Classic American West Coast Boxing

[Cholo]

Rick, Art had a amazing life and boxing career, hanging out with the rat pack, don't get any better then that....
Keep the stories coming Rick....

[Rick Farris]

Rick Farris pro debut

June 4, 1970

[Cholo]

d

18 and making pro debut at the Olympic, Rick you were in a tough division, there were some great fighter's around at that time....

[Bobbin & Weavin]

Rick Farris pro debut

June 4, 1970

Rick,
Very cool stuff, what a great way to get your career started with a review like this. How did your classmates react to you boxing, I know when I was boxing amateur during high school I was the only one in the school that did and I had a bit of a following and to this day at the age of 55 if I run into someone from high school its either how they remember me or they ask about the boxing. I even ran into an old teacher not too long ago whom at first I didn't think remembered me but he then asked if I had continued to box after high school.
You even took it a step further and turned pro while still in high school!
Great article.
Bruce

[Bobbin & Weavin]

The Energy Mando Ramos Generated . . .

There are several boxers that come to mind when I think of my era's best at generating excitement at the Olympic, but none like Mando Ramos.
Mando wasn't the only local superstar, as we also had heavyweight Jerry Quarry, and others.
However, when it was announced that Mando Ramos had signed for a fight, the tickets were soon sold out.
It was like the second coming of another "Golden Boy". That's what the press was trying to push, tagging Mando the "New Golden Boy".
However, Mando was an original, and he knew that there was only one Golden Boy, and that was Art Aragon.

I credit Art for being a gentleman about the whole thing. He had to feel funny reading of a new Golden Boy, but he was gracious enough to give Mando a pair of his gold trunks.
That was a first class gesture from a boxing legend. Mando appreciated it, but assured Art that he was aware that there was only ONE Golden Boy, Art Aragon.
Mando denied the tag, and that in itself was a class act. Paul Gonzalez was later tagged "Golden Boy" and it didn't stick. Of course, Oscar De La Hoya would end up accepting the name.

I hold no hard feelings toward Oscar for taking the Golden Boy tag, sadly, only true L.A. boxing fans are aware that there was once another Golden Boy.
It was Hap Navarro that made the "Golden Boy" tag officially Art Aragon's, having actor William Holden (star of the movie "Golden Boy") bequeath the title to Art before one of his Hollywood Legion appearances. Those were great days in the world of entertainment and boxing, when one held hands with the other. Both Hollywood publicists and Hap Navarro, a man who knew how to sell a great idea, made the most of the Golden Boy designation.

I was talking with Audie Aragon the other day. He was remembering stories his father told him about hanging out with the Rat Pack, Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. Joey Bishop, Peter Lawford. "Those were realy wild times," Audie said, "My dad said those parties were orgies."

I agree with Cholo, an Art Aragon documentary would touch a lot of people. Mando Ramos was heading down the same path as the Golden Boy, however, sadly he was side tracked.

We really had it good in L.A. in days gone by, great boxing, great boxers.


-Rick Farris

Rick,
I have always felt the same about Sugar Ray Robinson being the one and only Sugar Ray, to this day it errks me when i'm trying to discuss Sugar Ray Robinson and someone thinks i'm talking about Ray Leonard, I never address Ray Leonard as Sugar Ray, personally I don't think Ray Leonard could have carried Sugar Ray's shoes into the ring but thats just my opinion.
Bruce

[Panzerfaust]

The Energy Mando Ramos Generated . . .

There are several boxers that come to mind when I think of my era's best at generating excitement at the Olympic, but none like Mando Ramos.
Mando wasn't the only local superstar, as we also had heavyweight Jerry Quarry, and others.
However, when it was announced that Mando Ramos had signed for a fight, the tickets were soon sold out.
It was like the second coming of another "Golden Boy". That's what the press was trying to push, tagging Mando the "New Golden Boy".
However, Mando was an original, and he knew that there was only one Golden Boy, and that was Art Aragon.

