Classic American West Coast Boxing

[kikibalt]

Frank
Any of those old movie theaters at the bottom of that ad still around?

Diego, I wouldn't know, as I'm not a moving going guy, the last time I want to see a movie was when the first Godfather movie came out, and then I felt asleep, (Drive-In)...... on me.

[raylawpc]

Frank
Any of those old movie theaters at the bottom of that ad still around?

Diego, I wouldn't know, as I'm not a moving going guy, the last time I want to see a movie was when the first Godfather movie came out, and then I felt asleep, (Drive-In)...... on me.

The Orpheim is. Its a Los Angeles landmark:

http://www.laorpheum.com/

I bet Rick knows about the others.

[dagosd2000]

I'm reading where Congress is considering overturning Jack Johnson's conviction of violating the Mann Act.(transporting a girl across state lines for immoral purposes). Geez,now I can finally rest at night. We're mired in debt,fighting two wars,unenployment is at an all time high,homes are being forclosed on,our money is losing its value,the stock market is crashing,and there isn't enough money in budgets to fix cities destroyed by hurricanes. But Lil'Arthur is going to finally get justice by an act of Congress. Now we can get the country moving again.

I guess it was Ken Burn's documentary that got Congress to think about this pressing issue with Johnson. Funny,when our Representatives and Senators ran for election,I don't remember them mentioning Jack Johnson. If they did,I bet no one would have voted for them.

[kikibalt]

Gene Fullmer


"Gene"

By Diego

[dagosd2000]

THE SPIT BUCKET

I don't know much about him,except that they called him Charley. He worked a lot of the corners down here. He wasn't a trainer or a manager. He handled the spit bucket. Might not sound like much,but Charley was happy doing that job in the corner. Whether it was amateur cards at the 32nd Street Naval Base or the fights at the Coliseum,Charley handled the spit bucket.

I never asked around about him because no one else did. He had to have been an ex pug by the way his nose was over to one side shakin' hands with his ear. Most of his front teeth were gone and he had this knot on the front of his forehead. He got along with everybody and never offered his opinion on anything. He lived in National City in a little apartment . He didn't have a wife. I heard somewhere that she died years ago.

I saw him at the 32 nd Street Base mostly. Dick Wood had a lot of Navy amateurs then. It was the Vietnam Era. Dick was training a lot of the boys. Jimmy Rosette had served in the Navy and was fighting pro at the time. He'd sometime help Dick out wuith teaching the fellas the fundamentals. Charley was there everyday that I can remember. If you needed a towel or wanted to read a newspaper ,Charley would offer to get it for you.

After Vietnam ended and the Coliseum went dark,I never saw Charley again. Christ he had to be in his 70's back then. He's gone by now. All that was boxing back then is gone. Moyer's in a hospital. Burke has his bar,but can't remember much anymore. He's lost touch if anyone is still left. Ernie Fuentes is gone. I don't know where the Millsapps are. Last I heard Danny had a flower stand downtown. Kenny Norton is sick. The Canadian fighters ,I hear, are back in Canada. Burke told me it's for the free medical care. And of course Archie was finally counted out. His old house with the swimming pool shaped like a boxing glove was sold to a swingers club for gays.

If Charley was around I'd tell him to hold the spit bucket out. I feel like really unloading a good one.

[Rick Farris]

The Orpheim is. Its a Los Angeles landmark:

http://www.laorpheum.com/

I bet Rick knows about the others.[/quote][/quote]




Tom . . . more irony? Just last wedensday, we were shooting an episode of "Eli Stone" at the "El Rey" theatre, on Wishire Bl. just west of La Brea. Today they rarely show movies, but serve as a stage/music venue. We used the place as a San Franciso night club. Singer Seal and his wife model Heidi Klum performed together on stage. Ref Gwen Adair and my wife are Seal fans so they came by to watch him perform. The place is in great shape, has that Art Deco look, refurbished, today it's a popular spot.

