Classic American West Coast Boxing

[bennie]

Jim essentially refused to lose as champ (in Glasgow). Guys like Pitalua, O'Grady and Davis were better than him but Jim had the crowd and the will and found a way to win over 15 long rounds, and you have to admire men with that mindset. It's like Holmes against Norton, or Duran against Moore. Everyone was saying Jim couldn't do it - but he wanted it too much.

Incidentally, here's a good link to some of the old Kronk boys.
Good research, here. http://www.detnews.com/specialreports/2 ... nwhere.htm

[kikibalt]

Carl "Bobo" Olson


Olson after been ko by Sugar Ray Robinson...1955

[bennie]

Johnny De La Rosa vs Jackie Beard

I fought on the same card with Jackie Beard in Chicago in 1983 at the Americana Congress Hotel.
He was a good fighter with a big reputation at that time.He was a real solid amateur also.
He fought a kid named Victor Flores.
I was in the same dressing room with Victor and he was nervous as hell as he knew he was in with a far more talented guy with a big name. A guy being groomed for stardom.Beard was with Emanuel Steward also.At that point Victor only had about a half dozen fights.
Anyway, Victor really rose to the occasion and fought his heart out and went ten rounds with Jackie .Even though he lost the decision.

Interesting. Beard was one of those fighters who lost at vital times in his career, just when he had built up real momentum. If he had beaten Jose Caba in 1982 he would have got a shot at Pedroza for the featherweight title but Caba won, even though, I seem to recall, he picked up a broken jaw. Beard eventually got a couple of shots at Brian Mitchell at super-featherweight at the end of the decade but was past his best and just kept trying to 'nut' Mitchell.
This fight with De Le Rosa was probably Jackie's greatest performance. He got stuck into the lanky puncher and looked great and was plain 'robbed'.

Actually, I think Beard's greatest performance may have been against Caba, as opposed to De La Rosa. Beard clearly won one of those fights, anyway, and didn't get the verdict.

[kikibalt]

Pascual Perez, Rafael Merentino & Eduardo Lausse

[kikibalt]

Matthew Saad Muhammad

[Expug]

Jim essentially refused to lose as champ (in Glasgow). Guys like Pitalua, O'Grady and Davis were better than him but Jim had the crowd and the will and found a way to win over 15 long rounds, and you have to admire men with that mindset. It's like Holmes against Norton, or Duran against Moore. Everyone was saying Jim couldn't do it - but he wanted it too much.

Incidentally, here's a good link to some of the old Kronk boys.
Good research, here. http://www.detnews.com/specialreports/2 ... nwhere.htm

Thanks for that Kronk link Bennie.
Interesting to see what those guys are up to now.
Two other Kronk fighters I remember from fighting on the same card with were Billy Hearns, (Tommys Brother) and Keith Vinning.
Back then, the Kronk guys would show up at weigh ins with the Kronk jackets on and real together.
They were a team. It was impressive.They believed in themselves and there trainer Manny Steward. It was obvious.

[Expug]

Matthew Saad Muhammad

Rog posted about Saad earlier.
What a great story he has. Orphan to great champion!

[bennie]

Matthew Saad Muhammad

Saad had one of the greatest physiques for a fighter and, like Jim Watt, refused to lose. When he laughed at Yaqui Lopez when Lopez was bombarding him in a corner, it was just eery, almost inhuman. I really thought this guy could come-from-behind forever.
I hated Braxton after he finally licked Saad.

[kikibalt]

Emiliano Zapata


"Zapata"

By Diego

[kikibalt]

Jack Johnson

[bennie]

Jim essentially refused to lose as champ (in Glasgow). Guys like Pitalua, O'Grady and Davis were better than him but Jim had the crowd and the will and found a way to win over 15 long rounds, and you have to admire men with that mindset. It's like Holmes against Norton, or Duran against Moore. Everyone was saying Jim couldn't do it - but he wanted it too much.

