Classic American West Coast Boxing

[bennie]

Jimmy Wilde poses for the camera, with Peerless Jim Driscoll on his left shoulder.

[kikibalt]

Going To The Fights 1951
By Frank Baltazar

Eddie Gomez was watching a boxing match on a nineteen inch TV when his dad, Rudy, came in the house and told Eddie.
“Eddie, look what I have here”
“Pops, did you get some tickets for the title fight?”
Eddie had been bugging his pop to take him to see the Art Argon vs Jimmy Carter lightweight title fight at the Olympic Auditorium for some time, his pop thought that Eddie; being twelve years old was to young to go to the fights.
“Yes, Eddie, I bought four tickets, your uncles, Tony and Ray, will be going with us. Now I hope your mom doesn't get mad at me, she too thinks you are to young to go to the fights”.
Eddie's mom, Lupe, was not too crazy to see Eddie going to the fights, but she did agree with Rudy; that their son would be disappointed if he was not allowed to go with his pop and uncles, so she gave her okay for Eddie to go.

Eddie couldn't wait to find his best friend, Cheno Diaz, to tell him the good news. He found Cheno tending his two cows and one goat at a nearby pasture.
“Cheno, my pops is taking me to see the Aragon and Carter fight”,
'Gee Eddie, you are lucky, I wish I could go”.
“I'll ask my pop if he can get another ticket for you. Cheno, you think your mom and pops would let you go?”.
“I'll ask them” said Cheno.,
Eddie ask his pop if he could get a ticket for Cheno.
“Yes, I'm sure I can get one, Eddie, you tell Cheno, that if his mom and pop say it okay for him to go; we'll take him with us”.
Next day in school, Eddie told Cheno the good news.
“Cheno, my pops said that he'll get you a ticket if your mom and pop say that's its okay for you to go”.
“Eddie, mom and pop said I could go as long as your father was going, they trust your father, but not your uncle Ray, they say he is crazy, that he himself will get into a fight at the fights”.
“Yeah, uncle Ray is a bit wild, especially when he is drinking beer, but pops won't let him drink too much, he'll be okay”.

Two weeks later, they all piled into Rudy's 1946 Dodge and headed west on Washington Boulevard. Eddie and Cheno were so excited that they couldn't sit still and it was starting to bug uncle Ray.
“If you kids don't sit still, we are going to stop and drop you off here; and you are going to have to wait for us to pick you up after the fights” said uncle Ray.
“Leave them alone Ray, they are just excited to be going to the fights, after all, its their first time to see boxing live. You remember when you went for the first time and you got all crazy on us?, wanting to fight everybody there” said uncle Tony.
“Yeah, but I was drunk; and let me remind you that I was doing okay until that big guy cold-cock me and knocked me on my ass” uncle Ray laughed.

The area was so pack that they had to park 3 blocks away. Eddie and Cheno were shadow boxing as they walked up 18th Avenue.
“Hey Eddie, Cheno, you two want to become fighters, because if you do, I'll train you guys” said uncle Ray.
“Ray, what the hell do you know about training fighters? asked Rudy.
“Hey, Rudy, I have fighting experience”
“Yes, you do but, its street fighting experience, an I don't think you ever won a fight”
“At least I've never been ko, always finish on my feet” laughed Ray.

As the group approached the front entrance of the Olympic, they started seeing movie and boxing celebrities hanging around the sidewalk of Grand Avenue.
“Cheno! There's John Wayne and Pedro Armendariz” said the excitable Eddie
“And over there is Rosemary Cooney and her husband Jose Ferrer” said uncle Tony
“I see Tommy Campbell, Frankie Muche, Bob Murphy, Enrique Bolanos and Freddie Babe Herman over there talking to two men” said Cheno
“That's Cal Eaton and Babe McCoy they are talking too, they are probably talking about upcoming fights” said Rudy
Before entering the Olympic, they all bought the Knockout program from Speedy Dado. Eddie and Cheno started getting autographs on their programs to show their friends in school the next day.