As for the Culver, it's still going strong just two blocks west of the old MGM Studio lot (now Sony Pictures) It also doubles as a live music venue, theatre, films? Culver City has had it's ups and downs in the area, but the Studio money really keeps it up, the downtown area is historic to the film industry. You see it in the old Laurel & Hardy, and "Our Gang" comedies, the Culver Hillside around Jefferson serves as a backdrop for classics. Besides MGM, even closer to the Culver Theatre is what is today the Culver Studios, but was years before Selznick Studios (where Gone With The Wind was filmed.) It would become under Howard Hughes ownership as RKO Pathe, then it was bought along with RKO Studios in Hollywood by Lucy & Desi Arnaz, and named "Desilu Pathe", and then whatever. Anyway, the theatre and the neighborhood has quite a history.

The Orpheum, it will be the last building standing when the "Big One" eats up L.A. It will be held up by the rats that run so freely thru it today. I know, that's another shooting location favorite. I saw a rat in the Orpheum balcony one morning when working on a Seinfeld episode. I thought it was a cat until it got closer to me, and it was coming my way and didn't seem at all intimidated with my presence. I stopped and looked at him, as he calmly made his way to a dark hole and disappeared. He was the biggest rat I'd ever seen downtown and they are usually larger than the dogs of a yuppie loft. I've seen the rats in Skid Row alley's behind Main and Spring St.s at all hours of the night & very early morning for years on film locations. Over time, like basketball players, they just keep getting bigger and bigger. This rat probably ate the cat. And now people run from the rats. Like Frank said, the Orpheum is still alive and breathing, kinda like an old woman with emphazema.

The others? Don't know them.

-Rick

[Bobbin & Weavin]

I hear from time to time about Thomas Edison's filming of boxing matches, even organizing bouts to film; was Edison a boxing fan or did he think boxing was a good subject to experiment and develope the movie camera?
Bobbin & Weavin

[Rick Farris]

I hear from time to time about Thomas Edison's filming of boxing matches, even organizing bouts to film; was Edison a boxing fan or did he think boxing was a good subject to experiment and develope the movie camera?
Bobbin & Weavin

Good question Bruce. I really don't know of Edison's interest im boxing, but it served as a great subject for experimentation in early cinematography. The goal was not just to keep the fighters within the lens frame, but also to maintain a constant "hand crank" speed of 24 frames-per-second to accuratly portray the speed and timing of the match. Of course, those good 'ol camera operators would often hand-crank those motorless cameras while doing a little drinking, and sometimes they'd crank a little too slow which makes the projected image speed up. Or they's crank it too fast and the image would project in a slower motion. How many times have you watched an old-time silent boxing film and notice that the guys are either punching faster than humanly possible or look like they are asleep? That's why.

I think Edison watched a boxing match, and it gave him an idea?

-Rick

[Rick Farris]

THE SPIT BUCKET

I don't know much about him,except that they called him Charley. He worked a lot of the corners down here. He wasn't a trainer or a manager. He handled the spit bucket. Might not sound like much,but Charley was happy doing that job in the corner. Whether it was amateur cards at the 32nd Street Naval Base or the fights at the Coliseum,Charley handled the spit bucket.

I never asked around about him because no one else did. He had to have been an ex pug by the way his nose was over to one side shakin' hands with his ear. Most of his front teeth were gone and he had this knot on the front of his forehead. He got along with everybody and never offered his opinion on anything. He lived in National City in a little apartment . He didn't have a wife. I heard somewhere that she died years ago.

I saw him at the 32 nd Street Base mostly. Dick Wood had a lot of Navy amateurs then. It was the Vietnam Era. Dick was training a lot of the boys. Jimmy Rosette had served in the Navy and was fighting pro at the time. He'd sometime help Dick out wuith teaching the fellas the fundamentals. Charley was there everyday that I can remember. If you needed a towel or wanted to read a newspaper ,Charley would offer to get it for you.

After Vietnam ended and the Coliseum went dark,I never saw Charley again. Christ he had to be in his 70's back then. He's gone by now. All that was boxing back then is gone. Moyer's in a hospital. Burke has his bar,but can't remember much anymore. He's lost touch if anyone is still left. Ernie Fuentes is gone. I don't know where the Millsapps are. Last I heard Danny had a flower stand downtown. Kenny Norton is sick. The Canadian fighters ,I hear, are back in Canada. Burke told me it's for the free medical care. And of course Archie was finally counted out. His old house with the swimming pool shaped like a boxing glove was sold to a swingers club for gays.

