Classic American West Coast Boxing

[THEHAMMER321]

Hi Randyman so your cousin is Louie Burke,nice to see him training fighters I saw him fight many times back in the 1980s here in Las Vegas and I really remember his fights with Freddie Roach,thanks for the link

[raylawpc]

Not inexplicable at all . . . Bobo was of Swedish descent
_____________________________________________

About Olson . . . Mel Epstein got to know Bobo Olson during the years he lived in San Franciso.
Epstein had a lot of respect for the former middleweight champ, but was most fascinated by the man's love life.
Seems that Olson had wives all over America including Hawaii, San Franciso and New York.
I don't know the whole story, but I guess there came a time when all three found out about each other?
I gotta give the man credit, one wife is a lot of work. Three wives?

Epstein told me that's what happens to a man who is "over-sexed". "Fighters & women don't mix," he'd warn.
Mel really had a problem with boxers that were involved with women. Like it was the worst curse possible.
I know that women have ruined many a boxer, but life is life.


-Rick Farris

Oversexed? Nah, sounds like the sex drive of your typical Swedish male.

According to Mel, it was no secret that Bobo Olson was hung like a race horse, not a prizefighter.
A fact that created both opportunities and problems for Olson.
"The poor bastid didn't have a chance, too many broads!" Mel lamented.



-Rick Farris

That's supposed to be a secret? Fact of life for any virile Swedish male . . .

[kikibalt]

Oversexed? Nah, sounds like the sex drive of your typical Swedish male.

According to Mel, it was no secret that Bobo Olson was hung like a race horse, not a prizefighter.
A fact that created both opportunities and problems for Olson.
"The poor bastid didn't have a chance, too many broads!" Mel lamented.



-Rick Farris

That's supposed to be a secret? Fact of life for any virile Swedish male . . .

Tom, Tom!....

[dagosd2000]

For My Pal Randy De La O. FOOD IN JIQUILPAN



Hot Cakes with homemade jam and honey. The honey is so thick it's like eating crystals of sweetness.



The churro guy. They deep fry them down there on a stick. Then role them in unrefined sugar. Again big crystals of sweetness.




Roasted garbanzo beans on the far left. Fresh roasted corn in the front.




Flan and gelatinas



OK Pal. This one is especially for you. Fresh grilled hamburgers. I'm tellin' ya' Randy these burgers were so big and tasted absolutely wonderfull. Best I've ever eaten. Rule of thumb:If you're eating it today,it was either walking around yesterday or they pulled it out of the ground. You don't see freezers down there. Everything is fresh.




Breakfast for me every morning. Chorreadas with butter and a hot cup of yerba buena tea

[Chuck1052]

Rick, I remember when Bud Furillo was the host of a radio talkshow on KABC during the 1970s. Of course, I always thought that the L.A. Herald-Examiner had terrific boxing coverage, much better than the L.A. Times. Moreover, they had a number of terrific sportswriters during the 1970s, Furillo, Allen Malamud, Doug Krikorian, Jack Disney and Melvin Durslag.

- Chuck Johnston

[bennie]

Me and a pint of Guinness in rainy Dublin recently. The man on the right is Lord Lucan.

[bennie]

The inevitable postcard.

[dagosd2000]

Kid Azteca

[dagosd2000]

Me and a pint of Guinness in rainy Dublin recently. The man on the right is Lord Lucan.

Hey Bennie
You're getting rain in your beer Good to see you back.

[bennie]

Me and a pint of Guinness in rainy Dublin recently. The man on the right is Lord Lucan.

Hey Bennie
You're getting rain in your beer Good to see you back.

I was past caring by this photo, Rog. Guinness is not my usual tipple.

[dagosd2000]

Me and a pint of Guinness in rainy Dublin recently. The man on the right is Lord Lucan.

Hey Bennie
You're getting rain in your beer Good to see you back.

I was past caring by this photo, Rog. Guinness is not my usual tipple.

Bennie
I get the feeling if you let go of that guy you'll both fall down

[THEHAMMER321]

Hi good morning guys I was thinking about this fighter from Mexico that an old man told me about twenty five years ago when I told him at the time I thought Ruben Olivares was the greatest fighter born in Mexico he said he thought Toluco Lopez was the greatest,of course I had never heard of him any comments.

