Classic American West Coast Boxing

[bennie]

Bernard Hopkins rings Kelly Pavlik's bell


Jeff Zelevansky / Getty Images
Bernard Hopkins connects with a jab to Kelly Pavlik during their light heavyweight bout Saturday in Atlantic City, N.J. Hopkins won the 12-round bout by decision.
The 43-year-old Philadelphian gives the 26-year-old middleweight champion a boxing lesson in a nontitle bout in Atlantic City, N.J.
From the Associated Press

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- Bernard Hopkins gave Kelly Pavlik a boxing lesson and a first loss that he will never forget.

The 43-year-old Hopkins used lightning-quick combinations and a cagey, near-perfect defense to embarrass and confuse Pavlik in a 12-round non-title light-heavyweight bout Saturday night at Boardwalk Hall.

Hopkins, who dominated the middleweight class for a decade, made the 26-year-old Pavlik -- the WBC and WBO middleweight champion -- look slow and powerless in fighting at 170 pounds, 10 pounds over his weight class.

"I think this was my best performance, better than [Antonio] Tarver, better than [Felix] Trinidad, better than Oscar [De La Hoya], better than my 21 defenses," Hopkins said. "I am extremely happy."

Hopkins received winning scores of 119-106 from judge Alan Rubenstein, 117-109 from Barbara Perez and 118-108 from Steve Weisfeld.

The mismatch was obvious from the opening bell, and Hopkins reveled in the beating he gave the Youngstown, Ohio, boxer. By the fifth round, Pavlik was bleeding from the nose and by the seventh Hopkins, of Philadelphia, was taunting him.

During one stretch in the round, Hopkins landed four or five straight punches, and then stepped back and started winding up on his punches before delivering them.

"He was a great fighter, but I knew my style and quickness was underrated and it was going to give him problems tonight," Hopkins added.

Pavlik (34-1) never stopped stalking Hopkins, but he never seemed to hurt him.

"I just could not get off tonight," Pavlik said. "I don't know why. It was not his slickness. It just wasn't me out there tonight. I couldn't do anything I'm used to doing. We're going back to the drawing board. It just wasn't me tonight. I'll be more comfortable going back to 160."

With tinges of gray in his beard, Hopkins even looked the fresher fighter. He came into ring wearing an executioner's mask and black robe with an X on both, and he ruined Pavlik's perfect record in improving to 49-5-1.

The crowd had come to hail Pavlik, who had battered Gary Lockett in his first title defense in June. When he was in trouble early, they chanted "Kel-lee! Kel-lee!" Halfway through the fight, the chants become "B-Hop! B-Hop!"

Hopkins landed a barrage of blows in the 12th round and started yelling at Pavlik in a move that was no more than a gleeful taunt.

"I wanted to pick it up and step it up," Hopkins said. "I wanted to stop him."

When the final bell sounded, both fighters continued to throw punches, forcing referee Benji Esteves to come between them.

Hopkins then walked over to the television cameras and glared, wondering how so many had predicted that Pavlik would knock him out for the first time in his career.

Hopkins praised Pavlik after the fight.

"I was a fan of yours before the fight and I am a fan of yours now," Hopkins told Pavlik in the corner.

"You just need to get a little more slickness. You need to bend your knees more like your coach was telling you. Middleweight is your destiny."

Embarrassing indeed for Pavlik.
It was a crap fight, I know, but this result makes Joe Calzaghe's win over Hopkins in April look pretty good.

[bennie]

Maybe Hopkins meant he would never lose to a white American boy.

[Boxingnut]

I knew you were from Liverpool, Rob, because of the Dick Tiger thing. I went to the Olympia in Liverpool to watch Derry Matthews a couple of years ago. People were saying, of the venue, "what a shithole!" I loved it. I'm from a shithole.

PS: Great atmosphere in the Olympia that night, and not a bad seat in the house.[/quote]

Yeah the Olympia is not a bad venue, old school a bit like York Hall. The old Liverpool Stadium was my favourite venue, you could almost smell the history. I suppose that would be the equivalent of the Olympic to the Californian guys.