If Charley was around I'd tell him to hold the spit bucket out. I feel like really unloading a good one.

A lot of familiar names, Rog. You know, a lot of Navy boxers came out of San Diego, like Bobby Valdez and another you mentioned, Jimmy Rosette. Jimmy "James" Rosette fought quite a few times at the Olympic and I can visualize him in the ring, I remember him in blue satin trunks with gold trim, I think white shoes? Yeah, that's what he was wearing when I first saw him fight. Who did he fight? Don't remember, maybe Matt Blow? I'll have to checkout Boxrec. and see.

-Rick

[Rick Farris]

I'm reading where Congress is considering overturning Jack Johnson's conviction of violating the Mann Act.(transporting a girl across state lines for immoral purposes). Geez,now I can finally rest at night. We're mired in debt,fighting two wars,unenployment is at an all time high,homes are being forclosed on,our money is losing its value,the stock market is crashing,and there isn't enough money in budgets to fix cities destroyed by hurricanes. But Lil'Arthur is going to finally get justice by an act of Congress. Now we can get the country moving again.

I guess it was Ken Burn's documentary that got Congress to think about this pressing issue with Johnson. Funny,when our Representatives and Senators ran for election,I don't remember them mentioning Jack Johnson. If they did,I bet no one would have voted for them.

The guy's been dead more than sixty years. Do you think he cares? People in government are insane.

-Rick Farris

[bennie]

Vitali Klitschko rides again. Klitschko fancied himself as a bit of an LA boy for a while, and came into the Corrie Sanders fight to Hotel California. It was cheesy, but what the hell, you have to love that track.

[kikibalt]

State celebrates 100th anniversary of Allensworth

Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times
Though it lasted for less than a decade, Allensworth boasted a hotel, a school, a library, a church and a general store. “The state gave them one teacher and they actually taxed themselves so they could have two,” said Josephine Blodgett Smith, 94.
Lt. Col. Allen Allensworth and other former slaves turned a desert wasteland into a thriving pioneer town, making a strong statement about black self-determination in an era of rampant discrimination.

By Steve Chawkins, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
October 6, 2008

In 1908, Lt. Col. Allen Allensworth, a charismatic ex-slave and retired military man, set out to build an all-black community on a hardscrabble patch of land 40 miles north of Bakersfield.

This weekend, the centennial of his long-shuttered town will be honored by thousands of Californians trooping to the site, now known as Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park.

Though it thrived for less than a decade, the town strikes a special chord among many, who see it as a pioneering effort in black self-determination.

"That group in the first 50 years after emancipation was probably the most dynamic group we've had," said Rick Moss, chief curator of the African American Library & Museum at Oakland. "Allensworth is a real testimony to their drive, their dignity, their willpower -- it's all right there."

Moss is among the speakers at the two-day celebration. So is Lonnie G. Bunch III, founding director of the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History. The Crenshaw High School Elite Choir and actor William Allen Young will be among the entertainers making appearances.

Amtrak is establishing special bus and train routes to the park from Los Angeles, Inglewood, Sacramento, Oakland and elsewhere. (Details are available at http://www.parks.ca.gov/). About 5,000 visitors are expected -- far more than the couple of hundred residents who lived in Allensworth at its height.

Visitors will tour the town's three remaining original buildings and 19 that have been reconstructed. The hamlet boasted a hotel, a school, a library, a church, a general store -- the basic municipal amenities that its settlers had found wanting.

A state historic park since 1974, Allensworth was recently the focus of a battle over plans for a 12,000-cow dairy on adjacent land. After concerted protests from black community groups, the state last year paid the landowner $3.5 million to give up his rights for any kind of livestock operation.

Funded by donations, Saturday and Sunday's event is sponsored by the state's Legislative Black Caucus, the California State Parks Foundation and the state parks department.

"We're honoring the vision of these people from 100 years ago," said state parks director Ruth Coleman. "At a time when white supremacy was so rampant, they created this town to demonstrate their self-sufficiency, to prove that blacks could do everything whites could do."

As a youth, Allensworth was sold in the slave markets three times -- once for daring to learn how to read. In a remarkable career, he fought on Navy gunboats in the Civil War and served as an Army chaplain in the Philippines, attaining the highest military rank any black man had held. He also became a Baptist minister before founding the town that bears his name.

