Sure, the pay-per-view Futility-fest between Eric “Butterbean” Esch and Larry “AARP” Holmes will probably be beckoning, trying to pull you in like a carnival sideshow featuring a three-headed dog. But you might want to pass on the freak show and tune into an actual prize fight.
John Ruiz and Kirk Johnson are two of the better heavyweights
in the world, though most of the world doesn’t know it yet. They’ll be
fighting on the same night - Saturday - as the carnival act, the real fight
scheduled to start a little later.For those of you who don’t know a Kostya Tszyu from a sneeze, Ruiz holds the WBA heavyweight title thanks to a 1-1-1 record against Evander Holyfield. Fight Holyfield three consecutive times and come out of it in a dead heat, and you’ve done something to be proud of.
While Ruiz has spent most of the past two years either fighting Holyfield or getting ready to fight Holyfield, Johnson hasn’t been doing much besides waiting. He hasn’t fought in over a year, and he’s never fought anyone the casual fight fan has heard of. But he’s never lost a fight, either, which is usually a good sign. And he did beat Larry Donald a year ago.
Ruiz (37-4-1) defends his title against Johnson (32-0-1) at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. It’s on HBO, so you don’t have to fly in and get a room.
In case you didn’t know, Ruiz is from Boston, a tough Latin guy whose nickname is “Quietman,’’ all one word. It’s a nickname that tells everyone he likes to be left alone and doesn’t go in for a lot of nonsense and childish games. He doesn’t call anyone names and doesn’t make foolish promises. He just likes to keep his mouth shut, fight hard and win.
His biggest loss came six years ago, and like a bad scar, he says he doesn’t expect it to ever completely go away. It will always be there, a sad reminder of what can happen on a bad night.
David Tua stopped Ruiz in the first round of their fight back in March 1996. Being stopped in the first round is bad enough. Being stopped in the first 19 seconds is embarrassing.
See how that loss won’t go away? The Quietman said people still ask him about it, which is like asking Bill Buckner how he managed to let that ball slip between his legs in the 1986 World Series. Some things just never heal.
As for Johnson, he expects to be out of the ring at the Mandalay Bay Events Center shortly after the eighth round. Or at least his trainer - Curtis Cokes - expects him to be done after eight rounds.
“That’s my prediction,’’ Cokes said on a teleconference last week. “Kirk will bust him up in eight and we’ll go home.’’
Ruiz, or rather his cock-sure trainer, Norm “Stoney” Stone, says it will be over in four rounds.
“I don’t see it going past four,’’ Stoney said. “With Johnny Ruiz knocking him out.’’
While Cokes and Stoney went on and on about who had the better heavyweight, Johnson and Ruiz remained silent on the sidelines, letting their corners do all the talking. They knew the honest value of lip service.
Now those are two guys I want to see fight.