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Ruiz's big gamble WBA champ rolls dice in heavyweight tussle with JonesPosted: Tuesday February 25, 2003 5:07 PM
Roy Jones Jr. hasn’t booked himself a meaningful fight since the first Bush administration, but he's already a big winner in his Saturday night fight with WBA heavyweight champion John Ruiz in Las Vegas. Thanks to his star power, Jones is guaranteed a rare $10 million purse, while Ruiz is assured of nothing but the promise of a percentage of the gate and pay-per-view receipts. “We gave [Jones] everything," Ruiz says with a sigh. “So if this fight doesn’t do well, I walk away with almost nothing in my pocket." The Ruiz camp first put out calls to Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson, angling for a title shot or at least a sweet payday, but neither was interested. Understand, Ruiz fights in an awkward style that makes even the top guys look bad -- witness his three tedious 12-rounders with Evander Holyfield -- and his name doesn’t fill seats. That’s why Ruiz is playing second fiddle this weekend to the smaller Jones. His belt is on the line and yet he’s the decisive underdog. Here’s Jones drawing the big bucks and marquee billing, trying to become the first former middleweight champ in 106 years to win a heavyweight title -- all at Ruiz’s expense. Any hard feelings, John? “Nah, Jones is the best PR person," he says. “I mean he knows how to promote himself. And that is why he makes all this great money on these fights." But no one is a smoother pitchman than promoter Don King, who has sold Ruiz on the idea of the winner advancing in a heavyweight tournament he’s orchestrating. Of course, we may see the wire-haired King in a crewcut before he pulls off a bout unifying the heavyweight titles. Chris Byrd is a factor after beating Holyfield, but Lewis -- the only guy who matters -- isn’t buying the idea and may be more inclined to enjoy another payday opposite Tyson. And should Jones take Ruiz’s WBA title, he won’t stick around the heavyweight division. He has no desire to follow the path of Michael Spinks, the last light heavyweight to become world champion. After handling a past-his-prime Larry Holmes, Spinks was demolished in 91 seconds by a young Tyson and was never heard from again. Jones will take the cash and race back to the light-heavy division, where he’ll continue his march towards the International Boxing Hall of Fame. The same is true if he should lose, only his ego would suffer a deflating hit.
Ruiz, meanwhile, is trying to dredge up some respect and disprove those who’ve cast him as a soft touch angling for future paydays. “It’s a life and death thing with me," he says. “I definitely have something to prove. And I if I don’t win this fight, I can’t do that." So who has the advantage? Since growing into a legit light-heavy, Jones walks around at 190 pounds. Ruiz, about seven inches taller, will step into the ring weighing at least 225. Can Jones count on his speed to make Ruiz look silly? Can Ruiz lay a glove on him? If he does, can Jones handle it? “There are so many things I got to use for my advantage, especially my weight, being 40 pounds heavier," Ruiz says. “I definitely got to use my reach. And I definitely got to throw a lot of straight punches. And when he settles down and I get inside, I definitely need to work the body. “I think he’ll do what he does best, move around and throw a lot of combinations. I got to stay on him and use my jab. If I don’t, then my whole game plan is out the window." Call it a hunch, but we’ll go with the clumsy underdog. Mike Fish is a senior writer for SI.com. Comments? To e-mail Fish, click here.
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