Classic American West Coast Boxing

[kikibalt]

Lauro Salas and his dad, don't know the name of the guy on the right.

[dagosd2000]

Lauro Salas and his dad, don't know the name of the guy on the right.

Frank
I think he looks better when he's not smiling. His dad sure looks proud.

[kikibalt]

On a delayed basis, I got to see all the fights on this card, which were being shown on 'Boxing from the Olympic'. We also had 'Boxing from the Forum'. Man, I couldn't get enough of west coast boxing back then. Incidentally, the entire card I saw was Duran-Ayala of course, Danny Lopez-Ace Endo, Chango Carmona-Jimmy Heair and the lightweight championship fight between Rodolfo Gonzalez and Ruben Navarro all from the L.A. Sports Arena. What a card!

Scartissue

Scar,

Do you know whatever happened to all those "Boxing from the Olympic" shows? What I mean by that is wether those broadcasts have been saved and are in storage somewhere to this day, because if so that is a veritable gold mine of footage for any film collector like myself. I have quite a few of those "Boxing from the Olympic" shows myself, but the one you mention I do not save for the Lopez/Endo fight. Anything you can tell me would be most appreciated.

And on a seperate note whatever happened to Gato Gonzalez posting here with us? It`s been several weeks since I last read of his difficulty creating an account here for whatever reason, surely the moderators could do something about that can they not? I hope something can be done to have him join us here, as I`d sure like to talk with him and I`m sure others here feel the same way. Let`s get Gato Gonzalez here with us as soon as possible!

Lausse,

No body seem to know who has those films, I ask Don chargin and he told me that he has been trying get his hands on some of the films, but he can't fine out who has them.

I too would like to get my hands on my boys fights at the Olympic.

[dagosd2000]

Carl Bobo Olson, Jimmy Carter, Jimmy Lennon, Lauro Salas & friends

With friends like that, it's easy to smile.

[kikibalt]

Lauro Salas and his dad, don't know the name of the guy on the right.

Frank
I think he looks better when he's not smiling. His dad sure looks proud.

You're not saying he looks like the Cucuy, are you?

[dagosd2000]

Lauro Salas and his dad, don't know the name of the guy on the right.

Frank
I think he looks better when he's not smiling. His dad sure looks proud.

You're not saying he looks like the Cucuy, are you?

Maybe,but the last time I looked like that is when I ate a "camote" for the first time in Michoacan. Lost 20 pounds.

[kikibalt]

"I never knew that."
"Yeah,Pancho Villa wanted to promote the Johnson/Willard fight",I said.
Me and Mario had finished up in the gym and now we were watching a couple of Navy lightweights begin their sparring session.
"Villa would have pulled it off,but Carranza stood in his way."
"Who's Carranza?",asked Mario.
Mario wanted to shed some weight. After sparring he started peeling off his rubber suit top.
"The president of Mexico."
"Did Villa want to have the fight in the U.S.?"
"Johnson was wanted on a warrant here. Villa wanted to stage it in Juarez in his home state."
"Wasn't Villa from Jalisco?" asked Mario.
Mario had peeled off the top of the suit. His chest was flabby. He had some work ahead of him.
"No,from Chihuahua."
"I think my family is from there."
"Villa was born in Durango,but considered himself from Chihuahua."

The Navy lightweights weren't working very hard. Their trainer was yelling at them to step it up.
"Well at least Villa won the revolution",said Mario.
Mario put a towel over his head. He was sweating pretty freely.
"In the end he didn't. Obregon wound up on top."
"Isn't Obregon a town?"asked Mario.
"A city in Sonora. That's where Obregon was from."
Mario was drinking a bottled water. Half done,he poured the rest of the water on his head.
"How'd Obregon win in the end?"
"He was the most treacherous. And he studied warfare from the Germans."
"I didn't know the Germans were in the Mexican Revolution."
"They weren't. Obregon just used their methods."

