enrique wrote:One of my favorite Art Aragon tales involves a weigh in. The Golden Boy was contracted for 135 and came in at 140. When the promoter was ready to faint, Art announced that he was going to do a bowel movement. He entered the washroom and removed several fishing weights from the inside lining of his shorts, then returned to the weigh in and scaled 135, to everyone's astonishment.
enrique wrote:One of my favorite Art Aragon tales involves a weigh in. The Golden Boy was contracted for 135 and came in at 140. When the promoter was ready to faint, Art announced that he was going to do a bowel movement. He entered the washroom and removed several fishing weights from the inside lining of his shorts, then returned to the weigh in and scaled 135, to everyone's astonishment.
kikibalt wrote:Rick Farris wrote:The Olympic Today . . .kikibalt wrote:
The Olympic today...
Ironically, I passed by the Olympic Auditorium very early this morning, about 2am on my way home from work. I was tired, but hadn't seen it since it's conversion to a church, so I pulled off the freeway and circled the place. It was kinda sad. On the west wall, A huge sign had been painted that reads, "Jesus Saves Lives!" On the north wall, a big electric sign is exposed to those passing on the freeway, advertising it as a Christian church, in both English and Korean. The walls looked scrubbed clean. Of course, the Olympic of old had lost it's original luster to me in the early 90's, when it's new owner Jack Needleman renovated the old girl, removing seats, painting over the huge mural of a boxer that had adorned it's walls since it's opening in 1926.
It had been renamed, "The Grand Olympic Aud." about 15-years-ago. Grand??? Hell, we know it was grand, anybody who ever sat ringside on thursday nights didn't need to be reminded of that reality. Also removed in the '90's renovation was that legendary marquis, the one that used to have the names of the weeks boxing wrestling main-eventers. However, no longer a "girl", the old broad almost looked as if she were laughing, as if enjoying a bad joke society was trying to play on it. Something kept going thru my mind, like, the building was saying, "You can paint me, change me, call me what you want, but I know who I am, I'm the Olympic, America's last great boxing venue . . . and one day, when somebody comes to their senses, I'LL BE BACK!"
I hope you are right, baby. Damn, I miss you!
-Rick Farris
Sad, indeed!, I think I felt a tear rolling down my face when I shot that pic.
Geez Frank, there dropping left & right. You know, I'm the guy who will do the "ten count" part of this years WBHOF banquet. I compile a list of all the guys who've passed away since last year, and read them before Armando Muniz tolls ten on the bell. If boxers keep on dying, that will take up most of the event.kikibalt wrote:Joey Giardello has died,
RIP, Joey....
Great writing Rick, If this is how you write when you aren't feeling well............Frank . . . I'm not feeling well and don't plan to return to work until monday. In the mean time, I'm going to get some rest and focus on this forum. I have an idea, a short series of memories related to fighting at the Olympic. I already chronicled my memories of the dressing room, and actually stepping into the ring, but I'd like to expand on this for the guys. Just random thoughts, as they pass thru my mind, as they have quite a bit lately, since you began this thread. I have a great photo of the Olympic "as we knew it", taken by the great Theo Eret, official Olympic Auditorium photographer from the 60's thru the 70's. I'll get it off to you, and under that photo, I'll begin a short series of memories.
The Olympic was very special to us L.A. Boxing afficianados. It was kinda like the Madison Square Garden of the West, only more exclusive. In it's heyday, the Olympic catered only to Boxing, Wrestling & the Roller Derby, Tuesday thru Thursday. Aside from occasional "fund raisers", etc. it basicly sat dark the rest of the week. Unlike the Garden, you didn't see The Ringling Bros. Circus at the 18th & Grand arena, nor Pavoratti and the other two tenors, or indoor track meets, etc The Olympic catered only to the rough side of entertainment, and she did it with her own sense of class.
