Classic American West Coast Boxing

[bennie]

Barry McGuigan took out UK citizenship to win the British featherweight title in 1983 but he lamented his decision in his controversial autobiography The Untold Story and a man he now advises, Willie "Big Bang" Casey, goes from Prizefighter to a shot at the European super-bantamweight title against Spain’s dangerous and vastly more experienced Kiko Martinez in Limerick on November 6.
Casey hails from Limerick in the Irish Republic (often known as "Stab City"), so the sharp-hitting, superfit challenger cannot fight for the British title, anyway, but to go for the European title after just 10 fights (all wins) constitutes a major gamble on his and McGuigan’s part.
Yes, Casey will enjoy all the advantages of home, including huge support and, yes, he can undoubtedly go a bit; however, he only turned pro two years ago and has never done more than eight rounds going into his first 12-rounder. The world-ranked Martinez, by comparison, has done the full championship limit five times and is well-used to Irish rings, winning all four of his previous fights on the Emerald Isle, including a memorable 86-second destruction of Bernard "Ben" Dunne in front of huge pro-Dunne support in Dublin in 2007 to first lift the major European belt.
Martinez lost the belt a year later to Rendall Munroe (his first loss, amateur or pro) but kept plugging away and, despite a second loss to Munroe, won the belt back last month in Dublin with a clear decision over durable Armenian Arsen Martirosyan, who is ranked in the top 15 by the WBC. Bizarrely, Martinez is four years younger than Casey at 24; he is hardly your fading Jose "Mantequilla" Napoles.
Casey, with a wife and kids to feed from a young age, concentrated on a career in welding before he saw boxing as his future, and the traveller made his way to the York Hall earlier this year as a late replacement for the injured Waye McCullough in Prizefighter and sprung a real surprise to win the event with three impressive wins, one of them a third-round stoppage of Liverpool’s former British title challenger Mark Moran, who had stopped Martin Lindsay in the amateurs. Subsequently, Casey got in a good warm-up for this crack with an eight-round decision over a seasoned Italian in August.
You know, Martinez did seem at a loss how to handle southpaw Munroe in their two meetings, and Casey is a dedicated, determined southpaw very much in the Munroe mould. If McGuigan is stepping him up at this time, a man who knew exactly what he wanted as a fighter, McGuigan must really feel that Casey is ready. I do, too. Casey has a winner’s mentality, a McGuigan mentality, and the roar of the crowd and non-stop pressure will result in a magnificent, if bruising, victory for the home man.

[bennie]

Barry McGuigan took out UK citizenship to win the British featherweight title in 1983 but he lamented his decision in his controversial autobiography The Untold Story and a man he now advises, Willie "Big Bang" Casey, goes from Prizefighter to a shot at the European super-bantamweight title against Spain’s dangerous and vastly more experienced Kiko Martinez in Limerick on November 6.
Casey hails from Limerick in the Irish Republic (often known as "Stab City"), so the sharp-hitting, superfit challenger cannot fight for the British title, anyway, but to go for the European title after just 10 fights (all wins) constitutes a major gamble on his and McGuigan’s part.
Yes, Casey will enjoy all the advantages of home, including huge support and, yes, he can undoubtedly go a bit; however, he only turned pro two years ago and has never done more than eight rounds going into his first 12-rounder. The world-ranked Martinez, by comparison, has done the full championship limit five times and is well-used to Irish rings, winning all four of his previous fights on the Emerald Isle, including a memorable 86-second destruction of Bernard "Ben" Dunne in front of huge pro-Dunne support in Dublin in 2007 to first lift the major European belt.
Martinez lost the belt a year later to Rendall Munroe (his first loss, amateur or pro) but kept plugging away and, despite a second loss to Munroe, won the belt back last month in Dublin with a clear decision over durable Armenian Arsen Martirosyan, who is ranked in the top 15 by the WBC. Bizarrely, Martinez is four years younger than Casey at 24; he is hardly your fading Jose "Mantequilla" Napoles.
Casey, with a wife and kids to feed from a young age, concentrated on a career in welding before he saw boxing as his future, and the traveller made his way to the York Hall earlier this year as a late replacement for the injured Waye McCullough in Prizefighter and sprung a real surprise to win the event with three impressive wins, one of them a third-round stoppage of Liverpool’s former British title challenger Mark Moran, who had stopped Martin Lindsay in the amateurs. Subsequently, Casey got in a good warm-up for this crack with an eight-round decision over a seasoned Italian in August.
You know, Martinez did seem at a loss how to handle southpaw Munroe in their two meetings, and Casey is a dedicated, determined southpaw very much in the Munroe mould. If McGuigan is stepping him up at this time, a man who knew exactly what he wanted as a fighter, McGuigan must really feel that Casey is ready. I do, too. Casey has a winner’s mentality, a McGuigan mentality, and the roar of the crowd and non-stop pressure will result in a magnificent, if bruising, victory for the home man.