[kikibalt]

Hi good morning guys I was thinking about this fighter from Mexico that an old man told me about twenty five years ago when I told him at the time I thought Ruben Olivares was the greatest fighter born in Mexico he said he thought Toluco Lopez was the greatest,of course I had never heard of him any comments.

Jose "Toluco" Lopez was a good fighter, if not for the booze he would have been great, seen him live a few times.

[raylawpc]

Dan Cuoco wrote this about Lopez in the September 2000 Wail!: CBZ Boxing Journal:

"Jose (Toluco) Lopez

"Jose was born Jose Lopez Hernandez on June 21, 1932 in El Oro, Mexico. Like Macias, Jose also started his professional career fighting ten rounders. He was nicknamed “Toluco” after the city of Toluca where he began his fistic career.

"Following his graduation from school, he worked as a plaster’s helper, than a journeyman plasterer, but found that he enjoyed plastering opponents better than walls.

"He won all 15 of his amateur fights and was state champion in 1953. He made his professional debut just 17 days shy of his 21st birthday against journeyman Baby Garcia on June 4, 1953 in Cuernavaca, Mexico. He stopped Garcia in the 8th round. A strong willing mixer, he quickly reached main bout status and by the end of 1954 had established himself as one of the best 118 pounders in Mexico. His record stood at 14-3, with 5 knockouts.

"At this stage of his career he was more of a scientific boxer and realized that if he was going to continue to grow and reach the next level he would have to adapt his style. So he adopted a more aggressive style and started to set down on his punches more. His new exciting style started to pay off immediately and he became a tremendous drawing card in Mexico City, La Laguna and the Mexican Provinces.

"1955 was his breakout year. When Raul Macias gave up his national title, Jose was matched with Fili Nava for the vacant crown. He came through with a victory. In 29 bouts he had only lost four decisions, and reversed three of those losses. Lopez had stopped 11 and was the seventh rated challenger for the world bantam title by “The Ring.”

"Toluco started off 1956 impressively, knocking out Emilio de la Rosa in eleven rounds to defend his national title and Joey Benson in one round. These two victories catapulted him to the number three ranking by "The Ring." He was riding high. But that was about to change - quickly!

"On August 14, 1956, Toluco made his highly anticipated debut in Los Angeles to face Billy Peacock at the Olympic Auditorium. The gallery was sold out a half-hour after going on sale. Mexican fight fans felt that the colorful Lopez was the fighter to avenge Peacock's recent mastery over Mexican fighters. In previous appearances, Peacock had knocked out Raul Macias in 3, Pimi Barajas in 4, Memo Sanchez in 3 and Kildo Martinez in 6. But Peacock continued his mastery by winning a lopsided decision over ten rounds. Peacock repeatedly nailed Toluco with crushing rights hands. Lopez took every one of those right hands and came back fighting. Lopez put on such a gutsy performance that he received a standing ovation from the crowd when he left the ring. Bud Furillo of the Herald-Express said in his column the next day "Toluco Lopez is the most courageous fighter I've ever seen!" All in attendance including the promoter agreed that he would be heartily welcomed back at any time.

"Toluco unwisely decided to return to the Olympic just five weeks after his grueling loss to Peacock to meet featherweight Rudy Garcia. The hard-hitting Garcia entered the ring with a record of 35-10-1, 20 kayos. His kayo victims included Harold Dade, Chico Rosa, Gene Smith and Nate Brooks. He held decision victories over Jackie Blair Lauro Salas, Auburn Copeland and Carmelo Costa. Garcia never looked better as he scored a 50-second knockout over Toluco. The echo of the opening bell had scarcely died away before Garcia drilled Lopez with a two-punch combination sending Lopez down for an eight count. Toluco bravely got up and ran into a savage left hook, followed by three hard rights sending him down again, this time for the full count.

"The losses to Peacock and Garcia dropped him to the seventh spot in "The Ring."

