04.05.05 – By Fiona Manning: Once there was a kid in Chelsea, Massachusetts who thought he could be world heavyweight champion. And he did. Only he found himself universally disliked, picked on by the media, the fans and disrespected by many of his opponents..
There’s two sides to every fight and personally, I was impressed with John Ruiz’ performance on Saturday night. While 50% of the boxing fraternity and the fans think The Quiet Man makes a safe, fun verbal punching bag, the rest of us know him for what he is.
John Ruiz is a guy who showed tremendous heart against one of boxing’s freakier head cases, James “My Lights Are REALLY Out” Toney who FAILED, yes people, FAILED to deliver on that KO performance he bragged he would bring to the ring.
Now don’t get me wrong. I’m reluctant to take on Toney (who once stopped speaking to me for two years after a fight review I wrote) but is everybody scared of this guy?
Few fans and even fewer media folk have seen what Toney is REALLY like up close and personal. Just ask Steve Kim, me and many others who have witnessed Toney going mad at the Wild Card Gym with a gun, with his fists and with that mean ol’ mouth of his.
James Toney is scary. He flips on a dime.
John Ruiz might not have the most exciting fight style in the game, but hell, he didn’t show an ounce of intimidation with one of the most fearsome blokes in and out of the ring.
He surprised Toney by not caving in like a hillside house in California after five rounds. Ruiz gave and took some pretty good shots, frustrating Toney enough to make the guy step on his foot and shove him in the seventh.
But that’s not fighting dirty. Nooooo…let’s just keep snickering about Ruiz’ past missteps.
I was kinda hoping Ruiz would put on a better show just to shut Toney up. Honestly. Toney is often so nasty in the gym, people tip toe round him.
To the uninitiated, James Toney can seem hilarious until you realize he is REALLY going off. I’ve seen him be very funny (the post Klitshcko-Sanders presser at Staples Center), very savage (beating up hapless sparring partner Elecier Castillo) and yes, truly frightening (that gun).
But I doubt any of the people who so willingly decimate John Ruiz in print could face Toney in the ring for even a single round.
Hell, I’d like to see ‘em go a round or 10 with Ruiz. Then let’s hear them giggling.
I respect James Toney for everything he has achieved in boxing. He has had some epic battles (my faves are still his wars with Mike McCallum) but I just think that the sport could use more nice guys like Ruiz and fewer freakozids, but then what would we all write about?
Another thing: Why is everyone saying Ruiz looked tired at the end? Toney looked pretty trashed too. Or is it not PC to say so?
As somebody who has been lurking on the boxing scene for as long as I have, I have always been mystified by the sense of outrage John Ruiz has engendered by the media many of whom frankly, should be sued by the already rich champ, just to pad those post-fight coffers of his.
If I’m going to be completely honest, I have to point out that The Quiet Man has got a few nuts loose in his cabin, too. His manager Norman “Stoney” Stone must have been excellent mental practice for Ruiz coming into this fight.
Stoney is a loose cannon, a frequent embarrassment to the fighter who remains steadfast and loyal to the camouflage-lovin’ lout.
Okay, I’ll admit, I like going to any Ruiz weigh-in just to see what Stoney will do. It’s not often you see a manager-trainer ready to rumble right there in front of everybody – for free!!
But still, why does everybody feel Ruiz is a dependable object of ridicule?
Probably because they know he ain’t gonna be showin’ up at their door with a gun and a mouthful of vitriol, like Toney once did with Jackie Kallen.
Ruiz altered his style Saturday night, proved he can take a lickin’ and it still ain’t good enough!
Nobody seems to think that Toney was not a particularly good sport by refusing to hug the deposed champ (he acted like a brat with McCallum, too) after the fight.
They talk about the fact that Ruiz sulked in his dressing room. I however, have yet to meet a fighter who adores to lose. And I have yet to meet a single other fighter who has had to take as much crap as John Ruiz has.
I would have stayed in the dressing room too and let Stoney do my talking for me – even if I end up regretting letting him anywhere near a microphone.
Will Ruiz retire? Probably not. Beware fighters who ‘retire’ after an ass-kicking.
He’s already shown he can get back up again and I hope he does this time too. A kid from Chelsea once thought he could be a champion.
And he was. Twice.
Attention must be paid.