[CNorkusJr]

Yes Rick, Sanchez sometimes gives you that uneasy feeling that everytime he goes up with a pass, it might miss its mark and the ball ends up in the opponents hands. He has certainly come a long way in a short time though.
Though he is small for a quarterback, he's powerful and hopefully get into a comfort zone with his field artillery (Holmes,Edwards,Cotchery,Keller,Tomlinson & Greene)
On paper its awesome. The Jets make for exciting football and I feel they can go deep into the playoffs, but the super bowl is a roll of the dice anyway.

I been rain soaked before at the Jets games over the years- but the lightning display was awesome around the stadium.(hence the 45 min. game delay) They actually clear everybody out of their seats in the bowl of the stadium and must sit it out inside when they decide to resume play.
The new stadium is nice and I got premium seats that allow me into a sofa & table and chairs laden lounge that holds about 5,000 people. 60 inch plasmas line all the walls and you can watch the action if you wish from a real comfort zone. A martini bar provides nice seating as well. If the forecast is for rain- I bring rain-gear and sit outside. Football in the elements is a good thing. Jets Premium seat holders were issued complimentary hand held closed circuit TVs (go to Fanvision.com that work only in the stadium and its parking lot this year-courtesy of owner Woody Johnson. (1 Fanvision per every 2 seats). Its the newest thing in fan luxuries and will be a thing of the future. It also gets about 3-4 other NFL games live on it if they are playing. I am now rooting for the SF Giants to make a run to the WS. I am a Mets fan- and cant stand the Yankees.

[kikibalt]

"Football in the elements is a good thing"

Football in the elements is the only way to watch football

[Panzerfaust]

Thanks for the name advices, I got one from Pepper Roach aswell, He said if it was a boy i just had to name him Pepper Worst thing is i think its kinda cool

[Rick Farris]

Yes Rick, Sanchez sometimes gives you that uneasy feeling that everytime he goes up with a pass, it might miss its mark and the ball ends up in the opponents hands. He has certainly come a long way in a short time though.
Though he is small for a quarterback, he's powerful and hopefully get into a comfort zone with his field artillery (Holmes,Edwards,Cotchery,Keller,Tomlinson & Greene)
On paper its awesome. The Jets make for exciting football and I feel they can go deep into the playoffs, but the super bowl is a roll of the dice anyway.

I been rain soaked before at the Jets games over the years- but the lightning display was awesome around the stadium.(hence the 45 min. game delay) They actually clear everybody out of their seats in the bowl of the stadium and must sit it out inside when they decide to resume play.
The new stadium is nice and I got premium seats that allow me into a sofa & table and chairs laden lounge that holds about 5,000 people. 60 inch plasmas line all the walls and you can watch the action if you wish from a real comfort zone. A martini bar provides nice seating as well. If the forecast is for rain- I bring rain-gear and sit outside. Football in the elements is a good thing. Jets Premium seat holders were issued complimentary hand held closed circuit TVs (go to Fanvision.com that work only in the stadium and its parking lot this year-courtesy of owner Woody Johnson. (1 Fanvision per every 2 seats). Its the newest thing in fan luxuries and will be a thing of the future. It also gets about 3-4 other NFL games live on it if they are playing. I am now rooting for the SF Giants to make a run to the WS. I am a Mets fan- and cant stand the Yankees.