I credit Art for being a gentleman about the whole thing. He had to feel funny reading of a new Golden Boy, but he was gracious enough to give Mando a pair of his gold trunks.
That was a first class gesture from a boxing legend. Mando appreciated it, but assured Art that he was aware that there was only ONE Golden Boy, Art Aragon.
Mando denied the tag, and that in itself was a class act. Paul Gonzalez was later tagged "Golden Boy" and it didn't stick. Of course, Oscar De La Hoya would end up accepting the name.

I hold no hard feelings toward Oscar for taking the Golden Boy tag, sadly, only true L.A. boxing fans are aware that there was once another Golden Boy.
It was Hap Navarro that made the "Golden Boy" tag officially Art Aragon's, having actor William Holden (star of the movie "Golden Boy") bequeath the title to Art before one of his Hollywood Legion appearances. Those were great days in the world of entertainment and boxing, when one held hands with the other. Both Hollywood publicists and Hap Navarro, a man who knew how to sell a great idea, made the most of the Golden Boy designation.

I was talking with Audie Aragon the other day. He was remembering stories his father told him about hanging out with the Rat Pack, Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. Joey Bishop, Peter Lawford. "Those were realy wild times," Audie said, "My dad said those parties were orgies."

I agree with Cholo, an Art Aragon documentary would touch a lot of people. Mando Ramos was heading down the same path as the Golden Boy, however, sadly he was side tracked.

We really had it good in L.A. in days gone by, great boxing, great boxers.


-Rick Farris

Rick,
I have always felt the same about Sugar Ray Robinson being the one and only Sugar Ray, to this day it errks me when i'm trying to discuss Sugar Ray Robinson and someone thinks i'm talking about Ray Leonard, I never address Ray Leonard as Sugar Ray, personally I don't think Ray Leonard could have carried Sugar Ray's shoes into the ring but thats just my opinion.
Bruce

How bout Sugar Ray Seales?

[Bobbin & Weavin]

The Energy Mando Ramos Generated . . .

There are several boxers that come to mind when I think of my era's best at generating excitement at the Olympic, but none like Mando Ramos.
Mando wasn't the only local superstar, as we also had heavyweight Jerry Quarry, and others.
However, when it was announced that Mando Ramos had signed for a fight, the tickets were soon sold out.
It was like the second coming of another "Golden Boy". That's what the press was trying to push, tagging Mando the "New Golden Boy".
However, Mando was an original, and he knew that there was only one Golden Boy, and that was Art Aragon.

I credit Art for being a gentleman about the whole thing. He had to feel funny reading of a new Golden Boy, but he was gracious enough to give Mando a pair of his gold trunks.
That was a first class gesture from a boxing legend. Mando appreciated it, but assured Art that he was aware that there was only ONE Golden Boy, Art Aragon.
Mando denied the tag, and that in itself was a class act. Paul Gonzalez was later tagged "Golden Boy" and it didn't stick. Of course, Oscar De La Hoya would end up accepting the name.

I hold no hard feelings toward Oscar for taking the Golden Boy tag, sadly, only true L.A. boxing fans are aware that there was once another Golden Boy.
It was Hap Navarro that made the "Golden Boy" tag officially Art Aragon's, having actor William Holden (star of the movie "Golden Boy") bequeath the title to Art before one of his Hollywood Legion appearances. Those were great days in the world of entertainment and boxing, when one held hands with the other. Both Hollywood publicists and Hap Navarro, a man who knew how to sell a great idea, made the most of the Golden Boy designation.

I was talking with Audie Aragon the other day. He was remembering stories his father told him about hanging out with the Rat Pack, Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. Joey Bishop, Peter Lawford. "Those were realy wild times," Audie said, "My dad said those parties were orgies."

I agree with Cholo, an Art Aragon documentary would touch a lot of people. Mando Ramos was heading down the same path as the Golden Boy, however, sadly he was side tracked.

We really had it good in L.A. in days gone by, great boxing, great boxers.


-Rick Farris

Rick,
I have always felt the same about Sugar Ray Robinson being the one and only Sugar Ray, to this day it errks me when i'm trying to discuss Sugar Ray Robinson and someone thinks i'm talking about Ray Leonard, I never address Ray Leonard as Sugar Ray, personally I don't think Ray Leonard could have carried Sugar Ray's shoes into the ring but thats just my opinion.
Bruce

How bout Sugar Ray Seales?