"The resilient Toluco wasn't discouraged by the losses. Less than a month after the Garcia loss he was back in the ring again winning a ten round decision over Joel Sanchez in Mexicali. He continued to fight up and down the Mexican provinces winning 19 of his next 20 fights, 14 by kayo. His only loss - a close decision to Havana, Cuba veteran Manuel Armenteros, later avenged. He also avenged his loss to Billy Peacock by beating him twice - by decision in Tijuana and by knockout in Los Angeles. A month prior to his knockout of Peacock he scored the biggest victory of his career when he kayoed Memo Diez in five rounds to defend his national bantam title. The knockout defeat was the first of Diez's career. Only a year before Diez had been "The Ring's" number one ranked flyweight before losing his lofty position by upset decisions to Dommy Ursua and Ramon Arias.

"Once again, Toluco was ranked the third rated challenger for the world bantam title by “The Ring.” His ring record stood at 46-7-0, with 27 kayos. Of his seven defeats, five had been avenged.

"Jose, however, couldn't handle prosperity. On May 11, 1958 an out of shape Lopez took on lightly regarded Willie Parker in Acapulco. Parker in only his second year as a professional came into the fight with a record of 5-6-1, with no kayos. Two of his six losses had been by kayo. Parker surprised everyone by giving the out of shape Lopez a thorough beating and stopped him in the seventh round. Lopez dropped in the ratings from third to sixth.

"Lopez was so embarrassed by his performance he demanded a rematch. He got himself in shape taking on two tune-up fights - winning both by knockout. His rematch with Parker took place before a large crowd at the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles. Lopez turned the tables on Parker by winning an easy ten round decision.

"Lopez stayed in shape and ran off another string of impressive victories culminating with a third round knockout of 23-year-old hard-hitting Mexican prospect Carlos Cardoso on December 3, 1958.

"On February 1, 1959 Lopez returned to California to face Horace (Boots) Monroe for the North American Bantamweight Title. The 21-year old Monroe was the hottest prospect in California. His ring record was a gaudy 20-1-0, with 16 kayos. His only loss was a four round decision in his third professional fight - later reversed. He held knockouts over Willie Parker, German Ohm, Willie Lucedo, Roberto Hernandez, Nacho Esclante and Herman Marquez and outpointed Kid Irapuato, Billy Peacock and Joe Medel.

"Before a capacity crowd at the Hollywood Legion Stadium Lopez shocked the crowd by stopping Monroe in only two rounds. Monroe got off to an excellent start, utilizing his superior height and reach and employing the long left jab for which he was noted. Near the end of the round, however, Toluco stepped in and nailed Monroe with a hard right and visibly shook him. In round two, Lopez came out quickly and dropped a still dazed Monroe three times before the referee mercifully stopped the fight. The win catapulted Lopez to third in "The Rings" world ratings. Again, he was on top of the world!

"Negotiations were underway for Lopez to fight bantam champ Alphonse Halimi at Wrigley Field. While negotiations were taking place, Toluco returned to Hollywood on March 24, 1959 to take on unranked Danny Kid of the Philippines in a tune up fight. Before a near capacity crowd at the Hollywood Legion Stadium, 6-1 underdog Kid employing an excellent left jab and superior ring generalship had the better of the first seven rounds. Lopez realizing he was behind came out for the final three rounds with everything in his arsenal and engaged Kid in an exciting toe-to-toe slugfest. But his rally was too late and he left the ring the loser of a majority decision and a title shot with champion Halimi. The title shot instead went to fellow Mexican Jose Becerra. This was the closest Lopez would ever again get to a title shot. Toluco would remain in the top ten ratings until April 1961 by going 29-5-1-1, with 20 kayos. During that stretch he beat Danny Kid twice by decision and outpointed Eloy Sanchez and Manny Elias. But, he also lost his Mexican Bantamweight Title to Joe Medel by decision on August 1, 1959 and suffered knockout defeats to Medel and Otilio Galvan in 1960. He was dropped from the ratings for good after suffering a seventh round knockout loss to Hector Agundez on April 2, 1961.

"In his last two years in the ring (1962-1963) he went 10-7, with six knockouts. His final ring ledger was 99-20-2-1, with 62 kayos. He was stopped seven times."

That's really all that I know about him. Hand to imagine he was a better bantam than Ruben. (Hard to imagine ANYBODY was a better bantam than Ruben, actually.)

