Still-Hungry John Ruiz is Back For Another Bite

By Lyle Fitzsimmons

Save a chair, folks. John Ruiz is sidling back to the heavyweight title table.

Already a veteran of 10 championship bouts and one of history's select few with multiple bites of the division's fractured pie – the "Quiet Man" will meet his verbal converse when he shares a ring with newly minted WBA belt- holder David Haye sometime between now and mid-2010.

Date and site logistics are unclear, but a contract is in place for the fight to occur before the end of May, according to Ruiz's manager Anthony Cardinale.

"The fight with Haye was negotiated and closed before the bouts (in Germany)," Cardinale said. "It is a done deal. Otherwise we would not have agreed to step aside. There will be no further negotiations necessary."

Haye earned his first title as a heavyweight with a majority decision over Nikolai Valuev on Nov. 7 in Nuremberg, where Ruiz toppled European journeyman Adnan Serin in seven rounds on the undercard.

As the WBA's official challenger, Ruiz had been in line for a third match with Valuev, but agreed to defer to Haye in exchange for first dibs if the brash Londoner dethroned the towering 7-footer.

Haye won two scorecards by 116-112 margins and was even – 114-114 – on the third.

The Serin fight was Ruiz's first since a split-decision loss to Valuev, nearly 15 months ago in Berlin.

His last win had come in March 2008, via 12-round decision over Jameel McCline.

"John is glad the way things worked out," Cardinale said. "It will be a much more interesting fight for him versus Haye than a third Valuev bout. It is difficult to look good against Valuev, but I also believe that John looked better and scored considerably more than Haye did in the two fights he had against the giant."

Valuev also beat Ruiz by majority decision in December 2005, also in Germany.

However, Cardinale insisted his man has significant support in Europe, which he said provides several options toward an eventual site for the Haye fight.

"There is no venue set for the bout, so it can take place anywhere that makes the most economic sense," he said. "Of course fighting in Las Vegas would be great, but John is 6-0 in London, so we would gladly go there. Germany is also not out of the question, as John has a good fan base coming off his highly controversial losses to Valuev. Most there believe he was screwed in both."

The latter conclusion is not unique in Ruiz's career.

Unbeaten in 14 fights after turning pro in 1992, his first loss came via split decision to then-unbeaten Russian Sergei Kobozev in August 1993.

Another split verdict – against Danell Nicholson a year later – was the only other blemish before a memorable 19-second blowout at the hands of David Tua in March 1996 in Atlantic City.

Ruiz regrouped with 11 straight wins, 10 by KO, before a unanimous scorecard loss to Evander Holyfield in the first of their three bouts – a series which continued with Ruiz winning the WBA title by unanimous decision and then defending it with a draw against Holyfield by the end of 2001.

A successful defense against Kirk Johnson preceded another memorable low point, Ruiz's one-sided loss to a blown-up Roy Jones Jr. in March 2003, in which Jones weighed just 193 pounds to Ruiz's 226 and became the first light heavyweight champion since Michael Spinks to claim a heavyweight belt.

He returned to reclaim the title when Jones went back to 175 pounds and downed Fres Oquendo and Andrew Golota in succession before losing to James Toney at Madison Square Garden, a verdict that was reversed when Toney tested positive for a banned substance.

The reign ended again eight months later when he met Valuev for the first time.

He's 3-2 in five outings since, defeating Otis Tisdale, McCline and Serin, while dropping the second close nod to Valuev and a split decision to Ruslan Chagaev, one fight before the Uzbek beat Valuev.

"Look at the records of the last 20 fights John has had versus (Haye's record) regarding experience, for example, and remember other than the time he was caught dead cold and not warmed up properly by his trainers before the bout," Cardinale said, "the then-beast Tua is the only one to ever stop John."

"If you also look at John's other losses over his career, other than the Jones fight – which he lost mentally before the bout because of massive domestic problems then ongoing – you will note they were all split decisions in the other fighter's home ring. So if I were Haye and his people I would not take John lightly. Haye is literally in the fight of his life when they meet."

