Rusty Rubin, Managing Editor
www.ringsports.com

First some breaking news: Frank Bruno, former top ranked heavyweight from the UK wants back in the ring again, and with so many clowns posing as heavyweights out there, it’s hard to blame him. Sure there are a few solid heavyweights, but only a few. At any rate, Bruno has a damaged retina and probably wont be licensed in any event.

And a death of a young lady in Sarasota, in a ‘toughman’ contest, doesn’t bode well for the future of that sport, at least in Florida.

Well fight fans, it’s time to take a closer look at the Lewis – Klitschko fight upcoming at the Staples Center in LA this weekend on HBO. And, to go out on a limb (no, not with a noose around my neck) and make a prediction (that can have that noose result).

One thing that is a given is that Lennox Lewis has never lost when he trains seriously, and he’s doing it for this fight.

Another factor is that Vitali Klitschko has never lost either, as he was winning his fight with Chris Byrd easily before he tore up his shoulder and had to retire.

I know a lot of people say that Vitali showed lack of heart, but I respectfully disagree. Having sustained a similar shoulder injury while playing football some years back, I can testify to the severe pain it causes. Vitali showed a lot of courage in lasting five round after the injury occurred, before calling off the bout.

Lewis is 37, and this may be his last year fighting, even if he wins this fight and takes on Roy Jones Jr. by years end, which is what’s being discussed at present. Jones does have a September obligation to defend his title.

OK, it’s the WBA title, but it’s still a title. And while I have lost most if not all my respect for the WBA, I do feel that Roy will make the defense and not wait for a matchup with Lewis, which is not a given, because Vitali Klitschko now stands in his way.

But it’s not a very good idea to overlook a big puncher like Klitschko, who will go into the ring with a two-inch height advantage over the big Brit.

Lewis does have one advantage however, and that is unlike his younger brother Wladamir, Vitali is much more of a straight-up European style fighter, which makes him a much easier target for Lewis’ power punches.

And that fact alone can make the difference in this fight.

Vitali Klitschko is hungry and he wants to avenge his brother’s KO loss to Corrie Sanders and keep the family pride in tact by winning this bout and the heavyweight crown that goes with it.

So, who gets the call here?

Hard fight to pick a winner. I give the edge, and a very slight one, not enough for a big wager, to Lewis but I think the best bet on the board is that the fight goes under the 8 ½ rounds. One of these fighters is going down for the count!

Odds and ends:

For the record, we are still calling for Billy Soose to be inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Soose beat Tony Zale and fought a draw with Charley Burley; neither could be considered an easy opponent, and did so as a converted puncher. He was a big banger early on but a broken knuckle on his right hand caused him to become a boxer. The transition is one that very few have been able to make successfully.

As a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America, and a voter for those inducted into the IBHOF, I take personal offense that this former champion's name does not even appear on the ballot. The World Boxing Hall of Fame in LA had the good sense to induct Soose in 1994. Let's hope that common sense carries over to the IBHOF.***

Reader Ed Ramos is looking for a bottle of Old Kentucky Cabin bbq sauce, A Muhammad Ali fashion shade sunglasses, Ali’s high school yearbook, Ali large popcorn bags, Ali cookie box, Cassius Clay golden gloves and Olympic Boxing finals full tickets, Ali champ shoe bumper sticker and a Mousehammad cat toy. He is also seeking a 1960 Olympic boxing program. If you have or know of someone who has these items call Ed at 1-860-246-9096, or e-mail him at Andinoramos@hotmail.com.

Keep reading this column for info on when our next boxing party at Spiros Sports Bar at Mira Loma and Longly, in Reno, will be held. Right now we're set for June 21, 6-9 PM. :Lewis v. Vitali Klitschko, and much more.***

Glove2Glove: Seems like we've gotten a lot of new members recently and all are welcome. Remember it's free and the only time you will be contacted is if someone is in need of prayer and/or cards. You join by sending us an e-mail. It's that simple. And Glove2Glove is our way of showing that boxing folk genuinely care about each other and the world we live in.

