August 12, 2000: Evander Holyfield’s Victory Over John Ruiz Secures Historic Fourth Heavyweight Title

On August 12, 2000, Evander Holyfield faced John Ruiz for the WBA heavyweight title. This fight materialised following the decision from the WBA to strip Lennox Lewis of the title, following his wish to face Michael Grant instead of Ruiz. Holyfield now had a chance for title glory following his defeat to Lewis nine months earlier.

OTD in 2000 Evander Holyfield Defeated John Ruiz

Evander Holyfield vs. John Ruiz Recap

Ruiz began as the aggressor, working well off his jab, and this was a theme for much of the fight which saw the Massachusetts native control the distance and tempo effectively with his jab. A peach of a right hand from Holyfield in round three had Ruiz in trouble, but the follow-up attack was not enough to stop “The Quiet Man.”

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Holyfield was known for his exceptional counterpunching, but he couldn’t get anything going of note, and Ruiz continued to work smartly off his jab. As the final bell sounded, it was far from a classic, but many felt Ruiz had done enough and would get the decision. The fighters gathered in the middle of the ring, and the scorecards read 114–113 x2 and 116–112 all in favour of “The Real Deal.” Watching the fight back after all these years, and 116-112 is just as difficult to explain as it was then. Ruiz was consistently first to the punch and outworked Holyfield and deserved the win. The controversial win for “The Real Deal” made him the first boxer in history to be the world heavyweight champion four times.

Controversy

Following the fight, Ruiz expressed his unhappiness with the scorecards and said: “It was highway robbery without a gun.” He continued: “I won the fight and he knows I won the fight.”

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“I am very surprised by the judges’ decision. I don’t know what fight they saw. It could have been one of the fights before this. I don’t know what was on their mind,” Ruiz said.

Despite his disappointment at the decision, Ruiz got his revenge seven months later, when he defeated Holyfield by a unanimous decision. Their trilogy fight ended in a split decision draw on December 15, 2001.