Classic American West Coast Boxing

[Randyman]

June 26,1982

Los Angeles, California, United States

Frankie Baltazar W Abe Perez KO 2 10

Henry Contreras W Manuel Cruz KO 1

Tony Baltazar W Raul Bencomo KO 2

John Montes W Manuel Abedoy KO 2

Great shot Frank! Classic. 29 years ago!! Wow.

[Randyman]

Dancing With The Stars . . . Leonard on "Hands of Stone"

Dan Hanley and I have a partner in our boxing interview productions and that's cinematographer Greg Patterson, who's camera work helps define our work.
For the last couple of weeks, Greg has been the Lighting Director on the "Dancing With The Stars" series, and one of this season's dancers is Sugar Ray Leonard.
Greg didn't pass up an opportunity to speak with the former world champ and asked him just one question about his career, "Who hit harder, Duran or Hearns?"
Greg was surprised by Leonard's candor, "Duran hit harder than Hearns, and he hit harder than Hagler too. Duran was the hardest puncher I faced."

Greg is always behind the camera when we record interviews, but I wish he'd have got Leonard's response when cameras were rolling.
That was a keeper!

That is a keeper ! Great post. It seemed to me that Hearns punch-counts were always high.Not just with Leonards', but with everybody. The image I have of him is these off-balance straight arms.
Duran on the other hand looked like he put his legs into his punches more-hence his power.

Charlie, I don't know where Duran's power comes from, but it's beyond the legs, the body.
Duran's power and energy surpasses the normal human being. Without question.
My opinion, but anybody who was close to Duran for more than a minute will understand what I'm saying.
Anybody who stepped into a ring with Roberto Duran was treated like somebody who had entered his domain, his house, you were trying to steal something.
He didn't care if you were a pro, amateur, bigger, smaller, whatever, you were going to feel his power.
I loved Duran for the way he beat up an over-rated superstar, Sugar Ray Leonard. Leonard had his strengths, Duran was just stronger, a true great.
The "No Mas" thing reflected something in the nature of the great Duran that people could not relate to. He defied his legend. But he came back anyway.
Duran is a little crazy. All fighters are a little crazy?

Rick, you and I are on the same page with regards to Duran. "When Duran was Duran...." His power? He was just born with it.

I was watching Dancing with the stars on Monday night, when Leonard comes on and introduces himself to the camera "Hello, I'm Sugar Ray Leonard and I'm a boxing legend!" It's one thing for fans and the media to call someone a legend but somehow it doesn't set well with me when someone, anyone, calls himself a legend. A little to pompous for me. kind of like Roy Jones Jr, when he speaks in the third person as in "Roy Jones is hungry, Roy Jones is going to bed now". Or am I just being overly critical?

[Ric]

From BoxRec Encyclopaedia
"One of the most storied venues in boxing history, the "Grand Olympic Auditorium," located at 1801 South Grand Avenue in Los Angeles, CA, USA, opened August 5, 1925 to a crowd of jewel-clad Hollywood film stars, prominent tuxedoed citizens, and other "common" folk. (Then-World Champion Jack Dempsey earlier had shoveled the first pile of dirt for the groundbreaking ceremony.) The original seating capacity was 10,400 (this included "standing-room only" patrons). It had one huge ground floor, with the boxing ring at its center. It also had an enormous balcony that stretched diagonally away in every direction toward the roof. The boxers' dressing rooms and showers were on the southern side of the basement floor.

The Olympic had weekly boxing shows during the 1920s, '30s, and '40s -- usually on Tuesday nights. It later shifted to Thursdays during the 1950s. After the Hollywood Legion Stadium shut down in 1959, the Olympic's shows moved to Fridays and Saturdays, and ran continuously until 1980. The Olympic Auditorium ran spot shows during the early 1980s, before closing later that decade. It had lost much of its luster due to age and the decay of its surrounding neighborhood.

