By John Hively
 
On December 17 2005, in Berlin Germany, John Ruiz will defend his World Boxing Association (WBA) heavyweight championship against Nicolay Valuev of Russia. Given Valuev’s complete lack of experience against top tier fighters, this bout appears to be an easy outing for Ruiz, but this might not be the reality on fight night.

The critics of Ruiz, and he has many, usually argue something to the effect that the first Puerto Rican heavyweight title claimant has little talent, is slow of hands and feet, is technically flawed, doesn’t carry much pop in his punch, and worst yet, he is a boring performer. They suggest he more closely resembles a jab and grab style of grappler than a boxer, who sometimes violates the rules of the sport if it is convenient for him to do so. In reality, with the exception of the “boring” and “jab and grab” claims, none of these assertions are altogether true. And his critics conveniently ignore the reality that the WBA champion has been among the most successful heavyweights of the last five years, and this fact alone suggests the critics are mostly wrong about John Ruiz.

He may not have the hand and foot speed of Muhammad Ali, nor the power of George Foreman or Mike Tyson, but the champ has fair to middling hand and foot quickness, and enough pop in his right hand to make opponents wary of it. His left jab may not be in the same class as those possessed by Larry Holmes or Wladimir Klitschko, but it is good enough. Sure David Tua humbled him in nineteen seconds many years ago, but that was the last and only time somebody stopped him, and this indicates Ruiz can take a pretty hefty wallop.

The champ reminds me of basketball players who are not particularly gifted athletically. You know the type. People who aren’t all that fast, and who are gravitationally challenged, but because they practice often to develop their skills, they are fundamentally sound, which allows them to consistently maximize their abilities. They are not very flashy and exciting to watch, but they often defeat more athletically gifted opponents by out-thinking, out-skilling, and out-hustling them. Likewise, Ruiz wins by fighting his fight, staying within his strengths, out-hustling and out-thinking his opponents. The results of his efforts are typically, but not always, boring fights, which have at times resembled sumo wrestling and slapstick routines.

However, it’s difficult to argue against success. His skills and wits have guided Ruiz to victories over world class fighters Fres Oquendo, Hasim Rahman, Andrew Golata, Kirk Johnson, and the then still capable Evander Holyfield. 

Since a close decision loss to Holyfield in August 2000, Ruiz has only been defeated once. Roy Jones decisively schooled him over twelve rounds in 2003. I was surprised when Jones weighed in at 193 pounds, and then later was reported to be 199. I wondered how he miraculously picked up so much pure muscle in just a few months. He was chiseled. Ruiz, on the other hand, weighed in at 226 pounds, seven less than his previous fight.

Some reports had him coming in a few pounds lower at 222. Perhaps he wanted to lose weight in order to enhance his speed. The problem is that when you lose excess fat, you can also shed muscles, and if this occurs, you lose the speed and power provided by those muscles. Just prior to the fight, as the announcers where speculating on each fighter’s weight, when asked who I thought would win, I replied, “Jones.” I was suspicious that Ruiz’s weight loss would weaken him, and this may have contributed to him fighting so poorly against his opponent.

If a person gains weight, especially when exercising, they can pick up both fat and muscle, in which case the new physical mass can enhance power and speed. After James Toney decisively defeated Ruiz in 2005, he tested positive for a banned substance, which was described by Toney’s promoter, Dan Goossen, as being “nandrolone, an anabolic steroid.” For Toney, this may have been better than fighting Ruiz with loaded gloves. Unlike boxing gloves illegally stuffed with horseshoes, steroids can provide unnatural and illegal speed with which to deliver unnatural and unlawful power.

Toney may be the most talented and intelligent boxer in the heavyweight division, but his intake of steroids, whether accidental or deliberate, may very well have played a decisive role in making Ruiz look inept in that fight. Because of the positive test, the New York State Athletic Commission changed the official verdict in favor of Toney to “no contest,” and this allowed Ruiz to retain his title.

The next defense for the champ will be against the seven foot, 325 pound, Nicolay Valuev of St. Petersburg, Russia. A professional since 1993, with a record of forty-two straight wins, thirty-one by knockout, the Russian giant has been receiving one of the longest build-ups in heavyweight history. Only recently has he been put into the same ring with boxers of known abilities, although each of them falls short of actual contender status. But these are typically the kind of fights taken by all prospects just prior to testing themselves against real contenders. Prospects learn from these fights, and hopefully improve sufficiently to move on to the next step. For Valuev, the fight with Ruiz represents that step.

During the last fourteen months, Nicolay has stopped Paolo Vidoz in nine rounds, Attila Levin in three, Clifford Etienne in three, beaten Gerald Nobles by disqualification in four, and Larry Donald by a twelve round decision. Even though he did not receive the verdict of the judges, Donald reportedly used his speed to good advantage against the giant, and gave Nicolay a thorough boxing lesson. On the other hand, against Vidoz and the fragile Etienne, Valuev showed that he can stop opponents who aren’t so fleet footed as Donald.

The Russian has been described as being slow, he can be hurt, and he obviously can be out boxed, but he has some pop in his mitts, and Valuev is game. In this bout, the danger to Ruiz can be found in Nicolay’s good fighting qualities. The giant can grapple, maul and hit: That’s his kind of fight. That sounds as though he is something of a carbon copy of the champ, only the Russian is bigger and more likely stronger than Ruiz. Since he can’t float like a butterfly, the giant probably can only win this bout by fighting in a manner similar to Ruiz.

The champ has engaged in several wars in his career. Victories have not always come easy. At some point, the damage from hard fought fistic wars begin to accumulate, injuries fester longer than a few years back, abilities and desire start to diminish, and boxers commence their inevitable downward slide toward retirement. After a career that began in 1992, having fought nothing but contenders during the last five years, it is possible Ruiz has already peaked.

If the champ doesn’t take the challenger as seriously as can be, if he has slipped in his abilities or desires, then Valuev has a chance at winning. Ruiz, by contrast, probably brings too much experience, skills and ring intelligence to lose to the Russian. And if grappling the big guy gets too uncomfortable in the ring for Ruiz, since he is likely the speedier of hand and foot, the champ has the ability to morph into a skilled stick and move ballet dancer; skilled at least when compared to his challenger. Therefore, Ruiz should fairly easily beat back the challenge of Valuev, and he may even stop the big guy. But there is a danger to Ruiz, and he should not take this opponent lightly.