Holyfield-Ruiz III: Leaves More
Questions than Answers
By Phillip Przybylo
16.12.01
- On an unceremonial night for an un-serious title,
Evander Holyfield and John Ruiz waged war for a third
time at the Foxwoods Casino-Resort in Mashantucket,
Connecticut, USA. Much like the previous two fights,
the bout was filled with extended periods of inactivity,
rough clinches, and bad intentions on the overwhelming
majority of the blows landed. Holyfield, fighting
his best fight of the trilogy and, yet, at his slowest
pace ever, landed the most telling blows. Ruiz did
a lot of little things right in the slower rounds,
garnering points on the judges scorecards. In the
end, the fight was declared a draw, leaving many questions
to be answered between the two fighters and their
perspective careers.
A Brief Overview:
The
fight started out uneventfully with Holyfield taking
a more aggressive posture. It became apparent from
the first round that Ruiz was just as off-balance
as before and was initiating most of the fouls, whether
it was intentionally done or not. Ruiz seemed to out-hustle
"The Real Deal" in the second and third.
Fireworks went off in the 4th, with Holyfield getting
in the harder shots in this scribe's opinion. Rounds
five and six went to Evander based on a better work
ethic and nice inside body shots. Round seven was
taken off by the former champ, and Ruiz won it on
that merit alone. Shades of the old Holyfield were
unveiled in the eighth and ninth as he ripped blistering
combinations on the WBA titleholder. Ruiz took whatever
he could in the 10th and the 11th and did his best
to edge out those rounds. Round 12 saw Ruiz staggered
from a Holyfield double left hook to the face, which
were probably the most telling blows of the fight.
Holyfield could not finish off someone Ruiz, who was
hugging like a Care Bear for the last minute, though.
Who Deserved the Decision?
Julie
Lederman scored the bout 116-112 in favor of Holyfield
while the others had it 115-113 for "The Quiet
Man" and 114-114. The west side of the Eastside
(meaning me) had it 115-113 for Holyfield, who was
never hurt throughout the duration of the battle.
The decision left a slightly bitter taste in the mouths
of most fans (who wanted anything but an indecisive
one), but it seemed almost fitting for the often-ridiculous
trilogy.
If anyone deserved that decision,
though, it was definitely Holyfield. It was usually
Holyfield pressing the action. It was usually Holyfield
knocking Ruiz back. And it was Holyfield who busted
Ruiz's nose up pretty badly with a double left hook
in the twelfth round. It was Ruiz who was holding
on for dear life because of fatigue and the powerful
onslaught. On the downside, Holyfield could have taken
the fight in the 10th and 11th, but was too inactive
and gave up two big rounds. There was almost another
question that had to be asked: Did they deserve each
other?
Where Do They Go From Here?
As
far away from each other as possible. The draw hurts
no one, and actually elevates both men even if it
was an ugly fight. Holyfield proved he's not shot
(more Foreman-esque methodical and calculating) and
Ruiz proved he could survive with one of the greatest
of all time. Holyfield's "Get back in line"
theory after the fight need not apply. He made a nice
account of himself and will probably get a huge superfight
with Lewis or Tyson if he can win an interim fight.
Ruiz, absolutely relieved to be holding on to his
title, will get a chance to prove that he's a winner,
not a survivor, against the Kirk Johnson's of the
world. It is hard to say if either of them will be
successful, though.
Was Anything Resolved Between the
Two by This Trilogy?
No. And that's a big no. It's as if
these fights never happened (some are hoping they
really didn't). The only thing different is that Lennox
Lewis has three belts (IBF, WBC, IBO) instead of four.
Hence, the title of this column as nothing was positively
answered.
Parting Props
-Major props go out to referee Steve
Smoger, who did a superb job. Yes, he gets a little
emotional in every major fight, but he has earned
my respect big time for his performances this year.
Tonight, he spotted that Johnny Ruiz was just as guilty,
if not more, than Holyfield of fouls. Most expectations
were that Smoger might be biased in favor of Ruiz
or, at least, looking specifically at Holyfield for
fouls.
-Give Jim Strickland (I hope I'm getting
his name right) some credit. He worked Holyfield's
corner and continually told "V" all the
right things. Unlike the arguing of whose turn it
was to talk in the second fight, the corner was more
vibrant and focused this time around. But it was Strickland
who seemingly had Holyfield's ear and motivated him
in some key rounds.
-Minor props have to go out to Tim
Austin. "The Cincinnati Kid" thoroughly
dominated Ratanachai Vorapin in the semi-main event
to earn an unanimous decision and retain his bantamweight
championship. While convincingly winning the fight,
Austin did little to improve his status on people's
pound-for-pound rankings or to entice other big names
to fight him. Let's hope Don King can get it right
for the obscure champion.
