Ron Stander interview(2008)

[Brutu]

http://www.heavyweightboxing.org/articleItem.jsp?id=13

[raylawpc]

Stander is a fascinating character. He used to lace up this protective cup with extra-long laces, then he'd drape the laces out of the back of his trunks, over his wasteband. When you asked him about it, he say, "That's my tail. . .."

[Brutu]

For more information about the book about the life and times of Ron Stander written by Tom Lovgren(self published)
contact Shawn Murphy at

[email protected]

[raylawpc]

I remember Tom Lovgren very well from the days I was involved in the business in Oklahoma. His fighters fought on our cards, and vice versa. He is a real class act and tremendously courageous - battling MS over his 30+ years as a boxing promoter. I didn't know Tom had written those two books, and I will definitely be ordering both. I'd urge everybody to order them too.

[Brutu]

Did you find out what the title of the 2 books are and the price of each?
were these books ever reviewed in any boxing magazine anywhere?

Does the book about Ron Stander have
any action photos from Ron Stander vs Earnie Shavers?

[raylawpc]

Actually, Brutu, I just used the e-mail address you posted and asked about the two books. I haven't heard back yet. When I get more details, I'll post here.

[Brutu]

It will be interesting to know if Stander tells if and when he knew that Shavers had broken his hand over his noggin,and when he felt the tide had changed during that fight.
Presumably Tom Lovgren promoted the Stander-Shavers fight.
If so did he video-tape it?

Also what happened with the fight with Jeff Merritt fight?
Was that fight video-taped?
How many of Ron Standers fights that Tom Lovgren promoted ,did he video-tape(if any)?

[raylawpc]

Brutu, I don't know the answer to most of your questions. If you PM me, I will send you Lovgren's contact information and you can ask him yourself (and order the book!)

As I recall, Tom was the only serious promoter in Nebraska back in the day, so I'm almost positive he promoted Stander-Shavers and all of Stander's other fights in Nebraska.

[jaclem2]

...i saw jeff merritt and stander from ringside ...cleveland. it was not televised. merritt beat the hell out of him. when candy slim scored a knockdown stander was really pissed because he said he had slipped. his argument did have some credibility as the canvas was wet.

later i saw stander against tom "ruffhouse" fischer in cincinnati. ruffhouse was a class d fighter, if that high, but an agressive club fighter and that night he turned boxer and easily outpointed stander. when i talked to fischer after the fight and said he fought a smart one, he said there was no way he was going to mix it up with stander. "That guys nuts," he said. "He charged right into JOE FRAZIER!!!"

[The Great John L]

I seem to recall that Stander got dropped more than once by Merritt, and while I wasn't ringside from my vantage point he sure did look like he got hurt badly in that fight. I remember the sound of the punches as they landed on Stander. It was a terrible beating.

That night I was convinced I was looking at the future of the division.

[jaclem2]

...john....you sat close enough to hear the blasts and see the knockdowns....

plus.....we did see the future of the heavyweight division that night. in the prelims we saw larry holmes get off the canvas, box beautifully and then kayo his opponent...kevin isaacs.

i followed holmes from that night on and when i missed one of his pre-champ fights on tv i asked friends how he looked and they said he was okay, but nothing special. i thought if he was nothing special how come he kept winning. and of course we all know the rest of the story.

[The Great John L]

...john....you sat close enough to hear the blasts and see the knockdowns....

plus.....we did see the future of the heavyweight division that night. in the prelims we saw larry holmes get off the canvas, box beautifully and then kayo his opponent...kevin isaacs.

i followed holmes from that night on and when i missed one of his pre-champ fights on tv i asked friends how he looked and they said he was okay, but nothing special. i thought if he was nothing special how come he kept winning. and of course we all know the rest of the story.

Yeah, I remember there was a lot of press on Holmes here in NE Ohio prior to the card as Don King was really pushing him. All I wanted to see was this guy (Holmes) get beaten, so I was pretty happy when he got dropped. But d*amn if he didn't KO Isaacs. As I recall Isaacs was actually out and didn't move during the count. And Isaacs was actually a pretty good fighter.