At its dedication, he reminded his followers of their purpose in separating from their former, mostly white communities.

"If we expect to be given due credit for our efforts and achievements, they must be made where they will stand out distinctively and alone," he said, exhorting the residents to "settle upon the bare desert and cause it to blossom as a rose."

The colonel, who recruited many settlers from the ranks of his old Army comrades, was "not shy" about promoting the cause, said his granddaughter, Josephine Blodgett Smith of Los Angeles.

The 94-year-old former teacher recalled chugging over hair-raising roads in a model-T to visit relatives in Allensworth.

"When you think of where they began and what they accomplished, these were remarkable people," she said. "The state gave them one teacher and they actually taxed themselves so they could have two."

Just three months after her birth, her grandfather was fatally struck by a motorcyclist.

Beset by water problems and hurt by the closure of its railroad depot, the town withered in just a few years. But, as the only privately financed black community in the U.S., it had already made its mark.

"Even though it didn't 'succeed', it was a tremendous effort," said Moss.

[email protected]


The all-black community of Allensworth was founded in 1908 in the desert about 40 miles north of Bakersfield.
(California State Parks)

[Rick Farris]

Vitali Klitschko rides again. Klitschko fancied himself as a bit of an LA boy for a while, and came into the Corrie Sanders fight to Hotel California. It was cheesy, but what the hell, you have to love that track.

I've always considered the Klitschkos cheezy. The last time Cory Sanders fought a Klitschko, he came to L.A. with little intention of winning. The South African set up training camp in a small white collar boxing gym in Marina Del Rey. This is one of those places where personal trainers teach women cardio-boxing, no fighters ever worked out there, which probably made it the perfect place for a guy like Sanders, becasue he had no intention of fighting. I would occasionally see Vlad K. wandering around in the Marina when I lived there. He's a local and the people like him. I like the guy too, except for when he climbs into a boxing ring.

-Rick

[kikibalt]

Update on Philippe's
Randy, I'm going to take you up
on your offer to take me them

Thousands celebrate 100th anniversary of Philippe's

Mark Butier Sr., Mark Butier Jr., 10, Gisselle Baskerville and Daniel Butier, 8, from left, enjoy the foods that have made Philippe’s a downtown L.A. staple since 1908.

The L.A. restaurant commemorates its centennial with old-time prices on its longtime menu. Ten-cent French dip sandwiches were offered from 4 to 8 p.m., but most people said they came for the memories
By Cara Mia DiMassa, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
October 7, 2008

By the time Mary Jo Hafner arrived at Philippe the Original on Monday afternoon, the line of people waiting to celebrate the restaurant's 100th anniversary had snaked around the restaurant and was stretching up Ord Street. The sun was in full tilt, and while some had packed lunches, umbrellas and bottles of water to fortify themselves against the wait, Hafner had none of those.

But the 59-year-old from Hawthorne stood with a grin on her face and a quick laugh in her throat. She'd befriended the people around her, she said: "You become family quickly when you come to Philippe's."

Lured by the promise of 10-cent French dip sandwiches, nickel cups of coffee and the chance to mingle with other fans of the downtown institution, thousands of people flocked to the restaurant Monday.

They represented a broad swath of Los Angeles and beyond, and included a couple from Riverside who had the restaurant cater their wedding; three generations of a family from Covina, the youngest a 3-month-old tucked in her car seat; and two friends from San Luis Obispo who usually take the train down for Dodger games, French dips and coconut cream pie.

In a city in which culinary trends are fleeting and restaurants open and close at a dizzying pace, a restaurant that can endure for 100 years is a rarity.

Richard Gonzalez, 29, of South Pasadena was there, he said, to pay homage to a place that was "an L.A. institution in every sense." Gonzalez said he'd discovered the restaurant about five years ago after stepping off a Red Line train at Union Station, and had quickly fallen in love with the old-time feel of the place, from the waitresses' 1950s-style uniforms to the old-fashioned telephone booths adorning one wall.

Customers who had discovered the restaurant in the last decade were among the minority of those in line Monday, though. Others waiting remembered childhoods spent on the restaurant's sawdust floor, playing in the back room lined with model trains, and carving names in the restaurant's wooden walls before that practice was forbidden long ago.