I'm glad Frank weighed in on the topic. Frank, do you think if Lopez had laid off the booze he would have been better than Olivares?

[kikibalt]

Jose Toluco Lopez

sex male
birth date 1932-06-21
death date 1972-12-16
division bantamweight
alias Toluco

nationality Mexico
residence La Laguna, Baja California Sur, Mexico
birth place El Oro, Mexico

won 99 (KO 63) + lost 20 (KO 7) + drawn 4 = 124
rounds boxed 892 KO% 50.81

1963-09-14 Antonio Sonsores
Soledad Doblado, Veracruz, Mexico W KO 4

1963-08-03 127 Chuy Pruneda 125 14-1-0
Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico L KO 9 10

1963-07-20 Ray Valdez 1-6-0
Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico W KO 2

1963-07-13 Manny Linson 14-12-3
Ciudad Obregon, Sonora, Mexico W KO 5 10

1963-07-06 Mar Castellanos 6-14-0
Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico W KO 6

1963-06-15 Gallito Gonzalez 7-8-1
San Buenaventura, Coahuila de Zaragoza, Mexico L PTS 10 10

1963-05-16 Manuel Solis 5-1-0
Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas, Mexico W KO 5

1963-02-01 127 Eduardo Guerrero 125 33-10-3
Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico L KO 8 10

1962-12-14 Jorge Baby Salazar 35-13-3
Puebla, Puebla, Mexico W KO 2

1962-11-17 Jaime Robert 0-1-0
San Andres Tuxtla, Veracruz, Mexico L PTS 10 10

1962-08-18 Eduardo Guerrero 32-9-2
Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico L PTS 10 10

1962-05-01 129 Rudy Corona 122 31-13-0
Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico L PTS 10 10

1962-04-24 126¾ Tony Herrera 124 19-2-0
Auditorium, Oakland, California, United States W PTS 10 10
~ referee: Elmer Costa 7-4 ~

1962-03-31 129 Willie Woods 128 12-12-3
Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, California, United States W UD 10 10
~ referee: Fred Apostoli 10-2 | judge: Tony Bosnich 7-2 | judge: Abe Cohen 5-4 ~
Woods was knocked down in the 5th round.

1962-02-10 Eduardo Guerrero 31-7-2
Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico L PTS 10 10

1962-01-24 126 Bobby Gray 126 12-9-4
Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, California, United States W PTS 10 10

1962-01-05 Jamie Diaz 0-1-0
Poza Rica, Veracruz, Mexico W PTS 10 10

1961-11-22 Bombon Kiriz 5-16-4
Puebla, Puebla, Mexico W KO 4

1961-11-03 Dusty Brown 3-10-1
Veracruz, Veracruz, Mexico W KO 4

1961-10-01 124 Hector Agundez 122 13-12-1
Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico W PTS 10 10

1961-09-16 Pimi Amador 2-4-0
Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes, Mexico D PTS 10 10

1961-09-02 128 Pajaro Gonzalez 126 15-6-1
Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico W PTS 10 10

1961-08-19 Fernando Gomez 10-8-0
Oaxaca, Oaxaca, Mexico W PTS 10 10

1961-07-21 Jesse Torres
Tlalnepantla, México, Mexico W KO 4

1961-05-29 Babe Laredo 0-5-0
Puruandiro, Michoacán de Ocampo, Mexico W KO 2

1961-04-02 125 Hector Agundez 123 11-10-1
Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico L KO 7

1961-03-26 Mario Diaz 13-5-0
Plaza de Toros, Torreon, Coahuila de Zaragoza, Mexico NC NC 10 10

1961-03-05 Raul Leanos 38-16-4
Hidalgo Del Parral, Chihuahua, Mexico W KO 6

1961-02-24 Manuel Esparza 2-1-1
Toluca, México, Mexico W KO 7

1960-11-19 Jose Medel 44-17-3
Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico L TKO 7 10

1960-10-30 119 Papelero Rodriguez 120 6-6-0
Colima, Colima, Mexico W KO 5 10

1960-10-22 122 Mario Luciano 121
Plaza de Toros, Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico W KO 5 10

