This weekend we have the fight that everyone seems to have been waiting for, Bernard Hopkins vs. Oscar de la Hoya, both future Hall of Fame fighters, on HBO PPV and live from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Everyone seems to have an opinion on this fight, and that’s what at interesting and important fight like this should indeed generate. So allow me to add my views.

The Executioner is a natural middleweight, Oscar is not. The edge here, and it could be a big one, goes to Hopkins.

Hopkins is not what you’d call a slick fighter, so he always appears to have problems with faster, stand-up, hit and run, side to side….If Oscar fights that way, he gets the edge. If Oscar fights out of a crouch, I love Hopkins.

Speed: Oscar gets the edge, unless he runs out of gas, late and Hopkins dominates the last few rounds. Hopkins is however, deceptively fast.

Stamina is another matter, Oscar, when moving up in weight, has never seemed to demonstrate the ability to go all out for the full 12-rounds. Hopkins can, unless his age catches up to him. Edge Hopkins.

Power: The big edge at middleweight goes to Hopkins who, because of the fact that he’s always been a middleweight, and doesn’t lose power, as many do when moving up in weight.

Intangibles: A home-town Oscar crowd can make a difference in the scoring, particularly in close rounds. Edge De la Hoya.

So all that being said, Hopkins is a 2-1 favorite for one major reason, he’s a true middleweight, and that can make all the difference here.

Still, I can’t help feeling that since Oscar trained at a higher elevation, he won’t run out of gas here, and I see him getting a close decision in Sin City.

Finally, I want all our great readers to keep in mind that Rick Schroeders new movie, Black Cloud, will soon be coming to a theatre near you. I urge you not to miss it! It’s a great boxing that deals with both Olympic style boxing and the evils of racism and other problems of the Native Americans.

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, boxing quips and boxing oddities to Rngsports@aol.com, thanks, and members of the boxing media are free to send this most welcome information as well.***

Update: We are again taking orders for autographed copies of my new book, “OFF THE CANVAS”. Check our website for details, or for an autographed copy, just $15, send me an e-mail. It’s also available on the web at Authorhouse.com, ID#22873, or through major on line book stores like Borders, Barnes and Noble, Waldenbooks or Amazon.com, and some of the major bookstores. If the store you frequent doesn’t have copies, you can ask them to order if for you. The reviews have been fantastic.***

Agree or disagree, feel free to express your views.

Glove2Glove:

Prayers for our website writer, Jack Welsh who is having some serious health problems.

Prayers for the soul of Joey Curtis former referee, who passed away in Las Vegas a few months ago, but unfortunately no one notified me at the time.

Herb Platzner, father of RS.com scribe Harrin is having heart problems. Prayers for his health would be much appreciated.***

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.***

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.***

Prayers are requested for Donna Jean Landers, boxing fan from Oklahoma, who has been fighting cancer for three years. She needs your help my friends.

Please say prayers for wife of RS.com writer Marty Carson (auto accident) who is having health problems) of Indiana. Marty is a long time friend and a boxing. expert.***

Please say prayers for the return to health of Orazio Esposito, father of our photographer Richard Esposito.***

Sandy Johnson 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, who suffered a stroke a few years back may be down, but knowing him, he’s 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. And to Arthur Terciera, father of writer Keith, also having heart related problems.***

Prayers are requested for Ringsports.com photo journalist Dale Hausner of Arizona, who is having problems with cancer.***

Prayers are requested for Kenneth E. Ryther father of our photo journalist Amy Green. Kenneth is suffering from Parkinson’s.***

Prayers for Ed “Whitey” Hadar, a former boxer who is having some serious health problems.***

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: It’s about time a major country has joined us in the war on terror. It’s just too bad that it took a major tragedy to make it happen.

Joined? Well not exactly. But the Russians, as we have done in the past, have declared an all out war against terrorists. But are they talking about all terrorists or just the Chechen separatists? At this point it looks like just the Chechens.

We should all hope that this war is joined by other freedom loving countries and the war persecuted to the fullest. We may not be able to wipe out all these wild-eyed, brain washed radicals, but together we can make one hell of a dent.

If any good can be found in our military remaining in Iraq, a country that neither wants us or welcomes us, it has to be because we are wiping out a lot of scumbag terrorists. Sadly a lot of good folks are getting killed as well.

At this point, we have to question the wisdom of keeping troops in Iraq to prevent a civil war, because at this point, it looks like we’re going to get one anyhow. And it’s not hard to understand why we weren’t welcomed as liberators, because conquerors, not liberators shove their philosophy down the throats of others. Democracy is wonderful, but only in areas where it’s wanted.

Marie Antoinette said to the hungry masses “let them eat cake”. To paraphrase this to all the terrorists I say: “Let them eat pork!”***

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