In the late 1980s it was refurbished extensively and its seating capacity reduced to 7,500. The arena reopened for Oscar De La Hoya's WBO super featherweight title fight against champion Jimmi Bredahl in 1994. As of early 2005, it still held boxing shows. In the summer of 2005 it was sold to a Korean-American church group, who renamed it the "Glory Vision Center." As a result, the famed building ended its long, glorious history as a boxing venue. "

Back in October 2000, I was in Los Angeles for the WBHOF induction ceremony, and hooked up with F. John LaBarba (Fidel's son) and his wife. We drove around LA to visit a couple of spots for Fidel's long-lost (stolen?) Olympic Gold Medal. F. John thought he might find some clues to its whereabouts at a couple of places--with no luck. Anyway, during the long drive that day, we decided to stop by the Olympic Auditorium. As luck would have it, the daughter of the then-owner was there, and we asked if we could take a tour of the place. She was so gracious and gave us free reign. We spent almost an hour looking over the place. We even went downstairs to tour the old dressing rooms and showers. We took photos with one camera. But as "bad luck" would have it, the camera was soon lost. So, we have no pictures of our tour. Dang it! Perhaps the old ghosts of that grand venue didn't want to be photographed.

Aside from Madison Square Garden, the Montreal Forum is about the only other venue I can think of that has had about as long a history as a boxing venue. The Forum was a boxing venue (as well as a venue for other things, like ice hockey) for 70 years (1925-1995).

[kikibalt]

June 26,1982

Los Angeles, California, United States

Frankie Baltazar W Abe Perez KO 2 10

Henry Contreras W Manuel Cruz KO 1

Tony Baltazar W Raul Bencomo KO 2

John Montes W Manuel Abedoy KO 2

Great shot Frank! Classic. 29 years ago!! Wow.

Damn!!, I was only 45 years old...Damn!!!....I was a young cat...DAMN!!!!

[kikibalt]

I have never killed a man , but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure...Clarence Darrow

[CNorkusJr]

Ric, I loved your rememberance of going to The Olympic. Sometimes I find myself out of town and in another city where my father fought. It happened in 1988 when I was in San Francisco to go to my then sister-in-laws graduation from nursing college. a trip to the SF Civic Auditorium turned out to be a pleasant suprise.
Another recent trip to Miami-to see the NY Jets vs. Miami Dolphins also included a trip to the old Miami Beach Auditorium. The Main front doors were open and my friend and I went in. We were met by a 25-30 yr old security guard who asked our business.
I told him my father fought battles there in the 1950's and would like to look inside.
He said the place has long been renovated into a concert hall with a stage at one end and permanent seating on floors and balconies and does not resemble the old Aud. from years ago.
I said okay but if I can peek through the doors it would do my heart well.
He said he cant do that as some European Pink Floyd Tribute Band was on stage doing sound checks and might interfere with it.(We all know better though).
Just then, a theatre stage manager just happened to appear and heard my conversation.
He said come with me and he took me to an upper balcony level and went inside the theatre area. Though renovated I could picture the way it was from my fathers video tapes of the Nardico and Pastrano fights he had there. It was a wonderful moment that I will forever remember.Please note that this is NOT the Miami Beach Convention Center that had great fights in its history.The Convention Center still exists and is literally just a few blocks away from Auditorium.
Here is some cool photos:
THEN: NORKUS VS PASTRANO DEC 26,1956

NOW: JACKIE GLEASON THEATRE (what it is now)-52 yrs later

[Chuck1052]

In the Los Angeles area alone, there were a number of venues which were constructed for boxing shows before the Olympic Auditorium was built. They include the Naud Junction Pavilion (about 1905), an open-air arena for boxing cards staged by the Jeffries A.C. in Vernon (about 1907), the first version of Jack Doyle's Vernon Arena (the middle 1910s), the second version of the Vernon Arena (late 1923), the first version of the Wilmington Bowl (about 1923) and the arena for boxing cards staged by the Culver City American Legion (1924). The Olympic Auditorium was built in 1925.

A rival group to Tom McCarey built an arena in Los Angeles about 1904, but the authorities were able to keep boxing cards from being staged there after about one show. The venue was torn down shortly afterwards.

- Chuck Johnston

[Chuck1052]

I forgot another boxing venue in the Los Angeles area that should be on the list, the first version of the Hollywood Legion Stadium.

