Classic American West Coast Boxing

[kikibalt]

I wish. I'm not sure they would let me in, Frankie.

Bennie,

If you have any problem getting into the old U S-of-A, we have a great lawyer in our mist,
Tom Ray aka "raylawpc"

[bennie]

I wish. I'm not sure they would let me in, Frankie.

Bennie,

If you have any problem getting into the old U S-of-A, we have a great lawyer in our mist,
Tom Ray aka "raylawpc"

I'l ask for Ray at immigration. I'll also mention Frank Baltazar Senior. That will either get me whisked through, or locked up.

[kikibalt]

I wish. I'm not sure they would let me in, Frankie.

Bennie,

If you have any problem getting into the old U S-of-A, we have a great lawyer in our mist,
Tom Ray aka "raylawpc"

I'l ask for Ray at immigration. I'll also mention Frank Baltazar Senior. That will either get me whisked through, or locked up.

You mention my name, you go to jail for sure....

[kikibalt]

[Rick Farris]

Man, California looks HOT!

Bennie,

When're you coming out to see us?.

You know, it's getting pretty cold in the U.K around the middle of November. Reason I say this is that on November 15th, the World Boxing HOF has it's annual induction banquet, and the cream of this Boxrec thread are all meeting there, and will share a couple of my tables amongst the champs we post about. You know Bennie, I would be honored to have you join us. Awhile back, I invited all of you to join me as my guest at my tables. So far we have Frank & Connie, Dagos and his wife, Dan Hanley and his pop, Randy De La O and his wife and friend, John Bardelli (son of inductee Young Firpo), possibly Ex-Pug from Chicago, my dad, my wife and a couple others. Bennie, I didn't expect you to fly across the pond to be here, but if you are willing there are two seats with your name on them. We are trying to get Calzaghe out here from the U.K. to receive a special award (this is my project with ref Gwen Adair) so, you could get to know him a bit, also. The idea for Gwen and I is to honor boxers from around the world since we are the WORLD Boxing HOF, not the Southern Cal. Hall. It's a pretty cool event and is being held at the Airport Marriot Hotel, right next to L.A. Airport. Oh Bennie, by the way, Lennox Lewis will be inducted this year and will be in the house. Seems to me that our table will not be complete without our own Brit rep! If you can't make it, we'll toast you from afar, but wouldn't it be better to just be here? I truly appreciate all the great things you post, I have learned from you as I have everybody here. Come enjoy a couple days of California sun . . .

Rick Farris
Director-WBHOF (Just tossed that in to make myself sound important )

[kikibalt]

These two guys were seating next to the parking space we parked in,
I was wearing a t-shirt with Tony's name on it "Tony the Tiger Baltazar"
on it, when the guy on the right seen it, he jumped up and came right up
to me and he says "The Tiger Baltazar, wasn't he a fighter some years back?",
I told him "yes",and he says "do you know him?" I say "yeah, I think so, I'm his dad",
by that time the other guy was standing there with us, and they both were trying to
shake my hand at the same time and offering to buy us drinks, of course, I said yes on the
drinks.

[Rick Farris]

I wish. I'm not sure they would let me in, Frankie.

Bennie,

If you have any problem getting into the old U S-of-A, we have a great lawyer in our mist,
Tom Ray aka "raylawpc"

And Ray (Tom) you are welcome also! John Bardelli (Inductee Young Firpo's son) is also an attorney and will be sitting with us at the cool "Classic West Coast Boxing" table. The last two tickets have your name on them if you can make it. Let me know if this is possible in a post here, and from there I will arrange to send you tickets when they are printed. The tickets are on me, all you have to do his get yourself to the event on november 15th.


-Rick Farris

[kikibalt]

Bat Battalino
Circa 1932

[kikibalt]

Rocky Graziano vs Freddie "Red" Cochrane
Madison Square Garden, New York City
24 August 1945

The Referee is Benny Leonard

[kikibalt]

Tony Zale vs Rocky Graziano
27 September 1946, Yankee Stadium
The Bronx, New York

[kikibalt]

Rocky Graziano vs Tony Zale
Chicago Stadium
16 July 1947

[kikibalt]

Sugar Ray Robinson vs Artie Levine
Cleveland, 6 November 1946

[kikibalt]

Walter McGowan vs Chartchai Chionoi
Wembley, London
19 September 1967

[raylawpc]

I wish. I'm not sure they would let me in, Frankie.

