JOHN "THE QUIETMAN" RUIZ

What They’re Saying about “The Quietman”…..

“Ruiz is a good fighter, very under-rated. He’s not the most entertaining of former champions but he’s won championships on several occasions and you don’t do that through being a bad fighter.

“He’s not brilliant at any one thing but he’s good at everything. He’s a lot better than people think,. Because of his awkward style people look at him not as a threat but as an annoyance, but he won the heavyweight championship twice so he must be doing something right….The toughest fight of my life will be John Ruiz.”

David Haye, WBA Heavyweight Champion

“However, I have my doubts that Haye will ever get a shot at the Klitschko brothers, because I see him losing to Ruiz next year. Haye won’t be able to pot shotting him 10 shots per rounds, because Ruiz is capable of landing a lot more than 10 punches per round. He also isn’t afraid to mix it up and take a shot. Ruiz likes to stay close where he will be able to neutralize Haye’s power and take advantage of his own by clobbering Haye with uppercuts.
Many people still se Ruiz as a punch and clinch fighter. He’s changed his style a lot in the past couple of years and is now much more of a puncher than he used to be…..he is much more entertaining than he used to be.
“Ruiz is very effective at getting his shots off before he’s hit. His jab is excellent and we saw how vulnerable Haye was at getting hit with jabs in his fights against Monte Barrett and Valuev. Haye may run a lot and stay outside but he’s no good at avoiding the jab. This is why I see Ruiz and, of course, the Klitschko brothers, beating Haye.
“I think Haye needs to forget about the huge money that he’ll make against the Klitschko brothers and focus more on the Ruiz fight. I think Haye is hugely under estimating Ruiz an seeing him as a Valuev or Maccarinelli type opponent instead of a live threat that could beat him.”

Scott Guifoid, www.boxingnews24.com

“It’s not just talk whey they say John Ruiz is a different fighter who no longer holds and clinches during the entire bout. John Ruiz is now a fighter who can box and he proved that tonight stopping Adnan Serin in 7 rounds.
“Ruiz worked behind a good jab and rather than hold on the inside, he threw hooks and uppercuts that sent Serin’s head flying back. Ruiz suffered a cut in the fourth round that went from about the corner of his left eye to the bridge on his nose. Feeling as sense of urgency, Ruiz became even more offensive, now ripping shots to the body. In the seventh round Serin’s corner had seen enough and threw in the towel.”

Kenny Perrault, www.braggingrightscorner.com

“David Haye has no idea what’s coming next. When it comes to fighting John Ruiz, no one ever does….Everyone makes this mistake with Ruiz, who is an awkward guy the television networks hate and opponents look at with scorn until they find themselves in the ring with him. Evander Holyfield was there for 36 rounds and lost more of those then he won. He also got knocked on his back the night Ruiz won the WBA title for the first time.
“…..(Haye) knows that regardless of what people say about John Ruiz, it’s a lot easier to talk badly about him than fight well against him….Haye didn’t look as good against Valuev as Ruiz did the first time he faced the same opponent in Berlin.

“When that night comes, David Haye is going to learn something he doesn’t know about John Ruiz. He’s going to learn it’s a lot easier to talk about him than beat him.”

Ron Borges, Boston Herald

“I really see Haye as a one hit wonder and I’m not talking about his power. I mean I see him lasting as a champion about one fight. Haye faces John Ruiz next in 2010, and I think Ruiz will beat him by knockout….I don’t think Haye’s weak chin would be able to take Ruiz’s hard uppercuts and I see Haye lasting six or seven rounds before being taken out by the former champion Ruiz….I see him losing badly to Ruiz.”

Scott Gilfoid, www.boxingnews24.com

“Where does David Haye go from here?
“The answer is he has to fight WBA mandatory challenger John Ruiz. Spoiler John is an unexciting fighter with a lot of experience. There is nothing spectacular about his boxing ability but he could prove more difficult for David Haye to beat than Nicolai Valuev.”

