Classic American West Coast Boxing

[kikibalt]

Archie Moore vs Floyd Patterson
1956

[Rick Farris]

d

[Counter-puncher]

Archie Moore vs Floyd Patterson
1956

brilliant photo

[Rick Farris]

Jersey Joe Walcott, Joe Louis, James J. Braddock, & Muhammad Ali

Jersey Joe, the fighter & referee . . .

Jersey Joe almost won the heavyweight championhip from Joe Louis. A bad decision allowed Louis to retain the title.
The rematch? The power of Joe Louis was never more evident as he flattened Walcott.
I remember Walcott's power as well, when he flattened Ezzard Charles with a beautiful left hook.
Of course, Walcott split two with Charles, but there was something about the way Walcott would shift before firing that hook.
Unfortunately, Walcott's prowess in the ring did not extend to referee duties.
Jersey Joe bungled the ten count in the second Clay-Liston encounter.
That would be Walcott's last assignment as third man in the ring.

[bennie]

Newly crowned British lightweight champion Anthony "Million Dollar" Crolla could be defending against former champion Gavin "The Rock" Rees in a fine-looking contest on the Amir Khan-Paul McCloskey show in Manchester on April 16.
If so, it is a lightning first defence for Crolla, who looked excellent in stopping John Watson earlier this month to win the title in Watson's home city of Liverpool (nine rounds). However, Rees had also stopped Watson for the British title in November in Newport (11 rounds) but then vacated due to a nose injury sustained in the fight, hence Crolla-Watson. The nose now nicely if slowly healed, Rees wants his title back.
The rugged little Welshman, a pro since 1998 and former WBA light-welterweight champion, has lost only to the Ukraine's classy Andreas Kotelnik in 35 fights (stopped in 12) and still has shelf-life at the age of 30, but Crolla, 24, is one of the most improved fighters in the country, having stopped big Manchester rivals Michael Brodie and Andy Morris prior to the Watson fight, a fight he took at short notice above his natural super-featherweight, although you wouldn't have guessed either as Crolla, trained by Joe Gallagher, set a hot pace and pulled out a big right hand to flatten Watson.
Of course, Rees will argue that he paved the way for the Crolla display, but after a bright start, Rees found the going much harder against Watson and suffered his nose injury from a series of Watson uppercuts in the middle rounds, before his experience won the day.
Comparitively, one has to favour the exciting Crolla in this one, in what amounts to a cracking match.

[CNorkusJr]

Frank, I dont know where you come up with these photos-but they are simply compelling to see each time. Fantastic. Thank You for sharing.
Archie's expression speaks volumes on how Patterson caught him probably off guard or with unexpecting power, or both.

[kikibalt]

Chuck Davey (left) & Rocky Graziano

[kikibalt]

Frank, I dont know where you come up with these photos-but they are simply compelling to see each time. Fantastic. Thank You for sharing.
Archie's expression speaks volumes on how Patterson caught him probably off guard or with unexpecting power, or both.

Charlie, I get most of the photos from web sites that I visit, there are some great photos out in cyber world....

[Rick Farris]

Lee McAllister was stopped in eight rounds by unbeaten John Murray in a crack at the British lightweight title in January 2009, since when Joe Jordan has been busier than the slippery Scot, out for over a year with an elbow injury. The 28-year-old McAllister, a ticket-seller from the granite city of Aberdeen, finally returns against Hungarian trier Istvan Nagy on Saturday night in Aberdeen, bizarrely scheduled for 12 rounds.
Frankly, this is just a warm-up for McAllister, 31-2 (7), as he checks out his left elbow before concentrating on defences of his Commonwealth lightweight title against the potential likes of Alex Arthur, Willie Limond, Derry Matthews or even hot Cardiff puncher Gary Buckland, who stopped Nagy in the first round in November 2009 in Stoke (down twice).
Nagy, 29, regularly tours the European fight circuit and lasted five rounds with young Scot Paul Appleby in Motherwell in 2007, so he knows what he is up against. In fairness, the gutsy visitor rarely gets stopped and he carries a bit of a dig at 15-8 (8), but McAllister is big, quick and talented enough to halt Nagy from the middle round.

