Classic American West Coast Boxing
Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing
No man is an island.
Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing
HEDGEMON LEWIS
By Jim Amato
It was a forgotten name from the glorious late 60’s and early 70’s. His name is Hedgemon Lewis. Hedgemon is now just a footnote in welterweight championship history. New York State Athletic Commission once recognized him as World Champion after he whipped favorite son Billy Backus a few times. The real champion of that era was the Hall Of Fame great Jose ” Mantequilla ” Napoles. Lewis twice met Napoles for world honors losing the first fight on a very close verdict. In the return match Hedge was halted in nine rounds.
Lewis would later challenge the man who beat Napoles, John H. Stracey and again fail to capture crown. Lewis also had a series of exciting bouts with the popular Ernie “Red” Lopez and he held another International Boxing Hall Of Fame inductee Carlos Palomino to a draw. Hedgemon Lewis WAS Sugar Ray Leonard before there was a Sugar Ray Leonard. Lewis had grace, style and flash. What Hedge didn’t have was Ray’s strength and power. Hedge’s whiskers were not the best but he was skillful in avoiding punches. Ray Leonard had nothing on Lewis when it came to pure boxing ability.
When I think about Hedgemon Lewis, I just think “class act”. There is no doubt in my mind with the fragmented titles we have today plus the twelve round championship distance that Lewis would not have copped a crown. When he was on his game you could not get to him until the seventh or eighth round. This boxer was MADE for the twelve round distances because he had the heart, style and endurance to go fifteen. In a twelve rounder he would build up such an insurmountable lead that you would have to knock him out. No easy task. In his prime the only ones to really compete with him were the great Napoles and the vastly under rated Ernie Lopez.
So here’s a hat off to Hedgemon Lewis. It was a pleasure to watch him fight.
By Jim Amato
It was a forgotten name from the glorious late 60’s and early 70’s. His name is Hedgemon Lewis. Hedgemon is now just a footnote in welterweight championship history. New York State Athletic Commission once recognized him as World Champion after he whipped favorite son Billy Backus a few times. The real champion of that era was the Hall Of Fame great Jose ” Mantequilla ” Napoles. Lewis twice met Napoles for world honors losing the first fight on a very close verdict. In the return match Hedge was halted in nine rounds.
Lewis would later challenge the man who beat Napoles, John H. Stracey and again fail to capture crown. Lewis also had a series of exciting bouts with the popular Ernie “Red” Lopez and he held another International Boxing Hall Of Fame inductee Carlos Palomino to a draw. Hedgemon Lewis WAS Sugar Ray Leonard before there was a Sugar Ray Leonard. Lewis had grace, style and flash. What Hedge didn’t have was Ray’s strength and power. Hedge’s whiskers were not the best but he was skillful in avoiding punches. Ray Leonard had nothing on Lewis when it came to pure boxing ability.
When I think about Hedgemon Lewis, I just think “class act”. There is no doubt in my mind with the fragmented titles we have today plus the twelve round championship distance that Lewis would not have copped a crown. When he was on his game you could not get to him until the seventh or eighth round. This boxer was MADE for the twelve round distances because he had the heart, style and endurance to go fifteen. In a twelve rounder he would build up such an insurmountable lead that you would have to knock him out. No easy task. In his prime the only ones to really compete with him were the great Napoles and the vastly under rated Ernie Lopez.
So here’s a hat off to Hedgemon Lewis. It was a pleasure to watch him fight.
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dagosd2000
- Heavyweight
- Posts: 8638
- Joined: 01 Sep 2007, 03:31
Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing
My thoughts are with the Tyson family.
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dagosd2000
- Heavyweight
- Posts: 8638
- Joined: 01 Sep 2007, 03:31
Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing
ONE OF THE NICE GUYS
Sometimes I wonder how some guys choose the sport of boxing to earn a living. Hedgemon Lewis is someone who comes to mind. I saw him up close a few times training and fighting in the ring. His demeanor was of a person who seemed soft spoken and friendly.
He boxed beautifully and in today's world of multi titles and divisions,he'd have some kind of championship belt to put in his trophy case. He trained hard following directions from his trainers without discussion. Had no bad habits that would have diminished his focus. Never spoke unkindly about an opponent.
I mentioned this before about how I saw Hedge and Kenny Norton taking in a fight at the San Diego Coliseum. I was with a friend that had too much to drink and didn't know the two fighters that were sitting in front of us. Lewis and Norton were wearing shoulder bags. My friend made a comment about real men don't wear purses.
It was to our good fortune that the two fighters didn't hear my friend's remark. I had sparred with Norton a few times and he beat me up pretty good. I figured if Kenny and Hedge had turned around,I'd let my friend have a taste of Norton's might. I would have been humble enough to get an ass wuppin' from a 147 pounder.
Sometimes I wonder how some guys choose the sport of boxing to earn a living. Hedgemon Lewis is someone who comes to mind. I saw him up close a few times training and fighting in the ring. His demeanor was of a person who seemed soft spoken and friendly.
