John Ruiz

John Ruiz was a professional boxer from Chelsea, Massachusetts, United States, of Puerto Rican descent. He competed from 1992 to 2010 in the heavyweight division and held the WBA heavyweight title twice during his career. He is also the first Latino boxer to win a world heavyweight title.

Over the course of his career, Ruiz fought a total of 55 times, compiling a record of 44-9-1-1 with 30 knockouts. He suffered his first loss against Sergei Kobozev via 10 round split-decision on August 12, 1993, which brought an end to his 14-fight win streak. Ruiz retired from professional boxing with one title win, three title defenses, and two losses via knockout.

Ruiz made his professional boxing debut on August 20, 1992, against Kevin Parker at the age of 20, defeating Parker via 4 round unanimous decision. He went on to win 13 more consecutive fights after his debut, including nine wins via stoppage. During this run, Ruiz defeated notable opponents such as Tony Tucker, Julius Francis, and Hasim Rahman.

Ruiz had his first world title fight at the age of 28 on August 12, 2000, against Evander Holyfield for the WBA vacant title. Despite losing the fight via 12 round unanimous decision, Ruiz fought Holyfield again in early 2001 and won the WBA title via a unanimous decision victory.

Ruiz's first defense of the WBA title came on April 17, 2004, against Fres Oquendo, which he won via an eleventh-round technical knockout. This fight was historic because it was the first time two Hispanics/Latinos faced each other for a version of the world heavyweight title. Ruiz defended his title against Andrew Golota on November 13, 2004, via a controversial unanimous decision.

In 2005, Ruiz lost his WBA title to James "Lights-Out" Toney in a unanimous decision at Madison Square Garden. After this fight, Toney tested positive for stanozolol, an anabolic steroid, resulting in the outcome being changed to a no-contest. Ruiz reclaimed the title after Toney was suspended from fighting for the WBA heavyweight title for the next two years.

Ruiz lost his title for the first time on December 17, 2005, in controversial fashion to Nikolai Valuev, marking the beginning of controversy that would follow Ruiz throughout the rest of his reign. He lost a rematch for the vacant WBA Heavyweight title with Valuev on August 30, 2008, once again in controversial fashion.

Throughout his career, Ruiz earned a nickname "The Quietman." He was known for his methodical and calculated fighting style, which he used to his advantage to become a world champion. Ruiz was an orthodox fighter with a height of 6ft 2in and a reach of 80in. He retired from professional boxing in 2010 with a record of 44-9-1-1, including 30 knockout wins and two losses via knockout.

John Ruiz Fight Record