I wish Mel Epstein could see this one.

[Rick Farris]

Jeri and I had pastrami on our minds today. We were thinking about Grinder Haven in Ontario but switched gears and decided to head to L.A.. We headed for Langer's Deli just west of downtown L.A. in the MacArthur Park area. Langer's is famous for their pastrami sandwiches. Langer's has been around since the 1940's and judging by the look of it it is probably the only hold over from Los Angeles' glory days.

Jeri ordered the number 19 or as they like to call it "The Legendary number 19", a pastrami sandwich on rye with swiss cheese, cole slaw and Russian dressing. Jeri asked for her sandwich to be served with toasted sourdough.The slaw is served in the sandwich. Jeri looked like she was enjoying it so I asked " How's the sandwich? All she could say was "Hmmm!" It's good? I asked again. "Very good" she said. So I said "Better than Grinder Haven"? "Just as good but different.

I ordered a half pastrami on rye with swiss cheese and Russian dressing along with the chicken matzo ball soup with noodles. Everything was outstanding. It amazes me how pastrami could be so good and so different from restaurant to restaurant. I've had both the corned beef sandwich and pastrami sandwich at Carnigies in New York, when it comes to quantity Carnigies has it over on Langer's but Langer's holds it's own in quality and taste. Also, the pickles at Carnigies were the best I've ever had.

After we ate we drove over to Main Street. I wanted to look at the spot where the old gym once stood. It has been gone for years but this time I wanted to get a picture. I was amazed at how the area has changed. Downtown has been trying to rebuild and reinvent itself for years. No more bums in the street. Frank and Rick will remember stepping over and around the poor souls that littered Main Street near the gym, many of them former fighters. Across the street where Johnnie's Shrimp Boat once stood is a new building. Nothing stays the same.


Langer's Deli on the corner of 7th and Alvarado.


The Legendary number 19


My half pastrami sandwich above and

Matzo Ball and Noodle soup below. (Good Stuff)


Two views of the empty space where the Main Street Gym once stood

Randy, that space is no longer empty. A big building now occupies the spot where the parking lot was.
It's hard to recognize the old neighborhood, no Follies Theatre, No Gym, no greezy spook Fish Boat stand, no pawn shops, no barber college . . . Just new buildings.

Rick, I took that photo yesterday, on Main Street between 3rd and 4th streets, which is where the gym was located. The new building is between 2nd and 3rd. If I'm wrong I'll eat my hat.

Randy, I posted photos more than a year ago of construction taking place exactly where the gym stood. I posted them in this thread way back. However, maybe they were just repaving the parking lot? I can see that you are in the right spot and there is no building. I haven't looked since, and I wasn't between 2nd & 3rd St. A picture beats a thousand words, and you have the photo. Maybe I'm just losing it. I was under the impression a building was going up. I was obviously wrong. I do recall the modern building that sits where the Follies Theatre and Johnny's Shrimp boat was, but that was across the street, of course.

[CNorkusJr]

I am intrigued by the parking lot sign " $5.00 all day".
This past weekend I drove my friend and I into midtown Manhattan to go to the St Johns vs Pittsburg college basketball game. (He has season tickets and a St John's grad).
We had option of taking train, but I said I would drive. There is parking around Mad. Sq. Garden. Sign states "Weekends up to 12 hrs. $18.33, Garden events $24.50, Special events $31.50 up to 12 hrs" Final Result on return to pick up car: On Saturday, In Mad. Sq.Garden 5 hrs-total bill $37.00.
Mgr says- special event plus city tax- that I still had 7 more hours at that price.
Tried to figure out his definition of Garden events and Special Event. Ever argue with a foreigner who has no clue either way.? Know what; I gather-EVERY dam day is "Special Event" no matter if Garden is involved or not.
I'm slowing down, mind lapses after working in city for years.
I should have saw it coming.
On even second thought- I got my car back intact and nothing missing, Thanks to God on that one too.

