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Big Man vs. Little Man
Courtesy of HBO
This Saturday night, Roy Jones Jr. (47-1, 38 KO’s) will attempt to become the first middleweight in over one hundred years to capture a piece of the heavyweight championship. The former middleweight and super middleweight champion and current Undisputed light heavyweight champion will face current WBA heavyweight champ John Ruiz (37-4-1, 27 KO’s). Ruiz gained some notoriety facing Evander Holyfield for the WBA title three times - winning two. But sadly, this title is generally acknowledge as a throw away title.
Lennox Lewis is recognized as the “True” heavyweight champion.
But nevertheless, it's still a big man versus a little man.
The weigh-ins were Thursday with Jones Jr. weighing in at 193 lbs. and Ruiz coming in at 226 Lbs.
I can't remember a heavyweight coming in at less than 200 lbs. since the early 70"s.
So the question is, can the small man beat the big man?
Over the course of let say the last hundred years, some notable fights between heavyweights and non-heavyweights have been:
Heavyweight champ Jack Johnson over middleweight champ Stanley Ketchel by KO in 12 in 1909.
Heavyweight champ Joe Louis over light heavyweight champ Billy Conn by KO in eight in 1946.
Heavyweight champ Joe Frazier over light heavyweight champ Bob Foster by KO in two in 1970.
Light heavyweight champ Michael Spinks unanimous and split-decision wins over heavyweight champ Larry Holmes in 1985 and 1986.
Cruiserweight champ Evander Holyfield over heavyweight champ Buster Douglas by KO in three in 1990.
So, it would seem the answer is yes - smaller can beat bigger.
But the difference between a light heavyweight/heavyweight and middleweight/heavyweight is substantial.
The last time a middleweight won a heavyweight championship was in 1897 when Bob Fitzsimmons beat Gentleman Jim Corbett by knock out in 14.
So can Jones Jr. beat Ruiz?
Yes.
Jones Jr. is quicker (even at this weight) and a better boxer.
He may not have the punching power of Ruiz but he can wear you down with combinations and speed.
While I admit I’ve only seen Ruiz in the Holyfield bouts, I wasn’t impressed.
Holyfield always seems to fight at his opponent’s level, which doesn’t say much for Ruiz and is the only knock on Holyfield.
I get the feeling Ruiz will go head hunting.
He’ll want Jones Jr. to feel the power of a heavyweight.
That’s were Ruiz will make his mistake and get caught with combinations.
Look for Jones Jr. to give Ruiz side-to-side movement and throw punches from angles to keep Ruiz off balance.
I think that if Jones Jr. uses his head and doesn’t make a mistake like Clifford Etienne did against Mike Tyson and stand right in front of him, you can look for a late round knock out of Ruiz.
Roy Jones Jr. by TKO in 11.
SN
(2/28/03) |
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