David Haye v John Ruiz: American motivated by Muhammad Ali three-time world champion tag -- Telegraph

By Gareth A Davies, Telegraph.co.uk

Both ring legends came back twice to win the world crown after being champion.

“It is going to work this time. No matter what they say, they can’t take it away from me,” said Ruiz, who looks leaner than he has been for some time, and will come into the ring weighing around 225lbs.

The American, 38, has made some changes with veteran Miguel Diaz, one of the sport’s finest cornermen, as his head trainer.

Diaz said: “We’re still here and hopefully this time around we’ll get a win. You’re seeing more of the Ruiz from the past - boxing and punching, not holding. How many guys can say they’ve fought and won the two world heavyweight championships.”

The Ruiz camp has also dismissed Haye’s trash-talking as “part of the industry, part of promoting a fight”.

Ruiz, not one for involving himself in verbal sparring against opponents, said: “He can talk all he wants but he knows he’s in a tough fight.” Nor has he studied tapes of Haye. “I don’t focus on the other fighter, I focus on myself. He’s going to prepare himself and use the style he believes will win the fight. I will work him out once we are in the ring.”

So, will his experience of major fight nights - he has been in 11 world title contests - give him an advantage over the champion, nine years his junior?

“Experience plays an important part but so does youth. We’ll see what comes out on top. I have a new team - trainers Miguel Diaz and Richie Sandoval, and a new promoter, Golden Boy - but there are still some people who’ve been part of the team for a long time. I’m at peace, blessed with my family, and I’ve never been in tune with boxing like this during my career.”

The one confidence factor Ruiz does have on his side, is a 100 per cent record fighting in England. “I’ve fought here six times (6-0). These fans put favouritism behind them and root for a good fight. I’ve fought everybody in the world, never avoiding anybody, and I’m very proud of that. I’ve travelled the world and boxing has been a saviour for me.”

Source: telegraph.co.uk

Haye vows to beat Ruiz "within an inch of his life" -- ESPN

ESPN.co.uk

David Haye has vowed to "beat John Ruiz within an inch of his life" when the two meet for the WBA heavyweight championship on Saturday evening.

The veteran Ruiz is renowned as a durable competitor, having only been stopped once in his career - 14 years ago against David Tua. To beat the American, Haye acknowledges that he is going to have to employ a more aggressive strategy than he used when defeating Nikolai Valuev in November 2009 to win the title.

Haye, who was nursing an injured hand during that contest, often appeared more interested in evading Valuev's reach than in throwing blows - a strategy he acknowledges will not bear any fruit against Ruiz.

"I'm going to have to beat him to within an inch of his life. I know he's got good powers of recovery and I'm really going to have to hammer away at him. I know that if I keep chopping, the tree will eventually fall," Haye said.

Ruiz has regularly made reference to the Valuev fight in his verbal jousting with Haye, with his most recent jibe claiming that Haye only won the bout because his vociferous support at ringside swayed the judges towards awarding him the win.

Responding to this suggestion, a bristling Haye took a swipe at Ruiz's in-ring style. "He can talk about the judges, but maybe if he had some fans he might still be world champion. Throughout my career, I have fought to entertain people and I am an exciting fighter. Maybe if he had fought more instead of just hugging people to death, he might have some fans too," he said.

Source: espn.co.uk

Hopkins-Jones rematch: What took so long? -- Philadelphia Daily News

By BERNARD FERNANDEZ, Philadelphia Daily News

By all rights, Saturday's rematch of former world champions Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Jr. at Las Vegas' Mandalay Bay Events Center should be inciting frenzied, worldwide interest. It is, after all, a pairing of legendary fighters, surefire first-ballot Hall of Famers with global name recognition. The fact that the two men don't like each other and have made noises to that effect for quite some time should add a pinch of spice to a bout that, as they used to say about those cast-of-thousands Hollywood epics, has been years in the making.

