"Everyone in the division is afraid to fight that guy," Byrd stated as though facing the most resoundingly average 'champion' in heavyweight history is tantamount to wrestling a handicap match against two half-starved grizzles while wearing a minced beef leotard.
"I don't fear his skills, strength, punch, size, nothing," Byrd explained. "But he is allowed to use his own rules in there.
"In his fights, Ruiz goes one-two (left and then a right) and holds. The ref breaks it up and then it's one-two, hold, one-two, hold, one-two, hold. That's not boxing. That's not supposed to be allowed under the Queensbury Rules. It's illegal, it is cheating but for some reason referee after referee let the guy get away with it. He should be deducted points and then disqualified for doing it but he's basically allowed to do it regardless.
"When a guy is allowed to use different rules to win a fight than every other heavyweight on the planet why should I want to be part of that? I'd fight him and beat him but why should I climb in there with a guy who doesn't want to box when there's a division full of much more interesting fights for me, including a rematch with Vitali Klitschko? Why should I want to be part of Ruiz and his holding?"
"I don't fear his skills, strength, punch, size, nothing," Byrd explained. "But he is allowed to use his own rules in there.
"In his fights, Ruiz goes one-two (left and then a right) and holds. The ref breaks it up and then it's one-two, hold, one-two, hold, one-two, hold. That's not boxing. That's not supposed to be allowed under the Queensbury Rules. It's illegal, it is cheating but for some reason referee after referee let the guy get away with it. He should be deducted points and then disqualified for doing it but he's basically allowed to do it regardless.
"When a guy is allowed to use different rules to win a fight than every other heavyweight on the planet why should I want to be part of that? I'd fight him and beat him but why should I climb in there with a guy who doesn't want to box when there's a division full of much more interesting fights for me, including a rematch with Vitali Klitschko? Why should I want to be part of Ruiz and his holding?"