They found their sits in the second to last roll in the peanut gallery. No sooner had they sat down when rolls of toilet paper started flying around, soon some ladies underwear were flying by. Eddie and Cheno started making paper plane and would fly them down to the ring.
“This is fun, Eddie, thanks for bringing me” said Cheno
“Thank my pop, Cheno, he is the one who bought your ticket”

The fighters for the first fight came in ring. Rudy, Tony and Ray started betting on the fights, they would bet one dollar on the white or black corner, what ever fighter went to the corner they had, that was their bet.
The first fight was won by Al Galindo over Bobby Brewer, Rudy and Tony won a dollar each, Ray lost a dollar.
Second fight was between Joey Gurrola and Sammy Figueroa.
“Cheno, see that big guy in Figueroa's corner? That's big Jake Horn, he's a great trainer” said Eddie
The fight ended in a draw.
“Guess it didn't help Figueroa having Jake Horn in the corner, did it, Eddie? Said Cheno, as he threw a roll of toilet paper.
“He didn't lose did he?” said Eddie
“Well no, he didn't”
.
After a couple of more fights it was time for the main event, Art Aragon and Jimmy Carter would be coming into the ring soon.

Aragon looking weak is the first to come into the ring.
“Aragon is going to lose” said Eddie
“How do you know? Asked uncle Ray.
“Look how pale he looks, I read in the Mirror that he was having trouble making '35” said Eddie.
Carter comes into the ring looking great. After both fighters have been gloved in the ring they are introduce by Jimmy lennon , referee Mushy Callahan calls the fighters to the center of the ring for their instructions.
The fight started fairly even for the first four rounds, from the fifth round on it was all Carter who won an easy15 round unanimous decision.
Right after the fight ended uncle Ray wanted to leave.
'Okay guys, our guy lost; so lets get out of here”
“No! We have to stay and watch Keeny Teran fight Bobby Garza, they are fighting a six rounder” said Eddie.
“Ray, Keeny is the toast of the town, we have to stay watch him fight” said uncle Tony
They stayed and watch Keeny win a unanimous decision.

On the way home Uncle Ray asked Eddie and Cheno if they wanted to fight.
“Guys, if you want to fight, I'll train you, after you train for a couple of months; I'll take you to the downtown CYO where Johnny Flores run the boxing program, I'm sure we can get you some sparring. Johnny is my friend and he'll help us out.
“Ray, you don't even know Johnny Flores” said Rudy
“Well maybe not, but I know where the CYO is at” laughed uncle Ray

Next day at school Eddie and Cheno were the toast of the school as they were holding court with their friends.
“You should have seen Aragon land that left hook of his” said Cheno as he threw a left hook.
“To bad he didn't landed it enough” said Eddie
“He was to weak from making weight” said Cheno
“He was” agree Eddie
“But you should have seen that little Keeny Teran” Eddie and Cheno said in unity.
“Guys, Cheno and I are going to start training next week, my uncle Ray is going to train us” said Eddie

Frank, you are a master story teller. I was transported back in time, if only for a moment.

Randy

Thanks Randy, I too go back in time when I am writing those stories, I have too, or otherwise I won't be able to write them.....

[kikibalt]

Well, guys, today I ended a chapter in my life when I retired from the active practice of law. (I'm not completely retired; I'm working 3 1/2 days a week for the software company of which I am a part owner.) Now I have a lot more flexibility with my time to spend with my granddaughter, Josie!!

Time to enjoy life and your granddaughter Tom. Hope to see you and yours next year at the CBHOF luncheon....

[kikibalt]

Hey guys, I have been walking, running and working out for the last month. I have also been watching what I eat. Not so much dieting but cutting my intake by half. About a little over a year ago I was weighing about 240 lbs. I weighed in today at 212.5. My goal is 195 or better. I'm going for the knockout on the diabetes. I'm actually feeling pretty good. DD

Randy

[Rick Farris]

Well, guys, today I ended a chapter in my life when I retired from the active practice of law. (I'm not completely retired; I'm working 3 1/2 days a week for the software company of which I am a part owner.) Now I have a lot more flexibility with my time to spend with my granddaughter, Josie!!

