John Ruiz under appreaciated ?

Whats fun is a couple of those points were actually good .

Ruiz taught me that spoiler tactics were something a fighter HAD to be taught to counter in the gym from day one, because unless you yourself grew up to be dynamite or greased lightning, they can be tough to beat.

A good, dirty, spoiler of a fighter beats a clean, naive technician 9 times out of ten unless the better fighter wises up and does something about it.

 

Sure, let's talk about how "underappreciated" Ruiz is. The truth is, he's appropriately "appreciated" by most boxing fans for being the talentless cheater he always was.

Let's talk about how his connections with Don King got him title shots he didn't deserve, and "victories" he shouldn't have "won."

Let's talk about how once Ruiz discovered his mediocre boxing abilities wouldn't be competitive with top level fighters, how he then resorted to blatantly and repeatedly violating the rules against excessive holding. And let's talk about how his connections with King allowed him to get away with it!

Oh, and while we're at it, let's talk about Ruiz's overacting when hit with borderline body shots to force bogus, and decisive, "low blow" calls in at least three fights (Thunder, Holyfield II, Johnson).

And, let's not forget to talk about how Ruiz ripped off the fans of seeing the boxing matches they PAID to see with his illegal and disgraceful tactics, and how he cheated his opponents of their opportunity to win WITHIN the rules!!

John Ruiz is a disgrace to the sport of boxing. Exhibit A of the corruption that is ruining this sport. A glorified clubfighter who wouldn't have sniffed a title without Don King

 

Personally, the most I think I can say for him is that he had heart. He didn't back down in fights where he took punishment and beatings and kept coming back for more.

However, when you consider that he owes much of his career to a combination of a godawful style that and being Don King's boy so he would keep getting title shots, he gets no sympathy from me when fans call it as it was and dislike him.

 

Every time I watched this guy fight, there wasn't a single moment without him complaining to the ref or faking low blows. Just an all around ugly fighter with a good heart.

Ruiz was half-decent at best and that's being generous.

 

Yet we praise Hopkins as a cagey, old school throwback when he does the same thing.

 

Maybe because Hopkins also shows that he's a better fighter in other ways, wasn't the pawn of his promoter/organizing body, etc.

And tons of people do frequently criticize Hopkins' way of fighting.

 

Ruix was a journeyman or at the very best a gatekeeper who beneftiited from his connections and the fact that he was competing in era of multiple titles...was he EVER the best HW in the world...no, nowhere near it.

 

This is close to how I see it. I felt Golota won a close one on points, and Valuev vs Ruiz was close to a draw.


Ruiz had a solid jab. He was a tempo spoiler, a clincher, and fouler who did things such as fake low blows.

What will Ruiz be remembered for? He was Don King's pet. He took heavyweight boxing to a boring low, and of course was blasted out early by Tua. Ruiz also lost to Roy Jones ( and Jones hurt him ) and James Toney. What type of heavyweight champ loses not once but twice to blown up middle weights?

 

Agreed.

The other big thing with him is he was a classic overachiever in a division with such a history of underachievers. This is pretty much in fan's and television's expectations of course. Never was a whole lot of pressure on John to go out there and get a spectacular 3rd round ko title defense result. Still, funny how so much love is given to the "if only" heavies.

 

Ruiz would be considered an ATG if he fought in the post-Sullivan, pre-Johnson era. There would be a library of books devoted to him.

 

You serious Seamus? You seem to have a bit of a love affair with the Quiet Man.

Hopkins' as he's gotten older deserves his accolades because he beats his opponents with precision.

Hopkins is not a whiner. Ruiz is the biggest whiner I've seen in the sport.

BTW how is rising up on your toes to make a body shot look like a low blow and complain to the ref cagey or old school? It's not. It's pathetic and part of Ruiz' arsenal. Old school fighters don't complain to the ref. They get the job done in the fight.

 

Precise low blows? Precise faking of fouls? Precise rabbit punches? OK, he gets credit.

err... Round 10 v Calzaghe? That was the biggest bitchfest since Whoopi joined The View. How about that "sprained shoulder" versus Dawson from a fall that wouldn't make my grandmother take notice?

Now, we agree.

 

I thought the jumping up and claiming foul thing was old school. Wasn't it Harry Greb who would yank Tunney down in the first fight so the punch landed low to put Tunney off his game.

And this move was supposed to be as important to Marcel Thil's game as his clinch or hook.

 

Comparing the blatant use of repeated rules violations practiced by Ruiz to make up for his total LACK of real boxing ability, to the strategic use of such tactics to augment the world class boxing ability of Bernard Hopkins is like comparing a nuclear mushroom clowd with setting off an M80