Comments or questions can directed
to: eastside_double_p@hotmail.com;
Eastside
Forum is open 24 hours a day and the author recommends
you check it out sometime. Photos: Reuters
At It Again: Holyfield-Ruiz III
Preview
By Phillip Przybylo
To some, this fight is nothing but
a joke, "The Real Deal" the punchline. To
others, it is an event to be overlooked onto a slew
of impending mega-fights of 2002 such as Lewis-Tyson;
Barrera-Morales II; Mosley-Forrest; not to mention
any fight with Bernard Hopkins and the relentless
quest to get Roy Jones and Dariusz Michalschweski
in the same ring together. But to a lot of this generation,
Evander Holyfield is a man admired for his grit, tenacity,
and heart. What he has given to those particular fans
can only be reciprocated by their undying devotion
to the aging warrior. As a testament to his will and
accomplishments, there are those who still yearn to
watch him perform one last comeback, one last miracle,
and a (possible) dignified last hurrah against a serviceable
heavyweight named John Ruiz. This is for them.
An epic trilogy this has not been.
The previous two fights between Ruiz (37-4, 27 KO's)
and Holyfield (37-5-1, 25 KO's) had its share of ugly
moments. The fact that they were fighting for a title
that should not have been stripped so hastily from
the true champ, Lennox Lewis, did not help matters.
But sixteen months ago no one thought these two fighters
would still be at each other. It has been quite the
journey, with two different points of view for every
twist and turn, to the rubber match.
The First Battle
Paris Las Vegas Casino presented the
first clash between "the Quiet Man" and
"the Real Deal" back in August of 2000.
In a back and forth fight (mostly back for Evander),
Holyfield won the close unanimous decision.
Holyfield just did not have "it"
that night. Holyfield may have even been completely
frustrated by whom he thought was an easy opponent.
He seemed to be too rough on the inside, pushing Ruiz
down several times. In addition, the living legend
just could not pull the trigger on many occasions.
Ruiz outworked him nearly every round. The man from
Chelsea, MA, USA, rose above all odds as he put up
a good fight, a fight so good that many thought he
earned the nod in the scoring.
Did he really earn anything? Holyfield
was hampered by a busted eardrum which had been "re-busted"
in the fight. His balance completely off, he virtually
had no chance to dominate the fight like many envisioned.
Yet, he fought gamely, knocking Ruiz around like a
pinball whenever he landed hard and clean. It is hard
to say that Evander dirty or rough, either. With Ruiz's
awkward style and nervously sloppy infighting, "The
Quiet Man" himself may have been at fault when
he fell down repeatedly. So, what did he earn?
John Ruiz
Ruiz
did earn one thing through his losing effort: Respect.
Surely, the word respect was never synonomous with
John Ruiz. How could he possibly hold his own with
a legend, no matter how shot some thought he was?
No one gave a chance to the guy whose most known role
in the ring was on David Tua's highlight reel in the
infamous "19 second fight." This is also
a guy who sports a loss to Danell Nicholson and a
split decision victory over Jimmy Thunder on his professional
record.
But he did it. Give him props for
that. Give him props for his restraint (which cannot
be said for his handlers) after the first fight. Give
him props for the performance he put on in the second
fight.
Battle Part Two
Seven months ago at the Mandalay Bay
in an ordered rematch, Holyfield was thought to be
washed up. At least, that's what most were saying.
In the immortal words of Joe Frazier in the Thrilla
in Manila, Holyfield answered with his fistic artistry
saying, "They lied." For ten rounds, "The
Warrior" fought a perfect fight for a 38 year
old. Never exerting himself and always controlling
the pace, Holyfield dominated the first ten rounds.
Many people, myself included, scored at least eight
of them in favor of him. A week after the fight, the
great trainer Teddy Atlas noted on an ESPN 2 telecast,
"He appeared to be on the verge of a knockout."
Holyfield unleashed two left hooks to the belt and
abdomen in his signature round (10), and Ruiz earned
his Screen Actors Guild card as he completely changed
the course of the fight. After the blows and sensing
sympathy from referee Joe Cortez, Ruiz played dead
in an Academy Award winning performance. Holyfield
was deducted a point for low blows and Ruiz's retaliation
was ignored. Ruiz got a breather and a second wind.
Then came round 11.
Round 11 sets off revisionist history
because that is the only permanent impression of the
fight. Maybe the fight was closer. Maybe it resembled
more of the first fight where it was give-and-take.
