For some reason I feel that could've been a tremendous fight.

 

Potentially yes, undeniably a belt holder and almost certainly in the shallower eras a champion.