He boxed beautifully and in today's world of multi titles and divisions,he'd have some kind of championship belt to put in his trophy case. He trained hard following directions from his trainers without discussion. Had no bad habits that would have diminished his focus. Never spoke unkindly about an opponent.
I mentioned this before about how I saw Hedge and Kenny Norton taking in a fight at the San Diego Coliseum. I was with a friend that had too much to drink and didn't know the two fighters that were sitting in front of us. Lewis and Norton were wearing shoulder bags. My friend made a comment about real men don't wear purses.
It was to our good fortune that the two fighters didn't hear my friend's remark. I had sparred with Norton a few times and he beat me up pretty good. I figured if Kenny and Hedge had turned around,I'd let my friend have a taste of Norton's might. I would have been humble enough to get an ass wuppin' from a 147 pounder.
Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing
The Other Sugar Ray
By Ted Sares
I was 6 feet tall and wrong-handed, just what all the other fighters fear,'' Seales said. ''When I was young, I was all arms and legs. They told me that's the way Sugar Ray Robinson was when he started out; that's how I got the nickname. --Sugar Ray Seales
We’d [Marvin Johnson] love to find a good young lefthander and teach him what we know…Watching a young fighter develop…….man, that would be something. --Sugar Ray Seales.
… Ray Seales' story—one of naïveté, botched opportunity, exploitation and, especially, reckless ambition—should be required reading for Ray Leonard. --William Plummer (1984)
Sugar Ray Seales had a fantastic amateur record of 338-12 and came from a boxing family (his father, a former Army boxer who was 31-1, helped teach his four sons to box). With a rapid-fire jab and solid power, he became the only American fighter to win a gold medal in the 1972 Olympics by defeating Bulgarian Anghei Anghelov. A "bolo punch" floored Anghelov in the second round, clinching the win. But unfortunately for him, this Olympic victory came at a time when an Olympic gold medal did not guaranteed real gold for fighters who turned professional. As an aside, his teammates included Duane Bobick, Marvin Johnson, Ray Russell, Reggie Jones, Jesse Valdez, James “Bubba” Busceme, Ricardo Carrera, Louis Self, Tim Dement and Davey Armstrong. These, of course, were the Olympics that involved the tragic Black September raid
Unlike today’s coming out parties, he turned pro with little fanfare in 1973, winning an eight rounder over one Gonzalo Rodriguez. He won his first 22 bouts fighting throughout the Western states before losing to Marvin Hagler on points in 1974 in Boston in a fight for which he and his manager were ill-prepared. He then put together an unbeaten streak of six fights, including a highly respectable draw with the tough Hagler. Then in December 1976 in England, he fought Alan Minter, a tough Brit who had garnered notable and credible victories over big-name opponents including nine Americans. This was a fight that many thought would propel Seales to a title shot, but it was not to be. He was TKOd in the fifth by the determined Englishman who caught Seales in a furious exchange and prevailed.
Sometimes in a boxer's career there comes a pivotal fight, one that turns his fortunes for the good and sends him to bigger and better things, as was the case when Irish Mickey Ward suddenly and unexpectedly knocked out heavily favored Alfonso Sanchez with a deadly left hook to the body in 1997on HBO. But there are two edges to this knife and one cuts more deeply than the other. When Sugar Ray lost to Minter, his career took a detour the nature of which never led him back to the championship road. More to the point, he would never again fight at the same level of competence and was destroyed by Hagler in one round in their fight in 1979, being dropped three times. Later, in a 1980 fight with tall Jaime Thomas, he was thumbed in the eye, tearing his retina, and he gradually went blind, even while continuing to fight.
Perhaps the best way to describe Seale’s change in direction is to focus on his trilogy with Hagler: Sugar Ray won his first twenty-one fights until losing a close decision to Marvin Hagler in Boston in 1974. Later that same year, he held Hagler to a draw that could have gone either way. Seales then fought and lost to Minter in 1976.After losing to Ronnie Harris in 1977, he went undefeated in his next 16 before losing a close MD to future World light middleweight champion Ayub Kalule in Denmark. He then met Hagler in 1979 for the third time (again in Boston) and suffered the aformentioned savage first-round KO. While the early draw gave Hagler a means by which he could test his progress, as he later chilled Seales, it also gave Seales the means by which to gauge his own lack of progress.
Sugar Ray then went 10-2-1, winning the NABF Middleweight Title in 1981 by icing hard hitting Sammy NeSmith and beating bomber John LoCicero in 1982 after which he amazingly went 12 competitive rounds with James Shuler--amazingly, because he could barely see when he went into that fight. He ended his career with a one round icing of Max Hord (26-14) and finally retired in 1983.
As Robert Mladinich puts it in a December 19, 2006, article in the SweetScience.com entitled “Sugar Ray Seales: Take pride in what you do:”
“(Eye operation) numbers one and two were good, but after three and four things got much worse,” said Seales, who would eventually have seven eye surgeries, three on the right and four on the left. Eventually he was declared legally blind and became an unwitting poster boy for boxing abolitionists.”