There's only one Sugar Ray...

[Rick Farris]

June 4, 1970

Rick,
Very cool stuff, what a great way to get your career started with a review like this. How did your classmates react to you boxing, I know when I was boxing amateur during high school I was the only one in the school that did and I had a bit of a following and to this day at the age of 55 if I run into someone from high school its either how they remember me or they ask about the boxing. I even ran into an old teacher not too long ago whom at first I didn't think remembered me but he then asked if I had continued to box after high school.
You even took it a step further and turned pro while still in high school!
Great article.
Bruce

Bruce, I was real quiet about my boxing in high school. My close friends knew, but when I was a junior and just returned from the Golden Gloves nationals, a guy in a gym class got kinda pushy with me. He was just one of these bully types who singled me out, and he was on the football team. I remember telling my mother I was going to flatten a guy if touched me. That day he touched my face, and I answered with a left hook. He went out cold, and I went to the Dean's office. I had never been in trouble in school, the other guy was a known trouble maker. I told the Dean of my boxing life, and he was supportive. A lot of guys saw me drop the dude and suddenly it was no secret I was a boxer. A year later I turn pro shortly before I graduated. All of the schools sports coaches followed my pro career when I fought on TV. I'd sometimes go to the high school track to do sprints or run stadium stairs. If the football team was practicing and the coach saw me working out, they would approach me, talk boxing, ask what I thought of certain boxers. That was about it.

[Bobbin & Weavin]

Rick,
Very cool stuff, what a great way to get your career started with a review like this. How did your classmates react to you boxing, I know when I was boxing amateur during high school I was the only one in the school that did and I had a bit of a following and to this day at the age of 55 if I run into someone from high school its either how they remember me or they ask about the boxing. I even ran into an old teacher not too long ago whom at first I didn't think remembered me but he then asked if I had continued to box after high school.
You even took it a step further and turned pro while still in high school!
Great article.
Bruce

Bruce, I was real quiet about my boxing in high school. My close friends knew, but when I was a junior and just returned from the Golden Gloves nationals, a guy in a gym class got kinda pushy with me. He was just one of these bully types who singled me out, and he was on the football team. I remember telling my mother I was going to flatten a guy if touched me. That day he touched my face, and I answered with a left hook. He went out cold, and I went to the Dean's office. I had never been in trouble in school, the other guy was a known trouble maker. I told the Dean of my boxing life, and he was supportive. A lot of guys saw me drop the dude and suddenly it was no secret I was a boxer. A year later I turn pro shortly before I graduated. All of the schools sports coaches followed my pro career when I fought on TV. I'd sometimes go to the high school track to do sprints or run stadium stairs. If the football team was practicing and the coach saw me working out, they would approach me, talk boxing, ask what I thought of certain boxers. That was about it.

I didn’t talk too much about the boxing either unless asked, much to the chagrins’ of my boxing trainer I also played high school football all four years so all my teammates knew… and being in a relatively small high school with three siblings word traveled. Though most of the feedback was positive, every once in a while someone would make a comment about being able to “take” me as they called it back then and I would just tell them I would be ready any time they wanted to prove it. Personally I never liked to street fight though I loved to be between the ropes, I just found the adrenalin flow completely different, and so I “for the most part” stayed out of street fights. One of the interesting things throughout high school people would ask me since I liked to box why I didn’t go out for the wrestling team and I always commented that I didn’t find the two sports remotely connected.
Bruce

[Rick Farris]

Keep it going on the West Coast . . .

With today's technology, we can do so much more to preserve the legacy of boxing greats without establishing a boxing museum.
What is more important, in my mind, is the proper maintainence of boxing history.
I believe in annual Hall of Fame events, annual inductions in a live format, a place where the living legends can be touched.
The events should not just be "good", they should bve memorable. Make the guests think of returning the following year.
To do that one not only needs great boxers, but a great promoter, a master organizer, somebody who can make a deal good for all involved.
Today there is only one man who fits that order on the West Coast, and that is Don Fraser.

