BOXING : Ruddock Knocks Out Jackson in Fourth Round

Donovan (Razor) Ruddock knocked out previously undefeated Phil Jackson at 2:12 of the fourth round of their scheduled 10-round heavyweight bout Friday night.

Jackson survived a third-round knockdown, but a two-punch combination along the ropes during the fourth ended the fight at the Cleveland State University Convocation Centre.

It was Ruddock’s first bout since he defeated Greg Page on Feb. 15.

Ruddock improved to 27-3-1 with his second consecutive victory since back-to-back losses to Mike Tyson in 1991.

“I wasn’t taking him lightly,” Ruddock said. “My movement was very good and he never caught me. I was very patient.

“I’m the kind of guy who hides from no one. Enlighten me. Let me know if I’m not supposed to be the heavyweight champion . . . I was faking with the jab and I caught him with a left hook. When you see me walk in the ring, I don’t face any pretenders. I’m weighing 230 and I’m feeling like dynamite.”

Jackson was impressed.

“It’s not that he has such great power in his punches, but he’s very tricky with that uppercut. He’s a good fighter,” Jackson said.

Also on the card, Tony Tucker, North American Boxing Federation champion, won a split decision over Oliver McCall. McCall (19-5) got one judge’s vote, 115-113, but Tucker won the other two, 115-113 and 118-112.

Tucker, ranked fourth by the WBC, improved to 45-1.

“Everybody has an off night,” he said. “But I have only one loss and I won tonight, and that’s all that counts. I’m ready to fight anyone.”

In an earlier matchup of former WBA heavyweight champions, Greg Page won a unanimous 10-round decision over Bonecrusher Smith to improve to 35-10.

“Bonecrusher is a college graduate. I am not a college graduate, but I took Bonecrusher to school,” Page said.

Smith, who fell to 33-10-1, said he knew he was in a close fight, but didn’t complain about the decision.

In a junior middleweight fight, Simon Brown knocked out Melvin Wynn during the first round of a scheduled 10-rounder.