STATUS: Former 7WBA Heavyweight Champion.

HT: 6-2 WT: 225

BORN ON: Jan. 4, 1972 IN: Methuen, MA

CHILDHOOD HEROES: Didn’t have any. I was more of a do-it-yourself type person.

NICKNAME: The Quiet Man.

EARLY BOXING MEMORY: The whole thing is I really don’t watch much boxing. People think it’s weird. My stepfather was a boxer himself, in Puerto Rico. He never got into it but he knew how. He taught us. I was the only one who kept going. Started at seven, until I was 12. Then I did high school sports. My earliest memories are when I was eight and fighting in the Harbor House in Lynn, MA. Incredible memories. I was just a kid. Something I really enjoyed. Big crowds, people cheering just you and another kid. Just the crowd itself made it seem like a title fight for a young kid. Every trophy I won, I still have. At 12, I stopped boxing and did high school sports. Then I went back to boxing when I was 17. When I was 19, I was in the Olympic Festival in the Forum in Los Angeles. I was a kid coming up the amateur rankings. I wasn’t supposed to win and I beat Terry McGroom by decision in the final. To be No. 1 in the country was a big thrill for me.

FAVORITE MOVIES: Terminator II, Gladiator, Forrest Gump.

MUSICAL TASTES: Spanish music, Frankie Ruiz, rap.

CHILDHOOD DREAM: My dream was always to become a world champion. I didn’t know what weight I’d be. I got on the road to make it happen. My kids are the reason I do this. To make their life a lot better than mine was.

PRE-FIGHT FEELING: I feel pretty nervous [laughs]. But it works out for the best. Makes me more aware of what’s going on. The fight is not the bad part but the wait is. After I get in there and fight, that feels like the easy part. At the first bell, that’s all out the window. I’m going to try and kill him. I try to sleep, calm myself down, save energy for the fight. (Upon entering the ring, do I look at the opponent?) No. I visualize what I want to do - work the body or box. Leave it up to the first round to see what he does. After the first round I know what I’m gonna do. (Also) I try to get myself as mean as I could. Mean. It’s instinct. Don’t know how to explain it. Not like I hate the guy for doing something bad to me.

FIRST JOB: Paperboy for Boston Herald (age 8).

FIRST CAR: 1981 green Buick Regal.

GREATEST SPORTS MOMENT: Winning the (WBA) Heavyweight title (decision over Evander Holyfield in 2001). I beat a great champion who has done great things in his life and fought great champions. But my time is now. It’s been a long journey. I’m John Ruiz, champion of the world. It’s a dream come true. I’m a part of history as the first Latino heavyweight champ. Being the heavyweight champ is like finding a gold mine. It’s what everyone wants.

MOST PAINFUL MOMENT: The Tua fight (KO 1 loss in ‘96). I still think about it. It’s something that will never go away. And I bring it to each fight to wake me up.

FAVORITE MEAL: Pasta with tomato and basil with veal cutlet on the side, with orange juice.

FAVORITE BREAKFAST CEREAL: Raisin Bran.

FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR: Vanilla.

WORST INJURY: Broke my knuckle on right hand. Against Sergei Kobozev (’93). I caught him on top of the head in the first few rounds. Had to go 10 rounds fighting with one hand. Lost a split decision. Took a couple of months to get back in the ring. You never know what problems will come. After surgery I was wondering what would happen to my career as a professional boxer. Sort of glad everything worked out.

PERSON MOST ADMIRED: My stepfather (Junior Rivera). For all he’s done for me. He taught me how to box. Always been there for me. Growing up in the city, there’s always problems but he kept me away from that. If you don’t have someone to guide you, show you where to go, where would you be at?

FAMILY: Wife, Sahara; son, John, daughter, Jocelyn.