[bennie]

Did you go to The Stadium, Rob?

[Randyman]

I knew you were from Liverpool, Rob, because of the Dick Tiger thing. I went to the Olympia in Liverpool to watch Derry Matthews a couple of years ago. People were saying, of the venue, "what a shithole!" I loved it. I'm from a shithole.

PS: Great atmosphere in the Olympia that night, and not a bad seat in the house.

Yeah the Olympia is not a bad venue, old school a bit like York Hall. The old Liverpool Stadium was my favourite venue, you could almost smell the history. I suppose that would be the equivalent of the Olympic to the Californian guys.

I would love to hear more about your old historic arenas. Tell us more!

[Randyman]

Bernard Hopkins rings Kelly Pavlik's bell


Jeff Zelevansky / Getty Images
Bernard Hopkins connects with a jab to Kelly Pavlik during their light heavyweight bout Saturday in Atlantic City, N.J. Hopkins won the 12-round bout by decision.
The 43-year-old Philadelphian gives the 26-year-old middleweight champion a boxing lesson in a nontitle bout in Atlantic City, N.J.
From the Associated Press

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- Bernard Hopkins gave Kelly Pavlik a boxing lesson and a first loss that he will never forget.

The 43-year-old Hopkins used lightning-quick combinations and a cagey, near-perfect defense to embarrass and confuse Pavlik in a 12-round non-title light-heavyweight bout Saturday night at Boardwalk Hall.

Hopkins, who dominated the middleweight class for a decade, made the 26-year-old Pavlik -- the WBC and WBO middleweight champion -- look slow and powerless in fighting at 170 pounds, 10 pounds over his weight class.

"I think this was my best performance, better than [Antonio] Tarver, better than [Felix] Trinidad, better than Oscar [De La Hoya], better than my 21 defenses," Hopkins said. "I am extremely happy."

Hopkins received winning scores of 119-106 from judge Alan Rubenstein, 117-109 from Barbara Perez and 118-108 from Steve Weisfeld.

The mismatch was obvious from the opening bell, and Hopkins reveled in the beating he gave the Youngstown, Ohio, boxer. By the fifth round, Pavlik was bleeding from the nose and by the seventh Hopkins, of Philadelphia, was taunting him.

During one stretch in the round, Hopkins landed four or five straight punches, and then stepped back and started winding up on his punches before delivering them.

"He was a great fighter, but I knew my style and quickness was underrated and it was going to give him problems tonight," Hopkins added.

Pavlik (34-1) never stopped stalking Hopkins, but he never seemed to hurt him.

"I just could not get off tonight," Pavlik said. "I don't know why. It was not his slickness. It just wasn't me out there tonight. I couldn't do anything I'm used to doing. We're going back to the drawing board. It just wasn't me tonight. I'll be more comfortable going back to 160."

With tinges of gray in his beard, Hopkins even looked the fresher fighter. He came into ring wearing an executioner's mask and black robe with an X on both, and he ruined Pavlik's perfect record in improving to 49-5-1.

The crowd had come to hail Pavlik, who had battered Gary Lockett in his first title defense in June. When he was in trouble early, they chanted "Kel-lee! Kel-lee!" Halfway through the fight, the chants become "B-Hop! B-Hop!"

Hopkins landed a barrage of blows in the 12th round and started yelling at Pavlik in a move that was no more than a gleeful taunt.

"I wanted to pick it up and step it up," Hopkins said. "I wanted to stop him."

When the final bell sounded, both fighters continued to throw punches, forcing referee Benji Esteves to come between them.

Hopkins then walked over to the television cameras and glared, wondering how so many had predicted that Pavlik would knock him out for the first time in his career.

Hopkins praised Pavlik after the fight.

"I was a fan of yours before the fight and I am a fan of yours now," Hopkins told Pavlik in the corner.

"You just need to get a little more slickness. You need to bend your knees more like your coach was telling you. Middleweight is your destiny."

Embarrassing indeed for Pavlik.
It was a crap fight, I know, but this result makes Joe Calzaghe's win over Hopkins in April look pretty good.

