Classic American West Coast Boxing

[dagosd2000]

THE NEW YE OLDE

The 32nd Street Naval Gym was a an active spot for the boys in the South Bay area to train. Junior Robles's Gym and the 32nd Street Gym had the market on fighters in the South Bay area of San Diego. National City,Chula Vista,and San Ysidro. I liked the 32nd Street Gym because I could work out with larger fighters. Many of them were in the service. Some were already amateurs. Some were like me. Interested to work out in the ring and maybe learn a few things. A couple of the trainers like Dick Wood were pushing for me to take up the sport seriously,but I had already been playing football for a while and was practicing and playing for the local college team.

I knew I would have to decide with one or the other. I opted for football. I was an All League Defensive Lineman. That was enough of an accomplishment for me. Starting to box at 21 years of age was a task I wasn't about to undertake.

But I really enjoyed going to the 32nd Street Gym. I wasn't an All League anything,and maybe that's why I liked going. I was nervous,but I wanted to test myself with something that was another kind of contact sport. I always considered boxing superior to football even though if you put a fighter with no football experience on the gridiron,he get his butt kicked just as I was getting it kicked out of me at the 32nd Street Gym.

The 32nd Street Gym ,although full of fighters back then,was a casual place in a way to train. There were no super egos in there. The trainers. The fighters. Aside from dishing it out to each other and making you sweat,i felt I was among friends. People who wanted to see you make good.

A few months ago I went back to the 32nd Street Gym. From outside the gate,the sign read"The New Ye Olde 32nd Street Gym." The guard wouldn't let me pass. In fact I was pulled aside and questioned why I wanted to go inside the gym. When I told them I used to work out there years ago,the MP's got suspicious. They grilled me pretty good before they realized I wasn't a terrorist.

Needless to say I didn't revisit the old gym. I'm sorry,"The New Ye Olde Gym".
I don't think it was the same inside anyway.

[Rick Farris]

Chris Arriola's next opponent, C. C. R. Fernendez

They called Galento, "Two Ton Tony."
What in the Hell do you call this?


-Rick

[kikibalt]

Juan "Kid" Meza

[bennie]

Guys, I absolutely love your lists. It really reflects the era that we loved. Rick, you got it right, those are the fighters we would get absolutely giddy about a week before their fight. Frank, I think you negotiated your son's divisions extremely well and it was good to see the name Keeny Teran pop up once again. Tom, great list as well as the touch of oldtimers. Bennie, I'm surprised, being from merry old, I thought I would see a 'Boy' Green or a Johnny Clark in there somewhere. I think it shows how you and I are really a product of the TV boom and our favorites lie therein. Again, great lists and just thinking of them gets me daydreaming of how I would pace in front of the TV when my fighter was getting into the ring. Great memories.

Scartissue

Clark was before my time, Dan (a great pity) and Green was someone who never really improved once he cracked the top 10 welters. He couldn't make that extra step to world title level. Leonard is in because of his fight with Hearns in 1981 and the fact that he had the balls to take on Duran so soon after the first one. As for Galindez, he may have been beaten by a pre-busted hand Conteh but he proved far more consistent then Conteh and I've always liked the ruggedness yet cuteness of Argentine fighters, which is why three make my list (Galindez, Monzon and Laciar). I put Navarette in at super-featherweight because he smashed Boza in five rounds in 1981 - a peak Boza. It was an unforgettable performance from Navarette, who came in as a late sub for Limon. Believe me, Boza could fight. Arguello should really have filled the super-featherweight slot (for me) but I like those Filipino southpaws. If I were a manager, I would NEVER match my kid with a southpaw from the Philippines. I thus stuck Arguello in at feather, where he nailed Olivares, of course, and destroyed three challengers before moving up to super-feather. I was never a great fan of Chavez, for some reason. He was almost too perfect, too emotionless.
Pintor was a bit slow but he beat Zarate, avenged the Davila defeat and his fight with Gomez at super-bantamweight is one of my favourite ever fights. Lupe also showed a lot of class to come over to rainy Wales and unveil the statue of Johnny Owen a few years ago, not long before Johnny's father passed away.
Laciar came over here and lost a sizzler to Charlie Magri (he floored Magri) but won the world title in his very next fight and never really looked back.

[kikibalt]

April 13, 2009

Dear Rick:

From the initial posting on Classic West Coast Boxing on February 13, 2008 through February 14, 2009, there are 8,317 pages that I have downloaded to a disc in PDF Format. We are in the process of finalizing the copying and have a little problem which is getting ironed out ---- hopefully by the weekend. How many disks would you like me to send your way for distribution to the group?

Sincerely yours,


John A. Bardelli
Attorney at Law
606 North Pines Road, Suite 201
Spokane, WA 99206
(509)926-9566
(509)926-1564 fax
[email protected]

[scartissue]

MY UNBIASED LIST OF MY FAVORITE FIGHTERS

Heavyweight Rocky Marciano

Light Heavyweight Willie Pastrano

Middleweight Jake LaMotta

Welterweight Carmen Basilio

Lightweight Lou Ambers

Featherweight Willie Pep

Bantamweight Mario D'Agata

Flyweight Frankie Genaro

Awright, I see where you're going with this, ya "Durrrrty Dago" you. LOL!

Scartissue

[scartissue]

Guys, I absolutely love your lists. It really reflects the era that we loved. Rick, you got it right, those are the fighters we would get absolutely giddy about a week before their fight. Frank, I think you negotiated your son's divisions extremely well and it was good to see the name Keeny Teran pop up once again. Tom, great list as well as the touch of oldtimers. Bennie, I'm surprised, being from merry old, I thought I would see a 'Boy' Green or a Johnny Clark in there somewhere. I think it shows how you and I are really a product of the TV boom and our favorites lie therein. Again, great lists and just thinking of them gets me daydreaming of how I would pace in front of the TV when my fighter was getting into the ring. Great memories.

