EXCLUSIVE Razor Ruddock: I shocked the world

ALL 51 years of Donovan Ruddock made a winning return to the ring this past Saturday in his adopted Canada, getting up from a knockdown to halt the huge, 6โ€™7โ€ Raymond Olubowale via fifth-round TKO.

In improving to 39-5-1(30) and having fought for the first time since 2001, โ€œRazorโ€ says he felt great and is now targeting the Canadian heavyweight title.

Here, the man who says he โ€œshocked the worldโ€ on March 28th looks back on his comeback and ahead to future bouts:

Q: Congratulations on the win last Saturday, Razor! How did it feel being back in the ring after so long?

Razor Ruddock: โ€œI felt great, I felt great. I canโ€™t wait for the next fight (laughs).โ€

Q: And do you have any idea yet when, and against who, that may be?

R.R: โ€œWe are in negotiations right now, to go for the Canadian title. I will win it back, for the third time.โ€

Q: You were bouncing around on your toes against Olubowale, did you feel any rust?

R.R: โ€œLet me tell you, I know what it takes to be a fighter, and 90 per cent of the world, they donโ€™t know. If you have no legs, you cannot make it in the ring; the first time you get touched you go down and you cannot come back from it [if you have no legs]. I have spent seven years getting my legs strong, with lots of running. I ran eight miles yesterday. Let me tell you, age is just a number. And let me ask you, was the fight stopped too soon?โ€

Q: No, I think Olubowaleโ€™s legs had gone. I know he complained about the stoppageโ€ฆ

R.R: โ€œIf Iโ€™d hit him once more, heโ€™d have been carried out on a stretcher. I really believe that.โ€

Q: He caught you with some right hands in the fourth-round and even though it looked to me as though he had almost bundled you over, you went down. How badly hurt were you?

R.R: โ€œIโ€™ll tell you the truth, I wasnโ€™t hurt. If I was hurt I would tell you. He pushed me down, he leaned on me. He caught me [with some punches] but my legs were not weak at all, otherwise I couldnโ€™t have come back as fast as I did. Come on, for me to have come back and won the fight the way I did, what more do you want? I shocked the world.โ€

Q: You did indeed come back in the very next round, knocking him down with two hard left uppercuts. You still have power in that punch, no doubt.

R.R: โ€œOh yeah. But I have a whole arsenal of shots: my smash, my hook, my uppercut, and also my right hand is involved. You know, I could have picked an easier opponent for the fight, as you said, but Iโ€™m not trying to con anyone. In boxing, you cannot con anyone. If you canโ€™t do it, you cannot hide that. I believe in my ability, in my training. My body is ready. Tell me, did I look like Iโ€™d lost anything in the fight?โ€

Q: Certainly not any of your punching power, no.

R.R: โ€œI tell you the truth, I had fun. I was very happy with the outcome, with that being my first fight for 14-years. If you look after yourself and you feel confident in your mind, and if you have the strength in your legs – which is the key, it really is – then you can do what you want to do.โ€

Q: How much do you know about the current Canadian champion?

R.R: โ€œThe current champion is โ€œBig Country,โ€ Dillon Carman (8-2 with 7 KOโ€™s). I know him pretty well. I sparred him back in 2010. But right now I donโ€™t want to start anything, I donโ€™t want to start talking and get myself in trouble (laughs). I donโ€™t want to stop anyone from wanting to get in the ring with me. But I will be better the next time, in the next fight. Iโ€™ll continue doing my running. As I said, I wouldnโ€™t do this if I didnโ€™t believe I could make it all the way back. Iโ€™m not trying to con anyone.โ€

DAVID HAYE and TONY THOMPSON talk exclusively to BOXING NEWS

 

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