I didn't see the fight but I did predict a win for Pavlik. Boy, was I ever wrong! I didn't think Hopkins had it in him anymore. Score one for the old guys. It does make you wonder just how good Calzaghe really is?

[Randyman]

Snow at Saint Paul's Avenue

Nice shot. It's nice to see a bit of snow these days, given the effects of global warming. I can remember when we were guaranteed snow every winter. Not any more.

What a classic photo. It looks like a postcard.

[Randyman]

Ditto for this pic.

[Randyman]

Bernard Hopkins rings Kelly Pavlik's bell


Jeff Zelevansky / Getty Images
Bernard Hopkins connects with a jab to Kelly Pavlik during their light heavyweight bout Saturday in Atlantic City, N.J. Hopkins won the 12-round bout by decision.
The 43-year-old Philadelphian gives the 26-year-old middleweight champion a boxing lesson in a nontitle bout in Atlantic City, N.J.
From the Associated Press

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- Bernard Hopkins gave Kelly Pavlik a boxing lesson and a first loss that he will never forget.

The 43-year-old Hopkins used lightning-quick combinations and a cagey, near-perfect defense to embarrass and confuse Pavlik in a 12-round non-title light-heavyweight bout Saturday night at Boardwalk Hall.

Hopkins, who dominated the middleweight class for a decade, made the 26-year-old Pavlik -- the WBC and WBO middleweight champion -- look slow and powerless in fighting at 170 pounds, 10 pounds over his weight class.

"I think this was my best performance, better than [Antonio] Tarver, better than [Felix] Trinidad, better than Oscar [De La Hoya], better than my 21 defenses," Hopkins said. "I am extremely happy."

Hopkins received winning scores of 119-106 from judge Alan Rubenstein, 117-109 from Barbara Perez and 118-108 from Steve Weisfeld.

The mismatch was obvious from the opening bell, and Hopkins reveled in the beating he gave the Youngstown, Ohio, boxer. By the fifth round, Pavlik was bleeding from the nose and by the seventh Hopkins, of Philadelphia, was taunting him.

During one stretch in the round, Hopkins landed four or five straight punches, and then stepped back and started winding up on his punches before delivering them.

"He was a great fighter, but I knew my style and quickness was underrated and it was going to give him problems tonight," Hopkins added.

Pavlik (34-1) never stopped stalking Hopkins, but he never seemed to hurt him.

"I just could not get off tonight," Pavlik said. "I don't know why. It was not his slickness. It just wasn't me out there tonight. I couldn't do anything I'm used to doing. We're going back to the drawing board. It just wasn't me tonight. I'll be more comfortable going back to 160."

With tinges of gray in his beard, Hopkins even looked the fresher fighter. He came into ring wearing an executioner's mask and black robe with an X on both, and he ruined Pavlik's perfect record in improving to 49-5-1.

The crowd had come to hail Pavlik, who had battered Gary Lockett in his first title defense in June. When he was in trouble early, they chanted "Kel-lee! Kel-lee!" Halfway through the fight, the chants become "B-Hop! B-Hop!"

Hopkins landed a barrage of blows in the 12th round and started yelling at Pavlik in a move that was no more than a gleeful taunt.

"I wanted to pick it up and step it up," Hopkins said. "I wanted to stop him."

When the final bell sounded, both fighters continued to throw punches, forcing referee Benji Esteves to come between them.

Hopkins then walked over to the television cameras and glared, wondering how so many had predicted that Pavlik would knock him out for the first time in his career.

Hopkins praised Pavlik after the fight.

"I was a fan of yours before the fight and I am a fan of yours now," Hopkins told Pavlik in the corner.

"You just need to get a little more slickness. You need to bend your knees more like your coach was telling you. Middleweight is your destiny."

Embarrassing indeed for Pavlik.
It was a crap fight, I know, but this result makes Joe Calzaghe's win over Hopkins in April look pretty good.

The Undercard

WBO featherweight champion Steven Luevano (36-1-1, 15 KOs) retained his title with a relatively uneventful unanimous decision over previously unbeaten challenger Billy Dib (21-1, 11 KOs). Scores were 116-112, 115-113, 117-111.

