Boxing
Eastside Heavyweight Rankings Update

By Steve Trellert

#10. Fres Oquendo
Up from #11 with the win over Mo Harris. Despite the knockdowns attained and the emphatic victory, there seemed to be something inherently unimpressive about Oquendo's performance. Not only did he lack fluidity, but he also tended to lunge wildly with his hooks in an almost amateurish fashion that clearly would have been exploited by a more potent, or perhaps versatile, opponent. In terms of being a contender, Fres appeared to be nothing more than a fighter bound to reside amongst the back end of the top ten. On further reflection though, more may be at hand. The lack of fluidity is in essence his style, a kind of awkwardness that seems to restrict opponents more than himself. The wild hooks may not be an indication of immaturity, but a wise strategy against opponents such as Mo Harris and Clifford Etienne who are susceptible to it. Against David Tua, Oquendo was devoid of these attributes, and until caught late, dominated the Tuaman with a firm straight jab and ring movement. The Tua fight also demonstrated his ability to be competitive amongst the elite despite being devoid of a victory against one. Additionally he has expressed good technical ability, admirable ring intelligence and one of the best jabs in the division. All he needs to do now is defeat a top-ten contender to demonstrate he can become something other than the current fringe contender he now is. Does he have the goods, or is he just mediocrity yet unexposed? The jury is largely still out on Fres, but by the end of this year much of the guesswork surrounding his true stature should be revealed. Fighting another top ten contender should illuminate his position, and with Harris out of the way, now is the time.

#9. John Ruiz
Down from #3 after his loss to Roy Jones Jr. After accomplishing far more than anybody ever expected of him in defeating Evander Holyfield and Kirk Johnson, Johnny Ruiz has now fallen into the second great calamity of his boxing career. His ineptitude and impotence against the Light Heavyweight Champion wrapped a second albatross around his neck after the first arose via a nineteen second thumping at the hands of David Tua. The backlash has grown to such an extent that it has been suggested that I remove Ruiz from the top thirty rankings altogether. Of course the performance was incompetent, but that does not entail that "the Quiet Man" should be judged solely in an emotional response to one fight. Additionally it must be noted that Roy Jones Jr. picked Ruiz for a reason and that the timing was by no means coincidental. John Ruiz is not the most mobile of fighters and therefore became an easy target for a man whose lightning fast hands could hardly miss. Ruiz has never been a natural stalker, or chaser, of his opponents in the ring and so was forced to fight not only against his own strengths, but also to his opponents. To be effective, he needs his opponent to stand in front of him and allow him the opportunity to set and let his jab go, just as Evander Holyfield did. A slugging match is the Quiet Man's forte. Roy Jones wisely avoided this and simply outmaneuvered Ruiz for much of the twelve rounds. John Ruiz was basically made to order for Roy Jones Jr. Now Ruiz finds himself on the outside once again looking in while likely being underestimated. This is not a bad place to be for a man who though far from entertaining, has always demonstrated heart and determination in the face of superior talent. These factors alone mean that he cannot be dismissed, for better or worse for boxing. Currently Ruiz finds himself behind Jameel McCline as both have recently defeated two top ten fighters while losing their most recent fight; the difference is that McCline lost to a superior opponent. Below is Oquendo who has an inferior resume in regards to the win column.

#30. Mo Harris
Down from #27 after his loss to Fres Oquendo. Mo 'better blues' is singing it right now after yet another loss to a top contender. Despite possessing good technical ability, Mo seems ever too erratic in its successful implementation. In the early rounds against Oquendo he seemed somewhat nervous, uptight, and unwilling to let his punches go. It was as though he mentally took himself out of the fight instead of just relaxing and getting down to business. He loosened up after his first knockdown and made it more competitive, but his ever-present brittle chin once again arose as his Achilles heel. For all intents and purposes, Mo Harris is essentially a fighter in the void between contenders and journeymen with a residual of darkhorse tendencies. On his game, Mo can be a dangerous opponent, but more often than not he isn't. Largely by default Harris remains on the list as there is nobody underneath him who quite deserves to be ranked in his place. Either they have not defeated a true name yet, or they have failed to make any impact for quit some time.

Inactivity Downgrades
Oliver McCall has not fought for over a year now as he has been languishing in prison. He has recently been released but nonetheless falls from #21 to #24.

Monte Barrett has been inexplicably absent for nearly a year and a half despite coming off successive wins over Robert Davis and Tim Witherspoon. For this he has slipped in the rankings from #16 to #22.

Note: If Wladimir Klitschko defeats Corrie Sanders this weekend there will be no shift in the rankings.

Complete East Side Boxing Heavyweight Rankings

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