You know, the Olympic had a special following, an audience made up of a mixture of blue collar workers, celebrites, gangsters, etc. I'll never forget Johnny Flores and I standing in the corner of the ring, before Jimmy Lennon's introductions on December 10, 1970. Johnny would try to take the edge off by pointing out various personalities at ringside, Ryan O'Neal, Bill Cosby, Connie Stevens, Chuck Connors and others. One night, as I stood in the ring as a prelim fighter, in the opening bout to a sold-out house that had come to see Mando Ramos take on his old stablemate Raul Rojas, in a grudge match, Johnny pointed down to a short, stocky, well dressed old man wearing an expensive hat.
"That's Mickey Cohen", Johnny informed me. As the old gangster stared up toward me, his lady friend, B-movie actress Edie Williams, smiled from ear-to-ear, waving to the crowd, dipping forward to deliberatly expose her clevage. The crowd went crazy, and when Williams tore off her top, exposing her bare boos, Aileen Eaton ran over and personally tossed the actress out. "Sorry Mickey, but she's outta here", Aileen told Cohen. One thing was certain, there was enough electricity flowing thru that audience to light up the entire City of L.A. on that night . . . Mando Ramos was fighting! That was all it took.
After I won a hard fought decision in the opening four rounder, Armando Muniz KOed Cipriano Hernandez in the scheduled six, followed by Ramos' stablemate Frankie Crawford, who KOed Jose Luis Martinez with a whistling left hook that landed a couple seconds after final bell. When TV announcer Jim Healy asked Crawford why he punched his opponent after the bell had rang, Frankie cocked his head to the side, blinked and answered, "What bell?" Typical Frankie Crawford.
After weeks of drama promoting the Ramos-Rojas affair, the former lightweight champ, who'd just turned 22, iced Raul Rojas with a picture perfect left hook to the chin, in the sixth round, I believe, thus settling a fued that had raged for a couple of years. I have pics of the weigh-in, and I'll get them off to Frank, so he can post them here for the world to see.
Like Randy said, "better it's being managed by God at the moment, than transformed into parking lot." I'll give you that, Randy.
-Rick Farris
My condolences to his family. Rest in peace Champ!kikibalt wrote:Joey Giardello has died,
RIP, Joey....
Rick Farris wrote:Rick Farris wrote:kikibalt wrote:
The Olympic today...
The Olympic Today . . .
Ironically, I passed by the Olympic Auditorium very early this morning, about 2am on my way home from work. I was tired, but hadn't seen it since it's conversion to a church, so I pulled off the freeway and circled the place. It was kinda sad. On the west wall, A huge sign had been painted that reads, "Jesus Saves Lives!" On the north wall, a big electric sign is exposed to those passing on the freeway, advertising it as a Christian church, in both English and Korean. The walls looked scrubbed clean. Of course, the Olympic of old had lost it's original luster to me in the early 90's, when it's new owner Jack Needleman renovated the old girl, removing seats, painting over the huge mural of a boxer that had adorned it's walls since it's opening in 1926.
It had been renamed, "The Grand Olympic Aud." about 15-years-ago. Grand??? Hell, we know it was grand, anybody who ever sat ringside on thursday nights didn't need to be reminded of that reality. Also removed in the '90's renovation was that legendary marquis, the one that used to have the names of the weeks boxing wrestling main-eventers. However, no longer a "girl", the old broad almost looked as if she were laughing, as if enjoying a bad joke society was trying to play on it. Something kept going thru my mind, like, the building was saying, "You can paint me, change me, call me what you want, but I know who I am, I'm the Olympic, America's last great boxing venue . . . and one day, when somebody comes to their senses, I'LL BE BACK!"
I hope you are right, baby. Damn, I miss you!
-Rick Farris
Frank . . . I'm not feeling well and don't plan to return to work until monday. In the mean time, I'm going to get some rest and focus on this forum. I have an idea, a short series of memories related to fighting at the Olympic. I already chronicled my memories of the dressing room, and actually stepping into the ring, but I'd like to expand on this for the guys. Just random thoughts, as they pass thru my mind, as they have quite a bit lately, since you began this thread. I have a great photo of the Olympic "as we knew it", taken by the great Theo Eret, official Olympic Auditorium photographer from the 60's thru the 70's. I'll get it off to you, and under that photo, I'll begin a short series of memories.
