Classic American West Coast Boxing

bennie
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Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing

Post by bennie »

kikibalt wrote:
bennie wrote:Image
Hey Bennie, that looks like my dad's woody, did you ever own one of those?
No, but they used to be a very familiar sight when I was a kid. I liked the old mini (and had one after another for several years). They were quick, small, narrow, easy to park...

Image
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Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing

Post by kikibalt »

bennie wrote:
kikibalt wrote:
bennie wrote:Image
Hey Bennie, that looks like my dad's woody, did you ever own one of those?
No, but they used to be a very familiar sight when I was a kid. I liked the old mini (and had one after another for several years). They were quick, small, narrow, easy to park...

Image
That like the ones I remember seeing.
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Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing

Post by bennie »

I had a bloody good smash in a mini, once, and walked away.
Marc Bolan was not so lucky.

Image
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Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing

Post by bennie »

Image
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Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing

Post by kikibalt »

kikibalt wrote:Image
Was going through some old photos and found this one and
I just had to share it with you guys, my sister Annie along side
of my dad's 1941 Ford Woody....C.1952
Around 1953 my dad and mom went on a month long vacation to Mexico and while they were gone I sold the transmission on the woody, a few days after they returned, my dad tells my mom "I'm going to start the Ford and take it out for a drive, it hasn't been driven for a while" I tell my dad "I won't do that if I were you", my dad goes "why not?" I tell him "Pops I sold the tranny on it while you and mom were in Mexico", my dad was ready to kill me and I still don't understand why... :roll:
I sold it to a friend that had a 1941 Ford 4 door sedan and I'm still waiting for him to pay me the 10 bucks... :verysad:
Last edited by kikibalt on 20 Sep 2008, 16:26, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing

Post by Randyman »

bennie wrote:Image
Bennie, I have that magazine. It's one of my favorite photos of Roberto Duran. He still had that look in his eyes. Joe frazier once said he looked like Charles Manson. At his peak, he was the best. How great was Duran? Just the fact that as a former lightweight champion for over seven years, he moved up in weight and in what was, essentially his second career, became a champion in the welterweight, junior middleweight and middleweight divisions, fighting and holding his own against the best of that era, winning some and losing some. He was a natural lightweight. Duran was nothing short of phenomenal. There will never be another one quite like Roberto Duran.

Randy
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Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing

Post by dagosd2000 »

LOST IN A DREAM

I saw Mathew Saad Muhammad fight once. He defended his title at the Sports Arena against an undefeated fighter from Africa named Mwale.Muhammad was named Mathew Franklin before that. No father. His mother left him with an aunt who abandoned him in the streets of Philadelphia. The cops found him when he was a kid and turned him over to the Catholic Orphanage. No one knew his name. Found out later his last name was Loach. You know how that shit works. Nobody wants the kid. Then he's Champion of The World and here comes his long lost family.

The nuns named him Mathew after the saint and Franklin after the parkway the cops found him wanderin' around. They say when they found him,the kid not only didn't know his name,but couldn't talk.

I never saw a fighter like him who came back time after time from the depths of the brink of defeat to find the resolve to come back and win. He was in some of the greatest thrillers in boxing history.

I remember the night he climbed into the ring against the African. I was sitting ringside next to Hank Stram and Frank Gifford. Naw,I didn't know them,but they were so full of themselves you knew which side of the bread they put the butter on before the night was over.

Even though this defense only lasted 4 rounds,Mathew lost the first 3 frames.The kid had a punch,and even a bigger heart. But down the road Braxton finally broke Mathew down. He took a lot of beatings after that. Sam Solomon didn't care,his manager. The kid got hurt.

A little boy wandering around Philly. Lost. Remember his face? The big warm smile. The funny looking ears.Like he was saying,"Hey,somebody take me in." When the sisters took him in finally,he couldn't remember his past. Maybe it came to him when he was sleeping. But you know how that goes. Most of the time when you wake up,you forget what you were dreaming. For Mathew, it was better off that those memories of his childhood were lost in a dream.
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Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing

Post by Expug »

Expug wrote:Well gentlemen,I have booked the room at Marriott Lax and I will be joining you all for the WBHOF banquet.
Working on the flight as we speak.
I look forward to meeting all of you , and we are gonna have some laughs I promise. :wink:
Rick, I recieved the ticket to the banquet today in the mail today.(Saturday).
Thanks again.
I'll be there on Fri. the 14th late.
Brian
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Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing

Post by kikibalt »

Light Heavyweight Great Bob Foster Speaks to RSR
Interview by Dan Hernandez
Ringside Report

“I could clean up the division right now if I could get in shape.”--Bob Foster
Image
Robert Lloyd Foster, Bob Foster, was born on April 27, 1938, and is a native of Albuquerque, New Mexico. His ring record stands at 56-8-1 46 KO’s. He is considered by many boxing critics as one of the premier Light Heavyweight World Champions in history. He resides in Albuquerque to this day having retired recently from the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Department where he was a well known detective. Bob is a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame and was named to Ring Magazine’s list of the 80 Best Fighters of the last 80 years, ranking at #55.