The two Navy boys ended their workout. Their trainer threw them a couple of towels and told them to take a shower. As the Navy boys headed for the showers,their trainer was looking at both of them with his hands on his hips.
"Didn't Obregon die just recently?"
Mario had cooled down. He looked tired.
"Obregon was assassinated shortly after the Revolution. His betrayls finally caught up to him."
"But Villa was that way too. Couldn't be trusted."
"Villa was always loyal to Madero and Gonzalez even after their assassinations."
"But I thought Villa was assassinated?"
"He was."
Mario said he was getting hungry. He had a taste for a pizza.
"Pretty confusing for me. Well at least you can say Pancho Villa was a good President of Mexico."
"He was never President."
"I thought he was."
"Villa thought he didn't have enough education to be President of Mexico."
"Having an education is important all right."
"Pancho Villa would have been a great President. He had the opportunity,but lacked the confidence to take over."
Mario put on a sweatshirt.
"Well Bush went to Harvard and look what a mess we're in,"laughed Mario.
"Bush went to Yale",I said.
Mario grabbed his bag and shook his head at me.
"I don't know about you,but let's get out of here and get a pizza."

PRICELESS!!

[kikibalt]

Frank
I think he looks better when he's not smiling. His dad sure looks proud.

You're not saying he looks like the Cucuy, are you?

Maybe,but the last time I looked like that is when I ate a "camote" for the first time in Michoacan. Lost 20 pounds.

Believe it or not, but he looked better after he got done boxing, then before he started. :P

[Lausse]

Lausse,

No body seem to know who has those films, I ask Don chargin and he told me that he has been trying get his hands on some of the films, but he can't fine out who has them.

I too would like to get my hands on my boys fights at the Olympic.

Thank you for the reply Frank, I appreciate it. Although I find it very strange that no one knows where those films are, perhaps the network who broadcast them on the air have it in storage? They surely couldn`t have disapeared just like that, if I was rich I`d hire some of the best PI`s money can buy in a heartbeat to try and track them down. Hopefully one day they will turn up, until then I guess all one can do is be patient.

[granberry]

Lausse,

No body seem to know who has those films, I ask Don chargin and he told me that he has been trying get his hands on some of the films, but he can't fine out who has them.

I too would like to get my hands on my boys fights at the Olympic.

Thank you for the reply Frank, I appreciate it. Although I find it very strange that no one knows where those films are, perhaps the network who broadcast them on the air have it in storage? They surely couldn`t have disapeared just like that, if I was rich I`d hire some of the best PI`s money can buy in a heartbeat to try and track them down. Hopefully one day they will turn up, until then I guess all one can do is be patient.

Too bad Jimmy Jacobs isn't still alive.

I had a long talk with him about how he went about collecting all the films he did. He had the money, the technical knowledge, and the wherewithall to do that.

Now his films sit at ESPN (?) unseen except for a few very recent ones.

What a disaster it was for Bill Cayton to give those films to ESPN.

He obviously thought he was doing the right thing and that they would be SHOWN. I only hope they haven't been destroyed.

[Lausse]

Too bad Jimmy Jacobs isn't still alive.

I had a long talk with him about how he went about collecting all the films he did. He had the money, the technical knowledge, and the wherewithall to do that.

Now his films sit at ESPN (?) unseen except for a few very recent ones.

What a disaster it was for Bill Cayton to give those films to ESPN.

He obviously thought he was doing the right thing and that they would be SHOWN. I only hope they haven't been destroyed.

Granberry,

I doubt that ESPN would destroy those films, as if memory serves me right they paid over one hundred million dollars for the rights to those fights. Unfortunately someone I know who worked for ESPN once told me that the reason they do not show more fights is because since they paid so much for the collection they feel that if they show everything they have the fights would lose their value as people would be taping them from the TV and thus everyone would have these rare gems in their possession.