Charlie . . . I'm a Dodgers fan, and I don't like the Yanks either. They made for a couple bad seasons for us when I was growing up. But I'll never forget 1963, when the Dodgers swept them 4-0. But I am enjoying the Jets. Super Bowl? That's not a lock for anybody. I'm just enjoying a team that is proving it can be a winner. Sanchez may not be the best ever, but he's got a lot of heart, and he plays with confidence. His last name is Sanchez, so I'm not surprised about the heart or the toughness. Sounds like you have a great deal for those games. That's a great way to enjoy football.

[Rick Farris]

Thanks for the name advices, I got one from Pepper Roach aswell, He said if it was a boy i just had to name him Pepper Worst thing is i think its kinda cool

Why not? I agree, it's kinda cool.

[Rick Farris]

The Interviews . . .

Today I previewed three boxing interviews at the Golden State Boxers Association lunch in Hollywood.
I had no expectations regarding people's reactions, but I couldn't be happier.

When the Mando Ramos interview began, all the talking stopped immediatly. That's rare with a big attendence.
Mando was in the house, and as usual, the center of attention. There was an unspoken respect for Mando Ramos.
Mando's dad, Ray, was present. So was his widow, Sylvia.
A couple minutes into the interview, Mando's long time friend, and former opponent, Alan Syers, was smiling.
The former lightweight, who began his boxing career in England, looked my way and gave me a thumbs up.

That was the general concensus. The Rodolfo Gonzalez and Gwen Adair interviews also brought a positve response.
Documentary film producer Alan Swyer was present, Bobby Chacon, Rodolfo Gonzalez, Danny Valdez, and a pretty big crowd.
Frank, I hope you are feeling better. We missed you today.

-Rick Farris

[CNorkusJr]

What a Great way to spend an afternoon.

Rick, maybe I missed it if you mentioned it before, are those video interviews going to be viewed publicly somewhere (TV,DVDs etc etc) ?

[kikibalt]

The Interviews . . .

Today I previewed three boxing interviews at the Golden State Boxers Association lunch in Hollywood.
I had no expectations regarding people's reactions, but I couldn't be happier.

When the Mando Ramos interview began, all the talking stopped immediatly. That's rare with a big attendence.
Mando was in the house, and as usual, the center of attention. There was an unspoken respect for Mando Ramos.
Mando's dad, Ray, was present. So was his widow, Sylvia.
A couple minutes into the interview, Mando's long time friend, and former opponent, Alan Syers, was smiling.
The former lightweight, who began his boxing career in England, looked my way and gave me a thumbs up.

That was the general concensus. The Rodolfo Gonzalez and Gwen Adair interviews also brought a positve response.
Documentary film producer Alan Swyer was present, Bobby Chacon, Rodolfo Gonzalez, Danny Valdez, and a pretty big crowd.
Frank, I hope you are feeling better. We missed you today.

-Rick Farris

Rick, Don Fraser called me as soon as he got home yesterday from the luncheon, first thing he told me was size of the crowd, usually there is about 12 to 15 people there, he said yesterday there was about 30 people there. Had nothing but good words about the interviews.
Sorry I couldn't make it....Congrats to you for a job well done....

