In Rusty’s Corner
By Rusty Rubin, editor-in-chief of the Ringsports.com publication, 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” 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 Rusty.
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, both myself or Tom will available. ***
Black Cloud, a great boxing movie is now out on DVD, if you’re a true fight fan, it’s a movie you don’t want to miss.***
There’s still a lot of buzz about the outcome of the Hopkins – Taylor fight. A lot of folks, of which I am not one, think Hopkins won. I’ll be fair however, I wasn’t able to see the fight up close, and I did not see the replay. So I won’t argue either way.
One of the questions that keeps getting asked is when did the situation change? It used to be that a challenger had to take the fight from the champion. I was at the Riviera Hotel the night it ended, when Michael Spinks took the title from Larry Holmes in their first encounter. I was in the pressroom when Holmes made his infamous remark about Marciano not being able to carry his cup. It was a remark made out of frustration, and shouldn’t have been made, but sadly it was.***
Got a post card from a reader, Phill Grazide in Santa Rosa, a long-time subscriber and a friend of amateur and pro boxing. Phill has long said that he would like to see all championship fights, winner take all, except for training and other needed expenses for the loser.
The concept is an interesting one, although I doubt it will ever come to fruition. Few people would want to risk fighting for nothing, even if they clearly have superior skills, yet, I think we can all agree that it will make for some exciting action, something sorely missing in many of today’s title fights, particularly at heavyweight.
It can also make for some very hard feelings if the result of the fight is a close split decision. The judges, as always, will bear the brunt of the anger, and that’s something they are already not paid enough to do. Abuse from the fans is bad enough, but to put up with it from the fighters makes in so much worse.
And of course the sanctioning bodies and promoters would have to figure out a way to get their fees as well.
Also, the loss of a point can cause animosity towards the referee, who generally receives enough of that to go around.
But conversely, the fans will see an all-out war, with no holds barred. Both fighters will give it all to ensure 100% of the purse. The strategy will be simple win every round and don’t let the judges decide, or knockout your opponent and go home early and wealthy.
I’d like to hear from the fans their feelings about this concept.
Also, a hand/wrist injury to Lucia Rjyker has caused the cancellation on their anticipated big fight on the 29th of this month. Will it happen when Rjyker’s cast comes off? Christy Martin is not getting any younger and will not be available forever, but it would be a very interesting match for the fans, who have wanted to see this match-up for a long time.
This fight figured to generate more interest than it did, but ticket sales were reportedly slow, so now it’s questionable if this event would happen or not. Personally, I’d like to see it.***
Agree or disagree, I always welcome comments. Rusty@ringsports.com***
If you subscribe to our monthly news magazine, which many do, we suggest you renew your subscription for a few years, as postal rates, thus subscription costs will be going up.***
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:
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.
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 suffered a stroke a few years back. He may be down, but he’s a fighter and he’s also 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 apologize. I actually thought that going into Iraq would start off a Civil War between the Sunni and Shiite. That didn’t happen, at least not yet. There is, however, a Civil War going on in the rest of the world between the Jidhadists and the vast majority of good Muslims, but the sad news is that the good guys aren’t fighting back. Can they be content to see fellow Muslims, albeit brainwashed, kill their families and turn the other cheek?
Another bombing in London (attempted this time) and a successful one in Sharm el-Shiek, Egypt, shows us once again that these terrorists have no concern for the welfare of their fellow Muslims. We already knew these guys don’t care about innocent women and children, but to kill a fellow Muslim is against the teaching of the Koran.
Of course killing anyone is against the teachings of the Koran, or any holy book. No God condones cold blooded murder, but the Jihadist misinterpretation of the holy book of Islam gives them the belief that they have the right to take innocent lives.
Talk about your Manchurian Candidate, these guys are so brainwashed, you almost have to feel sorry for them. The key word here however is almost. The only thing these guys respect is force, and maybe it’s time for the good guys, including the vast majority of Muslims, who are hard working, decent Islam believers, to go after them full force.
Personally, I’m tired of turning my back on these guys, who want to kill me just because I don’t want my wife or daughters to wear burkas or refuse to pray to the terrorist’s brainwashed concept of what God is. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know that no religious book teaches killing. Every rule of law has the same concept of ‘thou shall not kill.’***
Pentagon reports out of Iraq now states that the Iraqi military may never be ready to go it alone against the insurgent threat. Does that mean America and its allies will have to be fighting there indefinitely? Again, maybe it’s time for an all-out show of force. In truth, it’s hard to fight against people who have no regard for their own life and willingly blow themselves up. Maybe the only way to deal with them is to re-educate them, if in fact they are educated in the first place. Education is the best way to accomplish turning these killers around, and it’s a lack of an accurate education in the jihadist schools and mosques that’s a major cause of the problem in the first place. How many have we closed?***
Personally, I’m quickly running out of patience doing little, while enemy who has sworn to destroy our way of life, keeps attacking and killing innocent civilians. I want to fight back, but how and who would be important questions.
Like the snakes they are, these people have no Country (who would want them?), no compassion and no true religion. They can be around the corner or a full City or State away. They are very few in numbers, and blend in well with the rest of the populace.
To be sure, the huge majority of Muslims are decent folk who want nothing to do with the terrorists. In fact, most have no respect for those who are killing others in the name of Allah, and are almost always among the victims of the terrorist attack.
The Saudi’s and other Arab Countries that are supposed friends, according to some reports, are not closing down the schools that allow the Muslim young to be taught the erroneous interpretation of the teachings of the Koran. As long as that brainwashing is allowed to continue, this war will continue and become harder and harder for us to fight. Don’t blame the Saudis, in the U.S. and the U.K. and I’m sure many other Countries, we’re not closing the mosques that preach the hatred that jihad is. We can’t even clean up the mess in our own country, so let’s not blame the others.***
I have to wonder how many people like me are sick and tired of the way our politicians of both parties, are selling our country down the river, and bending over backwards to make America a third world country.
How about electing some honest, hard hitting politicians? Yes, there are a few, but it seems now that they are becoming an endangering species.***
I believe that President Bush acted wisely in nominating John Roberts for the Supreme Court. Roberts seems to have all the credentials needed and doesn’t seem to be a divisive figure at all.
At the same time, Roberts’ nomination also took the heat off our President to get rid of his advisor, Karl Rove, at least temporarily. The heat that would have been, has been postponed, on Rove, who gets full credit for at least admitting that he was the one who told reporter Matt Cooper about Valerie Plame, and letting him off the hook with the American justice system. He did stand up for what was right, and that’s a plus no one in the press seems ready to talk about.
Finally, as a long-time journalist, I must come out in favor of the press keeping their sources to themselves, except in cases of national security. The press can’t do their job if their hands are tied. America needs a strong working press. That’s why it’s guaranteed in our Constitution. I get a lot of inside ‘scoops’ about what’s going on in boxing, and these are stories I wouldn’t get if my sources didn’t trust me to either not print it, not name them as my sources or both.
Of course, boxing is not, and hopefully will never be, a matter for national security.
Agree or disagree, I’d like to hear from you. I respect everyone’s opinion. (Rusty@ringsports.com), and feel free to pass this along to your representatives, most of whom aren’t really your representatives anyhow.