Ruiz finds himself as the underdog against Johnson

Ruiz-Holyfield III ends in a draw! Ruiz retains heavyweight title.

John Ruiz's bout-by-bout career boxing record.

Ruiz finds himself as the underdog against Johnson.

Written by Ozzie Gonzalez, Latinosportslegends.com

July 19, 2002 -- WBA heavyweight champ, John "The Quietman" Ruiz finds himself in a familiar role when he goes up against Kirk Johnson on July 27th -- as the underdog.

Las Vegas oddsmakers have made Ruiz's opponent, undefeated contender Kirk Johnson of Canada the 3-1 favorite to win their title bout in Las Vegas.

Ruiz, who valiantly fought Holyfield for 36 rounds still finds himself not getting any respect from the boxing community, but is determined to prove many wrong.

''Going against Holyfield was three great fights and now I'm just looking forward to moving on in my career, and this is my chance to do it,'' said Ruiz during a press conference at "The Place" in Boston. ''Kirk Johnson is a tough one, but I'm ready. It motivates me to prove people wrong''

Ruiz, who decided for the first time to do his training in Puerto Rico and the Poconos, has trained hard and is looking forward to the defense of his WBA title. "I've trained hard and will be in excellent condition for the fight."

Ruiz' manager, the out-spoken Norman Stone, likes the fact that the odd-makers have Johnny as the underdog and hinted on putting money on the heavyweight champ.

''I'm glad he (Johnson) is the favorite. I'm going to make a lot of money on this fight, so please don't change the odds,'' said Stone. ''If anybody bets their house on Kirk Johnson, they better make sure they have enough money for rent next month.''

Ruiz also said that being the underdog will motivate him.

"I always said the day I become a favorite is probably the day I will retire," he said. "It has always been the same case as far as me being the underdog. It motivates me to prove people wrong, and I love doing that. That is what I am going to do in this fight."

Ruiz is 37-4-1 with 27 knockouts and Johnson, 32-0-1 with 23 knockouts, will face each other on July 27th at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. The fight will air on HBO's "Boxing after Dark" at 10pm.