SaddoBoxing Writer’s Predict: John Ruiz vs. James Toney.

A rather unlikely pairing contests the WBA heavyweight championship of the world this weekend. Despite achieving world titles in three weights thus far, one would have to say that James Toney resembles a fighter somewhat out of his depth

amongst the heavyweights. In contrast, John Ruiz, a decidedly dubious two-time world champion is a natural heavyweight, but one of considerably less ability than most. By their adopted monikers alone, this fight is one between two men of drastically opposite dispositions. “Lights Out” is a rather suggestive nickname, indicating the eager nature of one to remove another from consciousness; a stereotype in which Toney happily revels. Ruiz’ own “Quiet Man” alias befits his demeanor, and perhaps also his overall impact on heavyweight boxing. Nonetheless, they shall fight for the title, one will win, the other will lose, and lives will change immeasurably in the never-ending carousel of fortunes that is the boxing world. In the meantime, here to offer you a nudge in the right direction as to who might win this heavyweight title fight, I give you the SaddoBoxing.com team.

Lee Bellfield: This for obvious reasons reminds me Ruiz vs. Jones Jr. a couple of years ago. Toney due to injuries has been quite inactive the last couple of years but if you look at their common opponent at heavyweight (Holyfield) you have to favor Toney. Toney is a fighter from the old school not relying on fancy footwork to avoid punches but choosing to parry and slip punches. Although Ruiz is the bigger man, Jones proved that he could fight inside and I think Toney will manage to do the same thing. I fancy Toney to win a unanimous decision.

Jim Cawkwell: Toney is the fighter possessing the truest qualities of the two and I always hesitate to pick against someone of such pedigree. However, Toney hardly belongs in this highest echelon of weight class, and merely because debilitated opposition, whether through age or sheer inability failed to expose him, is not to say that Ruiz cannot. Ruiz punches hard enough to gain a natural heavyweight’s respect and I believe that regardless of all his bravado, Toney is an intelligent enough boxer to realize where his strengths lay and he will stay away from Ruiz and counter-punch his way to a closer than expected decision.

James MacDonald: Tough one to call. I’m still not convinced with Toney at heavyweight. As ugly as Ruiz’s style is, it appears effective, as he never allows his opponent to get going or build any kind of momentum. Having said that, I think Toney may have the smarts to pull out a decision. Toney by split decision.

Katrina Walters: I like Toney for this fight. He has something to prove and that is his destiny of becoming heavyweight champion of the world.

Shaun Rico LaWhorn: James Toney and John Ruiz are total opposites on the basis of personality. Toney is the loud, confident, comical and ambitious boxer and Ruiz is the low key, calm, gentle and soft-spoken boxer. These two fighters also share different styles of fighting, which will be very interesting. We all know Ruiz has one of the most confusing boxing styles, both to opposing boxers and the viewers. As boring as his fights may seem, Ruiz usually walks away with the win. Toney, now, he is old school as they come and can box or fight his way to a win. Both of these fighters lost to Roy Jones Jr. and both beat Evander Holyfield. Could we finally see a loud Ruiz in the ring? Will Toney improve on his reputation as a legitimate heavyweight? This fight could really be an entertaining fight, because, the two fighting styles are so far apart. I see this fight going the distance and Toney coming off with a win, in a close decision. Look for a winter rematch.

William Wolfrum: The Ruiz-Toney fight is to boxing what Millard Fillmore was to the U.S. Presidency — incredibly boring and ineffective, but the nation should survive. Yes, the fight should be boring, but, hey, at least they were willing to fight. Toney is very likely the most talented boxer of his generation, but he’s had trouble with guys who are unorthodox like Roy Jones and Montell Griffin; even Vassiliy Jirov gave him some mid-round trouble. Ruiz is anything but orthodox, and while this should work to his favor, he should get his face in front of many Toney right hands. This is a tough one to call, but, hey, someone has to win, right? My prediction (or ominous threat): a draw.

