John Ruiz Puts His Heavyweight Title On The Line Against Undisputed Light Heavyweight Champ Roy Jones

10.12 - WBA Heavyweight Champion John Ruiz defends his crown against Undisputed Light Heavyweight Champion Roy Jones, Jr. at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, on Saturday, March 1, 2003 in - "A Hard Road to Glory" - The second event in the World Heavyweight Championship series.

Legends are larger than life as Caesars Palace, and Don King welcome fans to the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas to witness WBA Heavyweight Champion John Ruiz --the "Rodney Dangerfield of Boxing" -- fighting for respect, makes the third defense of his title. The event will be televised live on HBO Pay-Per-View nationally and KingVision around the world.

Jones will be fighting for history…"Super Roy" brings unprecedented credentials to his history in the making challenge. Over 100-years ago Bob Fitzimmons came from the world middleweight championship that he won in 1891 to knock out Gentleman Jim Corbett in the 14th round to become the World Heavyweight Champion on March 17, 1897. He later went on to win the light heavyweight title after losing the heavyweight belt to Jim Jeffries.

"To transcend earthly bounds," said promoter Don King. "He brings a great history in the making. If successful, 'Super Roy' shall have met the challenge of destiny. Faster than a speeding bullet - more powerful than a locomotive - he can leap tall buildings in a single bound - is he a bird? - is he a plane? …He is Superman Roy Jones, Jr.

"I want to thank the dynamic and innovative new leader of the Park Place Entertainment team Wally Barr. Without his support this Series could not happen. We also have to thank Square Ring for their support during a long negotiation," concluded King.

"We're very excited about this entire Series, which begins with Holyfield vs. Byrd on December 14 in Atlantic City," said Barr, the President & CEO of Park Place Entertainment, the parent company of Caesars. "It's the kind of attraction that originally made Caesars Palace the Home of Champions and Stars and we're committed to bringing our players, guests and fans the very best in boxing and entertainment."

"This highly anticipated event will fulfill the imaginations of boxing fans worldwide," said Mark Taffet, HBO Senior Vice President of Sports Operations and Pay-Per-View. "Is being the best good enough for Roy Jones? Will size matter for John Ruiz? We can't wait for this historic matchup on March 1st."

John "The Quietman" Ruiz (37-4-1, 27 KOs) from Chelsea, Mass. has methodically moved up the heavyweight ranks, not backing down from any challenge. He continues to win, it seems, everything but respect. In 1997, Ruiz captured the North American Boxing Federation by beating Jimmy Thunder. In his first defense of that title, he stopped Tony "TNT" Tucker, the only boxer to go the distance against both Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson, in the eleventh round. In September 1998, Ruiz won the WBA North American Heavyweight title, which helped to propel him to WBA No. 1 contender status. Ruiz maintained that No. 1 ranking until finally getting his world title shot.

That title chance came on August 12, 2000 when he met legendary Evander Holyfield for the WBA crown in Las Vegas. That battle was the first in a trilogy between the two warriors, a total of thirty-six grueling rounds. Ruiz emerged as champion twice. In their second bout, on March 3, 2001, Ruiz connected with a stunning right cross to send Holyfield reeling to the canvas, joining Riddick Bowe as the only boxers to knock down the four-time world champion. On that night in Las Vegas, "Johnny" also became the first Latino heavyweight champion in history.

In his most recent bout, Ruiz defended his title against No. 1 contender Kirk Johnson. Johnson disqualified after repeatedly fouling the champion out of frustration. Nevertheless, universal respect has eluded the WBA champ. The historic clash with Roy Jones, Jr. is his opportunity to showcase his talents and silence his critics. Conversely, John Ruiz symbolizes the two things Jones loves best about boxing - world title belts and making history.

Roy Jones, Jr. (47-1, 38 KOs) from Pensacola, FL is generally regarded as the best pound-for-pound boxer on the planet. The former Middleweight and Super Middleweight champion currently holds no less than five light heavyweight belts. Jones is 21-1 in world championship fights. He was voted the "Fighter of the Decade" in the 1990's by the Boxing Writers Association of America. He has made 11 successful defenses in unifying the 175-pound division and was Ring magazine's "Fighter of the Year" in 1994. A victory by Jones over the 6'2" 240-pound Ruiz would mark the first time since the 1890's that a former middleweight champion was crowned heavyweight champion of the world.

Jones has defeated the best fighters in three weight divisions. He outclassed and showed up Bernard Hopkins over 12 rounds to claim the vacant IBF Middleweight Championship in his first landmark fight on May 22, 1993. Eighteen months later, on Nov. 18, 1994, Jones won the IBF Super Middleweight title against favored, unbeaten super middleweight champion James Toney on Nov. 18, 1994. In 1999, Jones unified the light heavyweight division for the first time in fourteen years.

The RUIZ vs. JONES pay-per-view telecast on March 1st is being produced and distributed by HBO Pay-Per-View and will be available to over 48 million pay-per-view homes. The RUIZ vs. JONES pay-per-view telecast begins at 9pm ET/6 pm PT. HBO Pay-Per-View is the leading supplier of event programming to the pay-per-view industry.