Having just read the largely negative reaction to the announcement of Andy Ruiz-Anthony Joshua II being staged in Saudi Arabia, I felt I must champion promoter Eddie Hearn. The easy option, (which probably would have favoured Joshua) would be to stage the rematch at Cardiff or Wembley where a full house would be guaranteed, and everybody involved would make serious cash. Regardless of the moral/ethical debate about the Middle East, I believe the decision should be applauded. It is somewhere different and both fighters will be fighting on neutral territory in front of a comparatively modest crowd. Hopefully this will make for an intimate atmosphere and both Joshua and Ruiz will put on a show worthy of their first encounter. Think of the glory days when Muhammad Ali travelled to far flung destinations such as Zaire and the Philippines – it is called the heavyweight championship of the WORLD and thus should be won and lost throughout all corners of the globe. May the best man win on December 7. Justin Dolley

CHAMPIONS FOREVER
ON Monday August 12, John Conteh MBE and London Ex-Boxers Association’s Ray Caulfield travelled to Essex at the request of the Chairman at Chelmsford Amateur Boxing Club. Ray, who boxed for the club in the 1960s organised the visit, told some great stories. He relived one of his fights representing CABC saying how poorly he had boxed at the start of the contest and was concussed by a heavy blow to the head at the end of round one. When he woke the next morning, he was convinced the bout had been stopped only to be told by his father he had boxed brilliantly in rounds two and three and won the fight! John, who posed for pictures with his WBC belt and signed autographs, took to time to tell the many amateur boxers present that training hard is the only real way to make your career a success. I then spoke to the crowd about the importance of organisations such as LEBA and Essex Ex-Boxers Association. It’s all about putting time back into the sport that we love. Dave Hull

DISAPPOINTING TO SEE
I look forward to receiving Boxing News each Thursday as a subscriber. As a long time reader since the 1980s I can say the quality of the magazine at present is as good as I have known it. However, I was very disappointed to read the extended article on cannabis in the August 15 edition. When I trained at my local ABC one of the main incentives for parents sending their kids was the positive effect boxing had on their self-confidence, fitness and health. It was to get them away from recreational drugs and the apathy they produce. Yet here was an article extolling the virtues of a drug negatively associated with mental health. Whether cannabis is merely recreational and should not be included in PED testing as they don’t aid performance is one thing, but this article went too far. It did not sit comfortably in a magazine about a sport which prides itself on health, fitness and self-control. A disappointed boxing fan