The Razor Ruddock Chronicles – The Mike Tyson Showdown
By Mike Plunkett
By March of 1991, Donovan “Razor” Ruddock had all but climbed to top of the heavyweight landscape heading into his much anticipated showdown with the former undisputed heavyweight champion and self-proclaimed “baddest man on the planet”, “Iron” Mike Tyson. The breakout win over Michael Dokes a year earlier not only clearly thrust “Razor” Ruddock to the forefront of the heavyweight rankings, it had catapulted him into the consciousness of the viewing public.
It didn’t matter that a year earlier as Ruddock began his steep ascent of the division rankings that Mike Tyson’s bubble of perceived invincibility had been unceremoniously burst by a supernatural variant of James “Buster” Douglas, or that seven months after that, Evander “The Real Deal” Holyfield flattened Douglas for the undisputed heavyweight title. John Q. Public wanted to see a punch-out between feared knockout artists as opposed to practiced technique. The message that was sent was that titles and rankings were fine, but that you didn’t really become “The Man” by beating the man. Too many questions loomed about Tyson’s condition and focus on the night “Buster” Douglas disassembled him, and heading into the bout with “The Razor”, it was evident that Tyson had regained the focus and aura of malice he so effectively demonstrated just a few short years before. Only the pugilistic approximate of a good old-fashioned beheading would make the mainstream forget about “Iron” Mike Tyson, and going into their March 18th bout, “Razor” appeared to be the one man capable of doing it.
I remember seeing a PPV commercial advertising the bout in the weeks leading up to it. Tyson, 39-1, 35 KO’s, uttered something to the effect of “if he doesn’t die it doesn’t count” at the tail end of the advert, and having seemingly regained his pre-Douglas momentum with feel good first round wins over Henry Tillman and Alex Stewart, there seemed every reason to believe “Iron” Mike meant what he said. Also helping Tyson’s cause, Richie Giachetti had been brought in to oversee his return, a man that had guided Larry Holmes to heavyweight championship years before. For Ruddock’s part, the bad blood that had seen its conception a few years before after Tyson had pulled out of a scheduled title defense against him was used to fuel the notion that “Iron” Mike knew what he had on his hands even back in 1989, opting to pull out for the safer confines of a Don King-provided journeyman to defend against. Subsequent to his demolition of Dokes, Ruddock, 24-1-1, 17 KO’s, took the time to demonstrate and then state his case as being the best and most destructive heavyweight on the planet by demolishing top twenty-type Kimmuel Odum on network television, then later that year with a one-round destruction of trail-horse Mike Rouse. It seemed to matter little that “Razor” had by then eschewed the finer points of prize fighting. All that seemed important was highlight reel-worthy knockouts, brash statements, bold threats and the promise that in “Razor” Ruddock there existed a fighter that would meet Tyson head-on in a clash guaranteed to produce fireworks. The technicalities of practiced professional tactics, rankings and word titles could be worked out later. Despite all of this and the obvious holes I saw in Ruddock’s application, I got caught up in the hype, hoping beyond hope that “Razor” would produce in a big way against Tyson.
I remember meeting up with one of the best fight buddy’s a guy could ever ask for after work on the night of the fight. We dined at a small Jamaican restaurant in honor of our propped-up warrior before heading over to the Toronto Convention Center to view the match on closed circuit television. I was an exciting event all of its own, but the venue on this evening was in and of itself, electric. George Chuvalo emceed the card and as always, before long I had made friendly fight acquaintances out of everybody around me within fifteen feet, jawing endlessly about the undercard, the fighters and who was going to win the main event. By the time Simon Brown had managed to unify the IBF and WBC welterweight titles by stopping Maurice Blocker, I remember realizing the magnitude of the event. My heart was beating as though I had just run the hundred yard dash and my palms were as moist as those of a sixteen year-old would-be Lothario anticipating the big date and the privilege of using dad’s new car. It was a moment among moments for me where the pursuit of world class boxing was concerned.
At the first bell Ruddock, a finely conditioned 228lbs came charging excitedly out of his corner as if intent on an immediate attack. Demonstrating excellent mobility and foot speed, “Razor” bounced momentarily in and around portions of the ring looking for position. Within seconds, and in an attempt to discombobulate a somewhat cautious Tyson, Ruddock unleashed his vaunted “Smash” in wild fashion, his entire torso contorting in animated fashion, missing the mark considerably as the practiced Tyson, an obviously ripped-looking 217 lbs, managed to anticipate and side-step it before pushing Ruddock off. As the round progressed, both men jockeyed for advantage mid-ring, “Razor” with hands held high invited Tyson in towards him so as to create a target for “The Smash”, occasionally measuring him with an extended left as opposed to using his superior height and reach to his advantage; keeping the fight on the outside. By round’s end, both had settled into a pattern of infighting and the pace had slowed considerably. At the bell, referee Richard Steele separated both fighters as an exchange of words punctuated the heightening animosity. The expected drama was unfolding.
Round two saw more infighting as both fighters resumed the pattern initiated over the latter half of the previous round. Conspicuous by its absence, the left jab that once troubled Larry Holmes in sparring was nowhere to be found. At most, the left was used as a range finder for the sake of setting up “The Smash”. Problematic to all this, Tyson was slowly realizing success on the inside, for the most part, timing and slipping the majority of Ruddock’s aggression while delivering, if even at-times in singular fashion, heavy, strength-sapping left hooks to the body designed to take any semblance of life out of his legs. Midway through the round a heavy left hook from Tyson landed high on Ruddock’s right shoulder, awkwardly spinning him around onto the deck. Subsequent slow motion replay between rounds revealed that upon impact their feet had become momentarily entangled, adding to Ruddock’s dilemma, but entirely missed by the referee who embarked on a standing eight-count, thus thrusting Tyson ahead on the score cards. As the action resumed it became painfully apparent that Ruddock had little in the way on an actual fight plan, as adroitly pointed out by commentator Ferdie Pacheco; “Ruddock looks like a rudderless ship. He has no game plan. He’s just standing there looking to land a lucky counter-punch”.
