Classic American West Coast Boxing

[kikibalt]

CBHOF 9-26-09


Alex Ramos and Jerry Cheatham

[Randyman]

To his credit, Chris Arreola never stopped trying.

[dagosd2000]

Eddie Machen

[Randyman]

Eddie Machen

[Rick Farris]

Eddie Machen

Yep!
Saw him upset two unbeaten heavyweights at the Olympic in 1966. Joey Orbillo and Jerry Quarry.
34-year-old Machen schooled the L.A. boys. Orbillo was 19 at the time, Quarry wasn't yet 21.


-Rick Farris

[Randyman]

Guys, I had a great day. A really great day. I'm going to hit the sack now. You guys have a good night.

Randy

[kikibalt]

CBHOF 9-26-09


Tony Cerda Jr.

Did you know that Tony fought a draw with Alex Ramos?

[Rick Farris]

CBHOF 9-26-09


Tony Cerda Jr.

Did you know that Tony fought a draw with Alex Ramos?

The Cerda's . . .

I didn't know that, Frank.
I know this, he's a class act. Told me he was about to retire from his job with the Probation Dept.

It was great to see his dad again, too.
Good induction selection. Tony Sr. was so a part of the late 60's Jr. GG's with his Sacred Heart Boys Club in Pomona.
He had the Davila's, Sandoval's and his kids. He developed world champions
I can see him and you as you were more than forty-years-ago. You, Louie, Jake, Johnny, Tony, Noe, Jerry Moore & Henry Blouin, Canto, L.C. . . .


-Rick Farris

[dagosd2000]

BOBBY

Now that I've been to some of the local Southland boxing functions,I think back to who was the "biggest" name at these events. The Golden Boy and Mando Ramos are gone. I can't help thinking that Bobby Chacon got more media attention than the rest. I'm talking LA. fighters. Yeah,it's Bobby. Little Red is up there,but Bobby beat him fair and square. Danny will attest to that in a heart beat.

Frank,Rick. You guys saw him in the gym and saw a lot of his fights up close. My ex principal grew up with him in Pacoima. He told me Bobby was getting into a fight everday in school. Bobby would go out of his way to find trouble.

Bobby Chacon was very popular in Los Angeles. He fought some big ones. Olivares,Little Red,Limon,and Arguello and Mancini who were just too big for him.It seemed like suicide,but Bobby didn't duck and run.

I've never seen Oscar at one of the boxing feeds. Maybe I haven't been to enough of them,but if Oscar was to walk in one day and Bobby was sitting there laughing and goofing with everbody with his companion Rosie,I'd still put the little guy with the chip on his shoulder above the Golden Boy.

Today Bobby can be embarrassing at times. Mando Muniz looked at me and the wife at the "Jeffries Table". There were two empty seats between us.
"If you two don't slide over,Bobby is going to sit here,"Mando said with a laugh.
Me and Maria didn't make a move. When Bobby plopped down with Rosie between us,Mando didn't make a stir either. Bobby ,the kid who wanted to fight the whole world one time,was telling jokes. Bobby made us all laugh.

[kikibalt]

CBHOF 9-26-09


Tony Cerda Jr.

Did you know that Tony fought a draw with Alex Ramos?

The Cerda's . . .

I didn't know that, Frank.
I know this, he's a class act. Told me he was about to retire from his job with the Probation Dept.

It was great to see his dad again, too.
Good induction selection. Tony Sr. was so a part of the late 60's Jr. GG's with his Sacred Heart Boys Club in Pomona.
He had the Davila's, Sandoval's and his kids. He developed world champions
I can see him and you as you were more than forty-years-ago. You, Louie, Jake, Johnny, Tony, Noe, Jerry Moore & Henry Blouin, Canto, L.C. . . .


