IF WORLD champion Danny Green needed proof his reputation has been tarnished by Roy Jones Jnr's claim he wore illegal wraps into the ring during the ''greatest victory in Australia's boxing history'', an online interview with Bernard Hopkins has provided it.
Jones and Hopkins fight in Las Vegas on Sunday (Sydney time). It is Jones's first outing since he was stopped in the opening round of his International Boxing Organisation (IBO) cruiserweight challenge in Sydney last December.
After defeating Jones, a world champion in four divisions and an eight-time world champion, Green attempted to lure another all-time great, Hopkins, to Australia. While Hopkins initially said he liked the language Green spoke - a lot of money - he subsequently rejected the offer, deciding to fight a rematch with Jones, although that bout has failed to capture the public's attention.
Green was initially angered by Jones's claim because it suggested he had cheated. Now he could argue Hopkins has proven the accusation has cost him professionally and financially after the fighter nicknamed ''The Executioner'' took a swipe at the Australian during an interview with Craven Online.
''The Danny Green thing to me was a fluke,'' said Hopkins of the win over Jones. ''The Danny Green thing - I mean I don't think you even knew who Danny Green was [before the fight].''
Hopkins then turned his attention to the issue of the hand wraps and also the action of the English referee, Howard Foster, who stepped in quickly to save Jones from further harm after he'd hit the canvas and took 46 unanswered punches.
''When I think of Danny Green and take the alleged hand wraps and all that stuff that Roy has protested, filed petitions,'' he said. ''[I've] seen YouTube. I've seen the clippings of it. My opinion, 'Should they let Roy Jones get killed?' - no. But they should have gave [sic] Roy Jones the benefit of the doubt and see if he gets knocked down again or takes some punches where he's not protecting himself. I didn't see that.''
Green stunned the boxing world with the ease in which he destroyed Jones. It took him 122 brutal seconds, and while the American said immediately after the bout he was beaten by the better man on the night he has since been far from gracious in defeat. Apart from alleging Green wore illegal wraps (strapping) under his gloves he has made other excuses, including that the gloves he wore against Green were substandard.
That claim amuses the Green camp as Jones provided his own gloves.
The local boxing authority, which approved the manner in which Green's fists were strapped, the NSW Combat Sports Authority, gave Jones's complaint about the hand wraps credence by proposing an inquiry into the matter.
Green has said that not only were his wraps inspected on two occasions before the bout, but they were wrapped the same way as his previous five world title bouts.
Manny Siaca has beaten Australia's boxing kangaroo and now he is after a "crocodile", as he turns his attention from Anthony Mundine to Danny Green.
Puerto Rican Siaca arrived in Sydney on Thursday morning in preparation for his April 14 challenge to IBO cruiserweight champion Green in Perth.
While Siaca was settling into his hotel, Green was busting up Dominic Vea in a torrid sparring session across town.
A sharp-looking Green pounded rising cruiserweight star Vea, who shed blood and possibly broke his nose under Green's fire.
Siaca, who beat Mundine on a split points decision in Sydney in 2004, was hoping to secure a rematch with "The Man" provided he could upset Green.
"It was one of the great moments of my life, I enjoyed it," Siaca told AAP regarding his win over Mundine.
"At the weigh-in I said to Mundine he is a kangaroo and I'm the hunter and I will be hunting him.
"Now I am going to hunt a crocodile (Green).
"When I win this fight, maybe I'm going to move down (in weight) and look forward to fighting Mundine again.
"We tried to fight him again but he didn't want to fight any good people, he fights only bums he can beat."
Ranked tenth in the WBC middleweight division, nine places below leading contender Mundine, Siaca (22-6, 19KOs) was adamant he couldn't defeat Green on points.
"I've come here to knock him out because they have Australian judges and an Australian referee, if I don't knock him out, I'm not going to get a decision in his backyard in Perth."
Green (28-3, 25KOs) said he felt fantastic and predicted Siaca would provide tougher opposition than American legend Roy Jones Jr, who he took just two minutes to destroy in his previous bout.
"I think this is going to be a much tougher fight for me because Siaca is going to be hungry," Green told reporters.
"It's a massive opportunity for him, if he takes my world title it opens up big doors for him worldwide.
"I'm preparing to be very impressive, I want to be devastating in there and give the fans a good show."
Green said he expected this weekend's fight in America between Jones and fellow American boxing legend Bernard Hopkins to be a fairly boring and tactical matchup.
He responded to Jones' complaints following their fight by declaring the multi-world title winner had damaged his own reputation and sullied his good name by showing a lack of graciousness in the aftermath of his defeat.
Jones had complained that the gauze under Green's fist wraps used during the fight was illegal and the decisive blow to win the fight was to the back of his head. Although a firm favourite against Siaca, Green said he would try and adopt an underdog mentality.
Pain is relative, so when Carl Thompson tells you David Haye hasn't been tested since he beat Britain's current heavyweight world champion back in 2004, it would be foolish not to take into account Thompson's stratospheric threshold.
There were times when watching a Thompson bout was like watching a sculptor working with a set of children's tools, his opponent's blows ricocheting off all parts until the tools were bent and broken and pretty much useless.
"I was thinking, 'I'm going to knock him out'," says Haye of the night he suffered his only professional defeat to date. "And it didn't happen." "I was a very hard person to fight," explains Thompson. "To David that fight was hard, to me it was just an everyday thing."
Six years earlier Thompson had brought Chris Eubank's career to a juddering halt, and only a few months before his fight with Haye, Thompson was pulverised for nine rounds by South African Sebastiaan Rothmann before dredging up a huge right hand and turning the fight on its head. Unlike the cricketer Phil Tufnell, Thompson was nicknamed 'The Cat' for his infinite lives rather than his ad hoc sleeping habits.
In his fight against Haye he was very nearly stopped in the first, before Haye blew himself out and Thompson blew him away. "I learned my lesson not to be complacent a long time ago," says Haye, "but it's still fresh in my mind." Fresh as a gale force wind.
On Saturday in Manchester, Haye makes the first defence of his WBA heavyweight crown against two-time world champion John Ruiz, but Thompson, still dreaming of a comeback at the age of 45, is yet to be convinced of his old rival's credentials, uncertain the lessons have been learnt.
"David needs to show me a little bit more to prove to me he has learnt because the people he has fought since me haven't really tested him," says the former cruiserweight world champion.
"Even when he beat Nikolay Valuev for the world title, that big guy, 7ft 2in, never used his height or weight advantage, he didn't use anything, he just let David take the belt off him.
"I'm a very hard person to please, but if John Ruiz can test him a bit more and David can beat him, then that would go some way to proving I at least taught him something."
While Thompson was 40 when he defeated Haye, the grizzly Ruiz is 38 and a veteran of 53 pro fights (44 wins, eight defeats and one draw), 10 of them with a world title at stake. His clinch and grab style has made him perhaps the most maligned fighter of his generation, yet the truth is he has one of the most impressive resumes of any heavyweight fighting today (which, critics would argue, only goes to show how far the division has fallen).
