If you were to ask any name heavyweight from the last
five years to compile a list of opponents they would
avoid like the plague, you can bet your life the name John
Ruiz would appear somewhere high on the list along with
fellow spoilers Henry Akinwande and Mister Valuev. But
like the aforementioned, John has been a partial holder
of the World title and an active player at the highest
level for over ten years. John's success has been down to
great longevity, ring savvy and that rare ability to
claim victory, no matter how hard the task. When he is
good he is actually a piece of work, but when he is bad
he is unspeakable.. So how is David Haye of all people
going to get himself motivated for such a thankless task,
I ask myself? David is that rarest of creatures that in
all of his vanity and ignorance believes he is the best
thing since sliced bread to grace the heavyweight
picture, if David were a piece of cake he would have
eaten himself by now...
In many ways David and John have some common bonds,
they have both been guilty of inconsistent performances
throughout their careers. Haye has had questions arise
concerning his chin and desire stemming from a domestic
loss at cruiserweight to Carl Thompson, who was relatively
an old man when he administered the stoppage. Ruiz also
suffered a high profile knockout loss to Polynesian
banger David Tua over a decade ago.
The strange thing is they both brushed
themselves down and maintained their composure enough to
win the same belt, the WBA heavyweight championship,
which David will be defending next month in their curious
meeting. It takes a certain kind of man to overcome
devastating stoppage losses and come back to overturn
public expectation which is why I am interested in such a
spectacle between the two.
David has to show no respect for Ruiz and make his
mark from the opening bell using a solid jab behind which
to mount his heavier weaponry as the battle wears on.
John may opt to employ his usual dirty tricks campaign
which successfully saw him intimidate the very crafty Kirk
Johnson in a bad tempered affair several years ago, in
which case David would be well advised to keep at range
and not let anything get involved. But like many glory
hunting punchers do by nature, Haye will choose at some
point to stand and trade with the seasoned Ruiz which
could be to his detriment.
John has seen off unbeaten
punchers before.. He devastated Jerry Ballard in a
crossroads fight in Atlanta Georgia in 1998 outworking
and outgunning the heavily muscled tank like Ballard for
the NABF belt. David knows what he has to do to remain
champ but sticking to the plan is something that is not
in David's maverick nature. Ruiz has met many men like
David before, whereas Haye will not have met anyone
quite as complex as Ruiz before, albeit the 2010 antique
version.
The worst thing Haye could do is get into a mud
slinging dirt fest that would favour the oddly named
"Quiet Man," who even when the chips are low has proven
before he can pull out whatever it takes to reclaim the
crown. Ruiz knows now that he can' t afford to sit back
and allow his younger, heavier punching upstart to set
the pulse of this fight, he has to bring his own
conductor and orchestra to the ring and freestyle a
victory like he has done before. it's a curious fight and
may not be that pleasing to the eye for the plain boxing
voyeur! But for a sadist like me, I am relishing this
one.
Prediction.. A Haye stoppage around the 8th
over a man who can't roll back the years. As ever, enjoy
the fight..
