BoxRec

discuss?

This is what Ruddock said in an interview.


"the fact of the matter is that Tyson and I finished each other. Lewis fought a shell of us both; he would have never wanted to fight us when we were still fresh. It's true, he got a shell of us, and we weren?t the same after we fought each other. We fought two brutal wars. His eardrum was busted in the second fight and my jaw was broken, and we were just never the same"

No

I think he was more arrogant than anything. He swaggered into London with a massive entourage and bloated ego, expecting to fight the boy he used to beat up in sparring. Terrible mistake. Lewis himself made the same mistake later, thinking he'd just walk over McCall who was only a sparring partner. In both cases they did not comprehend the threat they would be meeting in the ring.

Different attitude from Ruddock and it would be a different fight (but same winner imo, just less catastrophic).

gilgamesh wrote: ↑07 Jul 2018, 02:43No

I think the Tyson fights put a fair few miles on the clock, but shot is stretching it.

Lewis could make anyone look like crap. His 1st round blowout of Golota was insane. When you have a guy with a history like that, its not because he fought shot guys. Its because he was that damn good.

Mind you, Tommy Morrison fought an inactive Ruddock, and Lewis took Morrison super seriously based on the performance. So Lewis must have not considered Ruddock to be shot when he fought him because it's arguably his greatest knockout performance; he took Ruddock seriously.

keithmoonhangover wrote: ↑07 Jul 2018, 07:33

gilgamesh wrote: ↑07 Jul 2018, 02:43No

I think the Tyson fights put a fair few miles on the clock, but shot is stretching it.

I'd agree with that way of putting it.

Ruddock's prime probably ended right after Lewis. And after Morrison he was shot.

gilgamesh wrote: ↑07 Jul 2018, 12:10

keithmoonhangover wrote: ↑07 Jul 2018, 07:33

gilgamesh wrote: ↑07 Jul 2018, 02:43No

I think the Tyson fights put a fair few miles on the clock, but shot is stretching it.

I'd agree with that way of putting it.

Yep thats how I see it. Saying that when some guys start losing I do think they lose their edge, physically they might be as good but mentally they are not always as tough or dedicated/focused.

Controversial wrote: ↑07 Jul 2018, 13:21

gilgamesh wrote: ↑07 Jul 2018, 12:10

keithmoonhangover wrote: ↑07 Jul 2018, 07:33

I think the Tyson fights put a fair few miles on the clock, but shot is stretching it.

I'd agree with that way of putting it.

Yep thats how I see it. Saying that when some guys start losing I do think they lose their edge, physically they might be as good but mentally they are not always as tough or dedicated/focused.

I can definitely see that. Also earning your career high biggest payday, and having the money to live pretty comfortably can probably cause you to lose your edge. I'm sure Ruddock made a solid amount of money in the Tyson fights. The biggest paydays of his career almost certainly. Which means he might've been living the high life a little more heading into the Lewis fight, and not training as intensely as he would've been before.

gilgamesh wrote: ↑07 Jul 2018, 13:29

Controversial wrote: ↑07 Jul 2018, 13:21

gilgamesh wrote: ↑07 Jul 2018, 12:10

I'd agree with that way of putting it.

Yep thats how I see it. Saying that when some guys start losing I do think they lose their edge, physically they might be as good but mentally they are not always as tough or dedicated/focused.

I can definitely see that. Also earning your career high biggest payday, and having the money to live pretty comfortably can probably cause you to lose your edge. I'm sure Ruddock made a solid amount of money in the Tyson fights. The biggest paydays of his career almost certainly. Which means he might've been living the high life a little more heading into the Lewis fight, and not training as intensely as he would've been before.

Definitely, how many guys have become rich and then disappeared into the wilderness, either because of drugs, drink, fame, women or lack of motivation. Or all five. The desire of winning big money makes a fighter dangerous, when you have the money sometimes that desire goes. Was it Hagler who said something along the lines of it being hard to get up early and train when your sleeping in silk sheets. Thats why even though I don't like FMM I do admire his professionalism, staying at the top for so long with millions in the bank.

No, he wasn't shot. Surely, two Tyson fights took something from Ruddock, but his main problem was neglecting boxing skills. Early version of Ruddock had very good jab, but he had become a one-dimensional fighter, who relied only on his brutal left half-hook/half-uppercut, physical strength and power. Pre-Steward version of Lewis was much more vulnerable than prime version (1995-2001), but he was still too talented and too smart to lose to such one-dimensional fighter as Razor Ruddock.