Congratulations, Tom! Enjoy your family.

[Rick Farris]

Jimmy Wilde poses for the camera, with Peerless Jim Driscoll on his left shoulder.

Now this is a classic!
Thanks, Bennie.

[bennie]

Well, guys, today I ended a chapter in my life when I retired from the active practice of law. (I'm not completely retired; I'm working 3 1/2 days a week for the software company of which I am a part owner.) Now I have a lot more flexibility with my time to spend with my granddaughter, Josie!!

Happy retirement, Tom.

[CNorkusJr]

Jimmy Wilde poses for the camera, with Peerless Jim Driscoll on his left shoulder.

Talk about timing, just the other night ESPN classic ran the Cassius Clay-Doug Jones fight from 1963. Jimmy Wilde was in Clay's corner with Angelo Dundee.
What is really neat was that Jack Dempsey and Gene Tunney were introduced into the ring in pre fight ceremony which was on the tape.

[CNorkusJr]

Well, guys, today I ended a chapter in my life when I retired from the active practice of law. (I'm not completely retired; I'm working 3 1/2 days a week for the software company of which I am a part owner.) Now I have a lot more flexibility with my time to spend with my granddaughter, Josie!!

Congratulations Tom, Enjoy your retirement from law practice.
I guess you saved up enough of those nickels (two yrs. later) for every time you were asked "whats the weather up there ?" from the last page. Good luck.

Rick- I figured she wasn't playing with a full deck.

[kikibalt]

Producer of 'The A-Team,' other shows dies

By FRAZIER MOORE, AP Television Writer Fri Oct 1, 2010

Stephen J. Cannell, the voracious writer-producer of dozens of series that included TV favorites "The Rockford Files," "The A-Team" and "The Commish," has died at age 69.

Cannell passed away at his home in Pasadena, Calif., on Thursday night from complications associated with melanoma, his family said in a statement on Friday.

During three decades as an independent producer, he distinguished himself as a rangy, outgoing chap with a trim beard who was generally identified with action dramas full of squealing tires and tough guys trading punches.

But his range was greater than for which he was given credit. "Tenspeed and Brown Shoe" was a clever detective drama starring Ben Vereen and a then-unknown Jeff Goldblum in 1980. "Profit" was a shocking saga of a psycho businessman that was unforgettable to the few viewers who saw it: Fox pulled the plug after just four episodes in 1996. With "Wiseguy" (1987-90), Cannell chilled viewers with a film-noir descent into the underworld that predated "The Sopranos" by more than a decade.

"The Rockford Files," of course, became an Emmy-winning TV classic following the misadventures of its hapless ex-con private eye played by James Garner.

"People say, 'How can the guy who did "Wiseguy" do "The A-Team"?' I don't know," said Cannell in an interview with The Associated Press in 1993. "But I do know it's easier to think of me simply as the guy who wrote 'The A-Team.' So they do."

During his TV heyday, Cannell became familiar to viewers from the ID that followed each of his shows: He was seen in his office typing on his Selectric before blithely ripping a sheet of paper from the typewriter carriage, whereupon it morphed into the C-shaped logo of Cannell Entertainment Inc.

That was all the idea of his wife, Marcia, he said, and it "appealed to my sense of hooey. ... I'm a ham."

He was also an occasional actor, most recently with a recurring role on ABC-TV's series, "Castle."

A third-generation Californian, Cannell (rhymes with "channel") got into television writing scripts for "It Takes a Thief," "Ironside" and "Adam 12." It was a remarkable career choice for someone who had suffered since childhood from severe dyslexia (he became an advocate for children and adults with learning disabilities).

Cannell in recent years had focused his attention on writing books. His 16th novel, "The Prostitute's Ball," will be released this month.

"I never thought of myself as being a brilliant writer, and still don't," he said in the AP interview. "I'm a populist. With 'Rockford,' we were never trying to be important. And as thoroughly hated as it was by critics, I loved 'The A-Team.' I thought it was really cool."

