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 informs 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, lets did a little deeper for a great guy.***
A major upset at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Saturday night, as Erik Morales as always came to fight, but he was not prepared to fight the man he ran into.
Former Olympian Zahir Raheem took the fight to Morales from the get-go, fought a brilliant fight and won a seemingly easy unanimous decision over the 8-1 favorite from Tijuana.
Everyone knew Raheem had talent, that was never in question, and along with his hand speed, figured to be a top player in the lightweight division earlier than this. But his attitude was wrong and a loss to Rocky Juarez, although nothing to be ashamed of, put his motivation and career on hold.
On Saturday night emerged a new Raheem. A smarter, stronger fighter who showed all the skills everyone had expected him to show when he turner pro after the Atlanta Olympics.
Hard to say where Raheem was hiding, but except for Morales, and the members of his management team, it’s nice to see him back in the ring, showing his many skills once again.
As for Morales, he’s a warrior and he’ll fight on. He was neither hurt or disgraced by his performance. His big money re-match with Pacquiao who scored a 6th round stoppage over Hector Velasquez on the undercard was wisely not be put on hold. There is no reason that huge fight not take place, and it will be a great re-match.***
Finally, the big fight this week takes place in Vegas with Marco Antonio Barrera facing Robbie Peden.
In general a match between a fighter and his sparring partner, which this is, is usually one sided for the headliner and a good extra pay day for the sparring partner, and truth be told, I’m not sure this is any exception.
These kind of fights between two guys who work together and are friends usually tend to mean that neither will be hurting each other in the ring, and if one gets injured it probably will be unintentional.
I don’t like these kind of match-ups, which 90% of the time or more are used as a tune-up for the headliner, and with Barrera, I see no difference. Marco can win when we wants and should.
Best guess, he’ll take it easy on Peden and Marco comes out with an easy unanimous decision.***
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.
And speaking of the WBHOF, posthumous inductee Glen Flanagan was spelled incorrectly in my last article, it’s Flanagan not Flanigan, as I obviously mis-typed.
And, adding insult to injury, the 44 wins in a row that Glen had in California, came as an amateur, not as a pro. Guess this old guy has taken way to many punches as well.
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:
Please say prayers for the soul of outstanding boxer and recent inductee into the World Boxing Hall of Fame, Nicolino Locche, who passed away last week.
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: The right-leaning Washington Times has an article that many conservative leaning folks are passing around. If you take the writing a wee bit further you may even come to the conclusion that the person who wrote this seems to feel that the death penalty is appropriate for anyone poor in this country. Talk about your dyslexic Robin Hood’s.
Punishing the poor when they’ve been punished enough? Is that Christian? Hell, is that the American way? Ask yourself, what would Jesus say?
Seems like instead of helping with the problem and understanding the suffering of the victims, the article instead tried to blamed the victims, calling New Orleans a welfare state, and to paraphrase saying that the people of New Orleans did it to themselves. No mention was ever made as to why they are poor, the same reason we all are getting poorer (except the wealthy), the man in the White House doesn’t give a damn about anyone but his rich friends.
Is Bush to blame? Well he certainly didn’t create the hurricane but he didn’t help the aftermath either. He could have acted much faster. Remember what Harry Truman said when he was President, “The buck stops here”.
What else did Bush do wrong? For starters he appointed a friend, Michael Brown as head of FEMA. Brown is a guy who knew far more about a horse’s ass, literally, than he did about handling an emergency. Not making this up folks, check the record.
Brown is now gone, but sadly so is much of the City of New Orleans.
As for the looters, sure some people will always take advantage of a system. Sadly, that’s part of life. But to blame thousands or more for the misdeeds of a handful of folks taking advantage of the situation is way out of line.
What would Jesus say?
Does anyone besides me see the correlation between this administration and those that ruled at the time of the French Revolution? How about the fall of the Roman Empire? We may yet have an uprising in America, but if it does happen I hope that it’s done with votes and common sense instead of blood and violence as it was in France.
I don’t know when blaming the victims became a way of responding to an emergency in this country, and truth be told that attitude scares the hell out of me. I can understand extreme religious groups saying something which makes sense only to them, like God did it to the City because he wanted to destroy the five abortion clinics there. Although the logic here confounds me as well. If God wanted to punish New Orleans all He had to do was target just the clinics. He didn’t. Again I ask what would Jesus say?
Why would a loving God destroy millions of church going, God fearing people to punish those who may go to or operate an abortion clinic?
Yes, there were looters, although not many, some for much needed food and water, and others for material stuff they could not use anyhow, like TV sets. Yes, there were also some morons who shot at the vehicles sent to help them, but not many. Yes a few jerks even raped innocent women and children, but those also were very few.
Bottom line, the vast majority of the people who lived in New Orleans were decent, God fearing, church going people who certainly didn’t deserve this disaster. Being poor is not a crime in America, except to those who would rather not have to deal with them. Are you listening Washington?.***
Oh, and about the rising, obscene gas prices, what is to prevent President Bush from putting a ceiling on the price of gas, let’s say $2.50 a gallon? But with his and other’s in his administrations ties to big oil and big business, you can expect the gas gouging to continue.
Agree or disagree, I’d like to hear from you. I respect everyone’s opinion. (Rusty@ringsports.com).