[bennie]

Leroy Jones missed out on the mysterious quality known as a little bit of luck on a cold night 30 years ago. Leroy took a thumb in the eye from Larry Holmes in the eighth round of their Las Vegas encounter in March 1980 and, while he bravely stayed on his feet, he had to be rescued as the spiteful Holmes teed off on him in a corner. That was it; Leroy’s challenge for the world heavyweight title was over, along with the very rest of his boxing career. Jones, at the age of 29, had suffered a detached retina.
Nobody seems to know what the big Denver man did in his post-boxing years. Leroy certainly kept his nose clean, probably raised a family, probably held down a job. You want to think he was happy; you want to think he did good things. He was "big, strong, tough", said Holmes in 2003. "He was bigger than me. He was 245 pounds, 6ft 5ins or 6ft 6ins, but I was quicker and punched harder." In fact, Jones was surprisingly fluid for such a big man, with surprising speed and ability, but Holmes is one of the greatest heavyweights of all time and he pounded on Jones as he would pound on Muhammad Ali just a few months later. (Forget those who say Holmes held back against Ali, he didn’t.)
You know, Leroy only ever lost to Holmes in 26 fights, which only exarcebates the way his career came to such a sudden end. His best win was a 12-round decision over Mike Weaver in 1978 in Las Vegas, a year before Weaver took Holmes to the well in a fantastic battle at Madison Square Garden. Jones also scored decent wins over Jody Ballard, Larry Frazier and Harry Terrell.
Nobody seems to know how he lived or even how he died earlier this year at the age of 60. We do know that he boxed between 1973 and 1980 and went all the way to a shot at the world heavyweight title. We also know he joined the masses thinking over and over, 'if only'.

[kikibalt]

Great write-up on Leroy Jones, Bennie, I posted it on my blog.

[Rick Farris]

The Interviews . . .

Today I previewed three boxing interviews at the Golden State Boxers Association lunch in Hollywood.
I had no expectations regarding people's reactions, but I couldn't be happier.

When the Mando Ramos interview began, all the talking stopped immediatly. That's rare with a big attendence.
Mando was in the house, and as usual, the center of attention. There was an unspoken respect for Mando Ramos.
Mando's dad, Ray, was present. So was his widow, Sylvia.
A couple minutes into the interview, Mando's long time friend, and former opponent, Alan Syers, was smiling.
The former lightweight, who began his boxing career in England, looked my way and gave me a thumbs up.

That was the general concensus. The Rodolfo Gonzalez and Gwen Adair interviews also brought a positve response.
Documentary film producer Alan Swyer was present, Bobby Chacon, Rodolfo Gonzalez, Danny Valdez, and a pretty big crowd.
Frank, I hope you are feeling better. We missed you today.

-Rick Farris

Rick, Don Fraser called me as soon as he got home yesterday from the luncheon, first thing he told me was size of the crowd, usually there is about 12 to 15 people there, he said yesterday there was about 30 people there. Had nothing but good words about the interviews.
Sorry I couldn't make it....Congrats to you for a job well done....

Frank . . . As you know, it's a pretty warm group of people that attend these meetings weekly.
Some of Classic West Coast Boxing's finest people. The goal of Dan & I is to preserve the memories of some incredible prizefighters.
These guys made such an impression on me from the time I was a child. I saw a smile on the faces of everybody there.
During the Mando interview, Ramos has quite a sense of humor, and a great way of expressing himself.

At one point during his interview, he was expressing his dedication in training for one of his biggest fights.
He said . . . "I really worked hard for this fight. I didn't run around with women, I didn't drink alcohol, I didn't use drugs, I worked hard, and didn't abuse myself . . . Well, maybe I smoked a little weed, but that was all . . . "
That comment brought a laugh from the crowd. And Mando himself smiled as he told the story.
People were paying attention, they were laughing at the funny parts and dead silent as Mando chronicled some of the darker moments in his career.

I want to pass on to my friend and partner, Dan Hanley . . . we did good.

[kikibalt]

The Interviews . . .

Today I previewed three boxing interviews at the Golden State Boxers Association lunch in Hollywood.
I had no expectations regarding people's reactions, but I couldn't be happier.

