By Rusty Rubin

The heavyweight division, which for some time I’ve considered the worst division in our sport, has lost it’s best representative, as after knee surgery Vitali Klitschko has decided to hang up the gloves.

While we wish Vitali the best in his after boxing undertakings, one has to wonder where we go from here.

Brother Wladamir has shown an iffy chin and even more of an iffy amount of confidence in most of his recent fights.

John Ruiz continues to prove that his mouth works better than his boxing ability, which was also very limited. He never was a champion despite the phony belt bestowed on him often by the WBA. The guy can’t fight.

I know I can’t be the only one fed up with watching Ruiz pretend to be a champion and then complain and try to make money by suing fighters who are clearly better then he is.

Here’s a news flash. James Toney and few other fighters need steroids to beat a stiff like Ruiz. All you really need is a good referee who will not allow all the illegal tactics by this imposter for the World heavyweight title, a title bestowed on him by the WBA (Worthless Boxing Association).

Chris Byrd tends to fight like one, tap, tap, tap and run.

Perhaps Hasim Rahman may now be the best heavyweight around, at least for now. There are a few young heavys with a lot of potential out there, but who knows if or when they will reach their potential?
It’s sad that Evander still thinks he can win the title again, and worse that he thinks he can re-unite it. He should stay retired.

Tyson may be a force if he goes for the mythical Butterbean title, “King of the Four Rounders” but I don’t see that happening.

This is not a good time for pro boxing, whose popularity usually follows the ebbs and flows of the heavyweight division.

But boxing will be okay as long as the other divisions hold up their end, and we know for sure that from middleweight down there are some damn good, exciting fighters around to watch.

Glove2Glove:

Prayers for the recovery of Muhammad Ali who is said to be having serious problems as a result of his Parkinson’s related illness.

Prayers for the return to health for Col. Bob Sheridan, renowned sports announcer who has suffered a heart attack.

Prayers for former world class referee Davey Pearl who is under care for Alzheimers.

Prayers needed for Elise Brown, grand daughter of Ringside Products head honcho and good boxing guy John Brown. Young Elise has heart problems.

Prayers have also helped but continue to be 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: I noticed on Lou Dobbs TV show on CNN that 89% of the American people would consider joining a third party, something I’ve been pushing for a long time.

But a third party with the same credibility as the two major parties wont do us any good. They must stand for something.

I’ll stick with my opinion here, break up the two parties and go with a three party system, Conservatives, Liberals and Moderates. The two party system is bankrupt, and with this free-spender (who calls himself a Conservative) in the White House, it can only get worse instead of better.***

Prediction: With Vice President Cheney’s poll numbers at 17%, more than half of the President’s, Mr. Bush will request (privately) and find Mr. Cheney’s resignation on his desk, citing health reasons, before the 2006 elections.

Mr. Bush is very loyal to his friends, but I’m not so sure that Mr. Cheney, after the Libby affair, is still considered a friend, and he’s certainly not going to be an asset in the next Congressional elections.

Who will replace Cheney. Best bet would be the person George Bush would like to see take over the Presidency when his term expires, although I’m not sure who that is right now.

Agree or disagree, I’d like to hear from you. I respect everyone’s opinion. (Rusty@ringsports.com).