- Chuck Johnston

[Ric]

Ric, I loved your rememberance of going to The Olympic. Sometimes I find myself out of town and in another city where my father fought. It happened in 1988 when I was in San Francisco to go to my then sister-in-laws graduation from nursing college. a trip to the SF Civic Auditorium turned out to be a pleasant suprise.
Another recent trip to Miami-to see the NY Jets vs. Miami Dolphins also included a trip to the old Miami Beach Auditorium. The Main front doors were open and my friend and I went in. We were met by a 25-30 yr old security guard who asked our business.
I told him my father fought battles there in the 1950's and would like to look inside.
He said the place has long been renovated into a concert hall with a stage at one end and permanent seating on floors and balconies and does not resemble the old Aud. from years ago.
I said okay but if I can peek through the doors it would do my heart well.
He said he cant do that as some European Pink Floyd Tribute Band was on stage doing sound checks and might interfere with it.(We all know better though).
Just then, a theatre stage manager just happened to appear and heard my conversation.
He said come with me and he took me to an upper balcony level and went inside the theatre area. Though renovated I could picture the way it was from my fathers video tapes of the Nardico and Pastrano fights he had there. It was a wonderful moment that I will forever remember.Please note that this is NOT the Miami Beach Convention Center that had great fights in its history.The Convention Center still exists and is literally just a few blocks away from Auditorium.

Great memory. Thank you!
In Sept. 2004, I went to Montreal to visit where Grandpa Pete Sanstol fought: at the Forum (now a shopping mall) and the St. Denis Theatre (still there). At the Forum, I saw a movie in its theater ("Festival Express"); I think the movie theater is located close to where the ring was probably situated; and imagined having been there some 70-plus years earlier watching ol' Pete dance in the ring as a young man.

[kikibalt]

Max Baer and Errol Flynn

[kikibalt]

Courtesy of Robmorris



Eddie "Animal" Lopez, Burgess Merdith and Slyvester Stallone

[Rick Farris]

That is a keeper ! Great post. It seemed to me that Hearns punch-counts were always high.Not just with Leonards', but with everybody. The image I have of him is these off-balance straight arms.
Duran on the other hand looked like he put his legs into his punches more-hence his power.

Charlie, I don't know where Duran's power comes from, but it's beyond the legs, the body.
Duran's power and energy surpasses the normal human being. Without question.
My opinion, but anybody who was close to Duran for more than a minute will understand what I'm saying.
Anybody who stepped into a ring with Roberto Duran was treated like somebody who had entered his domain, his house, you were trying to steal something.
He didn't care if you were a pro, amateur, bigger, smaller, whatever, you were going to feel his power.
I loved Duran for the way he beat up an over-rated superstar, Sugar Ray Leonard. Leonard had his strengths, Duran was just stronger, a true great.
The "No Mas" thing reflected something in the nature of the great Duran that people could not relate to. He defied his legend. But he came back anyway.
Duran is a little crazy. All fighters are a little crazy?

Rick, you and I are on the same page with regards to Duran. "When Duran was Duran...." His power? He was just born with it.

I was watching Dancing with the stars on Monday night, when Leonard comes on and introduces himself to the camera "Hello, I'm Sugar Ray Leonard and I'm a boxing legend!" It's one thing for fans and the media to call someone a legend but somehow it doesn't set well with me when someone, anyone, calls himself a legend. A little to pompous for me. kind of like Roy Jones Jr, when he speaks in the third person as in "Roy Jones is hungry, Roy Jones is going to bed now". Or am I just being overly critical?

I'm with you, Charlie! Leonard is a prima donna.
Recently, an award-winning filmmaker shot a great documentary on Latino boxers. He interviewed everybody you could think of, including Ray Leonard.
Of all the interview subjects, only one demanded a make-up artist, Leonard.
As for Jones, they should get rid of him. He's not only an egomaniac, he's just plain stupid.
I'm surprised the cable companies don't take advantage of Sean O'Grady, he is interesting at ringside.
Of course, maybe O'Grady wouldn't have patience with the idiocy of Merchant & Lampley?

[bennie]

George Walker has passed away in France at the age of 82. The elder brother of heavyweight sensation Billy, George managed Billy, "The Blonde Bomber", throughout his career and made him an absolute fortune.
George was a shrewd, shrewd man.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... ousin.html

[CNorkusJr]

Rick, That was Randy I think you should be acknowldging above, but I'm with you both that he seems a little too big for his britches.

