Boxing: 'Lopsided' draw puts Holyfield in the cold

The decision may have been uglier than the fight, which was not as brutal as the ensuing press conference.

Evander Holyfield now can look at a boxing draw from the same perspective Lennox Lewis can. It hurts a lot more than kissing your sister.

Holyfield, 39, made Johnny Ruiz, 29, look like an old, plodding neophyte in a bingo parlour at the Foxwoods Resorts Casino. The first boxer of Hispanic blood to win any kind of world heavyweight title had that blood smeared all over his face after 12 sometimes excruciating rounds, but Ruiz kept his World Boxing Association championship by virtue – which may not be the best word in this case – of a draw as questionable as the one Holyfield got against Lewis in a real heavyweight title match 13 March 1999.

Holyfield's lawyer, and friend, Jim Thomas, called for an investigation because the one judge who somehow saw Ruiz winning – while listed from Port Charlotte, Florida – was a production manager at the Boston Globe, one of Ruiz's hometown newspapers, before retirement.

Thomas, at a bitter post-fight press conference, questioned why Don King, "as Evander Holyfield's promoter," did not "second-guess" the choice of Don O'Neill as a judge. King exploded. "Don't you dare, don't you dare try to villify me," he yelled into a microphone. "He [Holyfield] wouldn't be here if it wasn't for me."

Ruiz, before being escorted to a nearby hospital to treat a nose broken in the opening round by what his manager, Norm Stone, claimed was a Holyfield elbow, said he did not personally know O'Neill.

Whether O'Neill knew anything about scoring was more to the point after ruling Ruiz ahead by 115-113. Most of the veteran ringside press, and indeed the majority of the 4,000 customers from the champion's New England neighbourhood, thought Holyfield won – by lopsided margins, too.

This veteran had Holyfield ahead 117-111, nine rounds to three. So did Kery Davis, the vice president in charge of boxing at Home Box Office, the American television network that pays for most big fights.

Kirk Johnson, the World Boxing Association's mandatory challenger, thought Holyfield won clearly. Davis said HBO would not be interested in Ruiz-Johnson IV. But only one judge, Julie Lederman of New York state saw the bout for Holyfield. She had it 116-112 and Tom Kaczmarek of New Jersey had it 114-114, preserving Ruiz's title and preventing Holyfield from claiming a fifth heavyweight championship.

"Of course I feel as though I won," said Holyfield, now with a 37-5-2 record with 25 knockouts. "But when it goes to the judges, anything can happen." He was more adamant about King's egotistical claim. "I'm not here because of him," said the grand old warrior. "I'm here because I can make him some money."

Now it seems King thinks Ruiz, 37-4-1 with 27 KOs, including 1-1-1 (and his only big victory) against Holfyield, might be the magnet to draw Mike Tyson back into his control. Ruiz would certainly be a lot easier for Tyson, who is suing King for $100m (£72m) (and vice versa), than his contemplated assignment against Lennox Lewis in April for the real title. A third fight with Holyfield might be another lure for Tyson.

Meanwhile, Holyfield said: "I don't quit, I will not quit." He said he would go "to the back of the line," his goal of finishing his career as undisputed champion has not been altered. Though he dominated Ruiz, there probably would be at least 20 current heavyweights who might be favoured against the earnest son of Puerto Rican parents.

No, there will not be any Ruiz-Holyfield IV. "Never," screamed Stone. Ruiz, who somehow thought he won though he landed few meaningful punches and was wobbled several times, said he wanted to finally see a new face.

In the first round, so did the crowd. The ugliness of their first 24 rounds – Holyfield eked out the first decision, Ruiz after appearing knocked out by a blow to the solar plexus that was ruled a low blow, won the first rematch – was resumed in all its gory in the first round. Ruiz would charge, Holyfield would grab, they would wrestle.

Holyfield scored what the referee, Steve Smoger, ruled a slip, knocking the off-balance Ruiz down with a left hook in the opening round. It was when he began to jab more, keeping Ruiz away, that he began peppering Ruiz with combinations. The less said describing the "action," the better.

Earlier, the British and Commonwealth heavyweight champion, Danny Williams, a new addition to King's payroll, said he was still ring-rusty, but he showed good hand speed for a 258-pound man in stopping the American Shawn Robinson in the second round. Also, the unbeaten Tim Austin retained the International Boxing Federation bantamweight title with a clear 12-round triumph over the tough and awkward Ratanachai Vorapin, of Thailand.