12.04.06 – By Jim Amato: Well, Nikolay Valuev has finally freed us of the clutches of John Ruiz. Will John decide to retire? We’ll see. Rumor has it that Valuev is going to defend against fringe contender Owen Beck instead of giving Ruiz a rematch. In a lot of these cases, money talks and BS walks. If Ruiz does decide to retire here is a little retrospect on his career. No, John was far from exciting. He gave a new meaning to the phrase “Winning Ugly.” But…He won. He was a major player in the heavyweight picture for a long time.
Ruiz beat a lot of fighters that on paper he should have lost to. Holyfield, Kirk Johnson, Fres Oquendo and Andrew Golota, all come to mind. What I am leading up to is that John made the most out of his raw ability and his gameness. Yes, he was out boxed by Roy Jones Jr. and out foxed by a possibly “juiced” James Toney. Throw the Tua debacle out the window. If John Ruiz had nothing else, he had courage!
The job of a manager is to make the most money he can for his fighter by matching his man with other men he feels can be beaten. The manager’s job is to manuver his charge up through the ratings at a minimal risk. If his boxer is fortunate enough to gain a high ranking and secure a title shot, then the manager has done well. If the fighter is fortunate enough to actually win a title then it is up to the manager to try and keep his charge as champion for as long as possible by matching him with boxers that are competetive enough to secure a decent payday.
The trick here is not to overmatch your boxer unless the payday is just too much to pass up. I don’t know for sure how much control Norman “Stoney” Stone had in the overall making of John’s matches, but I’m sure his voice was heard. I know Mr. Stone is not the most popular man with the press, etc. Still, you have to give him his do. By all accounts, John Ruiz should retire a very wealthy man. Add to that the fact that he was never matched with Lennox Lewis. Ruiz is a lucky man. “Stoney” did his job well.