When the Mando Ramos interview began, all the talking stopped immediatly. That's rare with a big attendence.
Mando was in the house, and as usual, the center of attention. There was an unspoken respect for Mando Ramos.
Mando's dad, Ray, was present. So was his widow, Sylvia.
A couple minutes into the interview, Mando's long time friend, and former opponent, Alan Syers, was smiling.
The former lightweight, who began his boxing career in England, looked my way and gave me a thumbs up.

That was the general concensus. The Rodolfo Gonzalez and Gwen Adair interviews also brought a positve response.
Documentary film producer Alan Swyer was present, Bobby Chacon, Rodolfo Gonzalez, Danny Valdez, and a pretty big crowd.
Frank, I hope you are feeling better. We missed you today.

-Rick Farris

Rick, Don Fraser called me as soon as he got home yesterday from the luncheon, first thing he told me was size of the crowd, usually there is about 12 to 15 people there, he said yesterday there was about 30 people there. Had nothing but good words about the interviews.
Sorry I couldn't make it....Congrats to you for a job well done....

Frank . . . As you know, it's a pretty warm group of people that attend these meetings weekly.
Some of Classic West Coast Boxing's finest people. The goal of Dan & I is to preserve the memories of some incredible prizefighters.
These guys made such an impression on me from the time I was a child. I saw a smile on the faces of everybody there.
During the Mando interview, Ramos has quite a sense of humor, and a great way of expressing himself.

At one point during his interview, he was expressing his dedication in training for one of his biggest fights.
He said . . . "I really worked hard for this fight. I didn't run around with women, I didn't drink alcohol, I didn't use drugs, I worked hard, and didn't abuse myself . . . Well, maybe I smoked a little weed, but that was all . . . "
That comment brought a laugh from the crowd. And Mando himself smiled as he told the story.
People were paying attention, they were laughing at the funny parts and dead silent as Mando chronicled some of the darker moments in his career.

I want to pass on to my friend and partner, Dan Hanley . . . we did good.

Yes, kudos to Dan too....

[kikibalt]

Mando Muniz vs Oscar Albarado

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

[Rick Farris]

Interviews to come . . .

I'm thinking Danny Valdez covers a good part of L.A. boxing history.
Vince Delgado is a very good interview, and he really paints a nice pic of Johnny Forbes and his classic stable.
Of course, yourself, and Don Fraser is up next.
We want Frankie Jr. & Tony, also Bobby . . . and Tony Cerda Sr. & Jr.
Davila wouldn't meet with Alan Swyer? Maybe he will for us?
Dwight Hawkins & Windmill White are a must!
Naturally Palomino, Duarte, Shields, Orbillo, Lopez & Chacon, the "Maravilla Kid" . . . The usual suspects.
Don Chargin, Bennie Georgino, if we're real lucky, Hap Navarro . . . and a few old foggies.
I want some obscure interviews, with guys that most don't ever interview or talk to . . . like Oklahoma Slim.
We'll get the younger guys, too. We'll put together enough material from which to draw a nice little piece of work.

[THEHAMMER321]

Leroy Jones missed out on the mysterious quality known as a little bit of luck on a cold night 30 years ago. Leroy took a thumb in the eye from Larry Holmes in the eighth round of their Las Vegas encounter in March 1980 and, while he bravely stayed on his feet, he had to be rescued as the spiteful Holmes teed off on him in a corner. That was it; Leroy’s challenge for the world heavyweight title was over, along with the very rest of his boxing career. Jones, at the age of 29, had suffered a detached retina.
Nobody seems to know what the big Denver man did in his post-boxing years. Leroy certainly kept his nose clean, probably raised a family, probably held down a job. You want to think he was happy; you want to think he did good things. He was "big, strong, tough", said Holmes in 2003. "He was bigger than me. He was 245 pounds, 6ft 5ins or 6ft 6ins, but I was quicker and punched harder." In fact, Jones was surprisingly fluid for such a big man, with surprising speed and ability, but Holmes is one of the greatest heavyweights of all time and he pounded on Jones as he would pound on Muhammad Ali just a few months later. (Forget those who say Holmes held back against Ali, he didn’t.)
You know, Leroy only ever lost to Holmes in 26 fights, which only exarcebates the way his career came to such a sudden end. His best win was a 12-round decision over Mike Weaver in 1978 in Las Vegas, a year before Weaver took Holmes to the well in a fantastic battle at Madison Square Garden. Jones also scored decent wins over Jody Ballard, Larry Frazier and Harry Terrell.
Nobody seems to know how he lived or even how he died earlier this year at the age of 60. We do know that he boxed between 1973 and 1980 and went all the way to a shot at the world heavyweight title. We also know he joined the masses thinking over and over, 'if only'.

