John Ruiz
John Ruiz ( born January 4, 1972 in Isabela, Puerto Rico ) is a retired American boxer Puerto Rican origin. He was twice world heavyweight champion by the WBA version.
Amateur
As an amateur Ruiz participated in the 1991 World Championships in Sydney in part, where he won the light heavyweight victories against the Algerian Mohamed Benguesmia and the Yugoslavs Miodrag Radulovic, then was defeated in the quarterfinals Andrei Kurnjawka from the Soviet Union, middleweight world champion of 1989. Having the process of qualifying to 1992 Olympics failed to Jeremy Williams, he moved in the same year in the professional camp.
Professional career
John Ruiz earned his first professional fight in August 1992 in Atlantic City in the cruiserweight division. He then rose, however, relatively rapidly in the more lucrative heavyweight division. He recorded his first defeat in August 1993 against the undefeated Russians Sergei Kobatzew, one year later, he lost against Danell Nicholson. In March 1996, he was defeated by David Tua knocked out after only 19 seconds. He achieved his first major success with a knockout win against former WBA champion Tony Tucker in 1998. Boxing promoter Don King This became aware of him, in which he stood until 2009 under contract.
Asked to play as the challenger against the then WBA champion Lennox Lewis in a mandatory defense in late 1999, but this declined because of his opinion from poor boxing skills of Ruiz. The title was declared vacant thereafter in April 2000.
On August 12, 2000 Ruiz was fighting Evander Holyfield for the vacant WBA title and was defeated on points, Holyfield was the first boxer for the fourth time world heavyweight champion. Since the victory, however, was not without controversy, it came on March 3, 2001 at a rematch, this time the Ruiz won on points for themselves. Ruiz became the WBA champion and the first Latin American to win a title in the highest weight class of professional boxing. He defended the belt twice in the sequence successfully, first in a third fight with Holyfield, who ended in a draw, and on 27 July 2002 with a victory against the unbeaten Kirk Johnson from Canada, who was disqualified in the tenth round for repeated low blows, although Ruiz was accused that he would have shown the effect of these shocks exaggerated to provoke the fight demolition.
His third title defense against Roy Jones Jr. on March 1, 2003, he lost on points. Since the belt Jones resigned soon again to return to the light heavyweight division, Ruiz was able to bring back the WBA title in December 2003 with a points victory against Hasim Rahman again. He even defended it twice successfully, by technical knockout in the eleventh round against Fres Oquendo and against the Poles Andrzej Gołota, who twice beat him to the ground, disputed on points.
On 30 April 2005, he boxed against James Toney and lost on points, Ruiz subsequently went back first. Later it turned out that Toney was doped, so that the fight canceled and Ruiz was again declared as the world champion. Ruiz stepped back from retirement. However, he already lost his next title defense on December 17, 2005 in Berlin against the Russians Nikolai Valuev by a majority decision on points. The decision was controversial.
In November 2006, he denied after a year of abstinence ring against the Uzbek Ruslan Chagayev in Dusseldorf making a comeback. The fight was scheduled as an official qualification for a fight against Valuev for the WBA title; Ruiz lost after twelve rounds by a 2-1 decision point.
After a victory in a structure struggle he received in March 2008, once again the possibility of a qualifying contest the WBC against Jameel McCline to deny an also were promoting of King boxer who for years had not beaten world-class opponents. Ruiz won on points.
The chance for a third time to become heavyweight champion, he got 30 August 2008 in the rematch against Nikolai Valuev in Berlin. Chagayev had risen in the meantime, the WBA titleholder, but could his title twice due to injury not defend against Valuev, so that the Uzbek to be downgraded "Champion in Recess " (World Champion -in-waiting ) and by the WBA, a fight between Valuev and Ruiz to the vacant title was applied. The winner of the fight should then begin no later than June 26, 2009 against Chagayev, if one of them remained until then the reigning WBA champion.
John Ruiz was defeated on August 30, 2008 Nikolai Valuev for a second time on points. After disputes with his promoter Don King, he broke up in 2009 by King. That year he also played only a fight, an early victory against the Turks Adnan Serin in November 2009. Nevertheless, the 38 -year-old Ruiz the chance received 3 April 2010 again to become WBA heavyweight champion. He stepped in Manchester against the reigning WBA title holder David Haye, but lost in round nine by technical knockout when his trainer threw in the towel on the task, after which the fight was stopped. After this defeat Ruiz ended his active career.