He was a producer of the feature film updating "The A-Team," released earlier this year.

Cannell is survived by Marcia, his wife of 46 years, their three children, and three grandchildren.

[Rick Farris]

Producer of 'The A-Team,' other shows dies

By FRAZIER MOORE, AP Television Writer Fri Oct 1, 2010

Stephen J. Cannell, the voracious writer-producer of dozens of series that included TV favorites "The Rockford Files," "The A-Team" and "The Commish," has died at age 69.

Cannell passed away at his home in Pasadena, Calif., on Thursday night from complications associated with melanoma, his family said in a statement on Friday.

During three decades as an independent producer, he distinguished himself as a rangy, outgoing chap with a trim beard who was generally identified with action dramas full of squealing tires and tough guys trading punches.

But his range was greater than for which he was given credit. "Tenspeed and Brown Shoe" was a clever detective drama starring Ben Vereen and a then-unknown Jeff Goldblum in 1980. "Profit" was a shocking saga of a psycho businessman that was unforgettable to the few viewers who saw it: Fox pulled the plug after just four episodes in 1996. With "Wiseguy" (1987-90), Cannell chilled viewers with a film-noir descent into the underworld that predated "The Sopranos" by more than a decade.

"The Rockford Files," of course, became an Emmy-winning TV classic following the misadventures of its hapless ex-con private eye played by James Garner.

"People say, 'How can the guy who did "Wiseguy" do "The A-Team"?' I don't know," said Cannell in an interview with The Associated Press in 1993. "But I do know it's easier to think of me simply as the guy who wrote 'The A-Team.' So they do."

During his TV heyday, Cannell became familiar to viewers from the ID that followed each of his shows: He was seen in his office typing on his Selectric before blithely ripping a sheet of paper from the typewriter carriage, whereupon it morphed into the C-shaped logo of Cannell Entertainment Inc.

That was all the idea of his wife, Marcia, he said, and it "appealed to my sense of hooey. ... I'm a ham."

He was also an occasional actor, most recently with a recurring role on ABC-TV's series, "Castle."

A third-generation Californian, Cannell (rhymes with "channel") got into television writing scripts for "It Takes a Thief," "Ironside" and "Adam 12." It was a remarkable career choice for someone who had suffered since childhood from severe dyslexia (he became an advocate for children and adults with learning disabilities).

Cannell in recent years had focused his attention on writing books. His 16th novel, "The Prostitute's Ball," will be released this month.

"I never thought of myself as being a brilliant writer, and still don't," he said in the AP interview. "I'm a populist. With 'Rockford,' we were never trying to be important. And as thoroughly hated as it was by critics, I loved 'The A-Team.' I thought it was really cool."

He was a producer of the feature film updating "The A-Team," released earlier this year.

Cannell is survived by Marcia, his wife of 46 years, their three children, and three grandchildren.

Stephen Cannell . . .

I met Stephen Cannell in 1979, when he directed the first episode of the last season of "The Rockford Files".
He was a great guy, a true television icon who could write, direct and produce with the best.
Jim Garner loved Cannell, and shortly after our meeting he would start his own production company.

A few years later, I would work on the second season of "The A-Team" and then do the pilot and first season of "Riptide".
When I received a call from a cameraman asking me to join him on A-Team, I was working for another great producer in Aaron Spelling.
I took a chance and left the TV series "Hotel", a Spelling production, to work for Cannell's company and it proved a smart move.
Like Aaron Spelling, Cannell treated his people very well, and I've never regreted taking that chance.
Cannell, along with Spelling and Michael Landon, was one of the three big TV producers whom would shape my career.

As word of his death spread thru Universal Studios today, I felt a sense of saddness.
One of the younger tech's on my crew asked, "Who was Stephen Cannell?"
All I could say was, "He was a guy who was considered a young lion on this lot about three decades back, and he'd become part of TV history."
What else could I say?

Rest in Peace, Mr. C.