-Rick Farris

boxer: Tony Cerda

birth date 1957-12-17

division light middleweight

nationality United States
residence Pomona, California, United States

height 6′ 0″ / 183cm

won 18 (KO 10) + lost 7 (KO 4) + drawn 4 = 29
rounds boxed 189 KO% 34.48

1986-07-19 Mark Kaylor 30-3-0
Wembley Stadium, Wembley, London, United Kingdom L TKO 6 10x3

1986-03-19 Fred Hutchings 29-3-0
Stockton, California, United States L TKO 7

1985-11-17 164 Rosendo Ruvalcaba 161 4-6-0
Coachella Valley High School, Thermal, California, United States W TKO 5 10
~ referee: Vince Delgado ~
Ruvalcaba down in 1st and 5th

1985-05-24 159½ David Braxton 157 34-1-0
Showboat Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States L TKO 4 10
~ time: 2:27 | referee: James Molinell ~

1984-12-15 160½ Jerry Holly 159½ 16-11-0
Convention Center, Miami Beach, Florida, United States W UD 10 10

1984-11-30 162 Amando Guzman 158½
Arena, San Bernardino, California, United States W TKO 5 10
~ referee: James Jen-Kin ~

1984-09-22 Sumbu Kalambay 31-1-1
Chapiteau de Fontvielle, Monte Carlo, Monaco L PTS 8 8

1983-11-22 161 Mark Kaylor 161¾ 24-0-0
Wembley Arena, Wembley, London, United Kingdom W DQ 9 10x3
~ referee: Harry Gibbs ~

1983-05-18 Wilfred Benitez 44-2-1
Dunes Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States L PTS 10 10

1983-02-25 161 James Waire 160 17-12-2
Showboat Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States D PTS 10 10
~ judge: Dalby Shirley 96-94 | judge: Chuck Minker 94-95 | judge: Duane Ford 95-95 ~

1982-12-22 160 Alex Ramos 159 15-1-0
Stateline, Nevada, United States D PTS 10 10

1982-09-23 JJ Cottrell 23-13-4
Las Vegas, Nevada, United States W PTS 10 10

1982-07-29 JJ Cottrell 23-13-3
Las Vegas, Nevada, United States D PTS 10 10

1982-05-06 162 James Waire 162 17-10-1
Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, United States D PTS 6 6

1982-02-24 James Waire 16-10-1
Silver Slipper, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States L PTS 10 10

1981-12-16 Russell Pope 12-1-2
Silver Slipper, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States W PTS 10 10

1981-10-14 158 Michael Carrere 156 10-0-0
Blaisdell Center, Honolulu, Hawaii, United States L TKO 4 6

1981-08-12 James Waire 15-7-1
Silver Slipper, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States W PTS 10 10

1981-07-01 158 Billy Minnex 156 7-0-0
Silver Slipper, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States W TKO 4 10

1981-04-30 160 Randy Holmes 156 2-1-0
Hacienda Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States W TKO 4 6

1980-11-29 Jose Guerrero 0-2-0
Las Vegas, Nevada, United States W KO 5

1980-10-23 Mike Hutchinson 5-1-0
Las Vegas, Nevada, United States W KO 1

1980-01-17 160 Larry Meyers 161 1-8-0
Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, United States W UD 6 6

1979-11-15 John Steve 2-0-0
Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, United States W KO 4

1979-10-25 Gambino Rivera
Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, United States W KO 3

1979-09-20 Danny Adams 4-1-0
Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, United States W PTS 6 6

1979-07-19 155 Mike Rundell 150 8-1-1
Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, United States W KO 4

1979-06-14 Jorge Fernandez
Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, United States W PTS 6 6

1979-05-24 Rodney Harvey 2-6-0
Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, United States W KO 2

[raylawpc]

Thanks for posting the pixs, fellas. I'm glad everybody had a great time.

[kikibalt]

Thanks for posting the pixs, fellas. I'm glad everybody had a great time.

Thanks, Tom...

[Randyman]

Last night's heavyweight fight, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, between Vitali Klitschko and Chris Arreola was even more one sided than Mayweather vs Marquez, and like Juan Manuel Marquez, Chris Arreola showed a strong chin and a big heart but it just did not make a difference. Arreola fought a better fighter last night and there is no shame in that.

From the onset Klitschko used his long jab followed by the right hand and his awkward but effective right uppercut. Arreola didn't have a clue on how to get inside. Klitschko's side to side movement kept Arreola off balance and unable to get off a clean shot. He also kept Arreola at range and that sums up the whole fight. There were no dramatic rallies nor were there any surprises here. Kudos to Klitschko for sticking to his own game plan.

Let me say this though, If I wasn't a fan of Arreola before this fight (in all honesty I was lukewarm at best) I am now but I am more a fan of Arreola the man more so than Arreola the fighter. He showed grit last night. I don't know if Arreola will ever be good enough to beat Klischko or any other champion, that will be up to him and how he decides to tackle the rest of his career.

