Yeah, well ... The shit has really splattered the fan. All of a sudden a fight like, Trinidad-Hopkins, which was the co-event of the year - along with the opening of the NFL season - for me ...

Suddenly means squat.

As all our long time readers know, after a summer on vacation, The CBZ & The Ol' Spit Bucket usually gots plenty to spout off about.

Not this time.

But the CBZ does have an obligation to it's readership ... & life must go on. Usually articles cascade in a torrent before deadline. Our crew of writers are a dedicated wild bunch. These guys - the well & not so well known - crank out stuff for us like marathon runners even though none of them gets paid a dime. The spigot on the flow of articles shut down on September 11, 2001.

This is what came in before our lives & world were turned into a shit rain. Myself, I just don't have it in me right now to write an editorial. So I've asked, leaned on, cajoled, tried to bribe & guilt tripped my dear friend (& sometimes adversary), former associate editor of the CBZ & current
editor of the House Of Boxing website; Mr. Boxing his own bad self, Thomas Gerbasi  to sit in for me for this ish.

Actually, he acquiesced easily. Mr. Gnarly, Tom Gerbasi, would never admit it, but he's really a mensch ...

GorDoom

RINSING OFF THE MOUTHPIECE
by Thomas Gerbasi ...

The best view of the New York skyline has always been from the Brooklyn Heights Promenade. That skyline has been irrevocably altered by the acts of terrorists on September 11. No longer do the twin towers stand proudly, overlooking the city. But a bed sheet hangs over the promenade. Written on it in black paint: "New York is Still Standing"

And so is the United States .

Hopkins-Trinidad is back on for September 29, 'Ferocious' Fernando Vargas fights for the junior middleweight crown this week, and for all intents and
purposes, we're all back to work.

This is a good thing.

We can mourn, reflect, and hope for revenge, but most importantly, we must move on.

Much has been written about the heroes who have emerged from this tragedy: the firefighters, police, medical personnel, and thousands of volunteers.
All epitomize 'The American Spirit'. And as boxing fans, where better to look for examples of courage and spirit than in the sweet science?

Who could forget Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier leaving a piece of themselves in the stifling heat of Manila in 1975? Rocky Marciano walking through
punch after punch to finally catch up to his opponents to the tune of 49 wins without a loss? Or the bravery of those who lost their lives in the ring, warriors like Beethavean Scottland, Bobby Tomasello, or Stephan Johnson?

And is anyone not touched and inspired by the fighting spirit of former middleweight champion Gerald McClellan, who despite being robbed of his sight, hearing, and most of his movement, continues to live his life, determined to be a father to his 12-year-old son Gerald Jr.?

Boxing has been called a microcosm of life. And in a way it is. When you get knocked down, true champions get up. And when the odds were stacked against them, those like Buster Douglas, Hasim Rahman, and James Braddock
laughed at the odds and prevailed.

We are being told that this is a new kind of war that will be fought against terrorism. It will be a war not fought on a level playing field, with dirty tactics in abundance. Some believe we can't fight such a war. Tell that to the late Sandy Saddler, Jake LaMotta, or Fritzie Zivic.

We are still standing. And standing tall. Jake LaMotta said it best after his 13th round TKO loss to Sugar Ray Robinson, a phrase that can be directed at the terrorists who tried to take down America.

"You didn't knock me down, you didn't knock me down."