To the naked eye, Tyson was winning the fight, having reduced “Razor’s” aggression to that of the occasional left hook or straight right hand the majority of which were deftly avoided. By the third round the infighting had all but become a one-way street as the majority of effective blows were being delivered by an aggressive Tyson who was moving forward, picking his shots and landing effectively to Ruddock’s midsection as he slipped his way in, to the point that they caused “The Fight Doctor” to announce “Ruddock has very little life left in his legs”. Late in the round, momentary aggression from Ruddock resulted in a knockdown, this time legitimate, off of a perfectly landed Tyson left hook. Up at the count of seven, the bell sounded to end the round, no doubt saving Ruddock from the inevitable Tyson barrage designed to end the bout right then and there.
More of the same pattern unfolded in rounds four and five. An incoming Tyson was quickly tied-up by Ruddock after landing a heavy body blow. Occasionally “Razor” would unleash his hybrid left hook/uppercut money-punch, which was by that point a mere facsimile of what it had been earlier in the match, easily avoided by Tyson or absorbed before an effective follow-up could be mounted. In the sixth, Tyson began to experience mounting success, letting his hands go more often, landing his shots in close in combination, and fighting as though it was no secret the cat was all but in the bag, the looming threat of Ruddock’s power having been reduced to mere rumor. I remember at this point wondering how much more of this Ruddock would be able to take, having resigned myself to the fact that his wild and free non-strategy was no match for a Tyson that had obviously done his homework. As my spirit hit a low point, the crowd around me suddenly jumped to its feet and erupted into a chorus of pitched cheers as if out of nowhere, “The Razor” had suddenly come back to life. With about ten seconds left in the round, a left hook followed by a short right capped with a solid looking “Smash” landed flush on Tyson who in the midst of trying to evade the sudden and surprising onslaught found himself being pushed back. Tapping his jaw with his right glove in a show of marked defiance, Tyson’s head was suddenly and forcefully snapped back by a well-timed long, stiff straight right hand lead by Ruddock, landing dead center on Tyson’s face. Countering with a short left as Ruddock missed the mark on another left uppercut, Tyson concluded the exchange at the bell with a blistering three-punch combination; a right-left to the body and an overhand right to the head, all marginally effective but not the exclamation point required to lay claim to the end of round fireworks.
I wish I could say that the sudden shift of momentum in Ruddock’s favor picked up where it left off to start the seventh round, but the reality was “Razor” had probably spent the last of his reserves trying to be a hero in thos closing moments of the sixth. Resorting to the holding and infighting tactics that had brought him to this dire point, Tyson laid into him as though clearly bent on accelerating matters in his favor, not wanting to chance further sudden resurgence on Ruddock’s part. Working “Razor’s” body with both hands whenever opportunity presented itself, it clearly was only a matter of time before the curtain came down, Throwing the occasional left “Smash” whenever Tyson presented an illusory target, Ruddock found himself dangerously open to sharp counters from the shorter, focused former heavyweight champion. As “Razor’s” pace ground down to a near halt, out of nowhere Tyson exploded with a series of pinpoint and hurtful blows delivered around or under Ruddock’s extended arms, landing in virtually perfect succession, the last of which caused “Razor” to pitch backward across the ring, his legs barely beneath him, in a ragged and almost limp fashion. Crashing back against the ropes, with his right arm draped just outside the top rope, an exhausted Ruddock appeared to be hanging off of them just as Richard Steele jumped between him and the onrushing Tyson, waving off the contest, giving Tyson the stoppage victory at two-minutes and twenty-two seconds of the seventh round.
Protesting the stoppage, the chorus of objection emanating from the crowd and the unsanctioned melee that erupted ring center between members of both camps, nothing could take away from the unsatisfactory nature of the stoppage. Adding to Ruddock’s objection, Tyson himself admitted that it wasn’t as satisfying of a conclusion as he had himself hoped for. To Ruddock’s credit, Tyson admitted that Ruddock had buzzed him a few times in the bout and that “His punch felt like a mule kick. He hits so hard, so hard” In the days after the bout, referee Richard Steele was summarily ripped apart in the media, his actions and alleged ties to promoter Don King being put under the microscope, forever casting a shadow over a man that had until that point been considered one of the very best and most experienced referee’s in the world.
In hindsight, the unsatisfying conclusion to the bout and the whirlwind of controversy that followed were like a silver lining in the dark cloud of defeat for “Razor” Ruddock.
There was a concerted hue and cry for an immediate rematch, a reprieve of sorts, as viewed in this corner, for in my opinion, the stoppage such as it was afforded Ruddock another opportunity. In my opinion, he was mere seconds away from being finished off in brutal fashion when Steele waved the bout off. Ruddock was literally one arm short of tying Tyson up or fending him off. He was exhausted and battered his fighting spirit still firmly intact. The nature and swiftness of Steele’s call afforded Donovan “Razor” Ruddock another opportunity to get paid, to right the wrongs of his first match with Tyson, and it possibly saved his career. Somewhere in all of it, chance opportunity and doom had decided to dance just one more song. It would be up to “Razor” Ruddock to look back at what made him successful in the first place and at what he did wrong when the big moment of opportunity finally came. It would be all up to him, clean slate and all.