During an interview prior to the fight Arreola said this "If Michael Phelps can smoke why can't I drink?" I couldn't help remarking to my wife Jeri that "He'll find out why tonight" I hope for his sake he got the message. There was another Chicano heavyweight that fought back in the 70's and 80's - Eddie "Animal" Lopez that loved his beer and he threw away his career. Forget the beer Chris, you can live without it. If you ever want to be the best you will have to become Spartan in your lifestyle. Arreola learned a valuable lesson in humility last night and it's my belief that it will make him a better fighter than he was before he stepped into the ring with Klitschko.

So why am I a fan of Arreola now that he has lost? Because of all the qualities that I admire most in a fighter, A big heart stands heads and shoulder above the rest. When all is said and done - win, lose or draw - it is the heart we remember when years later we look back at a fighters career. It's what touches us. It gets inside of us. When a man stops fighting in the ring it's his heart that will carry him through whatever he faces next. Arreola wept openly last night feeling as if he disappointed all his Mexican and Mexican American fans. He needn't worry. We know he didn't quit. It's my guess that he has more fans today than he did yesterday.

[kikibalt]

I don't see much chance of Chris Arreola getting any better, unless he gets himself a real trainer, Henry Ramirez is a 33 year old guy who has never had any pro boxing experience before, a fighter needs experience people in his camp and Ramirez is not experience enough to help Arreola become champion.

[Randyman]

I don't see much chance of Chris Arreola getting any better, unless he gets himself a real trainer, Henry Ramirez is a 33 year old guy who has never had any pro boxing experience before, a fighter needs experience people in his camp and Ramirez is not experience enough to help Arreola become champion.

Frank, That will have to be his biggest adjustment. Arreola strikes me as the type of guy that will remain loyal, so I don't think anything will change.

randy

[dagosd2000]

"Schoolboy" Bobby Chacon

[Rick Farris]

Last night's heavyweight fight, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, between Vitali Klitschko and Chris Arreola was even more one sided than Mayweather vs Marquez, and like Juan Manuel Marquez, Chris Arreola showed a strong chin and a big heart but it just did not make a difference. Arreola fought a better fighter last night and there is no shame in that.

From the onset Klitschko used his long jab followed by the right hand and his awkward but effective right uppercut. Arreola didn't have a clue on how to get inside. Klitschko's side to side movement kept Arreola off balance and unable to get off a clean shot. He also kept Arreola at range and that sums up the whole fight. There were no dramatic rallies nor were there any surprises here. Kudos to Klitschko for sticking to his own game plan.

Let me say this though, If I wasn't a fan of Arreola before this fight (in all honesty I was lukewarm at best) I am now but I am more a fan of Arreola the man more so than Arreola the fighter. He showed grit last night. I don't know if Arreola will ever be good enough to beat Klischko or any other champion, that will be up to him and how he decides to tackle the rest of his career.

During an interview prior to the fight Arreola said this "If Michael Phelps can smoke why can't I drink?" I couldn't help remarking to my wife Jeri that "He'll find out why tonight" I hope for his sake he got the message. There was another Chicano heavyweight that fought back in the 70's and 80's - Eddie "Animal" Lopez that loved his beer and he threw away his career. Forget the beer Chris, you can live without it. If you ever want to be the best you will have to become Spartan in your lifestyle. Arreola learned a valuable lesson in humility last night and it's my belief that it will make him a better fighter than he was before he stepped into the ring with Klitschko.

So why am I a fan of Arreola now that he has lost? Because of all the qualities that I admire most in a fighter, A big heart stands heads and shoulder above the rest. When all is said and done - win, lose or draw - it is the heart we remember when years later we look back at a fighters career. It's what touches us. It gets inside of us. When a man stops fighting in the ring it's his heart that will carry him through whatever he faces next. Arreola wept openly last night feeling as if he disappointed all his Mexican and Mexican American fans. He needn't worry. We know he didn't quit. It's my guess that he has more fans today than he did yesterday.

