Berbick, although limited, was at least a borderline world-class fighter. Ruiz was a cheater - a glorified journeyman who got his ranking, and favorable treatment for his illegal holding tactics and low-blow fakery, due to his connections to King.
Berbick He was a overall just a better fighter. Bigger, stonger, more powerful, could easily take anything the light punching Ruiz could offer. Rough him up in the clinches. Berbick by wide UD or late stoppage.
Ruiz wins. Ruiz would frustrate Berbick to the point of insanity. Which would be a short drive for Berbick. For as ugly as Ruiz was to watch, he really was effective. He beat Holyfield 2 out of 3, anybody think Berbick would ever beat Holyfield.
Agreed:good. I am not high on Ruiz at all. He capitalized on several outside circumstances, some of which have already been mentioned here. The timing of his fights is a big part of his record.
The insanity part is a good point. I wouldn't be surprised if Berbick were to be disqualified as he would probably snap during Ruiz's bull**** and try to throw John out of the ring.
Agreed.. Its laughable when people claim that Lewis ducked Ruiz and had an obligation to fight him, given that John's ratings were fabricated, unearned and drew practically zero public interest.. There's a reason they called him " The Quiet Man."