Classic American West Coast Boxing

[Randyman]

Alan Rudkin has died.

Sorry to hear that. my condolences to his family.

Randy

[kikibalt]

Rick/Randy & guys, below is a picture of a guy at the Maravilla Projects, where some of L.A.'s top fighters lived.

When I think of Maravilla, I can't help but think of my stablemate, the "Maravilla Kid" Ruben Navarro.
I also think of the Pimentel brothers, Jesus and Jose, and former California featherweight champ, Danny Valdez.
Thanks for the photo, Frank.

That's a photo of my father from the 1940's, Andrew De La O, or as he was known in the barrio, Andy de Mara.

Randy

I thought I had seen that face before, nice photo of your father Randy. I posted it because of the background, "The Maravilla Projects", an area I knew real well. I never lived there, but I had friends that lived there, so I spent some time in the projects.

[kikibalt]

Ramon Tiscareno
Tiscareno was one of the fighters living in the Maravilla Projects in the early '50's.
Ramon was a good boxer but without much of a punch.



division welterweight

country Mexico
residence Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico

won 56 (KO 15) + lost 14 (KO 8) + drawn 4 = 74
rounds boxed 536 KO% 20.27



1958-02-01 148 Karl Heinz Guder 149 21-4-1
Legion Stadium, Hollywood, California, United States L KO 5 10
~ time: 2:59 ~

1957-11-16 147½ Vince Martinez 148½ 57-5-0
Legion Stadium, Hollywood, California, United States L TKO 6 10
~ time: 0:29 | referee: Frankie Van ~

1957-08-24 144½ Willie Morton 143 9-0-0
Legion Stadium, Hollywood, California, United States W UD 10 10
~ referee: Jimmy Wilson 96-95 | judge: Frankie Van 96-94 | judge: Charley Randolph 97-94 ~
Morton was knocked down for a two-count in the 1st round.

1957-08-05 Steve Tony 5-4-0
San Bernardino, California, United States W KO 1

1957-04-27 146 Alvaro Gutierrez 146 12-4-1
Legion Stadium, Hollywood, California, United States W TKO 6 10
~ time: 2:53 | referee: John Thomas ~
Gutierrez was halted, due to a cut over one of his eyes.

1956-10-06 David Cervantes 12-11-2
Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico W KO 9 10

1956-09-24 Gilberto Holguin 11-3-4
Auditorio Municipal, Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico W UD 10 10

1956-05-12 145½ Art Ramponi 137½ 21-9-1
Legion Stadium, Hollywood, California, United States W UD 10 10

1956-02-07 148 Art Aragon 146 69-16-5
Legion Stadium, Hollywood, California, United States L KO 2 10
~ time: 2:38 | referee: Abe Roth ~
Tiscareno floored Aragon for an 8-count in the second round, but Art then put Tiscareno down twice, the second time for the full count.

1955-11-12 146 Henry Davis 139 50-20-5
Legion Stadium, Hollywood, California, United States W UD 10 10

1955-10-22 147½ Dick Goldstein 147 27-9-2
Legion Stadium, Hollywood, California, United States W UD 10 10
Goldstein was knocked down in the 9th round.

1955-10-03 Julio Cesar Jimenez 33-22-4
Auditorio Municipal, Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico W UD 10 10

1955-09-15 145½ Carlos Chavez 142½ 66-30-9
Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, United States W UD 10 10
~ referee: Tommy Hart 57-53 | judge: Jack McDonald 57-53 | judge: Mushy Callahan 59-51 ~

1955-08-18 146½ Woody Winslow 151 19-26-7
Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, United States L TKO 3 10
~ time: 2:28 | referee: Lee Grossman ~
Tiscareno was knocked down six times in the 3rd round.