In a WBC middleweight eliminator, Marco Antonio Rubio (43-4-1, 37 KOs) earned a shot at Kelly Pavlik with a twelve round split decision over Enrique Ornelas (28-5, 18 KOs). A late rally put Rubio over the top on two cards 115-113 116-112, while Ornelas prevailed 115-113 on the third card.

Unbeaten super middleweight prospect Daniel Jacobs (11-0, 10 KOs) needed just 2:29 to annihilate Tyrone Watson (7-6, 3 KOs). Watson was down twice from brutal body punches.

Unbeaten junior middleweight contender Yuri Foreman (26-0, 8 KOs) boxed his way to a workmanlike ten round shutout over Vinroy Barrett (22-7, 11 KOs). Scores were 100-90.

Unbeaten welterweight prospect Danny Garcia (8-0, 7 KOs) dropped Deon Nash (5-6, 1 KO) twice in round three and got the stoppage at 2:14 of the same stanza.

Unbeaten jr bantam prospect Qa'id Muhammad (3-0, 3 KOs) scored a fourth round TKO over Samuel Gutierrez (3-4). Time was 2:29.
Saturday, October 18 2008

[bennie]

I knew you were from Liverpool, Rob, because of the Dick Tiger thing. I went to the Olympia in Liverpool to watch Derry Matthews a couple of years ago. People were saying, of the venue, "what a shithole!" I loved it. I'm from a shithole.

PS: Great atmosphere in the Olympia that night, and not a bad seat in the house.

Yeah the Olympia is not a bad venue, old school a bit like York Hall. The old Liverpool Stadium was my favourite venue, you could almost smell the history. I suppose that would be the equivalent of the Olympic to the Californian guys.

I would love to hear more about your old historic arenas. Tell us more!

The Olympia is a former indoor circus, Randy. Apparently, underneath the venue is a huge pit where they used to hold the animals. It is engraved with animal carvings, so I've been told. The whole venue has an earthy, homely feel about it. I liked it. I went there one March day to watch the boxing and it was COLD. Liverpool is by the sea and that wind cuts right through you. Anyway, I drove past the venue a few times before I realized the small-looking building MUST be it. It was.
There was a big stretch of wasteground directly across from the venue, where you could park for free. Lovely. In London they always sting you for parking. The venue was just as small inside, but there must have been around 1500 in there and everybody had a great view, even those occupying a number of stalls high up in the arena. Liverpool people clearly like their like boxing. There was a sparkling world title fight on the bill between a Ukrainian and a Frenchman (yes, in Liverpool) and the crowd remained hushed all through the 12 rounds of action, concentrating on and enjoying the action. Then they burst into applause at the finish and booed a bad verdict against the Ukrainian (Andreas Kotelnik), who was cheered from the ring. You could see he and his camp appreciated the knowledgeable reaction.
Everybody was in a good mood. Micky Vann, one of our top refs, had thrown a towel out of the ring a few weeks earlier, on national TV, and the 'beaten' fighter then responded by dropping his opponent, so the fans were giving him plenty of acknowledgement. Micky loves all that.
A couple of top footballers were in attendance, Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher, and every now and then the crowd would give them some stick but they smiled and laughed along.
Great night.

[Boxingnut]

I knew you were from Liverpool, Rob, because of the Dick Tiger thing. I went to the Olympia in Liverpool to watch Derry Matthews a couple of years ago. People were saying, of the venue, "what a shithole!" I loved it. I'm from a shithole.

PS: Great atmosphere in the Olympia that night, and not a bad seat in the house.

Yeah the Olympia is not a bad venue, old school a bit like York Hall. The old Liverpool Stadium was my favourite venue, you could almost smell the history. I suppose that would be the equivalent of the Olympic to the Californian guys.

I would love to hear more about your old historic arenas. Tell us more!

