Ruddock - Would He Have Always Being Just a Contender?

The best Ruddock never emerged. Early on he was more of a boxer with a good jab until he discovered his left handed power.

IMO if Ruddock boxed like he did early on and ocassionally unleashed his left, he would be world champ. But the best version which combined both versions never emerged - not even for one fight.

So yes he was always going to be a contender. He had power but was wild and easy to counter.

 

True.

I would argue that in some ways he was even more dangerous than Shavers and Lyle since his best punch (left uppercut) is such an unusual shot- most heavies don't throw it at all and even the ones who do rarely utilize any power with it.

However, that punch was so wild that great counter punchers like Tyson and Lewis could crack him with right hands while Ruddock lowered his hands to set up his left uppercut. Other than against great counter punchers though, Ruddock was always going to be very dangerous.

Floyd Patterson tried to correct these mistakes. Here is a good article:

Remade Ruddock Fights Page in Las Vegas : Boxing: His first bout since losing to Tyson also is his first with Floyd Patterson in his corner. - Los Angeles Times (latimes.com)

“Also, no one ever taught Razor how to bob and weave. When he did move his upper body, he moved too far to the right or left. He can’t throw punches from those positions. And his footwork wasn’t good. He tends to stand with both feet together, instead of one up front, one behind.

“These are things you’re supposed to learn when you first go in a gym. It’s a tribute to his strength and his athleticism that he’s gotten this far in boxing.”

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Even the great Patterson couldn't fix him though. I don't think Ruddock wanted to be fixed. He thought he could overpower everyone. Quality fighter though nonetheless.

 

He looked pretty good against Phil Jackson technically speaking. He started to use his jab more while showing patience.
He was on his way to become a great boxer but the Lewis loss derailed all of that.

 

Ruddock was a fun boxer. He boxed well in outpointing a still dangerous Weaver and then suddenly found his terrific smash which turned him into an exciting contender but as other mentioned stopped him from reaching his full potential.

He didn´t look that great against Dokes until landing that bomb. Became too hittable.

After nearly 14 years made a comeback, looked awful. All his glaring weaknesses were even more visible as was he terrific power. I recommend watching the 4th and 5th rounds:

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I think if time travel were possible, and if matched right, there were many champ’s throughout history that he could have beaten for sure, regardless of his flaws. Unfortunately for him, he came along at a very talented time in heavyweight history and without correcting his flaws, he just couldn’t quite make it happen.

 

The 30s

 

One of the few to have had a real fight with Tyson. Big cahunas....

 

Very spot on observations, I remember watching Razor early and you say he boxed pretty well using a good jab. If I remember correctly it after he pole axed Dokes that he swung for the fences, looking for a home run shot every time. He could have really used an influential trainer at that point.

 

A prime version would’ve knocked the snot out of Foreman or Moorer from their lineal 90s days.

 

One reason i do not rate Ruddock as an underachiever is because he never put all his skills together.

Whereas Douglas, Bowe and Ibeabuchi all did at least once.

Douglas against Tyson showed movement, good power, terrific combo's, solid defense and stamina.
Bowe against Holyfield 1 showed excellent power, quality body punching, an educated jab, terrific infighting and a good work rate.
Ibeabuchi vs Tua and Byrd showed excellent power, quality workrate, good jab, ability to cut the ring, solid defense etc.

Ruddock is a what if. What if he learned to box and utilize his power effectively. He could have been a top 3 heavyweight of his era. But underachiever? No. I need to see you put all those skills together at least once or twice to know what your ceiling is.

I could see Ruddock capturing a title in the early 30's or mid 50's or even late 70's assuming he can avoid Holmes. He was somewhat unlucky to come along in a loaded 90's.

 

Doubt it,,what was his best win ? Bonecrusher, a coked up Dokes? Page?

 

Any proof that Dokes was coked up at the time (like Cooper was for Foreman)? Thought so.