The Olympic was very special to us L.A. Boxing afficianados. It was kinda like the Madison Square Garden of the West, only more exclusive. In it's heyday, the Olympic catered only to Boxing, Wrestling & the Roller Derby, Tuesday thru Thursday. Aside from occasional "fund raisers", etc. it basicly sat dark the rest of the week. Unlike the Garden, you didn't see The Ringling Bros. Circus at the 18th & Grand arena, nor Pavoratti and the other two tenors, or indoor track meets, etc The Olympic catered only to the rough side of entertainment, and she did it with her own sense of class.
You know, the Olympic had a special following, an audience made up of a mixture of blue collar workers, celebrites, gangsters, etc. I'll never forget Johnny Flores and I standing in the corner of the ring, before Jimmy Lennon's introductions on December 10, 1970. Johnny would try to take the edge off by pointing out various personalities at ringside, Ryan O'Neal, Bill Cosby, Connie Stevens, Chuck Connors and others. One night, as I stood in the ring as a prelim fighter, in the opening bout to a sold-out house that had come to see Mando Ramos take on his old stablemate Raul Rojas, in a grudge match, Johnny pointed down to a short, stocky, well dressed old man wearing an expensive hat.
"That's Mickey Cohen", Johnny informed me. As the old gangster stared up toward me, his lady friend, B-movie actress Edie Williams, smiled from ear-to-ear, waving to the crowd, dipping forward to deliberatly expose her clevage. The crowd went crazy, and when Williams tore off her top, exposing her bare boos, Aileen Eaton ran over and personally tossed the actress out. "Sorry Mickey, but she's outta here", Aileen told Cohen. One thing was certain, there was enough electricity flowing thru that audience to light up the entire City of L.A. on that night . . . Mando Ramos was fighting! That was all it took.
After I won a hard fought decision in the opening four rounder, Armando Muniz KOed Cipriano Hernandez in the scheduled six, followed by Ramos' stablemate Frankie Crawford, who KOed Jose Luis Martinez with a whistling left hook that landed a couple seconds after final bell. When TV announcer Jim Healy asked Crawford why he punched his opponent after the bell had rang, Frankie cocked his head to the side, blinked and answered, "What bell?" Typical Frankie Crawford.
After weeks of drama promoting the Ramos-Rojas affair, the former lightweight champ, who'd just turned 22, iced Raul Rojas with a picture perfect left hook to the chin, in the sixth round, I believe, thus settling a fued that had raged for a couple of years. I have pics of the weigh-in, and I'll get them off to Frank, so he can post them here for the world to see.
Like Randy said, "better it's being managed by God at the moment, than transformed into parking lot." I'll give you that, Randy.
-Rick Farris
kikibalt wrote:Joey Giardello has died,
RIP, Joey....
Thanks for remembering Cesar Chavez Rog. He was another authentic American hero. I wrote the following in 2007 at http://cafedelao.blogspot.com/2007/09/c ... 31993.htmlkikibalt wrote:Cesar Chavez
"Cesar"
By Diego
Hey Goombadilkikibalt wrote:Joey Giardello has died,
RIP, Joey....
Randyman wrote:Thanks for remembering Cesar Chavez Rog. He was another authentic American hero. I wrote the following in 2007 at http://cafedelao.blogspot.com/2007/09/c ... 31993.htmlkikibalt wrote:Cesar Chavez
"Cesar"
By Diego
Cesar Chavez 1927-1993
After my own father, there are few men in this world, that I have personally met, that I truly look up to as heroic. Cesar Chavez was such a man. I remember listening to the evening news during the 1960's and listening to the struggles of Chavez and the United Farm Workers. I remember wondering what could drive a man to hurt himself, damage his body for a cause, as he did during his long fast, in his attempt to bring the struggles of the farm workers into the American consciousness. To this day it is still hard to fathom. Even as a young teen, I was aware that Cesar Chavez was someone special, someone deserving of our respect. Whether or not you agreed with his views, whether you are liberal of conservative, you would be hard pressed not to respect his dedication to his own beliefs. He never left the struggle. He remained living in the same small home with his wife, that he had lived in for years. He never commercialized his life, he never sold out to those that believed in him. It is important to me that Chavez is recognized as an American first and foremost, and this was how he presented the farm workers, as Americans deserving of better, deserving of respect.
