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 King Wants 'The Quiet Man' to Deliver KO on July 27by Peter Mooney (July 11, 2002)  Send this page to friend Give us your feedbackBOSTON, MA -- July 10 - The loudest man in boxing promoting the quietest man in the game. Seems appropriate and even necessary. At the very least it makes for a press conference full of wise cracks. Don King put forth a challenge to WBA Heavyweight Champion John Ruiz at their press conference this afternoon at The Place in Boston. Not only did King say Ruiz had to become louder, he also said he needs to knockout favored challenger Kirk Johnson of Canada on July 27th at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. "He can no longer be quiet," King said of Ruiz. "He must make noise now. Not only inside the ring, but outside the ring." The primary goal of the press conference was to encourage local supporters of Ruiz--a resident of Chelsea, MA--to attend the fight. But that didn't stop King from stealing the stage as he usually does. King teased Ruiz about driving a Ford and suggested his reward for a knockout victory over Johnson may be a Mercedes Benz. More seriously, King said, "A knockout is something he must be able to demonstrate in order to prove he is the fighter that he is." Not surprisingly, Ruiz tried to side-step King's challenge and also not surprisingly, King did not back down. Asked if he felt he needed a knockout to gain respect, Ruiz said, "I haven't really been thinking about it. I really haven't. You just have to go out there and fight your fight." King offered an immediate rejoinder: "You have to knock him out, Johnny." But Ruiz (37-4-1, 27 KOs) claims that he struggled in his last fight with Evander Holyfield because he tried to force a knockout in order to gain respect. Against Johnson, he said will focus on staying relaxed. "I've finally realized that if it comes it comes," Ruiz said about scoring a knockout. "I can't be worried about it." According to King, Ruiz's chances depend not on talent but will. "He must step up to the plate," the promoter said. Likewise, Ruiz's vocal manager Norman Stone thinks his fighter possesses more than enough talent to dispose of Johnson (32-0-1, 23 KOs). Stone also strongly believes Ruiz will rise to King's challenge. "The odds are 3-1 against John. I'm going to make a hell of a lot of money," Stone said, adding that he expects a knockout. Stone went so far as to say that he doesn't know how Johnson can beat Ruiz. "Everyone says Johnson's a great fighter. Well, if he's a great fighter, then after this fight Johnny is going to be the greatest fighter." For Questions or Comments E-Mail Peter Mooney at pb_mooney@hotmail.com Peter Mooney's Archives - Click Here |
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