After a successful amateur career, winning the Pan American Games Silver Medal in 1959, Foster began fighting professionally in 1961 and got his first title shot on the night of May 24, 1968, at the famed Madison Square Garden in New York. Bob did not waste that opportunity, knocking out the great Dick Tiger in four rounds. Tiger had been a 2-Time Middleweight champion and was attempting to defend his World Light Heavyweight Crown that night. A tall light heavy at 6’3,” Bob never had the weight to compete effectively with the top heavyweights of his era, losing by knockout to Doug Jones, Ernie Terrell, Muhammad Ali, and Joe Frazier in a bid for the Heavyweight Title.

It was as a Light Heavyweight that Foster is best known, scoring some of the most impressive knockouts ever recorded. After having his title stripped for obscure reasons, Foster fought Vicente Rondon in a unification bout on April 7, 1972, and regained universal recognition as the undisputed champion with a devastating second round knockout. In his next fight, he used what many have called one of the best punches in history to retain his championship by knockout in four rounds against challenger, Mike Quarry. Bob retired as champion in 1974 after a hard fought draw with Argentinean, Jorge Ahumada.

Bob was vivid in his recollections of his boxing glories and it was a pleasure to have the following communication…

DH: How are you these days?

I’m doing fine. I’m retired from the Sheriff’s Department, but I still work out some, and I’ll do some training of kids I meet in the gym.

DH: Why did you settle in New Mexico? What was your attraction to the area?

I settled here because my mother and family still live here. I had the chance to join the Sheriff’s Department back in 1971, which was another reason I came back here to live.

DH: What was your greatest moment as a fighter?
Image
Winning the title from Dick Tiger was the greatest moment of my career. The highlights of defending my title were probably Mike Quarry and Vicente Rondon. I knocked them out with the same type of punch, and left them both shaking on the canvas.

DH: When did you know that boxing was the right choice?

I turned to boxing when I was 14 years old, fighting in the Golden Gloves when I was in high school. I knew when I was getting kicked out of school for knocking people out that I had a gift for boxing.

DH: When did you know it was time to retire?

I knew after I went 15 rounds with Jorge Ahumada that it was time to retire. My legs were gone, and it was time to get out. If that fight had been anywhere but Albuquerque, I would have lost the fight. I told my manager, Billy Edwards: “Billy, we made enough money, let’s get out of here.” I returned to the ring a few times after that just to make sure I was done. But after the Ahumada fight, it was over.

DH: Do you keep up with people you met in your boxing career?

It’s hard to keep up too good here in New Mexico. I keep up when I can and see people I know from boxing at events like the Hall of Fame weekend.

DH: Did you ever feel that you would seriously hurt someone?

Not really. Quarry and Rondon were the only ones I thought I might have seriously hurt at the time. I tried to talk Quarry out of taking the fight so soon, because he was too young, but he couldn’t resist the chance at the title. Quarry said before the fight: “I can beat you old man.” I said: “Mike, you better keep moving. If you stop moving, I’ll take your head off.”

After I knocked him out, I went over to check on him, and my trainer pulled me back to the corner, saying: “Don’t look at him, don’t look at him.” I said: “Billy, the kid is dead.” Billy said: “F#$% him, he didn’t have any business being in there with you in the first place. You told him not to fight you.” Billy was a mean dude, man. Afterwards, I was sitting in the bar of the hotel with Ali, who fought Jerry Quarry that night. Mike came up and I told him: “Now you know what it’s like to get hit by a freight train.”

Before the Rondon fight, Rondon was going around saying: “Me the champ, me the champ.” I almost knocked him out at the weigh-in because he was acting stupid. When we met in the ring before the fight, I told him: “I’m going to kill you, mother f#%#er.” You could tell he was scared and he never was no good after that fight.

DH: How did you develop such a devastating punch?

