Randyman wrote:Rick Farris wrote:The Card in T.J.
Personally speaking, if I truly wanted to see that card in Tijuana, I'd order a ticket and go. I would cross the border, find the venue, and attend the fight. When it was over, I'd leave, cross back over the border. What's the big deal? Personally, even if I were given two ringside seats by Bob Arum himself, I wouldn't cross the street to watch J.C. Chavez Jr. let alone the border.
The only guy on the card I like is Fernando Montiel. Nobody wants trouble, but lets be honest, a lot of people on this side of the border are afraid of their shadows. Sadly, today's events may have one interesting competitive match, then a card full of crap. On this thread we talk of boxers can no longer fight as those from past eras, and that there are no trainers to teach boxing. We can take that a step farther by saying that there are no longer great promoters or matchmakers.
These days, in the ring you won't see a Enrique Bolanos or Manuel Ortiz, and in the corner there are no Jackie McCoy's or Johnny Forbes. However, even if they were still aound, there is no George Parnassus, Aileen Eaton or Hap Navarro to promote the event. When we bought a ticket to see Ruben Olivares or Mantequilla Napoles in a title defense, we didn't have to sit thru a half dozen crap fights to get to the main event. Aileen, George and Hap knew how to enhance the main event with a super undercard.
When Mando Ramos took on his former stablemate Raul Rojas in a ten round grudge fight, Eaton could have still sold out the house with a weak undercard, but she didn't just put on one good fight, she put on several. Frankie Crawford and Armando Muniz were also on the card. When Hap Navarro had Enrique Bolanos fighting Eddie Chavez in the main event, he pitted two hot shot up & comers, Keeny Teran and Gil Cadilli in the semi. When George Parnassus matched Mantequilla Napoles with Hedgeman Lewis in a welter title fight, he opened with a bantam title fight between the great Ruben Olivares and Jesus Pimentel.
You really got your mony's worth in those days. We not only had great boxers and trainers, but great matchmakers. Lucky for me they were still around when I was coming up.
-Rick Farris
Rick, that may just be your finest piece yet. It was masterful and 100% true. I hope with this thread, and with the people that may read it, that something will happen to put the great sport of boxing back at the forefront, especially here in Los Angeles. Thanks for telling it like it is Rick.
By the way, can anyone tell me why Chavez jr's fight is on PPV? Someday maybe, but not today. As far as I'm concerned, he's still untested and unproven.
Randy

The Great Promoters/Matchmakers . . .
Randy . . . I've been unable to compare contemporary boxers and trainers with those of the past, however, the problem is far deeper. It's not just the talent in the ring, but those who showcase the talent. Let's play, "what if". What if we had Manuel Ortiz and Ruben Olivares around today (two all-time great bantams from different eras, both showcased by great promoters), what made them and other greats so good? Besides the trainers, conditioning and natural talent, these guys honed their skills by staying busy. They didn't just fight once or twice a year. When they weren't defending titles they were involved non-title fights. They didn't just train themselves into condition, they "fought" themselves into shape.
It's human nature to be better at thngs that we do often. A fighter is best off when fighting in the ring in front of an audience, which is much different than gym wars. Guys get title fights today that would not have qualified for a non-title match in other eras. Look at the records of past champs, and I'm not even speaking of guys like Armstrong, who defended his welter title 18 times in two years while also holding the featherweight title, and for awhile the lightweight title as well. Besides title fights in three divisions he fought top rate contenders in non-title bouts. Checkout the records of Olivares, Napoles, Carlos Ortiz, just to name a few off the top of my head.
What promoter today is going to risk losing a box-office draw by matching him with somebody who might win? And in the old days, some of these great champs would drop a decision or come up short in a non-title fight. It goes back to the reality that nobody is great 365 days a year. So what? The cream will always rise to the top. And besides, what is more boring than a guy who cannot be beat? A guy scores an upset in a non-title match, and then you have a great excuse to make a title match. When done properly, it's been proven that boxing can take care of itself, but only with the help of brilliant promoters/matchmakers.
While guys like Hap Navarro made it easy for a fan to fork over the cost of a ticket, knowing that they would see a great show complete with great matches, a celebrity audience and a feeling that somebody went out of their way to entertain them. Today, it is not unusual for a boxing audience to feel "strangled" by a weak undercard, and a good chance the main event will be a bore as well. No wonder young fans aren't catching on to the world of boxing, and seeking excitement from the MMA, etc.
To fix boxing, you need not just fix the talent of the boxers and teachers, but the guys who will put them in matches. I truly believe that without the great promoters/matchmakers, boxing would have died long ago. With a majority of today's boxer's weak in talent, and promoters not understanding how to please a crowd, the sport is in a desperate condition.
Boxing has always survived it's challenges, but it always had talent to rely on. Today, we are at a loss on fronts.
My opinion, of course.
-Rick Farris