Rusty Rubin, Managing Editor
www.ringsports.com

Lewis and under.

That's how I and others called it, that's how it went, but not the way anyone expected it to.

A bad cut over and a smaller one under Vitali Klitschko's left eye, caused the fight doctor to order referee Lou Moret to stop the fight, with Klitschko holding a two point lead on all the judges scorecards.

I won't go into details, my regular writers will cover that in this space tomorrow, but for tonight, allow me to make a few observations.

Lewis either didn't train well for this fight or his legs are gone, could be a combination of both. A long layoff for the Big Brit added to training for Kirk Johnson, who you know Lewis wasn't going to give Lewis serious problems. Heck, if John Ruiz could beat Kirk Johnson, so could Lewis.

But it was exactly that attitude that caused Lewis' loss to Hasim Rahman in South Africa. The 'he's not much, I can take him for granted attitude' isn't what was required for a tough guy like Vitali Klitschko. And Lewis knew it, but he had trained for a much lesser foe and didn't have time to get into top shape for this tough Ukrainian.

That's one explanation, but that's not what I saw.

I saw a tough world champion lose his legs and grow old tonight, although he retained his belt via a stoppage due to a terrible cut.

And a man who should retire because I'm convinced that his legs are gone, and if so he's an accident waiting to happen. An accident nobody wants to see.

I saw a tough, serious contender in Vitali Klitschko do himself and his family proud and deserves a rematch, if Lewis gives it to him.

And either Lewis has a better chin than given credit for or Klitschko doesn't hit as hard as I had heard.

And how does the California Commission appoint Lou Moret, a little guy by most standards to referee this fight between two behemoths?

In short, it was an exciting fight with a lot of surprises, but Lennox Lewis maintains his title and in the judgment of this ring veteran scribe, should retire with it.

He has nothing left to prove!

Two items that should be mentioned before ending.

First, By now the world has heard about Mike Tyson being arrested again in Brooklyn. No matter who's at fault here, and there's no excuse for a man ever hitting a woman, Mike should have known better than to go to an all-night nightclub, or even an all day one.

Look, the guy's a walking target for anyone who wants to accuse him of just about anything to settle out of court. What's to prevent a lady at the club, okay maybe not a lady, but a female, claiming that he grabbed her breasts in order to make some quick money?

Innocent or guilty, he should have known better. Tyson may be crazy, but he's far from stupid!***

Secondly, Marco Antonio Barrera has become the first big name to sign with Golden Boy Promotions, run by Oscar de la Hoya. A great move by both parties involved.

Barrera was the first and only man to beat Prince Hamed and has fought two great wars with Eric Morales.***

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 he 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: Is absolutely 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, it enhances the sometimes seedy reputation of our sport.***

Now we ask you to take a moment and pray for the soul or the wife of our ratings chairman, Eric Armit, whose wife passed away peacefully on Friday, from the scourge of cancer. Eric is a class act, so we know his wife had to be as well. May she rest in eternal peace!***

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. Hey guys, the Lord remembers a lot more then we choose to. We owe it to our fellow human beings and our sport to make the extra effort.

I know Thanksgiving traditionally should be spent with family, but what 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 has 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 sister of referee Elmo Adolph, Cathy Cerola, suffering from cancer. She has 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: Haven?t gotten any hate mail lately, so I figured I'd do a piece that would piss off most people. Nothing like controversy to generate a response, eh? I like a good fight once in a while.

Another moron thanks America by joining Al Kiter and trains to blow up bridges.

Moron? OK, how about a brainwashed scumbucket? They both fit the image here. I'm not sure about the brainwashed part here because the assumption is one needs a brain in order to be washed, and few if any of these terrorists qualify, at least in my book.

Here's a guy, Iyman Faris, from Chicago, who came to America from Pakistan and learned the American way to success. He owned a successful trucking business. How does he repay us? By joining this terrorist group of 'brain'washed Islamists, that are sworn to destroy everyone who does not agree with their perverted views of Islam.

Suggestion: After we get all the info we can out of Faris, put him on a plane to Afghanistan and drop him out of the cargo bay without a parachute. The pollution would hurt the country a little, but if we're lucky, he'd land on Bin Ladin's head. Kill two jerks with one body so we don't have to waste a bullet.

And since we send planes to that area frequently, no problem with wasting much gas either. An extra few pounds of turd shouldn't make any difference.

Seriously folks, they want to destroy us. It's no game. It's them or us and for the sake of humanity, it better be us. I've never favored attacking another country before, but if that's what it's going to take to keep this old world around for our future generations, then let it be.***

I hate to change subjects here, (no I don't) but I have to answer a reader who wanted to know why I disliked Hillary Clinton. I?ll keep it simple. Among (many) other reasons her judgment is very poor. She married Bill and calls Martha Stewart a friend. How?s that for lousy decision making. Isn't that more then enough to turn ones stomach? We don't need anyone with judgment that pathetic running this country.

Speaking of Martha, I wouldn't mind having the book (Hillary's) thrown at her. Even if she is proven innocent, her attitude towards the human race leaves a lot to be desired, like her quick removal from it. I'm only talking incarceration here (solitary would work well).

I?m sure the new Harry Potter book is better then Hillary's, although I won't read either. Let them throw the heavier book at Martha, or better yet, both of them!

If you want another reason, I'll give you one. I hate arrogant people! A category that both Martha and Hillary more than qualify for in my book (which will never sell as well as Hillary's or Harry Potter).***

And just so you think I'm not playing favorites here, I can't stand the big business attitude of Vice President Dick Cheney either. He has no clue or has long forgot what it is to be a working stiff. I don?t wish him ill, just a happy and healthy retirement from politics as quickly as possible.***

It irks me to see that our President is going around the country praising the merits of his tax cuts for the rich. I doubt they will create many jobs and certainly won't help as much as giving money to the poor seniors who already have paid their fair share of taxes and living on fixed income. They are being ignored, as are those making under $26,000 a year. Is this equality or stupidity? I choose the latter.***

I had much more, but it will wait. I've made enough anger management teachers rich for one day.***

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