1960-10-14 121 Luis Trejo 126 12-17-1
Tampico, Tamaulipas, Mexico W KO 4 10

1960-09-24 Oney Mingus 6-4-1
Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico W KO 8

1960-09-10 121 Eduardo Guerrero 120 26-6-2
Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico W PTS 10 10

1960-08-07 Manny Elias 15-10-0
Nogales, Sonora, Mexico W KO 10 10

1960-06-19 120 Danny Kid 120 28-16-10
Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico W PTS 10 10

1960-05-29 Memo Baltazares 126 13-18-2
Orizaba, Veracruz, Mexico W KO 2

1960-05-20 Jose Galvan 20-20-3
Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Mexico W PTS 10 10

1960-04-30 121 Eloy Sanchez 119 24-9-0
Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico W PTS 10 10

1960-04-14 Rudy Valdez 16-5-2
Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico W KO 8

1960-03-20 Otilio Galvan 100-43-4
Saltillo, Coahuila de Zaragoza, Mexico L KO 7

1960-03-05 118 Eduardo Guerrero 118 22-5-2
Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico W PTS 10 10

1960-02-21 Carlos Hernandez 1-1-0
Puebla, Puebla, Mexico W KO 9 10

1960-02-06 Ray Ruiz 28-8-3
Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico W KO 6

1960-01-16 Goyo Flores 23-8-3
Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico W PTS 10 10

1959-11-14 Eduardo Guerrero 22-5-1
Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico D PTS 10 10

1959-10-28 Gallito Reyes 11-10-0
Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas, Mexico W KO 2

1959-10-15 Cain Rogero 22-5-0
Gomez Palacio, Durango, Mexico W PTS 10 10

1959-09-22 119 Eddie Santos 0-1-0
Bull Ring, Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico W KO 2 10

1959-09-16 Marcelo Gonzalez 8-12-0
Celaya, Guanajuato, Mexico W KO 4

1959-08-27 Chatito Ochoa 3-2-0
Puebla, Puebla, Mexico W KO 4

1959-08-01 Jose Medel 37-13-3
Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico L PTS 12 12
~ Mexico bantamweight title ~

1959-05-11 121 Danny Kid 122 24-12-9
Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico W UD 12 12
1959-04-22 122 Hector Ceballos 123 10-14-1
La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico W KO 4 10

1959-04-18 Babe Laredo 0-3-0
Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico W KO 4

1959-04-11 119 Rudy Corona 117 17-6-0
Ciudad Obregon, Sonora, Mexico W TKO 3 10

1959-03-24 120¼ Danny Kid 120 23-12-9
Legion Stadium, Hollywood, California, United States L MD 10 10
~ referee: Mushy Callahan 93-96 | judge: Lee Grossman 95-97 | judge: Joey Olmos 97-97 ~

1959-03-08 Kildo Martinez 7-23-6
Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico W KO 6
The final bout of Martinez's career. He was killed in an airplane crash in Hermosillo, Mexico on April 17, 1959.

1959-02-07 118 Boots Monroe 118 22-1-0
Legion Stadium, Hollywood, California, United States W TKO 2 12
~ time: 1:57 | referee: Lee Grossman ~
North American Bantamweight Title
Before a capacity crowd Lopez "shocked" the crowd by stopping Monroe in only two rounds. Monroe got off to an excellent start, utilizing his superior height and reach and employing the long left jab for which he was noted. Near the end of the round, however, Toluco stepped in and nailed Monroe with a hard right and visibly shook him. In round two, Lopez came out quickly and dropped a still dazed Monroe three times before the referee "mercifully" stopped the fight.

