why did so many top fighters struggle with john ruiz?

[famicommander]

Oh, now I get it. Your Puerto Rican.

No, I'm about as white as white gets.

He fought 11 world champions and won 2 world titles.

How is that not significant?

[Mister Wolf]

Because he held a lot. Dude is probably top 5 all time in illegal holding. Which also make him top 5 all time in most boring fighters.

[Blond Beast]

Lol Always cracks me up when people say, “Just do this,” as if dozens of professional fighters and trainers haven’t thought of it. Practically everything in boxing is easier said than done. And as relatively weak as Ruiz was as a champion, he didn’t get there by accident.

Good post. The cream does rise to the top in boxing. Ruiz was an awkward herky Jerky fighter that’s not like most have ever faced. He’s more unique than the opponents he faced. Everyone knows what Floyd or Hopkins did in the ring, there’s so much footage. But finding someone who can duplicate it in sparring is hard. It’s like studying for a test and then finding that all the answers you know aren’t on there just one you don’t, and I swear weren’t in the book. Tua nertzed him, but first round KOs aren’t always the best examples.

[CubanGuyNYC]

I'm not an expert on boxing technique, which is why I'm asking the community to inform me on the technical reason more fighters didn't do this.

Roy Jones dominated Ruiz in part because he would frequently throw short uppercuts or hooks after Ruiz's jab, anticipating that Ruiz would lunge forward with a hug. It worked enough times that Ruiz got frustrated and significantly reduced the number of hug attempts compared to previous fights.

If the answer to my question is most fighters aren't as fast as Roy Jones and weren't quick enough to execute the tactic, fine. That's why I'm asking.

Wasn’t trying to put you down, man. It’s just that it’s easy to point something out, but often much harder to execute. If the pros aren’t doing it, it’s probably because there’s a good reason. Yeah, maybe prime Jones was the only guy quick enough to get away with it. Perhaps you’ve answered your own question.

[CubanGuyNYC]

Good post. The cream does rise to the top in boxing. Ruiz was an awkward herky Jerky fighter that’s not like most have ever faced. He’s more unique than the opponents he faced. Everyone knows what Floyd or Hopkins did in the ring, there’s so much footage. But finding someone who can duplicate it in sparring is hard. It’s like studying for a test and then finding that all the answers you know aren’t on there just one you don’t, and I swear weren’t in the book. Tua nertzed him, but first round KOs aren’t always the best examples.

Preparing for an unusual or unique fighter has got to be especially hard. I always think how tough it must be to prepare for someone like Fury or Wilder. It has to be nearly impossible to find a sparring partner even close to their height. And Pacquiao? Who moves like that?

Ruiz is put down a lot as a champion. Yeah, I get that he had a boring approach, and that he was relatively weak, but he was still a champion. Out of all the heavyweights that have ever tried, how many were ever crowned? You’ve got to respect that.