There were many questions that I wanted to ask Mr. Ruiz and the opportunity presented itself soon enough. I noticed the dangerous WBA heavyweight champion petting a dog that was playfully making a buddy out of the Latino pugilist.. John was most talkative on many subjects so I stuck firstly to the job in hand and Kirk Johnson...

BRC: John, what is your honest view of your opponent Kirk Johnson?

JRUIZ: Kirk has shown that he is worthy of a shot at the championship. I was graciously given a chance of achieving my goal of becoming the first Hispanic heavyweight champion and I am more than glad to see a young undefeated challenger get his chance of glory. He is the only undefeated heavyweight out there so I have to credit him that. He has some very good skills and I cannot look past him, I never look past any opponent. It's very important for me to really focus on what I am going to do, and not what he is going to do in the fight. My main job is to keep my title safe and not worry about what he has planned. I just prepare 100% and let him worry about what I have in store for him.

BRC: You have improved significantly since I used to watch you in the early nineties as a light heavyweight boxing on small hall shows in Britain under Frank Maloney. What made you change so drastically and in some ways reinvent yourself as a heavyweight?

JRUIZ: (Laughing) Maloney...yes, that was a very long time ago... you have a good memory. I think when I was boxing at a lighter weight I felt that I could compete with larger opponents and handle them without size advantages; it would only be to my advantage to gain weight naturally and compete against them and have a real future as a heavyweight, heavyweight was obviously where I was heading and it was just me developing into the fighter that I am today. No one thing made me change, just a progression. My current team helped a lot...Norman and Gabe (Trainer Gabe Mari)

BRC: Yes, you have a good solid team ... I laughed when I saw you earlier relaxing stroking the dog and talking to the radio station over there; you seem very relaxed and positive with your surroundings...

JRUIZ: (Almost in hysterics) The dog, where is the dog? (looks around)...Yes, I know that the hard work has been done and I have a well structured team around me and all aspects of my training and conditioning is done. I am ready and Kirk should be too. My team is a very important part of John Ruiz, they make me what I am in the ring on Saturday, and I am blessed to have them. I am relaxed for today, I have good loyal people.

BRC: Don (King) described you as having been put into a time capsule following the loss to David Tua...Is that the way you see it?

JRUIZ: In a way yes I do, I stayed very focused and knew what I was capable of and if I were to just disregard the opinions of those who judged me on the Tua fight I could just keep on doing what I do and do it the best I could. I have mouths to feed and a family to provide for. It is a good way of putting it, I have a lot more than what one could see from the Tua fight, and it is now being proven.

BRC: I saw your trunks in the lobby of the Hotel this morning along with the belt, you have the names of your children embroidered on the legs of your trunks, (John and Jocelyn), family seems very important to you...

JRUIZ: (Interrupting...) MOST important; my beautiful, supportive wife Sahara who has a lot to put up with, my mother (Gladys) to which I owe a great deal. I want to make them more comfortable and make them proud of me as a person in and out of the ring. I hope my late father, Bienvenido Ruiz, is proud of what I have become. Norman and Gabe are like family too, family gives me a purpose to fight...

BRC: ..You have a lot of options following you beating Johnson here... One great scenario would be to return to Puerto Rico and defend against your fellow country man Fres Oquendo. How would that be?

JRUIZ: That is a fight that I have always wanted to see happen. It would be a great day in my native country to see not just a champion emerge from there, but to see a challenger contend for my title on home ground. It would be very defining moment for me personally to see such event happen.

BRC: Revenge over David Tua...

JRUIZ: Ahhh.. David Tua is in my past. I would fight whoever is in my way but he had an opportunity with Lennox and never fulfilled the expectations many people had of him; he would need to regroup like I did and make himself worthy of a shot at the title again. Revenge is not what I am about, defending the WBA heavyweight title is what I am about and if David Tua was to become a challenger to that then fine... I have bigger things in store than David Tua...

BRC: What is your take on the quite surprising news of Félix Trinidad retiring after such a great career? Is it really the last that we will see of Tito in your opinion?

JRUIZ: Félix is a very intelligent man and if he thinks it is the best thing for him to do, then yes. He is not likely to go back on his decision, he is a great Champion and very respected by everyone back home in Puerto Rico. He always gave his best and I have a lot of respect for my good friend.. I think he would have liked to go out in better circumstances but he still is great in the eyes of all Puerto Ricans ...

BRC: You were once part of Lennox Lewis' training team, would you ultimately want a unification match against him if you were to win Saturday?

JRUIZ: Lennox and I sparred a lot in 1993 and he knows as well as I do who had the upper hand on most occasions. I was a lot smaller then and never had the experience that I have today. If I was to draw that into a fight with him today I know who would be victorious. Look what Hasim did to him, I could do a lot more , I know that I have a style that would frustrate him, he knows it too...

BRC: What kind of things run through your mind on Saturday night just before you meet Kirk in this fight?

JRUIZ: I have mixed emotions. I am excited, ready, well prepared, confident, a little nervous. I just try to focus on my job in hand and my kids, they are the important ones. The man in the other corner is trying to deprive them of a better life, that is my motivation and that's all I need to bring me through the fight intact. I will be there until the end, and victorious again... definitely.

BRC: Thanks... I have spent a good few days with those in your team... Stoney, Gabe, Keith, Brian, Bob and they have been very good to me. Thank you for being so refreshingly pleasant to me and allowing me this interview.

JRUIZ: You are very welcome...

May I thank Bob Trieger, Brian Leahy, Keith Mcgrath, Gabe Mari, Norman Stone and John Ruiz for making my time in their company more than welcoming, and for the immense generosity showed by all team members in the week leading up to the fight that was ultimately successful, with John retaining his Title and remaining safe to fight another day.

A very big thank you from all at Bragging Rights Corner...

"TEAM RUIZ, A FAMILY AFFAIR"... By Stephen Jones