LAS VEGAS – John Ruiz and Roy Jones fought for the WBA heavyweight championship last night, a meeting with historic implications, but for a title without much distinction. The winner of the WBA belt can call himself a heavyweight champion, but the heavyweight champion is Lennox Lewis.
Ruiz was trying to defend 100 years of heavyweight history last night by not losing to a one-time middleweight. Jones was trying to be the first light-heavyweight champion to win a heavyweight crown since Michael Spinks beat Larry Holmes in 1985.
While a victory by Jones would be significant, he still wouldn’t be the heavyweight champion. Ruiz, Jones or Chris Byrd, the IBF champion, can consider himself a title-holder, but even they admit the recognized champ is Lewis until someone beats him.
Exactly what the next big heavyweight fight will be after last night is everyone’s guess, but it all starts with Lewis, who is somewhere between a three-year commitment to Don King and retirement.
Until Lewis surfaced in Las Vegas this weekend, we saw little of the WBC champion since his impressive eighth-round knockout of Mike Tyson last June in Memphis. Lewis hinted at retirement then, but clearly wants another big payday or two. But who, when and where is anyone’s guess.
Lewis floated a potential rematch with Tyson following Tyson’s first-round knockout of Clifford Etienne last week in Memphis. But Tyson’s camp remains reluctant.
“Mike has to be right,” said Tyson’s adviser, Shelly Finkel.
With Tyson not interested, Lewis must evaluate his options.
“Lennox has to make a decision now about laying out his plans beyond Mike Tyson,” Lewis’ trainer, Emanuel Steward, said. “That’s what I’m anxious to find out.”
It’s what everyone is anxious to find out. Lewis reportedly has been offered a three-fight deal by King that would provide a lucrative finish to his career. The deal is said to be worth nearly $60 million.
Steward is among those urging Lewis to sign with King and replace Lewis’ current management team that brokered a since-broken contract to fight Ukrainian heavyweight Vitali Klitschko. Several members of the Lewis camp felt the deal for a proposed fight in April was not financially good enough for the champion.
Lewis since has refused to fight Klitschko, who filed a civil suit against the WBC to force a mandatory defense against him or have Lewis stripped of his WBC crown.
“I think Lennox realizes himself that he needs Don,” Steward told British reporters. “After everything that happened, the Tyson victory, which was devastating and dominating, Lennox has gone into obscurity. Lennox won the biggest bout of his life, it was one of the greatest victories in any sport, but his management team have failed to take advantage of this.”
The deal with King is said to include a gig as a broadcaster on a boxing satellite channel King plans to launch later this year. Lewis served as a commentator on an international broadcast of last night’s fight.
Meanwhile, Ruiz was hoping a victory over Jones would make him a big enough name to interest Lewis.
“I don’t bring the money, but I bring a good fight,” Ruiz said.
Lewis wants both.