08.03.04 – By Tony Nobbs: Australia’s WBC # 2 Paul ’Hurricane’ Briggs (22-1, 17 KO) got off the deck to guarantee himself a well deserved Lt. Heavyweight title fight by winning a unanimous decision over Mexican WBC # 8 Jesus ‘Chuy’ Ruiz (18-4, 16 KO) at the Penrith Panthers in Sydney yesterday (Sunday). A capacity house and TV viewers on Main Event and Sky Channel PPV were treated to one of the best fights seen in this country in many years. Ruiz’ aggression saw him get off a to a fabulous start before Briggs’ better boxing skills, fitness and faster hands saw him take the points in the final half with the twelveth round being one of fights best. The eight bout promotion put together by Tony Carradonna Blaster Promotions and Glenn Wheatley was certainly of the standard warranting Colonel Bob Sheridan’s presence ringside commentating.
Sheridan, who next week works his 741st world title bout since 1968 when he calls the Mosley-Wright ‘War at 154’ praised the effort of both men throughout and later described Briggs as “a world class calibre fighter with the punch and toughness to be world champion”.
After being shaded in the opening stanza Briggs was on his way to taking a 10-9 in the second when the 6’2 Ruiz landed a long right hand which knocked the fancied former world kick boxing champion down along the ropes in the later stages of the round. The punch found the target inside Briggs’ left glove as he was angling off into its path. Shaken but not seriously hurt Briggs got up quickly and attacked back at Ruiz after referee Brian McMahon resumed the action. Back in the corner Paul benefited from a calm team headed by Rod Waterhouse and steadily worked his way back into the fight but it wasn’t until the seventh round that he had drawn even on eastside’s card. Ruiz began to visibly slow in the fifth but he remained dangerous to
the end and Paul kept his P’s & Q’s about him, never totally committing himself to loading up, wary of running in to another bolt.
Overall Briggs threw a better kit of punches and was far sharper and busier than Jesus who telegraphed his shots more and more as each round passed and Paul was able to get underneath and work away inside. Last April Briggs dominated Jorge Castro in a bout that was expected to get him a shot and he knocked out Glenn Kelly in September 2002 who seven months previous was
rated # 1 by the IBF and in the ring with Roy Jones. Briggs has paid his dues and earned his crack the hard way. The official scores were Victor Cervantes (Mex) 114-113, Bruce Mc Tavish (Phil) 116-112 and Brad Vocale (Aust) 117-113. Eastside had it 116-111 or 9-3 in rounds.
Pre fight the Ruiz camp suggested Briggs was over looking their man and was too concerned with fighting for the championship. Without doubt Jesus came to win and entered the bout with a nothing to lose attitude. Though the fight was fought in good spirit Briggs was hit south several times including one moments before the knockdown. Paul was also warned for the same infraction. At the weigh in on Saturday, Briggs stripped down naked after taking a steam earlier in the day to scale 79.35 kg while Ruiz came it at 79 kg flat. In kilo’s the 175 lb class is 79.39. This was the first time either contender had gone the twelve rounds.
After the decision was announced Briggs stunned everybody by suggesting he had lost the fight. “Jesus is an unbelievable opponent. I am first and foremost a warrior and a fighter. I believe if this fight was in the U.S he would have got a hometown decision. I do not feel as though I won the fight. He definitely deserves a rematch”.
Concerning the knockdown he said “I did exactly what my management told me not to do, that is to go straight back and I got clocked. That’s what happens when you don’t listen to your corner”.
At the post fight dinner at the Panthers the OPBF champion clarified what he meant in the ring. “I definitely feel I won the fight but not in the manner I had hoped. Jesus is a more than worthy opponent, he came well prepared for this fight and he is a true warrior. It was an absolute pleasure to fight him. He is also one of the nicest people I ever met in boxing. He is a
gentleman. At the weigh-in I saw him and I knew I was in for one hell of a fight. When you meet guys like Jesus you know they don’t have to talk because they know they can fight. I know a lot of people have questioned my chin from my kick boxing days but today I took an awesome right hand from a guy with sixteen knockouts in eighteen wins and I got straight back up and into him.”