Randy . . . I have a lot more respect for Arreola doing his best against a heavy favorite. I agree with Frank, he has nobody to teach him. However, he showed that heart when he was lost in the ring. The K boys aren't hard to figure out, but you need a plan and that young trainer hasn't a clue. Still, considering that Vitali is the best of today's heavyweights, maybe Chris wil have a chance against one of the other East Europe heavyweights. When it comes to heart, I'll take one from East L.A. over East Europe any day.

[Rick Farris]

BOBBY

Now that I've been to some of the local Southland boxing functions,I think back to who was the "biggest" name at these events. The Golden Boy and Mando Ramos are gone. I can't help thinking that Bobby Chacon got more media attention than the rest. I'm talking LA. fighters. Yeah,it's Bobby. Little Red is up there,but Bobby beat him fair and square. Danny will attest to that in a heart beat.

Frank,Rick. You guys saw him in the gym and saw a lot of his fights up close. My ex principal grew up with him in Pacoima. He told me Bobby was getting into a fight everday in school. Bobby would go out of his way to find trouble.

Bobby Chacon was very popular in Los Angeles. He fought some big ones. Olivares,Little Red,Limon,and Arguello and Mancini who were just too big for him.It seemed like suicide,but Bobby didn't duck and run.

I've never seen Oscar at one of the boxing feeds. Maybe I haven't been to enough of them,but if Oscar was to walk in one day and Bobby was sitting there laughing and goofing with everbody with his companion Rosie,I'd still put the little guy with the chip on his shoulder above the Golden Boy.

Today Bobby can be embarrassing at times. Mando Muniz looked at me and the wife at the "Jeffries Table". There were two empty seats between us.
"If you two don't slide over,Bobby is going to sit here,"Mando said with a laugh.
Me and Maria didn't make a move. When Bobby plopped down with Rosie between us,Mando didn't make a stir either. Bobby ,the kid who wanted to fight the whole world one time,was telling jokes. Bobby made us all laugh.

Rog . . .

You know Bobby grew up in the same barrio as former kickboxing great, Benny "The Jet" Urquidez.
Benny told me that they's play as kids, then one would throw an orange at the other, then the other would throw a rock back, then the other would toss back a brick.
Next thing you know they were toe-to-toe or rolling around on the ground.
They went different ways, then Bobby started boxing in the late 60's.
By the mid-70's both were world champs and legends in their respective sports.
When they would get together for anoccasional sparring session, Chacon would always dominate, but they were "boxing".
Bennie always speaks highly of Bobby. Bobby was always respectful of Bennie. Real fighters - real champs - real respect. How rare today, huh?


-Rick Farris

[Rick Farris]

"Schoolboy" Bobby Chacon

Bobby Chacon, The Beginning
By Rick Farris

While checking my E-mail this morning I received an instant message from CBZ editor GorDoom. He wanted to let me now that there was a story in USA TODAY about Bobby Chacon.

The "Bucket" knew that this was a story that I would want to read. However, it was not a story that I would enjoy. In a sense, it was good news in light of the recent reports that I'd heard regarding the two-time former world champion. However, it was depressing to me because I was a part of Bobby Chacon's era in Los Angeles boxing. I also played a very small part in the very beginning of Bobby Chacon's boxing career. It was a career that included world championships in two weight classes and made Chacon a millionaire, at least for a short period. It was also a career that made Bobby Chacon a household name among Southern California boxing fans and gained him respect from others around the world. Unfortunately, like with many before and after him, it was a career that would leave Chacon with a diminished mental capacity and a broken life.

The newspaper article revealed that Chacon has pugilistica dementia. This was not news to me. Last I heard Bobby was living in a make shift room set up in the garage of his mother's house, the home where he had grown up in Pacoima, California. I knew that Bobby was not doing well and would get lost easily. On a trip to Arizona a few years back Bobby disappeared for weeks and those close to him feared that he had met with harm. However, Chacon eventually showed up again with a smile on his face, not understanding why everyone was so worried. When asked where he had been for so long, Bobby couldn't remember.

The day Bobby Chacon and I crossed paths for the first time neither of us had any idea about what would follow. At the time, Bobby was 15-years-old and on the wrong path, headed for a dead end. However, perhaps the result of some divine intervention, Bobby Chacon took a detour. The detour took Bobby to 13717 Jouett St. in Pacoima, California. This was the address of Johnny Flores, the legendary Southern California Boxing manager and also where The Johnny Flores Gym was located behind Flores' garage. It is where former heavyweight contender Jerry Quarry and dozens of other world class boxers had started their careers. It was also where I had been training since the age of twelve.