1955-07-09 146 Philip Kim 148 41-12-3
Legion Stadium, Hollywood, California, United States W UD 10 10

1955-05-24 El Conscripto 27-20-4
Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico W PTS 10 10

1955-04-24 David Cervantes 5-8-2
Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico W KO 8

1955-03-22 147½ Art Soto 152½ 37-19-4
Arena, Ocean Park, California, United States W UD 10 10
~ referee: Mushy Callahan 56½-53½ | judge: Charley Randolph 56-54 | judge: Jimmy Wallace 57-53 ~

1955-02-21 146 Giuseppe Fusaro 146 38-21-16
Civic Center, Butte, Montana, United States W UD 10 10

1955-02-03 148 Ernie Greer 147 24-19-11
Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, United States W UD 10 10
~ referee: George Latka 58-51 | judge: Frankie Van 58-51 | judge: Frank Holborow 56½-52½ ~

1955-01-18 147 Lou Gage 149½ 11-2-0
Arena, Ocean Park, California, United States W UD 10 10
~ referee: John Thomas 57-53 | judge: Frankie Van 59½-50½ | judge: Tommy Hart 58-52 ~

1954-12-28 146½ Ernie Greer 150 24-19-10
Arena, Ocean Park, California, United States D PTS 10 10
~ referee: Russ Bradford 55-55 ~

1954-11-23 146½ Frankie Ray 146 3-2-0
Arena, Ocean Park, California, United States W RTD 6 10
Ray was down in the 4th round, his corner stopped the bout after the 6th round.

1954-10-18 145¾ Gerald Dreyer 149½ 38-5-2
St. Nicholas Arena, New York, New York, United States L TKO 1 10
Tiscareno was down three times triggering an automatic stoppage.

1954-07-19 144½ Mario Trigo 139¼ 62-42-11
Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, United States W UD 10 10
~ referee: Dynamite Jackson 58½-51½ | judge: Joe Stone 58-52 | judge: Reggie Gilmore 58-52 ~

1954-06-28 145 Giampaolo Melis 146 29-6-2
Civic Center, Butte, Montana, United States W UD 10 10
Melis was knocked down in the 10th round

1954-04-27 147½ Lou Gage 148 10-1-0
Memorial Auditorium, Sacramento, California, United States W PTS 10 10

1954-03-29 147 Emerson Butcher 145 26-17-11
Civic Center, Butte, Montana, United States W UD 10 10
"Neither battler was visibly marked during the 10-rounder, in which no knockdowns were recorded. Tiscareno piled up points with his sharper punching...." (United Press)

1954-02-22 Bill Sudduth 41-12-5
Civic Center, Butte, Montana, United States W SD 10 10

1953-12-14 143¼ Chu Chu Jiminez 142 26-19-7
Arena, South Gate, California, United States W TKO 6 10
~ time: 0:55 | referee: Lee Grossman ~
Bout was stopped because of a badly cut eye.

1953-11-03 141½ Joe Fisher 141 26-8-0
Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, United States W KO 2 10
~ time: 0:45 | referee: Joe Stone ~

1953-10-20 Freddie Herman 138 42-34-8
Sacramento, California, United States W PTS 10 10

1953-09-15 141 Mario Trigo 138 60-37-9
Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, United States L MD 10 10
~ referee: Charley Randolph 54-56½ | judge: Mushy Callahan 54½-55½ | judge: Lee Grossman 55-55 ~

1953-08-11 139½ Santiago Esteban 138½ 20-2-0
Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, United States W TKO 7 10
~ time: 2:24 | referee: Joe Stone ~
Esteban was knocked down for a nine-count in the 6th round. He was knocked down once more in the 7th round.

1953-06-23 138½ Santiago Esteban 140 20-1-0
Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, United States W MD 10 10
~ referee: Reggie Gilmore 56½-53½ | judge: Jimmy Wallace 55-55 | judge: Jimmy Wilson 56-54 ~

1953-05-19 141 Freddie Herman 141½ 39-31-5
Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, United States W MD 10 10
~ referee: Mushy Callahan 57-53 | judge: Lee Grossman 55-55 | judge: Reggie Gilmore 57-53 ~
Tiscareno was knocked down in the 1st round, for a one-count.

1953-03-14 142 Archie Whitewater 146 46-17-5
Municipal Auditorium, Eureka, California, United States W PTS 10 10

1952-12-06 Joey Gurrola 15-3-6
Legion Stadium, Hollywood, California, United States W TKO 10 10
~ time: 0:55 | referee: Mushy Callahan 46-43 ~
Gurrola was knocked down twice in the 9th round.

1952-11-19 Jose Galacia 4-0-0
Auditorio Municipal, Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico W PTS 8 8

1952-10-06 136 Eddie Chavez 138 40-6-3
American Legion, Butte, Montana, United States L KO 5 10
~ time: 1:10 ~

1952-09-05 Jorge Macias 9-8-2
Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico W KO 9

1952-08-23 135½ Carmen Venuto 135½ 5-2-1
Legion Stadium, Hollywood, California, United States W PTS 6 6
Tiscareno was knocked down in the 4th round, Venuto in the 5th.