1959-01-01 Babe Laredo 0-2-0
Tapachula, Chiapas, Mexico W KO 4

1958-12-01 Carlos Cardoso 33-3-0
Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico W KO 3

1958-11-23 Eugene Lecozanet 23-4-2
Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico W KO 5 10

1958-10-19 Pimi Barajas 16-6-1
Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico W PTS 10 10

1958-07-04 Grillito Aguilar 0-1-0
Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico W KO 7

1958-06-26 120 Willie Parker 119 6-7-1
Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, United States W UD 10 10
~ referee: Charley Randolph 100-91 | judge: Russ Bradford 99-92 | judge: John Thomas 98-91 ~

1958-06-15 Jose Beltran 0-1-0
Sabinas, Coahuila de Zaragoza, Mexico W KO 5

1958-06-07 Jimmy Cooper 40-27-5
Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico W KO 7

1958-05-11 Willie Parker 5-7-1
Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico L KO 9 10

1958-04-01 117¾ Billy Peacock 117½ 42-16-1
Wrigley Field, Los Angeles, California, United States W TKO 11 12
~ time: 2:41 | referee: Mushy Callahan 97-85 ~
Lopez was knocked down once in the 2nd, Peacock was knocked down twice in the 3rd.

1958-03-01 Memo Diez 24-8-2
Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico W KO 5 12
~ Mexico bantamweight title ~

1957-12-22 Jorge Herrera 23-26-3
Morelia, Michoacán de Ocampo, Mexico W KO 2

1957-12-20 Babe Laredo 0-1-0
Tenancingo, México, Mexico W KO 3

1957-12-07 Otilio Galvan 97-40-4
Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico W KO 5

1957-11-10 Manuel Armenteros 49-22-4
Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico

1957-10-19 120 Ernesto Parra 123 19-8-1
Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico W KO 1

1957-09-29 Johnny Gonzalez
San Luis Potosi, San Luis Potosí, Mexico W KO 4

1957-09-21 Orlando Reyes 16-4-1
Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico W KO 6

1957-08-26 Billy Peacock 36-14-1
Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico W PTS 10 10

1957-08-16 Manuel Armenteros 47-22-4
Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico L PTS 10 10

1957-07-20 119 Jorge Manjarrez 126 7-6-0
Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico W PTS 10 10

1957-05-01 124 Frankie Campos 122 14-6-0
Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico W PTS 10 10

1957-04-25 121 Baby Jones 124
Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes, Mexico W KO 3

1957-03-26 126 Paul Felix 122 8-23-0
Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico W KO 8 10

1957-02-21 Babe Lopez 2-5-1
Leon, Baja California, Mexico W KO 4

1957-01-25 Otilio Galvan 94-38-4
Piedras Negras, Coahuila de Zaragoza, Mexico W KO 5

1957-01-04 118 Nacho Paredes 116 3-3-1
Piedras Negras, Coahuila de Zaragoza, Mexico W KO 6

1956-11-24 Baby Saucedo 0-1-0
Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico W KO 2

1956-10-26 Joel Sanchez 3-3-0
Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico W PTS 10 10

1956-09-25 124 Rudy Garcia 125¾ 33-10-1
Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, United States L KO 1 10
~ time: 0:50 | referee: Frankie Van ~
Lopez was knocked down twice.

1956-08-14 121 Billy Peacock 120 33-10-0
Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, United States L UD 10 10
~ referee: Abe Roth 90-100 | judge: Dynamite Jackson 89-99 | judge: Jack McDonald 91-97 ~
Peacock landed smashing rights to Lopez's jaw but could not floor the tough Mexican, although winning decisively.


1956-04-29 Joey Benson 118 5-6-0
Cuatro Ciénegas, Coahuila de Zaragoza, Mexico W KO 1 10

1956-02-25 Emilio de la Rosa 35-19-6
Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico W KO 12 12
~ Mexico bantamweight title ~

1955-12-21 Americo Rivera 4-9-1
Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico L PTS 10 10

1955-11-26 Ernesto Parra 119 13-3-1
Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico W KO 4

1955-10-28 Martin Vazquez 0-1-0
Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico W PTS 10 10

1955-10-14 Pastor Panchito Gonzalez 2-1-0
Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico W KO 5

1955-10-01 Rogelio Saucedo 17-18-3
Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico W KO 7

1955-09-22 Americo Rivera 3-7-1
Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico W PTS 10 10

1955-07-23 118 Jesse Mongia 121 32-6-1
Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico W PTS 10 10

1955-06-09 117 Jorge Valverde Gomez 116 18-5-2
Laguna, Tamaulipas, Mexico W KO 5

1955-05-07 Fili Nava 26-9-2
Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico W PTS 12 12
~ Mexico bantamweight title ~

