He shouldn't have been world champion or belt holder at all. Someone who gets knocked out by Tua (kudos to David) in 19 seconds who has never been world champion ie. the belt holder does not deserve it.
Took the opportunity presented to him, got the belt, now whether that through luck, controversy or whatever, he became the champ so fair play to the guy. I think we can safely say though he was not a ATG.
Having average skills for a name fighter or a championship fighter, maybe. If you're familiar with the spectrum of fighters, he's way the hell above average, whether you like him or not. I just don't think typical forummites get how different the levels are between someone who is, say, a good local gym fighter and someone you're watching multiple times on television contesting world titles. I mean, guys on here will watch someone like the much more fan-friendly Gatti and think he's not an educated, skilled, groomed to be a boxer since childhood, special operator because they see him against generational talents and other teeny tiny short list names and they just don't get it. They think he's pulling everything out of his heart's rectum to get wins, and it's like, uh, no. The see Ruiz and it's like oh he just had King and heart. If you sit and watch him matching wits with Holyfield, there's only so much King can do in getting him there, but it's skills keeping him from getting run over in those matches. Ruiz really knew what he was doing. This was a savvy athlete. No, he wasn't any great fighter, but just transplant him in any era, he's going to be a potentially bad night for a lot of great fighters. And yes I really do believe that. He could've potentially produced difficult and aggravating affairs for a prime Holmes, Ali, Frazier, etc. Yet you never once paid respect in my Peter North tribute thread.
The fact that nobody wanted to see him fight Lennox Lewis despite being a title holder shows how little the boxing public cared for him.
He was very unwatchable, but he really was real life rocky balboa that achieved so much more that he should. If he had more power i believe he would be great fighter. He was very smart and used what he had to win at any cost. Andre Ward did same to extent when he had to. Lets say it like this if Mike Tyson had Ruizs mindset he would have been nr. 1 HW of all timeā¦