Bennie good story on Leroy jones, I remember a lot of people compared him to Buster Mathis, because both were overweight and both had good boxing skills.

[Panzerfaust]

Interviews to come . . .

I'm thinking Danny Valdez covers a good part of L.A. boxing history.
Vince Delgado is a very good interview, and he really paints a nice pic of Johnny Forbes and his classic stable.
Of course, yourself, and Don Fraser is up next.
We want Frankie Jr. & Tony, also Bobby . . . and Tony Cerda Sr. & Jr.
Davila wouldn't meet with Alan Swyer? Maybe he will for us?
Dwight Hawkins & Windmill White are a must!
Naturally Palomino, Duarte, Shields, Orbillo, Lopez & Chacon, the "Maravilla Kid" . . . The usual suspects.
Don Chargin, Bennie Georgino, if we're real lucky, Hap Navarro . . . and a few old foggies.
I want some obscure interviews, with guys that most don't ever interview or talk to . . . like Oklahoma Slim.
We'll get the younger guys, too. We'll put together enough material from which to draw a nice little piece of work.

Are the allready done interviews available online?

[Rick Farris]

Interviews to come . . .

I'm thinking Danny Valdez covers a good part of L.A. boxing history.
Vince Delgado is a very good interview, and he really paints a nice pic of Johnny Forbes and his classic stable.
Of course, yourself, and Don Fraser is up next.
We want Frankie Jr. & Tony, also Bobby . . . and Tony Cerda Sr. & Jr.
Davila wouldn't meet with Alan Swyer? Maybe he will for us?
Dwight Hawkins & Windmill White are a must!
Naturally Palomino, Duarte, Shields, Orbillo, Lopez & Chacon, the "Maravilla Kid" . . . The usual suspects.
Don Chargin, Bennie Georgino, if we're real lucky, Hap Navarro . . . and a few old foggies.
I want some obscure interviews, with guys that most don't ever interview or talk to . . . like Oklahoma Slim.
We'll get the younger guys, too. We'll put together enough material from which to draw a nice little piece of work.

Are the allready done interviews available online?

Not yet, Remy. We'll have them posted for viewing soon.

[Panzerfaust]

Interviews to come . . .

I'm thinking Danny Valdez covers a good part of L.A. boxing history.
Vince Delgado is a very good interview, and he really paints a nice pic of Johnny Forbes and his classic stable.
Of course, yourself, and Don Fraser is up next.
We want Frankie Jr. & Tony, also Bobby . . . and Tony Cerda Sr. & Jr.
Davila wouldn't meet with Alan Swyer? Maybe he will for us?
Dwight Hawkins & Windmill White are a must!
Naturally Palomino, Duarte, Shields, Orbillo, Lopez & Chacon, the "Maravilla Kid" . . . The usual suspects.
Don Chargin, Bennie Georgino, if we're real lucky, Hap Navarro . . . and a few old foggies.
I want some obscure interviews, with guys that most don't ever interview or talk to . . . like Oklahoma Slim.
We'll get the younger guys, too. We'll put together enough material from which to draw a nice little piece of work.

Are the allready done interviews available online?