Bennie,

If you have any problem getting into the old U S-of-A, we have a great lawyer in our mist,
Tom Ray aka "raylawpc"

And Ray (Tom) you are welcome also! John Bardelli (Inductee Young Firpo's son) is also an attorney and will be sitting with us at the cool "Classic West Coast Boxing" table. The last two tickets have your name on them if you can make it. Let me know if this is possible in a post here, and from there I will arrange to send you tickets when they are printed. The tickets are on me, all you have to do his get yourself to the event on november 15th.


-Rick Farris

You know, Rick, I really appreciate the invitation and all the friendliness exhibited toward this old Okie by all the regulars on the West Coast thread. But I will either be in New Zealand or getting ready to depart for New Zealand at that time to visit my son (and Bob Fitzsimmons' ancestral home in Tamaru.) Can I have a rain check for next year?

[kikibalt]

Well, another weekend is here!

[kikibalt]

[dagosd2000]

Famous names dying, going, not being replaced. Boxing is in trouble.

Us old guys are in trouble too, Bennie....

HOW I CONNECTED WITH FRANK
This thread started ,I think in February. Pug started off,then I came in,and Frank followed with some pics. It started to grow quickly. i knew we had something. I think because threads usually die out after a week or two,maybe come back for a a couple of posts,some wanted to move on. NO WAy.

After a few weeks Frank puts up this:¨Hey Diego,you sound like you´re old. How old are you?¨
Frank had me by ten years,but I knew I had made a friend.

[dagosd2000]

Bat Battalino
Circa 1932

Two fighters died after bouts with Battalino.

[kikibalt]

diego,

Are you home yet? or are you still down south eating lots of tacos.

[kikibalt]

[dagosd2000]

KIKO

¨Where are you two going?¨I asked my grandkids.
¨To the church to light some candles.¨said Amanda.
¨Ï´ll walk with you. I need to stretch the leg.

I´ve never gotten much out f going to Church. I was born Catholic. Baptised. Had my Communion. Was even an alter boy. But I never felt anything special inside Church. I remember my parents asking me when I think I was 4 or 5 if I wanted to go to public school or Catholic school at St. Mary´s. I remember I closed my eyes and saw Jesus,or the face of Jesus. It was Jesus´s face. Put it that way.

Well I went to St. Mary´s and the only¨thing I learned was how to feel guilty. Real guilty. I was made for it I think. We walk up the steps of the Guadalupe Church,me and the grandkids. They want to light candles in front of the Virgen. We´re the only ones inside. I´m looking ,but I can´t find the statue of the Virgin Mary. Behind me I hear footsteps.
¨Rogelio,como estas?¨
It was ¨Kiko.

His sudden entrance frightened my grandkids.
Äbuelito ,who´s that?¨asked my granddaughter.
¨Kiko.¨
¨What´s wrong with him?¨
¨Nothin,He´s just different from us.
Kiko was dressed sloppily as usual,but what frightened them was his face. Something happened when he was born and he wound up a little backward. He always smiled even when he´s talking.His teeth are all different shapes and sizes. He´s just simple. He told me about his brother that died yesterday. Kiko´s bropther died ten years ago. I asked him where the kids put the candles.
¨

¨Si Rogelio. Por aqui.¨
Kiko,smiling¨, lead my grandkids to the statue of the Virgin. The were a few other candles that were lit. I could tell my grandkids were more at ease. I took some pictures. the grandkids lighting the candles,and one of Kiko. I didn´t have to ask him to smile.

Before taking more pictures,I asked him if he needed anything. He smiled and said he didn´t. He hangs out aroung the Church. He lives with an older sister.I´ve never seen her. He´s distantly related to my wife. I remember Kiko ay my suegra´s fineral. He cried very hard. He was overwhelmed with grief. He reminded me a little of my mother in law.