Upon retiring Seales hit tough times. One account had him working with autistic students at Lincoln High School in Tacoma. Another had him hanging around the gyms in Tacoma encouraging the fighters, but reportedly the trainers and older fighters never really included him in the "inner circle." At any rate, he moved to Indianapolis in 2006 with his wife, where he currently resides and maintains a close relationship with Marvin Johnson.
Seales ended up with a fine 56-8-3 record and was only stopped twice in 67 bouts. He fought in 22 different states and 5 countries. In 2005, he was inducted into the Tacoma-Pierce County Sports Hall of Fame. In many respects, Ray risked his eyesight to become a World Champion, and while he lost that gamble, he managed to wear his nickname with respect.
“Sugar” Ray Seales was the third “Sugar Ray.
By Ted Sares
I was 6 feet tall and wrong-handed, just what all the other fighters fear,'' Seales said. ''When I was young, I was all arms and legs. They told me that's the way Sugar Ray Robinson was when he started out; that's how I got the nickname. --Sugar Ray Seales
We’d [Marvin Johnson] love to find a good young lefthander and teach him what we know…Watching a young fighter develop…….man, that would be something. --Sugar Ray Seales.
… Ray Seales' story—one of naïveté, botched opportunity, exploitation and, especially, reckless ambition—should be required reading for Ray Leonard. --William Plummer (1984)
Sugar Ray Seales had a fantastic amateur record of 338-12 and came from a boxing family (his father, a former Army boxer who was 31-1, helped teach his four sons to box). With a rapid-fire jab and solid power, he became the only American fighter to win a gold medal in the 1972 Olympics by defeating Bulgarian Anghei Anghelov. A "bolo punch" floored Anghelov in the second round, clinching the win. But unfortunately for him, this Olympic victory came at a time when an Olympic gold medal did not guaranteed real gold for fighters who turned professional. As an aside, his teammates included Duane Bobick, Marvin Johnson, Ray Russell, Reggie Jones, Jesse Valdez, James “Bubba” Busceme, Ricardo Carrera, Louis Self, Tim Dement and Davey Armstrong. These, of course, were the Olympics that involved the tragic Black September raid
Unlike today’s coming out parties, he turned pro with little fanfare in 1973, winning an eight rounder over one Gonzalo Rodriguez. He won his first 22 bouts fighting throughout the Western states before losing to Marvin Hagler on points in 1974 in Boston in a fight for which he and his manager were ill-prepared. He then put together an unbeaten streak of six fights, including a highly respectable draw with the tough Hagler. Then in December 1976 in England, he fought Alan Minter, a tough Brit who had garnered notable and credible victories over big-name opponents including nine Americans. This was a fight that many thought would propel Seales to a title shot, but it was not to be. He was TKOd in the fifth by the determined Englishman who caught Seales in a furious exchange and prevailed.
Sometimes in a boxer's career there comes a pivotal fight, one that turns his fortunes for the good and sends him to bigger and better things, as was the case when Irish Mickey Ward suddenly and unexpectedly knocked out heavily favored Alfonso Sanchez with a deadly left hook to the body in 1997on HBO. But there are two edges to this knife and one cuts more deeply than the other. When Sugar Ray lost to Minter, his career took a detour the nature of which never led him back to the championship road. More to the point, he would never again fight at the same level of competence and was destroyed by Hagler in one round in their fight in 1979, being dropped three times. Later, in a 1980 fight with tall Jaime Thomas, he was thumbed in the eye, tearing his retina, and he gradually went blind, even while continuing to fight.
Perhaps the best way to describe Seale’s change in direction is to focus on his trilogy with Hagler: Sugar Ray won his first twenty-one fights until losing a close decision to Marvin Hagler in Boston in 1974. Later that same year, he held Hagler to a draw that could have gone either way. Seales then fought and lost to Minter in 1976.After losing to Ronnie Harris in 1977, he went undefeated in his next 16 before losing a close MD to future World light middleweight champion Ayub Kalule in Denmark. He then met Hagler in 1979 for the third time (again in Boston) and suffered the aformentioned savage first-round KO. While the early draw gave Hagler a means by which he could test his progress, as he later chilled Seales, it also gave Seales the means by which to gauge his own lack of progress.
Sugar Ray then went 10-2-1, winning the NABF Middleweight Title in 1981 by icing hard hitting Sammy NeSmith and beating bomber John LoCicero in 1982 after which he amazingly went 12 competitive rounds with James Shuler--amazingly, because he could barely see when he went into that fight. He ended his career with a one round icing of Max Hord (26-14) and finally retired in 1983.
As Robert Mladinich puts it in a December 19, 2006, article in the SweetScience.com entitled “Sugar Ray Seales: Take pride in what you do:”
“(Eye operation) numbers one and two were good, but after three and four things got much worse,” said Seales, who would eventually have seven eye surgeries, three on the right and four on the left. Eventually he was declared legally blind and became an unwitting poster boy for boxing abolitionists.”