Richard Eberline: This fight will be much like the Jones-Ruiz fight except I think Toney has the accumulative power to potentially stop the clutching champion. Toney also has more faith in his chin than Jones, which should produce more spirited exchanges than the former unified light heavyweight king was willing to stay in front of Ruiz for, but to me there are some wild cards at play here. One, Toney has been injuring himself in the last year or so, both in training camp and in fights. Ruiz could exacerbate that potential with his wrestler’s fighting style. The other variable is that Ruiz has a way of doing better than anyone expects him to in these high-profile championship bouts, winning ugly and in questionable fashion but he still winning. I’m hoping that this fight is a titanic struggle for both men with the end result being that Toney gains a measure of humility and Ruiz retires. I’m sure that’s too much to hope for so I’ll wrap it up by predicting that James hammers Ruiz for the first half of the fight until he separates a shoulder or something, allowing “The Quiet Man” to maul his way to a finish and the judges produce the verdict of a draw.

Sergio Martinez: Toney vs. Ruiz is one of those fights where one guy, in this case Toney, is a “media darling” who everyone is sure is the man whose fight style is perfect to destroy the mauling “Roman Greco Wrestling” style of WBA heavyweight champion John “The Quiet Man” Ruiz. This is a hard fight to pick, but I’m going to go with my gut. I think the notion that Toney is going to destroy Ruiz is based more on wishful thinking than actual conventional wisdom. The facts are that Ruiz is a much bigger and naturally stronger guy. Toney, in recent interviews and TV appearances, looks physically horrible. Although that does not mean that he can’t go twelve rounds, but against a fighter like Ruiz, who does a lot of grappling and uses his weight to wear down opponents, James may be in some trouble. Ruiz has a solid chin, and does have above average power. This is going to be an ugly fight, but, as usual, “The Quiet Man” will keep the pressure on, land some good right hands to the face, do decent body work to slow “Lights Out” down, and win a split decision. Like I’ve said before, anything is possible with those crazy heavyweights. There’s my two cents on this fight.

Matt Cotterell: I’m picking Toney to win this one by decision; nothing brave or different about that pick, I just think that the gulf in skill between these two will be as wide as the last time Ruiz took on a fighter coming up in weight. In terms of size difference, these two are virtually on a level playing field. Ruiz will have a couple of inches advantage in height and reach but that’s it, not enough to offer any hope to Ruiz that he might bully the smaller man. The biggest problem for Ruiz is that in close when he wants to spoil, Toney will come alive with cute counters and subtle body shifts that will leave Ruiz with a sense of deja vu, and just like deja vu, Ruiz will know what awaits him, another former middleweight leaving the building with his championship belt.

Greig Johnston: I’m tipping with my heart here – I hope to God that James Toney knocks out John Ruiz, but it won’t happen. Instead I think that Toney will confuse and counterpunch Ruiz enough to get away with a razor thin unanimous decision. I’m not going to watch this fight- I vowed after the Golota fight that I would never take in another Ruiz dance-a-thon. If, however, Toney wins, I’ll be sure to check out the replay, just to see how pissed off Norman Stone gets.

Don Caputo: Toney will win by a late stoppage or a dominant points win.

Edwin Gonzalez: The long, boring tenure of John Ruiz as heavyweight champion will finally come to an end. Come tomorrow night, I expect Mr. Toney to silence the “Quiet Man” once and for all. In what has the makings of a very ugly bout. I feel that James’s ability to counter-punch will be critical as the fight goes into the later rounds. One thing is for sure though, Ruiz is a very underrated puncher. He does crack with his right hand, so expect Ruiz to be looking to land the straight right, but if he is off target, we know what comes next, clinches and lots of them. I expect James to double and triple up on his jab, then follow with his overhand right. James is too smart to let Ruiz get on the inside. Before John could get inside, trust me James will tie him up and spin him around, and get away. If he is able to tie Ruiz up against the ropes, that is another advantage for James. James “Lights Out” Toney wins the WBA heavyweight title via a unanimous decision. I am even going to go out on a limb and give you a score, eight rounds to four. 116-112. Thank you and enjoy the fight.

If you are a writer and would like to be a part of the SaddoBoxing.com team, please e-mail Jim Cawkwell at jimcawkwell@yahoo.co.uk