Punching power is a gift from God; it’s not something that you can teach. You either have it or you don’t. I remember fighting a heavyweight who I knocked out in 16 or 17 seconds in a fight in New Orleans. I hit him so hard that I lifted him right off the canvas and blood shot out of both his ears. That fight doesn’t even show up on my fight record. Once I realized I had punching power, I trained with a one-pound weight in each hand during my training and shadow boxing. I had equal power in both hands, and a left hook that you couldn’t see coming.

DH: Do you do any boxing related activities today?

Not too much anymore, but I still do some training of young fighters at the gym. I still work out at the gym and try to stay active.

DH: What is your worst memory or regret as a fighter?
Image
My only regret is that I was not a natural heavyweight. Otherwise, I would have been the heavyweight champion.

DH: How do you believe you would do today with the current light heavyweights?

They’re some of the worst light heavies in history; can’t fight a lick. I could clean up the division right now if I could get in shape.

DH: Who is your all-time favorite fighter?

Sugar Ray Robinson. He could do it all: jabbing, moving, and lightning quick combination punches. Best fighter that ever lived.

DH: Please share something with the readers that you‘d like to convey.

Well, if I could have weighed 190 against Ali or Frazier, I would have knocked them both out. Frazier put pressure on you so that you couldn’t think. I couldn’t keep him off me. It was like standing in front of a tank. Ali was different, you had time to think when you fought him, and I just couldn’t put on the weight.

Please tell my fans that I love them, and they can find me on the internet at Bob's website
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Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing

Post by kikibalt »

Image

Cheerleaders

Image
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Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing

Post by kikibalt »

THOMPSON BOXING BRINGS THE FIGHT GAME “NEW BLOOD”

ORANGE, CA – September 20 – With many of today’s boxing superstars in their mid to late 30’s, the eyes of fight fans have begun to look towards the future of the sport in search of the game’s next great boxers.

On Friday, September 26th, Thompson Boxing Promotions will do its part with a night of fights designed to inject some new blood into boxing, and when it’s over, fans may very well say that they witnessed a future champion or two.

“New Blood”, a six-bout card of explosive professional boxing, is presented by Thompson Boxing Promotions at the Doubletree Hotel in Ontario, California. For tickets, priced at $75, $45, and $30, please call 714-935-0900. The Doubletree Hotel – Ontario is located at 222 N. Vineyard Avenue. Doors open at 6:30pm, and the first bell is at 7:45pm.

Headlining this high-impact event, Luis Ramos will put his perfect 6-0 (4 KOs) record on the line against seasoned Puerto Rican veteran Celestino Rodriguez (6-10-3, 6 KOs) in a six round lightweight bout that should be the Santa Ana native’s sternest test to date.

Ramos is coming off a terrific ESPN televised fight against then undefeated Aaron Dominguez. As the action picked up Ramos’ sharp punches, speed and power simply overwhelmed the Mexican foe that did not answer the bell going into the sixth round.

His opponent, Celestino Rodriguez, is not by any stretch a mere stepping-stone. Although the Puerto Rican brandishes a lopsided record, he has faced extremely tough opposition like Jorge Luis Terron and Lenin Arroyo and is always in a tough fight. His victory to knock out ratio makes him the threat that could derail the young Ramos locomotive.

A special four round attraction will feature undefeated welterweight Mauricio Herrera (6-0, 2 KOs) from Riverside against strong Antonio Soria (2-1, 2 KOs) from Blythe, Arizona. Herrera’s recent activity denotes his rapid ascension in the division as he has successfully faced Santiago Perez, Daniel Cervantes and Alan Velasco, whose combined record was 28-2-4. On the other hand, Soria is coming off a four round decision loss to Matin Vierra.

The big men of boxing will be represented as well by undefeated Mira Loma heavyweight Hildo Silva (4-0, 1 KO) locking horns with the imposing Los Angeles pro debutant Andre Carthron in a four round war.

Also in action, rising junior middleweight star Sammy Gonzalez (5-0, 3 KOs) of Chino will look to build off his impressive sixth round KO of unbeaten Rafael Lopez last June when he takes on always entertaining John Red Tomahawk (3-4, 3 KOs) from Grand Rapids, Montana. A battle of undefeated prospects will also be part of this high intensity event as Riverside’s Danny Escobar (1-0, 1 KO) faces San Diego’s Antonio Orozco (1-0, 1 KO) in a clash of undefeated jr. welterweight young punchers. Rounding of the show will be featherweights Saul Arias who will be making his pro debut against Edgar Jauregui (0-1).