1952-08-08 David Cervantes
Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico W PTS 10 10

1952-06-14 Babe Ruelas 2-4-0
Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico L KO 4

1952-05-17 Chico Escamilla 6-3-1
Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico W KO 3

1952-04-15 141 Oscar Price 135 10-14-4
Armory, Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States L SD 10 10
~ referee: Jim Cleary | judge: Johnny Letto | judge: Johnny Schubert ~

1951-09-26 Baby Face Mathis 30-17-8
Bull Ring, Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico W PTS 10 10

1951-08-21 Bobby Rodriguez
Bull Ring, Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico W KO 2 10
~ time: 2:22 ~

1951-07-18 Hank Davis 22-9-7
Phoenix, Arizona, United States W PTS 6 6

1951-07-03 Ray Perez 6-0-4
Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico W PTS 6 6

1951-06-15 Ray Perez 6-0-3
El Paso, Texas, United States D PTS 6 6

1951-04-20 Jose Roque 0-1-0
Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico W KO 3

1951-04-18 Pancho Velasco 1-5-0
Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico W KO 3

1951-03-31 Baby Vasquez 7-4-0
Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico L PTS 10 10

1951-01-24 136¼ Ray Perez 138 4-0-2
Coliseum, El Paso, Texas, United States L PTS 10 10

1950-12-06 Rudy Valdez 0-2-0
Auditorio Municipal, Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico W TKO 3 6
~ referee: Bobby Fernandez ~

1950-11-08 Jorge Cid 0-3-0
Auditorio Municipal, Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico W PTS 6 6

1950-10-18 Tony Olivas 6-5-2
Auditorio Municipal, Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico W PTS 6 6

1950-10-03 Jorge Cid 0-2-0
Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico W PTS 6 6

1950-09-20 Juan Leanos 7-5-0
Torreon, Coahuila de Zaragoza, Mexico L PTS 10 10

1950-09-13 Francisco Babe Escoria 0-1-0
Torreon, Coahuila de Zaragoza, Mexico W PTS 10 10

1950-09-08 Ray Perez 4-0-0
Bull Ring, Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico D PTS 6 6

1950-08-28 Johnny Hart 6-2-2
Phoenix, Arizona, United States W PTS 6 6

1950-08-16 133 Ray Perez 135½ 3-0-0
El Paso County Coliseum, El Paso, Texas, United States L SD 6 6

1950-08-09 126 Marcus Vasquez 127 12-14-5
Softball Park, Phoenix, Arizona, United States D PTS 6 6

1950-07-28 Jorge Cid 0-1-0
Bull Ring, Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico W SD 6 6

1950-05-07 Alex Fimbres
Superior, Arizona, United States W PTS 6 6

1950-03-07 Enrique Estrada 2-3-2
Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico W PTS 6 6

1950-02-08 Marcus Vasquez 7-10-2
Phoenix, Arizona, United States W PTS 6 6

1950-02-08 Jose Arguelles 0-2-0
Auditorio Municipal, Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico W PTS 6 6

1950-01-03 Enrique Estrada 2-1-1
Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico W PTS 6 6

1949-12-20 Gerardo Muniz 7-4-1
Auditorio Municipal, Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico W UD 6 6

1949-12-12 133 Bobby Satchell 130 3-3-2
San Agustin Arena, Tucson, Arizona, United States W PTS 4 4

1949-07-11 Packy McFarland 3-0-1
Sports Center, Tucson, Arizona, United States L KO 2 6
~ time: 2:25 | referee: Sonny Valdez ~

[kikibalt]