Some even had visited Philippe's at its last location on Aliso Street -- the restaurant moved in 1951 to make way for the Santa Ana Freeway.

Jimmie Bria, 87, was one of the old-timers. His father, he said, knew the original Philippe -- that would be Philippe Mathieu, who sold the business in 1927. Bria remembered his parents sending him to the restaurant with a bag when the sandwiches were 35 cents, telling him to fill it up with French dips.

Now, Bria comes to the restaurant once a month from his home in Alhambra with his son Bob, 49. "I get a kick out of it," said Bob Bria.

For George Muñana, the restaurant is a time-honored staple going back more than 50 years. His family would travel from San Bernardino to Dodger games, and "before or after the game, we'd be here."

Muñana, 63, lives in San Juan Capistrano now. But he still drives up to the restaurant. He'd been to its 95th anniversary too, he said.

While Philippe's serves such old-time delicacies as pickled pigs feet and eggs, sweet baked apples and icy lemonade, almost everyone in line told of a long love affair with the French dip -- usually made with beef, though some cited lamb and pork as favorites.

That's what Tina and Marcos Enriquez served at their 1978 wedding reception, which was held on the restaurant's second floor. (Deviled eggs and potato salad were also on the menu). The couple left work early for Monday's party, bringing six family members with them, including Marcos' father, Salvador, 82.

The legend goes that in 1918, the restaurant's founder, Philippe Mathieu, accidentally dropped a French roll into a roasting pan of meat drippings while preparing a sandwich for a police officer. Other versions of the story say Mathieu dunked the bread deliberately because it was stale. The officer (some sources say it was a fireman) liked the sandwich so much, according to restaurant lore, that he came back with friends to order the sandwich en masse. They cost 10 cents back then.

But the biggest part of Philippe's appeal may lie in its reliability, the fact that coffee is always served in the same brown cups, there's always the same amount of sawdust on the floor, and the food -- served always on paper plates -- tastes the same day in and day out.

Richard Binder, whose family has owned the restaurant since his grandfather bought it from Mathieu in 1927, said that sort of uniformity requires an unusual vigilance on the part of his family -- five of whose members work at the restaurant -- and a stable of longtime employees.

Bread, meat and other staples must not vary, in size or taste. Customers notice any variation from the norm, said Elias Barajas, who began as a busboy at the restaurant in 1967 and rose through the ranks to become meat slicer, fry cook, head cook and now manager.

When a chef is sick or on vacation, Barajas says, he has to sample the gravy and dressing to make sure they taste as they always do. And while he has ceded most of his cooking responsibilities, Barajas is still responsible for making the mustard fresh each week -- an estimated 80 gallons of the sinus-clearing stuff. He's slowly teaching the routine to the new head cook -- who has been in that role since 1981.

On a day when the Dow Jones dropped below 10,000 for the first time in four years and economic news looked grim, the idea of a 10-cent sandwich wasn't half bad, said Robert Donley, 73, of Canyon Country. He and his wife, Marylyn, said they had been visiting the restaurant for 50 years, ever since Robert ate dinner there after a shift at the Department of Water and Power. They sat at a low table, eating French dips with cheese and paper bowls full of beef stew.

"I won't be here for the next one," Marylyn said of the centennial. "So I have to celebrate when I can."

Bob Bria said the pricing is one of the few ways he can measure that time is passing at Philippe's -- prices rise a little each year, and a beef French dip now normally costs $5.35.

Bria and his father debated how to pay for their sandwiches Monday -- eventually pulling out a dollar bill to cover their order, plus tax. While they enjoyed the deal, they said, it wasn't the reason they were there.

"We'll come back next week and pay five-something too," Bob Bria said.