Thompson Boxing Promotions will also make a donation to the Jurupa Valley Boys and Girls Club who recently opened its doors to amateur and professional boxers alike. The much-needed boxing program is backed by the city of Riverside with the construction of brand new facility. Professional boxers such as Cristobal Arreola, Josesito Lopez, Dominic Salcido, Mauricio Herrera and many more of the Inland Empire’s top prospects make this a regular stop in preparation to their fights. Proceeds from “New Blood” will be directed to regular expenditures and utilities in an effort to maintain this building.
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Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing

Post by Rick Farris »

bennie wrote:Image

Naz slammed.
I always loved Marco Antonio Barrera. I saw him at the Forum back in the early 90's. However, of all the great things this guy did in the ring, to me this was the best. With little effort, the Mexican turned this Prince into a Princess, and RUINED the over rated bastard FOREVER. I used to cringe everytime I heard this jackass intoduced as as if he were an Englishman. The English have big balls. Even Ray Charles could see that Hamed was NOt a Brit.

-Rick
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Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing

Post by Rick Farris »

Expug wrote:Well gentlemen,I have booked the room at Marriott Lax and I will be joining you all for the WBHOF banquet.
Working on the flight as we speak.
I look forward to meeting all of you , and we are gonna have some laughs I promise. :wink:
That's a guarantee Brian!
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Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing

Post by Rick Farris »

Expug wrote:
bennie wrote:
Expug wrote:Well gentlemen,I have booked the room at Marriott Lax and I will be joining you all for the WBHOF banquet.
Working on the flight as we speak.
I look forward to meeting all of you , and we are gonna have some laughs I promise. :wink:
Drink, eat, talk boxing, laugh, and laugh some more. Oh yes, and pose for plenty of shots.
Will do Bennie.
I wish you were there also.
Ditto! However, I'll raise a bottle of Guiness to toast you amigo!

-Rick
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Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing

Post by Rick Farris »

dagosd2000 wrote:
Expug wrote:Well gentlemen,I have booked the room at Marriott Lax and I will be joining you all for the WBHOF banquet.
Working on the flight as we speak.
I look forward to meeting all of you , and we are gonna have some laughs I promise. :wink:

Hey Rick
Don't you think you ought to let Pug in on the joke?

Pug we're really not going to the WBHOF. All of us on this thread don't even live in California. We live in Paris at Bennie's house. Frank plays the accordian at the cafes at night. Rick is a French film diractor. Randy writes articles for Le Box de Paree. And I have a spaghetti restaurant next to the Moulin Rouge.

We made the whole thing up. We never thought that you were going to go through with it. You can blame Rick. Your pal Rog. BTW,can I use your Frequent Flyer Miles for my trip to Spain next year?

Thanks a lot Roger. Now this guy is going to fly over and break my legs. Hey Pug, I'm the big Italian looking guy with paint all over my shirt. By the way, fly to Heathrow Airport and ask directions to the "Chunnel". What's a Chunnel? About twenty miles of pure Hell between England and France.

-Ricardo De Gaulle
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Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing

Post by Rick Farris »

kikibalt wrote:Amir Khan has fired trainer Jorge Rubio, who trained him for the knockout loss to Breidis Prescott.
Freddie Roach is going to be the new man taking over the corner for Khan. The lightweight is said to be returning in December against an opponent TBA.

“Amir is coming here to California with his father and attorney. They want to talk to me about rebuilding his career. I heard he suffered a bad knockout,” Roach said.

Hmmm. I wonder how a boxer can blame his trainer when he's flattened in 54 seconds? Seems to me a guy with an Olympic Silver Medal and eighteen pro bouts under his belt (he was 18-0, 14 KO's) would have learned somewhere along the line to hold his hands up. Overmatched against this Prescott? If he wasn't ready for him now, when would he be? As a kid, my trainer Johnny Flores had a big sign above the ring in his backyard gym. The sign read . . . "ARRIBA CON LAS MANOS"! Those of us who didn't understand Spanish got the meaning real quick . . . "Up With The Hands." During the days Mando Ramos was healthy enough to teach kids boxing he'd start out by telling them: "Keep your hands up, your chin down and your ass off the canvas". Enough said.

I know Freddie Roach pretty well. I'm sure Freddie will start the boy on the right path by sharing this basic fact of life in the world of boxing.