Scartissue

Clark was before my time, Dan (a great pity) and Green was someone who never really improved once he cracked the top 10 welters. He couldn't make that extra step to world title level. Leonard is in because of his fight with Hearns in 1981 and the fact that he had the balls to take on Duran so soon after the first one. As for Galindez, he may have been beaten by a pre-busted hand Conteh but he proved far more consistent then Conteh and I've always liked the ruggedness yet cuteness of Argentine fighters, which is why three make my list (Galindez, Monzon and Laciar). I put Navarette in at super-featherweight because he smashed Boza in five rounds in 1981 - a peak Boza. It was an unforgettable performance from Navarette, who came in as a late sub for Limon. Believe me, Boza could fight. Arguello should really have filled the super-featherweight slot (for me) but I like those Filipino southpaws. If I were a manager, I would NEVER match my kid with a southpaw from the Philippines. I thus stuck Arguello in at feather, where he nailed Olivares, of course, and destroyed three challengers before moving up to super-feather. I was never a great fan of Chavez, for some reason. He was almost too perfect, too emotionless.
Pintor was a bit slow but he beat Zarate, avenged the Davila defeat and his fight with Gomez at super-bantamweight is one of my favourite ever fights. Lupe also showed a lot of class to come over to rainy Wales and unveil the statue of Johnny Owen a few years ago, not long before Johnny's father passed away.
Laciar came over here and lost a sizzler to Charlie Magri (he floored Magri) but won the world title in his very next fight and never really looked back.

Bennie, you and I both had Galindez as favorite Lt. Heavy. I thought he was such a cool badass. A hard ticket who appeared to have a death wish. I think it was his wife who said after he was killed in the racetrack accident, "He's not happy unless he's doing something dangerous."

Scartissue

[kikibalt]

Marty Denkin

[kikibalt]

Frank, I was intrigued by your pick of Flash Elorde as one of your favorite fighters. I read about him, of course, but never saw him, even on film. Not too many people talk about him anymore. Why is he one of your favorites? Inquiring minds want to know!

Tom, Why did I pick Flash Elorde as one of my all time favorite fighters? well he was one of the most exciting fighters in the years when I follow other boxers careers, let me say that when Frankie and Tony's pro careers got under way I didn't follow other boxers careers. Elorde was a great fighter who fought all the top guys of his era, I first took notice of Elorde when he beat some L.A. fighters, Gil Velarde, Dave Gallardo and Al Cruz, who were good fighters, and then he fought two great fighters in Carlos Ortiz and Sandy Saddler, I wasn't fortuned enough to see him fight live but, I did see most of his fights that were on TV. I see Elorde right up there with Pac. as the two best fighters to come out of the Philippines.

[raylawpc]

Frank, I was intrigued by your pick of Flash Elorde as one of your favorite fighters. I read about him, of course, but never saw him, even on film. Not too many people talk about him anymore. Why is he one of your favorites? Inquiring minds want to know!

Tom, Why did I pick Flash Elorde as one of my all time favorite fighters? well he was one of the most exciting fighters in the years when I follow other boxers careers, let me say that when Frankie and Tony's pro careers got under way I didn't follow other boxers careers. Elorde was a great fighter who fought all the top guys of his era, I first took notice of Elorde when he beat some L.A. fighters, Gil Velarde, Dave Gallardo and Al Cruz, who were good fighters, and then he fought two great fighters in Carlos Ortiz and Sandy Saddler, I wasn't fortuned enough to see him fight live but, I did see most of his fights that were on TV. I see Elorde right up there with Pac. as the two best fighters to come out of the Philippines.

Thanks Frank!!

[kikibalt]

Allan Malamud

[kikibalt]

Tony Longoria with Pat O'Grady

[kikibalt]

Al Bolden

[kikibalt]

Have you guys seen this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-KiGva9dV4

[raylawpc]

Have you guys seen this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-KiGva9dV4

Yeah, they showed it on HLN this morning. Amazing voice.

We have a lady like her at our church. This lady is about 4'8" and as wide as she is tall. But, golly, can she sing! Voice of an angel.

[raylawpc]

Tony Longoria with Pat O'Grady

Gosh, I bet I saw that picture 1,000 times. O'Grady had it blown up poster size and hung it up in his office in Oklahoma City.

[kikibalt]

Tony Longoria with Pat O'Grady

Gosh, I bet I saw that picture 1,000 times. O'Grady had it blown up poster size and hung it up in his office in Oklahoma City.

Well, its a classic....

[kikibalt]

Lets go to Randy's

[raylawpc]

Lets go to Randy's

[kikibalt]

Charlie is out of the slammer....

[Rick Farris]

Allan Malamud

A truly great boxing journalist.
With he and Jim Murray writing boxing in L.A. we were very lucky.
Today there is not one boxing writer in town, or any other town, that can hold a candle to Allan Malamud.
The art of writing boxing has changed, as has the sport itself.
The excitement is gone.

-Rick Farris

[Rick Farris]

Tony Longoria with Pat O'Grady

I remember this photo from the mid-60's.
A couple years ago, when I was working on "Desperate Housewives",
I asked Eva Longoria (a Texas girl) if she was related to boxer, Tony "Kid" Longoria.
She smiled and said, "No, there are a lot of Longoria's in Texas."


-Rick Farris

[kikibalt]

Steve Harpst

[bennie]

Steve Harpst

Magnum gets around.

[kikibalt]