The Olympia is a former indoor circus, Randy. Apparently, underneath the venue is a huge pit where they used to hold the animals. It is engraved with animal carvings, so I've been told. The whole venue has an earthy, homely feel about it. I liked it. I went there one March day to watch the boxing and it was COLD. Liverpool is by the sea and that wind cuts right through you. Anyway, I drove past the venue a few times before I realized the small-looking building MUST be it. It was.
There was a big stretch of wasteground directly across from the venue, where you could park for free. Lovely. In London they always sting you for parking. The venue was just as small inside, but there must have been around 1500 in there and everybody had a great view, even those occupying a number of stalls high up in the arena. Liverpool people clearly like their like boxing. There was a sparkling world title fight on the bill between a Ukrainian and a Frenchman (yes, in Liverpool) and the crowd remained hushed all through the 12 rounds of action, concentrating on and enjoying the action. Then they burst into applause at the finish and booed a bad verdict against the Ukrainian (Andreas Kotelnik), who was cheered from the ring. You could see he and his camp appreciated the knowledgeable reaction.
Everybody was in a good mood. Micky Vann, one of our top refs, had thrown a towel out of the ring a few weeks earlier, on national TV, and the 'beaten' fighter then responded by dropping his opponent, so the fans were giving him plenty of acknowledgement. Micky loves all that.
A couple of top footballers were in attendance, Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher, and every now and then the crowd would give them some stick but they smiled and laughed along.
Great night.

Great description Bennie. I think the OLympia was also a dance hall previously. Yes Liverpool has always been a 'fight town'. It is in the middle of nowhere with only a nightclub (The Grafton) on one side and a casino on the other. I am surprised you did not have kids coming upto you asking if they could 'mind' your car. This means that they supposedly look after your car and when you return you give them a pound or two.

[Boxingnut]

Did you go to The Stadium, Rob?

Yes I did Bennie but only a few times. I got interseted in boxing when i was about 14 or 15. that would be about 1981/1982. there wasn't many fights between then and the time it was knocked down in the late 1980's.

The Liverpool Stadium (like Madison Square Garden) had more than one site. First one was on Pudsey St, the second in St Pauls Square. It was the only arena purpose built for boxing in Britain. It was nicknamed 'The Graveyard of Champions' as so many champions lost their title there. In the 1940's and 1950's, I am told they had wrestling on a Thursday night and boxing on a Friday night EVERY WEEK!! The ring was in the middle (obviously!) and above the ring was a little lighted scoreboard which told you what round it was. There were wooden seats around the ring and what I guess what you would call the bleachers further back. I think the capacity was about 6,000. Over time it was used less and less. When I went the paint was peeling off the walls and the place had obviously seen better days. Nevertheless you could feel the history in the place. I have been to the ruins of Pompei in Italy and I got the same kind of feeling in both places; like history was in the air. Whenever I have seen pictures of the Olympic in LA it reminds of the Liverpool Stadium.
In the late 1980's the company that owned the building decided in their wisdom to knock the building down and replace it with a car park!! there is however a plaque which states that the Stadium used to be there.

[Boxingnut]

I knew you were from Liverpool, Rob, because of the Dick Tiger thing. I went to the Olympia in Liverpool to watch Derry Matthews a couple of years ago. People were saying, of the venue, "what a shithole!" I loved it. I'm from a shithole.

PS: Great atmosphere in the Olympia that night, and not a bad seat in the house.

Yeah the Olympia is not a bad venue, old school a bit like York Hall. The old Liverpool Stadium was my favourite venue, you could almost smell the history. I suppose that would be the equivalent of the Olympic to the Californian guys.

I would love to hear more about your old historic arenas. Tell us more!

Just done a little description Randy I will try to find some pictures on the net.

[kikibalt]

Going through some papers, I run into this article, thought I would share it with you.
On the second pic. from the top, you see Robert Blake walking with his lawyer and a
L.A. county deputy sheriff providing security during Blake's arraignment on a murder
charge, that deputy is my brother Mando, now retired.

[Boxingnut]

LIVERPOOL’S famous old boxing stadium is getting ready for a comeback.

And a host of former fighters are ready to share the spotlight.

Former Mersey boxer Brian Snagg wants to bring the revered Liverpool Stadium back to life in a new play to be staged at the Lighthouse Theatre, Anfield, next April.

And he already has a number of former boxers lining up for walk-on parts.

