The Showdown 03.16.10: Fighters Who Should Be Off TV

Posted by Patrick Cassidy on 03.16.2010

Patrick Cassidy breaks down the inaugural class of the John Ruiz Hall of Fame dedicated to the fighters who have pained audiences with their boxing and should be expunged from television.



Well I'm sure you were one of the many fight fans who were left greatly disappointed by Josh Clottey's performance this past Saturday. He's a fighter who came from humble beginnings and had the chance to change his life forever and rather he seemed content to sit back and go the distance. This is not the first time Clottey has shown a complete lack of heart or interest in fighting in fact he's just one of many fighters bless with great talent that seems uninterested in tapping it.

So in honor of Josh Clottey I've devised a new hall of fame for a fighter of his caliber. Of course, the caliber I'm discussing is the ability to take an interesting fight and take any type of entertainment out of it. This is a tough one because there are plenty of fighters who take the fun out of the sport but I've reserved the coveted spots for only the cream/bottom of the crop. Ladies and Gentlemen , I introduce you to the 2010 class of the John Ruiz Hall of Fame



John Ruiz
We start it off with the man who this special Hall of Fame is dedicated to. John "Quiet Man" Ruiz has built his career off of pillaging fans pocket books with his mundane style of boxing which had produced such memorable battles against the likes of Fres Oquendo and Ruslan Chagaev. Who can forget how he bravely held against Evander Holyfield or when he valiantly coasted against Roy Jones in one of the worst PPV main events of all time? Yes, John Ruiz has become the poster boy for the decline of the Heavyweight division.

I understand that the man had to do what he can to win but Ruiz's style is so ugly and unimpressive it defies logic. Case in point, Winky Wright is never going to set the world on fire with his style but at least you can appreciate his almost perfect defense. It may not be pretty but it's worth watching. John Ruiz is like every bad sequel that goes direct to dvd and you catch at blockbuster. It's uninspired, unwatchable, and leaves you shaking your head. Yes, John Ruiz that my friend sums up your career.

Cory Spinks
This one's a little more difficult because Spinks may not produce great fights he does at least have some great abilities that are worth watching. With that being said, those skills are only worth watching when he's against a great opponent rather than the likes of Deandre Latimore and a washed up Verno Phillips. Spinks fights only periodically and never with great enthusiasm it seems. Take Spinks out of St. Louis and it's hard to imagine many fight fans lining up to see him. Maybe that's why a title holder of his caliber is left fighting on web broadcasts and Friday Night Fights. Hmm… I wonder who the problem is in this situation?



Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

JC Jr. teaches us all a great lesson and that is if you have the right bloodlines you can be as mediocre as possible and still be a success. A JC Jr. fight on any major PPV is essentially the same as the ugly friend of the person you really want. You have to put up with it just to get what you really want. Maybe I'm being too harsh on the kid but can someone really justify his place in the sport to something other than his bloodline?
A perfect example of JC's mediocrity is the fact that I had a large crowd prepared to watch the Pacquiao/Cotto fight. They seemed to be very interested at the thought of the legendary son fighting on the undercard. Oh, how wrong they were. As Chavez coasted to a victory against the pedestrian Troy Rowland the crowd quickly soured on the idea of Junior Chavez. His style is so utterly boring and uninspired to the point that he only looks sensational when he's matched with a true tomato can.

I'm sorry I'm not lining up to see John Duddy vs Junior Chavez and either should you if you enjoy that forty bucks sitting in your pocket. Let's cut the crap and put Chavez in against a real opponent and have him bite the dust and then we can forget about all of this.



Yuri Foreman
This is a tougher one because Foreman is a talented fighter and even better person. The "Lion of Zion" has a lot to be proud of but his work rate is not one of them. Foreman fights a style that if effective but completely frustrating to watch. He pot shots and moves and although his speed makes it effective it's highly frustrating to try to watch. It's gotten so bad that many pundits applauded Foreman for putting on a watchable fight when he defeated Daniel Santos for his first title.

Congrats… You're not the most boring fighter in the world that's some honor. Hell, Foreman makes guys like the Klitschkos look like Micky Ward and Arturo Gatti wrapped into one. Maybe you're excited for his upcoming showdown with Miguel Cotto but I for one am not. If Miguel Cotto chasing Foreman around the ring excites you than I recommend you buy a bucket of paint, throw it to the wall, and watch because it'll be just as exciting.



Joshua Clottey
Congrats Josh… you've made it. You may have blown your shot at greatness but you earned at least one honor on your way to boxing purgatory. Clottey's been in some decent fights but it doesn't make up for his disgraceful performance on Saturday night where he was much more intent on coasting to a loss than actually trying to win. Let's not forget Clottey also quit in the later rounds against Miguel Cotto in a fight he could have easily one. It doesn't stop there he hurt his hand against Antonio Margarito and basically was looking for a way out of that one. Mind you, it was not broken and sure he was in a whole lot of pain but remember only a few years ago in the same venue(Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall), Arturo Gatti won a world title with a broken hand against Gianluca Branco

My point is that Clottey has the apparent heart of a sparring partner rather than a full fledged prize fighter. He had a golden opportunity and he passed it by and it's not the first time and it won't be the last. So my argument becomes what is the point of having him take up valued television time while there is a wide variety of fighters who would kill for that spot?

There you have it, the inaugural class of the John Ruiz Hall of Fame, their will certainly be more in the years to come so don't worry I didn't forget such legends as Billy Dib, Sultan Ibragimov, and a sleuth of other fighters. Their day will come I just hope we're not subjected to any more of their fights.

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So what say you? Any active fighter out there that makes you cringe? Give us your own list of painful-to-watch fighters that should also get a television pink slip.