Mike Tyson vs. Donovan Ruddock II

Mike Tyson vs. Donovan Ruddock II, billed as "The Rematch", was a professional boxing match contested on June 28, 1991. It was the second time the two fighters fought that year, as their first bout in March was mired in controversy.

"The Rematch"
DateJune 28, 1991
VenueThe Mirage in Paradise, Nevada
Title(s) on the lineNone
Tale of the tape
Boxer Mike Tyson Donovan Ruddock
Nickname "Iron" "Razor"
Hometown Catskill, New York, US Toronto, Ontario, CAN
Pre-fight record 40–1 25–2–1
Height 5 ft 11 1⁄2 in (182 cm) 6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight 216 lb (98 kg) 238 lb (108 kg)
Recognition WBA/WBC/IBF
No. 1 Ranked Heavyweight		 WBA/WBC/IBF
No. 2 Ranked Heavyweight

The fight took place at the same venue the first one had, The Mirage in Paradise, Nevada, USA. As before, it was scheduled for twelve rounds and was a championship elimination fight with the winner becoming the mandatory top challenger for the undisputed world championship that was then held by Evander Holyfield.

Tyson would emerge victorious once again, this time defeating Ruddock by unanimous decision and solidifying his position as the number one contender.

Background
Main article: Mike Tyson vs. Donovan Ruddock

In the first fight between the two, controversy erupted in the seventh round. After Tyson hit Ruddock with a six-punch combination, referee Richard Steele stepped in and stopped the fight despite the fact the Ruddock had not been knocked down and appeared to be healthy enough to continue. This was the second time a Steele stoppage had caused controversy in twelve months; as the official in the 1990 bout between Julio Cesar Chavez and Meldrick Taylor, he called a halt to the fight with two seconds remaining in the final round after Taylor did not respond to him following a knockdown.

After the decision, Ruddock's brother Delroy and his promoter Murad Muhammad got into a physical confrontation with Tyson's trainer Richie Giachetti while Steele had to be escorted to the back by Mirage security for his safety. Nine days after the fight, Tyson's promoter Don King and Muhammad struck a deal for a rematch to settle any controversy over the outcome of the initial bout.[1]

However, a decision by the Nevada Athletic Commission nearly resulted in the fight getting scuttled. After an investigation into the postfight brawl, Muhammad was handed a twelve-month suspension for his actions. Ruddock decided not to participate if Muhammad was not able to and thus he announced he would not take the fight.[2] Nevertheless, Muhammad announced that the fight was back on 10 days later.[3]

Prior to the fight, the two men publicly expressed their dislike for one another. At a press conference before the fight, Tyson would infamously state that he would make Ruddock his "girlfriend".[4]

Undercard
  • Riddick Bowe (23–0, 20 KOs; IBF's #5, WBC and WBA's #7) knocked out Rodolfo Marin (17–1, 14 KOs) with an overhand right hook in the 2nd round of the 10-rounds scheduled heavyweight bout, breaking Marin's jaw in the process. Referee Carlos Padilla counted Marin out at 1:45 of the 2nd rd.
  • Azumah Nelson (33–2, 25 KOs; the defending WBC champion) held Jeff Fenech (25–0, 19 KOs; WBC's #1) to a split draw in 12-rounds championship bout, retaining his WBC Super Featherweight title for the sixth time. Unpopular judges' decision was booed by the audience, as Fenech largely dominated the action.

The fight

In a hard fought match that went the distance, Tyson ultimately picked up the victory via unanimous decision with all three judges ruling in his favor with one score of 113–109 and two scores of 114–108. Tyson got off to a strong start in round 1. With 16 seconds left in the round, Tyson staggered Ruddock with a right hook to the side of his head, causing Ruddock to hold on to Tyson to prevent taking any more damage. After the bell rang, Tyson threw two punches at Ruddock, who in turn would respond with a powerful right hand that just missed connecting with Tyson. Referee Mills Lane would warn the two fighters between rounds that he would deduct points should punches be thrown after the bell. Tyson would continue to attack Ruddock in round 2, hitting him with another strong right hand in the round's opening seconds. Later in the round, Tyson would hit Ruddock with a 3-punch combination as Ruddock was against the ropes, though one of the punches was below the belt, causing Lane to separate the two and issue a warning to Tyson. After Lane's warning, Tyson would hit Ruddock with a strong right overhand that knocked Ruddock to the canvas. Ruddock would almost immediately get back up but was met with a furious onslaught from Tyson, who continued to hammer Ruddock with punches until fatigue set in with about 30 seconds left in the round. Ruddock would bounce back with a strong round 3, but in round 4, Tyson would counter a Ruddock uppercut and land a right hook that again sent Ruddock to canvas, though Ruddock was again able to quickly get back to his feet. Tyson would also have the first of three points deducted in round 4 after once again landing a low blow on Ruddock. Tyson would also lose points in both the 9th and 10th rounds for hitting Ruddock with another low blow and hitting him after the bell, while Ruddock would lose a point in the 8th for hitting Tyson after the bell. In round 11, the two fighters would exchange low blows, but Lane opted not to deduct points, instead warning the two to "knock that shit off". In round 12, Tyson would fight Ruddock aggressively in an attempt to gain the knockout victory, but Ruddock was able to withstand Tyson's attack and survive the fight without any further knockdowns. By the end of the fight, Ruddock's left eye had been swollen shut and his jaw had been broken, while Tyson suffered a perforated eardrum.[5]

Aftermath

After months of tough negotiations between Tyson's and Evander Holyfield's respective camps, which included both men's promoters attempting to get a fight with George Foreman instead, a deal was reached that would see Holyfield and Tyson face each other for the Undisputed Heavyweight Championship on November 8, 1991 at Caesers Palace.[6] However, Tyson suffered an injury during training camp and was unable to fight in November. The parties waited to reschedule until after Tyson's trial was complete, but before the fight could take place, Tyson was convicted of the rape of Desiree Washington in February 1992 and sentenced to six years in prison.

Meanwhile, Ruddock would bounce back from his two losses to Tyson with knockout victories over Greg Page and Phil Jackson. This would set up a match with Lennox Lewis for the right to face the winner of the Evander Holyfield–Riddick Bowe fight for the Undisputed Heavyweight Championship. Ruddock would end up being knocked out by Lewis in the 2nd round, costing him a chance at the title and effectively ending his status as one of boxing's premier heavyweights.

References
  1. King: Ruddock-Tyson II to return boxing's integrity, Baltimore Sun article, 1990-03-27, Retrieved on 2013-05-09
  2. The Unmaking of a Multimillion Rematch, From Ruddock's Side, N.Y. Times article, 1990-05-17, Retrieved on 2013-05-09
  3. Tyson-Ruddock Rematch Is Back On, N.Y. Times article, 1990-05-17, Retrieved on 2013-05-09
  4. Has Success Spoiled Mike Tyson? Some Believe He Can Handle Fame, Fortune, Daily News article, 1990-06-26, Retrieved on 2013-05-09
  5. Smash Dance, Sports Illustrated article, 1990-07-08, Retrieved on 2013-05-09
  6. Tyson to Fight Champ Holyfield, Won't Face Foreman, Philadelphia Inquirer article, 1990-07-11, Retrieved on 2013-05-09
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