John Ruiz met some of the heaviest handed fighters in the industry, but one lesser-known name clearly stood out.
Ruiz had huge success in the heavyweight scene reigning as a WBA world champion from 2001 and 2005.
During his stellar career where he became Latin America’s first heavyweight world king, Ruiz fought some incredible names.
His resume includes the likes of boxing icons Evander Holyfield, Roy Jones Jr, David Haye and Nikolai Valuev.
But it was one dynamite puncher who stood out in David Tua, who flattened him after just one round.
The New Zealander went with an extremely aggressive approach during their 1994 clash for the WBC international title.
And incredibly Tua rendered Ruiz unconscious with some crushing and relentless blows which sent him flat on his back motionless.
It’s thus no surprise that Ruiz said ‘The Terminator’ was the hardest puncher he faced eclipsing that of some of the leading operators.
He told The Ring in the ‘Best I Faced’ segment: “David Tua, he hit like a mule.
“Sometimes things happen, and I admit he really got me.”
Tua was on an incredible winning run at the time, which was eventually halted by Ike Ibeabuchi the following year.
He famously beat Hasim Rahman in 1998 but was subsequently outpointed by Lennox Lewis in 2000.
But Tua had an extremely long career fighting until 2013 when he eventually retired on the back of a second consecutive loss.
Ruiz had some incredible memories in the sport during his stint.
He was first controversially outpointed in a huge fight with Holyfield in 2001.
But he famously captured a world title with a win over ‘The Real Deal’ on points nine months later.
It was an incredible achievement which saw him hold the title for just one win.
He was beaten by truly gifted fighter Jones Jr, who too beat him on points in 2003.
Ruiz after 2004 when he lost the belt for a second time failed to beat any of the leading names.
He suffered two defeats against 7ft 2ins Russian giant Valuev.
Then his final bow in the sport came against powerful British fighter Haye, when he was far from his best.
And ‘Hayemaker’ delivered several thudding blows knocking him down four times in the fight.
Ultimately, ‘The Quiet Man’ was stopped in the ninth and it was a savage ending to an incredible journey.
Ruiz was able to end his time in the professional ranks as a real fan-friendly staple who never shied away from the highest level challenges.