Upon retiring Seales hit tough times. One account had him working with autistic students at Lincoln High School in Tacoma. Another had him hanging around the gyms in Tacoma encouraging the fighters, but reportedly the trainers and older fighters never really included him in the "inner circle." At any rate, he moved to Indianapolis in 2006 with his wife, where he currently resides and maintains a close relationship with Marvin Johnson.
Seales ended up with a fine 56-8-3 record and was only stopped twice in 67 bouts. He fought in 22 different states and 5 countries. In 2005, he was inducted into the Tacoma-Pierce County Sports Hall of Fame. In many respects, Ray risked his eyesight to become a World Champion, and while he lost that gamble, he managed to wear his nickname with respect.
“Sugar” Ray Seales was the third “Sugar Ray.
Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing
He won Olympic gold and drew with Hagler. You cannot take that away from the man.kikibalt wrote:The Other Sugar Ray
By Ted Sares
I was 6 feet tall and wrong-handed, just what all the other fighters fear,'' Seales said. ''When I was young, I was all arms and legs. They told me that's the way Sugar Ray Robinson was when he started out; that's how I got the nickname. --Sugar Ray Seales
We’d [Marvin Johnson] love to find a good young lefthander and teach him what we know…Watching a young fighter develop…….man, that would be something. --Sugar Ray Seales.
… Ray Seales' story—one of naïveté, botched opportunity, exploitation and, especially, reckless ambition—should be required reading for Ray Leonard. --William Plummer (1984)
Sugar Ray Seales had a fantastic amateur record of 338-12 and came from a boxing family (his father, a former Army boxer who was 31-1, helped teach his four sons to box). With a rapid-fire jab and solid power, he became the only American fighter to win a gold medal in the 1972 Olympics by defeating Bulgarian Anghei Anghelov. A "bolo punch" floored Anghelov in the second round, clinching the win. But unfortunately for him, this Olympic victory came at a time when an Olympic gold medal did not guaranteed real gold for fighters who turned professional. As an aside, his teammates included Duane Bobick, Marvin Johnson, Ray Russell, Reggie Jones, Jesse Valdez, James “Bubba” Busceme, Ricardo Carrera, Louis Self, Tim Dement and Davey Armstrong. These, of course, were the Olympics that involved the tragic Black September raid
Unlike today’s coming out parties, he turned pro with little fanfare in 1973, winning an eight rounder over one Gonzalo Rodriguez. He won his first 22 bouts fighting throughout the Western states before losing to Marvin Hagler on points in 1974 in Boston in a fight for which he and his manager were ill-prepared. He then put together an unbeaten streak of six fights, including a highly respectable draw with the tough Hagler. Then in December 1976 in England, he fought Alan Minter, a tough Brit who had garnered notable and credible victories over big-name opponents including nine Americans. This was a fight that many thought would propel Seales to a title shot, but it was not to be. He was TKOd in the fifth by the determined Englishman who caught Seales in a furious exchange and prevailed.
Sometimes in a boxer's career there comes a pivotal fight, one that turns his fortunes for the good and sends him to bigger and better things, as was the case when Irish Mickey Ward suddenly and unexpectedly knocked out heavily favored Alfonso Sanchez with a deadly left hook to the body in 1997on HBO. But there are two edges to this knife and one cuts more deeply than the other. When Sugar Ray lost to Minter, his career took a detour the nature of which never led him back to the championship road. More to the point, he would never again fight at the same level of competence and was destroyed by Hagler in one round in their fight in 1979, being dropped three times. Later, in a 1980 fight with tall Jaime Thomas, he was thumbed in the eye, tearing his retina, and he gradually went blind, even while continuing to fight.
Perhaps the best way to describe Seale’s change in direction is to focus on his trilogy with Hagler: Sugar Ray won his first twenty-one fights until losing a close decision to Marvin Hagler in Boston in 1974. Later that same year, he held Hagler to a draw that could have gone either way. Seales then fought and lost to Minter in 1976.After losing to Ronnie Harris in 1977, he went undefeated in his next 16 before losing a close MD to future World light middleweight champion Ayub Kalule in Denmark. He then met Hagler in 1979 for the third time (again in Boston) and suffered the aformentioned savage first-round KO. While the early draw gave Hagler a means by which he could test his progress, as he later chilled Seales, it also gave Seales the means by which to gauge his own lack of progress.
Sugar Ray then went 10-2-1, winning the NABF Middleweight Title in 1981 by icing hard hitting Sammy NeSmith and beating bomber John LoCicero in 1982 after which he amazingly went 12 competitive rounds with James Shuler--amazingly, because he could barely see when he went into that fight. He ended his career with a one round icing of Max Hord (26-14) and finally retired in 1983.
As Robert Mladinich puts it in a December 19, 2006, article in the SweetScience.com entitled “Sugar Ray Seales: Take pride in what you do:”
“(Eye operation) numbers one and two were good, but after three and four things got much worse,” said Seales, who would eventually have seven eye surgeries, three on the right and four on the left. Eventually he was declared legally blind and became an unwitting poster boy for boxing abolitionists.”