Alan Rudkin, arguably the greatest bantamweight this country has ever produced and very much a forgotten hero, was found dead in a Liverpool street early yesterday morning. He was 68 and his death is not yet explained, and one hopes that the gifted little man, a modest man, was not killed in his beloved home city. Police are awaiting post-mortem results.
Alan did it all in a glittering career that won him British, Commonwealth and European titles and three cracks at the world title in a frightening era for the bantamweight division in the 1960s. Here, he might have won the world title but Alan was forced to travel to challenge Fighting Harada and Lionel Rose, dropping close decisions, and was stopped in two rounds by "Rockabye" Ruben Olivares in Los Angeles in 1969. All three champions were probably unbeatable at the time Rudkin faced them, and Alan was inexperienced when he took Harada the full 15 rounds in Tokyo in 1965.
Fresh-faced and with a mop of sandy hair, Alan looked very much the Beatle in his early career and first caught the eye as an amateur as part of the legendary Great Britain side which whitewashed the USA 10-0 at Wembley in 1961. Unlike Billy Walker, Rudkin was never a big puncher but destroyed many opponents mentally as he took over during the course of a fight, particularly the course of 15-rounders. Rudkin enjoyed 'sussing' his opponent before reacting. He won the British bantamweight title from Belfast great Johnny Caldwell on a rare stoppage in 10 rounds and enjoyed a fierce rivalry with Scottish great Walter McGowan, with whom he shared two 15-round pure boxing classics, and later saw off domestic challengers Evan Armstrong and Johnny Clark (twice). He also cleaned up in Europe.
His last fight with Walworth’s Clark at the Albert Hall in 1972 is arguably the best domestic bantamweight scrap ever seen on these shores, and Rudkin won it to leave the sport on a high and a huge void among the smaller weights in this country.
Sadly, Alan never really found meaning to his life after boxing. He ran pubs but too many idiots wanted to fight him, but he developed an inevitable liking for drink and you wonder why he was out in the early hours of Wednesday, although he was close to his city centre home.
Boxing historian Derek O’Dell saw him on Saturday night at the Shoreditch Town Hall bash, attended by hundreds of fighters who fought at the legendary cockpit arena, including Alan himself, and Alan "seemed a bit quiet" but perked up when he was reunited with Clark. Make no mistake, Alan Rudkin was right out of the boxing textbook, a complete fighter with every shot in the book, good stamina, defence and a brilliant boxing brain.
He is - and always will be - one of our boxing greats.

Thanks Bennie for posting your memories of Rudkin. I copy and posted your memories on my blog....

[scartissue]

I agree with everything you wrote except, although Angelo Dundee stopped the Monzon fight because Napoles suffered an eye injury, the fact of the matter is that Monzon was dominating Napoles, and would have stopped him eventually. I do not hold that loss against him, however. Napoles really wasn't much more than an overstuffed lightweight, and he had no business in the ring with a big ATG middleweight like Monzon.

BTW, when I wrote that Napoles was an overstuffed lightweight, I meant that as a compliment. The guy was really small for a welter, yet he was an all-time great in the division.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dan, in addition to being a great fighter himself, Monzon was a lot bigger and quite a bit younger than Napoles, as you pointed out.
They might as well have matched him with Joe Frazier. At that point in Napoles career, Monzon was just too much to overcome.

Rick and Tom, the funny thing with Monzon was he was a 'big' middleweight. By that I mean his upright, rangy stance really enhanced his frame. He was awkward and somewhat predictable, which led people to believe this guy was going to be easy pickings. His predictable combination was a labored double jab followed by a right hand. But I'll be damned if I ever saw anyone avoid that for long. It was damn effective, albeit awkward as was his stance. But even though I may dislike a fighter, I do gain an appreciation for their skill. I was one of those die-hard fans of Napoles that actually thought he had a chance against Monzon. How little I knew, or how little I wanted to know when it involved a fistic hero (had that habit of picking with heart rather than head at times). I recall when Monzon came to the US and fought Licata in the Garden. They quoted a veteran fan as saying, "I can't believe this is the guy they think coulda beat Robinson." Monzon had that awkward style that could belie his skill level. But, man, when he opened up with that uncanny leverage, he was something.

Scartissue

[Rick Farris]