Sure. Either way, Ruiz flattened Holyfield in the
11th and had Holyfield holding on for dear life. Ruiz
dominated the last two stanzas, giving him the nod
the second time around in a unanimous decision. After
the scary last two rounds, many called for the retirement
of the former champ.
Evander Holyfield
Holyfield
is not ready to go out like this. He is not ready
to go out, period. He has been talking about being
undisputed champion for years. This is not anything
new. And he promises not to leave the sport until
he does so. Sounds a little cryptic, I know.
I do not fear for Holyfield's mental
health. There. I said it. How could I possibly ask
a guy to retire because of his health when he is making
more sense, figuratively and literally, than he was
five years ago? In press conferences over the summer,
an enraged Holyfield snapped back at anyone mentioning
retirement, showing fire. In more recent times, a
new quiet confidence in his demeanor has emerged,
showing shades of the old Holyfield. Most of all,
he's smart enough to know that he performed poorly
in both outings with Ruiz, and he talks a big game
of doing it right the third time around.
I can understand every word he says
(unlike some other ex-champions) and he can still
banter with the press whenever he pleases. When Jim
Lampley of HBO asked him two weeks ago about the fans
being predominately Ruiz flavored, he stated, "The
majority of the people may still be rooting for me.
Otherwise, they'll be disappointed."
Power Punches Before the Prediction
-Speaking of HBO, it will be nice
for American viewers to hear their broadcast team
announce the third fight. To put it mildly, I am generally
not a fan of Bobby Czyz's announcing. Most of the
time, he sounds very anti-Holyfield and outright stubborn
about his views. So, how apropos is it that Jim Lampley,
a man who respects Evander Holyfield to the highest
degree, get to call the blow-by-blow in what may be
his last fight? The bottom line is that it will be
welcome to hear the voices of a top notch announcing
team.
-Word of wise to the trainers: Don
Turner, speak up. In between lackluster rounds during
the two fights, a passive a soothing tone is not one
to take to inspire a 3 1/2 heavyweight champ that
has seen it all. Norman Stone, be quiet. His constant
nagging of Joe Cortez may have helped influence the
point deduction of Holyfield in the second fight,
but it was mostly unwarranted (and especially loud)
complaining.
The Prediction
The third engagement at the Foxwoods
Casino-Resort in Conneticutt may not be much different
than the first two. This does not bode well for Evander.
In the book Evander Holyfield: The
Humble Warrior, Bernard Holyfield states several times
that Evander, "fears weariness in the ring more
than he fears pain." Holyfield, even in the midst
of war, has fought like such more times than not.
Afraid of tiring and losing control, Evander does
not attempt to put away any man early or go out with
reckless abandonment. But it is the proverbial "do
or die" time for the legend. He has to gamble
and throw more power punches early. Jabbing to set
up combinations is the key. He has to take Ruiz's
confidence away from the beginning. Even though he
has the heart to persevere and win the fight late,
he is 39 years old and cannot rely on a last ditch
effort in the championship rounds.
Evander also has to stick to his gameplan
in the second fight for the middle rounds. He has
to control the action, get his shots in, clinch when
he has to, and not get into an all out war with a
young gun. I always thought he would be better suited
to adapt his style much like George Foreman did in
his late years. It is a thin line Holyfield has to
observe, but he has to gamble and play it safe at
the same time, or as HBO announcer Larry Merchant
would call it, "reserved aggressiveness."
On the other hand, John Ruiz has to
follow the blueprints he set in many moments in the
previous two fights. He has to out-hustle Holyfield
and constantly use his jab. A stiff jab keeps Holyfield
at bay. He has to be aware that he cannot use a range-finding
jab, though. Holyfield was once the best counter-puncher
in the division, and Ruiz will find himself in a load
of trouble if he uses range-finding jabs to set up
his combinations. Lastly, Ruiz must not force the
action. Holyfield has had problems with being the
aggressor and still has retained some effective counter
attacks after all these years.
So, how will the fight go? In my estimation
(which isn't worth much after the Judah and Rahman
predictions), the fight will definitely go the distance.
I can see Holyfield scoring a knockdown, though. This
is the same man that knocked down Ray Mercer and Riddick
Bowe, had Lennox Lewis on wobbly legs quite a few
times, and staggered John Ruiz in the first fight.
I see that man being more determined this time out
on top of that. I also see John Ruiz being overconfident
enough to let his guard down against a geriatric wonder.
Look for typical uneasiness in the
first round or two. Look for Holyfield to take control
in a big way around rounds three through seven. Look
for Ruiz not giving up. Look for some minor fireworks
down the stretch. And look for Evander Holyfield winning
a unanimous decision over John Ruiz.