As for his future title shot, Briggs who is set to link with Golden Boy Promotions believes the opponent will be Antonio Tarver. “I don’t think Roy Jones will fight him again. I think he will hurt Tarver by not giving him a shot. Then I will get Tarver for the vacant title. Our goal is to head to the states and prepare. In Australia, I really only have Danny Green to
spar who is around my weight. When I fight for the title I will need to spar plenty of tough willing fighters. These guys I’m fighting are training for months in camp to fight me”.
U.S agent Sampson Lewkowicz told eastside “On what I saw here today I’d say Paul Briggs can be world champion. We will need to base him in the U.S for at least two-three months and find a good training camp for him. He needs more sparring than is available here. With that type of good hard preparation he can defeat Tarver, I believe”.
In the main support Shannan Taylor (37-3-2, 24 KO) retained his IBF Pan Pac 154 lb belt with near shutout decision over awkward Argentine Paulo Sanchez(31-19-15 KO). The first few rounds were tidy and fairly even but by round seven Sanchez had shut up shop and was more interested in going the route than taking the title. Official scores 120-108, 119-108, 118-110.
Eastside had it 119-109 giving the visitor the second. “I boxed and got twelve rounds under my belt. He was awkward the way he kept turning side on. I give my self six (out of 1ten). He came to fight but not really win. I’m thirty two (in May) and lot of people wrote me off but I keep winning.
Lovemore Ndou (37-6-1, 23 KO) kept his IBF Pan Pac 140 lb title by knocking out southpaw Katchai 13 Coins (16-2, 11 KO) in round four. Two solid lefts to the body put 13 coins down in the opening round and body shots set up the finishing right uppercut in the fourth. The Thai fell face first and stayed there for several seconds. Time 2.26. Ndou, who gave Sharmba Mitchell a tough fight on Feb 7 said later “It feels good to be back in the ring.I knew my friends were expecting much from me after my fight with Sharma Mitchell. I didn’t want to waste my punches and I just took my time” before adding “I know Kostya Tszyu is here. I wish him a speedy recovery. I apologise to him for things I said that were upsetting. I didn’t mean no disrespect, I just wanted to get a fight with you…. He is a true world champion, the best 140 pounder out here and I believe he will beat Sharmba on any given day and then hopefully Lovemore Ndou- Kostya Tszyu will be a big fight in Australia”.
Sam Soliman (24-7, 7 KO) looked impressive in over whelming Argentina’s Jorge Sclarandi (28-20-1, 2 KO) to defend his IBF Pan Pac 160 lb strap. Sclarandi never came out for round eight claiming a pinched nerve in his neck. Sam’s dominance was so that eastside gave him every round with three 10-8’s. No knockdowns. Best known for stretching Anthony Mundine to a split decision in 2001, Soliman last week signed with Goosen – Tutor, who also resigned Lovemore Ndou recently. This writer cornered Soliman in his first Australian title victory in 1997 and this was the strongest Sam has looked. “ I want Bernard Hopkins but Oscar Dela Hoya has moved up to middleweight and he would be a good scalp”.
Nedal ‘Skinny’ Hussein (32-1, 19 KO) wasted no time knocking out Indonesian Donny Suratin (15-6, 6 KO) in a jnr. lightweight bout scheduled for eight. A beautifully placed left rip finished the fight with the official time 61 seconds into the first. Hussein owns one of the best lefts downstairs you could hope to see.
In a rough fight Tosca Petridis ((9-5-1, 5 KO) won the Australian cruiserweight title for the second tome with a five round TKO (cut eye) over Brett Smith (8-2-2, 3 KO).
Johnny Sheferaw (4-2, 3 KO) outpointed Argentine Diego Alzugary (13-7-4, 2 KO) in an entertaining lt.welter eight rounder. Official scores 78-75 x 2 and 78-74. Eastside had it 77-75.
To show the quality of the card, 2002 Commonwealth Games gold medallist Paul Miller (3-0-1, 3 KO) crushed the rosin as he stopped fellow lefty Peter Rudd (4-6-2, 2 KO) at 2 minute 35 of round three. Set for six, super middleweight. Miller, who is as classy out of the ring as in defeated Jerson Ravelo at the Sydney Olympics and looks to be steadily adjusting to the pro
style under the guidance of former world rated light-jnr welter Justin Rowsell.