How did it all begin? Well, I'm probably the only person who can tell you about the first time Bobby Chacon stepped thru the door of a boxing gym and laced on a pair of gloves. I was not only there, but the person who first traded blows with the future world champ in a boxing ring. Although this occurred well over three decades ago I still remember it as if it were yesterday. You see, Bobby Chacon was one of those special people you don't forget easily. He certainly made an impression on me. Chacon's story is not unique, however, it would become a part of boxing history.

Bobby Chacon and I were the same age, the same size, and started our boxing careers in the same place. However, I had a bit of a head start on Chacon and had already been boxing for a couple of years when Bobby first showed up one evening in 1967.

The night Chacon walked thru the door of the Johnny Flores Gym for the first time he was with two friends. All three of the visitors had long hair and were obviously stoned. The three stood quietly inside the door looking around at the gym built by Flores in the early 1950's to develop amateur boxers. At the time Johnny Flores handled heavyweight contender Jerry Quarry, lightweight Ruben Navarro, and the most feared featherweight in the world, Dwight Hawkins, among others. In addition to Flores' amateurs there were a few junior amateurs training at Flores' Gym at the time and I was one of them. I had just turned 15 and had been been boxing for more than two years, having recently won my first Jr. Golden Gloves title.

I remember that when the three long haired guys entered the gym that night I was up in the ring shadow boxing and warming up for my workout. After standing quietly for a few minutes one of the guys moved over to the heavy bag and began throwing punches at it. The old heavy bag was made of canvas and had gotten soaked with water during the winter when rain had leaked thru the roof. Most of the sand inside the heavy bag had sank to the bottom, laving the top half soft to hit. however, the bottom half was as hard as concrete. As the kid flogged away he threw a wild punch that landed on the bottom of the bag. "DAMN"! the kid yelled, "that thing is hard".

The kid's friends howled with laughter until he began to smile, shaking the pain out of his hand. A couple of us up in the ring were smiling too, having hurt our hands in the past while punching the bag. The fact that it happened to some punk off the street made it even more entertaining to us.

A few moments later the door to the gym opened and in walked Flores. During the afternoon Flores would be at the "Main Street Gym" watching over his top professionals. However, in the evening he would check in on his amateurs after eating dinner. When Flores entered he waved to a few of us who were loosening up in the ring and greeted a trainer who was wrapping a boxer's hands. He then looked over at the three guys standing in the corner and nodded at them. About this time the kid who had hurt his hand on the heavy bag was trying his luck on the speed bag and having a hard time with it.

The kid turned toward Flores and asked if he could box somebody. Flores was picking his teeth with a toothpick and raised his eyebrows. "You want to box somebody"? Flores asked. "Are you a fighter'? Flores asked the kid this question in a serious voice that those of us who knew Johnny realized was anything but serious.

The kid turned to his friends with a confident smile and then back to Flores. "Yeah, I wanna box him" he said, pointing directly toward me. Flores turned toward me and winked and then looked back at the kid, "You want to box with Ricky"? Johnny asked. "Yeah" the kid answered. Flores looked at the kid for a moment and asked, "So you want to be a fighter, huh"? The kid looked back at Flores and answered "I am a fighter". The kid then looked back toward his friends who were silent.

Flores just smiled and said "OK champ".

Manny Diaz, one of Johnny's coaches tied a pair of boxing gloves on the kid and rinsed off a mouth piece for him to use. "I don't need that", the kid said as Diaz tried to stick the mouth guard into his mouth. Diaz just smiled, "Yeah you do pal". The kid reluctantly put the mouth guard into his mouth and climbed into the ring. When Diaz tried to put a head guard on the tough kid he once again said "I don't need that". Once again Diaz replied, "yeah you do", however Flores intervened. "If he doesn't want to wear it he doesn't have to". I chose not to wear one either.

