Evander Holyfield vs. Donavan Ruddock

holyfield probably finds a way to win this one even by late ko or headbutt as long as he takes his meds sent via evan fields.Ruddock gets another L on his record.

 

Holyfield definitely avoided Ruddock. He did have a chance to fight him and decided not to, but this was a bad fight for Evander. Evander was the better fighter but he would engage Ruddock and that quick uppercut and hook of Ruddocks could have caused Evander some problems. Its a bad fight stylistically for Evander cause he could be hurt and I could see Evander coming off the canvas in a war to stop Ruddock mid rounds.

 

I think to say that Holyfield ducked Ruddock is well off base. Certainly, Ruddock was a man to rather be avoided because of his power, but that does not mean Holyfield openly ducked him, and I don't recall any serious talks of a fight between the two ever materializing.

As for the fight itself, I'm going to go for the more complete fighter, Holyfield. It would be interesting for a while, but Holyfield's superior, well, almost everything ought to shine through in the end.
I think he could well stop Ruddock late, say by the 10th or so.

 

I honestly don't recall hearing anything about a Holyfield vs Ruddock match either, Fist. Perhaps there were some brief negotiations that never amounted to anything, but in those days talk of a big fight like that would have made every sports magazine cover, and I never saw it advertized on a single one. Even if Holyfield's people were negotiating with Ruddock's handlers, my guess is that there were other reasons why they never came to an agreement, but Evander ducking opponents is not a possibility that comes to mind for me. Both he and his team had total confidence in his abilities to take on anyone and this was confirmed by the long progression of rivalries that lay ahead of him.

 

Yeah, I agree. The only thing Evander ever ducked is a punch. :good

 

Holyfield by close decision.

However at that time he liked to brawl going tit for tat so it is not unreasonable to think that Ruddock could win.

Holy could not KO old fat man Forman, Holmes and could not keep a glasschinned Moorer 1 on the mat so the possibility that he would stop Razor is slim to none.

Ruddock was certainly a high risk lilited reward fight...............even Dokes /Bonehugger were washed up but the way he put them away was frightening, it also shows what kind of a granite chin Tyson has.

 

LOL.. And we both know that he actually took a lot more of those than he ducked...

 

If Holyfield did duck Ruddock then Razor shouldve thanked him for it. Thats one less beating Ruddock wouldve had to take. Tommy Morrison almost tore his head off for God`s sake. Morrison didnt have much of a chin and he took Ruddock`s vaunted Smash.

The style favors Holyfield and Evander was a level above Razor Ruddock.

 

Depends on who you speak to, or read.
I've read a few books in and around the Tyson era and I believe Bill Cayton even stated Holyfield didn't want any part of Ruddock.
He felt his style was wrong for him.
That's why Tyson fought him. At the time Tyson was the #1 ranked and Ruddock was #2 ranked by all 3 governing bodies.
Holyfield decided to cash in on the belts by fighting Foreman and then Holmes before going against Bowe.
With Tyson having defeated Ruddock twice, there was no further reason to fight him.

I've heard some fans say that the Bowe fight was more risky than Ruddock. But not necessarily.
At the time, Bowe was considered a tad soft and inexperienced. He could also be a bit lazy. Everyone saw the potential, but he could frustrate fans with lackadaisical performances. Watch his fight against Tony Tubbs.
This is a Tubbs who was 3 years removed from his fight with Tyson and was dealing with drug issues. He was a shell of himself and many ringside felt he beat Bowe that night.
I remember watching that fight on ABC WWoS (remember that) and I felt Tubbs won and so did many fans and the commentators, who told Bowe as much in the post-fight interview.
18-months later, he's fighting Holyfield.
My long-winded point to this is, Bowe wasn't considered a favourite and many thought this would be a fairly easy win for Holyfield.
But then Bowe surprised everyone with the performance of his career. Jab, power, chin, heart... he showed it all in that fight and thoroughly dismantled Holyfield.
During that same timeframe, Ruddock was terrorizing people with Smash. He was highly avoided at that point.

 

Ruddock had beaten an aging Bonecrusher Smith and Michael Dokes (who still had a bit of life but had been taken out by Holyfield earlier) on his way to Tyson. Then Mike beat him. Twice.

Then Ruddock returned in 1992 to beat the ghost of Greg Page and Phil Jackson. He fought Lennox in an eliminator and was blasted out of contention.

Ruddock was not the most feared heavyweight or someone being held back from a title shot going into 1990 — see above what he had done … beaten a couple of on-the-downside 1980s guys who others were already beating. His first fight with Tyson was a month before Evander fought Foreman (who was a much bigger payday and more intriguing to the public by far). Then he lost to Tyson again. You don’t get title shots on the basis of losing two in a row to anyone … Holyfield was going to fight the guy who WON both of those fights but Mike instead got locked up for ****.

Ruddock simply wasn’t ever in the position the ‘Holy ducked him’ poster wants to make him out to have been.

 

Holy stops him in about 8 rnds. Rudock was powerful but that smash thing he did isn't going to work . Rudock gets battered in the last few rnds

 

I like Holyfield by KO in the later rounds.

 

Holyfield hater is vulgar and unreasonable.

I've said it before, Holyfield is practically invulnerable to left hands. That's why i might pick him over, say, Frazier for example.. that fight would be the real deal- Holyfield wouldn't wilt for him.

If Vander paced him and placed him, Ruddock, could get hit with the damndest left hook he could ever taste. And Holyfield is a two fisted fighter, unlike Ruddock- who would be getting hit with punches he didn't even see coming.

What about Ruddock vs. Mercer?

 

Holyfield TKO.