My son Andrew and I were fortunate enough to meet this great man in 1992, about a year before his death in April of 1993. My friend Tim Rodriguez was the manager of Valdez bookstore in Uptown Whittier and gave me a heads up on Chavez' book signing, knowing how I felt about Chavez. It remains a moment in my life that I will never forget. Andrew and I had a chance to have a personal conversation with him, as he told us about the problems facing the farm workers. He was such a humble man, it belied his accomplishments, and he was surprised at the importance that Andrew and I put in meeting him and shaking his hand. He gave me a UFW flag that he personally signed for me, as well as a video that showed the results of harmful pesticides in vegetables grown in central California.
"I come here today to honor you for the long and patient commitment you have made to this struggle for justice. And, I come here to say that we will fight together to achieve for you the aspirations of every American: decent wages, decent housing, decent schooling, a chance for yourselves and your children. You stand for justice and I am proud to stand with you. Viva la causa!"-- Robert F. Kennedy, 1968
Real nice Randy. Real real nice.Randyman wrote:Thanks for remembering Cesar Chavez Rog. He was another authentic American hero. I wrote the following in 2007 at http://cafedelao.blogspot.com/2007/09/c ... 31993.htmlkikibalt wrote:Cesar Chavez
"Cesar"
By Diego
Cesar Chavez 1927-1993
After my own father, there are few men in this world, that I have personally met, that I truly look up to as heroic. Cesar Chavez was such a man. I remember listening to the evening news during the 1960's and listening to the struggles of Chavez and the United Farm Workers. I remember wondering what could drive a man to hurt himself, damage his body for a cause, as he did during his long fast, in his attempt to bring the struggles of the farm workers into the American consciousness. To this day it is still hard to fathom. Even as a young teen, I was aware that Cesar Chavez was someone special, someone deserving of our respect. Whether or not you agreed with his views, whether you are liberal of conservative, you would be hard pressed not to respect his dedication to his own beliefs. He never left the struggle. He remained living in the same small home with his wife, that he had lived in for years. He never commercialized his life, he never sold out to those that believed in him. It is important to me that Chavez is recognized as an American first and foremost, and this was how he presented the farm workers, as Americans deserving of better, deserving of respect.
My son Andrew and I were fortunate enough to meet this great man in 1992, about a year before his death in April of 1993. My friend Tim Rodriguez was the manager of Valdez bookstore in Uptown Whittier and gave me a heads up on Chavez' book signing, knowing how I felt about Chavez. It remains a moment in my life that I will never forget. Andrew and I had a chance to have a personal conversation with him, as he told us about the problems facing the farm workers. He was such a humble man, it belied his accomplishments, and he was surprised at the importance that Andrew and I put in meeting him and shaking his hand. He gave me a UFW flag that he personally signed for me, as well as a video that showed the results of harmful pesticides in vegetables grown in central California.
"I come here today to honor you for the long and patient commitment you have made to this struggle for justice. And, I come here to say that we will fight together to achieve for you the aspirations of every American: decent wages, decent housing, decent schooling, a chance for yourselves and your children. You stand for justice and I am proud to stand with you. Viva la causa!"-- Robert F. Kennedy, 1968
Frank, that is a classic photo. I'm saving a copy for myself. You've been around man.kikibalt wrote:Randy,
Thats me on the left, "1952"
No-Cal
Rog, I posted that painting of Giardello on my website. Well done. When we get around to getting together, we'll have toast for all the fallen boxers. They'd appreciate it.dagosd2000 wrote:Hey Goombadilkikibalt wrote:Joey Giardello has died,
RIP, Joey....
My father's got the spaghetti and clams waitin' for ya.' Pretty soon Jake is gonna dine with you guys. Have a glass of Chianti and toast all the fighters of your era. I hope there's enough Chianti to go around.