In a career stretching back to 1992, Ruiz has been in with Tony Tucker (won), Evander Holyfield (one loss, one win, one draw), Roy Jones Jr (lost), Hasim Rahman (won), Andrew Golota (won, despite being down twice) and Valuev (losing narrowly twice). Win, lose or draw, even his harshest critics would have to admit 'The Quiet Man' brings a tremendous amount of experience to the party.
"There are similarities," says Thompson. "I knew I could beat David because I knew he had never been in hard fights like I'd been. When he came up against me, he must have been shocked, and Ruiz will be hoping for the same."
Ruiz's new trainer, the venerable Argentine Miguel Diaz, says his charge will be boxing rather than wrestling at the MEN Arena, while Ruiz himself, who has been whittled down to 16st, has spoken of taking Haye out of his comfort zone by throwing 50 punches a round. It is a tactic Thompson approves of, but he is not convinced Ruiz has what it takes to follow it through.
"John Ruiz is similar to my style in that he will come forward," says Thompson, "but coming forward is not necessarily the same as applying pressure. I applied a lot of pressure, even when David came at me I still came at him.
"How you fight David is you let him steam at you, try to blast you out, and then you've got to attack him straightaway, so that you're forcing him to work when he doesn't want to work.
"That's the key for John Ruiz, but I don't know if John is capable of doing that, making David fight when he doesn't want to fight. It's a bit too late for changing things now, and I'm not sure John ever had what it took in the first place."
"He'll be thinking that, coming forward, getting through the early onslaught, he'll try to get me in the second half of the fight," says Haye. "But he doesn't realise that early onslaught is going to be so extensive he'll be lucky to be there for the second half of the fight.
"I have to see John Ruiz as the toughest fight of my life, simply because he is. If I lost to John Ruiz, it would be catastrophic. All that hard work, the win against Valuev, would mean nothing.
"I've got to produce the same performance as I did against Valuev, pure class, pure skills, and I'm positive I will get the knockout. I'm going to have to produce something special to get him out of there, but I will do it."
There's a great line from BBC commentator Jim Neilly, just as Haye is starting to wane against Thompson: "Is he going to get a lesson from an old fella whom everybody has just about written off?" He could have been speaking about Ruiz - we'll find out on Saturday whether The Cat's lesson has been learnt or not.
Both ring legends came back twice to win the world crown after being champion.
“It is going to work this time. No matter what they say, they can’t take it away from me,” said Ruiz, who looks leaner than he has been for some time, and will come into the ring weighing around 225lbs.
The American, 38, has made some changes with veteran Miguel Diaz, one of the sport’s finest cornermen, as his head trainer.
Diaz said: “We’re still here and hopefully this time around we’ll get a win. You’re seeing more of the Ruiz from the past - boxing and punching, not holding. How many guys can say they’ve fought and won the two world heavyweight championships.”
The Ruiz camp has also dismissed Haye’s trash-talking as “part of the industry, part of promoting a fight”.
Ruiz, not one for involving himself in verbal sparring against opponents, said: “He can talk all he wants but he knows he’s in a tough fight.” Nor has he studied tapes of Haye. “I don’t focus on the other fighter, I focus on myself. He’s going to prepare himself and use the style he believes will win the fight. I will work him out once we are in the ring.”
So, will his experience of major fight nights - he has been in 11 world title contests - give him an advantage over the champion, nine years his junior?
“Experience plays an important part but so does youth. We’ll see what comes out on top. I have a new team - trainers Miguel Diaz and Richie Sandoval, and a new promoter, Golden Boy - but there are still some people who’ve been part of the team for a long time. I’m at peace, blessed with my family, and I’ve never been in tune with boxing like this during my career.”
The one confidence factor Ruiz does have on his side, is a 100 per cent record fighting in England. “I’ve fought here six times (6-0). These fans put favouritism behind them and root for a good fight. I’ve fought everybody in the world, never avoiding anybody, and I’m very proud of that. I’ve travelled the world and boxing has been a saviour for me.”
David Haye has vowed to "beat John Ruiz within an inch of his life" when the two meet for the WBA heavyweight championship on Saturday evening.
The veteran Ruiz is renowned as a durable competitor, having only been stopped once in his career - 14 years ago against David Tua. To beat the American, Haye acknowledges that he is going to have to employ a more aggressive strategy than he used when defeating Nikolai Valuev in November 2009 to win the title.
Haye, who was nursing an injured hand during that contest, often appeared more interested in evading Valuev's reach than in throwing blows - a strategy he acknowledges will not bear any fruit against Ruiz.
"I'm going to have to beat him to within an inch of his life. I know he's got good powers of recovery and I'm really going to have to hammer away at him. I know that if I keep chopping, the tree will eventually fall," Haye said.
Ruiz has regularly made reference to the Valuev fight in his verbal jousting with Haye, with his most recent jibe claiming that Haye only won the bout because his vociferous support at ringside swayed the judges towards awarding him the win.
Responding to this suggestion, a bristling Haye took a swipe at Ruiz's in-ring style. "He can talk about the judges, but maybe if he had some fans he might still be world champion. Throughout my career, I have fought to entertain people and I am an exciting fighter. Maybe if he had fought more instead of just hugging people to death, he might have some fans too," he said.
By all rights, Saturday's rematch of former world champions Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Jr. at Las Vegas' Mandalay Bay Events Center should be inciting frenzied, worldwide interest. It is, after all, a pairing of legendary fighters, surefire first-ballot Hall of Famers with global name recognition. The fact that the two men don't like each other and have made noises to that effect for quite some time should add a pinch of spice to a bout that, as they used to say about those cast-of-thousands Hollywood epics, has been years in the making.
Trouble is, this fight isn't quite as epic as it should have been. It has been too many years - 17 - in the making. When last Hopkins and Jones fought, on May 22, 1993, in Washington's RFK Stadium, it was for the vacant IBF middleweight championship. Jones, who claims to have fought with an injured right hand that night, won a lackluster unanimous decision that did not portend of the ring greatness each fighter would go on to achieve. What's more, it was an undercard scrap, in support of WBA heavyweight champ Riddick Bowe's second-round knockout of Jesse Ferguson, a one-time sparring partner to the stars whose dream shot at the title quickly turned into a high-paying nightmare.
It wasn't long before the technically superb Hopkins and unconventionally brilliant Jones rose to boxing's uppermost tier. But the rematch everyone wanted to see for so long never came about because the fighters had massive egos to match their massive purse demands, a set of circumstances that made it virtually impossible to arrive at contract terms with which each could live.
Even those most interested in seeing these two antagonists mix it up again think that the sequel is at least 6 years past its natural expiration date. Oh, sure, Hopkins (50-5-1, 32 KOs) is still widely considered to be among the top five pound-for-pound fighters in the world at the improbable age of 45, but Jones (54-6, 40 KOs), at 41, has seen his once-glowing star power dim considerably in recent years. He was a one-punch knockout victim of Antonio Tarver in May 2004 and was battered unconscious in nine rounds by Glen Johnson 4 months later. Joe Calzaghe beat Jones bloody in winning a one-sided unanimous decision in November 2008 and, most tellingly, the Pensacola, Fla., native was stopped in one round by Danny Green in Australia last Dec. 2.