After taking some more pictures I turned to tell my grandkids to tell them we were gong. Kiko was gone.We started walking down the steps of the Church.¨
¨Did he use drugs?äsked my granddaughter.
¨No. He´s always been that way.¨
Abueito, can we come back tomorrow and light more candles¨and see Kiko?
¨No we´ll be leaving very early.¨
As we reached the bottom steps,the bell rang for the afternoon Mass. ¨We got to the house. My leg felt better. I thought that the walk helped. But I wished we ´d have time to go back to the Church in the morning

[dagosd2000]

diego,

Are you home yet? or are you still down south eating lots of tacos.

Tomorrow,I´ll be sleeping in San Diego. I´ve got some pics I want to share with you and the guys. Amazing,absolutely amazing place. As I´m typing ,there´s a guy playing a six string singing beautifull songs in the cafe near the plaza. The voice is echoing through the streets. I can hear it from far away.

[bennie]

Man, California looks HOT!

Bennie,

When're you coming out to see us?.

You know, it's getting pretty cold in the U.K around the middle of November. Reason I say this is that on November 15th, the World Boxing HOF has it's annual induction banquet, and the cream of this Boxrec thread are all meeting there, and will share a couple of my tables amongst the champs we post about. You know Bennie, I would be honored to have you join us. Awhile back, I invited all of you to join me as my guest at my tables. So far we have Frank & Connie, Dagos and his wife, Dan Hanley and his pop, Randy De La O and his wife and friend, John Bardelli (son of inductee Young Firpo), possibly Ex-Pug from Chicago, my dad, my wife and a couple others. Bennie, I didn't expect you to fly across the pond to be here, but if you are willing there are two seats with your name on them. We are trying to get Calzaghe out here from the U.K. to receive a special award (this is my project with ref Gwen Adair) so, you could get to know him a bit, also. The idea for Gwen and I is to honor boxers from around the world since we are the WORLD Boxing HOF, not the Southern Cal. Hall. It's a pretty cool event and is being held at the Airport Marriot Hotel, right next to L.A. Airport. Oh Bennie, by the way, Lennox Lewis will be inducted this year and will be in the house. Seems to me that our table will not be complete without our own Brit rep! If you can't make it, we'll toast you from afar, but wouldn't it be better to just be here? I truly appreciate all the great things you post, I have learned from you as I have everybody here. Come enjoy a couple days of California sun . . .

Rick Farris
Director-WBHOF (Just tossed that in to make myself sound important )

You are important, Rick, and I truly appreciate the offer, although, sadly, I cannot see myself making the trip. The taxman, you know. I have met Calzaghe once or twice and he seems like a nice guy, if a little moody, and I 've never been able to understand a word Enzo (his dad/trainer) says; Lewis, no BS, lived right next door to a relative of mine in Crayford in Kent (near London) when he turned pro. His mum came round in tears when Roger Levitt, who backed Lewis, went bust and the house was repossessed. I don't think Lewis has ever forgiven Levitt for allowing that to happen. In court Lewis is a much better fighter than he is in the ring. Incidentally, when the Lewis 'gay' rumours were flying around, I knew for a fact they were false. My auntie told me they could hear him 'entertaining' women (cough, cough) through the rather thin walls we have over here. I also found it amusing when I heard that Lewis, before his biggest (first biggest) win over Razor Ruddock, was 'pumped up' in the back garden by his team before he set off for the fight. They were all stomping around chanting things, much like Araon Pryor's "Hawk Time!"
It beats a barbeque.

[bennie]

Walter McGowan vs Chartchai Chionoi
Wembley, London
19 September 1967

Badly cut, McGowan tries desperately to stop the rugged Thai, but Walter was never a puncher; Chionoi retained his WBC flyweight title on cuts.
Walter, tragically, was declared insane in 2002.

[Counter-puncher]

great photo.

it reminds me of the writing of the grea British sports writer, Hugh McIlvanney. He said that whilst Macgowan's skin was paper-thin and obviously prone to cutting, the Thai 'looked like a woodsman's axe would fail to make a dent in it'