Trouble is, this fight isn't quite as epic as it should have been. It has been too many years - 17 - in the making. When last Hopkins and Jones fought, on May 22, 1993, in Washington's RFK Stadium, it was for the vacant IBF middleweight championship. Jones, who claims to have fought with an injured right hand that night, won a lackluster unanimous decision that did not portend of the ring greatness each fighter would go on to achieve. What's more, it was an undercard scrap, in support of WBA heavyweight champ Riddick Bowe's second-round knockout of Jesse Ferguson, a one-time sparring partner to the stars whose dream shot at the title quickly turned into a high-paying nightmare.

It wasn't long before the technically superb Hopkins and unconventionally brilliant Jones rose to boxing's uppermost tier. But the rematch everyone wanted to see for so long never came about because the fighters had massive egos to match their massive purse demands, a set of circumstances that made it virtually impossible to arrive at contract terms with which each could live.

Even those most interested in seeing these two antagonists mix it up again think that the sequel is at least 6 years past its natural expiration date. Oh, sure, Hopkins (50-5-1, 32 KOs) is still widely considered to be among the top five pound-for-pound fighters in the world at the improbable age of 45, but Jones (54-6, 40 KOs), at 41, has seen his once-glowing star power dim considerably in recent years. He was a one-punch knockout victim of Antonio Tarver in May 2004 and was battered unconscious in nine rounds by Glen Johnson 4 months later. Joe Calzaghe beat Jones bloody in winning a one-sided unanimous decision in November 2008 and, most tellingly, the Pensacola, Fla., native was stopped in one round by Danny Green in Australia last Dec. 2.

The shockingly quick ending of Jones' Aussie excursion should have put an end to renewed talks of his again taking on Hopkins, who outpointed Enrique Ornelas on the same date at the Liacouras Center. Just as shockingly, it didn't.

So why is the fight that the public wasn't exactly clamoring for coming off anyway? Because the revenge-minded Hopkins has an old score to settle, his partners at Golden Boy Promotions want to keep him happy and, well, Jones has lost considerable leverage to make outlandish demands.

Even the suits at HBO, who formerly were so hot to do Hopkins-Jones II, have cooled to the idea.

"We are distributing the fight [via pay-per-view], but we are not televising it ourselves," said Kery Davis, senior vice president of HBO Sports. "Make of that what you will."

Davis, though, figures he'll watch the fight, perhaps out of force of habit.

"Given my history with these guys," Davis acknowledged, "my curiosity probably will get the better of me."

That history includes fruitless hours at the bargaining table, trying to narrow the chasm between two proud, obstinant men who rejected every proferred compromise.

"The very first fight I tried to get done after Lou [DiBella] left [in 2001] was Hopkins-Jones II," Davis recalled. "We did a Hopkins fight on a Jones undercard in Indianapolis in 2000, with the idea of it leading to a rematch between them.

"It was a hellacious negotiation. Just awful. And, obviously, things didn't work out.

"Then Hopkins was involved in the middleweight unification tournament [in 2001]. He wins that, beating [Felix] Trinidad for the undisputed championship. But beating Trinidad still did not make Hopkins a household name. He needed another big fight, so, again, we had a conversation about doing Hopkins-Jones II. We did a split telecast with Jones fighting in Florida and Hopkins in Reading. They talked back and forth to each other during the telecast. Again, I thought the fight was going to happen. Again, it didn't."

Hopkins-Jones II could surprise everyone and be a candidate for fight of the year. Jones, a 4-1 underdog, could even pull off the upset; he claims he was better than Hopkins in 1993, he's better now, he'll be better forever.

Regardless of the outcome, what seems certain is that not all good things come to those who wait, especially if the wait extends beyond the boundaries of logic. *

fernanb@phillynews.com

Source: philly.com

Bernard Fernandez: Hopkins-Jones raises age-old question -- Philadelphia Daily News

By Bernard Fernandez, Philadelphia Daily News

THE SPECTRE OF Gerald McClellan hangs over Saturday's Bernard Hopkins-Roy Jones Jr. light-heavyweight bout like an ominous cloud.

McClellan is the former middleweight and super middleweight champion who suffered serious injuries in his WBC title defense in London against British challenger Nigel Benn in 1995. McClellan, who was stopped in the 10th round, was left blind, confined to a wheelchair and brain-damaged, and he has remained so to this day, a virtual prisoner inside his own body.