The shockingly quick ending of Jones' Aussie excursion should have put an end to renewed talks of his again taking on Hopkins, who outpointed Enrique Ornelas on the same date at the Liacouras Center. Just as shockingly, it didn't.
So why is the fight that the public wasn't exactly clamoring for coming off anyway? Because the revenge-minded Hopkins has an old score to settle, his partners at Golden Boy Promotions want to keep him happy and, well, Jones has lost considerable leverage to make outlandish demands.
Even the suits at HBO, who formerly were so hot to do Hopkins-Jones II, have cooled to the idea.
"We are distributing the fight [via pay-per-view], but we are not televising it ourselves," said Kery Davis, senior vice president of HBO Sports. "Make of that what you will."
Davis, though, figures he'll watch the fight, perhaps out of force of habit.
"Given my history with these guys," Davis acknowledged, "my curiosity probably will get the better of me."
That history includes fruitless hours at the bargaining table, trying to narrow the chasm between two proud, obstinant men who rejected every proferred compromise.
"The very first fight I tried to get done after Lou [DiBella] left [in 2001] was Hopkins-Jones II," Davis recalled. "We did a Hopkins fight on a Jones undercard in Indianapolis in 2000, with the idea of it leading to a rematch between them.
"It was a hellacious negotiation. Just awful. And, obviously, things didn't work out.
"Then Hopkins was involved in the middleweight unification tournament [in 2001]. He wins that, beating [Felix] Trinidad for the undisputed championship. But beating Trinidad still did not make Hopkins a household name. He needed another big fight, so, again, we had a conversation about doing Hopkins-Jones II. We did a split telecast with Jones fighting in Florida and Hopkins in Reading. They talked back and forth to each other during the telecast. Again, I thought the fight was going to happen. Again, it didn't."
Hopkins-Jones II could surprise everyone and be a candidate for fight of the year. Jones, a 4-1 underdog, could even pull off the upset; he claims he was better than Hopkins in 1993, he's better now, he'll be better forever.
Regardless of the outcome, what seems certain is that not all good things come to those who wait, especially if the wait extends beyond the boundaries of logic. *
THE SPECTRE OF Gerald McClellan hangs over Saturday's Bernard Hopkins-Roy Jones Jr. light-heavyweight bout like an ominous cloud.
McClellan is the former middleweight and super middleweight champion who suffered serious injuries in his WBC title defense in London against British challenger Nigel Benn in 1995. McClellan, who was stopped in the 10th round, was left blind, confined to a wheelchair and brain-damaged, and he has remained so to this day, a virtual prisoner inside his own body.
Jones, a friend of McClellan's, swore that he would never put himself in a position where he might be so irreparably harmed. Yet there are those who fear that Jones is doing just that after suffering a series of knockout losses that have raised questions as to his fitness to fight on.
Depending upon one's viewpoint, this is a clash of the titans, a notion advanced by Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer, or a couple of aging fighters (Jones is 41, Hopkins 45) attempting to reach back in time to recapture past glories, at the risk of their safety and well-being. Such is the position adopted by a couple of former chief ring physicians of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, which is sanctioning the bout.
The furor surrounding the NSAC's role in facilitating Hopkins-Jones II, in fact, almost bears closer scrutiny than the fight itself.
Margaret Goodman and Flip Homansky, former chief ring physicians in Nevada, think the commission approved both this bout and one the following week involving 47-year-old Evander Holyfield and 41-year-old Francois Botha because Las Vegas' casino industry is hurting and in need of tax-revenue dollars from boxing, so much so that safety concerns have been put on the back burner.
Goodman, especially, has been critical of the NSAC, which also granted a boxing license within the last year to 44-year-old Oliver McCall, whose history of drug abuse and mental problems is hardly a secret. The McCall fight fell out because of another incident of emotional disturbance.
"The situation with Roy Jones is obvious," Goodman said. "He shouldn't be competing now, and maybe never again. He has amazing credentials, an amazing history, and has been so good for the sport on so many levels. But his more recent performances have been terrible for someone with those credentials and that history. I don't know how you can turn a blind eye to that.
"You can try to rationalize and say, 'Well, the economy's bad, he deserves another chance to make a living.' But particularly in the case of Roy and Evander, how can a commission supposedly committed to high safety standards say that they're fit to box? Yes, we conduct tests, but the mere act of passing them should not be the sole grounds for the issuance of licenses. We have eyes. We all have seen with those eyes what's happening with these guys recently.
"It would be devastating if something really bad happened to Evander or Roy. Where would boxing be then? I think there's a good chance that, if they continue to box, Evander and Roy will wind up with some kind of chronic brain injury."
Added Homansky: "I saw Jones' stoppage by Danny Green. For a glancing blow to his temporal region sending him down in a heap . . . I can't imagine being able to justify licensing him, especially against Bernard Hopkins."
Keith Kizer, executive director of the Nevada commission, hears what Goodman and Homansky say, as well as their stance that the drug-testing procedures in place in their state are inadequate. His counterargument is that the fighters in question have passed their medicals, and Nevada's drug-testing program is the most rigid in America.
So who's right?
Top Rank founder Bob Arum is not involved in either Hopkins-Jones II or Holyfield-Botha, so he speaks with the voice of someone who doesn't have a horse in either race. He said if the rules and regulations in place have been met, that should be enough to satisfy anyone.
"These are matters for the commission to determine," Arum said. "Roy and Evander, who admittedly are in the late stages of their careers, have taken a lot of punishment. But under the law, you can't - and you shouldn't - discriminate against someone because of age. I promoted George Foreman when he was in his 40s and he was in better condition than a lot of athletes 20 years younger. Every case has to be considered individually.
"Margaret and Flip are disgruntled former affiliates of the commission. Neither is still involved because they were feeding [negative] stuff to the press in an effort to undercut the commission when they were a part of the commission. Since they left, I haven't seen either at any boxing match. They could be right about everything, but you have to consider the circumstances of their departure and how bitter they are."
Goodman realizes she will catch flak as well as she pitches it, and she's fine with that.
"It's reasonable for some people to dispute what I've been saying," she said. "I certainly can accept that. But staying quiet is not my way. I just care too much for the fighters to not point out what I think is wrong. If somebody says that's sour grapes on my part, so be it." *
"Bernard Hopkins is a shark. He's a bottom feeder. He's catfish. He's waiting around for someone to die, and then he'll bite into them." - Roy Jones Jnr
Although both men are in the autumn of their careers, the Jones Jnr-Hopkins rematch on April 3 represents more than merely an opportunity for the two to secure a final payday. The ferocity of the pre-fight rhetoric hints that both men have a point to prove 17 years after their first meeting, which Jones Jnr won.
After suffering a first-round knockout in his most recent fight, Jones Jnr will be desperate to denounce the perception that he is finished at the top level of boxing. He believes that there is no better way to disprove this theory than by harking back to his glory years and defeating Hopkins.
