Edel Ruiz stopped former WBA super-bantamweight champion Clarence
"Bones" Adams in the fourth round Friday night in a featherweight
fight.
Ruiz, from Mexico, stunned Adams with a straight right to the
head in the closing seconds of the third round, with Adams
immediately clinching to avoid followup shots.
Ruiz remained the aggressor in the fourth and connected with
combinations to the head, trapping Adams on the ropes. With the
ropes keeping Adams from hitting the canvas, referee Frank Santore
ruled a knockdown.
The fight resumed after Adams took an eight-count, but Adams
could not evade Ruiz's aggression. Another right to the head
floored Adams for the round's second knockdown.
Despite reaching his feet, a dazed Adams (44-7-4) again was
defenseless for Ruiz's next power shots. Santore finally stopped
the fight at 1:55 of the round after Ruiz (34-22-4, 25 KOs) landed
another flurry of combinations.
The victory earned Ruiz a regional featherweight title.
Adams, originally from Virginia Beach, Va., and now living in
Vero Beach, held the WBA 122-pound title from 2000 to 2001.
Ruiz weighed the featherweight limit of 126 pounds, a pound
more than Adams.