Alan Rudkin, arguably the greatest bantamweight this country has ever produced and very much a forgotten hero, was found dead in a Liverpool street early yesterday morning. He was 68 and his death is not yet explained, and one hopes that the gifted little man, a modest man, was not killed in his beloved home city. Police are awaiting post-mortem results.
Alan did it all in a glittering career that won him British, Commonwealth and European titles and three cracks at the world title in a frightening era for the bantamweight division in the 1960s. Here, he might have won the world title but Alan was forced to travel to challenge Fighting Harada and Lionel Rose, dropping close decisions, and was stopped in two rounds by "Rockabye" Ruben Olivares in Los Angeles in 1969. All three champions were probably unbeatable at the time Rudkin faced them, and Alan was inexperienced when he took Harada the full 15 rounds in Tokyo in 1965.
Fresh-faced and with a mop of sandy hair, Alan looked very much the Beatle in his early career and first caught the eye as an amateur as part of the legendary Great Britain side which whitewashed the USA 10-0 at Wembley in 1961. Unlike Billy Walker, Rudkin was never a big puncher but destroyed many opponents mentally as he took over during the course of a fight, particularly the course of 15-rounders. Rudkin enjoyed 'sussing' his opponent before reacting. He won the British bantamweight title from Belfast great Johnny Caldwell on a rare stoppage in 10 rounds and enjoyed a fierce rivalry with Scottish great Walter McGowan, with whom he shared two 15-round pure boxing classics, and later saw off domestic challengers Evan Armstrong and Johnny Clark (twice). He also cleaned up in Europe.
His last fight with Walworth’s Clark at the Albert Hall in 1972 is arguably the best domestic bantamweight scrap ever seen on these shores, and Rudkin won it to leave the sport on a high and a huge void among the smaller weights in this country.
Sadly, Alan never really found meaning to his life after boxing. He ran pubs but too many idiots wanted to fight him, but he developed an inevitable liking for drink and you wonder why he was out in the early hours of Wednesday, although he was close to his city centre home.
Boxing historian Derek O’Dell saw him on Saturday night at the Shoreditch Town Hall bash, attended by hundreds of fighters who fought at the legendary cockpit arena, including Alan himself, and Alan "seemed a bit quiet" but perked up when he was reunited with Clark. Make no mistake, Alan Rudkin was right out of the boxing textbook, a complete fighter with every shot in the book, good stamina, defence and a brilliant boxing brain.
He is - and always will be - one of our boxing greats.

Bennie . . . Thanks for this good story on Alan Rudkin.
I was checking the scorecards for his fight with the great Fighting Harada in Japan.
It's almost impossible to win a fight in Japan, especially against their greatest boxer ever.
The two Japanese officials scored it for Harada as a one-sided fight, however, the only neutral official, Nick Pope, had the Brit losing by only two points. I'm sure that this is the most accurate of the scores. Keep in mind, that Fighting Harada is the only person to defeat the truly great Eder Jofre. Harada beat him twice. I had always hoped to someday visit Liverpool when I was in England and try to locate Rudkin and write a story of him from my perspective. He was a legitimate boxing legend whose name is never mentioned here in America. I'm one Yank who will never forget the man. Please keep us posted on info that surfaces regarding his death.

[Randyman]

Rick and Bennie, great tributes to Alan Rudkin. I posted both of your posts on my blog.
http://boxing-ring.blogspot.com/

R.I.P. Champ

[Randyman]

Dead man's eyes. This amazing image of Barry McGuigan before the start of his disastrous 15th round against Steve Cruz was captured by Chris Smith of the Sunday Times. Look at the stupid Panamanian cornerman pinching Barry's ears.

McGuigan looks all but dead in this photo. I know the heat took a lot from him that day. Fighting Cruz and the heat was too much for him. Would he have won on another day? Guess we'll never know. I always liked McGuigan, he had a lot of heart and fought his heart out for his fans. Thanks for posting the photo Bennie.

Randy

[Randyman]

http://www.thestar.com/news/world/artic ... gland?bn=1

I'm not sure if you got this in the States but the despicable actions of a middle-aged spinster last month caused outrage here.

Yes Bennie, we got that in the news. We had a similar situation here in California a couple of years ago when someone (I can't remember if it was a man or woman) threw a small puppy out of a speeding car, somewhere in central California. The whole country was outraged. I'm not sure what ever happened. I'm an animal lover, especially dogs. I hope they all get what they deserve.

Randy

[Randyman]

When I think of Maravilla, I can't help but think of my stablemate, the "Maravilla Kid" Ruben Navarro.
I also think of the Pimentel brothers, Jesus and Jose, and former California featherweight champ, Danny Valdez.
Thanks for the photo, Frank.

That's a photo of my father from the 1940's, Andrew De La O, or as he was known in the barrio, Andy de Mara.

Randy

I thought I had seen that face before, nice photo of your father Randy. I posted it because of the background, "The Maravilla Projects", an area I knew real well. I never lived there, but I had friends that lived there, so I spent some time in the projects.