[email protected]

[raylawpc]

I hear from time to time about Thomas Edison's filming of boxing matches, even organizing bouts to film; was Edison a boxing fan or did he think boxing was a good subject to experiment and develope the movie camera?
Bobbin & Weavin

Good question Bruce. I really don't know of Edison's interest im boxing, but it served as a great subject for experimentation in early cinematography. The goal was not just to keep the fighters within the lens frame, but also to maintain a constant "hand crank" speed of 24 frames-per-second to accuratly portray the speed and timing of the match. Of course, those good 'ol camera operators would often hand-crank those motorless cameras while doing a little drinking, and sometimes they'd crank a little too slow which makes the projected image speed up. Or they's crank it too fast and the image would project in a slower motion. How many times have you watched an old-time silent boxing film and notice that the guys are either punching faster than humanly possible or look like they are asleep? That's why.

I think Edison watched a boxing match, and it gave him an idea?

-Rick

Edison was a business man; sports were popular. In those days, boxing was one of the two most popular sports - the other being baseball - and much easier to film. So Edison filmed boxing to make money.

[bennie]

Vitali Klitschko rides again. Klitschko fancied himself as a bit of an LA boy for a while, and came into the Corrie Sanders fight to Hotel California. It was cheesy, but what the hell, you have to love that track.

I've always considered the Klitschkos cheezy. The last time Cory Sanders fought a Klitschko, he came to L.A. with little intention of winning. The South African set up training camp in a small white collar boxing gym in Marina Del Rey. This is one of those places where personal trainers teach women cardio-boxing, no fighters ever worked out there, which probably made it the perfect place for a guy like Sanders, becasue he had no intention of fighting. I would occasionally see Vlad K. wandering around in the Marina when I lived there. He's a local and the people like him. I like the guy too, except for when he climbs into a boxing ring.

-Rick

Vitali is the better fighter, of course, given Wlad was blown away by Sanders in Germany. Yes, Corrie was no fan of conditioning and is massively into golf. For two or three rounds, though, Corrie could take your head off. He was lightning-quick for such a huge man. I actually really enjoyed Klitschko-Sanders. I expected the worst and it turned out to be a pretty good fight, aided and abetted by an excellent refereeing performance.

[kikibalt]

Jose Napoles; Was He Too Good For His Own Good?


photo courtesy David Martinez private collection

By Jim Amato

The late 1960’s and early 1970’s produced some of the finest, most
dominant champions ever. While Ali, Frazier and Foreman were taking turns
ruling the heavyweights, other divisions found themselves under the
supreme rule of a certain superior boxer.

At light heavyweight “Bad” Bob Foster was the sheriff in town. When
Vincente Rondon disputed that fact he was gunned down in two rounds.

At middleweight Carlos Monzon truly was the “King”. He turned back the
challenges of such fine fighters as Nino Benvenuti, Emile Griffith and
Bennie Briscoe to name a few. After twice defeating the talented Rodrigo
Valdez twice, Carlos retired with his crown in tact.

Antonio Cervantes attained ” legendary” status as he established himself
as one of the greatest 140 pound ruler of all time.

Roberto Duran…Just the mere mention of the name is associated with
greatness. At lightweight his fists, the “Hands Of Stone” created havoc
with any would be challengers. Only the outstanding Esteban DeJesus was
able to compete with Roberto.

Then at bantamweight was the dynamic Rock-A-Bye Ruben Olivares. His
happy go lucky gap tooth smile belied his devastating power. Only a
wonderful little fighting machine named Jesus “Chu Chu” Castillo was able
to compete with a prime Olivares. One has to wonder where DeJesus and
Castillo would be among the fistic Gods if it wasn’t for Roberto Duran and
Ruben Olivares. I guess the same could be said for Rodrigo Valdez.

Then there was this smooth boxing but murderous puncher who defected
from his homeland of Cuba. He moved to Mexico and his fistic prowess led
to him being adopted as a national hero. He was a top ranking lightweight
and junior welterweight but when he was unable to secure a title shot in
either of those weight classes, he set his sights on the welterweight
division. The proud and classy welterweight titleholder agreed to put his
title on the line against this feared and avoided fighter. Curtis Cokes
would pay dearly for putting his title up for grabs. After over a dozen
painful rounds Curtis relinquished his title to Jose Napoles. Thus began a
reign that would establish Napoles as one of the greatest fighters ever to
lace on the gloves.

