Classic American West Coast Boxing

[kikibalt]

With Art Aragon...Jan....2007

[kikibalt]

Efren "Alacran" Torres

[kikibalt]

Wayne Thornton

[Rick Farris]

The Ring . . .

Frank, this movie was my favorite growing up. We didn't have VCR's so I had to wait ages for it to be shown, but when I heard it would be on, I watched.

That diner, "Stans", wow, I didn't know that's where the scene took place. I remember the deal, it was supposedly in "Sunset Blvd." and the guys had stopped there on their drive down thru the beach. It's amazing how horrible prejudice is, the BS.

But I recall in the movie, I saw a young Aragon, who later would fight ""Tommy Kansas" (Gerald Mohr), and there was Keeny Teran, in what looked like the Teamsters Gym?

And the shots taken in East L.A. (I guess somewhere around Cty Terrace) where the guys were doing roadwork with the City Hall in the background. The skyline has changed a lot during the past sixty years, huh?

That was a REAL boxing movie, i uised to think, cuz it had real L.A. boxers in it. Remember Jimmy Lennon Sr. announcing the fights at the Legion in that film?

Wow, I wish I could watch it with Dagos tonight.
i watched that film as a kid, and really felt a part of that era, although mne would come later. I wish I could have seen L.A. Boxing thru your eyes, Frank. Thankfully, with a little help from you, we all here enjoy that.

-Rick Farris

[kikibalt]

The Ring . . .

Frank, this movie was my favorite growing up. We didn't have VCR's so I had to wait ages for it to be shown, but when I heard it would be on, I watched.

That diner, "Stans", wow, I didn't know that's where the scene took place. I remember the deal, it was supposedly in "Sunset Blvd." and the guys had stopped there on their drive down thru the beach. It's amazing how horrible prejudice is, the BS.

But I recall in the movie, I saw a young Aragon, who later would fight ""Tommy Kansas" (Gerald Mohr), and there was Keeny Teran, in what looked like the Teamsters Gym?

And the shots taken in East L.A. (I guess somewhere around Cty Terrace) where the guys were doing roadwork with the City Hall in the background. The skyline has changed a lot during the past sixty years, huh?

That was a REAL boxing movie, i uised to think, cuz it had real L.A. boxers in it. Remember Jimmy Lennon Sr. announcing the fights at the Legion in that film?

Wow, I wish I could watch it with Dagos tonight.
i watched that film as a kid, and really felt a part of that era, although mne would come later. I wish I could have seen L.A. Boxing thru your eyes, Frank. Thankfully, with a little help from you, we all here enjoy that.

-Rick Farris

Rick,

Tommy Kansas was played by Lalo Rios and not Gerald Mohr, Mohr played the manager, yes that scene with Keeny was at the Teamsters Gym, btw I was hanging out at the teamsters when they were shooting there, the running scene were shot at city Terrace, some of the boxing scene were at the old Valley Garden Arena, which of course is now just history, I had the movie on vhs, I loan it to a friend of mine and not long after he died, and well never got the movie back, but I found it at "Oldies.com" for 5 bucks and I bought it like real quick and since I have shared it with some friends that don't have it or never heard of it. Good B&w flick.

[kikibalt]

Just for the hell of it, I'm going to watch it right now.

[Rick Farris]

Just for the hell of it, I'm going to watch it right now.

Thanks for the info on Lalo Rios, he really didn't look like a "Gerald Mohr". By the way, Rito Moreno was only 18 or 19 when she made her film debut in that movie. Years later, in 1979, I was working on an episode of the "Rockford Files", the show I became a lighting director on, and Rita was a guest star.

Of course, by that time she had become the ONLY actor/actress in the Entertainment industry to win an Oscar, an Emmy, A Tony, and a Grammy. Three came from her role in "Westside Story".

I asked her about her role in "The Ring", she knew I had been a boxer, and she told me how much fun she had doing the picture, and that she was a friend of Art Aragon's.

She is a GREAT lady!!!!!

-Rick Farris[/b]

[kikibalt]

The movie

[kikibalt]

[MightyWarrior]

That photo of Montoya, King and Meza, I shot in 1982 in N.Y.C, King flew us (My Kids and I) to N.Y as he was trying sign my boys to a contract.

Those are some great photos you're posting there Kikibalt, really brings back the memories. I remember watching your son Tony a lot in the 80's, a real warrior. He lost that war to an in form and near unstopable Robin Blake ( at the time) , then came back with a brilliant win over the Black Mamba - he really deserved a world title shot on the back of that I thought.

Don Jordan Now there's a pretty scary character...do we really believe his tales of murder and mayhem??
He tells of being a paid assasin before he turned pro, knocking off his victims with poison darts from his his blow pipe! I tend to think he's half telling the truth there...maybe not quite the 30 victims in one month he claims though!

[Expug]

That photo of Montoya, King and Meza, I shot in 1982 in N.Y.C, King flew us (My Kids and I) to N.Y as he was trying sign my boys to a contract.

Those are some great photos you're posting there Kikibalt, really brings back the memories. I remember watching your son Tony a lot in the 80's, a real warrior. He lost that war to an in form and near unstopable Robin Blake ( at the time) , then came back with a brilliant win over the Black Mamba - he really deserved a world title shot on the back of that I thought.

Don Jordan Now there's a pretty scary character...do we really believe his tales of murder and mayhem??
He tells of being a paid assasin before he turned pro, knocking off his victims with poison darts from his his blow pipe! I tend to think he's half telling the truth there...maybe not quite the 30 victims in one month he claims though!

I remember reading Jordans story in Peter Hellers ,In This Corner.
I was a young kid at the time just startin in the amateurs.
I was shocked at some of the claims he made.

[MightyWarrior]

I remember reading Jordans story in Peter Hellers ,In This Corner.
I was a young kid at the time just startin in the amateurs.
I was shocked at some of the claims he made.

Yeah I saw kikibalt's photo and it reminded me, I vaguely remembered reading his story years back, so I grabbed the book off the shelf today to make sure I wasn't imagining it. But yes, sure enough the guy comes out with some shocking tales, unbelievable really. An out and out nutcase!

[Expug]

I remember reading Jordans story in Peter Hellers ,In This Corner.
I was a young kid at the time just startin in the amateurs.
I was shocked at some of the claims he made.

Yeah I saw kikibalt's photo and it reminded me, I vaguely remembered reading his story years back, so I grabbed the book off the shelf today to make sure I wasn't imagining it. But yes, sure enough the guy comes out with some shocking tales, unbelievable really. An out and out nutcase!

I believe he died under violent circumstances also.
He was robbed and beaten in a parking lot and was in a coma for a year or so before passing away.

[kikibalt]

tales,

Thats all they were. he never killed anybody.

[kikibalt]

I remember reading Jordans story in Peter Hellers ,In This Corner.
I was a young kid at the time just startin in the amateurs.
I was shocked at some of the claims he made.

Yeah I saw kikibalt's photo and it reminded me, I vaguely remembered reading his story years back, so I grabbed the book off the shelf today to make sure I wasn't imagining it. But yes, sure enough the guy comes out with some shocking tales, unbelievable really. An out and out nutcase!

I believe he died under violent circumstances also.
He was robbed and beaten in a parking lot and was in a coma for a year or so before passing away.

pug,

you're right about the way he died.

[Expug]

Kiki were there any arrests ever made in his death?

[kikibalt]

That photo of Montoya, King and Meza, I shot in 1982 in N.Y.C, King flew us (My Kids and I) to N.Y as he was trying sign my boys to a contract.

Those are some great photos you're posting there Kikibalt, really brings back the memories. I remember watching your son Tony a lot in the 80's, a real warrior. He lost that war to an in form and near unstopable Robin Blake ( at the time) , then came back with a brilliant win over the Black Mamba - he really deserved a world title shot on the back of that I thought.

Don Jordan Now there's a pretty scary character...do we really believe his tales of murder and mayhem??
He tells of being a paid assasin before he turned pro, knocking off his victims with poison darts from his his blow pipe! I tend to think he's half telling the truth there...maybe not quite the 30 victims in one month he claims though!

MW,

Tony went into the Black Mamba fight with an injured hand (Rght), I tried to talk him out of fighting at that time, we knew he was going to need surgery and didn't know how long he was going to be out of the ring, so he said, get me a pain shot (In the hand) and I'll fight this fight and then I'll have the surgery, against my advise he fought and won, then he had the surgery was off for almost a year.

