Tag Archives: Rusty Rubin

In Rusty’s Corner

Rusty Rubin, Upcoming Fights,

Rusty Rubin is a veteran boxing writer

Interesting an important fight at Madison Square Garden this week, on HBO PPV, and should be worth the price.

Miguel Cotto, from Puerto Rico lays his WBA Jr. Middleweight title on the line against hard punching (particularly with loaded gloves) Antonio Margarito from Mexico.

Since the fight will be in New York, you know the fans will be heavily in favor of Cotto, 36-2, (29), who, at 31, is two years younger than his foe, who defeated him in Las Vegas.

Margarito, 28-7, has a big height and reach advantage always seems to have problems with his defense, or lack of. If Cotto gets inside, consistently, he’ll have Margarito fighting off the ropes and canvas most of the fight.
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In Rusty’s Corner

Manny Pacquiao, Rusty Rubin,

Rusty Rubin is a veteran boxing writer

Since there’s a bit of a lull in major events right now, I heave decided to use most of this space to answering many questions that I get over the course of a year.

The most frequent question asked of me is; ‘is Ring Sports Magazine or the website up for sale’? The simple answer is yes, if the buyer can prove to me that he can maintain the quality we had over the years. It’s not the money here, but the hard-earned reputation. If agreement on a sale is reached, I will return whatever original investments there were, and donate the remainder to the Susan Komen Foundation for breast cancer research.

‘If my best friend “Woozel” died of colon cancer, why am I working on helping those with breast cancer’? The answer to that one is simple; I believe that once a gene is found to cure breast cancer, we are that much closer to the cure of many other cancers. Cancer is an ugly disease and it’s long past time that it is wiped off the face of the Earth. Even if we can save just one life, we are doing a very important thing as well as sending an important message.

‘Are back issues of the magazine available and if so, for how much money’? Most back issues are and the cost is $1.00 per issue plus postage. I’ve tried to keep them as it’s still my memory and my gift to the sport of boxing. If you want a specific issue, we’ll try to find it for you for an extra 50 cents for the labor. We many even have pictures of your favorite fighter….We can check that out for you and charge accordingly…Again, in any event ALL proceeds after the labor of finding and mailing, will go to the Omen Foundation.

A lot of people want to know ‘how I see the Pacquiao – Mayweather fight’. Simply put, although it’s a mega fight, it probably will never happen. Mayweather doesn’t seem to want to step up to the plate, and if he ever does, he probably will be a lot older and slower than he is today.
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In Rusty’s Corner

Manny Pacquiao, Rusty Rubin,

Rusty Rubin is a veteran boxing writer

Two important fights at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas this weekend and on paper they look like easy fights to pick. But boxing matches are not fought on paper; they are fought in the ring.

In the semi-main, for the WBO Jr. Welterweight title, Tim Bradley, 27-0 (11) takes on always tough Cuban veteran Joel Casamayor.

At 28, Bradley is 12 years the junior, and sports a record of 27-0, with 11 coming by way of knockout.

Casamayor, is 38-5-1 with 22 knockouts, but the biggest factor in this fight may just be that he is a southpaw.

That means veteran referee Vic Drakulich must be on the alert for head butts, but he has proven quite able to do that.

Bradley by decision.

The main event pits Manny Pacquiao, 32, considered by most to be the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world today, against ring savvy veteran Juan Manuel Marquez, 38.

Pacquiao, 53-3-2 (38), a non-stop southpaw should have the edge in the earlier rounds, as Marquez, 53-5-1 (39), has traditionally been a very slow starter.

In their previous two match-ups, and both have been close, Pacquiao had to work hard just to earn a draw and a split decision. This is not as easy a fight as some may think.
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In Rusty’s Corner

Rusty Rubin, Upcoming Fights,

Rusty Rubin is a veteran boxing writer

It’s not baseball, but I lost a double-header with my picks last week. No crying over spilled milk here, Bernard Hopkins vs. Chad Dawson, at worst should been called a no-contest when he was back-flipped and suffered a shoulder injury on Saturday night.

Jorge Linares was well ahead on the scorecards, when Antonio DeMarco landed some solid punches and stopped him in round 10. Linares could have backed away and won the fight on the cards, but as we have seen many times before, that Latino machismo wouldn’t allow that to happen.

Time to like our wounds and move on.

This week we have what should be an action packed fight from Madison Square Garden in New York.

Nonito Donaire, 26-1 (18) puts his WBC bantamweight crown on the line against veteran Omar Navarez, 35-0-2 (23) who holds the WBO title.

Normally I don’t like battles between two southpaws because they tend to be dull, but I just can’t see either of this battlers doing anything but letting loose.

Donaire, 28, is eight years younger than Navarez, who seems to do all his fighting (and winning) in Argentina. Taking nothing away from Navarez, it’s hard to comment on a fighter you rarely if ever see.

But the sheet says Donaire also has the edge in the height and reach department, and his only loss came ten years ago.

On paper a great action fight, but I’ll go with Donaire who should be the favorite of the NYC crowd.

Nonito by stoppage.
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In Rusty’s Corner

Rusty Rubin, Upcoming Fights,

Rusty Rubin is a veteran boxing writer

A couple of good match-ups on HBO PPV, from Los Angeles, on October 15.

First, Jorge Linares takes on Antonio DeMarco in an important lightweight fight.

Linares, 31-1 with 20 KO’s is 26 years of age, making him one year older than his southpaw foe.

DeMarco, no slouch in his own right, enters the ring with a record of 25-2, with eighteen of those wins coming via the KO route. He has a slight height and reach advantage, which he may need when fighting a tough opponent like Linares.