Jones, a friend of McClellan's, swore that he would never put himself in a position where he might be so irreparably harmed. Yet there are those who fear that Jones is doing just that after suffering a series of knockout losses that have raised questions as to his fitness to fight on.

Depending upon one's viewpoint, this is a clash of the titans, a notion advanced by Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer, or a couple of aging fighters (Jones is 41, Hopkins 45) attempting to reach back in time to recapture past glories, at the risk of their safety and well-being. Such is the position adopted by a couple of former chief ring physicians of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, which is sanctioning the bout.

The furor surrounding the NSAC's role in facilitating Hopkins-Jones II, in fact, almost bears closer scrutiny than the fight itself.

Margaret Goodman and Flip Homansky, former chief ring physicians in Nevada, think the commission approved both this bout and one the following week involving 47-year-old Evander Holyfield and 41-year-old Francois Botha because Las Vegas' casino industry is hurting and in need of tax-revenue dollars from boxing, so much so that safety concerns have been put on the back burner.

Goodman, especially, has been critical of the NSAC, which also granted a boxing license within the last year to 44-year-old Oliver McCall, whose history of drug abuse and mental problems is hardly a secret. The McCall fight fell out because of another incident of emotional disturbance.

"The situation with Roy Jones is obvious," Goodman said. "He shouldn't be competing now, and maybe never again. He has amazing credentials, an amazing history, and has been so good for the sport on so many levels. But his more recent performances have been terrible for someone with those credentials and that history. I don't know how you can turn a blind eye to that.

"You can try to rationalize and say, 'Well, the economy's bad, he deserves another chance to make a living.' But particularly in the case of Roy and Evander, how can a commission supposedly committed to high safety standards say that they're fit to box? Yes, we conduct tests, but the mere act of passing them should not be the sole grounds for the issuance of licenses. We have eyes. We all have seen with those eyes what's happening with these guys recently.

"It would be devastating if something really bad happened to Evander or Roy. Where would boxing be then? I think there's a good chance that, if they continue to box, Evander and Roy will wind up with some kind of chronic brain injury."

Added Homansky: "I saw Jones' stoppage by Danny Green. For a glancing blow to his temporal region sending him down in a heap . . . I can't imagine being able to justify licensing him, especially against Bernard Hopkins."

Keith Kizer, executive director of the Nevada commission, hears what Goodman and Homansky say, as well as their stance that the drug-testing procedures in place in their state are inadequate. His counterargument is that the fighters in question have passed their medicals, and Nevada's drug-testing program is the most rigid in America.

So who's right?

Top Rank founder Bob Arum is not involved in either Hopkins-Jones II or Holyfield-Botha, so he speaks with the voice of someone who doesn't have a horse in either race. He said if the rules and regulations in place have been met, that should be enough to satisfy anyone.

"These are matters for the commission to determine," Arum said. "Roy and Evander, who admittedly are in the late stages of their careers, have taken a lot of punishment. But under the law, you can't - and you shouldn't - discriminate against someone because of age. I promoted George Foreman when he was in his 40s and he was in better condition than a lot of athletes 20 years younger. Every case has to be considered individually.

"Margaret and Flip are disgruntled former affiliates of the commission. Neither is still involved because they were feeding [negative] stuff to the press in an effort to undercut the commission when they were a part of the commission. Since they left, I haven't seen either at any boxing match. They could be right about everything, but you have to consider the circumstances of their departure and how bitter they are."

Goodman realizes she will catch flak as well as she pitches it, and she's fine with that.

"It's reasonable for some people to dispute what I've been saying," she said. "I certainly can accept that. But staying quiet is not my way. I just care too much for the fighters to not point out what I think is wrong. If somebody says that's sour grapes on my part, so be it." *

Send e-mail to fernanb@phillynews.com

Source: philly.com

Jones Jnr and Hopkins begin their rivalry -- ESPN

By Josh Williams, ESPN.co.uk

"Bernard Hopkins is a shark. He's a bottom feeder. He's catfish. He's waiting around for someone to die, and then he'll bite into them." - Roy Jones Jnr

Although both men are in the autumn of their careers, the Jones Jnr-Hopkins rematch on April 3 represents more than merely an opportunity for the two to secure a final payday. The ferocity of the pre-fight rhetoric hints that both men have a point to prove 17 years after their first meeting, which Jones Jnr won.