Incidentally, here's a good link to some of the old Kronk boys.
Good research, here. http://www.detnews.com/specialreports/2 ... nwhere.htm

Thanks for that Kronk link Bennie.
Interesting to see what those guys are up to now.
Two other Kronk fighters I remember from fighting on the same card with were Billy Hearns, (Tommys Brother) and Keith Vinning.
Back then, the Kronk guys would show up at weigh ins with the Kronk jackets on and real together.
They were a team. It was impressive.They believed in themselves and there trainer Manny Steward. It was obvious.

Yeah, those red jackets were scary. They spelt C-L-A-S-S. The Kronk boys were cocky, initially, but if you could fight they warmed to you. Colin Jones got the full treatment before the first McCrory fight, but they all wanted to shake his hand when he came over for the rematch.
Two great fights.
Sad to see that Steve McCrory is dead.

[kikibalt]

[Expug]

Matthew Saad Muhammad

Saad had one of the greatest physiques for a fighter and, like Jim Watt, refused to lose. When he laughed at Yaqui Lopez when Lopez was bombarding him in a corner, it was just eery, almost inhuman. I really thought this guy could come-from-behind forever.
I hated Braxton after he finally licked Saad.

He was a big lightheavy thats for sure.
What a great fight that was he and Yaqui.
Yaqui was one of my favorites.That guy was a warrior just like Matthew was.
Im still pissed at the verdict in one of those Yaqui Lopez - Victor Galindez fights.
I thought Yaqui won the fight and the title clearly.

[Expug]

Jim essentially refused to lose as champ (in Glasgow). Guys like Pitalua, O'Grady and Davis were better than him but Jim had the crowd and the will and found a way to win over 15 long rounds, and you have to admire men with that mindset. It's like Holmes against Norton, or Duran against Moore. Everyone was saying Jim couldn't do it - but he wanted it too much.

Incidentally, here's a good link to some of the old Kronk boys.
Good research, here. http://www.detnews.com/specialreports/2 ... nwhere.htm

Thanks for that Kronk link Bennie.
Interesting to see what those guys are up to now.
Two other Kronk fighters I remember from fighting on the same card with were Billy Hearns, (Tommys Brother) and Keith Vinning.
Back then, the Kronk guys would show up at weigh ins with the Kronk jackets on and real together.
They were a team. It was impressive.They believed in themselves and there trainer Manny Steward. It was obvious.

Yeah, those red jackets were scary. They spelt C-L-A-S-S. The Kronk boys were cocky, initially, but if you could fight they warmed to you. Colin Jones got the full treatment before the first McCrory fight, but they all wanted to shake his hand when he came over for the rematch.
Two great fights.
Sad to see that Steve McCrory is dead.

I used to hear stories about the training at The Kronk.The gym wars were legendary I hear.
They also used to turn up the heat to stifling temperatures in the place also. Make it even tougher.

[bennie]

Matthew Saad Muhammad

Saad had one of the greatest physiques for a fighter and, like Jim Watt, refused to lose. When he laughed at Yaqui Lopez when Lopez was bombarding him in a corner, it was just eery, almost inhuman. I really thought this guy could come-from-behind forever.
I hated Braxton after he finally licked Saad.

He was a big lightheavy thats for sure.
What a great fight that was he and Yaqui.
Yaqui was one of my favorites.That guy was a warrior just like Matthew was.
Im still pissed at the verdict in one of those Yaqui Lopez - Victor Galindez fights.
I thought Yaqui won the fight and the title clearly.

I can remember the fallout from that, Pug. Writer Graham Houston (now fightwriter.com) thought Galindez had won clearly and cited the commentators for misleading the viewers all the way through the fight. If you say Yaqui won, however, I agree that it must have been a miscarriage of justice.
Houston can get it spectacularly wrong.

[kikibalt]

Maxie Rosenbloom


"Slapping Maxie"

By Diego

[kikibalt]

Jose Medel


"Medel"

By Diego

[Expug]

Bennie, I thought Yaqui won the Galindez fight clearly because Yaqui jabbed the hell out of Victor.
He didnt just bang with him , although he did go toe to toe with him on occasion.
But his jab was working great.
I thought Yaqui was robbed.