A 6-foot-2 right-hander, Ruiz weighed 227 pounds in beating Serin, his lightest since the Jones loss and reminiscent to Cardinale of his 224-pound form at the start of the Holyfield trilogy.

Haye, who stands an inch taller at 6-3, weighed a career-high 217 against Valuev after tipping in at 215 for a defeat of Monte Barrett in his divisional debut a year earlier.

He was beaten in a bid for the IBO cruiserweight title in 2004, before coming back three years later to wrest the WBA/WBC crowns from Jean Marc Mormeck by seventh-round TKO.

He added the WBO belt to his collection with a two-round blitz of Enzo Maccarinelli in March 2008, then announced his intention to campaign as a full-time heavyweight.

"While much will have to be done to change what (Ruiz) was planning to do against Valuev if Haye got screwed, John and (trainers) Miguel Diaz and Richie Sandoval, are confident that they will have an effective game plan and winning strategy," Cardinale said.

"It will be action- packed and all in all a much more entertaining fight on both fighters' parts than if Valuev was the opponent. All in all, John plans to negate whatever speed difference there may be with pressure."

As for the third title reign the team anticipates – no time limits are in place.

"(Against Serin, he) was in probably the best physical form since he fought Holyfield the first time in 2001," Cardinale said. "Since we have gotten rid of Don King as his promoter and changed trainers, his mind is focused on his career more than I have ever seen. This is John's opportunity to win the title back and proceed in a fashion that helps him and not Don King."

* * * * * * * * * *

This week’s title-fight schedule:

FRIDAY

Oleydong Sithsamerchai (champion) vs. Juan Palacios (interim champion)

Sithsamerchai (32-0, 12 KO): Fourth title defense; Three wins in 2009 (3-0, 0 KO)

Palacios (26-2, 21 KO): Lost WBC title shot in 2002; One loss outside Nicaragua (4-1, 4 KO)

Fitzbitz says: Palacios in 10

SATURDAY

Lucian Bute (champion) vs. Librado Andrade (No. 1 contender)

Bute (24-0, 19 KO): Fourth title defense; Beat Andrade by decision in October 2008

Andrade (28-2, 21 KO): Third title fight; Lost WBA/WBC title shot in 2007

Fitzbitz says: Bute by decision

Vacant IBF lightweight title – Quebec City, Quebec

Ali Funeka (No. 3 contender) vs. Joan Guzman (No. 4 contender)

Funeka (30-2-2, 25 KO): Second title fight; Lost only fight in North America

Guzman (29-0, 17 KO): Former WBO champion at 122 and 130; Seventh title fight (6-0, 2 KO)

Fitzbitz says: Guzman by decision

IBF mini flyweight title – Loreto, Mexico

Raul Garcia (champion) vs. Lorenzo Trejo (No. 10 contender)

Garcia (27-0-1, 16 KO): Fifth title defense; Thirteen-fight win streak (13-0, 6 KO)

Trejo (30-18-1, 17 KO): Lost three title shots at 105, one at 108; Winless since July 2007 (0-2-1) 

Fitzbitz says: Garcia in 8

SUNDAY

WBC flyweight title – Saitama, Japan

Daisuke Naito (champion) vs. Koki Kameda (No. 3 contender)

Naito (35-2-3, 22 KO): Sixth title defense; Unbeaten since October 2005 (8-0-1, 3 KO)

Kameda (21-0, 14 KO): Former WBA champion at 108; Twentieth fight in Japan (19-0, 13 KO) 

Fitzbitz says: Kameda by decision

Last week’s picks: 4-2

Overall picks record: 55-20 (73.3 percent)

Lyle Fitzsimmons is an award-winning 21-year sports journalist, a full voting member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and has everyone at the Blue Horizon in his thoughts this week. Reach him at fitzbitz@msn.com , follow him at twitter.com/fitzbitz or read him at fitzbitzonfights.wordpress.com.