March 01, 2003
Ruiz-Jones From Vegas
I'm at home tonight watching the Roy Jones, Jr.-John Ruiz fight. I don't know quote what to expect, but I'll be offering commentary throughout the fight.
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ROUND 1: Looks like both fighters are looking to mix it up. Jones in particular seems to be relying on his jab. I score the round even.
ROUND 2: The HBO crew all agree: the fight so far is developing along the lines that favor Jones. Ruiz, for some reason I can't fathom, doesn't seem to be willing to wade in and take it to Jones -- something that allows Jones to pick his spots to get in a big punch. Score round 2 to Jones.
ROUND 3: Jones is staying with his strategy, and it seems to be working. Point from George Foreman: Ruiz is allowing Jones to keep the fight at a Lightheavyweight pace -- something that gives Jones plenty of time to rest in between flurries. Score round 3 again for Jones.
POSTSCRIPT, ROUND 3: I think I see Phil Donahue at the fight. HBO's Harold Lederman scores the match 3 rounds to nothing for Jones. Larry Merchant scores it the same as me, one round even, two for Jones.
ROUND 4: More of the same, and Ruiz is bleeding. As Jim Lampley is noting, Jones is consistently beating Ruiz to the punch. Jones just rocked Ruiz with a right with only seconds left in the round. Score another round for Jones. As Ruiz's corner man is saying right now, "What the fuck are you waiting on this kid for?"
ROUND 5: Brief stoppage so an official can remove some vaseline from Jones' face. Ruiz is starting to try to wade in and mix it up. Great left hook to the body from Jones. Ruiz is going back to giving Jones all the time in the world to rest. Score another round for Jones. Ruiz's cornermen are getting more emphatic, saying he "has to get into this fight."
ROUND 6: Jones lands another big left for the first big punch of the round. Why is the fight developing this way: in the words of Merchant, Ruiz, "doesn't want to pay the price." Everytime Ruiz tries to wade in, Jones stings him hard, disuading Ruiz from the attack. More blood from Ruiz's left nostril. A flurry from Ruiz has Jones against the ropes to close the round. I'll score this one even.
AFTER SIX ROUNDS: I have it scored Jones 4 rounds, two even. Lederman has it 6-0 Jones.
ROUND 7: Jones is smiling in a clench after landing a right on Ruiz. Looked like Ruiz would have Jones against the ropes, and he let Jones get away using a feint. Score it for Jones.
POSTSCRIPT, ROUND 7: Norman Stone, Ruiz's trainer, just called Ruiz, Roy.
ROUND 8: Ruiz had Jones against the ropes, but Jones punches his way out. Ruiz landed a right, and it didn't faze Jones at all. Every round, Jones has been stinging Ruiz, and then escaping. Score it for Jones again.
ROUND 9: Ruiz is doing absolutely nothing to win this fight. At this point, the only way he can win is with one big punch, and he doesn't seem willing to wade in tight to be able to land that punch. The contrast tonight is amazing: though Ruiz is fit and trim, Jones is cut like a bodybuilder. Lampley says he could score the round for Ruiz, but I say no. Round 9 to Jones, for a total of seven for him and two even. Lederman scores the last round to Ruiz, for 8-1 for Jones.
ROUND 10: Finally, a flurry that Ruiz should have let loose with in the first half of the fight. They clench, and the ref breaks them up. Ruiz backs Jones to the ropes, and Jones escapes. Score this round even too. Ruiz's corner has become apoplectic: "Fuck the referee! Fight him!"
ROUND 11: Two rounds left, but this fight is over. Ruiz isn't willing to pay the price to get in the position to land the big blow on Jones. Ruiz is showing us nothing, absolutely nothing. We've gone 11 rounds, and it looks like Jones could go another 11. Score it for Jones again, who is tagging Ruiz at will.
ROUND 12: Broken record time here. Ruiz trudges around the ring like a man stuck in the mud up to his ankles. This means Jones will win the WBA Heavyweight title -- another belt for the most exciting fighter in the boxing game today. It's all over but the shouting now.
POSTFIGHT: Unanimous decision on all three judges' cards:
Roth: 116-112
Ford: 117-111
Christodoulou: 118-110
And the next question: who does Jones fight next? And for how much money?
Evander Holyfield? Jones isn't interested, unless he gets a "huge payday".
Chris Byrd, IBF Champion? Maybe, but only for "big, big", money.
Foreman says that Jones should fight Lenox Lewis. Lewis outweighs Ruiz by 25 pounds.
Back in the dressing room, Merchant is talking to Ruiz, and Ruiz is complaining about the ref -- saying that he only intervened when Ruiz was holding, but not when Jones did. Ruiz's nose is swelling so much, at times it's hard to understand what he's saying. He sounds like he has a sinus infection.
UPDATE: Now that Jones has beaten a heavyweight, Emanuel Stewart is calling for the creation of a "super-heavyweight" division. I don't know, I 'm not sure I'd want to be in the same division as him right now either.
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