By Rusty Rubin, managing editor, of Ringsports.com, and author of “Off the Canvas”, a historically accurate view of American history and the social problems of the times, as witnessed by an 80-year old ex-champion. “Off the Canvas” takes you from the time of the Great Depression till the World Trade Center disaster and is a book that has been getting rave reviews. Copies are $15.00 each available at Ringsports.com and on-line major book retailers. For a list of the reviews please contact me.

Also we’ll be taking orders soon on autographed copies of “Billy Soose, The Champion Time Forgot” co-authored by Tom Donelson. Since we live in different parts of the country, it would be hard to co-ordinate a joint signing, either me or Tom are available. ***

On June 11th, while many boxing fans (and boxing luminaries) will be at Canastota for the annual Hall of Fame induction ceremony, there will still be plenty of ring action.

Unless he suffers another injury, Mike Tyson has a gimme fight with Kevin McBride in our nation’s capital and the pick was just made. Mike will take the very slow McBride out whenever he wants.

But there is a better match as undefeated WBO welterweight champ Miguel Cotto puts his title on the line against tough but hittable Muhammad Adbullaev. Another take it to the bank fight folks, as Cotto, with his hand speed should have no trouble with his foe.***

In last weeks action, Scott Harrison sent Michael Brodie into retirement in his final try for the featherweight title, knocking out the Manchester native in the fourth round.

But the big fight/upset was the way Ricky Hatton dominated one of the games previous best pound for pound fighters, Kostya Tszyu.

The strategy Hatton used was the only one he could against a big banger. He went out to fight on the inside and pound the body, which he has been known for. And Tszyu could rarely get free or enough time to throw his big knockout punches, for which he has been very well known.

In fact, Tszyu was so tired, knowing he needed a knockout, wouldn’t even answer the bell for the 12th and final round. He knew he didn’t have enough in the tank to land that big punch.

For Hatton, his first test against a top fighter proved to be a great victory, and he now may be on his way to future greatness at 39-0.

For Tszyu, it could have marked the end of an excellent career, although he could have some big paydays left against guys like Zab Judah, Cory Spinks or Vince Phillips.

Agree or disagree, I always welcome comments.

My good friend Stephen B. Acunto, who founded the American Association for the Improvement of Boxing, along with Rocky Marciano, now has his book “Champions Boxing Guide” available in Spanish. For details visit Steve’s website: AAIB.org

Please help me with my upcoming new book. Send all boxing jokes, stories, quips and boxing oddities to (Rusty@ringsports.com), thanks, and members of the boxing media are free to send this most welcome information as well. All submissions used will be given full credit, if used in the book, and it will be given on who submits the story first, basis. Here’s your chance to have your name in print, instead of ‘America’s Most Wanted’ posters.***

Glove2Glove:

Please say prayers for the return to health of ring announcer Mark Beiro, who is having health problems and complications from diabetes. Mark is a good friend of this scribe, and both of us need you in his corner right now.

Prayers for boxing promoter and all around good guy Clem Crowley who could use a push in the get well ranks just about now. Also prayers for the return to health of Audrey Talmo, wife of Ed, a long-time boxing fan who cares about our sport.

A request for prayers for those who were injured/killed in an accident involving the Las Vegas Elite Boxing Team a few months back. Prayers are needed/requested for those who were injured in the tragic, fatal crash, and the souls of those who didn’t.

Dub Harris, WWII hero and founder and past President of the World Boxing Hall of Fame has suffered a stroke in Southern California. Please pray for his quick return to health.***

Prayers also requested for the Sheila Sepulveda, a long-time friend of this writer. Sheila is having some very serious health problems.

Prayers needed for the return to health of Alfonso Luna, father of our outstanding photographer Ray Luna, who has taken ill in Southern California.

Please say prayers for the return to health of Helen Wambolt, wife of our East Coast World Boxing Hall of Fame writer Danny Wambolt. Cards will also be most welcome.***

Please say prayers for the return to health of Orazio Esposito, father of our photographer Richard Esposito.***

Sandy Johnson a great gal as well as a staff member of the Nevada State Athletic Commission is fighting breast cancer. A call, e-mail or card, along with your prayers would really do a lot to raise the spirits of an old friend.***

Special prayers go out to Mills Lane for his complete recovery. Mills, who moved from Reno to New York, suffered a stroke a few years back. He may be down, but knowing him personally, he’s far from out.***

Prayers for the return to health of Don Donelson, father of writer Tom, and Gene Sebastian, brother of former middleweight champ Billy Soose. Both are suffering from congestive heart disease.