The play is entitled ‘Graveyard of Champions’ – the old nickname for the Stadium – and Snagg has already commissioned a script and is currently tracking down some of the city’s old fighters.

“The Liverpool Stadium was a much-loved institution in the city and I felt it was about time someone paid tribute to it,” said Brian.

An ex-boxer himself, Snagg was the inspiration behind the city’s first football pantomime which had a successful run at the Royal Court Theatre four years ago.

But as a livewire lightweight who boxed at the Liverpool Stadium himself as both an amateur and a professional, he is one of the many sportsmen and supporters who enjoyed a special affinity with the country’s first purpose-built boxing stadium.

“I boxed there as an amateur and as a professional and it was a truly special place,” he explained.

“It felt like you were in the movies.

“There was a long, dark tunnel leading to the ring and when you came out into the lights with the crowd roaring, the hairs on your neck used to stand on end.

“You had to really work hard just to concentrate on your fight.”

Snagg boxed his last professional contest at the Stadium on June 3, 1982, a defeat by Glyn Rhodes. Just two months earlier he stopped Jimmy Bunclarke in the same ring for his final pro victory.

But it is some of the Stadium’s greatest moments he hopes to recreate during the week-long run of ‘Graveyard of the Champions.’

The Stadium was christened the Graveyard when three champions crashed onto the canvas on the opening night of the new £30,000 arena – on October 20 1932.

Ginger Foran beat Scottish flyweight champion Jim Maharg, Jim Hunter, another Scottish champion, was knocked out by Jimmy Stewart and then local legend Ernie Roderick beat Billy Quinlan.

The nickname stuck. Perhaps it was the site, formerly occupied by St Paul’s Church and graveyard, which also had something to do with it, but champions stepped into its ring at their peril.

Happily John Conteh was one champion who didn’t fall victim to its curse.

The Stadium enjoyed arguably its greatest night on March 5, 1977, when the city’s finest fighter successfully defended his World light-heavyweight title against Lenny Hutchins.

Despite being built specifically as a boxing arena, however, the Stadium also staged music concerts – Louis Armstrong appeared there in 1956, Gene Vincent headlined in 1960, in 1968 Pink Floyd headlined the Kaleidoscope Festival and in 1972 David Bowie took his Spiders from Mars tour there.

But boxing was always the number one attraction, and next Spring some of its greatest hits will be celebrated again.

[Boxingnut]

The Liverpool Stadium in all it's glory.

[bennie]

LIVERPOOL’S famous old boxing stadium is getting ready for a comeback.

And a host of former fighters are ready to share the spotlight.

Former Mersey boxer Brian Snagg wants to bring the revered Liverpool Stadium back to life in a new play to be staged at the Lighthouse Theatre, Anfield, next April.

And he already has a number of former boxers lining up for walk-on parts.

The play is entitled ‘Graveyard of Champions’ – the old nickname for the Stadium – and Snagg has already commissioned a script and is currently tracking down some of the city’s old fighters.

“The Liverpool Stadium was a much-loved institution in the city and I felt it was about time someone paid tribute to it,” said Brian.

An ex-boxer himself, Snagg was the inspiration behind the city’s first football pantomime which had a successful run at the Royal Court Theatre four years ago.

But as a livewire lightweight who boxed at the Liverpool Stadium himself as both an amateur and a professional, he is one of the many sportsmen and supporters who enjoyed a special affinity with the country’s first purpose-built boxing stadium.

“I boxed there as an amateur and as a professional and it was a truly special place,” he explained.

“It felt like you were in the movies.

“There was a long, dark tunnel leading to the ring and when you came out into the lights with the crowd roaring, the hairs on your neck used to stand on end.

“You had to really work hard just to concentrate on your fight.”

Snagg boxed his last professional contest at the Stadium on June 3, 1982, a defeat by Glyn Rhodes. Just two months earlier he stopped Jimmy Bunclarke in the same ring for his final pro victory.

But it is some of the Stadium’s greatest moments he hopes to recreate during the week-long run of ‘Graveyard of the Champions.’