A couple of minutes later we were ready and Diaz yelled "Time". The kid moved right toward me and began throwing wild punches from all angles. I expected this and let him go crazy for about 15 or 20 seconds. I blocked, side stepped or just made him miss. After spinning away from him, he turned to attack again and I snapped his head back with a jab, followed by a "goncho", a short left hook to his exposed liver. The body punch was right on target and the kid folded up and went down on one knee. After a few seconds he stood up and said he was "OK", but I knew that he wasn't. When he rushed in again he ran into two more left jabs and a short right to his solar plexus. The body shot knocked the wind out of him and he was finished. It wasn't that he quit or didn't want to keep trying, he just had no air left and was in no shape to throw more punches, let alone take more.

Flores looked up at the kid trying to catch his breath and smiled. This wasn't the first time that Johnny had let some tough guy step into the ring with one of his boxers. It was the best way of teaching a kid a lesson. However, this kid was not like the others. Before leaving the kid said he would be back "tomorrow". He didn't show up the next day, the next week or the next month. But just as promised, he eventually came back.

It would be more than six months before Bobby Chacon would return to the Johnny Flores Gym and when he did he was a different man. His hair was cut short and he came with his own coach. The coach was Joe Ponce, one of the finest boxing trainers I ever met. During the six months since I had my way with the long haired street punk, he'd been training with Ponce. Ponce was not only teaching young Bobby but he was conditioning him. A few days after Chacon's return to the Flores gym we boxed again. This time things were different. I had a lot more experience than Chacon and I was glad that I did, I needed it this time. After a couple of rounds or so I realized something, this guy could fight. I have never seen another boxer learn so much in just six months. I remember the kid telling Johnny Flores that he was a fighter six months previous. He wasn't lying.

From that day on Bobby Chacon and I became friends. He and I would box on and off over the years, as amateurs and later as pros. Bobby Chacon just kept getting better and better. I turned professional exactly thirty years ago, on June 4, 1970, while still in high school. Bobby Chacon would have turned professional himself at the time but Ponce insisted that Bobby wait a couple of years until he was twenty.

Bobby Chacon made his professional boxing debut at the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles on April 17, 1972. Bobby scored a fifth round knockout over Jose Rosa. It would be the first of 17 consecutive knockouts Chacon would score during the first ten months of his pro career. Veteran featherweight contenders Ray Echevarria and Turi Pineda were two of Chacon's KO victims and this set up a match with another former featherweight contender, Frankie Crawford.

Crawford was one of the finest featherweights to come out of Los Angeles in the sixties and forced Chacon to go the full ten rounds. However, It was a one-sided match and Bobby came away with a unanimous decision victory. Less than a month later Chacon took on former World Bantamweight Champ Chucho Castillo and KO'ed the tough Mexican in the tenth round.

Just one year after his pro debut, Bobby Chacon was unbeaten with a near perfect record of 19-0, 18 KO's. This would set up a match with another former world champ, the great Ruben Olivares. This was an interesting match for me personally because I new something that many did not about Chacon and Olivares. Less than two years previous I had been a sparring partner for Olivares when he was training for a banatmweight title defense against Jesus Pimentel. At the time Bobby Chacon was still an amateur and joined the Olivares camp as a sparring partner along with myself. Bobby surprised everybody by out fighting Olivares in the sparring sessions and making the champion look bad. Based on this, many believed that Chacon would easily beat Olivares who had moved up to featherweight after losing the bantam title to Raphael Herrera. Olivares was known for spending a lot of time on the party circuit and entered the ring an underdog to the unbeaten Chacon the night they first fought on June 23, 1973. One thing that spectators didn't know about Olivares was that Ruben never looked good in sparring sessions but would come alive in the ring when it counted. Ruben Olivares knocked out Chacon in the ninth round, handing Bobby the first loss of his pro career.

Bobby would come back and score four more knockouts during the next year before being matched with another hot Los Angeles featherweight, the unbeaten future world champ Danny "Little Red" Lopez. Lopez had won 23 straight with 22 KO's. In a toe-to-toe battle to determine who was the best featherweight in Los Angeles, not to mention the world, Bobby Chacon knocked out Danny Lopez in nine rounds, winning the U.S. Featherweight title and setting himself up for a title shot with WBC featherweight champ Alfredo Marcano.

On September 7, 1974, Bobby Chacon, the tough street punk who wandered into Johnny Flores Gym one evening seven years earlier, knocked out Alfredo Marcano in nine rounds to become the WBC Featherweight Champion of the World.