Upon retiring Seales hit tough times. One account had him working with autistic students at Lincoln High School in Tacoma. Another had him hanging around the gyms in Tacoma encouraging the fighters, but reportedly the trainers and older fighters never really included him in the "inner circle." At any rate, he moved to Indianapolis in 2006 with his wife, where he currently resides and maintains a close relationship with Marvin Johnson.
Seales ended up with a fine 56-8-3 record and was only stopped twice in 67 bouts. He fought in 22 different states and 5 countries. In 2005, he was inducted into the Tacoma-Pierce County Sports Hall of Fame. In many respects, Ray risked his eyesight to become a World Champion, and while he lost that gamble, he managed to wear his nickname with respect.
“Sugar” Ray Seales was the third “Sugar Ray.
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Rick Farris
- Heavyweight
- Posts: 7200
- Joined: 15 Feb 2008, 16:04
Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing
Hedgeman Lewis . . .dagosd2000 wrote:ONE OF THE NICE GUYS
Sometimes I wonder how some guys choose the sport of boxing to earn a living. Hedgemon Lewis is someone who comes to mind. I saw him up close a few times training and fighting in the ring. His demeanor was of a person who seemed soft spoken and friendly.
He boxed beautifully and in today's world of multi titles and divisions,he'd have some kind of championship belt to put in his trophy case. He trained hard following directions from his trainers without discussion. Had no bad habits that would have diminished his focus. Never spoke unkindly about an opponent.
I mentioned this before about how I saw Hedge and Kenny Norton taking in a fight at the San Diego Coliseum. I was with a friend that had too much to drink and didn't know the two fighters that were sitting in front of us. Lewis and Norton were wearing shoulder bags. My friend made a comment about real men don't wear purses.
It was to our good fortune that the two fighters didn't hear my friend's remark. I had sparred with Norton a few times and he beat me up pretty good. I figured if Kenny and Hedge had turned around,I'd let my friend have a taste of Norton's might. I would have been humble enough to get an ass wuppin' from a 147 pounder.
Roger . . . I wasn't close to Hedgeman Lewis, but we knew each other. Like me, Hedge would work in the film industry, he'd do small acting jobs, extras stuff. He was managed by a 60's management corporation that consisted of entertainers, Ryan O'Neal, Bill Cosby, Chris Connolly and Robert Goulet. Ryan and Hedge are close to this day and he often appeared in small roles in films featuring O'Neal.
A few years after I became a lighting tech, I worked with Hedge on O'Neal's film "The Main Event". Occasionally, I would cross paths with him on films, we'd visit for a few minutes. Lewis's wife would become governess for Ryan O'Neal's children, Tatum and Griffin back in the 70's. I didn't train in the same gym has Hedgeman, but we worked out in the same place when he was training for his first fight with Jose Napoles at the Forum in 1971. In this fight, Hedge made Napoles look bad and lost a very close decision. However, like everybody else who fought Napoles a second time (Muniz, Lopez and Backus for example) Hedge paid the price in bout #2.
Believe it or not, Freddie Roach kicked Hedge's ass in a street fight years ago, when both were working as assistant trainers for the legendary Eddie Futch.
-Rick Farris
Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing
Freddie tossed Hedge a beating in the street?
Them Southie guys are rough in that arena.
Them Southie guys are rough in that arena.
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dagosd2000
- Heavyweight
- Posts: 8638
- Joined: 01 Sep 2007, 03:31
Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing
Henry Armstrong
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dagosd2000
- Heavyweight
- Posts: 8638
- Joined: 01 Sep 2007, 03:31
Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing
GOOD MEDICINE
I told ya' they reopened Champs Bar about a month ago. Champs is Burke Emery's joint. Some bum(that was the word anyway)threw gasoline under the door after the place was locked up one night and tossed a match. The arson guys said it happened that way. One of those psycho bums that lived in the canyon in back of the bar is my guess. I bet the guy was in the County Mental Hospital for being a pyromaniac.Lot of those guys on the loose lately.Not enough bed space in the psycho wards.
Anyway the insurance paid off and Burke got the place up and runnin' again. I saw him the day he opened the doors .He was carrying a 12 pack of Pepsi Cola.
"How's it feel to be open again Burke?,"I asked the old pug.
"Pretty good,"he answered smilng through all the scar tissue.
I poked my head inside the door. The rebuild was clean. Everything was laid out the same. The bar, as you entered to the right, and the booths along the back wall. The game machines to the side. But I noticed that nothing was put on the walls yet.
"Got a lot of wall space to decorate,"I said to him.
"Yeah,all my stuff went up in the fire."
He put the sodas down and sat next to me on a bar stool.
"All my old fight posters. The time I fought Calderwood in Scotland and the one from the Garden when I fought Jose Torres."
"I guess stuff like that can't be replaced."
I wished I had taken that comment back.
"Did you see all the newspaper articles?,"asked Burke.
"Sure. You even had some up there when Art was goin' good."
