Joe's first opponent, Hector "The King" Ruiz, is Mexico's most feared fighter. Ruiz is known not only for his heavy punching power, but also for his devastating speed. As Joe watched Ruiz, he realized how dangerous his opponent's every move was.
"This guy is dangerous to you, Joe," Jackson said, guiding him with words of wisdom as he always did in their training. "But remember, we can give a fighter mental strength as well as strength."
As the first round began, "The King" Ruiz immediately went on the offensive, landing several hard lefts and right hooks on Joe. Joe struggled to defend, Ruiz shaking his body with each blow. But Joe quickly recovered. He was strong and durable, but Ruiz's blows were not easy to take.
"Come on, Joe! Just hang on a little longer!" Jackson shouted.
Joe countered with the Dempsey Turn, but Ruiz quickly defended and cornered Joe. At that moment, the crowd in the ring went silent, and Joe had only one thing on his mind: "I must not be defeated."
The second round presented Joe's greatest test. Ruiz was slowly pushing Joe back with each punch, but Joe responded with the determination within him to defend each blow more strongly. Finally, in the middle of the third round, Joe took advantage of a moment of space and knocked Ruiz out with a hard right hook like the Iron Fist. Ruiz fell to the ground, but it didn't take long to get back up. "Come on!" he shouted, getting to his feet as if to say, "I'm going to finish this!"
With one final move, Joe quickly knocked Ruiz down. The referee started counting.
"One… two… three…"
And Joe won the first round and eliminated "The King" Ruiz.
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