For his part, Hopkins eyes the fight as an opportunity to exorcise the ghosts of a fight in which he was outclassed against an opponent who has subsequently declared himself "[Hopkins'] worst nightmare". In the years following their first encounter, Hopkins made half-hearted attempts to organise a rematch, only to be repelled by Jones Jnr on each occasion - until now.
Going into the initial contest, which was for the vacant IBF middleweight belt on May 22, 1993, Jones Jnr was the favourite - as a silver medallist at the 1988 Olympic Games, and undefeated as a professional, he possessed the more impressive track record.
Hopkins had lost his first professional fight in 1988, although he went on to win 20 consecutive contests between February 1990 and September 1992 - helping to forge a strong reputation after that ignominious start to his career.
Despite Hopkins' run of victories heading into the fight, the perception remained that Jones Jnr was the cannier operator - and so it proved. Jones Jnr was awarded the victory via a unanimous points decision, with each judge scoring the match 116-112.
Hopkins conceded afterwards that he had been outclassed: "He was just the all-round better fighter, all-round quicker, all-round smarter." Hopkins was more impulsive in his approach, the less willing of the two to adhere to a pre-fight strategy as the contest reached its later rounds.
"He was trying to win by any means necessary," recalls Jones Jnr. "If he couldn't out-box you, he'd try to out-fight you. He tried all of that and none of it worked. He just couldn't get away from my jab and none of the tricks that he tried would work."
Jones Jnr's victory was considered all the more impressive after he made the post-fight revelation that he had defeated Hopkins with just one functioning fist. "My right hand was pretty much fractured," Jones Jnr said after the fight.
Although both had exhibited enough technical aptitude to confirm themselves as potential stars of the sport, the bout was only to attract intrigue in the years that followed as the fighters' careers continued on an upward trajectory.
Jones Jnr would go on to be considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet, possessing a fearsome combination of speed and power that allowed him to become a world champion at four weight divisions; he moved up to super-middleweight after the Hopkins fight, before eventually becoming heavyweight champion by defeating John Ruiz.
Jones' Jnr's progression up the divisions allowed Hopkins to stake a successful claim for the middleweight title. He would go on to dominate for more than a decade by making a record 20 defences, all the while declaring how the defeat to Jones Jnr contributed to his eventual success. "That fight there helped sculpture the character and my psyche of going in that ring and training," he said.
But the one blot on his copybook throughout Hopkins' glory years remained the comprehensive defeat he suffered against Jones Jnr. On Saturday, he has the opportunity to put the record straight - and how he would love to bite back at his long-time rival.
John Ruiz will be in the 12th title fight of a career that has spanned nearly 18 years when he enters the ring on Saturday night opposite WBA heavyweight champion, David Haye, of England before Haye's partisan, British fans at M.E.N. Arena, in Manchester.
A 38-year-old resident of Chelsea, Mass., Ruiz (44-8-1, 30 knockouts) will be attempting to win a crown for the third time when he faces the 29-year-old Haye (23-1, 21 KOs), a feat accomplished by men such as Lennox Lewis and Muhammad Ali.
Evander Holyfield is the sport's lone four-time heavyweight champion.
"It is going to work this time," said Ruiz. "No matter what they say, they can't take it away from me."
Ruiz considers it a plus that he has fought six times in England, winning every time, with five knockiouts.
"I've fought here six times. These fans put favoritism behind them and root for a good fight. I've fought everybody in the world, never avoiding anybody," said Ruiz. "I'm very proud of that. I've traveled the world, and boxing has been a savior for me."
There was a unanimous decision over Cordell Hylton in November of 1993, followed by a fourth-round knockout of Julius Francis in May of '94.
In '95, Ruiz scored respective stoppages of Jack Basting, Michael Murray, and, Derrick Roddy, in one, four, and two rounds, and there was his third-round knockout of Yuri Yelistratov in November of '96.
The brash, and, trash-talking Haye is immensely popular in England.
"[Haye] still isn't well known in the United States. [His popularity] is still in the beginning. His name is spreading around, but he needs to face somebody who's been in the heavyweight division, and that's me," said Ruiz.
"He can talk all he wants, but he knows he's in a tough fight. I don't focus on the other fighter, I focus on myself," said Ruiz. "Experience plays an important part, but so does youth. He's going to prepare himself and use the style he believes will win the fight. We'll see what comes out on top."
Being of Puerto Rican decent, Ruiz is the only Latino to have won a heavyweight title. Ruiz is also among the last four Americans to have held a version of the heavyweight belt, dethroning Holyfield for that honor.
In June of 2007, Shannon Briggs was briefly the WBO champion, this, two years after Ruiz was WBA king in 2005. In 2006, Hasim Rahman and Chris Byrd, respectively, were titlists with the WBC, and, IBF.
Haye recently dethroned Russia's seven foot Nicolay Valuev to earn the WBA crown, and 38-year-old Vitali Klitschko (39-2, 37 KOs), holds the WBC belt.
Klitschko's 33-year-old brother, Wladimir Klitschko (53-3, 47 knockouts), is the IBF and WBO champion. The younger Klitschko is riding a streak of 12-0, with nine knockouts -- including stoppages in his past four bouts -- since a fifth-round knockout loss to Lamon Brewster in April of 2004.
"I was born in the United States and my family is Puerto Rican. I'm a Puerto Rican-American. I've accomplished a lot during my career," said Ruiz. "I am the first Hispanic world heavyweight champion. But I'm an American, and I'm bringing the belt back home."
Ruiz brings a new enthusiasm into his match up with Haye, who became the first former cruiser weight (200 pounds) since Holyfield to win a heavyweight title.
Long maligned for what was often described as a boring, if not effective, "Jab-and-Grab" style, Ruiz claims to be more versatile under new head trainer, Miguel Diaz.
"I have a new team of trainers Miguel Diaz, and, Richie Sandoval. And I have a new promoter, Golden Boy [Promotions.] But there are still some people who've been part of the team for a long time," said Ruiz.
"You're seeing more of the Ruiz from the past -- boxing and punching, not holding," said Ruiz. "How many guys can say they have fought and won the two world heavyweight championships? I'm at peace, blessed with my family, and I've never been in tune with boxing like this during my career."
Ruiz's is a career that has risen up and down so many times, as if like a a yo-yo. Better yet, he has often rebounded like a rubber ball that has been slammed against a wall yet continues to return.
There were split-decision losses in his 15th, and, 20th professional bouts to Sergei Kobozev, and, Danell Nicholson, respectively, in August of '93, and, August of '94.
There was Ruiz's 19-second, first-round stoppage loss to David Tua in his 28th professional fight in March of '96.
Ruiz dropped an August of 2000, unanimous decision to Holyfield for the vacant WBA heavyweight title, only to reverse that verdict in March of 2001, and then, to retain the title six months later with a draw opposite Holyfield.
After one defense, however, Ruiz lost the crown in March of 2003, when Roy Jones rose from light heavyweight (175 pounds) to dethrone him as WBA king.
There would be yet another comeback for Ruiz, however, nine months later in his very next fight, when he regained the WBA title by unanimous decision over former world champion Rahman, a former Lennox Lewis-conqueror.