[Cholo]

Frank/Rick, The nearest i've come to seeing the Olympic Auditorium inside was when watching an episode of Starsky & Hutch called The Omaha Tiger from 1976, it was about wrestling, shame it wasn't boxing. There was a scene in the gym were there was a fighter hitting the punch bag, he was wearing a robe with Mando Ramos on the back, could this have been the great Mando Ramos World Lightweight Champion?....

[Cholo]

Rick/Frank, This is from the Art Aragon/Joe Miceli Official Program, Olympic Auditorium Thursday, August 4th, 1955.
From Al Wolf's Always-Interesting Column In The Los Angeles Times, We Quote The Following:
In comparison to Archie Moore, who admits 38, and Sugar Ray Robinson, who recently celebrated his 35th birthday, Art Aragon and Joe Miceli, principals in tonight's headliner, are mere kiddies.
Aragon is 27, Miceli one year younger. But neither could be called a johnny-come-recently from the standpoint of ring activity. Art has had 84 fights, Miceli 72. Of the five million residents in Greater Los Angeles, probably four million, nine hundred thousand have seen, read or heard about the Golden Boy. The other hundred thousand must have been goofing.
Aragon is a star of screen, TV, and radio and Sunset Boulevard brawls. And, of course, in the ring. He has many admirers, and even more non-admirers, and both categories bounce for ducats when he's scheduled to fight.
One reason is that this guy doesn't bore you. Never mind the other reason.
It's not necessary to dwell on senor Aragon's virtues, or vice versa. He's too well known to require embellishment....

[BOXERJOSH]

I dont believe that I've ever seen a post on Canto Robledo, the boxing trainer that had no sight....anyone have thoughts on him and how he was able to overcome the lack of sight and still train fighters?

Canto . . .

Josh, if you look back thru the thousands of posts on this thread, you'll find discussion of Canto Robledo. Frank & I both knew Canto pretty well.
Recently, Villa Park in Pasadena unveiled a beautiful mural dedicated to Canto. Canto's brother, Joe Robledo, was recently inducted into the CBHOF. Canto's son Joe is a friend of mine.
But you are right, there is plenty of room here to open a conversation on this unique personality from Classic American West Coast Boxing.

Thanks Rick- I really should search through the past posts prior to joining this forum and see what's been said about Canto. Pretty remarkable man from what I've been able to find on him. I'll have to check out that mural in person one day. Does his brother attend the annual luncheon? I'd love to ask him some questions about Canto.

[bennie]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-g ... t-13179597


John Sullivan made it from the bottom, a man's man.

[kikibalt]

(Photo courtesy of Audie Aragon)

Art Aragon and John Hall on the occasion of Art's 80th birthday

[Cholo]

Frank, great shot of the one and only "Golden Boy", who was John Hall, Frank?....

[Rick Farris]

I dont believe that I've ever seen a post on Canto Robledo, the boxing trainer that had no sight....anyone have thoughts on him and how he was able to overcome the lack of sight and still train fighters?

Canto . . .

Josh, if you look back thru the thousands of posts on this thread, you'll find discussion of Canto Robledo. Frank & I both knew Canto pretty well.
Recently, Villa Park in Pasadena unveiled a beautiful mural dedicated to Canto. Canto's brother, Joe Robledo, was recently inducted into the CBHOF. Canto's son Joe is a friend of mine.
But you are right, there is plenty of room here to open a conversation on this unique personality from Classic American West Coast Boxing.

Thanks Rick- I really should search through the past posts prior to joining this forum and see what's been said about Canto. Pretty remarkable man from what I've been able to find on him. I'll have to check out that mural in person one day. Does his brother attend the annual luncheon? I'd love to ask him some questions about Canto.

