Chagaev Injured Once More; Why Not Put in Ruiz Against Valuev?
The only news less shocking would have been that more people were massacring each other in the Middle East, that another crooked businessman or politician has been caught, or that you will be getting less service for more money from the medical, airline, and cable TV industries.
Ruslan Chagaev is certainly taking advantage of his medical services, as once again he has pulled out of a fight claiming an injury. He had been scheduled to defend his WBA heavyweight title July 5 against the man from whom he won it, Nikolai Valuev, in Germany. Now, reportedly suffering from an Achilles tendon torn in his left foot during sparring Thursday afternoon, he is out of this fight and is now facing surgery.
Plus, for all you infidels, his promoter, Universum, even has a picture to prove it:
Chagaev had previously pulled out of fighting Valuev on this fight’s original date of May 31, and also a title unification fight with then-WBO champion Sultan Ibragimov last fall, all citing illness.
This July 5 card had been billed as a night of rematches, since Chagaev had won a majority decision over Valuev in April 2007, with the scheduled co-feature having WBA middleweight champion Felix Sturm fighting Randy Griffin in a rematch of their draw from last October. Sturm-Griffin will go on as planned, but the heavyweight fight is off.
But why? Why not try to use another former WBA heavyweight champion, John Ruiz?
I haven’t spoken with Ruiz and don’t know if he is ready or available, especially on such short notice, but Ruiz lost highly controversial decisions to both Chagaev and Valuev in Germany, yet has never been given a rematch.
Ruiz dropped his WBA belt to Valuev by majority decision in Berlin, Germany, Dec. 17, 2005. In Ruiz’s next fight, Nov. 18, 2006, he lost a split decision to Chagaev, also in Germany. If those fights had been judged elsewhere, Ruiz easily could have been declared the winner, or at worst retained his belt by draws.
Since then, Ruiz has only fought twice, stopping journeyman Otis Tisdale in two on Oct. 13, 2007, and winning a lopsided decision over Jameel McCline March 8, 2008, in what was billed as a WBC title eliminator.
Ruiz is still only 36 and should have several good years left in him. He dominated McCline, who in his previous fight had dropped now-WBC champion Samuel Peter three times before fading and losing a decision.
So why no rematch with either Chagaev or Valuev? Once again, boxing puts politics first, and leaves a former champion out in the cold.
The July 5 card will be telecast in Germany by ZDF. No doubt the streamers at SopCast will make it available for the world to see. But don’t tell the promoters, who probably wouldn’t get it anyway.
Labels: boxing, Boxing Standard, Eddie Goldman, Felix Sturm, John Ruiz, Nikolai Valuev, Randy Griffin, Ruslan Chagaev, WBA, ZDF
posted by Eddie Goldman @ 5:50 PM
4 comments
4 Comments:
Ruiz is pushing for this, and he's got a good case. Two problems, though:
1) The fight would be in Germany, which means that he needs to kill Valuev, cut up his body, mail the different body parts to other countries, and then set each separate part on fire in order to win a decision. He will feel, rightly, that he has to knock Valuev out, and that will change his style. Most people who don't like his fighting style will say that's for the better, but I don't think so. More conventionally entertaining, maybe, but not necessarily better.
2) Does the WBA have any interest in giving him this shot? Wouldn't they be happier giving it to, oh, say, the great Jameel McCline? Do they really want an an extremely hard to beat champ--because if he wins he's going to defend in the USA and he'll have the champ's extra edge with the judges, and he can fight his fight and beat just about anybody they send at him--who's widely regarded as the opposite of entertaining? I think he's one of the best and most interesting heavyweights in the world, still (and I know that's faint praise these days), but I'm in the minority.
Anyway, I hope he gets the fight, and I expect him to beat Valuev, whether or not that translates into an official victory.
I think there may be a subtle shift taking place with the Soviet heavyweights who've held the title for a short time: They may have, as conservative businessmen who've achieved some degree of middle class comfort, lost the little edge that they needed to (with official assistance or complicity on the part of their opponents) steal decisions in Germany. They're also not turning into the big draws at the box office that their promoters hoped they'd be.
As these champs and former champs grow increasingly complacent, Ruiz probably doesn't need too much to push his wins over the line from unofficial ones (the kind that rob him on the scorecards, but give him bragging rights) to late round TKOs. Ruiz, for all the griping about his style and his marketability, has actually been a good money earner for a lot of people for a long time now. He's not a superstar, but if you look at the overall magnitude of his fights, he's way up in the mix. There's no reason why he can't continue to be profitable, considering that he'll fight anyone, anytime, anyplace. Maybe he's not such a bad choice after all, even if he wins a title again.
It's true that Ruiz is known among fight business people as a financial overachiever who made good money, especially considering the marketing handicap he operates under--that is, that he's a fairly normal, decent guy who just wants to be left alone to grind out wins over good opponents. Obviously, I'm convinced that he deserved a title shot and would be in many ways a better champ than the ultraconservative and therefore often disappointing Russian heavies who still hold sway. A late-career title run for Ruiz would be very much worth watching, I think.
The Team Ruiz press release issued Thursday cited a number of WBA rules requiring them to strip Chagaev of his title for not defending his belt, and to mandate a title fight between their top two contenders: Valuev and Ruiz (http://blog.thesweetscience.com/2008/06/27/ruiz-likely-to-meet-valuev-again). Of course, we all know how meticulously these alphabets always follow their own rules.
The press release only quoted Ruiz and his advisor and attorney, Tony Cardinale. No comments were included from any promoter. Don King, Ruiz’s most recent promoter, also co-promotes Valuev with Sauerland, so even if there is a purse bid, the setting will most likely favor Valuev. Plus, as Carlo said, such a fight will most likely be in Germany, where it will be far more marketable than anywhere else, save perhaps Russia, where the American networks won’t go and there are not enough rubles to entice all those with their hands out.
If they are going to make their money from the German gate and TV, and also international TV, the trick is getting some American network like Showtime to show it live, or for Don King’s new Internet TV network to show it live. That way it will be somewhat harder for Ruiz to be blatantly robbed, assuming the fight is not a blowout of the Corrie Sanders-Wladimir Klitschko variety.
The question, though, is if boxing’s politrickians want to risk putting in an overrated Valuev with a rested and underrated Ruiz. Jawny seems to be a bit refreshed under Manny Siaca Sr., while Valuev, who is said to have learned to throw a jab, is still an enormous and usually immobile target.
The boxing media, as they like to be known, must also loudly demand that this fight take place, and soon. So y’all better do your jobs, y’hear?
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