Not yet, Remy. We'll have them posted for viewing soon.

cool

[Rick Farris]

Mando Muniz vs Oscar Albarado

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

What a war! Typical Mando Muniz, and typical of what we were used to nearly every thursday night.
I remember this one real well. Remember the coins, Frank? Good fights resulted in the ring showered with coins, sometimes bills.

[kikibalt]

Mando Muniz vs Oscar Albarado

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

What a war! Typical Mando Muniz, and typical of what we were used to nearly every thursday night.
I remember this one real well. Remember the coins, Frank? Good fights resulted in the ring showered with coins, sometimes bills.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DF2A4ZJLn-4

Rick, listen to what Randy Gordon says about money flying into the ring after Frankie fight with Juan Escobar

[Rick Farris]

Mando Muniz vs Oscar Albarado

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

What a war! Typical Mando Muniz, and typical of what we were used to nearly every thursday night.
I remember this one real well. Remember the coins, Frank? Good fights resulted in the ring showered with coins, sometimes bills.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DF2A4ZJLn-4

Rick, listen to what Randy Gordon says about money flying into the ring after Frankie fight with Juan Escobar

"Not a mark on him . . ."

This fight was so good. I always love the announcers perfect timing.
With less than a minute left in the final round, they point to Escobar's unmarked face.
Baltazar had tagged him solid thruout the last five rounds. "Not a mark on him, he's got such great skin and a strong chin . . ."
A few seconds later, BOOM!!! Frankie cracks a right hook off Escobar's jaw and the fighter hits the deck.
Blood now flowing from a cut that Frankie will send him home with.

Perfect skin? Strong chin? . . . My ass!

[kikibalt]

Chilean Miner Emerges to Tangled Love Life
Hugh Collins from AOL

(Oct. 13) -- When Yonni Barrios emerged from 69 days underground to cries of "El Doctor," there was none of the fist-pumping celebration that marked the other miners' escape.

This may have something to do with his tangled love life, which made headlines around the world while he was stuck underground attending to the medical needs of his fellow miners.

A trained paramedic, Barrios previously looked after his diabetic mother. While trapped underground, he administered medicine to his fellow miners and vaccinated them against the flu. The other miners called him "Dr. House," after Hugh Laurie's character in the Fox medical drama, which is popular in Chile.

There was also a drama going on in his personal life, which his wife of 28 years discovered along with the rest of the world.

Marta Salinas first sensed something was up when she discovered another woman was also keeping an anxious vigil outside the mine for Barrios.

The discovery prompted a war of words between the two rivals. The mistress, Susana Valenzuela, said she had met Barrios on a training course five years earlier, and that he was planning to leave his wife for her.

Salinas said Valenzuela had "no legitimacy" and refused to address her by name. Initially she stuck with her husband, in spite of his infidelity.

"[Barrios] is my husband. He loves me and I am his devoted wife," Salinas said, according to the New York Post.

That all changed when her husband's rescue became imminent. Barrios reportedly asked both his wife and his mistress to be there to greet him when he emerged from underground.

After that, Salinas was done.

"He asked me to come, but it turns out he also invited the other woman and I have decency," Salinas said before the rescue, according to ABC News. "This is very clear: It's her or me.

"I'm happy because he was saved. It's a miracle from God. But I won't attend the rescue."

As Barrios was hoisted back to the surface, the world watched to see what kind of welcome he would receive. The mistress, Valenzuela, greeted him with a warm embrace.

At least five wives have found themselves dealing with mistresses at the rescue site, The Daily Telegraph said. This isn't just a cause for embarrassment: Some women are fighting over the compensation on offer to the miners.

One miner is said to have had four women fighting over him.
Filed under: World, Weird News

[BoxBuzz]

Three greatest miracles of my lifetime.

1. Birth of my daughter Olivia
2. Men walk on the moon
3. Men rescued from Hell

That rescue team in Chile was god sent. And what a great day for 33 men who just returned to the living. If this thing can happen, then any troubles we might think we struggle with, can indeed be overcome. JUST DON"T GIVE UP THE FIGHT!!

IMHO.