The Stadium was christened the Graveyard when three champions crashed onto the canvas on the opening night of the new £30,000 arena – on October 20 1932.

Ginger Foran beat Scottish flyweight champion Jim Maharg, Jim Hunter, another Scottish champion, was knocked out by Jimmy Stewart and then local legend Ernie Roderick beat Billy Quinlan.

The nickname stuck. Perhaps it was the site, formerly occupied by St Paul’s Church and graveyard, which also had something to do with it, but champions stepped into its ring at their peril.

Happily John Conteh was one champion who didn’t fall victim to its curse.

The Stadium enjoyed arguably its greatest night on March 5, 1977, when the city’s finest fighter successfully defended his World light-heavyweight title against Lenny Hutchins.

Despite being built specifically as a boxing arena, however, the Stadium also staged music concerts – Louis Armstrong appeared there in 1956, Gene Vincent headlined in 1960, in 1968 Pink Floyd headlined the Kaleidoscope Festival and in 1972 David Bowie took his Spiders from Mars tour there.

But boxing was always the number one attraction, and next Spring some of its greatest hits will be celebrated again.

Yes, I remember now: as well as being a place where champions usually always lost their titles, it was also literally built on a graveyard.
I also remember Brian Snagg, Bunclarke, et all. They were good lads. Off the top of my head, one of the last biggish fights there must have been Roy Gumbs defending his British middleweight title. Gumbs, if you pardon this rather unusual aside, apparently had a secret weapon Dion Dublin would have envied. This broke in the press and every headline involving Gumbs for a while read along the lines of "Roy's strength can swing it."
This is true.

Cheers, Rob.

[bennie]

The Liverpool Stadium in all it's glory.

Apparently, they showed Conteh against Hutchins on the box the other day. I was in a pub and saw Conteh butting the life out of someone before sparking him. From my blurred perspective it looked like Lonnie Bennett, and I mentioned the latter on the British forum. It was quickly pointed out to me the opponent was Len Hutchins. I didn't have the heart to say it could really have been ANY Conteh opponent.
John butted everyone.

[Randyman]

The Liverpool Stadium in all it's glory.

Apparently, they showed Conteh against Hutchins on the box the other day. I was in a pub and saw Conteh butting the life out of someone before sparking him. From my blurred perspective it looked like Lonnie Bennett, and I mentioned the latter on the British forum. It was quickly pointed out to me the opponent was Len Hutchins. I didn't have the heart to say it could really have been ANY Conteh opponent.
John butted everyone.

Guys, thanks for the response and the education on both the Olympia and the Liverpool Stadium, and especially that outstanding photograph. I get a sense of boxing history just looking at it. By the way, I always liked John Conteh. He beat Yaqui Lopez (he wasn't really Yaqui Indian), a favorite of mine. I'm going to have to put Liverpool on my list of places to visit before I die. Except for a great fight, nothing stirs the blood of a real fight fan like an old historic fight venue.

Randy

[kikibalt]

Photograph by the Los Angeles Police Department

The miner statue after being cut apart and sold for scrap.

Police strike pay dirt in hunt for stolen statue of miner
Sold as scrap, it will be fixed. Two suspected in similar thefts are held.

By Joe Mozingo
and Andrew Blankstein
Times Staff Writers

The bronze miner who stood for 80 years in a Mid-City park suffered the height of indignities.

He was ripped from his pedestal in the park two blocks from Beverly Hills, cut in half above the knees and trucked to a scrap yard on Alameda Street south of downtown. There he was thrown amid the lumpen metal masses -- common copper plumbing, old radiators, transmissions and beer kegs.

Fortunately, police found the miner before he was crushed in the bailer, sent to China and melted in a foundry forge. And they may have ended a peculiar crime spree as well.

Two men were arrested Thursday in connection with the theft and are suspected of stealing other bronze sculptures in the Mid-City area and Beverly Hills between Jan. 29 and Tuesday. Sebastian Espana, 22, and Jessie Hernandez, 23, are likely to face grand theft charges, said Det. Stephanie Lazarus of the Los Angeles Police Department's Art Theft Detail.