[kikibalt]

Stephen J. Cannell dies at 69; TV writer, producer

The man who helped create more than 40 shows, including 'The Rockford Files,' 'The A-Team' and 'Baretta' had a golden touch, though he struggled early in life with dyslexia.
Prolific



Stephen J. Cannell’s hits included “The Rockford Files,” “The A-Team,” "Baa Baa Black Sheep" and "Baretta." (Los Angeles Times)

By Dennis McLellan, Los Angeles Times

October 2, 2010

Stephen J. Cannell, the prolific television writer and producer who co-created "The Rockford Files" and "The A-Team" and later became a bestselling novelist, has died. He was 69.

Cannell died Thursday evening of complications associated with melanoma at his home in Pasadena, his family said.

In a career that began in the late 1960s when he sold his first TV script and took off as he soon became the hottest young writer on the Universal lot, Cannell created or co-created more than 40 TV shows, including "Baa Baa Black Sheep," "Baretta," "The Greatest American Hero" and "21 Jump Street."

Cannell, who formed his own independent production company in 1979, wrote more than 450 TV episodes and produced or executive-produced more than 1,500 episodes.

"He was one of the masters of good, old-fashioned generic television," said Robert Thompson, a professor of television and popular culture at Syracuse University and author of the 1990 book "Adventures on Prime Time: The Television Programs of Stephen J. Cannell."

"He did detective shows, he did adventure- dramas, he did fantasies," Thompson said. "He wasn't one of these guys who did, like, 'The Sopranos.' He was a meat-and-potatoes producer, writer and creator of television shows. And he did meat and potatoes really, really well."

"'The Rockford Files," the 1974-80 detective series co-created by Roy Huggins and starring James Garner, "was kind of a standard, formulaic detective genre show, but it was brilliantly executed. And Cannell could write state-of-the-art dialogue like few others of his time," Thompson said.

In 1978, he shared an Emmy Award for outstanding drama series for "The Rockford Files."

From writing "this really great dialogue" on "The Rockford Files," Thompson said, "he'd go on to form his company and do a show like 'The A Team,' this kind of goofy, fantasy Lone Ranger-like program. But once again, in Cannell's hands, it became a huge hit. It was delightfully funny to watch."

David Chase, who wrote and produced for "The Rockford Files" and later created "The Sopranos," recalled Friday that Cannell's characters displayed "weaknesses — they were fallible human beings. That was the beginning of viewers seeing a TV protagonist as someone like themselves."

Early on, Cannell developed a reputation for being extraordinarily prolific.

Indeed, in the spring of 1986, he had six hourlong shows on in primetime: "The A-Team," "Hunter," "Stingray," "Riptide," "The Last Precinct" on NBC and "Hardcastle & McCormick" on ABC.

Former NBC executive Warren Littlefield said the Cannell touch gave NBC a huge boost in the '80s.

"He understood what I'd call the vitamins and minerals of what the audience needed," Littlefield told The Times on Friday. "The daily grind of life can be so difficult for lots of people, and his shows would let you forget all that for an hour and just enjoy the thrill of the adventure."

Veteran producer Steven Bochco, who had been friends and colleagues with Cannell since the early '70s, recalled that every young writer on the Universal lot would stop by Cannell's office to read scripts from "The Rockford Files."

"They were so smart and so funny, and he was just knocking them out one after the other," Bochco told The Times on Friday. "He was not a cookie-cutter writer — he was completely original."

Saying Cannell had "boundless imagination" and was a master craftsman "who always did his homework," Bochco added: "As gifted and talented as he was, we all loved him because he was just one of the dearest people alive."

Since his first novel, "The Plan," was published in 1995, Cannell wrote 15 other novels, including the Shane Scully crime series.

Cannell's prolific output as a writer came despite having dyslexia, a reading disorder that caused him to flunk three grades before he finished high school.

He told the Birmingham News in 2004 that he didn't know he had dyslexia until he was in his mid-30s when he took one of his daughters to have her tested for dyslexia.

"For me, it was, 'OK, now I get it, now I understand,'" he said. "But I think it's been helpful to my whole writing process.