The success of the Glove2Glove program has provided some sensational results, and we can take credit in extending a number of lives. It also shows the world that boxing folks care about each other, and stand tall for them. In short in enhances the sometimes seedy reputation of our sport.***

Glove2Glove is on a crusade to help former champions Gerald McClellan and Greg Page and their families. They were injured in the ring and have very high medical bills. We need your prayers for them.

And, to improve the image of our sport and the great people in it, we need you on board our Thanksgiving Cruise out of Miami, Nov. 23-30 to raise money for these great warriors who have given us so much and have received back so little.

I know Thanksgiving traditionally should be spent with family, and what a better way to celebrate the holiday with your family and the boxing family as well? We hope you take part in this event to show the world how strong and committed the boxing family is. I know a lot of folks think that all people in boxing should be committed anyway, so let’s change their minds.

Thanks to Ron Borges of the Boston Globe for the extra coverage of this event. And thanks also to Alex Ramos of the Retired Boxers Federation who have jumped in to help the cause.

100% of the money we raise will go to these two families. And the price is very affordable and includes some extra boxing guests and entertainment. Join us. For information, please drop me a line at Rngsprts@cs.com. Or, if you can’t make it, a cash donation to the RBF for Page/McClellan would be much appreciated.

Remember fans, the worst things happen when you do nothing…And the feeling of trying, even if not successful, makes you a winner, no matter what!

URGENT!!!! We ask for your immediate prayers for the return to health of the wife of our rating chairman Carole Armit as well as the wife of the sister of referee Elmo Adolph, Cathy Cerola, both suffering from cancer. They have both taken a turn for the worse and need your fervent prayers. Only the Lord can help them now, and with our prayers, he will.

A very special prayer was answered and we received the best Christmas miracle imaginable, as the oncologist who had given her about three years to live, now said that four more chemos and we should get all of it. At last report, they did! Your prayers for the return to health of Glove to Glove CO-founder Sue Walker, has worked, and in the words of Robert Duval in the motion picture 'The Apostle', 'We're small but we're powerful'. If we can do this with a relatively small group, imagine what we can do if we had the big numbers.

We still need your prayers for Sue who suffered a seizure recently, and needs a complete and quick recovery.

Glove2Glove is absolutely free. The only thing we ask is an e-mail address so that we can notify you when a boxing person or a member of his family is ailing. Sue has been my best friend for 25 years and thanks to some of the wonderful people out there, she will be with me for a lot longer. But please keep those prayers coming. You can send a message of encouragement or prayer for her to our e-mail address (Rngsprts@cs.com) or drop a card to our Reno office. I'll see that it gets to her, personally.

Thanks and God bless.***

To answer a question I seem to be asked more and more frequently. Yes, the website and the magazine are seeking new investors, and hopefully working partners for further expansion. If you are interested, give me a call or drop me a line via PO or e-mail.

This opportunity will not last very much longer! Once we start our push to make the mag and the website the finest in the world, the opportunity will either be long-gone or very expensive. For any doubters, I suggest you watch our smoke.

Touching on politics briefly: In America, we are obviously having problems with two Countries that have been classified by President Bush, members of the “Axis of Evil”.

North Korea like most Communist dictatorships, (and fortunately there are few left in this world) is known for it’s ‘saber rattling’. But you never know how goofy the leader of that terrorist nation is, and when he’s bluffing or telling the truth.

That can be pretty scary folks, because we do live in a very dangerous age, and he does have the capacity and has at his disposal nuclear weapons, although no rockets powerful enough (yet) to reach our mainland.

Then there’s Iran, who’s ruling Mullah’s talk pro West but act pro Islam. Nothing wrong with being pro Islam friends, as long as it’s not anti-West and allows freedom to the citizens. Which they have, albeit very limited.

Any country that condones or allows for terrorists have to be kept a close eye on. And Iran is harboring Hizbollah and probably other groups or individual terrorists. It’s a big task first, but what choice is there?

I don’t trust the current Iranian regime and I trust far less the maniacal despot that rules North Korea with an iron hand.

Agree or disagree, I’d like to hear from you.