Donovan Ruddock

Donovan “Razor” Ruddock is a former professional boxer, born in St. Catherine, Jamaica on December 21, 1963. He had a long and successful career that spanned over 33 years from 1982 to 2015. During his boxing career, he had 47 total fights, winning 40 of them and losing 6 with 1 draw. Ruddock is known for his two fights against Mike Tyson in 1991, a fight against Lennox Lewis in 1992, and a fight with Tommy Morrison in 1995. He is also known for his exceptionally heavy punching with his left-hand power, which accounted for most of his knockout wins.

Ruddock turned pro in 1982 at the age of 18 with a victory over Wes Rowe. He won his first four fights consecutively, with two wins via stoppage. Some of Ruddock’s notable victories include wins over James Smith, Greg Page, Phil Jackson, and Michael Dokes. He also won the Canadian heavyweight championship in 1988 by knocking out Ken Lakusta in the first round.

Ruddock had a total of six losses in his career, all of them in non-title bouts. He suffered his first loss against David Jaco via 8th round RTD on April 30, 1985. He has been stopped five times and lost once via decision. He had his last professional fight against Dillon Carman on September 11, 2015, which he lost via 3rd round KO. Ruddock retired from professional boxing with a record of 40-6-1, which included 30 knockout wins and five losses via knockout.

In the heavyweight division, Ruddock stood at 6’3” and had a reach of 82”. He fought using an orthodox stance and was nicknamed “Razor”. During his heyday, his favored weapon was a highly versatile half-hook, half-uppercut left-handed punch he called “The Smash,” which accounted for the majority of his knockout wins. Fighting out of the orthodox stance, he didn’t throw a single right-hand punch during his most significant knockout flurries.

Ruddock’s professional career had a few notable moments, including a win over former heavyweight champion Michael Dokes in 1990. During this fight, Ruddock knocked out Dokes in the fourth round with his signature left-handed punch. He also had two controversial fights against Mike Tyson in 1991, one of which he lost via a seventh-round TKO stopped by ref Richard Steele. The other fight was a full 12 rounds, with Tyson winning via unanimous decision. During this fight, Ruddock had a broken jaw, which was believed to have been broken as early as the fourth round, and Tyson had a perforated eardrum.

After his fights with Tyson, Ruddock had victories over former heavyweight champion Greg Page and undefeated hope Phil Jackson. Ruddock’s wins over both fighters were won by KO victories. These notable victories set up a bout with Lennox Lewis in London on Halloween 1992. The bout was an Official WBC Final Eliminator and seen as an elimination bout for the opportunity to face the winner of the upcoming Bowe - Holyfield match, but he lost to Lewis in the second round via knockout.

In 1995, he had a fight with Tommy Morrison. In the first round, Ruddock put Morrison down, but let the opportunity for an early stoppage slip. He was given a count himself in the second round after grabbing the ropes after being caught by a Morrison uppercut. Like the first Tyson fight, Ruddock was controversially stopped in the sixth round, again on his feet.

After his loss to Morrison, Ruddock disappeared from boxing for three years until he returned in 1998. He was scheduled to challenge Vitali Klitschko for the WBO heavyweight title in April 2000, but he was forced to withdraw at late notice due to injury. After building up a winning streak against journeymen opponents, Ruddock won the Canadian heavyweight title for the second time with a tenth-round win over Egerton Marcus in October 2001. He retired with a record of 38 wins (28 KOs), 5 losses, and 1 draw.

Throughout Ruddock’s career, he had difficulty finding opponents. He hoped to fight Evander Holyfield, but Holyfield opted to fight George Foreman instead. Despite his difficulty finding significant opponents, Ruddock is ranked 70th on The Ring magazine's list of "The 100 Greatest Punchers of All-Time."

After his boxing career, Ruddock invented a non-electrical garbage compactor called The Boxer in hopes of it becoming a success. However, the invention was unable to achieve the expected recognition, and the website selling the invention Razorruddock.com went offline in November 2013, with no plans for future availability.

Donovan Ruddock’s long and highly successful boxing career established him as one of the most versatile and creative boxers of his era. His heavy punches, including his half-hook, half-uppercut left-handed punch, amazed boxing fans worldwide. Despite facing stiff competition throughout his career, Ruddock’s skill and unrelenting style of fighting have secured him a place in boxing history. His boxing accomplishments and legacy live on, and he continues to be a well-respected figure in the boxing world.

Donovan Ruddock Fight Record