Leslie McCarthy, www.boxingaction.com

“Having seen some of Ruiz’s recent fights, I will join the small collection that will tell you he’s not joshin’ about this (improved style). Ruiz has been much more aggressive lately and isn’t quite the bore he was during his peak. He’s also made 95% valid points in his recent complaints about the WBA and other things in boxing that have really been grinding his gears. Say what you will about Ruiz, but he doesn’t come into arguments without some ammunition.”

www.badlefthook.com
“A sharp, aggressive Ruiz 44-8-1 (30), making his first appearance since losing for the second time to Valuev 15 months ago, dominated his overmatched opponent from the outset. The American abandoned his usual hit-and-hold strategy and looked bright in the process.”

Michael Norby, www.secondsout.com

“Jawny jogged to the ring, briskly, looking like he was wanting to collect loan money from Serin. Ruiz said he’d not be holding this time around. Would he stick to it? Judging by the first round, yes. He kept his hands moving, against a limited foe, closing the gap and getting off…..He pumped the jab, sometimes with snap. Having not fought in a year, he did have some evident rust to shed.”

Michael Woods, www.thesweetscience.com

“Now trained by cutman Miguel Diaz, Ruiz would avoid any clinching with Serin by creating distance wit the jab and pushing Serin back for opening to sneak in with a double left hook to the head. Diaz has also dialed in the arsenal of Ruiz – a straight right that did most of the damage with a following right uppercut.”

www.therewillbeblood.com

“…but Ruiz walked forward throughout and was perhaps brighter and certainly more aggressive than expected, perhaps with a point to prove being usurped by Haye in the pecking order.”
ww.skysports.com/boxing
For his part, Ruiz kept his promise of a more aggressive style and kept throwing hard punches during a 7th round stoppage of very durable Adnan Serin.
“Further diplomatic, trans-Atlantic grace from Team Ruiz. His moniker should be “The Quiet and Classy Man.”

Phil Woolever, www.thesweetscience.com

“But for all doubters, I’d like to encourage everyone to visit YouTube and refresh their preconceptions about the 37 year old former two-time WBA champion. In short Ruiz is a different beast to the much maligned jab and grab merchant he’s often described as.

John Ruiz, as regular readers will know, is one of my favourite fighters. Okay, he isn’t a Manny Pacquiao in the excitement stakes and je doesn’t have that newly pressed freshness like Tim Bradley or Jean Pascal, two more fighters from my classy champions list, but he is a solid fighter who deserves more respect than he’s afforded.
“…He proved candid and phlegmatic in perspective and his subsequent display versus the Turkish journeyman showed further evidence of his renewal as an aggressive heavyweight.

“His pragmatism has been clear throughout his roller-coaster journey through the heavyweight waters this past 17 years. Most noticeably his willingness to fight whoever the sanctioning bodies, usually the WBA, decreed he needed to….Perhaps it is time for Ruiz’s resourcefulness was more widely acknowledged, particularly if he has begin to couple it with a more aggressive style. “

David Payne, www.boxingwriter.co.uk

“Ruiz looked toned and fit at 227 pounds, his lightest since fighting Roy Jones in 2003….Ruiz has faced a laundry list of prominent Heavies: Holyfield, Vasluev, Tua, Rahman, Golota. Now it looks like Haye will be added to the list. Impressive stuff.”

Evan Korn, www.newyork.fighthype.com

“Ruiz looked more exciting than I’ve ever seen him…”

Tim Starks, www.MVN.com

“The stats show Valuev threw 390 punches and landed 64 (16%), while the new WBA titlist (Haye) connected on 98 of 143 (68%)…..Compare the numbers from the first Valuev-Ruiz bout and it causes one to wonder. Ruiz connected on 128 of 194 power punches to Valuev’s 43 of 184, while out landing Valuev 195 to 157 overall.”

Michael Montero, www.eastsideboxing.com

“Ruiz did win, and easily. And he did it largely without the horrible grabbing, mauling, unwatchable style that has become his trademark…..He was more aggressive than usual as he hammered Germany’s Serin, all over the ring with ease. “

Dan Rafael, www.espn.com/boxing

“Speaking of Ruiz, his ring return on the Valuev-Haye undercard has him back in my rankings at No. 10….I know he’s nobody’s favorite, but at 37 he’s still better and smarter than most guys out there.”
www.badlefthook.com

John "The Quietman" Ruiz