For Ruelas, It Might Be Time to Throw in Towel on Career

EL PASO —  The boxing career of Rafael Ruelas, which included the International Boxing Federation lightweight title, may well have come to an end at the El Paso County Coliseum on Saturday night.

No one who saw him get beaten and battered by Kostya Tszyu, who scored a ninth-round technical knockout, could make a case for the 27-year-old San Fernando Valley-based fighter continuing his ring career.

Not even his trainer, Joe Goossen, who wisely stepped in and stopped the bout with his fighter helpless on the ropes 21 seconds into the ninth round.

“I told him at the start of the round,” Goossen said, “that I would give him one more round to make something happen or what is the point? Tszyu is as good as they come. The bottom line is, it didn’t look good for us.”

Tszyu, who improved to 21-1-1 with 17 knockouts, will fight Miguel Angel Gonzalez for the vacant World Boxing Council super-lightweight title, probably at the end of October, after winning Saturday’s title elimination bout in front of a pay-per-view audience and a crowd of 6,137.

As for Ruelas, who dropped to 52-4 with 42 knockouts, Goossen said, “Rafael and I will talk but this might be as far as he needs to take it. There are no big fights on the horizon. Maybe there is no need to continue.”

Using a a strong right hand, a solid left hook and a good left jab, Tszyu was awarded every round on all of the judges’ scorecards, winning two of the rounds 10-8 on two of the cards.

Tszyu came out swinging, nearly putting Ruelas away in the first round with a barrage of punches for which Ruelas could find no defense.

The only thing that saved him, in that round and the ensuing rounds, was his chin.

The night’s semi-main event was the most controversial fight, one in which the angry crowd tossed cups of beer into the ring.

Luisito Espinosa (43-7, 22 knockouts) retained his WBC featherweight title by winning a split decision over Juan Carlos Ramirez (14-1, seven knockouts) in a fight that was stopped at 2:22 of the 11th round after Espinosa suffered a cut on the forehead from an unintentional head butt.

Referees Jerry McKinzie (106-104) and Gary Ritter (105-104) both scored it for Espinosa, who is from the Philippines. Referee David Harris had Ramirez ahead 106-104 at the time the fight was stopped.

In a preliminary fight, heavyweight Paea Wolfgramm (16-1, 13 knockouts) outlasted Jorge Luis Gonzalez (25-5, 23 knockouts), winning a majority decision.

Boxing Notes

Melchor Cobb Castro of Mexico won the fringe International Boxing Assn. flyweight title by knocking out Tomas Rivera of Mexico in the eighth round of a scheduled 12-round bout at the Grand Olympic Auditorium.

Cobb is 52-6-4 with 23 knockouts. Rivera is 14-4-2 with eight knockouts.