Classic American West Coast Boxing

bennie · Post by **bennie** » 06 May 2008, 05:19

kikibalt wrote:
Rodolfo Gonzalez with actress Edy Williams, who was a very big fight fan.

I bet she was.

bennie · Post by **bennie** » 06 May 2008, 05:29

kikibalt wrote:
Andy Kendall and Dick Tiger

Tiger didn't do badly for a kid who made his way from Nigeria to Liverpool and shivered his way through a few British winters. He is still the greatest African boxer ever, in my opinion.

kikibalt · Post by **kikibalt** » 06 May 2008, 09:42

Jerry & Mike Quarry

Expug · Post by **Expug** » 06 May 2008, 09:50

Ive heard Jerry would rough up Mike pretty bad in sparring.
Looking at this picture, there is a big difference in size between the two brothers.
You guys see any of these sparring sessions?

raylawpc · Post by **raylawpc** » 06 May 2008, 10:01

Expug wrote:Ive heard Jerry would rough up Mike pretty bad in sparring.
Looking at this picture, there is a big difference in size between the two brothers.
You guys see any of these sparring sessions?

Our own Rick Farris trained with the Quarrys and saw a lot of those sparring sessions. My understanding from Rick's posts is that Jerry used to wack Mike around in sparring. Rick can tell us a lot more. Rick?

bennie · Post by **bennie** » 06 May 2008, 10:01

kikibalt wrote:
Jerry & Mike Quarry

The Finnegans also roughed each other up. Maybe it's an Irish thing, I don't know, but for me it displays a lack of something. Leave the wars to the ring.

bennie · Post by **bennie** » 06 May 2008, 10:07

bennie wrote:
kikibalt wrote:
Jerry & Mike Quarry
The Finnegans also roughed each other up. Maybe it's an Irish thing, I don't know, but for me it displays a lack of something. Leave the wars to the ring.

Nice T-shirts, by the way. The good old Lonsdale Shop in Beak Street in Central London still goes strong. A young Frank Bruno worked there.

raylawpc · Post by **raylawpc** » 06 May 2008, 10:10

I think its more of a sibling rivalry thing, and it has a long tradition. Jim and Jack Jeffries used to go all out in the gym, and jack gave Jim some of his best workouts as champion. Neither of those guys had a drop of Irish blood.

Jack was what we would call today a gym fighter. Not much good in a real bout in front of a paying crowd, but he'd give you hell in the gym.

bennie · Post by **bennie** » 06 May 2008, 10:14

And a Jack Quarry thing.

bennie · Post by **bennie** » 06 May 2008, 10:24

kikibalt wrote:
The weigh-in for Rodolfo's second title defense against Antonio Puddu. Puddu on the scales, El Gato mugging for the camera while Jackie McCoy and Cannonball Green (with the hat) look on.

Guts Ishimatu must have been some fighter to depose Rodolfo a fight after this (in Japan). Ken Buchanan also conceded to Ishimatu in Japan, of course, and Kenny could travel.

kikibalt · Post by **kikibalt** » 06 May 2008, 10:32

raylawpc wrote:I think its more of a sibling rivalry thing, and it has a long tradition. Jim and Jack Jeffries used to go all out in the gym, and jack gave Jim some of his best workouts as champion. Neither of those guys had a drop of Irish blood.

Jack was what we would call today a gym fighter. Not much good in a real bout in front of a paying crowd, but he'd give you hell in the gym.

Tom,

I have to agree with you that its a "sibling rivalry", both Frankie and Tony would work harder against each other, then they did against other guys,and I seen that with lots of brothers/fighters in the gyms.

scartissue · Post by **scartissue** » 06 May 2008, 11:16

bennie wrote:
kikibalt wrote:
The weigh-in for Rodolfo's second title defense against Antonio Puddu. Puddu on the scales, El Gato mugging for the camera while Jackie McCoy and Cannonball Green (with the hat) look on.
Guts Ishimatu must have been some fighter to depose Rodolfo a fight after this (in Japan). Ken Buchanan also conceded to Ishimatu in Japan, of course, and Kenny could travel.

Bennie, I actually never thought a great deal of Suzuki. El Gato was a pitiful excuse in their first fight. Absolutely weak as water trying to make weight. And one of Gonzalez' main attributes was that he was as strong as a bull, always putting the opponent on the back heel. Running into Bennie Georgino that time I mentioned before, I said to him, "Bennie, I didn't know that you were working Gonzalez' corner with McCoy the night he lost his title to Suzuki." He replied, "That poor guy had no business in the ring that night. He was so weak I had to lift him off his stool a couple of times." I was equally surprised that he got the decision over Buchanan, but there was something to that too, wasn't there? Wasn't it an injured eye or thumb he received in sparring? If asked 100 times who would win between Suzuki and Gonzalez or Buchanan, I would always reply Gonzalez or Buchanan. Maybe El Gato can give us his view on these fights.