After suffering a first-round knockout in his most recent fight, Jones Jnr will be desperate to denounce the perception that he is finished at the top level of boxing. He believes that there is no better way to disprove this theory than by harking back to his glory years and defeating Hopkins.

For his part, Hopkins eyes the fight as an opportunity to exorcise the ghosts of a fight in which he was outclassed against an opponent who has subsequently declared himself "[Hopkins'] worst nightmare". In the years following their first encounter, Hopkins made half-hearted attempts to organise a rematch, only to be repelled by Jones Jnr on each occasion - until now.

Going into the initial contest, which was for the vacant IBF middleweight belt on May 22, 1993, Jones Jnr was the favourite - as a silver medallist at the 1988 Olympic Games, and undefeated as a professional, he possessed the more impressive track record.

Hopkins had lost his first professional fight in 1988, although he went on to win 20 consecutive contests between February 1990 and September 1992 - helping to forge a strong reputation after that ignominious start to his career.

Despite Hopkins' run of victories heading into the fight, the perception remained that Jones Jnr was the cannier operator - and so it proved. Jones Jnr was awarded the victory via a unanimous points decision, with each judge scoring the match 116-112.

Hopkins conceded afterwards that he had been outclassed: "He was just the all-round better fighter, all-round quicker, all-round smarter." Hopkins was more impulsive in his approach, the less willing of the two to adhere to a pre-fight strategy as the contest reached its later rounds.

"He was trying to win by any means necessary," recalls Jones Jnr. "If he couldn't out-box you, he'd try to out-fight you. He tried all of that and none of it worked. He just couldn't get away from my jab and none of the tricks that he tried would work."

Jones Jnr's victory was considered all the more impressive after he made the post-fight revelation that he had defeated Hopkins with just one functioning fist. "My right hand was pretty much fractured," Jones Jnr said after the fight.

Although both had exhibited enough technical aptitude to confirm themselves as potential stars of the sport, the bout was only to attract intrigue in the years that followed as the fighters' careers continued on an upward trajectory.

Jones Jnr would go on to be considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet, possessing a fearsome combination of speed and power that allowed him to become a world champion at four weight divisions; he moved up to super-middleweight after the Hopkins fight, before eventually becoming heavyweight champion by defeating John Ruiz.

Jones' Jnr's progression up the divisions allowed Hopkins to stake a successful claim for the middleweight title. He would go on to dominate for more than a decade by making a record 20 defences, all the while declaring how the defeat to Jones Jnr contributed to his eventual success. "That fight there helped sculpture the character and my psyche of going in that ring and training," he said.

But the one blot on his copybook throughout Hopkins' glory years remained the comprehensive defeat he suffered against Jones Jnr. On Saturday, he has the opportunity to put the record straight - and how he would love to bite back at his long-time rival.

Source: espn.co.uk

John Ruiz is Back For Another Title Shot Against David Haye -- FanHouse

By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse

John Ruiz will be in the 12th title fight of a career that has spanned nearly 18 years when he enters the ring on Saturday night opposite WBA heavyweight champion, David Haye, of England before Haye's partisan, British fans at M.E.N. Arena, in Manchester.

A 38-year-old resident of Chelsea, Mass., Ruiz (44-8-1, 30 knockouts) will be attempting to win a crown for the third time when he faces the 29-year-old Haye (23-1, 21 KOs), a feat accomplished by men such as Lennox Lewis and Muhammad Ali.

Evander Holyfield is the sport's lone four-time heavyweight champion.

"It is going to work this time," said Ruiz. "No matter what they say, they can't take it away from me."

Ruiz considers it a plus that he has fought six times in England, winning every time, with five knockiouts.