[kikibalt]

TEDDY BALDOCK - The Pride of Poplar
by Bob Lonkhurst

It is unlikely that any London boxer has enjoyed a larger following than did the popular East Ender, Teddy Baldock. Whenever he fought coach-loads of supporters left Poplar to cheer him. When he met Archie Bell at the Albert Hall on 5 May, 1927, no less than 52 crowded charabancs chugged out of the East End, heading for Kensington like an Army convoy. Despite his popularity, Baldock's story is one which portrays the highs and lows of boxing. A world champion at the age of 19, he was burned out by the time he was 24. Despite earning big money in the ring, he died penniless at the age of 63.

Born at Poplar on 24 May, 1907, and actually christened Alfred, Teddy Baldock was destined to become a fighter. His grandfather, Jack Baldock, had been a tough bare-knuckle battler, while another scrapping relative, "Hoppy” Baldock, had been a second to many top pugilists of his day, including Charlie Mitchell, Jem Smith, and Ted Pritchard. His father, Ted, had fought at Wonderland and in the fairgrounds, and it was he who started his son boxing when the lad was just a boy. Apart from taking his son to Premierland and other East End halls, Ted used to get down on his knees in the kitchen of their little terraced house and encourage the youngster to punch away at him.

At school, the young Baldock was good at football, athletics, and swimming, but it was boxing at which he excelled. He soon joined a local Boys' Club, and many of his early fights were at the St Michael's Church Hall in Poplar, against local lads. When Teddy kept winning, opponents had to he brought in from further a field. When he won an East End Boys' Clubs' five-stone championship, Teddy was presented with a medal, the first of many amateur trophies he would win.

Much of Teddy's time was taken up in working with his father, who operated as a street bookmaker. After winning one particular fight, the youngster's reward was a bicycle, which helped to get him around the streets of Poplar to collect betting slips and cash, which he then took to his father at a pre-arranged pub just before the first race each day.

Teddy had his first paid contest at the age of thirteen. He beat Young Harry Makepeace from Custom House on points, over six rounds at Barking, in 1921. He was paid seven shillings and sixpence, and it was the start of an unbeaten run, which would extend to 41 fights over more than five years.

As a teenager, Teddy was a real handful. He went to Epsom Racing Stables and became an apprentice jockey, but he was sacked after a fight with a stable-lad who wanted to sort him out. When Teddy later ran away from home, his father decided that firm discipline was needed if he was to progress as a boxer. So he took Teddy along to Joe Morris, the match-maker at Premierland, who managed former British feather weight champion Mike Honeyman.
It proved to be a smart move, because although eleven years his elder, Honeyman soon got to like Teddy. They trained together in a loft above a banana-drying shed at Dewsbury Street in Poplar, and Baldock soon became a regular performer at Premierland. He often boxed on the same shows as Honeyman, and Mike worked in his corner whenever he could.

One of Teddy's early fights was against fellow-East Ender Young Riley, who came in a stone the heavier. It made no difference, however, because the Poplar boy's speed won him the decision. It was only Teddy's tenth paid engagement, but his potential was clear to see.

[kikibalt]

Georges Capentier vs Ted Kid Lewis

[Zelley]

Well, Zelley, this thread ranges from West Coast boxing to the British and German scene, to Sweden, New York, The Windy City, Japan - anywhere where boxing is good and was once golden.
Nobody seems to mind too much.

PS: Just don't mention the French.

Marcel Cerdan is all right, though. Georges Carpentier, too. [/quote]

Wasn't Marcel from Algeria :?? However, he did win the French middleweight title
before turning Tony Zale, the "man of steel" into rust and retirement.

[dagosd2000]

THE GREAT ONES DON'T PLAN NOTHIN'

Me and my sisters had dinner with an old tenor sax player by the name of Dick Colangelo and his wife. Dick had a local group that played at the Hotel Del Coronado. They performed big band hits of the 30's and 40's. With a name like Colangelo you could figure most of the musicians were Italian. I have one of their CD's. The group could really swing.

Today Dick teaches courses on wine. He's been doing this for years at the local colleges. Once in a while he'll put together trips to the California Wine Valleys or take groups to Italy and France to their wine regions.