-Rick Farris
Last edited by Rick Farris on 21 Sep 2008, 00:09, edited 3 times in total.
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Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing

Post by Rick Farris »

bennie wrote:
kikibalt wrote:
bennie wrote:Image
Hey Bennie, that looks like my dad's woody, did you ever own one of those?
No, but they used to be a very familiar sight when I was a kid. I liked the old mini (and had one after another for several years). They were quick, small, narrow, easy to park...

Image

Bennie, I love that little red Mini!

-Rick
Last edited by Rick Farris on 21 Sep 2008, 00:05, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing

Post by Rick Farris »

Randyman wrote:
bennie wrote:Image
Bennie, I have that magazine. It's one of my favorite photos of Roberto Duran. He still had that look in his eyes. Joe frazier once said he looked like Charles Manson. At his peak, he was the best. How great was Duran? Just the fact that as a former lightweight champion for over seven years, he moved up in weight and in what was, essentially his second career, became a champion in the welterweight, junior middleweight and middleweight divisions, fighting and holding his own against the best of that era, winning some and losing some. He was a natural lightweight. Duran was nothing short of phenomenal. There will never be another one quite like Roberto Duran.

Randy
I agree Randy. Roberto's eyes made Charles Manson's orbs look like those of a choir boy.

-Rick
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Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing

Post by Rick Farris »

kikibalt wrote:THOMPSON BOXING BRINGS THE FIGHT GAME “NEW BLOOD”

ORANGE, CA – September 20 – With many of today’s boxing superstars in their mid to late 30’s, the eyes of fight fans have begun to look towards the future of the sport in search of the game’s next great boxers.

On Friday, September 26th, Thompson Boxing Promotions will do its part with a night of fights designed to inject some new blood into boxing, and when it’s over, fans may very well say that they witnessed a future champion or two.

“New Blood”, a six-bout card of explosive professional boxing, is presented by Thompson Boxing Promotions at the Doubletree Hotel in Ontario, California. For tickets, priced at $75, $45, and $30, please call 714-935-0900. The Doubletree Hotel – Ontario is located at 222 N. Vineyard Avenue. Doors open at 6:30pm, and the first bell is at 7:45pm.

Headlining this high-impact event, Luis Ramos will put his perfect 6-0 (4 KOs) record on the line against seasoned Puerto Rican veteran Celestino Rodriguez (6-10-3, 6 KOs) in a six round lightweight bout that should be the Santa Ana native’s sternest test to date

Ramos is coming off a terrific ESPN televised fight against then undefeated Aaron Dominguez. As the action picked up Ramos’ sharp punches, speed and power simply overwhelmed the Mexican foe that did not answer the bell going into the sixth round.

His opponent, Celestino Rodriguez, is not by any stretch a mere stepping-stone. Although the Puerto Rican brandishes a lopsided record, he has faced extremely tough opposition like Jorge Luis Terron and Lenin Arroyo and is always in a tough fight. His victory to knock out ratio makes him the threat that could derail the young Ramos locomotive.

A special four round attraction will feature undefeated welterweight Mauricio Herrera (6-0, 2 KOs) from Riverside against strong Antonio Soria (2-1, 2 KOs) from Blythe, Arizona. Herrera’s recent activity denotes his rapid ascension in the division as he has successfully faced Santiago Perez, Daniel Cervantes and Alan Velasco, whose combined record was 28-2-4. On the other hand, Soria is coming off a four round decision loss to Matin Vierra.

The big men of boxing will be represented as well by undefeated Mira Loma heavyweight Hildo Silva (4-0, 1 KO) locking horns with the imposing Los Angeles pro debutant Andre Carthron in a four round war.

Also in action, rising junior middleweight star Sammy Gonzalez (5-0, 3 KOs) of Chino will look to build off his impressive sixth round KO of unbeaten Rafael Lopez last June when he takes on always entertaining John Red Tomahawk (3-4, 3 KOs) from Grand Rapids, Montana. A battle of undefeated prospects will also be part of this high intensity event as Riverside’s Danny Escobar (1-0, 1 KO) faces San Diego’s Antonio Orozco (1-0, 1 KO) in a clash of undefeated jr. welterweight young punchers. Rounding of the show will be featherweights Saul Arias who will be making his pro debut against Edgar Jauregui (0-1).

Thompson Boxing Promotions will also make a donation to the Jurupa Valley Boys and Girls Club who recently opened its doors to amateur and professional boxers alike. The much-needed boxing program is backed by the city of Riverside with the construction of brand new facility. Professional boxers such as Cristobal Arreola, Josesito Lopez, Dominic Salcido, Mauricio Herrera and many more of the Inland Empire’s top prospects make this a regular stop in preparation to their fights. Proceeds from “New Blood” will be directed to regular expenditures and utilities in an effort to maintain this building.