"I've fought here six times. These fans put favoritism behind them and root for a good fight. I've fought everybody in the world, never avoiding anybody," said Ruiz. "I'm very proud of that. I've traveled the world, and boxing has been a savior for me."

There was a unanimous decision over Cordell Hylton in November of 1993, followed by a fourth-round knockout of Julius Francis in May of '94.

In '95, Ruiz scored respective stoppages of Jack Basting, Michael Murray, and, Derrick Roddy, in one, four, and two rounds, and there was his third-round knockout of Yuri Yelistratov in November of '96.

The brash, and, trash-talking Haye is immensely popular in England.

"[Haye] still isn't well known in the United States. [His popularity] is still in the beginning. His name is spreading around, but he needs to face somebody who's been in the heavyweight division, and that's me," said Ruiz.

"He can talk all he wants, but he knows he's in a tough fight. I don't focus on the other fighter, I focus on myself," said Ruiz. "Experience plays an important part, but so does youth. He's going to prepare himself and use the style he believes will win the fight. We'll see what comes out on top."

Being of Puerto Rican decent, Ruiz is the only Latino to have won a heavyweight title. Ruiz is also among the last four Americans to have held a version of the heavyweight belt, dethroning Holyfield for that honor.

In June of 2007, Shannon Briggs was briefly the WBO champion, this, two years after Ruiz was WBA king in 2005. In 2006, Hasim Rahman and Chris Byrd, respectively, were titlists with the WBC, and, IBF.

Haye recently dethroned Russia's seven foot Nicolay Valuev to earn the WBA crown, and 38-year-old Vitali Klitschko (39-2, 37 KOs), holds the WBC belt.

Klitschko's 33-year-old brother, Wladimir Klitschko (53-3, 47 knockouts), is the IBF and WBO champion. The younger Klitschko is riding a streak of 12-0, with nine knockouts -- including stoppages in his past four bouts -- since a fifth-round knockout loss to Lamon Brewster in April of 2004.

"I was born in the United States and my family is Puerto Rican. I'm a Puerto Rican-American. I've accomplished a lot during my career," said Ruiz. "I am the first Hispanic world heavyweight champion. But I'm an American, and I'm bringing the belt back home."

Ruiz brings a new enthusiasm into his match up with Haye, who became the first former cruiser weight (200 pounds) since Holyfield to win a heavyweight title.

Long maligned for what was often described as a boring, if not effective, "Jab-and-Grab" style, Ruiz claims to be more versatile under new head trainer, Miguel Diaz.

"I have a new team of trainers Miguel Diaz, and, Richie Sandoval. And I have a new promoter, Golden Boy [Promotions.] But there are still some people who've been part of the team for a long time," said Ruiz.

"You're seeing more of the Ruiz from the past -- boxing and punching, not holding," said Ruiz. "How many guys can say they have fought and won the two world heavyweight championships? I'm at peace, blessed with my family, and I've never been in tune with boxing like this during my career."

Ruiz's is a career that has risen up and down so many times, as if like a a yo-yo. Better yet, he has often rebounded like a rubber ball that has been slammed against a wall yet continues to return.

There were split-decision losses in his 15th, and, 20th professional bouts to Sergei Kobozev, and, Danell Nicholson, respectively, in August of '93, and, August of '94.

There was Ruiz's 19-second, first-round stoppage loss to David Tua in his 28th professional fight in March of '96.

Ruiz dropped an August of 2000, unanimous decision to Holyfield for the vacant WBA heavyweight title, only to reverse that verdict in March of 2001, and then, to retain the title six months later with a draw opposite Holyfield.

After one defense, however, Ruiz lost the crown in March of 2003, when Roy Jones rose from light heavyweight (175 pounds) to dethrone him as WBA king.

There would be yet another comeback for Ruiz, however, nine months later in his very next fight, when he regained the WBA title by unanimous decision over former world champion Rahman, a former Lennox Lewis-conqueror.

Ruiz defended that crown twice, the second time, in November of 2004, literally having to rise from the canvas two times before claiming a unanimous decision over Andrew Golota.