Ruiz defended that crown twice, the second time, in November of 2004, literally having to rise from the canvas two times before claiming a unanimous decision over Andrew Golota.
But misfortune would befall Ruiz, yet again, in his very next bout -- an October, 2005 loss to James Toney, who was subsequently stripped of the crown after testing positive for steroids.
Ruiz lost twice more in WBA title bouts to the seven-foot, 300-plus pound Valuev, respectively, by majority, and, unanimous decision, in December of 2005, and, August of 2008.
It matters not to Ruiz that, in defeating Valuev, Haye accomplished what neither he nor Holyfield could.
"I was surprised that [David Haye] got a decision [over Valuev] in Germany. Luck was on his side. I congratulate him. He did what he had to do and got the win. Holyfield's a legend. I can't compare them today," said Ruiz of Holyfield, loser of a December, 2008, majority decision to Valuev.
Every fight is difficult because everybody comes to win. That's what makes boxing special," said Ruiz. "But we're still here, and, hopefully this time around, we'll get a win."
David Haye has hit back in the verbal fisticuffs with John Ruiz, claiming: "You might still be world champion if you had fans."
Wba heavyweight king Haye landed his dig in response to Ruiz's jibe that he only won the title from Nikolai Valuev because his supporters at ringside swayed the judges to give him the decision.
Haye feels there is a distinct whiff of sour grapes about Ruiz's comments because he lost his title and failed to regain it both times he fought Valuev in Germany.
He says at least he has fans and Ruiz could accommodate all his supporters in a phone box.
"Granted, my fight with Valuev was not the most action-packed of my career, but I had a game-plan and I won," said the two-weight world champion.
"And that's what it's all about. "He can talk about the judges, but maybe if he had some fans he might still be world champion.
"Throughout my career, I have fought to entertain people and I am an exciting fighter.
"Maybe if he had fought more instead of just hugging people to death, he might have some fans too."
Despite this jibe, Haye has been restrained in his war of words with Ruiz compared to his all-out assault on Valuev.
The Londoner claims he doesn't need to get under the American's skin to beat him when he makes his first defence against him in Manchester's MEN Arena on Saturday, live on Sky Box Office HD. Haye has tried to think how Lennox Lewis would beat Ruiz and says he may ring the former undisputed world heavyweight champ.
"When I fought Valuev, part of my game-plan was to wind him up to make him come after me," he said. "I'm not that kind of guy normally and that was the only reason why I did it.
"For Ruiz, I don't need to try and get inside his head. I know I have the ability to beat him without having to unsettle him.
"Sometimes I ask myself how would Lennox Lewis have dealt with him and I think he would have broken him down before taking him out.
"I may give him a call because Lennox is a master strategist."
Two-time champ Ruiz's only knock-out during his 18-year pro career was a 19-second defeat to David Tua in 1996 and Haye claims he will become the second man to stop him by beating him "to within an inch of his life".
He said: "The only stoppage he's had was earlier in his career against David Tua and it was a flash knock-out.
"I don't think that will happen again and to stop him, I'm going to have to break him down and take him out.
"To do that, I'm going to have to beat him to within an inch of his life. I'm really going to have to do a number on this guy.
"I know he's got good powers of recovery and I'm really going to have to hammer away at him. But I know that if I keep chopping, the tree will eventually fall."
Like all of Haye's opponents, Ruiz feels the champ is chinny because of his five-round destruction at the hands of Carl Thompson in 2004, which remains his only pro defeat.
Haye, 29, is happy to let Ruiz delude himself this way because he knows he is a totally different fighter now.
"I've heard him say he's going to get on top of me the whole fight and that I'm chinny," he said.
"He thinks he has the game-plan to beat me and that he can do what Carl Thompson did to me.
"That defeat was one of those one-off things and it won't happen again. I was the architect of my own downfall that night and I've learned from that.
"I've proved to everyone that I've moved to a different level and on Saturday, Ruiz is also going to get acquainted with the new me."
MANCHESTER, England - John Ruiz calls himself “The Quiet Man,” and that’s what David Haye and most of the powers in boxing want him to remain Saturday night - quiet, man.
Don’t bet on it.
The two-time WBA heavyweight champion from Chelsea is trying not only to reclaim that title which young Haye now holds, but also to put his name in boxing’s history books next to three of the best heavyweights who ever lived - Muhammad Ali, Evander Holyfield and Lennox Lewis.
Unbelievable as it may seem to his critics, if Ruiz upsets Haye at the M.E.N. Arena, he will join them as the only men to win the heavyweight title three times.
No one, including Ruiz, ever expected one day his name might be in the same sentence with such fistic luminaries. But such are the vagaries of the sport today, and such is the determination of Ruiz who, by his own admittance, has “so-so talent, but I make up for things I lack with heart.”
That is what has sustained him through a nearly 18-year professional career and brought him to this moment at an age when far more gifted fighters have long faded away into civilian life.
That spirit comes from a well-spring given him by his mother, Gladys Martinez Morales, who worked three jobs to feed him and his siblings and instilled in each of them a fundamental understanding that life will knock you down. That is a given, no matter your station in life. All that matters is what happens next.
Considering the job he chose, it was good advice.
“No matter what pushed her down, she got up and kept moving forward,” Ruiz said after a light workout at the Northside Boxing Gym in a less-than-fully-refined section of Manchester. “She used to say don’t look back. That’s when you lose focus. That’s the character I saw in my mother.”
It is the way Ruiz has had to be throughout his career, which includes 11 world title fights (5-4-1, 1 no contest), a series of promoters not inclined to believe in him, and a constant battle to overcome critics who hated his brawling style because it made for less than scintillating television.
“They always used me to test other fighters,” Ruiz (44-8-1, 30 KO) recalled. “Whether it was Pannix Promotions (who promoted Lewis for a time) or Don King, they only wanted to test their fighters against me to see what the next step was for the other person. Every time, I was supposed to get knocked out and stepped over.”
Seldom have his wins been an art form, and seldom have his defeats been undisputed, except for a quick KO loss early in his career against David Tua, and a one-sided points loss to Roy Jones, Jr. that still haunts him today.
“I quit on myself that night,” Ruiz admitted. “I’m not proud of that, but it’s the truth. I was going through a divorce and everyone wanted Jones to win. That was the vibe I felt that night, and the sad part is that was the vibe I accepted. I just said to myself, ‘If they want to give it to him, let him have it.’ ”
That is the only time Ruiz’ spirit has been broken, and he’s since come back to reclaim the WBA title once and fight for it two other times. If he doesn’t win, this will be the last time - and he understands that, just as he knows why he’s a 6-1 underdog. Haye is 29, a former cruiserweight champion, native Brit, handsome, chiseled, glib and portrayed as the future of the division. Ruiz is The Quiet Man. Seldom in boxing is the quiet man the favored one.
“We both got something to prove,” Ruiz said. “I have to prove I still belong at this level, and he has to prove he ever belonged at this level.”
This is only Haye’s fourth heavyweight fight, having won the title from 7-foot Nikolai Valuev barely four months ago, who twice beat Ruiz in close and hotly disputed decisions. He has said he intends to storm Ruiz from the outset, overwhelming him with superior speed and his feared right hand.