"It has absolutely freed me up from that curse of trying to be brilliant because it's really deepened my psyche. I don't take myself very seriously because of my early learning problems."

Cannell, who was born Feb. 5, 1941, in Los Angeles, always loved writing and dreamed of becoming a novelist as a teenager — even when he was flunking English in high school.

A turning point came for him in the early '60s when his creative writing teacher at the University of Oregon took him aside.

"He said, 'Look, it doesn't matter at all to me whether you can spell or not. As long as I can read it, that's all I require," Cannell recalled in a 1999 interview with the Dayton Daily News. "The feedback I got was so encouraging.

"After I left college — I did graduate despite my problems — he said, 'You should never quit this,' and I took him at his word."

While driving a truck for his father's successful home-decorating business, Cannell began writing TV scripts at night and on the weekends.

A script he sold for "Adam-12" led to a job as story editor on the series. After "Adam-12," he continued working on numerous series at Universal.

"I went through this period where I was the new genius," Cannell recalled in a 1997 interview with The Times. "I mean people were carrying me around the lot on a litter. I actually heard the words 'Stephen Cannell' and 'brilliant' used in the same sentence.

"When you've been the stupidest kid in class, that's a pretty appealing thing to hear."

He is survived by Marcia, his wife of 46 years; his children, Tawnia McKiernan, Chelsea and Cody; a sister, Lyn Neel; and three grandchildren.

[email protected]

Correspondent T. L. Stanley contributed to this report.

[kikibalt]

I am a big fan of Stephen J. Cannell books, not some much his TV work/movies, that's because I'm not a TV/movie person. I have read most of the Shane Scully character books. The man was a great writer.

RIP Stephen J. Cannell

[bennie]

The A-Team was massive on these shores, and Mr T still appears here in adverts.

[bennie]

Hey guys, I have been walking, running and working out for the last month. I have also been watching what I eat. Not so much dieting but cutting my intake by half. About a little over a year ago I was weighing about 240 lbs. I weighed in today at 212.5. My goal is 195 or better. I'm going for the knockout on the diabetes. I'm actually feeling pretty good. DD

Randy

That is a LOT of weight, Randy. It takes great willpower to shift 28 pounds.

[CNorkusJr]

A Picture is Worth A Thousand Words

Thanks for posting a picture of Mr Cannell, Frank. I too watched many of his shows that he hads a hand in through the years. I could not identify the name in written form but when you posted the picture it was instant recognition from TV. He had to be a very saavy writer and director as his work was very well thought out and was seamless in its story telling. Everything in his story lines flowed-not herky jerky like most story lines now.

[kikibalt]

A Picture is Worth A Thousand Words

Thanks for posting a picture of Mr Cannell, Frank. I too watched many of his shows that he hads a hand in through the years. I could not identify the name in written form but when you posted the picture it was instant recognition from TV. He had to be a very saavy writer and director as his work was very well thought out and was seamless in its story telling. Everything in his story lines flowed-not herky jerky like most story lines now.

My pleasure Charlie, to bad it couldn't be under better circumstances.....

[bennie]

A watering hole in Helston named after the great Bob Fitzsimmons, born in Helston in 1863.

[bennie]

Spinks, Spinks and Spinks

[kikibalt]

A watering hole in Helston named after the great Bob Fitzsimmons, born in Helston in 1863.

Ruby Bob is getting inducted into the California Hall Of Fame next year....Thanks to Tom Ray...

[kikibalt]

The good fight
Eddie Johnson and Canto ‘TNT’ Robledo will both be memorialized at Villa Parke



Canto Robledo

By Andre Coleman

Some consider a plan to honor two local boxing legends instead of just one a good compromise, but not everyone is happy with the deal brokered by City Councilman Victor Gordo.

Under that plan, the city will allow the placement of a privately financed statue honoring the achievements of trainer Canto “TNT” Robledo at Villa-Parke Community Center, and then rename the facility’s boxing gym for fellow trainer Eddie Johnson, who did most of his work at that gym until his death in 2000.