Scartissue

kikibalt · Post by **kikibalt** » 06 May 2008, 11:26

A young Jerry Quarry

kikibalt · Post by **kikibalt** » 06 May 2008, 12:01

Former LATimes sports columnist John Hall will be inducted into the California Boxing Hall of Fame on June 21 at Sportsmen's Lodge in Studio City.

granberry · Post by **granberry** » 06 May 2008, 12:25

bennie wrote:
kikibalt wrote:
Andy Kendall and Dick Tiger
Tiger didn't do badly for a kid who made his way from Nigeria to Liverpool and shivered his way through a few British winters. He is still the greatest African boxer ever, in my opinion.

Tiger was a double champion.

A REAL, legitimate double champion.

In two weight classes FIFTEEN pounds apart.

Boxingnut · Post by **Boxingnut** » 06 May 2008, 12:57

bennie wrote:
kikibalt wrote:
Andy Kendall and Dick Tiger
Tiger didn't do badly for a kid who made his way from Nigeria to Liverpool and shivered his way through a few British winters. He is still the greatest African boxer ever, in my opinion.

Tiger worked in the same Liverpool factory as my father as did Hogan "Kid" Bassey.

kikibalt · Post by **kikibalt** » 06 May 2008, 13:28

Joey Lopes

kikibalt · Post by **kikibalt** » 06 May 2008, 13:35

Anybody recognize any of these gents in this picture.

kikibalt · Post by **kikibalt** » 06 May 2008, 15:07

Ken Norton

kikibalt · Post by **kikibalt** » 06 May 2008, 16:31

Do you guys remember Baby Cassius (aka Eric Thomas) a fighter that lost more then he won, but a colorful fighter he was.

kikibalt · Post by **kikibalt** » 06 May 2008, 16:37

kikibalt · Post by **kikibalt** » 06 May 2008, 16:44

Joey Velez was a popular boxer in the Pacific Northwest during the late 1940s and early 1950s in the Featherweight and Lightweight divisions. He was very popular in Spokane during this time period, becoming the area's most popular boxer, after Tiger Jack Fox had retired.

Velez was inflicted with polio as a child, and could not walk without crutches until the age of nine. He boxed with a withered left leg that was damaged from polio, which had left his left achilles tendon paralyzed. Nonetheless, he was still able to move around the ring effectively, though he had problems moving backwards on the leg. Despite the unsturdiness of his legs, he was considered a tough fighter to knock down.

Velez had a successful amateur career in Seattle, but had to begin his pro career outside of Seattle, because the local ring doctor would not allow him to fight due to his leg injury. Velez rose quickly to main event status boxing out of Spokane, fighting one 4-rounder, 6-rounder, and 8-rounder, before moving to his first ten-rounder, where he battered Spokane Featherweight Joey Dolan in a thrilling one-sided brawl in Spokane in March 1948. It was only after this win, and subsequent wins, that Velez was allowed to make his ring debut in Seattle. (According to the Oct. 2, 1950 Tacoma News Tribune, he had temporarily retired for a year.)

Velez's father was Puerto Rican and his mother was an Alaskan Native. Joey was the older brother of fellow boxer Bob Velez.

Expug · Post by **Expug** » 06 May 2008, 18:09

A new resteraunt called "Taylor Street" ,named after the famous Italian neighborhood in Chicago , just opened in my neck of the woods,
I heard that the owner was a former Chicago boxing manager so naturally I went in and introduced myself.
We hadnt met but we know many of the same people.
His name is Mickey but I didnt get his last name .He told me but I couldnt hear it too well. He talked quet and the retaraunt was a little noisy.
I'll be back in there Im sure.
The place looks good with fight pictures all over the place.
This guy managed Jumbo Cummings among others and he was with Jumbo at Royal Albert Hall for his fight with Bruno.
He said Jumbo had Frank in trouble early but later the ref waved it off when Jumbo went down but was fine.
Anyone here see that fight?
Id like to hear it from some others what went down.
Mickey also said there was a little ruckus in the ring afterwards.

kikibalt · Post by **kikibalt** » 06 May 2008, 21:46

Archie Moore

kikibalt · Post by **kikibalt** » 06 May 2008, 21:48