Two-time heavyweight titleholder John Ruiz, whose awkward, mauling style frustrated opponents and fans alike, announced his retirement after an 18-year professional career on Monday.
Known as "The Quiet Man," Ruiz, 38, became the first Latino heavyweight titleholder when he outpointed Evander Holyfield in their rematch at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas on March 3, 2001.
After two defenses -- a draw in a third bout with Holyfield and a disqualification victory against Kirk Johnson -- Ruiz lost the title when Roy Jones easily outpointed him in March 2003 to become the first former middleweight champion in more than 100 years to claim a heavyweight title.
Ruiz eventually regained the vacant WBA belt later in 2003, when he upset former champion Hasim Rahman via unanimous decision. Ruiz made three defenses, including a no contest against James Toney, who had been declared the decision winner before failing a post-fight drug test and having the result become a no contest.
He also made defenses against contenders Fres Oquendo and Andrew Golota.
Ruiz (44-9-1, 30 KOs) lost the title via majority decision to Nikolai Valuev in Germany in December 2005. Ruiz fought twice more for the WBA belt but lost both times, a decision to Valuev in a 2008 rematch and a ninth-round TKO loss to England's David Haye on April 3, after which he said he would consider retirement.
Six of Ruiz's losses came to titleholders or former titleholders.
"I've had a great career but it's time for me to turn the page and start a new chapter of my life," Ruiz said in a statement. "It's sad that my final fight didn't work out the way I wanted, but, hey, that's boxing. I'm proud of what I've accomplished with two world titles, 12 championship fights, and being the first Latino heavyweight champion of the world. I fought anybody who got in the ring with me and never ducked anyone. Now, I'm looking forward to spending more time with my family."
Ruiz had success despite a style that was heavily criticized because of excessive holding and clutching. That style essentially got him banned from American premium cable networks HBO and Showtime in recent years, and Ruiz fought for most of the past five years almost exclusively in Europe.
Ruiz, whose family is from Puerto Rico, has lived and trained in Las Vegas for the past several years, but he said he plans to return to the Boston area he was closely associated with during his career. He said he wants to open a boxing gym in the inner city.
"With my experiences in boxing I want to go home and open a gym where kids will have a place to go, keeping them off of the streets, so they can learn how to box and build character," Ruiz said. "Someday, I'd like to see one of them go on to represent the United States in the Olympics. I want them to have the same opportunity to see the world that I had as an amateur. I've always tried to be involved in community and charity work in the past and now I'll have more time to work with kids.
"Maybe, someday I'll get into training, but right now I just want to spend time with my wife, Maribelle, and my children. I wasn't around as much as I would have liked for my two oldest children, John and Jocelyn, because I was away training or fighting. Now, I'll be around for them and my 3-year-old son, Joaquin, as he grows up," he said.
"I'm going back to my roots in Massachusetts, where a lot of my family and friends live, and look forward to helping young boxers avoid some of the bad things that I experienced in the sport but help them to experience the good times, too. Boxing is brutal but also beautiful. As I look back, I'm happy about my career, and my future is very bright."
Ruiz turned professional as a cruiserweight in 1992 before moving into the heavyweight division two years later. His first major fight came against contender David Tua in March 1996 on HBO. It was a bitterly disappointing performance for Ruiz, who was severely knocked out in just 19 seconds.
Ruiz spent years trying to live down that knockout, which he eventually did. Promoter Don King, with whom Ruiz would eventually have a falling out, helped guide Ruiz to 11 consecutive wins, including a knockout of former titleholder Tony Tucker in 1998.
In 2000, King secured Ruiz a title shot against Holyfield, who won a controversial decision. That led to the rematch, in which Ruiz won the title for the first time, completing an unlikely trip to the top of boxing.
"I want to thank all of my fans for staying in my corner through a long, up-and-down ride, as well as members of my family and team -- my manager and legal advisor, attorney Tony Cardinale, my brother [and cornerman], Eddie, and [strength coach] Keith McGrath, who've been with me so long," Ruiz said. "I also want to thank my trainer Miguel Diaz and [assistant] Richie Sandoval for teaching an old dog new tricks, and my promoter, Golden Boy Promotions, the fairest promoter in boxing."
Ruiz left out longtime trainer and manager Norman "Stoney" Stone, who was instrumental in Ruiz's success. But Stone's fiery personality eventually became too much for Ruiz, and they parted ways in 2005 after Stone's in-ring meltdown following Valuev's title victory.
http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=5136701
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yes it was brutal but satisfying.