| James Toney, left, blocks a shot by John Ruiz during seventh round of WBA Heavyweight Championship fight |
Toney won the 12-round bout in a unanimous decision Saturday, with the judges scoring the fight 116-111, 116-111 and 115-112 in favor of the American.
With the victory, Toney becomes just the third fighter after American Roy Jones Jr. and British boxer Bob Fitzsimmons to win a heavyweight crown after being a middleweight champion.
Ruiz, who first took the WBA belt from Evander Holyfield in 2001, retired after his sixth loss in 48 pro bouts.
Some information for this report provided by AP and AFP.