‘Razor’ Ruddock delights fans in draw with James Toney
Two-time Jamaican Canadian heavyweight champion Donovan “Razor” Ruddock rolled back the years at National Indoor Sports Centre on Saturday night treating fans against International Boxing Hall of Fame inductee James “Lights Out” Toney during their main event at Rumble in the Sun.
The 59-year-old Ruddock, born in Red Ground, St Catherine, showcased glimpses of his powerful body punches, swift one-two jabs, and uppercuts against Toney, which had made him famous during his 20-year career in the ring. The match, declared a draw by the officials, had the small-sized crowd on their feet as both boxers landed a number of telling punches.
Ruddock, well known for his two fights against Mike Tyson in 1991 and a bout against Lennox Lewis in 1992, expressed feeling very good in the ring on Saturday and said that he thoroughly enjoyed the bout against Toney.
“I have been running for almost 20 years, and my legs are strong because, if you notice, I didn’t even sit at the end of each round, but I just have to get my sharpness back,” Ruddock said.
“It was an excellent match, and for the fans who didn’t come, I think they missed something. I was excited to come in here, but I thought James Toney did a lot better than what I thought he would, but he was a little overweight to me. I might have a little weight on me, but it’s solid.
“He is bad, so don’t underestimate him, and I had my hands up right throughout the fight because he is very powerful and will hit you very hard.”
Proceeds from the event will go to the Red Ground Primary and Infant School. Ruddock expressed his love for the community and his delight to help the school.
“I love my Red Ground, and at the kids, the Good Hope School, the school is overcrowded, so I want to build a bigger school,” he said. “My daughter and I have put on this charity function to help them out.
“I did this for the Red Ground kids because I want them to have the opportunity like I had when I went to Canada and became a professional boxer. So I am just doing my part to help out in whatever way that I can.
“We are coming back down here in three months because I want a university in Red Ground so that they can go from kindergarten right through to university there, so that they don’t have to leave home.”
In the undercard events, Richard “Frog” Holmes recorded a technical knockout victory over José Agustin Julio; Nico Yeyo registered an unanimous win over Kevin “Buss Boy” Hylton; Abel “Zorro” Mendoza secured the victory over Aristides Perez, who threw in the towel after the third round; and Jermaine “Silverback” Bowen recorded a technical knockout win over veteran Tsetsi Davis. The match between Donovan “The Real Prince” Ruddock Jr and Juezier “Ironman” Heron ended in a draw.