About this time Chacon fired Joe Ponce, which may have been the biggest mistake of Bobby's career. I knew what the problems were between Ponce and Chacon. Joe Ponce was a task master, a disciplinarian who had no patience with anything less than 100% dedication in the ring. Bobby Chacon wanted to enjoy the benefits of being a world champ and this interfered with his workouts and caused friction between he and Ponce. After Ponce was gone Chacon hired his brother-in-law as a trainer.

Six months after winning the title Chacon successfully defended it with a second round KO over Jesus Estrada in Los Angeles. A month later he would seek to avenge his only loss to Olivares in his second title defense. This
would have been a tough fight under any circumstance but without Ponce in the corner and Bobby's questionable conditioning it would turn out to be a disaster. The former two-time bantam and WBA featherweight king knocked out Chacon in the second round. Bobby's featherweight title reign had been a short one, just nine months.

Five months after losing the title Bobby went to Hawaii and scored a fifth round knockout over a tough filipino named Fil Clemente. A month later he headed to Mexicali and lost a decision to Rafael "Bazooka" Limon. This would be the first of four memorable battles between Chacon and Limon. Over the next four years Chacon would lose only one of 17 fights, dropping a decision to Arturo Leon in Anaheim in 1977.

On November 16, 1979, Bobby Chacon would challenge the great Alexis Arguello for the WBC Jr. Lightweight title. Arguello stopped Chacon in round seven.

Eventually Chacon would win the Jr. Lightweight title. After being stopped by Cornelius "Boza" Edwards in his second attempt at the WBC crown in 1981, Chacon would finally win the title in 1982 with a unanimous 15 round decision over Rafael "Bazooka" Limon. Five months later Chacon would defend the title and avenge his loss Boza Edwards, winning a close twelve round decision.

A month after beating Edwards, Chacon abandoned the Jr. Lightweight title and moved up to lightweight. On January 14, 1984, Chacon challenged Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini for the WBA Lightweight title in Reno. At the age of 32, Chacon was past his prime but still had the heart of a champion. Bobby went toe-to-toe with the brutal Mancini but was backed into the ropes where he was taking a beating. The fight was finally stopped in the third round to save Chacon from further punishment.

This would be the last time Bobby Chacon would ever fight for a world championship. However, it was also the last time Bobby would ever lose. Chacon would continue to box on and off for more than four years, winning all seven of his fights including a seventh round KO over former WBA Lightweight Champ Art Frias.

Bobby's biggest fights, however, were not just in the ring. During his career he was challenged by the suicide of his wife Valery the night before a title fight. He lost his 18-year-old son Bobby Jr. to a drive-by shooting,
and he battled with drug abuse and jail time spent on domestic violence charges.

According to the story I read in USA Today, Chacon is attempting to put his life in order. He lives in a skid row hotel in downtown Los Angeles and teaches boxing in a gym set up downstairs. Bobby's memory may not be sharp any longer but my memory is strong when it comes to Bobby Chacon. The Bobby Chacon story is a special one to me and one I will never forget.

[dagosd2000]

Rick
Your story on Bobby. My painting. One down. Get my drift?

[Rick Farris]

CBHOF 9-26-09


Jesus Pimentel, Rick Farris and Vince Delgado

"Little Poison" . . .

When I started boxing, my favorite bantamweight was also one of my three favorite boxers, and that was the deadly punching top contender, Jesus Pimentel.
In build, I used to compare Pimentel at 118 pounds, with welterweight king, Emile Griffith. Both were built solid for speed and punching power, from head-to-toe.

From age 17, right thru my pro career, I boxed often with Jesus Pimentel's twin brother, featherweight contender, Jose.
However, it wasn't until the summer of 1969 that I'd get a chance to box with one of my all-time favorites, Jesus, whom manager Harry Kabakoff had nick-named, "Little Poison."
It was a one time experience, just two rounds. He was warming up, I pressed him, very aware of his power. Jesus Pimentel was one of those guys who was a natural puncher.
Anything that a true puncher hits you with can hurt you. I felt his power a few times that day, nothing that had me in trouble, but I got a jolt or two.