[bennie]

Lee McAllister was stopped in eight rounds by unbeaten John Murray in a crack at the British lightweight title in January 2009, since when Joe Jordan has been busier than the slippery Scot, out for over a year with an elbow injury. The 28-year-old McAllister, a ticket-seller from the granite city of Aberdeen, finally returns against Hungarian trier Istvan Nagy on Saturday night in Aberdeen, bizarrely scheduled for 12 rounds.
Frankly, this is just a warm-up for McAllister, 31-2 (7), as he checks out his left elbow before concentrating on defences of his Commonwealth lightweight title against the potential likes of Alex Arthur, Willie Limond, Derry Matthews or even hot Cardiff puncher Gary Buckland, who stopped Nagy in the first round in November 2009 in Stoke (down twice).
Nagy, 29, regularly tours the European fight circuit and lasted five rounds with young Scot Paul Appleby in Motherwell in 2007, so he knows what he is up against. In fairness, the gutsy visitor rarely gets stopped and he carries a bit of a dig at 15-8 (8), but McAllister is big, quick and talented enough to halt Nagy from the middle round.

I wish Mel Epstein could see this one.

They call him "The Aberdeen Assassin", Rick. He has seven stoppages.

[bennie]

In my mind the most commendable figure in current domestic boxing is not John Simpson or Matthew Hatton or Anthony Crolla or Steve Foster or Ashley Theophane or Danny McIntosh or Jamie McDonnell or Ricky Burns, or all those other superb overachievers, but a man who rose from the dead - not after four days like Lazarus - but after four heavy stoppage defeats in that of Liverpool's remarkable Derry Matthews.
I say remarkable because Matthews built up a record of 20-0 in his early pro years, including thrilling decisions over Simpson and Foster, to earn himself a 'live' Saturday night fight on ITV1 and a tag of 'Golden Boy' but then it all started to crumble as firstly he busted up badly in fights, then went over from head and body shots, particularly body shots, and after Stoke's light-hitting Scott Lawton doubled him up and stopped him in six rounds in 2009, Matthews announced his inevitable retirement.
Perhaps just as inevitably, he was back a few months later, citing weight problems for his earlier frailties. He was just too big to boil down to his old featherweight without weakening himself he said. Yeah, right! Now a rangy lightweight, Matthews has netted five wins out of six on his comeback, avenging the Lawton loss and one to the much-feared Choi Tseveenpurev of Mongolia in the process. My God, he was right! The lone defeat came to hot Welshman Gary Buckland, who had just flattened reigning British super-featherweight champion Gary Sykes in 45 seconds of a non-title affair, so you can hardly bunch it up with the other setbacks.
No, the 27-year-old Matthews is back, and back in style, and while he will never have the durability of "Sailor" Tom Sharkey, his long, raking shots to head and body from a much tighter guard than before make him a big favourite to keep his form going against Chester's once-beaten Chris Goodwin in Chester in April because Goodwin, who lost his debut in 2006 but has gone unbeaten ever since, cannot whack at 12-1-1 (0), although he certainly moves and switch-hits well.
On home ground, Goodwin will also be 'up' for it but to win this he really needs to raise his game and that lack of power and experience (he's never done more than six rounds) will surely cost him as the 'new' Matthews boxes sharply, intelligently and tellingly on the way to a late stoppage win.

[bennie]

Good man, good boy.

[kikibalt]

Lee McAllister was stopped in eight rounds by unbeaten John Murray in a crack at the British lightweight title in January 2009, since when Joe Jordan has been busier than the slippery Scot, out for over a year with an elbow injury. The 28-year-old McAllister, a ticket-seller from the granite city of Aberdeen, finally returns against Hungarian trier Istvan Nagy on Saturday night in Aberdeen, bizarrely scheduled for 12 rounds.
Frankly, this is just a warm-up for McAllister, 31-2 (7), as he checks out his left elbow before concentrating on defences of his Commonwealth lightweight title against the potential likes of Alex Arthur, Willie Limond, Derry Matthews or even hot Cardiff puncher Gary Buckland, who stopped Nagy in the first round in November 2009 in Stoke (down twice).
Nagy, 29, regularly tours the European fight circuit and lasted five rounds with young Scot Paul Appleby in Motherwell in 2007, so he knows what he is up against. In fairness, the gutsy visitor rarely gets stopped and he carries a bit of a dig at 15-8 (8), but McAllister is big, quick and talented enough to halt Nagy from the middle round.