Should be a great, action packed battle, but I’ll give the edge to Linares, who seems to really be a future champion in the making.

The main event on the card features the never-grow-old “Executioner”, Bernard Hopkins, 52-5-2 (32).

His opponent in this light heavyweight match-up is “Bad” Chad Dawson, a strong southpaw, who sports an impressive 30-1 mark with 17 of them coming by way of knockout.

Both fighters come in with the same height (6’1”), but Dawson has an inch and half reach advantage.

It’s hard to say when a fighter is on his last legs, particularly someone who still looks impressive at age 46, like Hopkins.

I don’t see this being an overly exciting fight, but the difference may well be in ring generalship and a solid chin. Hopkins has never been knocked out.

So, until Father Time catches up with BHop, I’ll take him to win a one-sided decision here.
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In Rusty’s Corner

Rusty Rubin, Upcoming Fights,

Rusty Rubin is a veteran boxing writer


This Saturday, October 8, in the Philippines, local favorite Donnie Nietes takes on tough Mexican Ramon Garcia for the WBO light flyweight title.

I’m never completely sure of the fighters in these smaller weight classes. The one thing I do know is that these guys can mix it up with anyone.

Nietes, 29, comes in with a 28-1-3 record with 16 knockouts. Those three draws causes a bit of wonder, as does his one loss in Indonesia, not always noted for having the best officials.

Garcia 16-2-1, (19) is also 29, but he is a southpaw.

All this brings to mind that this will probably be an offensive blood bath, (and I’ve been at ringside for a few) ending early, perhaps even early enough to go to a non-decision.

But having seen little to none of either fighter, I’ll take the local favorite, Nietes, by an early TKO.
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In Rusty’s Corner

Rusty Rubin, Upcoming Fights,

Rusty Rubin is a veteran boxing writer

This Saturday, September 17, in Las Vegas, Floyd Mayweather Jr. makes his yearly appearance by taking on hard hitting Victor Ortiz in match televised on HBO Pay-Per-View.

Ortiz surprised the boxing world with an upset of then undefeated Andre Berto, in his last fight, earning him this match.

I always wonder why a guy who can earn so much money doesn’t fight more, but the record does show he has some external legal problems. It has also been noted by former promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank, that Mayweather seems to have some mental problems as well. This remark has been dismissed by Golden Boy Promotions.

Ortiz, 24 is ten years the junior of Mayweather, but although one can question his defense (or lack of) you can question his punching power or his heart.

The fight itself is a good one for Mayweather to take, as Ortiz, 29-2 with 22 knockouts, like Manny Pacquiao (rumored to be his next opponent), is a hard-hitting southpaw. Continue reading In Rusty’s Corner →

In Rusty’s Corner

Rusty Rubin, Upcoming Fights,

Rusty Rubin is a veteran boxing writer

This Saturday, September 10, in Poland, Vitali Klitschko, the senior of the two world heavyweight champion brothers, puts his title on the line in a match televised on HBO.

His opponent, Tomasz Adamek, 34, and a native of Poland, comes in with a 44-1 record with 28 knockouts.

Vitali, 6 years older, enters the match with a 42-2 record with 39 of them coming via the KO route.

Heavyweight matches are usually prone to upsets because we know at that weight, every punch has some power.

That gives Adamek a pinchers chance. But that, his youth and the home court advantage are about all he has the edge in.

Klitschko, always in shape, at 6’ 7” has a five and a height advantage and a five inch edge in the reach department.

Unless Vitali grows old in hurry, or the judges lean towards the local favorite, Klitschko should win via a unanimous decision.
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In Rusty’s Corner

Rusty Rubin

Rusty Rubin is a veteran boxing writer
This Saturday, September 3, in Biloxi, Mississippi, Andre Berto and Jan Zaveck clash for the IBF welterweight title in a match televised on HBO.

Zaveck, 35, from Slovenia, is not well known in this country and his list of foes is not the ‘Who’s Who’ in the division. That doesn’t mean he can’t fight and can’t score a major upset here.

Zaveck boasts a record of 31-1 with 18 of those wins coming via the knockout route. His only loss was via a split decision in November of 2008.

Berto, 27, is considered by many as one of the top welterweights in the world and comes into this match at 27-1 with 21 knockouts. His only loss was in his last fight against Victor Ortiz, who, as a result, will be fighting Floyd Mayweather. The winner of that fight is likely to fight Manny Pacquiao next.

Berto has fought better known competition; he’s eight years younger than Zaveck and has a ½” edge in height.

This looks like an easy win for Berto, but in boxing, nothing is easy. Just because Zaveck hasn’t fought the ‘names’ in boxing doesn’t mean he can’t win in this interesting mach.

But, in this case I just don’t see it happening. The younger and seemingly stronger Berto should stop Zaveck somewhere in the middle rounds.
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In Rusty’s Corner

Rusty Rubin, Upcoming Fights,

Rusty Rubin is a veteran boxing writer and formerly managing editor of RingSports.com

It’s been a long, hot summer and it’s still got a way to go….Hope you’re all well and enjoying it.

At the Hard Rock in Las Vegas this Saturday, on Showtime TV, Abner Mares and Joseph Agbeko put it all on the line for the IBF bantamweight crown.

Mares, a native of Mexico, now living in Southern California, sports a record of 21-0-1 with 13 knockouts.

Agbeko, a hard hitter from Ghana brings another strong record into the ring, 28-8 (22).

Agbeko is only 28, but he has fought most of the iron in the bantamweight division and done well against them.

Mares 23, doesn’t have quite the same caliber of opponents, but he is exciting to watch in the ring.

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