Josh . . . Canto's brother Joe passed some years back, his CBHOF induction was posthumous. However, Canto's son Joe is alive and living in Pasadena.
I enjoy looking over the record of Canto, and his many battles with the great Filippino fighters of the era, such as Speedy Dado and Young Tommy, to name a couple.
I remember Canto very well. I recall the first time I saw him was in the mid-60's, at the Teamsters Gym, where he was working the corner's of some of the kids he was training.
Canto had a good coach/trainer helping him in Eddie Johnson.
Canto handled a kid named Frankie Santillian, whom I was friends with in school, and whom I also fought four times in the amateurs.
At the time he also was handling a few pros who were seen a lot at the Olympic, heavyweight Wayne Kindred, lightweight Baby Cassius and later the "Pasadena Kid", Joey Olivera.
His gym was located behind his home on Manzanita St. in Pasadena . . . Canto Robledo's Crown City Boxing Club

[Rick Farris]

Frank, great shot of the one and only "Golden Boy", who was John Hall, Frank?....

John Hall was a great L.A. Times sports columnist & boxing writer, now retired but alive & well.
John was a part of the Golden Era of L.A. boxing, very close with Art Aragon, Hap Navarro, Don Fraser, etc. A fixture at boxing events & gyms of the era.
During the early 70's, when I was boxing, I also worked at the Los Angeles Times and John Hall's page-3 column was very popular.

[Ric]

Frank, great shot of the one and only "Golden Boy", who was John Hall, Frank?....

John Hall was a great L.A. Times sports columnist & boxing writer, now retired but alive & well.
John was a part of the Golden Era of L.A. boxing, very close with Art Aragon, Hap Navarro, Don Fraser, etc. A fixture at boxing events & gyms of the era.
During the early 70's, when I was boxing, I also worked at the Los Angeles Times and John Hall's page-3 column was very popular.

And in the World Boxing Hall of Fame.

[Rick Farris]

A little L.A. boxing trivia . . .

Just out of the Army in the 1950's, Don Fraser went to work as a copy boy for one of the L.A. Times' top sports writers, Gene Vanessa.
Vanessa didn't drive, and Fraser's main responsbility was driving the columnist where he needed to go.
Fraser spent a lot of time with Vanessa, who mentored the young future publicist/promoter during their time together.
Vanessa took over publishing KO Magazine from Billy Van. When Vanessa died, Fraser took over the magazine and it's column, "Van-O-Grams".
I had always wondered why Don's column was called Van-O-Grams? Don said it was named by it's originator, Billy Van, and Fraser never changed it.
Fraser credits Vanessa, Jack Kent Cooke and George Parnassus as the men who taught him the most.


-Rick Farris

[Rick Farris]

Frank, great shot of the one and only "Golden Boy", who was John Hall, Frank?....

John Hall was a great L.A. Times sports columnist & boxing writer, now retired but alive & well.
John was a part of the Golden Era of L.A. boxing, very close with Art Aragon, Hap Navarro, Don Fraser, etc. A fixture at boxing events & gyms of the era.
During the early 70's, when I was boxing, I also worked at the Los Angeles Times and John Hall's page-3 column was very popular.

And in the World Boxing Hall of Fame.

Yes, he is a Hall of Famer.
John Hall was also one of Hap Navarro's earliest friends in boxing.
I thoroughly enjoy reading Hap's memories of his days with Hall, Aragon, Jackie McCoy, Manuel Ortiz and Enrique Bolanos.
These men are legends in the Golden Era of boxing in California.

[Cholo]

Frank, great shot of the one and only "Golden Boy", who was John Hall, Frank?....

John Hall was a great L.A. Times sports columnist & boxing writer, now retired but alive & well.
John was a part of the Golden Era of L.A. boxing, very close with Art Aragon, Hap Navarro, Don Fraser, etc. A fixture at boxing events & gyms of the era.
During the early 70's, when I was boxing, I also worked at the Los Angeles Times and John Hall's page-3 column was very popular.

Rick, Thanks....

[kikibalt]

Norm Lockwood, Eddie "Animal" Lopez and John Liecthy inside the Olympic "Catacombs"

[Rick Farris]

Norm Lockwood, Eddie "Animal" Lopez and John Liecthy inside the Olympic "Catacombs"

Yes, the Catacombs!!!!!

[kikibalt]

Norm Lockwood, Eddie "Animal" Lopez and John Liecthy inside the Olympic "Catacombs"

Yes, the Catacombs!!!!!

Memories Rick, memories!!!