Robledo, who was blinded during a fight in 1932 but went on to train several top-ranked fighters at his Crown City Gym on Manzanita Street, died the previous year following a stroke.

“I am OK with it,” Canto’s son, Joe Robledo, said of Gordo’s proposal. “If they want to put Eddie Johnson’s name on the ring canvas or rename the gym after him, I am happy with that — as long as there is no interference with the statue of Canto Robledo.”

However, Charles “Buddy” Bereal, former head of the Pasadena Branch of the NAACP and a onetime professional fighter, said he believes placing the statue at the Villa-Parke Community Center gives the wrong impression about Canto Robledo’s actual involvement there.

The statue is expected to cost some $100,000 and, according to drawings, will depict Robledo interacting with two young children.

Bereal was not part of the talks conducted by Gordo. “Pasadena is one of the coldest cities when it comes to the treatment of African-Americans. I am happy they are going to name the gym after Eddie. He deserves it,” Bereal said. “They should have named Manzanita Park after Canto.”
Renaming the park was Joe Robledo’s first idea after the Mexican-American History Association met with him to discuss ways to commemorate his father’s contributions to the city.

However, the city rejected that idea and soon afterward began discussions on erecting a statue. Over the past year, Robledo family members have been privately raising funds for the project.

Both Canto Robledo and Johnson trained fighters in the 1960s and ’70s, a time when interest in local fighting was at an all-time high, due in part to televised fights at the Olympic Auditorium and other venues.

The controversy started when Johnson’s supporters became upset after reading an article in the Pasadena Weekly in which city officials stated that Villa-Parke would be the best place to put a statue of Robledo.

Robledo lost his sight shortly after winning the Pacific Bantamweight Championship and became a trainer, running Crown City Boxing out of his garage on Manzanita Street, about five miles from Villa-Parke.

The statue would be the first honoring a Mexican-American in Pasadena and the first donated to the city by a family. So far, Robledo family members say they have raised more than $10,000 for the statue through concerts and fundraisers.

Joe Robledo is scheduled to meet with Public Works Director Martin Pastucha on Tuesday to discuss the statue’s dimensions.

Johnson supporters point out that Robledo never had any connection to the city’s program, which was started by Johnson and Bereal almost 35 years ago, when the neighborhoods surrounding Villa-Parke were populated largely by African-American families.

“We finally came to a consensus and we compromised,” said Tim Rhambo, who was trained by Johnson and now volunteers at Villa-Parke. “Canto was on the other side of town, and that’s OK, that’s fine.” But, he said, “Eddie Johnson was here working for the city and working with a lot of the youth. How can we honor this guy and not honor one of our guys who was here helping the kids?”
After being turned down on a proposed name change of Manzanita Park, the Robledo family had hopes of placing the statue in Memorial Park, in Old Pasadena. However, city officials soon told them only war memorials are allowed there, and that they would have to come up with yet another plan.

At that point, Interim City Manager Bernard Melekian, while on business in Fresno, saw a statue there commemorating “Gentleman” Jack Dempsey. Melekian was impressed by how youngsters still looked at the statue and suggested that the Robledo memorial be placed at Villa-Parke, where the adjacent neighborhoods are now largely inhabited by Latino families.

“If we are going to build the statue of someone famous from the Mexican-American community, what better place to put it than the place where the kids in the local boxing program can draw from its inspiration,” Melekian told the Weekly in July.

Rachel Heredia, secretary of the Pasadena Mexican-American History Association, said she and other members of the organization were pleased with the compromise.

“It is fine with us. We never had any negative feelings about them wanting to do something for Eddie Johnson,” Heredia said. “The only thing we didn’t like is they said they did not want the statue there. Canto is a great role model for the youth there. As Mexican-Americans, we feel we can leave something that shows the history of Mexican-Americans in the city. There is nothing in Pasadena that shows that Mexican-Americans have lived in this community.”

Gordo said he was heartened to see people now recognizing Canto Robledo’s contributions to boxing and Pasadena.

