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BOXING HERO EVANDER HOLYFIELD TO FACE NO. 1 CONTENDER JOHN RUIZ IN HEAVYWEIGHT SHOWDOWN SAT. JUNE 10 AT CAESARS PALACE

5/4/2000

May 04, 2000
LAS VEGAS (May 04, 2000) - Former undisputed heavyweight champion and World Boxing Association (WBA) No. 2 contender Evander Holyfield will take on WBA/North American (WBA/NA) Heavyweight Champion and No. 1 contender John Ruiz for the vacant WBA heavyweight championship on Saturday, June 10. The televised fight card, promoted by Don King Productions, Inc., in association with Caesars Palace, will be telecast on SHOWTIME at 10 p.m. ET/PT from a 10,000-seat outdoor stadium at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

Tickets for the event are priced at $50, $100, $200, $300, and $500 plus a $3 ticket handling fee. For tickets and information, phone Caesars Palace at 800-634-6698 or 702-731-7865.

In the co-featured main events, WBA Welterweight Champion James Page will defend his crown for the fourth time when he takes on WBA No. 1 contender Andrew "Six Heads" Lewis, and Randall Bailey will make the third defense of his World Boxing Organization (WBO) junior welterweight title against an opponent to be named.

Holyfield (36-4-1, 25 KOs), of Atmore, Ala., became only the second man, following Muhammad Ali, to capture the heavyweight crown three times when he stopped Mike Tyson in the 11th round on Nov. 9, 1996. Known worldwide for his warrior spirit and superior boxing skills, Holyfield was one of the most popular and respected athletes of the past decade. In his career, Holyfield has battled every premier heavyweight of his era, including Tyson, Lennox Lewis, Riddick Bowe, George Foreman, Larry Holmes and Ray Mercer. He has defeated each of them with the exception of Lewis, who he is 0-1-1 against. Holyfield knocked out James "Buster" Douglas in the third round to win the undisputed heavyweight title on Oct. 25, 1990.

Ruiz (36-3, 27 KOs), from Methuen, Mass., is riding a six-fight knockout streak. Along the way, the hard-hitting heavyweight picked up the WBA/NA championship with a fourth-round knockout over Jerry Ballard on the undercard of Holyfield against Vaughn Bean in Sept. 1998. Ruiz successfully defended the title three times in 1999. In March, he knocked out Mario Cawley in the fourth round. Three months later, Ruiz registered a seventh-round technical knockout over Fernely Feliz. In his last bout, Ruiz scored a second-round TKO over Thomas Williams.

Page (25-3, 19 KOs), from Pittsburg, Calif., won the vacant WBA 147-lb. crown in his first shot at a world title with a thunderous one-punch knockout of No. 1 contender Andrei Pestriaev Oct. 10, 1998, in Paris, France. His first defense would prove to be the toughest challenge of his boxing career. Taking on Jose Luis Lopez in Atlantic City on Dec. 5, 1998, Page would climb off the canvas twice in successfully defending his title. Page is currently riding an eight-fight win streak, with six wins via knockout, including an 11th-round technical knockout over former International Boxing Federation (IBF) champion Freddie Pendleton on July 24, 1999, in Las Vegas.

Lewis (18-0-1, 17 KOs), from Georgetown, Guyana, captured the WBA/NA welterweight title on Dec. 5, 1998, by defeating Teddy Reid in Atlantic City. Since fighting to a technical draw in 1994, the undefeated brawler has knocked out 12 of his 13 opponents. In his last bout, Lewis stopped Damone Wright in the third round on Dec. 11, 1999, in Tunica, Miss.

Bailey (21-0, 21 KOs), of Miami, Fla., knocked out Carlos "Bolillo" Gonzalez in the first round in May 1999 to win the WBO junior welterweight title. In his initial defense on Dec. 11, Bailey scored a ninth-round technical knockout over Hector Lopez. The undefeated Floridian scored a seventh-round technical knockout over Ray "Rocky" Martinez in his last bout April 8. The 24-year-old has dominated his opponents, knocking out everyone he has faced. In fact, only three of Bailey's fights have lasted into the seventh round.

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