Ruiz's footwork on Saturday - what was all that about?

[joeboxer]

You know I was thinking the same thing Anorak. I knew Ruiz was painfully mediocre but his footwork was something you'd expect from a novice. He'd lean far in when he jabbed and sometimes even lift his rear foot off of the canvas slightly. His feet were rarely under him, which is the only reason he was knocked down.

The thing is, unlike handspeed and power, footwork is something that you can really improve on with practice so I don't understand why he hasn't concentrated on that area. I know the guy trains hard but what is he doing in the gym that he doesn't even know how to move like a boxer?

Kid Achilles, your analysis are usually very good. You notice extremly small details, you have a good concept of how a paticular match fits in historically. You seem to be very intelligent, I could actually see you being a trainer somewhere.

Which makes me ask how could you pick Ruiz to beat Toney ????

[paul750]

Future generations will look back upon Ruiz for the prodigy he is. History will show that he belongs with the greatest who ever stepped into the ring or laced up a pair of gloves.

i think he's an inspiration to those of us who are not 100% naturally gifted but make the most of what we've got, and learn different ways of suceeding

[hugefan87]

Toney hits like a girlscout. Ruiz lost because the boxing world conspired against him for not bringing in the money with his tactical style.

thats what i think, everyone wants toney in the mix cause he talks trash, if thats what people want just go watch wrestling or something

[Kid Achilles]

I picked Toney primarily because the guy irritates me. I have to admit that I haven't seen enough of his fights but I knew he was somewhat of a cutie, that is a guy who does all kinds of little things very well. The shoulder rolls, the feints, etc.

And of course his great reflexes. Those still seem to be fairly intact even at his age, unfortunately for me.

I just didn't think it would be enough to beat Ruiz, as terrible as the guy is. I was not sold on Toney as a heavyweight, I don't think he has the functional strength. I wouldn't be surprised if he can benchpress and lift a lot but his frame just isn't that big. Ruiz is a lgit 6'2" heavyweight on the other hand. I figured Ruiz would maul him on the inside, grapple with him and tie his arms up. It turns out of course, Toney is one of the better inside fighters today and aside from clinching Ruiz is not an inside fighter. This is clearly evidenced when you look at pictures of Ruiz's battered torso.

What really made me pick Ruiz was the terrible, terrible shape Toney was in, and the fact that I've heard he broke training camp at 260 pounds! That's a hundred pounds over his original fighting weight and its completely inexcusable for anyone who calls himself a professional athlete to get into that kind of condition.

When you consider the recent injuries he's had and the things he's been saying to Ruiz to piss him off and possibly motivate the guy into getting into the best shape of his life (didn't happen), it just had upset written all over it.

Unfortunately for me, I was very wrong.

I have to admit though, Toney deserves credit and I tip my hat to him. The guy is an exceptional boxer in a division swamped with mediocrity. He is not a natural heavyweight, nor will he ever be, but he's so good that barring the giant brothers and physical marvels like Samuel Peter, David Tua, and Corrie Sanders (if he were to come out of retirement) he will easily have his way with the current crop.

I really need to see the Toney-Ruiz fight in better quality. I watched it over webcam (thanks again to Martin) and the video was choppy. I'll need to watch it a few times in good quality before I bet against Toney again.

[X3n0X]

In an answer to the original point Ruiz probably did have some weird footwork, as was seen in many Naz fights:
- trying desperatly to gain confidence back.
- been hit and too many brain cells damaged.
either way he probably looked like a prat

-->similar fight is Armando Belcastro vs The Prince (Naseem)

-same sorta thing happens here. Naz starts celebrating and then the little mexican begins doin some weird Teletubbies dance (for those of you who live in England). for the rest of you lets just say he looked like a noodle.