Frank, that's one of my favorite photos of my father. He was young, unmarried and still free from the problems of life. He looked ready for anything in this photo. I'm glad you posted it.

Randy

[Randyman]

Photo Courtesy of Armando Cabrera


Jose Mantequilla Napoles

From this past weekend at the FanFeast at the Staples Center and L.A. Live the day before the Mosley-Mora fight.

A thought just came to me. Jose Mantequilla Napoles vs Sugar Shane Mosley. At welterweight and both men at their peaks. Who wins?

Randy

[kikibalt]

That's a photo of my father from the 1940's, Andrew De La O, or as he was known in the barrio, Andy de Mara.

Randy

I thought I had seen that face before, nice photo of your father Randy. I posted it because of the background, "The Maravilla Projects", an area I knew real well. I never lived there, but I had friends that lived there, so I spent some time in the projects.

Frank, that's one of my favorite photos of my father. He was young, unmarried and still free from the problems of life. He looked ready for anything in this photo. I'm glad you posted it.

Randy

I was doing a Google search on the Maravilla Projects and your dad's classic photo came up...

[Rick Farris]

Photo Courtesy of Armando Cabrera


Jose Mantequilla Napoles

From this past weekend at the FanFeast at the Staples Center and L.A. Live the day before the Mosley-Mora fight.

A thought just came to me. Jose Mantequilla Napoles vs Sugar Shane Mosley. At welterweight and both men at their peaks. Who wins?

Randy

Randy, I've always liked Shane Mosely, but I believe he would be outclassed by Mantequilla Napoles. My opinion.

[Randyman]

Photo Courtesy of Armando Cabrera


Jose Mantequilla Napoles

From this past weekend at the FanFeast at the Staples Center and L.A. Live the day before the Mosley-Mora fight.

A thought just came to me. Jose Mantequilla Napoles vs Sugar Shane Mosley. At welterweight and both men at their peaks. Who wins?

Randy

Randy, I've always liked Shane Mosely, but I believe he would be outclassed by Mantequilla Napoles. My opinion.

That's pretty much my opinion too Rick. I put it out there because both names were on my post. Napoles is an all time great. To Mosley's credit though, I think he might have made a fight for the first couple of rounds.

Randy

[raylawpc]

Photo Courtesy of Armando Cabrera


Jose Mantequilla Napoles

From this past weekend at the FanFeast at the Staples Center and L.A. Live the day before the Mosley-Mora fight.

A thought just came to me. Jose Mantequilla Napoles vs Sugar Shane Mosley. At welterweight and both men at their peaks. Who wins?

Randy

Randy, I've always liked Shane Mosely, but I believe he would be outclassed by Mantequilla Napoles. My opinion.

That's pretty much my opinion too Rick. I put it out there because both names were on my post. Napoles is an all time great. To Mosley's credit though, I think he might have made a fight for the first couple of rounds.

Randy

Napoles.

[Rick Farris]

Randy, I've always liked Shane Mosely, but I believe he would be outclassed by Mantequilla Napoles. My opinion.

That's pretty much my opinion too Rick. I put it out there because both names were on my post. Napoles is an all time great. To Mosley's credit though, I think he might have made a fight for the first couple of rounds.

Randy

Napoles.

No Way Jose!

I don't know of a contemporary welter in the world that could defeat Napoles.
I'd love to see Mayweather try and confuse Napoles .
In today's world, the young see Mayweather as a defensive master.
If he backed into the ropes, left arm low, leaning back and trying to hide behind his shoulder, he'd end up on his back.
Jose Napoles was a true master. As I once wrote, he had a style that could unravel both the kids and most of the old timers.
When we think of men who might be competitive with Napoles, you must choose from a small group with names like Robinson, Armstrong, etc.
Today's boys? No way Jose!

[Rick Farris]

El Gato . . .

Our pal, former lightweight champ Rodolfo "El Gato" Gonzalez told me he had a great weekend courtesy of Golden Boy promotions.
Gonzalez was one of a number of Mexican world champs brought in to attend this past saturday's card at the Staples Center.
Rodolfo said he and his lady, Barbara, were treated like Royalty.
The fighters signed hundreds of autographs and were interviewed by many TV and radio stations, including Fox news.