And yes, I can still recall the sound of Merritts shots. My father was a mail man, and I was still in school, so ringside wasn't an option, but I'm sure it was pretty intense to watch such a performance from ringside. Not just Merritt, but also Holmes right hand.

BTW, I thought there was a cameraman at that card from one of the major Cleveland affiliates, because I remember speaking to him as he setup. Of course that was quite a while ago, so I might be confusing it with another card, but it was a pretty well publicized event with good media coverage in the weeks before. And I could be mistaken, but I thought there were highlights on one of the local news programs.

[raylawpc]

Tom Lovgren wrote me about the book, and I ordered it. He has also written a book about the Hernandez brothers (Art, Ferd and Dale), and I ordered that one, too. If anyone is interested, I'd be happy to send Tom's contact info by PM. Each book is $5.

[Brutu]

Here is a link to a brief newspaper article about the Jeff Merritt vs Ron Stander fight November 1973.


http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=2L ... 3721944&dq

[Ric]

[Brutu]

Tom Lovgren wrote me about the book, and I ordered it. He has also written a book about the Hernandez brothers (Art, Ferd and Dale), and I ordered that one, too. If anyone is interested, I'd be happy to send Tom's contact info by PM. Each book is $5.

When you receive your copies,will you please give them a mini-review here?
As far as number of pages,any photographs.
How many copies were printed and from which publishing company?

Have these books been reviewed in any of the boxing magazines?

[raylawpc]

Tom Lovgren wrote me about the book, and I ordered it. He has also written a book about the Hernandez brothers (Art, Ferd and Dale), and I ordered that one, too. If anyone is interested, I'd be happy to send Tom's contact info by PM. Each book is $5.

When you receive your copies,will you please give them a mini-review here?
As far as number of pages,any photographs.
How many copies were printed and from which publishing company?

Have these books been reviewed in any of the boxing magazines?

I got them a few days ago and no, I'm not going to write a review. Anybody who PMs me can have Tom's e-mail and find out about them for himself or herself. Tom's the same good guy I remember from the 70s, and he'll answer all your questions.

[Brutu]

Ken Norton vs Ron Stander,April.30.1976.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWuHZk31q3Q

[Brutu]

Joe Frazier vs Ron Stander
(For the Undisputed Heavyweight Championship of the World).
May.25.1972
Omaha Nebraska

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtlVM-ibIyY

[Brutu]

Here is a link to a 3 page article that originally appeared in the June.05.1972 issue of SPORTS ILLUSTRATED.
(IMOP, this fight seemed like the actual inspiration for the 1976 movie ROCKY,then the Ali-Wepner fight was)


http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/ ... /index.htm

[Brutu]

IMOP ,What made the Frazier-Stander fight good,was that styles make fights.
It sort of reminded me of a hockey fight.
Both were forwarding fighting punchers,who could take a punch and more often did then not.
The kind who would feel insulted if you missed a punch .
Both were the same height(5 ft 11 inches(although I think Frazier may have been actually closer to 5 ft 10 inches tall).
and both had short arms,so they both had to get in close to land.
Frazier's reach is listed as 71 inches,and Standers is 70 inches.
I wonder if this was perhaps the record for the shortest combined reach of any fighters
for a world heavyweight championship fight?

[jaclem2]

..interesting question...... could marciano/cockell have a total of smaller reaches?

[Brutu]

Yeah,you'r right Jacklem2.
I just checked a tale of the tape between Marciano and Cockell.
Marciano had a 68 inch reach
and Cockell a 70 inch reach.

71+70= 141 inches(Frazier-Stander)

68+70= 138 inches(Marciano-Cockell)

[jaclem2]

..thanks for checking, brutu....in any short reach discussion i automatically think of marciano as the shortest and as i mentally browsed through opponents cockell's squat torso loomed into view.

[Brutu]

Tommy Burns was of course the most"vertically challenged" Heavyweight champion
(at 5 ft, 7 inches tall),
but boxrec lists his reach as 73 inches.
*(The tale of the tape in 1908 of Burns vs Johnson, lists Burns height at 5 ft..7.25 inches and his reach at 74.5 inches
and Jack Johnson's reach at 72.75 inches)