Ken Thompson is a class act. He's a successful business man and sportsman who is also a past prez of the WBHOF. I wish Ken was still in charge of the Hall. Since his leaving, the Hall has gone down with many involved not knowledgeable of boxing or it's history. A few of us involved are weeding out those whose interests are self-serving and putting the focus back on the BOXERS. As a promoter, Thompson pays boxers who fight on his cards "above scale" and even gives bonuses to those who put on exciting bouts. He is one of the good guys and he'll be at the WBHOF banquet this year, as always.

-Rick Farris
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Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing

Post by Zelley »

Great topic. Over the years there has been some great boxing on the West Coast
from California to British Columbia. (Amateur & Professional).

My amateur boxing was primarily in British Columbia, but enjoyed competition in Tacoma, Seattle and Portland.

Also, enjoyed watching pro boxing from LA on TV.

So many great champions and contenders.
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Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing

Post by dagosd2000 »

THE GIRL WHO COULDN'T JITTERBUG

Ever hear Ella Fitzgerald sing? Ever hear her sing Rockin' In Rhythm with Ellington's band? She wanted to be a jitterbug dancer. Went to the Apollo one night in the 30's to participate in a talent show. She was gonna' jitterbug. Some kids who went on before her also did the jitterbug. They were better than her. So Ella Fitzgerald decided instead of dancing ,she would sing.

After her death they were interviewing all the big singers and musicians. I especially remember what the songstress Anita O'Day said. Good 'ol Anita. Had her bouts with the booze and the drugs. Anita held up her hand,then pointed up her forefinger.
"She was number one."
Anita's jaws tightened and she nodded her head.
"She was above all of us."
Anita looked worn out. She was nearing the end of the road also.
"I don't think she drank at all. Never used drugs."
Then she paused to search her memory.
"But I do remember she loved to eat."

I think Ella always wanted to be perceived as pretty. Not beautifull nor glmorous,just pretty. Gee she was big. Gee she could sing. A sparkling voice coming out of a bigger than life woman. I remember Sinatra took a cheap shot at her once. She was confused by his remarks. He was probably jealous of her talent.

Yeah,if Ella had looked like Lena Horne,the whole world would have stopped. But if you heard that voice,it stopped you in your tracks. No one today comes close to what she had. All I can say is that she was beautifull. And I'm glad those kids ahead of Ella at the Apollo that night in the 30's could jitterbug better than she could.
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Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing

Post by Rick Farris »

kikibalt wrote:Light Heavyweight Great Bob Foster Speaks to RSR
Interview by Dan Hernandez
Ringside Report

“I could clean up the division right now if I could get in shape.”--Bob Foster
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Robert Lloyd Foster, Bob Foster, was born on April 27, 1938, and is a native of Albuquerque, New Mexico. His ring record stands at 56-8-1 46 KO’s. He is considered by many boxing critics as one of the premier Light Heavyweight World Champions in history. He resides in Albuquerque to this day having retired recently from the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Department where he was a well known detective. Bob is a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame and was named to Ring Magazine’s list of the 80 Best Fighters of the last 80 years, ranking at #55.

After a successful amateur career, winning the Pan American Games Silver Medal in 1959, Foster began fighting professionally in 1961 and got his first title shot on the night of May 24, 1968, at the famed Madison Square Garden in New York. Bob did not waste that opportunity, knocking out the great Dick Tiger in four rounds. Tiger had been a 2-Time Middleweight champion and was attempting to defend his World Light Heavyweight Crown that night. A tall light heavy at 6’3,” Bob never had the weight to compete effectively with the top heavyweights of his era, losing by knockout to Doug Jones, Ernie Terrell, Muhammad Ali, and Joe Frazier in a bid for the Heavyweight Title.

It was as a Light Heavyweight that Foster is best known, scoring some of the most impressive knockouts ever recorded. After having his title stripped for obscure reasons, Foster fought Vicente Rondon in a unification bout on April 7, 1972, and regained universal recognition as the undisputed champion with a devastating second round knockout. In his next fight, he used what many have called one of the best punches in history to retain his championship by knockout in four rounds against challenger, Mike Quarry. Bob retired as champion in 1974 after a hard fought draw with Argentinean, Jorge Ahumada.