“He overcame a lot of personal and physical obstacles and found a way through boxing to contribute to a lot of people in Pasadena,” Gordo said of Canto. “In short, he’s a Pasadenan we can be proud of. The same can be said of Eddie Johnson. He overcame a lot and persevered and his legacy continues today at Villa-Parke, and we should use their efforts to inspire others.”

[Rick Farris]

Focus Pads . . .

I have a pair of Reyes pads that I've used when training or teaching boxing.
They were OK, but as I get older I can feel the arthritus in my left wrist when I catch a punch with these mitts.
I noticed that Freddie Roach has a custom made pair of pads that appear to absorb the shock of a punch much better.
This past weekend, I was at Goossen's Gym and noticed that Joe's assistant, Ricky Funez, has a custom pair too, like Freddie's.
I asked Ricky, "Where did you have those made?"
Ricky answered, "The guys name is Sergio and he works out of Wildcard Gym. He'll also sew your name onto the pads."
I immediatly thought back to an old Filippino named Tony Moreno, who used to custom make head gear and cups at the Main St. Gym.
When I was a teenager, Tony made both cup & head gear for me, and embossed my name on the head gear, and initials on the cup.
I'll never forget how proud I was of that early custom made equipment, I paid for with paper route money.
I have a better job today, and plan to have Sergio make me a pair of those pads.
You know, as silly as this sounds, I'm almost as happy about the idea of wearing these mitts as I was my head gear & cup more than
40 years ago.

I met Sergio while in L.A, I was sitting in Wildcard when he asked me about the leather bracelet i wore to try to support my once broken and never healed right wrist. We started talking and hes mentioned his leather works. He took me out to his car and showed me a few of his products. Ill be placing an order in the beginning of next week. custom mitts and bodypiece Ill pm you his E-mail Rick


I

Remy . . . When I was boxing amateur, my trainer Johnny Flores brought back a pair of mitts from Japan. It was 1968 and I'd never seen them before. Flores began using them with myself and a heavyweight stablemate of ours. I believe they are one of the best training tools used in boxing. The body piece is another good idea, I believe, and I've seen Freddie work with this when training Pac and a few others. When I was boxing, the only body protection I ever saw was worn by Dwight Hawkins' sparring partners to protect their ribs from the Hawk's brutal body assault. In those days, the fighters would wear a foam rubber water ski vest. I need to watch Freddie work with his padded suit on to see how he uses it, and I'd also appreciate your letting me know how it works out for you. I realize it's all very simple, but every tool can be used in a variety of ways. I'll see if I can incorporate it into my pad workouts.

[Panzerfaust]

Often when i do the mitt workouts i try to make ''real'' boxing situations moving round the ring and having the fighters throw combinations against a moving target so to speak. also i train alot of slipping under the jab with the straight right hand etc wich makes it difficult to get the mitt in place for that right hand so the body piece comes in handy(makes me sorta a moving heavy bag) . Ill have the soft spots highlighted on it, liver,solar plexus and the heart.

i got one allready ,but its 20-30 yo and starting to get quite worn out so its hurts like hell after a session of body punching

I think it works out well makes it easier to get fluidity in the session and more realism to the upstairs-downstairs work.

[Panzerfaust]

I got a question for you guys, what are your thoughts on stance? I tend to favour the slightly leaning over to the right rather than the centered more square stance that is common now a days. any thoughts?

[Rick Farris]

I got a question for you guys, what are your thoughts on stance? I tend to favour the slightly leaning over to the right rather than the centered more square stance that is common now a days. any thoughts?

Remy . . . To be honest, every boxer is different. I don't like any boxer to be to "squared up", it makes him an easier target.
I like the chin tucked into the shoulder. It depends on the fighter. Frank has taught a lot more boxers than me, and has seen more of the Classic West Coast guys up close, the Forbes' boys, etc. His boys all had solid stances, could box and punch, each a little different than the other, Frankie a lefty, etc. All had solid foundations, well balanced prizefighters. And all three were KO punchers, Boxrec validates this, and their styles can be seen on YouTube.