So instead they keep them under lock and key gathering dust never to be shown again, which makes one wonder what the hell they bought the damn collection for in the first place. I`ve contacted ESPN about this and they keep repeating the same ol` jive about them showing some other fights in the future, but this was several years ago and we still get spoonfed the same old crap time and again and I do not expect this to change anytime soon if ever.

Sad but true.

[kikibalt]

Carlos Chavez with trainer Ray Luna.

[dagosd2000]

Lauro Salas, don't know the name of the guy with him.

Frank,I solved the mystery. The other guy is Salas's smiling coach. This shot was taken during a training session.

[dagosd2000]

Lausse,

No body seem to know who has those films, I ask Don chargin and he told me that he has been trying get his hands on some of the films, but he can't fine out who has them.

I too would like to get my hands on my boys fights at the Olympic.

Thank you for the reply Frank, I appreciate it. Although I find it very strange that no one knows where those films are, perhaps the network who broadcast them on the air have it in storage? They surely couldn`t have disapeared just like that, if I was rich I`d hire some of the best PI`s money can buy in a heartbeat to try and track them down. Hopefully one day they will turn up, until then I guess all one can do is be patient.

Frank,Lausse,et al
I've emailed KTLA 5 and KCOP 13(the TV stations in LA that broadcasted those fights) to see if they can assist us. Nothing ventured,nothing gained.

[dagosd2000]

Carlos Chavez with trainer Ray Luna.

Salas should have hired Luna to be his smiling coach.

[scartissue]

Lausse,

No body seem to know who has those films, I ask Don chargin and he told me that he has been trying get his hands on some of the films, but he can't fine out who has them.

I too would like to get my hands on my boys fights at the Olympic.

Thank you for the reply Frank, I appreciate it. Although I find it very strange that no one knows where those films are, perhaps the network who broadcast them on the air have it in storage? They surely couldn`t have disapeared just like that, if I was rich I`d hire some of the best PI`s money can buy in a heartbeat to try and track them down. Hopefully one day they will turn up, until then I guess all one can do is be patient.

Don Chargin told me an amazing and disheartening story on the films of the Olympic. Apparently, he was approached by someone from KTLA or some other station who had all the reels of the shows taped over the years and was asked to catelog them. He agreed and was asked out to lunch by whatever producer he was speaking to. When they returned every reel was gone. Not disposed of but taken. Someone out there is sitting on this goldmine and depriving us of some very fond memories and some truly amazing fights.

Scartissue

[Lausse]

Don Chargin told me an amazing and disheartening story on the films of the Olympic. Apparently, he was approached by someone from KTLA or some other station who had all the reels of the shows taped over the years and was asked to catelog them. He agreed and was asked out to lunch by whatever producer he was speaking to. When they returned every reel was gone. Not disposed of but taken. Someone out there is sitting on this goldmine and depriving us of some very fond memories and some truly amazing fights.

Scartissue

Scar,

Thank you for sharing that story. However, wasn`t there a police investigation done to try and solve this mistery? Since the films were stolen I would assume that there must have been, and how does one just walk into a TV station and steal these films without anyone noticing? If you ask me this must have been an inside job then, as no regular Tom, Dick and Harry could have just waltzed in there, grabbed all the film reels and waltzed out without anyone so much as noticing anything...

[dagosd2000]

Do any of you remember a middleweight by the name of Tommy Kearse? Ronnie Wilson,who was a big draw down here,would fight this guy every other week. Saw Wilson score one of his rare KO's against him. I thought Wilson was not handled well. Fought the same fighters over and over again. Fought too often also. Not much rest between fights and didn't give his cuts time to heal properly.

[granberry]

I ran the crap on Liston that appears right at the start of this by a number of Philly and Chicago people who had contact with Liston over the years.

They all laughed at it.

Their comment was that Toole/Jerry Boyd almost certainly never had any contact with Liston.

Of course Liston's longtime cut man was Joe Polino, with Milt Bailey there also sometimes.

