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.***
The most important fight this weekend comes from St. Petersburg, Fla. Where Jeff “Left Hook” Lacy takes on Robin Reed in an important IBF super middleweight title bout.
Lacy can fight, and his nickname is well earned, but in the far more experienced Reid, 38-4-1, he’s facing the toughest test of his young career. Robin, from the UK has fought some of the best in his division, and his record shows that he has beaten most of them.
For Lacy, 19-0, this is a huge step up, and how he handles Reid, if he handles Reid, will determine how far he can go in this talent-rich division.
I’ve seen Lacy fight in person, and while I don’t recall seeing Reid fight, I’m sure that I have.
Lacy reminds me a lot of Bernard Hopkins, being a very slow starter. That’s something he may not be able to get away with against Reid, who always comes to fight, and is going to give Lacy the toughest fight of his young career.
I’ll go against the odds in this one and pick the veteran to win enough of the early rounds and be able to handle the powerful body shots of Lacy, to win a narrow decision.***
I note, without much interest, that Tommy “Hit Man” Hearns has made a successful return to the ring, in Detroit, at age 46. Do boxing a favor Tommy, beating a bunch of has-beens may be beneficial to your health, but it’s ugly boxing. Hang ‘em up!***
Got an e-mail from a reader in Canada, who agrees with a recent letter that I posted by California reader Phill Grazide, in regard to ‘winner take all’ championship bouts.
Rod Flynn of Ontario absolutely agrees with the concept that Grazide has come up, stating that it will make for far more exciting fights. No argument from this corner, but knowing the powers that control boxing, it’s just never going to happen.
Keep the feedback coming, folks. The best correspondence will be posted in this column.***
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 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 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 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: While I’m finishing up work on my third boxing book, I am now seriously considering writing a non-partisan book about the problems in America and the world, and offer possible solutions as to how to solve them, if that’s possible.
It could mean a lot of work for this old scribe. What do our readers say (PLEASE be honest, I promise not to cry). I’ve written three books, contemplating this as a fourth, but as everyone knows, this boxing writer much prefers a fifth. Working on the book will probably take a lot of time from this part of the column, so I’ll leave it up to the readers.***
The terrorists are at it again, doing what they think they do best, trying to scare people in the free world (create terror). While I think an attack can and will happen again in the future, worrying about it does nothing to prevent it. We must remain strong and vigilant, but not afraid. I remember in one of my college classes (ok, I think it was college) that our teacher said that suicide was an act of both desperation and cowardice. I tend to agree.***
In my last article here, I wrote that I disagreed with President Bush’s recess appointment of John Bolton. Allow me to clarify. I wasn’t disagreeing with his choice, but rather his defying the U.S. Senate, dominated by his own party. I’m not qualified enough to pass judgment on Bolton, except he was wrong on Iraq, as was our President for listening to bad advice.
John Bolton, is supposedly a tough guy, and maybe that’s something that we badly need at the United Nations. America goes a long way towards supporting the U.N. while most of its members show us no respect.
What has long bothered me about our elected leader is his attitude that “I know everything and things have to be done my way!” Newsflash Mr. Bush, if you knew everything you wouldn’t have had a lot of innocent American lives lost in Iraq who had nothing to do with 9/11 No weapons of mass destruction were found. We should have pulled out after doing the world a favor by ridding it of Sadaam Hussein. Going into Afghanistan made sense, taking out Sadaam in Iraq made sense, staying in Iraq does not, although I don’t see any easy alternatives at the present time.
How long does our President think the White House’s ongoing lie that ‘we’re fighting them over there so we don’t fight them over here’, will hold up? Anyone with half a brain knows that another terrorist attack on America is only a matter of time, and the odds are that no Iraqi would be involved in it. Remember, there were no Iraqi’s involved in 9/11.
We must continue to support our troops and I don’t advocate pulling out now and risking a Civil War in Iraq. We certainly must remain active in Afghanistan, who we correctly attacked after 9/11. Up to now we have been unable to capture Bin Laden, Mullah Omar and the rest of the leaders of this cold-blooded ilk. They recruit new members by brainwashing their followers and teaching a false interpretation of Islam.
Mr. Bush also fails to understand that the stem cells that you are against using for research to save lives will be tossed in the garbage if not used, this life will be destroyed anyway. By allowing stem cell research on discarded embryos, you may ultimately be saving human life, not destroying it.
As with Hillary Clinton and a host of other egomaniacs holding public office, George Bush is not God’s gift to the World, although he may think he is. The good news is also the bad news here. We have to put up with this dyslexic Hood Robin for another three years. He’s confused about his literary hero also, since he tries to copy him by taking from the poor and giving to the rich.***
I won’t claim that George Bush is the worst President of all time, although he is far and away the worst this writer has ever seen (Nixon was close). He may mean well, but he is not for the average person in this country, he is for big business.
With all his faults (he is human, after all) George W. Bush does have some endearing qualities about him that I must admit I admire.
I admire loyalty, which he has shown, even though it hurts his reputation.
I find George W. Bush likable, but that certainly doesn’t make one qualified to be Presidential material.
I admire Mr. Bush’s honesty, to stand by what he says and believes no matter the political cost. He is certainly not dishonest, and there are no laws about being impeached for ‘impersonating a President’.
Would Al Gore or John Kerry have been any better? No one knows and we never found out because the Democrats who advise the candidates don’t have a clue what the average American working man has to go through. For a long time, that and the labor unions which have been the Democratic base. Let’s face facts. Do rich lawyers have a clue what the average poor working man has to go through in America to survive?
And, yet, despite all the efforts of our politicians, this country remains the strongest nation on the face of the earth, at least for now. Anyone remember ‘The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire?”
Would I feel the same way if a Democrat in the White House and a Democratic Congress was giving away the store? You bet your ass I would.
In fact, NAFTA, the start of our giveaway programs was passed under Bill Clinton, a Democrat, who also didn’t do much to enhance the reputation of the Presidency, although to his credit he did balance the budget, something the current President blew all to hell.
Now you know the reason that I’ve long been calling for a third major party in America. We need politicians who care about their country more than they do about re-election.
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.
