Well
Latino boxing fans can no longer claim a piece of the world heavyweight
championship. Roy Jones Jr. has put an exclamatory end the tenure of John
Ruiz. The question that may be asked now is this. Where does John Ruiz
go from here ?
Let us put this situation
in a better light. In being a former title claimant John still has some
marketability. He also has a lot to prove.
If John were to retire
tomorrow, it is a very good possibility that he would go down in history
as one of the worst to ever hold a piece of the crown. He needs to do something
to erase the stigma of being forever known as a "Cheese Champion". But
what ?
A rematch with Jones
is very doubtful. Who would buy it ? Roy was so dominant in their fight
that few could envision a Ruiz victory in a return. Lennox Lewis could
use John for an easy payday but that would also be another hard sell to
the public. How about a rematch with David Tua who expressed interest in
meeting John before his loss to Jones ? Chris Byrd would probably box Johnny's
ears off. How about Tyson ? This would be a good high profile for Mike
against a former champ who many would consider a safe opponent on the way
to a Lewis rematch.
I guess Corrie Sanders
could defend his bogus W.B.O. crown against John if he could side step
the rematch clause with Klitschko. John could meet the rejuvenated Kirk
Johnson who recently bombed out Lou Savarese. I just hope no one makes
a Ruiz-Holyfield IV match. The first three were dreadful enough.
I guess the fight
that makes the most sense to me right now for John is matching him with
Fres Oquendo for the unofficial Latino heavyweight title. This could
have the makings of an interesting shoot out. Oquendo is very much in the
title picture with his kayo victory over Maurice Harris. If Fres cannot
attain a shot at one of the four title pieces, a fight with Ruiz would
be a logical choice for him.
What would happen
if these two met ? Oquendo struggled against Harris who is not a top ten
fighter before scoring the big KO. We all saw how bad John looked against
Jones. I just keep wondering why John wasn't more aggressive when he met
Roy. He was somewhat successful in the first round of their bout when he
took the fight to Roy. Why did he change his strategy ? Did he really think
he was going to out box Jones ?
As bad as John looked
in his last fight, he still must be afforded the respect due to a former
champion. He held his own with future Hall Of Famer Evander Holyfield in
their horrendous trilogy. He was ahead on my card in his bout with Kirk
Johnson at the time Kirk was rightfully disqualified. Regardless of Kirk's
point deductions, I felt John was beating him. Now Johnson is back in the
limelight after his impressive win over Savarese. This justifies Ruiz as
at least being formidable. If he is good enough to beat a washed up but
still viable by today's standards Holyfield. If he can beat a rising star
like Kirk Johnson, then he deserves another chance to redeem himself. A
win over the highly regarded Oquendo could be his ticket.
What about Oquendo
? He manhandled Clifford Etienne and exposed his weak chin. His was boxing
well and was ahead on points before getting tagged by David Tua. Although
Harris was not highly ranked he was a better boxer then his record indicated.
Fres did what he had to do to pull out the victory.
Oquendo-vs-Ruiz, who
would win ? Say what you want about Ruiz. He is slow, clumsy, a weak puncher,
etc... Yes John can be outboxed and Oquendo is a skilled boxer with a good
jab and a decent right hand. Fres is fairly mobile for a big man but he
is not as fast as Roy Jones. Who is ? Oquendo has a bad habit of resting
during rounds. He lays inside where he does not do his best work. This
could play right into John's favor. Ruiz is strong, determined and very
gritty. He is a pretty good body puncher and he should be able to more
then hold his own with Fres on the inside.
I guess it would come
down to which Oquendo showed up for the fight. If Fres is in top condition
and avoid as much infighting as possible, I can see him emerging victorious.
On the other hand if he is not in peak condition and is forced to war with
John on the inside. A Ruiz triumph would not surprise me at all.
(JOE AMATO)
Well
Latino boxing fans can no longer claim a piece of the world heavyweight
championship. Roy Jones Jr. has put an exclamatory end the tenure of John
Ruiz. The question that may be asked now is this. Where does John Ruiz
go from here ?