[kikibalt]

I ran the crap on Liston that appears right at the start of this by a number of Philly and Chicago people who had contact with Liston over the years.

They all laughed at it.

Their comment was that Toole/Jerry Boyd almost certainly never had any contact with Liston.

Of course Liston's longtime cut man was Joe Polino, with Milt Bailey there also sometimes.

Its a short story my boy, it fiction, son you have to learn how to read fiction.

[Rick Farris]

Sugar Ray Robinson

Great shot. Is that Art Hafey?

I want to say that it is Art Hafey, just not sure.

It's definitly Art Hafey, and jus for the record, the photo was shot in 1972. I've one with Robinson shot three years earlier, in '69. Frank, I'll have it to you soon, amigo.

-Rick Farris

[Rick Farris]

I ran the crap on Liston that appears right at the start of this by a number of Philly and Chicago people who had contact with Liston over the years.

They all laughed at it.

Their comment was that Toole/Jerry Boyd almost certainly never had any contact with Liston.

Of course Liston's longtime cut man was Joe Polino, with Milt Bailey there also sometimes.

Its a short story my boy, it fiction, son you have to learn how to read fiction.

LOL! He certainly knows how to write fiction.

[Rick Farris]

Lausse,

No body seem to know who has those films, I ask Don chargin and he told me that he has been trying get his hands on some of the films, but he can't fine out who has them.

I too would like to get my hands on my boys fights at the Olympic.

Thank you for the reply Frank, I appreciate it. Although I find it very strange that no one knows where those films are, perhaps the network who broadcast them on the air have it in storage? They surely couldn`t have disapeared just like that, if I was rich I`d hire some of the best PI`s money can buy in a heartbeat to try and track them down. Hopefully one day they will turn up, until then I guess all one can do is be patient.

Frank,Lausse,et al
I've emailed KTLA 5 and KCOP 13(the TV stations in LA that broadcasted those fights) to see if they can assist us. Nothing ventured,nothing gained.

I did this long ago, when KTLA was still owned by Golden West Broadcasting, Gene Autry's company. They had no clue, and refereed me to the UCLA TV Archives. NOTHING! They were first rumored to have been destroyed, along with much footage of UCLA Basketball featuring Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul Jabbar). Some novice made a mistake and lost a lot of footage, however, later conversations relating to Don Chargin that Scar shared is true. Somebody just made off with them, and some have resurfaced since the VCR/DVD era came to be. It's out there guys. I have about fifty fights, on VHS that are being transferred to DVD. However, the whole collection would be priceless, something that ESPN has no access to.

Here's the kicker, there is NO legal owner of the footage. Mike LeBell (Aileen Eaton's son) actually attempted to by the rights to everything, but there is NO owner, it's all public domain. Wherever it is? Some may have been destroyed, the rest stolen?????? Only time will tell.

-Rick Farris

[granberry]

I ran the crap on Liston that appears right at the start of this by a number of Philly and Chicago people who had contact with Liston over the years.

They all laughed at it.

Their comment was that Toole/Jerry Boyd almost certainly never had any contact with Liston.

Of course Liston's longtime cut man was Joe Polino, with Milt Bailey there also sometimes.

Its a short story my boy, it fiction, son you have to learn how to read fiction.

Yes. It is obviously fiction. As even you now admit.

[Rick Farris]

By the way, DAGOS, TRIBUNE ENTERTAINMENT (Chicago based) owns KTLA Ch.5 at the moment. I have also checked with the old Ch. 13, KCOP(now the FOX network). They began to televise the fights in 1969, with Jim Healy. Prior to that, Ch. 5 had Dick Enberg, Mickey Davies, Tom Kelley, Tom Harmon. Dead end.

I remember my old trainer Mel Epstein didn't like Jim Healy, for some reason. Mel would refer to Healy as, "Fish Eyes". Mel had a nickname for quite a few people. Some I best not share. Some were pretty funny.

-Rick Farris