Bob was vivid in his recollections of his boxing glories and it was a pleasure to have the following communication…

DH: How are you these days?

I’m doing fine. I’m retired from the Sheriff’s Department, but I still work out some, and I’ll do some training of kids I meet in the gym.

DH: Why did you settle in New Mexico? What was your attraction to the area?

I settled here because my mother and family still live here. I had the chance to join the Sheriff’s Department back in 1971, which was another reason I came back here to live.

DH: What was your greatest moment as a fighter?
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Winning the title from Dick Tiger was the greatest moment of my career. The highlights of defending my title were probably Mike Quarry and Vicente Rondon. I knocked them out with the same type of punch, and left them both shaking on the canvas.

DH: When did you know that boxing was the right choice?

I turned to boxing when I was 14 years old, fighting in the Golden Gloves when I was in high school. I knew when I was getting kicked out of school for knocking people out that I had a gift for boxing.

DH: When did you know it was time to retire?

I knew after I went 15 rounds with Jorge Ahumada that it was time to retire. My legs were gone, and it was time to get out. If that fight had been anywhere but Albuquerque, I would have lost the fight. I told my manager, Billy Edwards: “Billy, we made enough money, let’s get out of here.” I returned to the ring a few times after that just to make sure I was done. But after the Ahumada fight, it was over.

DH: Do you keep up with people you met in your boxing career?

It’s hard to keep up too good here in New Mexico. I keep up when I can and see people I know from boxing at events like the Hall of Fame weekend.

DH: Did you ever feel that you would seriously hurt someone?

Not really. Quarry and Rondon were the only ones I thought I might have seriously hurt at the time. I tried to talk Quarry out of taking the fight so soon, because he was too young, but he couldn’t resist the chance at the title. Quarry said before the fight: “I can beat you old man.” I said: “Mike, you better keep moving. If you stop moving, I’ll take your head off.”

After I knocked him out, I went over to check on him, and my trainer pulled me back to the corner, saying: “Don’t look at him, don’t look at him.” I said: “Billy, the kid is dead.” Billy said: “F#$% him, he didn’t have any business being in there with you in the first place. You told him not to fight you.” Billy was a mean dude, man. Afterwards, I was sitting in the bar of the hotel with Ali, who fought Jerry Quarry that night. Mike came up and I told him: “Now you know what it’s like to get hit by a freight train.”

Before the Rondon fight, Rondon was going around saying: “Me the champ, me the champ.” I almost knocked him out at the weigh-in because he was acting stupid. When we met in the ring before the fight, I told him: “I’m going to kill you, mother f#%#er.” You could tell he was scared and he never was no good after that fight.

DH: How did you develop such a devastating punch?

Punching power is a gift from God; it’s not something that you can teach. You either have it or you don’t. I remember fighting a heavyweight who I knocked out in 16 or 17 seconds in a fight in New Orleans. I hit him so hard that I lifted him right off the canvas and blood shot out of both his ears. That fight doesn’t even show up on my fight record. Once I realized I had punching power, I trained with a one-pound weight in each hand during my training and shadow boxing. I had equal power in both hands, and a left hook that you couldn’t see coming.

DH: Do you do any boxing related activities today?

Not too much anymore, but I still do some training of young fighters at the gym. I still work out at the gym and try to stay active.

DH: What is your worst memory or regret as a fighter?
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My only regret is that I was not a natural heavyweight. Otherwise, I would have been the heavyweight champion.

DH: How do you believe you would do today with the current light heavyweights?

They’re some of the worst light heavies in history; can’t fight a lick. I could clean up the division right now if I could get in shape.

DH: Who is your all-time favorite fighter?

Sugar Ray Robinson. He could do it all: jabbing, moving, and lightning quick combination punches. Best fighter that ever lived.

DH: Please share something with the readers that you‘d like to convey.

Well, if I could have weighed 190 against Ali or Frazier, I would have knocked them both out. Frazier put pressure on you so that you couldn’t think. I couldn’t keep him off me. It was like standing in front of a tank. Ali was different, you had time to think when you fought him, and I just couldn’t put on the weight.

Please tell my fans that I love them, and they can find me on the internet at Bob's website

This is a great interview and Foster really hit the nail on the head with his discription of today's light-heavyweights. The worst ever, without question. Foster was from my era so, naturally, I have a pretty clear memory of him. In recent times, when I'd hear young boxing fans ramble on about the sheer talent and skill of Roy Jones Jr., I would just dream of how great it would be for a Bob Foster to come around. However, I think RJJ made it very clear that he had no interest in taking chances. Fighting Bob Foster would not only have put Roy Jones' title at stake, but his life as well.

