By Rusty Rubin
There are many things far more important than watching the fights, and one of those has recently come up. One that I must make our readers aware of. Veteran ring announcer, good guy and good friend, Mark Beiro suffered a severe setback due to his diabetes, and we almost lost him. I ask that anyone interested in helping out with a roast to assist with his huge medical bills contact his wife Jackie at JDBeiro@aol.com.
Jackie has informed me that items are badly needed for the auction that evening, which is expected to raise the majority of the needed funds. Time to step up to the plate, be a boxing good guy and help. I know that Mark would do the same to any boxing guy in need. Mark Beiro has a heart and a voice of gold. Let’s go all out and tell Mark that we’re in his corner.
The event will be held at the Letter Carriers Hall in Tampa, Florida on Sept. 29, and while I would love to attend, as Mark is an old and very dear friend of this scribe, it doesn’t come close to fitting in with my tight schedule for that time of year.
Jackie e-mailed me about the event, and while I know it probably belongs in our Glove2Glove segment, I wanted to make sure everyone was made aware of it. You don’t have to attend to help. Find out how by writing to Jackie. You’ll feel very good about yourself if you do.
This is our big chance to show the world how great boxing fans really are, and what makes our sport, the best sport around. I ask that you don’t let us down! I’m sure many of us have done our share for the victims of Hurricane Katrina, let’s did a little deeper for a great guy.***
No shock waves expected or shown on the Sept. 17 fight card from Las Vegas, as Marco Antonio Barrera did what almost every top flight fighter does to his sparing partner, win an easy unanimous decision.
Jesus Chavez not only scored an 11th round TKO over champion Levander Johnson, but almost TKO’d him for good. Powerful punches sent Johnson to the hospital with a brain bleed. Thankfully at last report, although still critical, Levander was holding his own.
Shane Mosley used his speed to win a boring, easy 12 round decision over Jose Luis Cruz, in his first fight for Golden Boy Promotions. Mosley doesn’t seem to be the same fighter he once was, something appears to be missing.***
This weekend features the much anticipated (if that can be described this way, in today’s heavyweight division) clash between Wladamir Klitschko and undefeated Samuel Peter.
It’s not an easy fight to pick in lieu of the fact that Peter hasn’t fought any ‘names’ yet, and Klitschko, before his confidence was shattered by Corrie Sanders and Lamon Brewster, and his chin shown to be somewhat questionable, has fought almost all of them.
What we have in this match-up is the classic puncher vs. boxer, power vs. speed match, and those types of fights are hard to predict.
Peter, although slow afoot, has one-punch knockout power in his fists, and the question becomes can Wladamir play hit and run for 12-rounds to take the decision? I don’t think that he can. Sooner or later, Peter will catch him.
The question then becomes when Peter catches the younger Klitschko brother, can Wlad withstand the power of Peter’s fists? No one else seems to have been able to stand up to them, but again, he hasn’t fought any ‘names’ in the heavyweight ranks.
Wladamir has lost confidence in his last two fights and that, along with iffy whiskers, make Peter the smart play here.
Peter by knockout, before round six.
Mark your calendar for Oct. 22, at the Crowne Plaza Commerce Casino in Los Angeles, where the LA based World Boxing Hall of Fame has their 26th annual induction ceremony. To get your tickets for this not-to-be-missed annual event, call (951)782-9688 or (909) 239-3541…For more information go www.wbhf.org.
There’s also a memorabilia and collectables show on the same day, from 10 AM to 4 PM.
Hope to see everyone at ringside.***
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 (or in my case, America’s Least Wanted’.***
And a new website for you to check out, (story upcoming in a future posting) Americanboxer.tv. They have a new concept that everyone should be interested in. Stand by.
Glove2Glove:
Prayers for the return to health of former IBF champ Levander Johnson, who suffered a brain bleed after his fight on Sept. 17, and remains in the hospital in critical condition..
Prayers needed for Dennis Wilcox, brother of boxing scribe David Wilcox, who is in an Oregon hospital suffering from Leukemia. The family and everyone at Glove2Glove asks for your prayers in his recovery.
Prayers for the return to health of Audrey Talmo, wife of Ed, a long-time boxing fan who cares about our sport.
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.***
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: Kudos to President Bush for finally showing some humility and admitting he was wrong and taking the blame for the disaster that was, in truth the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. At least he acknowledges that he made some mistakes….About time Mr. President, except for the loss of many innocent lives. But perhaps it can be considered a start for honesty in government.
Now how about admitting that the invasion of Iraq under false pretenses was also a mistake? Or America staying there after the fall of Sadaam? Or for lying by saying America isn’t into ‘nation building’. Ok, nobody hold their breath.
But President Bush is stubborn, and his mind will not be changed by those who fail to understand what they profess to believe in, ‘blessed are the poor’. At least in this instance that’s a very good trait to have.
I’m not a big supporter of our welfare system, a system that encourages people not to work by giving them money and food stamps to stay home. Still, we as Americans have the obligation to take care of those less fortunate than we are.
It’s times like this, however, that makes me wonder why anyone would want to be President…By promising to help the stricken City of New Orleans, our free spending leader has angered his conservative base. A base that obviously feels that it’s okay to fund the ill conceived war in Iraq, which had done nothing for America or Americans, but put our soldiers life in danger. Mr. Bush should never do anything to help the impoverished Americans in times of emergency.
We’re in Iraq now, and pulling out seems like a major mistake to me, so it’s a lose – lose situation for our chosen leader as it would be for anyone else in that position. So why on earth would anyone want that job?
And with our need for more and better armament for our troops, cutting back on that budget makes no sense. Our boys are supporting us, we have to do the same for them.
So where will the money the President wants to spend on rebuilding New Orleans come from? Well rescinding his absurd tax cut for the rich is not an option, according to Mr. Bush. That leaves us with the ridiculous spending bills for energy and transportation, both ill-conceived and loaded with silly giveaways.
And in the wake of all this tragedy, Tom Delay, with obvious tongue in cheek humor, (or head in butt disease) has announced that there is almost no fat in the budget to cut. Want to bet he suddenly finds a lot of pork if his Congressional District in Houston gets hit.***
I hope the Big Easy’s Mayor Nagin has been taking public speaking lessons from our President. After the clean-up began, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, said something that would make New Orleans a safer City. He told the world that everything would be done to clean-up the crime in Crescent City and New Orleans would be back, and this time a much safe place for everyone to live.
While it’s nice to know that this great City, with a very high per capita crime rate will be back. That there will be more security for those who return, doesn’t that state to everyone else that ‘their criminals are now your problem should they choose to remain wherever they were relocated to?’ A bit scary Mr. Nagin. Does that warning mean that your criminals will roam the streets elsewhere?***
Agree or disagree, I’d like to hear from you. I respect everyone’s opinion. (Rusty@ringsports.com).