Ruiz shrugs at the thought of that and smiles.
“If he wants to make it a fight, that’s my jungle,” he said. “It’s not what I’d do if I was him.”
At 38, Ruiz is who he’s always been. He’s The Quiet Man, the Underdog, the B-side.
Saturday night, none of those things will matter once he’s alone with David Haye. The only thing that will matter then is that he’s still Gladys Martinez Morales’ son, a fellow not easily dissuaded or defeated.
Promoter Gary Shaw has provided an update on the condition of Andre Dirrell after the blow he suffered when Abraham landed a huge right hand to his head while he was down. “Andre suffered a concussion. One doctor thought he suffered a seizure. His thoughts were very scrambled. He went from yelling to everyone over at Showtime, ‘who called me a coward’ to yelling ‘they knocked me out’ to ‘where’s the fight? I want to fight,’” stated Shaw. Shaw explained that the Michigan State Athletic Commission should have taken additional precautions when a disheveled Dirrell seemed disoriented and confused following the incident. “I think the fact that Michigan has not done a lot of big fights created some problems within the ring,” explained the promoter. “[Andre] should have been taken from the ring in a stretcher and transported immediately to the hospital. Instead he walked to the dressing room and while there was absolutely scrambled”.
Shaw also noted that Dirrell spent three hours undergoing neurological testing at the hospital and despite being cleared, was still visibly shaken. The promoter reported that Dirrell seemed better yesterday and would fully recover from the setback to battle against fellow American Olympian Andre Ward in Group Stage 3 of the tournament.
I don’t know if I was the only that noticed this or not, but when Andre Dirrell was crying after his 11th round disqualification victory over Arthur Abraham last Saturday night in their Super Six tournament fight in Detroit, Michigan. Dirrell had been easily winning most of the fight when he seemed to fade in the 10th round. In the 11th, Dirrell was running for his life from Abraham when he slipped on the canvas. Abraham, not one to waste a good opportunity, loaded up plastered the side of Dirrell’s head with a nice uppercut.
Dirrell had time enough to look at Abraham, grab his face, wince and then keel over on his side, looking like he was out cold for a brief moment. The fight was stopped at that point as the referee Lawrence Cole disqualified Abraham for the foul. I think it was a good call. I have no problem with that, but I was kind of confused about the crying that Dirrell did after he was revived by the ringside doctor.
Normally when a person cries, they have tears rolling down their face, but for some reason Dirrell had no tears whatsoever. I didn’t know what to think about it. I thought he was really hurt up until I noticed that there was no tears falling down his face, yet he was crying off and on for at least a minute. I’m not an expert crying, but as far as I can tell, a person usually produces tears when they cry.
I didn’t see any tears coming from Dirrell’s face. My question is why weren’t any tears falling down Dirrell’s face? That’s really weird. Was Dirrell really crying or just whining? If Dirrell was just whining, then I can understand the absence of tears. Whining can have tears or no tears. Whining is when a person complains in a tearful way, but it doesn’t need to have tears present.
Dirrell was clearly complaining after the fight, and looking really confused about what had happened. I don’t know whether that was because he was feeling the effects of the knockout or something else. If Dirrell was faking, then he might have not known how to act. I don’t whether Dirrell was hurt or not. All I do know is that I didn’t see any tears falling down his face when he was seemingly crying.
That was what struck me as kind of strange. When I see persons crying and no tears coming out, I tend to think they’re acting. When a person is genuinely upset, like in the loss of a loved one, it’s not something you can control. So for Dirrell to be crying and nothing coming down his face in the way of tears, I’m left wondering why that was.
Perhaps it was just a case of Dirrell just whining and not crying. It’s really hard to tell. Not too many people have said anything about Dirrell crying, so maybe it’s not a big deal with anyone. It just seemed a little strange to me that there weren’t any tears.
Abraham said after the fight that Dirrell was “a good actor.” I don’t know. If Dirrell was acting, I wouldn’t call it good acting, because a good actor would have been able to produce tears and I saw none from Dirrell last Saturday night. I don’t know if Dirrell was really hurt or not, but I guess I have to believe he was because no one in their right mind would go trough all the trouble to fake being knocked out.
Ranking a fighter pound-for-pound has never been easy for me.
Some fighters are exciting to watch whether they win or lose. It’s really hard to rank a fighter based on pound-for-pound.
What do you look for?
Some fighters are big punchers who knockout their opponents; then there are some fighters who are so skillful in the ring, that they can hit and don’t get hit. Meaning they give punishment, but taking very little punishment themselves, if any at all.
Should a pound-for-pound fighter be judged on how many opponents they knockout, or what kind of ring generalship they show in the ring? There have been some experts in the sport that don’t believe in a best pound-for-pound ranking. Hall of Fame Trainer and HBO boxing analyst Emanuel Steward does not believe in such a thing.
Steward feels that ranking a boxer pound-for-pound is something that’s been made up of lately. Steward has been involved in the sport of boxing for many decades and “when he’s asked that question” he quickly ops out of it. “I don’t believe in a pound-for-pound ranking,” he’d say without any hesitation.
I remember during a HBO telecast years ago, Hall of Fame Boxing Analyst Jim Lampley asked Steward to pick the pound-for-pound best fighter for that era. Steward quickly responded, “I don’t have one”. I just don’t believe in a pound-for-pound ranking. He then said, “If I had to pick a fighter, I would have to pick my all time favorite, and that is…Sugar Ray Robinson. He would be the only one worth such a title” pound-for-pound in his opinion, he said.
That same year, during a Roy Jones, JR., fight, Lampley asked Former Heavyweight Champion and HBO boxing analyst at the time, George Foreman that same question. Foreman answered saying, “trying to rank a fighter pound-for-pound is pure garbage, there should be no such thing.”
Lampley smiled and turn away.
I really share the same views as Emanuel Steward and George Foreman on this subject. Everyone has their own opinion when it comes to ranking fighters. I’m one that enjoys the “sweet science of boxing.”
I rank fighters high who display skills in the ring. No disrespect to the trainers, but–smart fighters who can think for themselves in the ring to pull off a win, gets my vote.
A fighter that is smart and can deliver punishment without taking much in return, while in the ring, and win, gets my vote.
Fighters such as; Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Robinson, Aaron Pryor, Sugar Ray Leonard, Pernell Whitaker, Bernard Hopkins, Sugar Shane Mosley and Floyd ”Money” Mayweather. These fighters have displayed unbelievable skills in the ring. I usually can look at fighter’s face at the end of any bout and see the damage that was done in the ring
Very rarely did these guys show damage to their face after a fight.
I’ve just recently added Manny Pacquiao to these special names above; even though his defense is still a little suspect, but the excitement he always brings makes him worthy.
To place Pacquiao at the top of the current pound-4-pound list, will be based on how well he competes against Mayweather and Mosley should those fights take place.