Up until the arrival of Ruben Olivares, Jessie was my 118 pound favorite. A beautiful boxer to watch take a guy down.
I first saw him live at the L.A. Sports Arena in late 1965, when he dropped a 12-rounder to Jose Medel, in a bout that saw both men hit the deck, Pimentel twice.
A few months later my dad took me to the Olympic to see Pimentel destroy Canadian, Jackie Burke in four rounds.
Wen my mind strays to legendary punchers of the past, I don't visualize Dempsey, Louis or Marciano.
I picture guys like Pimentel, Olivares, Zarate, Zamora . . . the best of Mexico. Bantamweights. I saw the power of others, but I felt the power of a few Mexican greats.
Feeling the power, is believing the power.

At 118 pounds, nobody carried more natural iron in their gloves than the great Jesus Pimentel.
A true uncrowned champion!


-Rick Farris

[Rick Farris]

Rick
Your story on Bobby. My painting. One down. Get my drift?

Yep . . . Just gotta tweak this one a little, my story, that is. I'll open minus the CBZ reference, clean up the ending.
We're on the same track, Rog.

[Rick Farris]

Brian . . .

Need your address. PM me.

-Rick

[dagosd2000]

John L. Sullivan

[kikibalt]

Defeated Cris Arreola vows to get back into the ring quickly

'I want to fight as soon as possible, December or January,' Arreola says after losing to Vitali Klitschko. 'I'm not going to let this fight break me.'

September 27, 2009

Cris Arreola wiped away the tears that engulfed him after his first career loss, and vowed to quickly rid "the bitter taste in my mouth" that came with joining the club of losing to a Klitschko.

Riverside's Arreola (27-1) was outpunched 301-86, out-jabbed 150-62 and deemed the loser of every round by one judge Saturday before his trainer Henry Ramirez told referee Jon Schorle to award Vitali Klitschko a 10th-round technical knockout victory, blocking Arreola's quest to become the first world heavyweight champion of Mexican ancestry.

"I want to fight as soon as possible, December or January," Arreola said in the post-fight news conference after sobbing on HBO cameras as he apologized for losing. "It's back to the drawing board, back to the gym. I'm not going to let this fight break me."

"I earned this shot and got my [rear] kicked. Now, it's time for me to earn a shot again and do some [rear] kicking."

That was the tone of the post-fight evening, as Arreola's promoter Dan Goossen lamented "the only way to beat Vitali Klitschko [age 38] is to have him retire," and Klitschko and boxing powers praised the beaten challenger's toughness and charisma.

"A couple of very hard punches I land to his head," Klitschko said. "But he stay. . . . Cris Arreola has all the skills to be a world champion."

HBO's Kery Davis, who oversees the process that puts big fights on our televisions, predicted, "Arreola will have another title chance. He's just 28, has a great personality and fights in a television-friendly style [24 knockouts]."

Reached later at his post-fight party at the Palm restaurant downtown, Goossen milked a drink and said he was unprepared to assess what he'll do next with Arreola.

"It boiled down to he fought a very talented heavyweight tonight," Goossen said. "Arreola has guts. Sometimes, the other team is better than you, but it doesn't mean you can't come back and play well again."

The immediate question is how long World Boxing Council champion Vitali and his younger brother and IBF and WBO heavyweight champ Wladimir want to continue their reign of the division. They're now vowing to capture all four major belts simultaneously.

American fight fans may not like their systematic, usually un-bloodied style -- Vitali said he stuck with his "Plan A" to defeat Arreola, sidestepping the challenger's rush and submitting him to combinations led by a jab flexed from a 78-inch reach -- but, like Vitali said, "I don't want to prove my head is strong in a fight by getting hit; I want to use my head to win. I'm sorry it's not as spectacular as a knockout."

Vitali's manager, Shelly Finkel, said afterward that he'll explore a December or January bout in Europe for his fighter against a member of the WBC top 10, possibly Oleg Maskaev, who attended Saturday's match.

Finkel admits his fighter's dominance makes it problematic to attract a large audience drawn to a compelling matchup. Staples fell more than 5,000 tickets short of a sellout. The next best option is to fight overseas, where large crowds flock to the Klitschkos regardless of their foes.

"Who do you have?" Finkel asked. "There's not that much to choose from."

Arreola paid sufficient respect to the champ. "He counteracted everything I had," the Riverside fighter said.

All the beaten challenger could do was pledge to return better, and fitter.

"No more Coronas," announced Arreola, his swollen eyes finding the nearly unblemished champion. "What do you drink, Vitali?"

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