We're in this posh Italian restaurant,"Baci's",that's not far from where I live. Dick knows the owner and everything is "top shelf". Good experienced waiters who can answer questions about anything on the menu. The food? FANTASTIC! Dick provided the wines:sparkling,whites,and reds. Very tasty.

The conversation is drifting around on various subjects. He told us how Pavoratti performed in San Diego and was staying at the Westgate Hotel. The Great Voice asked the manager if he could be provided a mix of Italian wines. Dick was called upon and put together a case of Italian vinos. Pavoratti asked him up to his suite to thank him.

After hearing this story,I asked Dick about the time he was 19 back in Buffalo and heard the great Charlie Parker at a local club. Dick's eyes opened. He moved forward and put his hands on the table.

He said Parker was a genius. Did things no one had ever done before. Changed the music. Played faster than anyone else and improvised solos that are still today unmatched. But here's the kicker. Parker during a break came over to Dick's table. Parker told him when he put the alto to his mouth he didn't know what he was going to play. He had total command of the technical intricasies of the instrument. What he played,he never planned ahead. A genius.

That night,alone in my thoughts,I began to think of Sugar Ray Robinson. He fought like Charlie Parker played the alto sax. Oh Parker would know if the song was a ballad or a blues,but nothing was written down in front of him. He just atarted to play.

Ray Robinson knew who his opponent was. A boxer. A big strong guy. Robinson had all the techniques. A vast menu of punches. Footwork that enabled him to attack or defend himself.

The great ones like Robinson and Parker just get in there and do it. They know they'll win. How many victories in a row for Robby before his first retirement ? Charlie Parker? After he could "say" on the sax what was going on in his mind,Bird was confident and calm when taking his solo.His solo was always the one that stood out.

The great ones don't plan nothin'.

[Expug]

Rog, your post is right on in that a maestro comes along very very rarely.
If a person has the oppurtunity to see a maestro in just about any endeavor, they should do it.
Its an extremely rare oppurtunity, one that may come along only a couple times in a persons life.
20 years ago, Baryshnikov came to town.
My wife wanted to go see him perform .I dont know anything about ballet. What ballett?
However, this man is a maestro, a master at what he does, so I wanted to see him do his thing.
I wasnt disappointed.
I felt out of place, but I wasnt disappointed.
Gorilla goes to the dances.

[dagosd2000]

Well, Zelley, this thread ranges from West Coast boxing to the British and German scene, to Sweden, New York, The Windy City, Japan - anywhere where boxing is good and was once golden.
Nobody seems to mind too much.

PS: Just don't mention the French.

Marcel Cerdan is all right, though. Georges Carpentier, too.

Wasn't Marcel from Algeria :?? However, he did win the French middleweight title
before turning Tony Zale, the "man of steel" into rust and retirement.[/quote]

Right Zelley
Marcel was born in Algeria. I don't know if you're a movie watcher,but last year's Academy Award winning Actress Mary Cotilland won the Oscar for her role as Edith Piaf in the movie "Piaf".Her romantic affair with the married Marcel Cerdan is legendary. She talked Marcel to leave France early for his return with LaMotta, She was suffering not being with him. She was performing in New York at the time. As you know the the plane crashed in the Azores.

Edith Piaf blamed herself for his death. She tried to lose herself with alcohol and drugs. Her singing became more passioned. Her life more tragic.

[dagosd2000]

Rog, your post is right on in that a maestro comes along very very rarely.
If a person has the oppurtunity to see a maestro in just about any endeavor, they should do it.
Its an extremely rare oppurtunity, one that may come along only a couple times in a persons life.
20 years ago, Baryshnikov came to town.
My wife wanted to go see him perform .I dont know anything about ballet. What ballett?
However, this man is a maestro, a master at what he does, so I wanted to see him do his thing.
I wasnt disappointed.
I felt out of place, but I wasnt disappointed.
Gorilla goes to the dances.

Pug
Baryshnikov said the greatest dancer who ever lived,without question,was Fred Astaire. I can't argue with him. BTW,when are you arriving in LA.? We have a daughter in Irvine which isn't far from the Marriot. If you're arriving Friday maybe I can turn you on to Tequila.