The old fighter leaned his elbows on the bar and looked at himself in the mirror.
"Jeff,"Burke said to the young looking bartender. "Get us a couple of beers."
I knew that Burke's doctor had told him to lay off the stuff.
"Oh,don't worry,"he said. "They say a drink once in a while is a good way to thin out your blood."
I told ya' they reopened Champs Bar about a month ago. Champs is Burke Emery's joint. Some bum(that was the word anyway)threw gasoline under the door after the place was locked up one night and tossed a match. The arson guys said it happened that way. One of those psycho bums that lived in the canyon in back of the bar is my guess. I bet the guy was in the County Mental Hospital for being a pyromaniac.Lot of those guys on the loose lately.Not enough bed space in the psycho wards.
Anyway the insurance paid off and Burke got the place up and runnin' again. I saw him the day he opened the doors .He was carrying a 12 pack of Pepsi Cola.
"How's it feel to be open again Burke?,"I asked the old pug.
"Pretty good,"he answered smilng through all the scar tissue.
I poked my head inside the door. The rebuild was clean. Everything was laid out the same. The bar, as you entered to the right, and the booths along the back wall. The game machines to the side. But I noticed that nothing was put on the walls yet.
"Got a lot of wall space to decorate,"I said to him.
"Yeah,all my stuff went up in the fire."
He put the sodas down and sat next to me on a bar stool.
"All my old fight posters. The time I fought Calderwood in Scotland and the one from the Garden when I fought Jose Torres."
"I guess stuff like that can't be replaced."
I wished I had taken that comment back.
"Did you see all the newspaper articles?,"asked Burke.
"Sure. You even had some up there when Art was goin' good."
The old fighter leaned his elbows on the bar and looked at himself in the mirror.
"Jeff,"Burke said to the young looking bartender. "Get us a couple of beers."
I knew that Burke's doctor had told him to lay off the stuff.
"Oh,don't worry,"he said. "They say a drink once in a while is a good way to thin out your blood."
Last edited by dagosd2000 on 27 May 2009, 23:35, edited 3 times in total.
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Rick Farris
- Heavyweight
- Posts: 7200
- Joined: 15 Feb 2008, 16:04
Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing
Roger . . . This is one of my all-time favorites!dagosd2000 wrote:
Henry Armstrong
I have a photo taken of my dad and I with Henry Armstrong, at the Main Street Gym in 1966.
I'll dig it out of one of the boxes and post it one of these days.
I am a big fan of the late entertainer, Josephine Baker.
Looking at this special painting of the great Henry Armstrong, I'm reminded of a quote from Ms. Baker . . .
"Art is an elastic sort of love."
I don't know why, but I thought of this when I saw this painting.
This one really hit me, like an Armstrong hook to the jaw.
Could you please bring it on the 13th?
Don't worry about framing your art, I almost hate to alter the canvas once you've done your magic.
By the way, two of our directors (legal advisors) Jerry Roth & Jerry Morrison, are looking forward to seeing your work.
I spoke with both today relating to a HOF issue, and had a chance to share our plans.
When I see something like this, I'm just amazed.
-Rick Farris
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dagosd2000
- Heavyweight
- Posts: 8638
- Joined: 01 Sep 2007, 03:31
Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing
Hammerin' Hank will be with me.Rick Farris wrote:Roger . . . This is one of my all-time favorites!dagosd2000 wrote:
Henry Armstrong
I have a photo taken of my dad and I with Henry Armstrong, at the Main Street Gym in 1966.
I'll dig it out of one of the boxes and post it one of these days.
I am a big fan of the late entertainer, Josephine Baker.
Looking at this special painting of the great Henry Armstrong, I'm reminded of a quote from Ms. Baker . . .
"Art is an elastic sort of love."
I don't know why, but I thought of this when I saw this painting.
This one really hit me, like an Armstrong hook to the jaw.
Could you please bring it on the 13th?
Don't worry about framing your art, I almost hate to alter the canvas once you've done your magic.
By the way, two of our directors (legal advisors) Jerry Roth & Jerry Morrison, are looking forward to seeing your work.
I spoke with both today relating to a HOF issue, and had a chance to share our plans.
When I see something like this, I'm just amazed.
-Rick Farris
-
Rick Farris
- Heavyweight
- Posts: 7200
- Joined: 15 Feb 2008, 16:04
Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing
I spoke with Freddie about it, after hearing a witnesses account.Expug wrote:Freddie tossed Hedge a beating in the street?
Them Southie guys are rough in that arena.
They had issues, settled it like fighters, quietly.
I have a lot of respect for Freddie Roach, and the way he handles himself.
He's the closest thing to a Jackie McCoy around today.
And for the record, Jackie threw a few punches himself after he'd retired from the ring.
-Rick Farris
Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing
For what it's worth, (and I realize that it's not worth much), I regularly enjoy the education I get returning to this thread. Thanks again for this time capsule of info that always seems to bring some bit of boxing history to light day after day.
Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing
Rick Farris wrote:I spoke with Freddie about it, after hearing a witnesses account.Expug wrote:Freddie tossed Hedge a beating in the street?
Them Southie guys are rough in that arena.
They had issues, settled it like fighters, quietly.
I have a lot of respect for Freddie Roach, and the way he handles himself.
He's the closest thing to a Jackie McCoy around today.
And for the record, Jackie threw a few punches himself after he'd retired from the ring.
-Rick Farris
I always figured that Jackie McCoy was a tough guy.
I read his brief bio in a book called "In The Corner".
He had a great story. I respect him. I know Jackie also worked on the docks as a Longshoreman. That in and of itself is a tough world.
Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing
Men:
Jackie McCoy probably weighed in at the lightweight limit in his late years, but at heart my pal was a solid middleweight, fearless and as aggressive as the situation demanded, in or out of the ring.
hap navarro
Jackie McCoy probably weighed in at the lightweight limit in his late years, but at heart my pal was a solid middleweight, fearless and as aggressive as the situation demanded, in or out of the ring.
hap navarro
Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing
Tony "The Tiger" Baltazar
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Rick Farris
- Heavyweight
- Posts: 7200
- Joined: 15 Feb 2008, 16:04
Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing
Ballots coming in . . .
Everyday I go to my mailbox and find about a half dozen ballots for this years WBHOF inductions.
I'll collect the envelopes for another month, then get together with the Executive board and open them.
After taking a couple of hours to tally up the votes, we'll have the names of this year's WBHOF Inductees.
I promise the readers of this thread will be the first to know who's going into the Hall this year.
Thanks to those of you who are voting. When I look thru the envelopes that arrive I recognize a lot of familiar names on the return address.
Today, for example, I received ballots from Sugar Ray Leonard and Roger Esty. Last week, Angelo Dundee, Frank Baltazar and Dan Hanley.
It's nice to feel a part of boxing after all these years.
-Rick Farris
Everyday I go to my mailbox and find about a half dozen ballots for this years WBHOF inductions.
I'll collect the envelopes for another month, then get together with the Executive board and open them.
After taking a couple of hours to tally up the votes, we'll have the names of this year's WBHOF Inductees.
I promise the readers of this thread will be the first to know who's going into the Hall this year.
Thanks to those of you who are voting. When I look thru the envelopes that arrive I recognize a lot of familiar names on the return address.
Today, for example, I received ballots from Sugar Ray Leonard and Roger Esty. Last week, Angelo Dundee, Frank Baltazar and Dan Hanley.
It's nice to feel a part of boxing after all these years.
-Rick Farris
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Rick Farris
- Heavyweight
- Posts: 7200
- Joined: 15 Feb 2008, 16:04
Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing
Hap . . . Jackie was always the premier manager/trainer in Los Angeles when I was fighting. I have great respect for him and I have enjoyed hearing the stories you have shared about your old friend. Whenever I think of McCoy, my mind often goes to s a few of your stories. I can literally visualize Jackie sitting in the Blue Palm, drinking a "boilermaker" and emphasizing his point by pointing as his finger as his drink took effect. I think of your memories of McCoy after giving the great Manuel Ortiz all he could handle in a ten rounder, his loss to Fabela Chavez, another great whose name and accomplishments seem almost forgotten by world boxing history. He also fought Harold Dade. This is my goal, to make sure these guys are not forgotten, at least not during my shift.Dongee wrote:Men:
Jackie McCoy probably weighed in at the lightweight limit in his late years, but at heart my pal was a solid middleweight, fearless and as aggressive as the situation demanded, in or out of the ring.
hap navarro
-Rick Farris
Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing
In the article I read about Jackie, he was humble about his record. I think he refered to himself as a clubfighter or something.
He was a good fighter . He fought some very tough opponents .
He talked about going toe to toe with Aileen Eaton also.He held her in high regard even though they battled it out a few times it seems like.
He was a good fighter . He fought some very tough opponents .
He talked about going toe to toe with Aileen Eaton also.He held her in high regard even though they battled it out a few times it seems like.
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Rick Farris
- Heavyweight
- Posts: 7200
- Joined: 15 Feb 2008, 16:04
Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing
Brian . . . Aileen Eaton was a tough negotiator because she usually held all of the cards. Many a boxer felt cheated by Eaton when it came to their percentage of gate receipts. I know that Jackie had a problem with this on more than one occasion. In one case he was furious with Aileen over the amount of a check he received. He drove down to the Olympic mad as hell, ready to go toe-to-toe with the legendary promoter. When he walked into Mrs. Eaton's office, his mood suddenly calmed when he saw her sitting at her desk. Standing behind Eaton was her son Gene LeBell.Expug wrote:In the article I read about Jackie, he was humble about his record. I think he refered to himself as a clubfighter or something.
He was a good fighter . He fought some very tough opponents .
He talked about going toe to toe with Aileen Eaton also.He held her in high regard even though they battled it out a few times it seems like.