Yeah! I guess I been here and there a few times in my life.Randyman wrote:Frank, that is a classic photo. I'm saving a copy for myself. You've been around man.kikibalt wrote:Randy,
Thats me on the left, "1952"
No-Cal
Randy
RandyRandyman wrote:Rog, I posted that painting of Giardello on my website. Well done. When we get around to getting together, we'll have toast for all the fallen boxers. They'd appreciate it.dagosd2000 wrote:Hey Goombadilkikibalt wrote:Joey Giardello has died,
RIP, Joey....
My father's got the spaghetti and clams waitin' for ya.' Pretty soon Jake is gonna dine with you guys. Have a glass of Chianti and toast all the fighters of your era. I hope there's enough Chianti to go around.
Randy
Rog, thanks. You seemed to capture the sadness that never seemed to leave him. Even when he was laughing. You could sense the deep thought, the sadness...dagosd2000 wrote:Real nice Randy. Real real nice.Randyman wrote:Thanks for remembering Cesar Chavez Rog. He was another authentic American hero. I wrote the following in 2007 at http://cafedelao.blogspot.com/2007/09/c ... 31993.htmlkikibalt wrote:Cesar Chavez
"Cesar"
By Diego
Cesar Chavez 1927-1993
After my own father, there are few men in this world, that I have personally met, that I truly look up to as heroic. Cesar Chavez was such a man. I remember listening to the evening news during the 1960's and listening to the struggles of Chavez and the United Farm Workers. I remember wondering what could drive a man to hurt himself, damage his body for a cause, as he did during his long fast, in his attempt to bring the struggles of the farm workers into the American consciousness. To this day it is still hard to fathom. Even as a young teen, I was aware that Cesar Chavez was someone special, someone deserving of our respect. Whether or not you agreed with his views, whether you are liberal of conservative, you would be hard pressed not to respect his dedication to his own beliefs. He never left the struggle. He remained living in the same small home with his wife, that he had lived in for years. He never commercialized his life, he never sold out to those that believed in him. It is important to me that Chavez is recognized as an American first and foremost, and this was how he presented the farm workers, as Americans deserving of better, deserving of respect.
My son Andrew and I were fortunate enough to meet this great man in 1992, about a year before his death in April of 1993. My friend Tim Rodriguez was the manager of Valdez bookstore in Uptown Whittier and gave me a heads up on Chavez' book signing, knowing how I felt about Chavez. It remains a moment in my life that I will never forget. Andrew and I had a chance to have a personal conversation with him, as he told us about the problems facing the farm workers. He was such a humble man, it belied his accomplishments, and he was surprised at the importance that Andrew and I put in meeting him and shaking his hand. He gave me a UFW flag that he personally signed for me, as well as a video that showed the results of harmful pesticides in vegetables grown in central California.
"I come here today to honor you for the long and patient commitment you have made to this struggle for justice. And, I come here to say that we will fight together to achieve for you the aspirations of every American: decent wages, decent housing, decent schooling, a chance for yourselves and your children. You stand for justice and I am proud to stand with you. Viva la causa!"-- Robert F. Kennedy, 1968
frankkikibalt wrote:Yeah! I guess I been here and there a few times in my life.Randyman wrote:Frank, that is a classic photo. I'm saving a copy for myself. You've been around man.kikibalt wrote:Randy,
Thats me on the left, "1952"
No-Cal
Randy
With the way the guys have been dropping lately we might just have rent our own winery for a day. The guys would like that!Randy
You better have a big bottle.
It's a good thing Chavez became a Union Leader. If he'd been a boxer,he would have kicked some ass. This guy was tough. Soft spoken,but wouldn't budge on his principles.He's up there with MLK.kikibalt wrote:Cesar Chavez
"Cesar"
By Diego
diego,dagosd2000 wrote:kikibalt wrote:Frank, that is a classic photo. I'm saving a copy for myself. You've been around man.kikibalt wrote:Randy,
Thats me on the left, "1952"
No-Cal
Randy
frank
Is that your guys car in the backround? If so what make and model?