I wish Mel Epstein could see this one.

They call him "The Aberdeen Assassin", Rick. He has seven stoppages.

WTF??!!

[Rick Farris]

I am intrigued by the parking lot sign " $5.00 all day".
This past weekend I drove my friend and I into midtown Manhattan to go to the St Johns vs Pittsburg college basketball game. (He has season tickets and a St John's grad).
We had option of taking train, but I said I would drive. There is parking around Mad. Sq. Garden. Sign states "Weekends up to 12 hrs. $18.33, Garden events $24.50, Special events $31.50 up to 12 hrs" Final Result on return to pick up car: On Saturday, In Mad. Sq.Garden 5 hrs-total bill $37.00.
Mgr says- special event plus city tax- that I still had 7 more hours at that price.
Tried to figure out his definition of Garden events and Special Event. Ever argue with a foreigner who has no clue either way.? Know what; I gather-EVERY dam day is "Special Event" no matter if Garden is involved or not.
I'm slowing down, mind lapses after working in city for years.
I should have saw it coming.
On even second thought- I got my car back intact and nothing missing, Thanks to God on that one too.

Charlie . . . Parking in downtown L.A. can be crazy too, especially around the Staples Center.
And isn't it strange that some guy you just heard speaking perfect English, suddenly speaks nothing but Farsi when money is the issue.

[Rick Farris]

I wish Mel Epstein could see this one.

They call him "The Aberdeen Assassin", Rick. He has seven stoppages.

WTF??!!

A real banger, huh?

[Rick Farris]

Morning, Frank. Gotta go . . .

[bennie]

Morning, Frank. Gotta go . . .

Enjoy your dump. DD

[kikibalt]

Morning, Frank. Gotta go . . .

Enjoy your dump. DD

Morning Rick, Bennie....dump??

[kikibalt]

They call him "The Aberdeen Assassin", Rick. He has seven stoppages.

WTF??!!

A real banger, huh?

Looks like a Peacock....

[bennie]

In fairness, McAllister is a good boxer, slick and quick, and he does hit quite sharply. He suffered terrible injuries in a hit-and-run incident on the very first day of a holiday in Crete in 2004. He suffered a broken jaw and cheekbone, required 100 stitches to a torn leg and had his spleen removed.
His flashy hairstyles probably reflect his second chance.

[CNorkusJr]

I am intrigued by the parking lot sign " $5.00 all day".
This past weekend I drove my friend and I into midtown Manhattan to go to the St Johns vs Pittsburg college basketball game. (He has season tickets and a St John's grad).
We had option of taking train, but I said I would drive. There is parking around Mad. Sq. Garden. Sign states "Weekends up to 12 hrs. $18.33, Garden events $24.50, Special events $31.50 up to 12 hrs" Final Result on return to pick up car: On Saturday, In Mad. Sq.Garden 5 hrs-total bill $37.00.
Mgr says- special event plus city tax- that I still had 7 more hours at that price.
Tried to figure out his definition of Garden events and Special Event. Ever argue with a foreigner who has no clue either way.? Know what; I gather-EVERY dam day is "Special Event" no matter if Garden is involved or not.
I'm slowing down, mind lapses after working in city for years.
I should have saw it coming.
On even second thought- I got my car back intact and nothing missing, Thanks to God on that one too.

Charlie . . . Parking in downtown L.A. can be crazy too, especially around the Staples Center.
And isn't it strange that some guy you just heard speaking perfect English, suddenly speaks nothing but Farsi when money is the issue.

Exactly what it is ! They had to be related.

[Rick Farris]

In fairness, McAllister is a good boxer, slick and quick, and he does hit quite sharply. He suffered terrible injuries in a hit-and-run incident on the very first day of a holiday in Crete in 2004. He suffered a broken jaw and cheekbone, required 100 stitches to a torn leg and had his spleen removed.
His flashy hairstyles probably reflect his second chance.

His hair style reflects brain damage.

[kikibalt]

Carlos Ortiz & wife



Carlos Ortiz (R) vs Battling Torres