If there is a pound for pound list, this is what it would be:
1. Floyd Mayweather, JR
2. Shane Mosley
3. Manny “PacMan” Pacquiao
4. Bernard Hopkins
5. Juan Manuel Marquez
6. Paul Williams
7. Chad Dawson
8. Israel Vazquez
9. Miguel Cotto
10. Nonito Donaire
Some may agree or disagree with my picks, but this is how I rank the best fighters in the world today.
John Ruiz has taunted David Haye, claiming: "Is boring the worst thing you can say about me?"
Ruiz had steeled himself for a barrage of abuse from WBA heavyweight king Haye after his verbal attacks on Nikolai Valuev when he dismissed the Beast from the East as a "smelly, hairy circus freak".
But the American challenger says he laughed when he heard the best insult Haye could come up with was to call him a "cure for insomnia".
The former two-time world champ sees this as a victory in the mind games between the fighters and can't wait to get in the ring with him at Manchester's MEN Arena on Saturday.
"If that's the worst thing he can say about me, then I'm very shocked because people say he really likes to talk," said Ruiz.
"If this is what he has to do to get motivated and get in fight mode, then he'd better do as much talking as he needs to because come Saturday, I'll be ready to do my talking in the ring."
Ruiz, 38, first won the WBA crown when he beat the legendary Evander Holyfield nine years ago when Haye was still an amateur.
This will be the Quiet Man's 55th fight at heavyweight and he feels Haye, who has had just three fights at this weight, has never come up against someone of his pedigree.
"This is a test for him because he's going to realise this is a heavyweight fight here against a guy who comes to fight," he said.
"He's got a fight on his hands. We know he likes to move around a lot and at times take things easy, but we want to throw him off the groove, let him know that basically he's going to have to throw enough punches to keep me away from him."
Mandatory challenger Ruiz stepped aside in November so that the Londoner could take the title from Valuev and he feels this has worked to his advantage.
He lost twice to the giant Russian and did not fancy his chances of getting a decision in Germany if they had fought a third time.
"I congratulate David for winning the title," said Ruiz, who beat Turk Adnan Serin in seven rounds on the undercard that night in Nuremberg. "It gives me an opportunity to fight someone else other than Valuev, "This time with Haye I think it's better fight for me. I know he might be a better opponent than Valuev, but trust me, this is a better fight for me."
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While Haye is motivated by the desire to fight the Klitschkos, Ruiz, who is an inch shorter than the champ at 6ft 2ins, is driven by the ambition of joining an elite band of fighters who have been three-time world champs.
"I could join some of the great names," he said.
RUIZ RECORD
Wins 44 (30 by KO)
Defeats 8 (1 by KO)
Draws 1
Ko win % 56
Rounds boxed 322
Age: 38
Height: 6ft 2in Reach: 78 inches
Born and lives in Massachusetts, USA
Haye to win with 1st round KO 12-1; Ruiz to be counted out at any time 4-7; Haye to win on points 9/4; Ruiz to win by KO 13/2; Ruiz to win on points 10/1.
John Ruiz has set his sights on making history when he challenges David Haye for the WBA world heavyweight title in Manchester on Saturday night.
Victory over Briton Haye would see Ruiz join legends Muhammad Aliand Evander Holyfield in seizing the crown for a third time.
"To be included alongside names like Ali and Holyfield would be a dream come true," American Ruiz said.
"I'll give it everything I can, let's see how the chips fall."
Haye claimed the heavyweight title by beating giant Russian Nikolay Valuev on a majority points decision last November in Nuremberg.
And Ruiz, who lost on points to Valuev in 2005 and 2008, believes Haye was fortunate to sway the judges.
"I was surprised he got a decision out there [Germany], Ruiz told BBC Sport.
"I tried three times to get a decision out in Germany but luck was with him, and I bless him and congratulate him, and this time he knows that he will have a fight on his hands come Saturday.
"He did what he needed to do he got the win and if I knew that was the kind of style you needed to use I would have done the same kind of style."
Ruiz, with eight losses, 30 knockouts and one draw in a 54-fight career, claims his opponent is a relative unknown amongst the American boxing public.
"He is still in the beginning stages I mean his name is spreading around but he still has to face someone who has been in the heavyweight division and that is me," said Ruiz, who last fought in November, beating Adnan Serin inside seven rounds.
"When people ask me who I'm fighting and I tell them they still don't know who he is. But sometimes I like to be not known than known and maybe he feels the same way."
Londoner Haye, who has lost once in 24 fights, has described Ruiz as an "ugly type of fighter that drags people down".
However Ruiz, nicknamed the 'The Quiet Man', says he plans to adjust his style for Saturday's MEN Arena bout.
"You are definitely going to see something more of the old-style Ruiz where I used to box and punch, not like recently when I was leaning in too much and came into the hold situation.
"It will definitely play a big role in the fight, with David Haye being the smaller guy and me leaning in on him it could count as a plus. I've got to play it by ear when I step into that ring."
Bernard Hopkins will step into the ring on Saturday night against Roy Jones Jr. for their long-awaited rematch, but before he does that he stopped here at FanHouse to answer readers' questions in a live chat.
The full chat transcript is below.
[Comment From Billy: ]
Could you put into words how much it means to you to finally get a second shot at Jones?
Bernard Hopkins: It means a lot. I'm highly motivated and ready to go. Seventeen years in the making is a whole lot.
[Comment From Tyler (Memphis, TN): ]
Bernard, did you see the Andre Dirrell-Arthur Abraham fight and, if so, what did you think about the ending?
Bernard Hopkins: I didn't see it. I watch a lot of boxing, but when I'm in training I'm up at 5 in the morning so I don't get a chance to see many of those late-night fights.
[Comment From Keith: ]
In the past, you have been highly critical of your hometown quarterback, Donovan McNabb. What are your thoughts on his probable exit from Philly and the Eagles' future under Kevin Kolb?
Bernard Hopkins: After my victory Saturday night I'm going to have a big party where we celebrate sending McNabb where ever he goes. The Eagles have a chance to get to a Super Bowl and a change is well overdue. I think the starter should be Michael Vick and the backup should be Kevin Kolb but I think both guys should get a chance and Vick might still need some time to get comfortable. I'd actually like to see them mix both guys up. I think either one, both having different styles, can be successful.
Vick is a running quarterback. McNabb was a running quarterback early in his career with the Eagles but he changed. Somebody suggested that he should stay in the pocket. And I'm like, McNabb, don't be an idiot. God gave you the ability -- take advantage of that. It's not a bad thing, it's a good thing.
[Comment From Brian: ]
What do you make of the Joe Calzaghe story? Do you think he'll fight again?
Bernard Hopkins: I think he will fight again. He's obviously pretty good at keeping things quiet because nobody heard about it until now. I hope it's not bad -- drugs can do bad things to people. But he came out and told everybody what was going on with his statement. I hope everything is alright with him. For 90-plus percent of athletes, drugs aren't part of what we do. We walk a straight line.
[Comment From Deon Willis: ]
Roy Jones is a washed up fighter, you're still a high prized fighter why take this fight?
