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By TIM DAHLBERG, AP Boxing Writer
John Ruiz lost his piece of the heavyweight title in the ring when he was beaten by James Toney. Now he will likely get it back after Toney tested positive for steroids after the April 30 fight at Madison Square Garden.
Assuming the World Boxing Association follows its regulations and reinstates Ruiz, he will have gone from a retired former champion to the WBA title holder in a matter of only a few days.
The New York State Athletic Commission on Wednesday changed Toney's victory to a no contest after his post-fight urine test came back positive for nandrolone. The commission suspended Toney for 90 days and ordered him to pay a $10,000 fine.
The real damage for Toney, though, will come from losing the heavyweight title that he won for the first time in a unanimous decision over Ruiz.
``I'll go to all ends of the earth to make sure Johnny gets the belt back,'' Ruiz's manager, Norman Stone, said Wednesday.
Toney didn't return phone calls, but issued a statement through his promoter, Dan Goossen, denying he ever used performance enhancing drugs.
``I don't do drugs, period,'' Toney said. ``I've never used any illegal substances to prepare myself for a fight.''
Goossen, who also didn't return calls, suggested in the statement that medications given Toney by his doctor following surgery to repair his biceps and triceps last year resulted in the test coming up positive.
``His doctor has stated that the combination of medications used to control the inflammation and tissue growth caused the positive test result,'' said Goossen, who did not identify the doctor.
New York commission chairman Ron Scott Stevens declined to talk about the test results, saying it was a medical situation and that he had to respect Toney's right to privacy.
But Stevens asked Fight Fax, which puts together a list of suspended boxers used by state commissions, to declare Toney suspended for 90 days retroactive to April 30.
Both the suspension and the $10,000 fine were less than the nine months and $100,000 that Fernando Vargas was given when he tested positive for steroids after his September 2002 fight with Oscar De La Hoya.
But it would drop Toney from a July 23 card that promoter Don King is planning that would have featured at least two heavyweight title fights.
According to WBA regulations, Toney will also not be allowed to fight for the organization's title for two years. The WBA is one of four boxing organizations that claim heavyweight champions.
Ruiz announced his retirement after losing a 12-round unanimous decision to Toney, but on Monday said he wasn't going to retire after all and would fight again.
Stone said he did not know about the positive test at the time, and that Ruiz simply wanted to continue fighting. But Stone said he told Stevens before the fight to make sure he tested Toney because of the way Toney acted before the fight.
``He's going to make a million excuses but the fact is he tested positive for steroids,'' Stone said. ``No one who acts like he did before the fight is a normal person. He would go in rages over nothing.''
Toney became just the third former middleweight champion to win a piece of the heavyweight title when he won the decision over Ruiz. The 5-foot-9 Toney weighed 232 pounds for the fight.
Unlike Toney, whose body was soft and had visible fat, Vargas was muscular and chiseled in his fight with De La Hoya.
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John Ruiz lost his piece of the heavyweight title in the ring when he was beaten by James Toney. Now he will likely get it back after Toney tested positive for steroids after the April 30 fight at Madison Square Garden.
Assuming the World Boxing Association follows its regulations and reinstates Ruiz, he will have gone from a retired former champion to the WBA title holder in a matter of only a few days.
The New York State Athletic Commission on Wednesday changed Toney's victory to a no contest after his post-fight urine test came back positive for nandrolone. The commission suspended Toney for 90 days and ordered him to pay a $10,000 fine.
The real damage for Toney, though, will come from losing the heavyweight title that he won for the first time in a unanimous decision over Ruiz.
``I'll go to all ends of the earth to make sure Johnny gets the belt back,'' Ruiz's manager, Norman Stone, said Wednesday.
Toney didn't return phone calls, but issued a statement through his promoter, Dan Goossen, denying he ever used performance enhancing drugs.
``I don't do drugs, period,'' Toney said. ``I've never used any illegal substances to prepare myself for a fight.''
Goossen, who also didn't return calls, suggested in the statement that medications given Toney by his doctor following surgery to repair his biceps and triceps last year resulted in the test coming up positive.
``His doctor has stated that the combination of medications used to control the inflammation and tissue growth caused the positive test result,'' said Goossen, who did not identify the doctor.
New York commission chairman Ron Scott Stevens declined to talk about the test results, saying it was a medical situation and that he had to respect Toney's right to privacy.
But Stevens asked Fight Fax, which puts together a list of suspended boxers used by state commissions, to declare Toney suspended for 90 days retroactive to April 30.
Both the suspension and the $10,000 fine were less than the nine months and $100,000 that Fernando Vargas was given when he tested positive for steroids after his September 2002 fight with Oscar De La Hoya.
But it would drop Toney from a July 23 card that promoter Don King is planning that would have featured at least two heavyweight title fights.
According to WBA regulations, Toney will also not be allowed to fight for the organization's title for two years. The WBA is one of four boxing organizations that claim heavyweight champions.
Ruiz announced his retirement after losing a 12-round unanimous decision to Toney, but on Monday said he wasn't going to retire after all and would fight again.
Stone said he did not know about the positive test at the time, and that Ruiz simply wanted to continue fighting. But Stone said he told Stevens before the fight to make sure he tested Toney because of the way Toney acted before the fight.
``He's going to make a million excuses but the fact is he tested positive for steroids,'' Stone said. ``No one who acts like he did before the fight is a normal person. He would go in rages over nothing.''
Toney became just the third former middleweight champion to win a piece of the heavyweight title when he won the decision over Ruiz. The 5-foot-9 Toney weighed 232 pounds for the fight.
Unlike Toney, whose body was soft and had visible fat, Vargas was muscular and chiseled in his fight with De La Hoya.
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