-Rick Farris
Last edited by Rick Farris on 28 May 2009, 17:21, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing
:Until we put together the Teran vs Cadilli classic, no semi-windup had ever excited the L.A. fans like the Fabela Chavez vs Jackie McCoy six-rounder under the Bolanos vs John Thomas outdoor feature at Wrigley Field in 1946. It was a classic, too, with none other than Jack Dempsey as referee, if memory serves.
The two young men were southern California favorites, and like Keeny and Gil, borh were about to become headliners. It was hard to predict a winner through the first three minutes of the fight which started off really fast. The sudden impact of a tremendous Chavez right hand punch brought the huge crowd to its feet and it was all over. Fabela had always been a flurry fighter, pumping both hands to the body before shifting to the head. But he had never stopped an opponent with such fierce force, with one deadly shot.
Jackie and I really got to know each other on a two-day junket to Fresno and San Jose, circa 1951. We had Jorge Macias boxing Jimmy Savala at Fresno on a Monday and Jackie Blair against Bobby Woods the next night at a Sid Flaherty-Don Chargin show in San Jose. I drove the group up and back, with a win and a loss for our troubles.
We had been friendly up to that time, but that experience seemed to cement our friendship.
hap navarro
The two young men were southern California favorites, and like Keeny and Gil, borh were about to become headliners. It was hard to predict a winner through the first three minutes of the fight which started off really fast. The sudden impact of a tremendous Chavez right hand punch brought the huge crowd to its feet and it was all over. Fabela had always been a flurry fighter, pumping both hands to the body before shifting to the head. But he had never stopped an opponent with such fierce force, with one deadly shot.
Jackie and I really got to know each other on a two-day junket to Fresno and San Jose, circa 1951. We had Jorge Macias boxing Jimmy Savala at Fresno on a Monday and Jackie Blair against Bobby Woods the next night at a Sid Flaherty-Don Chargin show in San Jose. I drove the group up and back, with a win and a loss for our troubles.
We had been friendly up to that time, but that experience seemed to cement our friendship.
hap navarro
Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing
:Until we put together the Teran vs Cadilli classic, no semi-windup had ever excited the L.A. fans like the Fabela Chavez vs Jackie McCoy six-rounder under the Bolanos vs John Thomas outdoor feature at Wrigley Field in 1946. It was a classic, too, with none other than Jack Dempsey as referee, if memory serves.
The two young men were southern California favorites, and like Keeny and Gil, borh were about to become headliners. It was hard to predict a winner through the first three minutes of the fight which started off really fast. The sudden impact of a tremendous Chavez right hand punch brought the huge crowd to its feet and it was all over. Fabela had always been a flurry fighter, pumping both hands to the body before shifting to the head. But he had never stopped an opponent with such fierce force, with one deadly shot.
Jackie and I really got to know each other on a two-day junket to Fresno and San Jose, circa 1951. We had Jorge Macias boxing Jimmy Savala at Fresno on a Monday and Jackie Blair against Bobby Woods the next night at a Sid Flaherty-Don Chargin show in San Jose. I drove the group up and back, with a win and a loss for our troubles.
We had been friendly up to that time, but that experience seemed to cement our friendship.
hap navarro
The two young men were southern California favorites, and like Keeny and Gil, borh were about to become headliners. It was hard to predict a winner through the first three minutes of the fight which started off really fast. The sudden impact of a tremendous Chavez right hand punch brought the huge crowd to its feet and it was all over. Fabela had always been a flurry fighter, pumping both hands to the body before shifting to the head. But he had never stopped an opponent with such fierce force, with one deadly shot.
Jackie and I really got to know each other on a two-day junket to Fresno and San Jose, circa 1951. We had Jorge Macias boxing Jimmy Savala at Fresno on a Monday and Jackie Blair against Bobby Woods the next night at a Sid Flaherty-Don Chargin show in San Jose. I drove the group up and back, with a win and a loss for our troubles.
We had been friendly up to that time, but that experience seemed to cement our friendship.
hap navarro
Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing
Nevada boxing judge indicted in benefit fraud case
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A Nevada boxing judge has been indicted in Las Vegas on a federal charge that he improperly collected about $250,000 in Social Security disability benefits.
U.S. Attorney Gregory Brower said in a statement Wednesday that 65-year-old Paul G. Smith worked more than 100 boxing matches from September 1994 and December 2005 and was involved in several other businesses inconsistent with his disability status.
A federal grand jury handed up a one-count indictment Tuesday charging Smith with Social Security fraud.
Brower says Smith received a summons to appear for arraignment June 12 in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas. He faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A Nevada boxing judge has been indicted in Las Vegas on a federal charge that he improperly collected about $250,000 in Social Security disability benefits.
U.S. Attorney Gregory Brower said in a statement Wednesday that 65-year-old Paul G. Smith worked more than 100 boxing matches from September 1994 and December 2005 and was involved in several other businesses inconsistent with his disability status.
A federal grand jury handed up a one-count indictment Tuesday charging Smith with Social Security fraud.
Brower says Smith received a summons to appear for arraignment June 12 in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas. He faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted.