Expug wrote:Frank,
Your son Frankie had a real nice win at The Olympic against a tough Shig Fukuyama.
Fukuyama isnt talked about too much anymore but he was a guy who stopped Danny Lopez a couple years before he fought Frankie.
He also had Sean Ogrady badly busted up before Sean pulled a rabbitt out of his hat.
I was wondering if you can tell us about Frankies fight with Shig.
Besides the Lopez and O'Grady fight, I also saw Fukuyama fight David Sotelo, Luis Hernandez and Carlos Perez. It really looked like he had come into his own at this time, especially after blowing away Perez in the 1st round. Perez was being touted as the Mexican Gene Fullmer because of his strength but Shig looked pretty decent at the time.
On the subject of Japanese fighters, do you guys remember when Shinichi Kadota was knocking about L.A.? He looked dynamite against Juan Collado with a smoking body attack and had a successful career. But when he fought Cervantes for the title, the diferrence between good and great was never more evident.
scartissue wrote:On the subject of Japanese fighters, do you guys remember when Shinichi Kadota was knocking about L.A.? He looked dynamite against Juan Collado
Scartissue
Scar- I have a news clip from the Los Angeles Times, for a Oct. 2, 1969 thursday night fight card at the Olympic. The headline reads . . ."Kadota Stops Collado". The reason I have the clip is I fought that night in one of two amateur bouts that proceeded the pro card. I'll scan the clip this weekend, with some other items, and post it next week.
The clip will show who fought that night, and also that I scored a second round KO.
In my opinion Kadota was one of the better Japanese fighters to appear in L.A. during that period. I may be wrong, but I think the guy in the pic. with Navarro & the Baltazar boys was Yoshiaki Numata, in fact I'm certain.
Ruben fought Numata in Japan, and Mando Ramos fought him in L.A.
Since Japanese fighters have been mentioned,the one that comes to my mind is Kuniaka Shibata. I saw him beat the great Vicente Saldivar in Tijuana at the Auditorium. I almost didn't go because I didn't know much about Shibata. He'd never fought outside Japan. Their only common opponent was Dwight Hawkins. Dwight Ko'd Shibata in Tokyo,and Vicente had stopped Hawkins in 5 in Mexico. I don't think anyone thought Saldivar would have any problem with the Japanese fighter.There was a rivalry at that time between Japanese and Mexican fighters. Saldivar had broken down Seki twice,not to mention victories over greats like Laguna,Sugar Ramos,Winstone three times,Legra,and Famechon. All great champions. Like I said,I almost didn't go to the fight.
Saldivar had won back the title from Famechon after a two year retirement. Vicente was always so strong. Big upper body ,winging in his big left hand out of his southpaw stance. He was a little bull. They put the fight in the Auditorium instead of the Bullring because I think they figured the gate would be good,but not big enough to put in the Plaza de Toros.
In the first round Saldivar was staggered by Shibata. Later Saldivar said he was hit in the throat and could never get his wind. Shibata was the stronger fighter that night. He put constant pressure on Saldivar. Everyone I think believed Saldivar's strength would save him,but you could tell that he was having trouble holding Shibata off. Japanese fighters,if they didn't have great ability,had great conditioning. Shibata had trained hard. As the fight went into the later rounds,I could see Saldivar weakening. I'd never seen him like that. It was always the other way around. Somehow Vicente, in a close fight ,would have more in reserve to come back to win. Like his fight with Winstone.
The crowd that was very excited at first, was very quiet now in the late rounds. They could sense what was going to happen. Saldivar was on the ropes in round 12 absorbing body and head shots from Shibata. He wasn't throwing back anything. Saldivar's corner didn't let him go out for the hardluck round. His luck had already run out.
It's funny. The crowd wasn't that upset. Usually there would be a riot after something like this. Saldivar,I remember,walked across the ring and clasped Shibata's head in his hands. The Mexican battler seemed happy for him. Maybe Saldivar knew that he was on the decline. He wasn't old,old wise,but he fought like an older fighter.He had fought hard,but his stregnth that he always relied on,that strength that was his trademark ,was dissappearing.
Three years later another strong fighter from Brazil fought Saldivar. Many people said that Saldivar was already finished. Jofre destroyed him in four rounds. All his stregnth had left him by now. It was his last fight. Saldivar died twelve years later at the age of 42.
I often think of that night at the Auditorium in Tijuana. In a way, I'm glad I went to that fight.
Vicente Saldivar is one of my all-time favorites. I rememeber how he and Raul Rojas had this great fight, in one of 21-year-old Saldivar's earliest title defenses. He stopped Rojas in the 15th round, and from that day on, I read all I could get on Vicente Saldivar.
I was disappointed when Saldivar retired, undefeated, after defending the feather title seven times, I believe. He came back, and like nothing had changed, soon re-won the title. I would see Saldivar in the Rojas fight in '65, and again, toward the end of his second career, when he outboxed and out-fought Frankie Crawford.
Another all-time great, Eder Jofre, doing the same thing, returning to prove his brilliance for the second time, put an end to this under-rated Mexican great. His death surprised me. It was kinda like when I heard "Pajarito Moreno", had been murdered, while driving a cab?
Expug wrote:
Wow.
Thanks for that info.
Its been awhile since I watched that fight.
I always wondered how Sean was allowed to continue with his face looking the way it was.
pugie,
I have to say that I don't know if all that is true, when Larry would tell you a story he would get every dramatic and I think he would stretch the truth a bit, but I wouldn't put it pass old man O'G to do something like that.
I hear ya Frank.
I have heard that Pat Ogrady did have some peculiar ways.
Guys, I'm pretty sure the ref in that fight was Rudy Jordan and not Larry Rozadilla.
As far the rest of the story, the doctor was not just looking at O'Grady's cuts, he was also working on them as if he were his cutman!
It is towards the end of the round that O'G puts Fukuyama down on a combination. To Jordan's dismay, Shig gets up and looks pretty much in it, he waves the fight on but stops it 5 seconds later, (probably on Pat OGradys advice)
Rick Farris wrote:I agree with Frank, great story Dagos!
Vicente Saldivar is one of my all-time favorites. I rememeber how he and Raul Rojas had this great fight, in one of 21-year-old Saldivar's earliest title defenses. He stopped Rojas in the 15th round, and from that day on, I read all I could get on Vicente Saldivar.
I was disappointed when Saldivar retired, undefeated, after defending the feather title seven times, I believe. He came back, and like nothing had changed, soon re-won the title. I would see Saldivar in the Rojas fight in '65, and again, toward the end of his second career, when he outboxed and out-fought Frankie Crawford.
Another all-time great, Eder Jofre, doing the same thing, returning to prove his brilliance for the second time, put an end to this under-rated Mexican great. His death surprised me. It was kinda like when I heard "Pajarito Moreno", had been murdered, while driving a cab?
-Rick
Rick and Frank,It's always interesting to me to follow Mexican boxing legends into obscurity after their careers are over. Rick,you mentioned Moreno and then Saldivar's fast burn out with drugs and alcohol. It sounds strange,but the real macho fighters,the punchers who got punched as much as they punched,I think punch themselves in a way when it's over. That was a big part of it. Punch me,hit me,make me bleed. I can take it. I want to stand there at the end with blood on my face. I am tough. I can take it. I want to live with it. I remember the second fight Napoles had with Armando Muniz. When it was over,they stood there,expressionless,eyes split open,swollen purple welts all over their faces,blood down their faces and on their trunks. Don't wipe the blood away. Let them stand there like that. We watch them. We want to be warriors like them. We envy them. They are beautifull.
I have to say that I don't know if all that is true, when Larry would tell you a story he would get every dramatic and I think he would stretch the truth a bit, but I wouldn't put it pass old man O'G to do something like that.
I hear ya Frank.
I have heard that Pat Ogrady did have some peculiar ways.
Guys, I'm pretty sure the ref in that fight was Rudy Jordan and not Larry Rozadilla.
As far the rest of the story, the doctor was not just looking at O'Grady's cuts, he was also working on them as if he were his cutman!
It is towards the end of the round that O'G puts Fukuyama down on a combination. To Jordan's dismay, Shig gets up and looks pretty much in it, he waves the fight on but stops it 5 seconds later, (probably on Pat OGradys advice)
I still think it was Rozadilla, because I remember him telling me that story, I might be wrong, but thats what I recall.
When I was coaching American football in Tijuana,one of the kids on the team's sister was married to Jibaro Perez. The kid's father managed Perez. Perez was from TJ and was very popular. He won the title at the Auditorium from "Happy"Lora,the Colombian. We all went to see the fight. "Happy". What kind of name is that for a fighter? The crowd was going crazy for the local kid. A good looking kid. He was popular. He had just won the championship from "Happy" Lora. The old man who managed "Jibaro" took him in as a son. I remember this kid's sister. Quiet,pretty. She was married to "Jibaro". How lucky can a girl get? "Jibaro" is the champion. He's in the dough. His wife is going to have baby. The old man considered him as a son. He loved the boy.
"Jibaro" was a good looking kid. There were a lot of women who thought that too. They wanted to be with him. "Jibaro" liked to have people around him. He liked women around him. He liked to have fun at night in the nice clubs in the Rio. He'd stay out late. Later and later. Sometimes he wouldn't come home at all.
The kid on the team whose sister had married "Jibaro" said that his father was very concerned. "Jibaro" wasn't training hard any more. His sister was alone at night with the baby. But "Jibaro" was still winning. He was still popular. He had more women than ever. He had more drugs than ever. Sometimes he wouldn't come home for days.
"Jibaro" was fighting at the Forum defending his title. No more fights in a Tijuana auditorium. The money was coming in good and fast. He was spending it that way. Good and fast. Then it ended. Didn't train like he should have. Too many late nights. Too much of everything he didn't need if he wanted to hold onto the title. He was fighting in Tijuana again. A main eventer at the Auditorium. He lost his last fight by a knockout. All those guys like "Jibaro" wind up getting knocked out in their last fight.
About a year ago I saw that kid who was on the team. The kid whose sister married "Jibaro" Perez. "Que onda?"(what's up?)
"Nada coach"
We hugged each other in a good "abrazo"
I asked the question. The answer didn't surprise me.
"How's things with the family?"
"Esta bien. My father isn't around boxing any more." Then he smiled. "My nephew is going to Cetys next year. He's going to be a football player like his uncle."
"And 'Jibaro'?"
"He left a long time ago. My father got sick after that."
I knew that would happen,but you never say that's the way it's gonna' go. What's the point?
The kid looked at me and took a breath. "You know something coach? 'Jibaro' couldn't even write his name."
"Well",I said."It's better that your nephew is going to go out for football."
scartissue wrote:On the subject of Japanese fighters, do you guys remember when Shinichi Kadota was knocking about L.A.? He looked dynamite against Juan Collado
Scartissue
Scar- I have a news clip from the Los Angeles Times, for a Oct. 2, 1969 thursday night fight card at the Olympic. The headline reads . . ."Kadota Stops Collado". The reason I have the clip is I fought that night in one of two amateur bouts that proceeded the pro card. I'll scan the clip this weekend, with some other items, and post it next week.
The clip will show who fought that night, and also that I scored a second round KO.
-Rick
Rick, looking forward to seeing them. Also, didn't you once mention you had a L.A. GG's team photo? That would be awesome, also. Y'know, the mention of Juan Collado had me thinking how erratic this guy was. He had these long arms, more boxer than puncher, but a sharp hitter when he wanted to. He'd get creamed by Kadota, Jimmy Heair and El Gato Gonzalez in their first fight, but then hold El Gato (in the rematch), Ruben Navarro, Jimmy Robertson, Antonio Gomez and Monroe Brooks to razor close decisions. I saw him completely outbox Cesar Sinda among others. But again, very erratic.
[quote="dagosd2000
Rick and Frank,It's always interesting to me to follow Mexican boxing legends into obscurity after their careers are over. Rick,you mentioned Moreno and then Saldivar's fast burn out with drugs and alcohol. It sounds strange,but the real macho fighters,the punchers who got punched as much as they punched,I think punch themselves in a way when it's over. That was a big part of it. Punch me,hit me,make me bleed. I can take it. I want to stand there at the end with blood on my face. I am tough. I can take it. I want to live with it. I remember the second fight Napoles had with Armando Muniz. When it was over,they stood there,expressionless,eyes split open,swollen purple welts all over their faces,blood down their faces and on their trunks. Don't wipe the blood away. Let them stand there like that. We watch them. We want to be warriors like them. We envy them. They are beautifull.[/quote]
Dagos, you have a real philosophical slant to your writing, amigo. Love the stories. I was a big fan of Kuniaki Shibata. I think everyone saw that flaw in his makeup, namely, his chin. However, when a fighter can overcome or compensate for a blemish in his style, that fighter is worth watching. The big bangers were his boogy-man. Dwight Hawkins, Ben Villaflor, Alfredo Escalera, Clemente Sanchez. Yet, when he would take on bangers like Saldivar, Aredondo and Villaflor (in their first fight), stay on his game for 15 rounds knowing one lapse and he could be gone, and come home with a win, that was saying something. Also, regarding Raul Perez, I was a big fan of Gaby Canizales and was rooting like hell for Gaby to take him out. But Gaby had a very short burn-out time and was finished by the time he took on Perez.
Frank, youtube has a video on Oakland Billy's fight with Charley Burley (or one of them anyway. How many times did these guys fight?). I was impressed with Billy. Whereas Burley dangled the left trying to draw his opponent in, Billy kept a very nice tight guard. Truly great oldtimers who did not receive their due. Also, if you're checking out youtube, they have a really good highlight video on the first Jofre-Joe Medel fight. Damn, they were good!
This is the 1973 Los Angeles Nat. G.G. team that I travel to Boston with, I'm not going to put name on the faces, see if you guys can name the fighters
This is the 1973 Los Angeles Nat. G.G. team that I travel to Boston with, I'm not going to put name on the faces, see if you guys can name the fighters