The thefts are part of a vexing trend: As the price of metals has soared worldwide, people have taken to stealing streetlight wiring, plumbing valves, catalytic converters and fire hydrants. But the pilfering of sculptures for a quick buck has brought the crime to a new level of audacity and waste.

As art, the 7-foot miner panning for gold, sculpted by Henry Lion in 1924 and 1925, was valued at $125,000. As 512 pounds of bronze, police said, it was sold to Central Metals Inc. on Alameda on Feb. 3 for a mere $900.

Supervisors at the facility were suspicious when the statue arrived and held it for an LAPD detective, who routinely scopes the metal yards for stolen items.

"When something like this comes in, we keep it to the side," said Louis Castro, a manager at the six-acre facility. They also take names. Scrap yards, by law, must record the identifications of anyone dropping off metal.

Police placed a hold on the statue and launched an investigation, setting up surveillance on the two suspects, Lazarus said.

The pair allegedly returned this week with other works of art: modern sculpture resembling two people entwined, stolen from a business on Wilshire Boulevard, and two bronze giraffes and a depiction of children on a swing from a home in Beverly Hills.

The men were arrested about 10:30 p.m. Thursday on suspicion of grand theft. Detectives are trying to locate a bronze bust and another sculpture the two men are suspected of stealing.

Los Angeles officials retrieved the miner Friday morning. They said they intend to have it repaired and restored to its historic perch in the Carthay Circle community. The miner was bolted to a boulder, in the shade of a magnificent pine tree, in a pocket park at San Vicente and Crescent Heights boulevards. The sculpture was once the centerpiece of a grand display of ponds and fountains, with the illustrious Carthay Circle Theater as a backdrop. Officials do not yet know how much it will cost to fix and secure the statue, or whether insurance will pay for it.

Residents of Carthay Circle were delighted to learn the old miner survived, albeit with amputated legs.

"I'm glad he's only cut in half and not melted down," said Judy Moore, president of the Carthay Circle Neighborhood Assn. "At least he didn't go into the witch's brew to become God knows what."

Moore said the neighborhood association is willing to help pay to fix the miner.

Sculptures nationwide have been vanishing as the price of metal continues to rise. Scrap yards routinely shell out more than $3 a pound for copper and more than $2 a pound for bronze and brass, both of which are alloys containing copper. Most of the metal is shipped to Asia to be melted down and refabricated.

Last month, at the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park near Astoria, Ore., a thief heisted a 5 1/2 -foot bronze statue of Sacagawea and her baby. Police arrested a man and tracked down parts of the $20,000 statue -- sold for scrap for $250.

Several weeks ago, in Brea, thieves used a cutting torch to remove a 6-foot-tall, 4-foot-wide bronze sculpture from its concrete stand in front of a business -- the third theft of a statue in the city in nine months.

On Friday at Central Metals, pickup trucks filled with all type of metal detritus lined up waiting to get in. Most of the bronze, brass and copper the company buys comes from plumbing and wiring brought in by demolition crews and construction workers. "This is our brass pile," Castro said, pointing to a heap of tangled pipe.

At the giant bailer -- which compresses the mishmash of metal into desk-size cubes -- workers prepared to load a massive spew of copper wiring.

"That's the big thing people are stealing right now, copper wiring, all the drug addicts," Castro said.

In December, Los Angeles police announced that 370,000 feet of copper wire had been stolen in four months, disabling 700 streetlights. The thieves open boxes at the bases of adjacent poles, snip the wire that runs between them and pull it out one end.

Wire is much harder to identify as stolen than, say, statues, and Castro said the bulk of it is legitimate scrap brought in by electricians.

However, he says the company turns people away all the time, mostly because they don't have identification or refuse to present it.

Los Angeles City Councilman Tom LaBonge said Friday that the stolen statues point to the need to strengthen laws that would punish thieves who peddle in metals.

"It's insulting and violates the public trust," LaBonge said. He said the thieves deserved to be prosecuted and "bopped on the top of the head," with the cane carried by the statue of Griffith J. Griffith in front of Griffith Park.

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Benny "Kid" Carter

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Ceferino Garcia

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Ronnie Shields