Sunday, March 02, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

WBA HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE: ROY JONES JR. DEFEATS JOHN RUIZ: Worth the weight

Jones becomes division's lightest champ since '56

By KEVIN IOLE
REVIEW-JOURNAL

John Ruiz, his face bloodied, pushes Roy Jones Jr. into the ropes as referee Jay Nady looks on in the 11th round of the WBA heavyweight title fight Saturday at the Thomas & Mack Center. Jones won a unanimous decision, becoming the first former middleweight champion since 1897 to win a portion of the heavyweight crown. Photo by Amy Beth Bennett. Roy Jones Jr., left, improved to 48-1 on Saturday with the biggest victory of his career, landing 45 more punches than an outmatched John Ruiz at the Thomas & Mack Center. Photo by Amy Beth Bennett. Roy Jones Jr., left, keeps John Ruiz at bay during the 10th round of their bout Saturday at the Thomas & Mack Center. Photo by Amy Beth Bennett.

There was nothing light about Roy Jones Jr.'s performance Saturday night.

The former undisputed light heavyweight champion became part of boxing history, winning the WBA heavyweight championship with a unanimous decision over an overmatched John Ruiz before 15,300 fans at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Jones, who weighed 157 pounds in his first professional fight nearly 14 years ago, battered and bloodied Ruiz, who was never in the fight. Judge Jerry Roth had it 116-112, Duane Ford scored it 117-111, and Stanley Christodoulou saw it 118-110. The Review-Journal card was also 118-110.

The last former middleweight champion to win a piece of the heavyweight title had been Bob Fitzsimmons in 1897.

Jones' feat is especially remarkable because he faced a 33-pound weight disadvantage, compared with Fitzsimmons' 16-pound disadvantage when he defeated Jim Corbett. Jones became the lightest man to win a heavyweight title since Floyd Patterson in 1956.

Jones never allowed Ruiz to use his size advantage, and it was clear by mid-fight that the boxers were vastly different in talent as well. The plodding Ruiz never could trap Jones and never landed a punch that caused Jones any trouble.

"I never cared about his punch from the get-go," said Jones, who landed 45 more punches. "I'm the kind of guy who doesn't care about a guy's punch. I heard for years how I'm concerned and worried about being punched, but I never cared or worried once."

Ruiz tried to pin Jones on the ropes but didn't have the quickness or dexterity to do it. On the few occasions when Jones had his back to the ropes with Ruiz in front of him, Jones gave as good as he got.

By the fourth round, a trickle of blood was coming from one of Ruiz' nostrils. By the six, it was flowing freely. In the second half of the fight, Ruiz' face was smeared with his blood.

With Lennox Lewis, who voluntarily surrendered the WBA title Jones captured Saturday, sitting a few feet away doing television commentary, Jones served notice that he will be a factor in the heavyweight class if he chooses to keep fighting in the division.

Friday, Jones said it was probably a one-time thing, but he proved he is not out of place among boxing's big boys.

"Lennox is a great heavyweight champ and I love Lennox to death," said Jones, who improved to 48-1 with the biggest victory of his career. "I've been knowing Lennox since 1988 and we go back a long ways. Lennox is the best of the big heavyweights."

But what Jones left unspoken was the identity of the best of the smaller heavyweights; he said it all with his work in the ring.

Although Jones never appeared to hurt Ruiz, it was clear that Ruiz had to respect Jones' power. There were many who thought Ruiz would simply walk through Jones and absorb punches in order to land his own, but a crackling right by Jones in the first round let Ruiz know that wasn't a good move.

Ruiz was steadfast in his pursuit, but he didn't throw caution to the wind. After the 10th round, his volatile manager, Norman Stone, shouted at Ruiz, "Screw the ref! Fight him!" Jones, though, was too good for Ruiz to do anything.

Jones managed to impress the even hard-to-impress Lewis.

"It was a challenge (Jones) couldn't pass up and he took advantage of it," Lewis said. "He's the heavyweight champion of the world."

Jones grinned when he heard those words. Many doubters had tagged him "Reluctant Roy" for his perceived aversion to fighting quality super middleweights and light heavyweights, but he wasn't afraid or intimidated Saturday.

Put simply, he was the man.

"I let everyone know who's running this thing," Jones said. "I showed them I'm running it."