But misfortune would befall Ruiz, yet again, in his very next bout -- an October, 2005 loss to James Toney, who was subsequently stripped of the crown after testing positive for steroids.

Ruiz lost twice more in WBA title bouts to the seven-foot, 300-plus pound Valuev, respectively, by majority, and, unanimous decision, in December of 2005, and, August of 2008.

It matters not to Ruiz that, in defeating Valuev, Haye accomplished what neither he nor Holyfield could.

"I was surprised that [David Haye] got a decision [over Valuev] in Germany. Luck was on his side. I congratulate him. He did what he had to do and got the win. Holyfield's a legend. I can't compare them today," said Ruiz of Holyfield, loser of a December, 2008, majority decision to Valuev.

Every fight is difficult because everybody comes to win. That's what makes boxing special," said Ruiz. "But we're still here, and, hopefully this time around, we'll get a win."

Source: news.google.com

HAYE: YOU! GET OFF OF MY CROWD -- Mirror

By David Anderson, Mirror.co.uk

BOXING HEAVYWEIGHT SHOWDOWN

David Haye has hit back in the verbal fisticuffs with John Ruiz, claiming: "You might still be world champion if you had fans."

Wba heavyweight king Haye landed his dig in response to Ruiz's jibe that he only won the title from Nikolai Valuev because his supporters at ringside swayed the judges to give him the decision.

Haye feels there is a distinct whiff of sour grapes about Ruiz's comments because he lost his title and failed to regain it both times he fought Valuev in Germany.

He says at least he has fans and Ruiz could accommodate all his supporters in a phone box.

"Granted, my fight with Valuev was not the most action-packed of my career, but I had a game-plan and I won," said the two-weight world champion.

"And that's what it's all about. "He can talk about the judges, but maybe if he had some fans he might still be world champion.

"Throughout my career, I have fought to entertain people and I am an exciting fighter.

"Maybe if he had fought more instead of just hugging people to death, he might have some fans too."

Despite this jibe, Haye has been restrained in his war of words with Ruiz compared to his all-out assault on Valuev.

The Londoner claims he doesn't need to get under the American's skin to beat him when he makes his first defence against him in Manchester's MEN Arena on Saturday, live on Sky Box Office HD. Haye has tried to think how Lennox Lewis would beat Ruiz and says he may ring the former undisputed world heavyweight champ.

"When I fought Valuev, part of my game-plan was to wind him up to make him come after me," he said. "I'm not that kind of guy normally and that was the only reason why I did it.

"For Ruiz, I don't need to try and get inside his head. I know I have the ability to beat him without having to unsettle him.

"Sometimes I ask myself how would Lennox Lewis have dealt with him and I think he would have broken him down before taking him out.

"I may give him a call because Lennox is a master strategist."

Two-time champ Ruiz's only knock-out during his 18-year pro career was a 19-second defeat to David Tua in 1996 and Haye claims he will become the second man to stop him by beating him "to within an inch of his life".

He said: "The only stoppage he's had was earlier in his career against David Tua and it was a flash knock-out.

"I don't think that will happen again and to stop him, I'm going to have to break him down and take him out.

"To do that, I'm going to have to beat him to within an inch of his life. I'm really going to have to do a number on this guy.

"I know he's got good powers of recovery and I'm really going to have to hammer away at him. But I know that if I keep chopping, the tree will eventually fall."

Like all of Haye's opponents, Ruiz feels the champ is chinny because of his five-round destruction at the hands of Carl Thompson in 2004, which remains his only pro defeat.

Haye, 29, is happy to let Ruiz delude himself this way because he knows he is a totally different fighter now.

"I've heard him say he's going to get on top of me the whole fight and that I'm chinny," he said.

"He thinks he has the game-plan to beat me and that he can do what Carl Thompson did to me.

"That defeat was one of those one-off things and it won't happen again. I was the architect of my own downfall that night and I've learned from that.

"I've proved to everyone that I've moved to a different level and on Saturday, Ruiz is also going to get acquainted with the new me."

Source: mirror.co.uk