By Rusty Rubin, managing editor, of Ringsports.com, and author of “Off the Canvas”, a view of American history and the social problems of the times, as witnessed by an 80-year old ex-champion. “Off the Canvas” 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.
The two fights in St. Louis this weekend didn’t shock me. Monte Barrett has the potential of being a top fighter, just never seems interested enough to get it all together, as he did against Owen Beck, stopping him in round five.
Barrett, like many of the heavys today, reminds me of a lazy fighter, and only fights as good as he has to. There is little question in my mind about his potential, but like so many other heavyweights, he can dream about the future, but can’t put enough focus on it, in training.
Zab Judah’s stoppage of Cory Spinks should have been expected. The fight was simple to figure out if Zab catches the speedy Spinks he wins, he’s got the punch. From the start, Spinks was on his bicycle and Judah was with him, not allowing him to get very far away. It was only a matter of time for Judah to catch up to and stop the hometown southpaw champion. And he did, late in round seven.
I’d like Judah to fight a Mayweather or Kostya Tszyu next, but I don’t expect it to happen. Zab hold all three of the lighter weight belts and is in a division without a load of competition, at least at the present time. A small move up to jr. middleweight would bring bigger fights and bigger bucks, but I don’t see it happening anytime soon.***
Went to a college boxing meet at the Eldorado Hotel Casino in Reno on Friday night. If you like the action of the amateurs, you’ll love to watch these college kids giving 100%. Few college kids ever make in big as a pro, Billy Soose was the exception, when he won the middleweight title in 1941. Then a lot of colleges dropped out of competition when Charley Mohr, a top boxer at the University of Wisconsin was killed in the ring. But that was a tragic accident and College Boxing is on the rise again. This year the top teams look to be the University of Nevada Las Vegas and the Air Force Academy. The finals are in Colorado Springs April 1st and 2nd.***
Good News: “Black Cloud” the boxing movie that I’ve written about in the past, premiers on March 11, in NYC, L.A., Boston, Hartford, New Haven, and New London Ct. as well as Providence, RI. The Mohegan Sun in Connecticut is hosting a screening or you can visit Blackcloudthemovie.com. Don’t miss this one.***
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 Rngsports@aol.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 American’s Most Wanted posters.***
Agree or disagree, feel free to express your views.
Glove2Glove:
First please continue to say prayers for the victims of the Tsunami in Asia and their families. A lot of people are hurting right now.***
Prayers requested for the souls of former heavyweight champion Max Schmeling and Vicki LaMotta former wife of middleweight champion Jake. Both past away last week.
Please say prayers for the return to health of Jeanette Nittoli, older sister of outstanding photographer and friend, Mary Ann Owen, who along with another long-time friend Butch Gotlieb, runs the Boxinginlasvegas.com website. ***
Prayers requested for the return to health of former New England featherweight champion, down but not out with a brain tumor as well as Ray Lampkin, former top contender who will be undergoing triple bypass surgery shortly.
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 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 wife of RS.com writer Marty Carson (auto accident) who is having health problems) of Indiana. Marty, who is a long time friend and a boxing expert, is also ailing a bit.***
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. And to Arthur Terciera, father of writer Keith, also having heart related problems.***
Prayers are requested for Ringsports.com photo journalist Dale Hausner of Arizona, who is having problems with cancer.***
Prayers are requested for Kenneth E. Ryther father of our photo journalist Amy Green. Kenneth is suffering from Parkinson’s.***
Prayers for Ed “Whitey” Hadar, a former boxer who is having some serious health problems.***
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 never pay attention to any President’s State of Confusion speech, and the address by George W. Bush to the nation last week was no exception. I do however listen to the highlights as well as the low-lights.
We know full well what to expect from these yearly speeches, which really serve little purpose in today’s world. We all know the President’s agenda and about the only thing different that seemed to come out of this address, was his seemingly willingness to compromise on Social Security reform.
Compromise? On what? The system is not broken. You want to fix it, switch some of the pork money that goes into almost all pieces of legislation, and put that money into Social Security. How about taxing the governments that are allowing the illegals to cross their borders? How about a larger tax on border towns that allows Mexican nationals to kidnap and kill Americans?
In truth the changes, if any, to our social security system shouldn’t affect my wife or I, as we’re well past our 55th birthdays. But I question the logic of having people control their own (or a part of) investments. who don’t even know (or care) that Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11 or who promised to come out to vote in the last Presidential election and didn’t think it was important enough. Do you trust these people to have a clue about investments? I don’t.
Hopefully this is a minority of our young people, but if they are too foolish to know or care what’s going on in the world around them, how safe are their investments going to be? Does it help if these people blow their money and instead become a burden on our welfare system instead? How does that make any sense?
The only people, at least on the surface, that will be guaranteed a profit from the proposed changes are the President’s friends, the rich stock brokers. Do you think that’s the President’s real motivation for change? I hope not!
Frankly, I’m not at all happy with anything this President has done for the senior citizens, because he’s done nothing, which I admit is better than killing the Social Security system that many Americans have to depend upon.
The President has done nothing to relieve the high gas and energy costs, and his tax cut didn’t do a thing for the seniors that built this country. But it did help his wealthy stock broker friends.
Now as to the one thing I wanted President Bush to address, which he carefully avoided discussing was about border security, particularly in his home State of Texas.
For those of you not familiar with the problem, allow me to enlighten you. More than 21 American citizens have been kidnapped and possibly killed by drug dealers in the border town of Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, right across the bridge from Laredo, Texas. These folks were just visiting the City to have a good time.
Instead of doing what I’d like to think most of our past leaders would have done, demand the return of our citizens, and if that failed go in and rescue our citizens and wipe out those that may also be bringing drugs across our border. Where is James Monroe or Teddy Roosevelt when you need them?
And this could get worse, drug dealers aren’t known for their scruples. What’s to prevent them from getting paid BIG money from the terrorists and taking parts for dirty bombs across the border? Right now, absolutely nothing!
I know the President thinks that Mexican President Vicente Fox can do no wrong, and doesn’t want to risk the ire of the head of their government, because he’s afraid to alienate Hispanic voters. Here’s a news flash, Hispanic – Americans are a proud people and want to see changes made more than even our President thinks, and they want to see legal changes made to protect themselves as well.
I know Mr. Bush has had a long, well documented problem with the English language, but instead of taking strong action here for homeland security, the President still wants to make illegals legal. What about the word doesn’t he understand?
I can’t speak for everyone, but I’d love to see some real action on the part of our elected leader. Iraq wasn’t an immediate threat to us, but these guys right outside of our border with Mexico are!
Feel free as always to forward this commentary to your friends and elected leaders including our beloved President. Donating a dictionary for his use might help.
Agree or disagree, I’d like to hear from you.