Bernard Hopkins: To me, it's personal redemption. People need to understand that this fight didn't happen for me when I wanted it to happen. Roy isn't the same fighter he was years ago. Neither am I. But I think the world would agree that I have a lot more left than he does. This rivalry, to me, is like Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. Roy doesn't like me, I don't like Roy. Roy wanted to handcuff my career and I had to make my career out of what I could. And now two legends with 80 years of experience will be on display on Saturday night and I think boxing fans will be doing themselves a disservice if they don't watch two legends. When is the next time you're going to see two legends go at it like this? Roy Jones has pride and Roy Jones wants to go out knowing that he beat Bernard Hopkins, and I think that makes him dangerous. I don't want people to think he's washed up to that point.
I'm also hoping to bring the best out of him and I think that if I bring the best out of him that will also bring the best out of me. Roy has nothing to lose, and that makes him very dangerous.
[Comment From Nardfan: ]
Bernard - huge fan. Just wondering what your plans are for the next few years? You're obviously still capable of putting the hurt on people (any guys on your radar for future fights?) and involved in promoting with Golden Boy, but would you ever consider becoming a trainer down the road? If so, is there any up and coming talent you feel you could help mold? Good luck this weekend, but I doubt you'll need it.
Bernard Hopkins: I definitely won't become a trainer. I prefer the business part of it, I like promoting fights. I would also like to accomplish something that only two middleweights have accomplished in history and that's moving up to heavyweight and becoming champion of the world.
David Haye and John Ruiz are fighting in England and my goal is to finish off Roy Jones with an outstanding victory and then campaign in the early fall or late winter -- with time to get my body ready for it -- to become the third middleweight to win a piece of the heavyweight champion. That's my goal, the Haye-Ruiz winner. No catchweight, none of that stuff -- I want the heavyweight title.
I've already got my training nailed down to move up to heavyweight -- my trainer has spent a lot of time looking at my body muscle mass and helped me figure out that at 200 to 204 pounds I can be explosive, speedy and win as a heavyweight at that weight. Keep in mind, David Haye is a big, strong guy, but he's not a Klitschko. He's bigger than me but it's not something where you'd say, "Bernard, are you kidding me?" Now, the Klitschko brothers, those guys are just huge. But it's realistic to think I could go after David Haye or John Ruiz.
I think the winner of John Ruiz-David Haye and me and Roy Jones, it makes a lot of sense.
[Comment From Future MiddleWieghtChamp: ]
How did you feel this fight with Roy Jones Jr. will effect your career win or lose?
Bernard Hopkins: Well, if I lose it would be devastating. If I win it would be, "Bernard has finally settled the score with Roy Jones Jr." Losing is no option. I have to win this fight and will win this fight. This fight will take me to the next stage, the next level of things I want to do. People are waiting for reasons to write Bernard Hopkins off and I'm not going to give them a reason for that.
I'm going to leave boxing one day, but if I'm going to leave on my terms, I must beat Roy Jones.
[Comment From CMeaux CMeaux: ]
Floyd Jr. or Suga Shane? I'm guyessing you and Suga are BFF's so him right?
Bernard Hopkins: I'm picking a tough fight early on, a tough fight that will be competitive early, and then I think in the middle rounds Shane Mosley will give Floyd Mayweather something that he's never had to take on before.
Mayweather's previous opponents haven't given him the kind of threat that Shane Mosley presents. Shane has quick feet and quick hands. Zab Judah was the last person to really go after Floyd Mayweather like that, and Zab had Floyd's number early on but couldn't sustain it. Shane is going to win the fight.
I think that if Mosley-Mayweather goes past six or seven rounds, people will see a difference in styles between Mosley and anyone else Mayweather has fought in the past. And with all due respect to Jeff and Roger and Floyd Mayweather Sr., Mosley has a better trainer in Naazim Richardson, the best-kept secret in boxing right now.
Naazim isn't just a trainer, he's a strategist. Naazim breaks down tapes until three or four in the morning, he knows what guys are going to do, and he'll tell me things and I wonder, "How did he see that?"
Naazim is a big piece of that puzzle, why Shane Mosley is going to win that fight.
[Comment From Terrence: ]
Would you mind explaining how spending time in prison affected the rest of your life?
Bernard Hopkins: I need therapy. I say that to be funny but also to be serious. When I say I need therapy, all the things I have, my kids and my wife, all those good things, every day I'm motivated by where I came from and what I came from. There's not a day that goes by, or even two or three minutes, when I don't think about, "I survived that."
People didn't think I was going to survive past age 18, let alone accomplish what I've accomplished in my life. I go back and think to those days when I didn't have fame and fortune -- I go right back to where I came from. I survived that with nothing. So maybe I need therapy because some would say, "That was a long time ago, Bernard." But I can't let it go because if I let it go I might as well retire from boxing because that's the foundation of my psyche.
[Comment From Mitch: ]
Do you like the UFC? How would you do in it?
Bernard Hopkins: I don't like the UFC, at least I don't like people matching it up with boxing. They're two different sports and I don't like it when people compare the UFC and boxing because the UFC is not boxing. Those guys are fighting like a street fight, although I know they train very hard and there's a strategy to it. But I just don't like it when they try to compare that to the sweet science of boxing. I respect what they do, but boxing is totally the opposite from the UFC and MMA. They're just totally opposites.
[Comment From Porfi Porfi: ]
My question is : Which victory of yours do you consider the most significant in your boxing career.?
Bernard Hopkins: I could name at least three: Felix Trinidad, Oscar De La Hoya and Kelly Pavlik. I'd also throw one more in there, Antonio Tarver.
I mention those fights because those are all fights where people had totally written me off as an underdog. People thought I was going to get knocked out by Kelly Pavlik and they used that as part of the promotion. I won those fights even though I was a 4-1 or 5-1 underdog.
[Comment From Guest: ]
Do you have anything to say to those who think you fight dirty?
Bernard Hopkins: Welcome to boxing.
[Comment From Jakey_beeee]
Who is P4P king Manny Pacquiao or Mayweather ?
Bernard Hopkins: Pacquiao. I think when Mosley beats Mayweather, that will be a better fight than Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao. I think Mayweather vs. Pacquiao is being pushed because they could make a lot of money with it. But I think the more competitive fight is Mayweather vs. Mosley. I'm answering this fight more as a fighter than a businessman because I really like the style of the fight of Mayweather vs. Mosley.
Mosley comes forward and throws punches and will make it an exciting fight. Mosley is getting his shot by default -- not because they wanted it -- but I think at the end of the day this will be a more competitive fight and the money was really the only driving issue to make Pacquiao fight Floyd but at the end of the day the right thing happened for Floyd and Shane.
That's it for now. I'd like to invite everyone to watch our fight on pay-per-view, to watch two legends square off in the ring, for a once-in-a-lifetime situation. Watch an extraordinary event on Saturday, April 3.
IF WORLD champion Danny Green needed proof his reputation has been tarnished by Roy Jones Jnr's 
claim he wore illegal wraps into the ring during the ''greatest victory in Australia's boxing history'', an online interview with Bernard Hopkins has provided it.
While Siaca was settling into his hotel, Green was busting up Dominic Vea in a torrid sparring session across town.
He says at least he has fans and Ruiz could accommodate all his supporters in a phone box.
