Posted on 11/13/2004 12:16:30 PM PST by Lukasz
NEW YORK (AP) - When John Ruiz gets in the ring, things usually get ugly. Put Andrew Golota in there with him, and things could get a lot uglier.
That's the possibility Saturday night when Ruiz defends his WBA heavyweight title against Golota as part of a heavyweight extravaganza at Madison Square Garden that features more than a ton of boxing's biggest fighters.
Ruiz owns a piece of the heavyweight title despite a clinching, hugging style that draws more boos than cheers from the fans he hasn't already put to sleep. Still, it has been effective enough for Ruiz to be able to claim that he is a two-time heavyweight champion.
"I'm not the prettiest fighter out there," Ruiz said. "But I come to win and I make people quit. That's what they're afraid of."
Golota, meanwhile, draws fear for a different reason. He got his nickname, the Foul Pole, for repeatedly hitting Riddick Bowe below the belt and being disqualified in fights he was winning, and even now there are questions about his mental stability in the ring.
Golota did nothing to put those questions to rest in the weeks leading up to the fight when he complained he was being forced into a fight he didn't want and would rather retire than continue his brief comeback anyway.
The two meet in a scheduled 12-round fight that tops a card which also includes a title defense by IBF champion Chris Byrd against his good friend, Jameel McCline, and appearances by former champions Evander Holyfield and Hasim Rahman.
"This card will be like reviving the heavyweight division and is the next step for me to unifying the titles," Ruiz said.
That's not likely, since promoter Don King controls all the fighters and won't risk losing a champion by pitting them against each other. And the heavyweight most consider the best of the three major champions, WBC champion Vitali Klitschko, isn't in any big hurry to risk his title against anyone who might beat him.
The card, though, gives a bunch of big fighters a chance to get some work, and offers the very real possibility of two of the titles changing hands.
It also offers the sad sight of the 42-year-old Holyfield fighting for the first time since taking a beating from James Toney a year ago, seemingly determined to continue with his improbable plan to become the undisputed heavyweight champion once again.
Holyfield, who has won only two of his last eight fights, meets light-hitting Larry Donald and Rahman faces Kali Meehan as part of the card, which will be televised by HBO pay-per-view ($44.95) beginning at 9 p.m. EST.
"I truly believe there's no fear in me, and that's why I do what I do," Holyfield said. "I'm a smart fighter, and I realize what I've done and what I can still do in the ring."
Ruiz (40-5-1, 28 knockouts) and Golota (38-4-1, 31 knockouts) is the final fight in the crowded lineup, but the most intriguing fight will be Byrd's defense against McCline.
Byrd is a crafty southpaw who thrills in making other fighters miss, though he stood and traded punches with Golota in April when the two fought to a draw. He doesn't plan to do the same thing against McCline, who at 270 pounds outweighs him by 56 pounds and will be looking to land the big punch.
"I'm the smallest guy of the eight heavyweights on this card, but I don't care because I can beat all of them," said Byrd, who won a silver medal as a 168-pounder in the 1992 Olympics.
Byrd has some experience against big guys - he beat Klitschko when he quit with a shoulder injury a few years ago - and they don't come much bigger than the 6-foot-7 McCline.
"You offend me when you hit me with a clean punch," Byrd said.
Adding to the flavor of the fight is the fact that Byrd (37-2-1, 20 knockouts) and McCline (31-3-3, 19 knockouts) are good friends who often visit each other's homes. Their wives are even closer, talking on the phone almost every day.
They haven't spoken since the fight was signed, though. Friendship is friendship, but business is business.
"I deserve to be here. I worked real hard to get a title shot," McCline said. "I dig Chris and his family, but I want what he's got, so I'm tired of this friendship stuff. This is business. Once you step in there, there are no friends."
Andrew rules. He is a moron, but I like him.
Maybe he is not too smart (hey he is a boxer!) but at least he isn’t stupidly big-mouthing.
What an ugly fight. Golota faught great in the second round. After that, Ruiz faught an ugly style and Golota did little to nothing to counter his opponent. As for the scoring, I would have thought with Ruiz being three points down because of two knock downs and a point deduction that Golota would have at least won over one judge. Oh well. It's all mafia $$$$ and Don King always wins regardless of who is in the ring.
BTW, Ruiz trainer reminded me of some RDDB from the ACLU. He cursed the ref under every name under the sun and later in the locker room stated that he didn't say a thing to him.
Lukasz:
An update would have been nice for us all if you post a story.
"Against John Ruiz
To put it plainly, I think Golota has been given the short end of the stick. These last 2 fights, Golota should have left the ring a world champion. The bottom line is, he has paid the price for his past misdeeds, fought cleanly, trained hard, and most important of all ‘won’ those fights and he was not given the decisions. .... Cursed indeed… or is it something else entirely more devious? You decide. " - http://www.eastsideboxing.com/news.php?p=2223&more=1
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