He began his professional career in his native Cuba in 1958 as a spy
eighteen year old. In the early 60’s he invaded his future homeland of
Mexico. He quickly established himself as a fighter of promise and by 1964
he was a bonafide contender. He kayoed the feared Carlos Hernandez. In
1965 he outscored Eddie Perkins and took out Adolph Pruitt in three
rounds. By now he had put himself in a position of being too good for his
own good. The champions at the time seemed very unwilling to give Napoles
a crack at the crown.

In 1966 Jose was upset by Youngstown, Ohio standout L.C. Morgan. Jose
had two earlier victories over Morgan. Napoles would beat Morgan again in
a 1967 return match.

Jose finally made his United States debut in 1968 when he landed in Los
Angeles and blasted out Leroy Roberts in the first round. He returned
later in the year to take out Des Rea in five.

On April 18, 1969 Jose Napoles defeated the game Curtis Cokes to capture
the welterweight championship of the world. The gracious new title holer
would give Cokes a chance to regain his old title Napoles would again
prove to be Cokes’ master and Jose would again win by knockout.

Jose closed the year by turning back the challenge of former champion
Emile Griffith. The clear cut win over the still fomidible Griffith made
Napoles a star. In 1970 he held off the challenge of the popular and
highly regarded Ernie Lopez.

Then on December 3rd 1970 Billy Backus upset Jose to capture the title.
Six months later Jose regained the title as he battered Backus in to
submission. Jose closed 1971 with a hard earned decision over the speedy
and clever Hedgemon Lewis.

!972 and 1973 would see Jose reel off five successful defenses. Among
his victims were Ernie Lopez who he nearly decapitated in the seventh
round. Jose also won a hard fought decision over rugged Canadian contender
Clyde Gray.

On February 9th, 1974 Jose moved up in weight to challenge the great
Monzon for the middleweight title. Although this was a highly anticipated
pairing, Carlos proved to be too big and too strong for Jose halting him
in the seventh. Undaunted, Jose came right back in August to halt arch
enemy Hedgemon Lewis. He closed the year by taking out Horatio Saldano in
three rounds.

Although Jose was still on top you could begin to see the cracks in the
armour. Next came a near loss to the outstanding Armando Muniz. Four
months later Jose did what any great boxer would do, he beat Muniz handily.

In Jose’s next bout he had the very capable John H. Stracey of England
down in the first round but could not finish him off. Stracey went on to
overwhelm the aging champion ending matters in the sixth round. Napoles
knew that there was no sense in carrying on. Jose hung up the gloves for
good.

Napoles had 84 recorded bouts and he only lost eight times. Fifty four
foes failed to last the distance with Jose. “Mantequilla”, smooth as
butter was his nick name. It was a fitting one. He made everything look so
easy and effortless. He had a stinging jab. He had fearsome power. He
threw effortless combinations. As good as he was at welterweight he may
have been a better lightweight. When I think of Jose Napoles I think
“greatness”. Nothing more, nothing less.

[kikibalt]

Frank,

This is pretty cool; take a look at it and see if it’s worth posting on the thread.

Hope you enjoyed your visit with your family, I enjoyed the pictures you posted they look like nice people, I really enjoy face shots like that and they will be enjoyed by your family for generations to come.

Bruce

Subject: 50 years in 3 minutes…amazing!!.

Pretty interesting :)

Watch it in full screen!

When it starts it acts like it won't...wait a few seconds. when it comes up....

Volume will need to be on and up, then enjoy a review of 50 years of history in less than 3 minutes. Thanks to a Billy Joel song and some guy from the University of Chicago with a lot of time to Google!

Click on weblink below:



http://home.uchicago.edu/~yli5/Flash/Fire

[raylawpc]

Last night, I watched The Black Dahlia on HBO. The move is set in LA and plays off the Black Dahlia murder of 1947. Despite good actors (one of my favorites - Hillary Swank!!) and a good director, the movie sucks.

But I enjoyed two pieces of dialogue:

The two police detectives are former boxers (in the opening of the movie, they box a ten round benefit for the police department). Mention is made that both had fought "at the Hollywood Legion Stadium." (And one of the murders happens at the Olympic - but sure didn't look like the boxing auditorium.)

When the detectives interview the Black Dahlia's father, he dismisses them by saying, "Neither one of you guys would have lasted a round with Jim Jeffries."

