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Ruiz-Golota: Ruiz Wins Ugly ... Again
13.11.04 - By Rev. Marc Axelrod: This was an ugly fight to watch and an ugly fight to score. Larry Merchant didn't even fill out his scorecard for the last five rounds. But when it was all said and done, John Ruiz had rallied from an early deficit to score a unanimous decision over Andrew Golota, a decision which was roundly booed by many in attendance, who felt that Golota had done enough to deserve the decision.
The scoring of the fight was 114-111 twice and 113-112, all for Ruiz. Like Merchant, I too felt like giving up trying to score this frustrating grabfest. Things started off well for Ruiz, who came roaring out of his corner in round one, ripping Golota with shots to the body and rights to the head. The early assault by Ruiz seemed to take Golota by surprise, who covered up against the ropes for much of the round.
Round two started out as more of the same, with Ruiz pitching and Golota catching. That is, until Ruiz ran into a straight right hand from Golota which deposited him on the seat of his pants. Ruiz got up, but seconds later, he was dropped by a looping right to the head and a push.
After that, Ruiz abandoned his aggressive style and returned to the defensive, grabbing style which has made him one of the more unpopular fighters in the heavyweight division. He was penalized a point in round four for hitting twice on the break.
But beginning with round five, Ruiz took over the fight. Time and again, he would either slip under a right lead from Golota and duck into a clinch, or he would land a shot and fall into a clinch. Over the second half of the fight, Ruiz landed a number of sizzling hooks and crisp crosses which froze Andrew in place. Golota, for his part, rarely landed anything flush after
the 5th round, save for an occasional counter hook or shot to the body. A solid left hook by Ruiz ripped a gash over Andrew's right eye and shook him with some combinations in the 9th round, but the flow of blood was stemmed by Golota's cutman. Ruiz even staggered Golota in the 11th round with some of his shots.
Perhaps the most gratifying moment in the fight was in the 8th round when referee Randy Neumann finally had enough of Norm Stone's insults and abusive language tand sent the pugnacious trainer of Ruiz back to the dressing room.
There were numerous fights that broke out in the aisles from the first round on, and these fights were often more entertaining than the one that was taking place in the ring. But the fighters stayed focused on their tasks.
I scored the fight 113-112 for Ruiz. I gave Golota round two by a 10-7 margin and round four 10-8 due to the point loss on account of Ruiz hitting on the break. But I only gave Andrew two other rounds. The rest of the time, he allowed John to get off first.
The win for Ruiz and the earlier win by Rahman sets them on a collision course for a rematch. Ruiz won their first meeting in ugly fashion, and nothing I saw tonight leads me to believe that the second fight would be any different. Ruiz makes it work for him, and he must get credit for
finding yet another way to win.
Golota's next step is unclear. He may decide to aim for a rematch with Chris Byrd, or he may sit back and wait for Don King to fix him up with a match.
Ruiz-Golota: Ruiz Wins Ugly ... Again
13.11.04 - By Rev. Marc Axelrod: This was an ugly fight to watch and an ugly fight to score. Larry Merchant didn't even fill out his scorecard for the last five rounds. But when it was all said and done, John Ruiz had rallied from an early deficit to score a unanimous decision over Andrew Golota, a decision which was roundly booed by many in attendance, who felt that Golota had done enough to deserve the decision.
The scoring of the fight was 114-111 twice and 113-112, all for Ruiz. Like Merchant, I too felt like giving up trying to score this frustrating grabfest. Things started off well for Ruiz, who came roaring out of his corner in round one, ripping Golota with shots to the body and rights to the head. The early assault by Ruiz seemed to take Golota by surprise, who covered up against the ropes for much of the round.
Round two started out as more of the same, with Ruiz pitching and Golota catching. That is, until Ruiz ran into a straight right hand from Golota which deposited him on the seat of his pants. Ruiz got up, but seconds later, he was dropped by a looping right to the head and a push.
After that, Ruiz abandoned his aggressive style and returned to the defensive, grabbing style which has made him one of the more unpopular fighters in the heavyweight division. He was penalized a point in round four for hitting twice on the break.
But beginning with round five, Ruiz took over the fight. Time and again, he would either slip under a right lead from Golota and duck into a clinch, or he would land a shot and fall into a clinch. Over the second half of the fight, Ruiz landed a number of sizzling hooks and crisp crosses which froze Andrew in place. Golota, for his part, rarely landed anything flush after
the 5th round, save for an occasional counter hook or shot to the body. A solid left hook by Ruiz ripped a gash over Andrew's right eye and shook him with some combinations in the 9th round, but the flow of blood was stemmed by Golota's cutman. Ruiz even staggered Golota in the 11th round with some of his shots.
Perhaps the most gratifying moment in the fight was in the 8th round when referee Randy Neumann finally had enough of Norm Stone's insults and abusive language tand sent the pugnacious trainer of Ruiz back to the dressing room.
There were numerous fights that broke out in the aisles from the first round on, and these fights were often more entertaining than the one that was taking place in the ring. But the fighters stayed focused on their tasks.
I scored the fight 113-112 for Ruiz. I gave Golota round two by a 10-7 margin and round four 10-8 due to the point loss on account of Ruiz hitting on the break. But I only gave Andrew two other rounds. The rest of the time, he allowed John to get off first.
The win for Ruiz and the earlier win by Rahman sets them on a collision course for a rematch. Ruiz won their first meeting in ugly fashion, and nothing I saw tonight leads me to believe that the second fight would be any different. Ruiz makes it work for him, and he must get credit for
finding yet another way to win.
Golota's next step is unclear. He may decide to aim for a rematch with Chris Byrd, or he may sit back and wait for Don King to fix him up with a match.
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