Evander_Holyfield_vs._John_Ruiz
Evander Holyfield vs. John Ruiz
Boxing competition
Evander Holyfield vs. John Ruiz, billed as Justice, was a professional boxing match contested on August 12, 2000 for the vacant WBA heavyweight championship.
| Date | August 12, 2000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Venue | Paris Las Vegas, Paradise, Nevada | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Title(s) on the line | vacant WBA heavyweight title | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tale of the tape | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Result | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Holyfield wins via 12-round unanimous decision (116–112, 114–113, 114–113) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
After Lennox Lewis defeated Evander Holyfield at the second attempt to become the undisputed heavyweight champion, the WBA ordered Lewis to face its top contender John Ruiz, where as Lewis wanted to first defend his titles against WBC and IBF number two contender Michael Grant. The WBA and Lewis agreed that he would fight Grant first followed by Ruiz. Ruiz's promoter Don King challenged the decision in court and a clause was found in Lewis' contract that stated the winner of the Holyfield–Lewis fight would first defend his titles against the WBA's number one contender. Because of this, Lewis was stripped of his WBA title.[1] The WBA chose Holyfield to face Ruiz for the vacant WBA Heavyweight title.
Ruiz was aggressive throughout the fight landing many effective jabs, and except for late in the third round, he was never really in any serious trouble from Holyfield.
Judges Duane Ford and Dave Moretti scored the fight 114–113, while Judge Fernando Viso scored it 116–112 giving Evander Holyfield victory by unanimous decision to become the first boxer in history to be the World Heavyweight Champion four times.
The decision was controversial as many observers and boxing reporters felt that the underdog Ruiz had done enough to win. In interviews after the fight Ruiz said "It was highway robbery without a gun,... I won the fight and he knows I won the fight...I had control of the fight. I am very surprised by the judges' decision. I don't know what fight they saw."[2] Showtime commentators described the decision as "absurd" and "ridiculous".
Due to this controversial decision, an immediate rematch was ordered to take place in early 2001
Confirmed bouts:[3]
| Winner | Loser | Weight division/title belt(s) disputed | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
 Beibis Mendoza |
 Rosendo Álvarez |
vacant WBA World light flyweight title | 7th round DQ. |
| Non-TV bouts | |||
 Daniel Seda |
Oscar León |
vacant WBA Fedelatin featherweight title | 8th round TKO. |
 Richie Melito |
Thomas Williams |
Heavyweight (10 rounds) | 1st round KO. |
| Christy Martin |
Dianna Lewis |
Welterweight (10 rounds) | Unanimous Decision. |
| Carlos Quintana |
 Miguel Avila |
Welterweight (10 rounds) | 1st round TKO. |
| Jeffrey Hill |
Shakir Ashanti |
Super Welterweight (6 rounds) | 4th round TKO. |
 Siarhei Liakhovich |
Tracy Wilson |
Heavyweight (4 rounds) | 1st round KO. |
- Hard-Hitting Federal Judge Strips Lewis of WBA Title, L.A. Times article, 2000-04–13, Retrieved on 2013-08-10
| Preceded by | Evander Holyfield' bouts August 12, 2000 |
Succeeded by |
| Preceded by vs. Thomas Williams |
John Ruiz's bouts August 12, 2000 |