[scartissue]

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/hispanic ... id=3586141

Good article on Chango Carmona

Scartissue

[raylawpc]

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/hispanic ... id=3586141

Good article on Chango Carmona

Scartissue

A very good article indeed. Too bad ESPN couldn't have accompanied the story with a photo of a fight which Carmona won. Instead, they showed him losing the crown to our buddy El Gato.

[Randyman]

By Randy De La O

Ray "Wild Red" Robles




The above two photos are of my uncle, Ray “Wild Red” Robles, I don’t know what weight he fought at but he was about 5’9” or 5’10”.Judging from his photos he could have been a welterweight or possibly a lightweight. He fought in or around Merced, Stockton and possibly Fresno. He was born in Kansas but was raised in El Paso, Texas until he was about sixteen or seventeen years old. He hopped freight trains and hitchhiked to Northern California, somewhere around Sacramento. He got a job picking fruit and because he spoke both Spanish and English, he ended up with a foreman’s position. He worked alongside the Filipinos, Okies and Mexican American fruitpickers. He eventually sent for his family; mother, siblings, etc. At some point they moved to a two bedroom cabin in Sonora and he found work as a lumberjack.

I don’t know what year he started fighting but according to his son, my cousin David Robles, he fought in Los Angeles a few times and believes it was at the Olympic, according to what his mother and some other family members recall, but it’s vague at best. He may have had a dozen or so fights.

In the late 1940's and early 1950’s , my grandmother owned a cafe/bar and this is where he met my aunt Beatrice (Bea). They lived in an apartment on Macy Street, with their two sons, Ray and David, in the area that is now the Los Angeles County jail facilities. “Wild Red” eventually became one of the regulars at a local bar. He would eventually get into a fight with a Russian immigrant at the bar and was stabbed to death with a butcher knife. According to witnesses he was dead before he hit the ground. A quick thinking bar patron wrote down the license number of the car, as it sped away, using the cue chalk to write on the sidewalk. "Wild Red" Robles died on his son Davids's birhday, November 6 1953 or 54.

This is about all that is known about Ray “Wild Red” Robles. Perhaps someone will remember the name, or remember seeing him fight. If you have any information please contact me.

Thanks Frank, I still can't figure out why my photos won't upload to boxrec. Between not being able to upload the videos and the photos I'm starting to feel a little inadequate here.

My aunt Bea eventually wound up marrying a great guy, my uncle Sal, who raised both of Wild Red's boys. He was a huge fight fan and became very close to my father. His full name was Salvador Sanchez. Can you guess who his favorite fighter was?

Update: I found out a little more a bout Ray "Wild Red" Robles from the Social Security Death Index. His full given name is Ramon Santana Robles. He was born on July 7, 1929 in Kansas. The exact day of his death was November 6, 1954 in Los Angeles. He was 25 years of age at the time of his death. My aunt Bea confirmed that he had several fights at the Cow Palace in San Francisco.

Randy

[kikibalt]

Randy, Posted this 2-3 pages back, don't know if you read it,


Randy, in the pic. above is Raymond and his mom Joann, Raymond is
the grandson of Manuel Teran, Joann, who is my cousin was married to
Manuel's son Raymond, I knew that Joann's married name was Teran, but
never knew who she was married too, now ain't that something?

We met and had brunch with my sister Rachel and some family.
Will post some more pics.

[Randyman]

Randy, Posted this 2-3 pages back, don't know if you read it,


Randy, in the pic. above is Raymond and his mom Joann, Raymond is
the grandson of Manuel Teran, Joann, who is my cousin was married to
Manuel's son Raymond, I knew that Joann's married name was Teran, but
never knew who she was married too, now ain't that something?

We met and had brunch with my sister Rachel and some family.
Will post some more pics.

Wow, what a coincidence. It's a small world isn't it. Even without you telling me I can see the Teran in him. They all have the same features. I met Ray's wife years ago. Joann was his Ray's first wife. I was at the wedding reception/party, were you? Wouldn't that be something? That would have been in the early 70's. Thanks for posting that photo.

Randy

[Randyman]

My sister Rachel


My uncle Louie, who is 93 years young


Rachel and uncle Louie

Beautiful Photos Frank! I hope you enjoyed your day with your sister Rachel. What a beauty.l