NEW YORK, 19 April 2004 — John Ruiz and Chris Byrd kept their heavyweight titles, but the only clear winner here Saturday at Madison Square Garden was promoter Don King.
Byrd fought to a draw with Poland’s Andrew Golota to keep the International Boxing Federation crown. World Boxing Association champion Ruiz stopped Puerto Rican compatriot Fres Oquendo in the first all-Hispanic heavyweight title bout.
King, who backs all fourt men, enhanced the champions’ value for a bargain payout, set the stage for a lucrative Byrd-Golota title rematch and tightened his grip on heavyweight boxing since the retirement of Britain’s Lennox Lewis.
“With Lennox Lewis stepping down, the youngest and hungriest fighters are coming up and I’m one of them,” proclaimed Lamon Brewster, Byrd’s cousin who beat Wladimir Klitschko for the World Boxing Organization crown last week.
“Now that Don controls most of the belts, we’re going to have like a box-off. It’s going to be interesting.”
King sent that message to such fighters as Mike Tyson watching at ringside, 41-year-old Evander Holyfield and Ukranian Vitali Klitschko, who fights South African Corrie Sanders next week for the World Boxing Council crown. Byrd made $625,000, five times Golota’s take, and Ruiz received only $450,000, three times Oquendo’s money. What was billed as the start of a new heavyweight era looked much like the low points of the past one.
Southpaw Byrd had struggled to beat Oquendo last September and Golota, 36, revived his world title hopes after a three-year layoff by dueling the champion to a 12-round deadlock that could spawn a quick rematch.
“We’re going to do it again,” King said.
One judge gave Byrd a 115-113 verdict. Another backed Golota by the same total. The third scored the fight 114-114.
It was the first career draw for both men. Byrd went to 37-2 with one deadlock while Golota moved to 38-4 with one draw, winning respect from the crowd if not a crown.
The fight featured flurries and heated exchanges between both men, but Byrd said Golota’s blows did little damage, telling his cornermen before the final round, “He’s not strong. He’s just big.”
By the finish, with both men tiring, Golota tried one final time to impose his will upon Byrd against the ropes only to be thwarted at the bell. Byrd was warned for a low blow two minutes into the fight against Golota, who drew such nicknames as “Foul Pole” and “Go-Low-ta” for his history of hits below the belt, notably in two disqualification losses to Riddick Bowe. One of those defeats touched off a 1996 riot at Madison Square Garden, resulting in tighter security for subsequent fights at the famed arena.
But this time, Golota fought clean, his one low blow warning a dubious call that landed on the top rim of Byrd’s shorts.
Fans booed and chanted obscenities at times during the Ruiz-Oquendo fight as inactive combatants grabbed often and exchanged few flurries, insisting on a tactical style filled with clinches, jabs and feints but no power punches. Referee Wayne Kelley declared Ruiz a winner after two minutes and 33 seconds of the 11th round as the champion pounded Oquendo, whose arms were flailing in a failed effort to defend himself even though he had not been knocked down.