-Rick Farris
bennie
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Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing

Post by bennie »

dagosd2000 wrote:LOST IN A DREAM

I saw Mathew Saad Muhammad fight once. He defended his title at the Sports Arena against an undefeated fighter from Africa named Mwale.Muhammad was named Mathew Franklin before that. No father. His mother left him with an aunt who abandoned him in the streets of Philadelphia. The cops found him when he was a kid and turned him over to the Catholic Orphanage. No one knew his name. Found out later his last name was Loach. You know how that shit works. Nobody wants the kid. Then he's Champion of The World and here comes his long lost family.

The nuns named him Mathew after the saint and Franklin after the parkway the cops found him wanderin' around. They say when they found him,the kid not only didn't know his name,but couldn't talk.

I never saw a fighter like him who came back time after time from the depths of the brink of defeat to find the resolve to come back and win. He was in some of the greatest thrillers in boxing history.

I remember the night he climbed into the ring against the African. I was sitting ringside next to Hank Stram and Frank Gifford. Naw,I didn't know them,but they were so full of themselves you knew which side of the bread they put the butter on before the night was over.

Even though this defense only lasted 4 rounds,Mathew lost the first 3 frames.The kid had a punch,and even a bigger heart. But down the road Braxton finally broke Mathew down. He took a lot of beatings after that. Sam Solomon didn't care,his manager. The kid got hurt.

A little boy wandering around Philly. Lost. Remember his face? The big warm smile. The funny looking ears.Like he was saying,"Hey,somebody take me in." When the sisters took him in finally,he couldn't remember his past. Maybe it came to him when he was sleeping. But you know how that goes. Most of the time when you wake up,you forget what you were dreaming. For Mathew, it was better off that those memories of his childhood were lost in a dream.
Saad finished Mwale with a brutal left uppercut in the fourth round. What a shot!
Mwale sadly passed away a few years ago (HIV).
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Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing

Post by bennie »

Rick Farris wrote:
bennie wrote:Image

Naz slammed.
I always loved Marco Antonio Barrera. I saw him at the Forum back in the early 90's. However, of all the great things this guy did in the ring, to me this was the best. With little effort, the Mexican turned this Prince into a Princess, and RUINED the over rated bastard FOREVER. I used to cringe everytime I heard this jackass intoduced as as if he were an Englishman. The English have big balls. Even Ray Charles could see that Hamed was NOt a Brit.

-Rick
Just a jab, Barrera unlocked the key to Naz with a straight jab. The Prince was believing in his own publicity by this fight and had forgotten his roots and how to train even. They filmed a documentary of the build-up and Naz was just swanning around a luxury hotel in the States, complaining about everything. Later, Naz's brother (you know a fighter has really 'lost it' when his own family are passing themselves off as managers, agents, trainers, etc) was driving around and talking big, and then casually happened to point at a mountain in the distance and said, "That's where Barrera is training." I think it was Big Bear.
He was the only one in the world to fail to see that the fight was lost right there.
Last edited by bennie on 21 Sep 2008, 05:20, edited 1 time in total.
bennie
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Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing

Post by bennie »

Rick Farris wrote:
Randyman wrote:
bennie wrote:Image
Bennie, I have that magazine. It's one of my favorite photos of Roberto Duran. He still had that look in his eyes. Joe frazier once said he looked like Charles Manson. At his peak, he was the best. How great was Duran? Just the fact that as a former lightweight champion for over seven years, he moved up in weight and in what was, essentially his second career, became a champion in the welterweight, junior middleweight and middleweight divisions, fighting and holding his own against the best of that era, winning some and losing some. He was a natural lightweight. Duran was nothing short of phenomenal. There will never be another one quite like Roberto Duran.

Randy
I agree Randy. Roberto's eyes made Charles Manson's orbs look like those of a choir boy.

-Rick
Seven million dollars is a lot of money but even I, as a teenager, struggled to see the sense of Duran meeting Leonard again so soon after Montreal. With the memory of that stunning performance ringing in everybody's ears, Duran was on a hiding to nothing in the rematch because he couldn't really hope to top Montreal, in my opinion, certainly not so soon. Let Leonard work his way back to a shot, and let Duran destroy a couple of easier guys first. Duran was brilliantly steered throughout the 1970s by his management but they 'lost it' with Leonard in 1980.
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