1955-03-10 Laverne Hackman
Cuatro Ciénegas, Coahuila de Zaragoza, Mexico W KO 1

1955-02-12 Raul Solis 64-22-10
Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico W KO 8

1955-01-13 Zapatero Flores 0-4-0
Puebla, Puebla, Mexico W PTS 10 10

1954-11-27 Memo Diez 7-3-1
Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico W PTS 10 10

1954-08-28 Javier Gutierrez 23-16-4
Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico L PTS 10 10

1954-08-05 Tony Torres 0-1-0
Puebla, Puebla, Mexico W KO 1

1954-07-10 Luis Castillo 89-55-11
Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico W PTS 10 10

1954-06-12 Baby Ruiz 3-8-0
Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico W KO 5

1954-04-10 Babe Rivera 6-12-0
Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico W PTS 10 10

1954-03-13 118 Raul Solis 118 59-19-9
Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico W PTS 10 10

1954-02-22 Angel Iglesias 8-14-2
Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico W KO 6

1954-01-16 Trini Ruiz 12-7-0
Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico W PTS 10 10

1953-11-18 Memo Diez 3-0-0
Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico L PTS 10 10

1953-10-31 Lino Botello 14-15-2
Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico W PTS 10 10

1953-10-03 Aurelio Rivera 4-6-0
Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico W KO 4

1953-09-01 Jose 'Baby' Gonzalez 31-22-4
Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico L PTS 10 10

1953-08-24 Emilio de la Rosa 25-10-4
Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico W PTS 10 10

1953-07-22 Angel Iglesias 8-13-2
Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico W PTS 10 10

1953-06-06 Manuel Alvarez 0-1-0
Durango, Durango, Mexico W PTS 10 10

1953-06-04 Baby Garcia 4-8-0
Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico W KO 8

1950-08-17 Raul Solis 36-6-5
Arena Tierra y Liberdad, Toluca, México, Mexico D PTS 10 10

1950-06-06 Kid San Martin
Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

[kikibalt]

I'm glad Frank weighed in on the topic. Frank, do you think if Lopez had laid off the booze he would have been better than Olivares?

NO!

Don't know that Dan Cuoco ever seen Lopez live or at all...

[raylawpc]

I'm glad Frank weighed in on the topic. Frank, do you think if Lopez had laid off the booze he would have been better than Olivares?

NO!

Don't know that Dan Cuoco ever seen Lopez live or at all...

I don't think Dan ever saw Lopez; he never says he did at any rate. The article was part of a larger series on great Mexican bantamweights from the 1950s. Dan certainly never says that Lopez was better than Ruben, but THE HAMMER heard it from somebody. I was curious what you thought since I knew you probably saw them both live. Frankly, I'd never heard of Lopez before I saw Dan's article nine years ago. The idea that anyone thought Lopez was superior to Ruben Olivares came as a surprise to me.

[Rick Farris]

Rick, I remember when Bud Furillo was the host of a radio talkshow on KABC during the 1970s. Of course, I always thought that the L.A. Herald-Examiner had terrific boxing coverage, much better than the L.A. Times. Moreover, they had a number of terrific sportswriters during the 1970s, Furillo, Allen Malamud, Doug Krikorian, Jack Disney and Melvin Durslag.

- Chuck Johnston

The Herald-Examiner . . .

Chuck, you are so right, the Herald-Examiner's boxing coverage was superior to that of the L.A.Times.
When Furillo left the publication, Allan Malamud took over as the sports editor until the paper finally folded up in the early 90's. The Times didn't cover boxing like the Herald, but occasionally, when sports editor Jim Murray would devote his column to boxing, he'd write some incredible copy. It's obvious why Murray would win America's top sports writer honors every single year, back-to-back. As for Malamud, when the Herald bit the dust, he jumped right over to the Times who gave him his third page column. Back in the day, Malamud and Furillo would take harmless jabs at each other, Bud referring to his boxing writer as Allan "No Neck" Malamud, among other things. Mud would shoot back a comment about the Italian dinner Bud had created the night before. I remember in the late 60's, Malamud was dating one of the Quarry sisters. I think it was Diane?