I mentioned to Gato that Randy's cousin, Rocky Burke, trained Escalante who lost to Daniel Ponce DeLeon.
Rodolfo said that he and Burke were good friends and he did not know that Randy and Burke were related.
Overall, it was a fantastic weekend for all involved and I tip my hat to Oscar De La Hoya & company for puting on a great show.
I also commend him for honoring the past greats from Mexico.
For me it's all about the boxers, both past and present, and I'm glad that Oscar is doing things the way he is.

Rodolfo sends his best wishes to all of his friends who post here on the Classic American West Coast Boxing thread.


-Rick Farris

[bennie]

Photo Courtesy of Armando Cabrera


Jose Mantequilla Napoles

From this past weekend at the FanFeast at the Staples Center and L.A. Live the day before the Mosley-Mora fight.

A thought just came to me. Jose Mantequilla Napoles vs Sugar Shane Mosley. At welterweight and both men at their peaks. Who wins?

Randy

It is good to see the old boy. Jose has something of a Mr Bojangles reputation over here.

[bennie]

According to the Beeb, Alan Rudkin's death is not being treated as suspicious by the police. It sounds like his great heart gave out.

[bennie]

A young Alan goes at a legend.





Alan and his lifelong friend Gerry Marsden of Gerry and the Pacemakers enjoy the magnificent Lonsdale Belt. Gerry led tributes to Alan at the news of his death.






A legend outside a legend





Near the end.

[CNorkusJr]

Thanks Bennie for the Alan Rudkin photos. I am unfamiliar with the outside of stadium shot-which stadium is it ?
Could it be Kings Hall -I seen pictures from inside of it , never a outside picture though . But I don't think it would be labeled "stadium " either.

[scartissue]

Thanks Bennie for the Alan Rudkin photos. I am unfamiliar with the outside of stadium shot-which stadium is it ?
Could it be Kings Hall -I seen pictures from inside of it , never a outside picture though . But I don't think it would be labeled "stadium " either.

I believe Kings Hall is in Belfast. Perhaps Wembley?? Or perhaps Anfield, Rudkin was a scouser was he not? Bennie, you'll have to help us on this one.

Scartissue

[Randyman]

I hooked up with my cousins yesterday at L.A. Live across from the Staples Center. We went to a restaurant, ate and had a few beers and had a great time catching up. Louie's fighter, Antonio Escalante, will be fighting on the undercard tomorrow night. Both of my cousins still look in good shape.


Me and my cousin Louie Burke


Rocky Burke, me and Louie Burke


Jeri, Louie, me and Rocky

Randy, if Louie's still in town you tell him for me that he was robbed blind against 'White Lightning' Brown. Bad decisions stick in my craw throughout the decades.

Scartissue

Dan, I did tell him. A few other friends of mine said the same thing. He felt he won the fight but he's not the type to go on about it. He was happy to be remembered.

Randy

[Randyman]

A young Alan goes at a legend.





Alan and his lifelong friend Gerry Marsden of Gerry and the Pacemakers enjoy the magnificent Lonsdale Belt. Gerry led tributes to Alan at the news of his death.






A legend outside a legend





Near the end.

Looking at the last photo you can see that the years had taken their toll on him. He's at peace now.

[Randyman]

El Gato . . .

Our pal, former lightweight champ Rodolfo "El Gato" Gonzalez told me he had a great weekend courtesy of Golden Boy promotions.
Gonzalez was one of a number of Mexican world champs brought in to attend this past saturday's card at the Staples Center.
Rodolfo said he and his lady, Barbara, were treated like Royalty.
The fighters signed hundreds of autographs and were interviewed by many TV and radio stations, including Fox news.

I mentioned to Gato that Randy's cousin, Rocky Burke, trained Escalante who lost to Daniel Ponce DeLeon.
Rodolfo said that he and Burke were good friends and he did not know that Randy and Burke were related.
Overall, it was a fantastic weekend for all involved and I tip my hat to Oscar De La Hoya & company for puting on a great show.
I also commend him for honoring the past greats from Mexico.
For me it's all about the boxers, both past and present, and I'm glad that Oscar is doing things the way he is.

Rodolfo sends his best wishes to all of his friends who post here on the Classic American West Coast Boxing thread.


-Rick Farris

Rick, I didn't know that Louie and Rodolfo knew each other.

Oscar is showing some maturity by honoring the past greats. I hope it's the start of a new tradition. Nothing worse than a forgotten great.

Rodolfo, right back at ya and looking forward to seeing you again.

Randy