Evander Holyfield vs. John Ruiz

Justice

Date	August 12, 2000
Venue	Paris Las Vegas, Paradise, Nevada
Title(s) on the line	vacant WBA heavyweight title
Tale of the tape
Boxer Evander Holyfield John Ruiz Nickname The Real Deal The Quietman Hometown Atlanta, Georgia Chelsea, Massachusetts Purse $5,000,000 $1,100,000 Pre-fight record 36–4–1 (25 KO) 36–3 (27 KO) Age 37 years, 9 months 28 years, 7 months Height 6 ft 2+1⁄2 in (189 cm) 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) Weight 221 lb (100 kg) 224 lb (102 kg) Style Orthodox Orthodox Recognition WBA No. 2 Ranked Heavyweight 2-division undisputed world champion WBA No. 1 Ranked Heavyweight
Result
Holyfield wins via 12-round unanimous decision (116–112, 114–113, 114–113)

Evander Holyfield vs. John Ruiz , billed as Justice, was a professional boxing match contested on August 12, 2000 for the vacant WBA heavyweight championship. ^[1]

Background

After Lennox Lewis defeated Evander Holyfield at the second attempt to become the undisputed heavyweight champion, the WBA ordered Lewis to face its top contender John Ruiz, where as Lewis wanted to first defend his titles against WBC and IBF number two contender Michael Grant. The WBA and Lewis agreed that he would fight Grant first followed by Ruiz. Ruiz's promoter Don King challenged the decision in court and a clause was found in Lewis' contract that stated the winner of the Holyfield–Lewis fight would first defend his titles against the WBA's number one contender. Because of this, Lewis was stripped of his WBA title. ^[2] The WBA chose Holyfield to face Ruiz for the vacant WBA Heavyweight title.

The co feature of the bout was set to be a mandatory defence for WBA welterweight champion James Page against Andrew Lewis, however it was called off at a few days notice after a dispute over the purse bid. ^[3] As a result a bout between Rosendo Álvarez and Beibis Mendoza, which was originally part of the undercard for the Tim Austin vs. Arthur Johnson bout held the day before, was moved to fill the slot on the Holyfield Ruiz card. ^[4]

The fight

Ruiz was aggressive throughout the fight landing many effective jabs, and except for late in the third round, he was never really in any serious trouble from Holyfield.

Judges Duane Ford and Dave Moretti scored the fight 114–113, while Fernando Viso scored it 116–112 giving Evander Holyfield victory by unanimous decision to become the first boxer in history to be the World Heavyweight Champion four times.

Main event scorecards

Nevada State Athletic Commission ^[5]
Official score card

Title: Justice						Referee: Richard Steele						Supervisor:
Date: 12 August 2000						Venue: Paris Las Vegas						Promoter: Don King
Holyfield		vs.	Ruiz			Holyfield		vs.	Ruiz			Holyfield		vs.	Ruiz
RS	TS	Rd	TS	RS		RS	TS	Rd	TS	RS		RS	TS	Rd	TS	RS
9		1		10		9		1		10		9		1		10
10	19	2	19	9		9	18	2	20	10		9	18	2	20	10
10	29	3	28	9		10	28	3	28	8		10	28	3	28	8
9	38	4	38	10		9	37	4	38	10		9	37	4	38	10
9	47	5	48	10		9	46	5	48	10		9	46	5	48	10
10	57	6	57	9		9	55	6	58	10		9	55	6	58	10
10	67	7	66	9		10	65	7	67	9		10	65	7	67	10
9	76	8	76	10		10	75	8	76	9		9	74	8	77	10
10	86	9	85	9		10	85	9	85	9		10	84	9	86	9
10	94	10	94	9		10	95	10	94	9		10	94	10	95	9
10	104	11	103	9		9	104	11	104	10		10	104	11	104	9
10	116	12	112	9		10	114	12	113	9		10	114	12	113	9
FINAL SCORE	116	–	112	FINAL SCORE		FINAL SCORE	114	–	113	FINAL SCORE		FINAL SCORE	114	–	113	FINAL SCORE
Won			Lost			Won			Lost			Won			Lost
Judge: Fernando Viso						Judge: Duane Ford						Judge: Dave Moretti
Suspensions: None						Point deductions: None						Decision: Unanimous decision for Holyfield

Aftermath

The decision was controversial as many observers and boxing reporters felt that the underdog Ruiz had done enough to win. In interviews after the fight Ruiz said "It was highway robbery without a gun,... I won the fight and he knows I won the fight...I had control of the fight. I am very surprised by the judges' decision. I don't know what fight they saw." Showtime commentators described the decision as "absurd" and "ridiculous". ^[6]

Due to this controversial decision, an immediate rematch was ordered to take place in early 2001

Eight days after refereeing the co featured bout, referee Mitch Halpern committed suicide at his home in Las Vegas. ^[7]

Undercard

Confirmed bouts: ^[8]

Winner	Loser	Weight division/title belt(s) disputed	Result
Beibis Mendoza	Rosendo Álvarez	vacant WBA World light flyweight title	7th round DQ.
Non-TV bouts
Daniel Seda	Oscar León	vacant WBA Fedelatin featherweight title	8th round TKO.
Richie Melito	Thomas Williams	Heavyweight (10 rounds)	1st round KO.
Christy Martin	Dianna Lewis	Welterweight (10 rounds)	Unanimous Decision.
Carlos Quintana	Miguel Avila	Welterweight (10 rounds)	1st round TKO.
Jeffrey Hill	Shakir Ashanti	Super Welterweight (6 rounds)	4th round TKO.
Siarhei Liakhovich	Tracy Wilson	Heavyweight (4 rounds)	1st round KO.

Broadcasting

Country	Broadcaster
United States	Showtime

References

1. "Evander Holyfield vs. John Ruiz (1st meeting) - BoxRec".
2. Hard-Hitting Federal Judge Strips Lewis of WBA Title, L.A. Times article, 2000-04–13, Retrieved on 2013-08-10
3. "Page fight on Holyfield undercard is off". espncdn.com. ESPN. Associated Press. 10 August 2000. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
4. Dan Rafael (11 August 2000). "Alvarez-Mendoza title fight elevated Bout moved to fill Page gap on Showtime". USA TODAY. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
5. "Holyfield Ruiz scorecards". fightnews.com. Fight News. 12 August 2000. Archived from the original on 16 August 2000. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
6. Dan Rafael (14 August 2000). "More controversy for Holyfield". USA TODAY. Archived from the original on 15 August 2000. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
7. GEORGE KIMBALL (24 August 2000). "A life of promise ends with a gunshot". Irish Times. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
8. "BoxRec - event".

Preceded by vs. Lennox Lewis II	Evander Holyfield' bouts 12 August 2000	Succeeded by Rematch
Preceded by vs. Thomas Williams	John Ruiz's bouts 12 August 2000