Please say prayers for Phill Grazide of Santa Rosa, CA. a big supporter of amateur boxing, who is suffering the crippling effects of rheumatoid arthritis.***

Needless to say we need prayers for the return to health of both former champs Greg Page and Gerald McClellan, both confined to wheelchairs.***

Glove2Glove is a non-denominational group set up to aide those boxing folks and their relatives in need of prayers and cards. We accept no money and only contact our members when someone is in need. It’s free to join. Simply send us your e-mail address. And even if you’re not a member, feel free to contact us if you are aware of some boxing person in need.***

Touching on politics briefly: I love politics, even when I may be at a loss for words, something stupid or ugly happens and suddenly I’ve got something to comment on.

Friday was no exception. First, the Governor of Missouri offends black folks everywhere (and all other intelligent life forms) by announcing plans to fly the Confederate flag at a cemetery on Sunday. I don’t know who he is or what party he belongs to and I don’t care. As a white American, I’m offended by that action.

I’ve been getting more and more requests to move this part of my column (political) to either a political website or someone else’s site, or start my own. And this comes from people who both agree and disagree with my commentary.

As of now, there are no plans to move this column and in truth, I doubt anyone wants it, as on occasion the verbiage gets hot and heavy.

My goal is not to take sides on issues, but rather to get people to think. They don’t have to agree with me, and I don’t really expect most to. That’s okay. Dialogue is healthy. There is too much complacency in America and the free world, and that’s very dangerous my friends.

I know I can’t be the only one that thinks the separation of church and state is a thing of the past. It shouldn’t be, but it is. Many of the politicians are prostituting themselves in order to get the support of the religious right, and perhaps going overboard in some of their statements.

Take Tom Delay for example. In fact take him as far away as possible. “Terry Shiavo is lucid?” Did he say that because he wants continued support from the religious right or because he really believed it?

A political commentator like Pat Buchanan has no reason to mince his words and feelings. He wanted to send in the troops to rescue Schiavo and has nothing but ill will for Mark “Deep Throat” Felt, because Felt helped bring down his flawed hero, Richard Nixon. But agree with him or not, we know that Pat is speaking from the heart, which he wears on his sleeve, and says what he feels, and that should be respected.

As for Felt, getting a crook out of the oval office, by any means can’t be a bad thing. And anyone who approves a break in, regardless of party affiliation gives credence to the act.

Bill Clinton also perjured himself while in the Oval Office. That’s not acceptable either, but having sex with an intern and then lying about it still isn’t as bad as approving a break in.

On Friday it was announced that Newsweek who apologized for their article saying the Quran was flushed down the toilet in the Guantanamo Bay prison camp, was actually pretty close to the truth with their article, although it took the Pentagon more than a week to announce the ugly news.

The announcement said nothing about the Quran being flushed, but they did say it was urinated on, watered down and abused in other ways. The Pentagon said they were all accidental. Maybe, but I don’t feel comfortable with that explanation. Hating people if and because they are terrorists and want to kill you is one thing, hating them because of their religious beliefs is a lot different. If the prisoners were tried, convicted and executed for their hatred that’s one thing. I can live with that, but not because they happen to believe in Islam.

This is as ugly as it gets for an American. We don’t have to agree with the religious beliefs of anyone, but as Americans we should know enough to respect them. First Abu Gharib, and now this, anyone else wonder why we have long been considered ‘the ugly American?’ How would we feel if the Holy Bible was treated that way by Muslims? If deliberate, the behavior of some of the guards at Gitmo is completely unacceptable and there are must be some changing of the guard made there, and in a hurry.

Want to express your anger? How about everyone out there who disagrees with the actions of a few loonys and the way Newsweek was treated by the White House, all subscribe to the publication as a form of protest. We can’t vote for our leaders for another three plus years, but we sure can tell them what we think of their cover-ups by supporting Newsweek, and if applicable at the polls in 2006.

It’s obvious that no one in high office would knowingly subscribe to this moronic behavior by the guards, but if they covered it up and waited in order to embarrass a major publication, someone on high must be held accountable.

Back to the point of this article. No religious group, from the right or the left should have any sway over the politics of our government. It goes against our Constitution, which specifies that there must be a separation between church and state.

And while I don’t want to offend anyone here, the Ten Commandments are the basis for the laws of our land, (Judeo-Christian ethic) and not any religious book! And that being said, there also should be no reason not to have our laws, the Ten Commandments, posted in any public place. It’s not a religious document my friends, it’s the one single basis for all of our laws.

Agree or disagree, I’d like to hear from you (Rusty@ringsports.com), and feel free to pass this along to your representatives, most of whom aren’t really your representatives anyhow.