[kikibalt]

Kiki were there any arrests ever made in his death?

Not that I know of.

[kikibalt]

I think I already posted this pic. but I'll posted it again,

Don Jordan (R) vs Art Aragon

[MightyWarrior]

MW,

Tony went into the Black Mamba fight with an injured hand (Rght), I tried to talk him out of fighting at that time, we knew he was going to need surgery and didn't know how long he was going to be out of the ring, so he said, get me a pain shot (In the hand) and I'll fight this fight and then I'll have the surgery, against my advise he fought and won, then he had the surgery was off for almost a year.

Tony must have had one helluva chin on him, you needed it to go 10 and beat Mayweather, that's for sure.

That's a terrific shot of Jordan, always had an interest in him as he's such an "out there" character.

One of the strangest photos I ever saw, that sticks in the mind, is one out of Mexico, when Antonio Avelar lost his world fly title by KO 1, to Prudencio Cardona. AA was on the canvas face down, but seemed in the middle of doing a press up, though the poor guy was out cold. A really bizzare shot, I've never forgoten it.

[kikibalt]

MW,

Tony went into the Black Mamba fight with an injured hand (Rght), I tried to talk him out of fighting at that time, we knew he was going to need surgery and didn't know how long he was going to be out of the ring, so he said, get me a pain shot (In the hand) and I'll fight this fight and then I'll have the surgery, against my advise he fought and won, then he had the surgery was off for almost a year.

Tony must have had one helluva chin on him, you needed it to go 10 and beat Mayweather, that's for sure.

That's a terrific shot of Jordan, always had an interest in him as he's such an "out there" character.

One of the strangest photos I ever saw, that sticks in the mind, is one out of Mexico, when Antonio Avelar lost his world fly title by KO 1, to Prudencio Cardona. AA was on the canvas face down, but seemed in the middle of doing a press up, though the poor guy was out cold. A really bizzare shot, I've never forgoten it.

Don't think I ever seen that pic., sure would like to get my hands on it.

[granberry]

One of the strangest photos I ever saw, that sticks in the mind, is one out of Mexico, when Antonio Avelar lost his world fly title by KO 1, to Prudencio Cardona. AA was on the canvas face down, but seemed in the middle of doing a press up, though the poor guy was out cold. A really bizzare shot, I've never forgoten it.

Clyde Gray did the same thing at the end of his fight with Cuevas.

[kikibalt]

[kikibalt]

[Rick Farris]

Tony went into the Black Mamba fight with an injured hand (Rght), I tried to talk him out of fighting at that time, we knew he was going to need surgery and didn't know how long he was going to be out of the ring, so he said, get me a pain shot (In the hand) and I'll fight this fight and then I'll have the surgery, against my advise he fought and won, then he had the surgery was off for almost a year.

Considering how many times I watched Tony fight live, in the amateurs, it's odd that I only saw one of his pro fights live, and that was against Roger Mayweather. I'm glad that Tony was featured on those network TV cards that were broadcast both nationally.

The Mayweather fight was held at the "Country Club", in the San Fernando Valley. It was a small 1000 seat venue, where even the worst seat in the house had a good view of the action. I remember sitting at a table at ringside, with a bunch of actors. What a pain in the ass they can be.

The all-knowing David Hasselfoff had been impressed with Tony B. and my friend, the late actor Victor French, told Hasselhoff, that I had known Tony from the time he was a kid. Hasselhoff smiled and without hearing what he'd been told, started to tell me all about Tony, how he boxed, and "why" his hook landed 99% of the time, etc. I really got an education on Tony Baltazar from David Hasselhoff, he wasn't interested in hearing the "5 yr. Tony shadow boxing on TV from the Olympic", no, he preferred listening to himself.

Frank, I should have insisted he meet you, as the boy's father/mgr./ trainer, you'd like to hear what Hasselhoff had to say. He might have given you some "tips" on improving Tony's hook. :)

By the way, the fight was good, but it really wasn't close. Tony had his way with Mayweather, from the start he was in control. Mayweather would challenge Tony, but was outclassed. This is how I remember it, but it was a long time ago, mid-80's??

Damn, I forgot all about that until this thread.

And for the record: Listening to actors share their boxing knowledge is about as pleasant as having your balls squeezed in a vice.

-Rick [/b]