-Rick Farris

[Rick Farris]

I'm glad Frank weighed in on the topic. Frank, do you think if Lopez had laid off the booze he would have been better than Olivares?

NO!

Don't know that Dan Cuoco ever seen Lopez live or at all...

He didn't. Most of the IBRO guys re-write other people's opinions.

[raylawpc]

I'm glad Frank weighed in on the topic. Frank, do you think if Lopez had laid off the booze he would have been better than Olivares?

NO!

Don't know that Dan Cuoco ever seen Lopez live or at all...

He didn't. Most of the IBRO guys re-write other people's opinions.

Wait a minute, now. I know Dan Cuoco. He is a careful and meticulous researcher. While he may never have seen Lopez live, I am sure the research he did for the article was all Dan's. BTW, Dan never said Lopez was better than Olivares. An "old guy" told THE HAMMER that. I pulled Dan's article because I remembered it from a few years back, and THE HAMMER asked for more information in Lopez. Dan doesn't make any claims about Lopez prowess except to include him as one of the top Mexican bantams of the 1950s, which I think is arguably correct.

[kikibalt]

NO!

Don't know that Dan Cuoco ever seen Lopez live or at all...

He didn't. Most of the IBRO guys re-write other people's opinions.

Wait a minute, now. I know Dan Cuoco. He is a careful and meticulous researcher. While he may never have seen Lopez live, I am sure the research he did for the article was all Dan's. BTW, Dan never said Lopez was better than Olivares. An "old guy" told THE HAMMER that. I pulled Dan's article because I remembered it from a few years back, and THE HAMMER asked for more information in Lopez. Dan doesn't make any claims about Lopez prowess except to include him as one of the top Mexican bantams of the 1950s, which I think is arguably correct.

I'm not a great believe in research, writers like Dan Cuoco write what writers of years past wrote, Don Fraser told me that lot of writers that he knew back in the day were on the take, grease their palm and they'll give your fighter, win or lose good press, and I believe that to be true, nothing like seeing with your own eyes, because what you see you can believe.

[Rick Farris]

He didn't. Most of the IBRO guys re-write other people's opinions.

Wait a minute, now. I know Dan Cuoco. He is a careful and meticulous researcher. While he may never have seen Lopez live, I am sure the research he did for the article was all Dan's. BTW, Dan never said Lopez was better than Olivares. An "old guy" told THE HAMMER that. I pulled Dan's article because I remembered it from a few years back, and THE HAMMER asked for more information in Lopez. Dan doesn't make any claims about Lopez prowess except to include him as one of the top Mexican bantams of the 1950s, which I think is arguably correct.

I'm not a great believe in research, writers like Dan Cuoco write what writers of years past wrote, Don Fraser told me that lot of writers that he knew back in the day were on the take, grease their palm and they'll give your fighter, win or lose good press, and I believe that to be true, nothing like seeing with your own eyes, because what you see you can believe.

Very true, Frank. And I stand by what I said regarding the IBRO boys. And for the record, I know who said what, and who wrote what in the post regarding Lopez. I know Dan, and I have enjoyed some of his work, but first hand experience? No.

As far as Toluco Lopez is concerned, I also didn't see him fight so I make no comment on how he would compare to others, however, I have read volumes on the man, and have spoken with many who knew him up close & personal. I know he was a helluva fighter, just short of the top tier bantams (most Mexican) from his era. Personally, I was stuck on Olivares for years as the best bantam ever. I had been his sparring partner and a fan of his from his early days in Mexico. I saw Olivares in all his L.A. appearances and have obscure footage from Mexico filmed long before he arrived in L.A. I can speak with authority on Olivares. I was there. That's why I wrote a story on Ruben Olivares, and not Toluco Lopez.

[dagosd2000]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5oVr4jN7Ek

Jose Napoles vs. Al Urbina

[dagosd2000]

Rick
Your story on Napoles 's sparring session in LA. was the first copy I read of yours.It's worth a re post Rog

[kikibalt]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5oVr4jN7Ek

Jose Napoles vs. Al Urbina

Thats Napoles at his best, as a lightweight....

Thanks for posting it Roger, first time seen it....