[Panzerfaust]

Dancing With The Stars . . . Leonard on "Hands of Stone"

Dan Hanley and I have a partner in our boxing interview productions and that's cinematographer Greg Patterson, who's camera work helps define our work.
For the last couple of weeks, Greg has been the Lighting Director on the "Dancing With The Stars" series, and one of this season's dancers is Sugar Ray Leonard.
Greg didn't pass up an opportunity to speak with the former world champ and asked him just one question about his career, "Who hit harder, Duran or Hearns?"
Greg was surprised by Leonard's candor, "Duran hit harder than Hearns, and he hit harder than Hagler too. Duran was the hardest puncher I faced."

Greg is always behind the camera when we record interviews, but I wish he'd have got Leonard's response when cameras were rolling.
That was a keeper!

That is a keeper ! Great post. It seemed to me that Hearns punch-counts were always high.Not just with Leonards', but with everybody. The image I have of him is these off-balance straight arms.
Duran on the other hand looked like he put his legs into his punches more-hence his power.

Charlie, I don't know where Duran's power comes from, but it's beyond the legs, the body.
Duran's power and energy surpasses the normal human being. Without question.
My opinion, but anybody who was close to Duran for more than a minute will understand what I'm saying.
Anybody who stepped into a ring with Roberto Duran was treated like somebody who had entered his domain, his house, you were trying to steal something.
He didn't care if you were a pro, amateur, bigger, smaller, whatever, you were going to feel his power.
I loved Duran for the way he beat up an over-rated superstar, Sugar Ray Leonard. Leonard had his strengths, Duran was just stronger, a true great.
The "No Mas" thing reflected something in the nature of the great Duran that people could not relate to. He defied his legend. But he came back anyway.
Duran is a little crazy. All fighters are a little crazy?

Duran drawing by R. Slone

[THEHAMMER321]

Good morning all , how has everybody been doing, Frank, Rick, Charlie, Tom, Remy,Randy, I been missing in action for over a week, need to catch up on my reading of this thread, looking forward to June,hope to see everyone at the CBHOF event.

[THEHAMMER321]

Frank is it almost Menudo time. ?

[CNorkusJr]

Glad to have you back.

[kikibalt]

Frank is it almost Menudo time. ?

Don't have manudo time today, too busy working on bios for the CBHOF.....

[raylawpc]

Ric, I loved your rememberance of going to The Olympic. Sometimes I find myself out of town and in another city where my father fought. It happened in 1988 when I was in San Francisco to go to my then sister-in-laws graduation from nursing college. a trip to the SF Civic Auditorium turned out to be a pleasant suprise.
Another recent trip to Miami-to see the NY Jets vs. Miami Dolphins also included a trip to the old Miami Beach Auditorium. The Main front doors were open and my friend and I went in. We were met by a 25-30 yr old security guard who asked our business.
I told him my father fought battles there in the 1950's and would like to look inside.
He said the place has long been renovated into a concert hall with a stage at one end and permanent seating on floors and balconies and does not resemble the old Aud. from years ago.
I said okay but if I can peek through the doors it would do my heart well.
He said he cant do that as some European Pink Floyd Tribute Band was on stage doing sound checks and might interfere with it.(We all know better though).
Just then, a theatre stage manager just happened to appear and heard my conversation.
He said come with me and he took me to an upper balcony level and went inside the theatre area. Though renovated I could picture the way it was from my fathers video tapes of the Nardico and Pastrano fights he had there. It was a wonderful moment that I will forever remember.Please note that this is NOT the Miami Beach Convention Center that had great fights in its history.The Convention Center still exists and is literally just a few blocks away from Auditorium.

I'll be in Miami Beach at the end of next month, and I'll have to check it out. A few years ago, I went to the site of the the Fifth Street Gym in Miami Beach. All that was there was a plaque. However, I understand the gym is making a comeback at or near its old location. http://www.5thstgym.com/index.html I plan to check that out too.

[raylawpc]

Of course, maybe O'Grady wouldn't have patience with the idiocy of Merchant & Lampley?

Ha! Sean is one of the least confrontational people you'll ever meet. And if they pay him enough, he'll put up with stupidity for hours on end . . .

[raylawpc]

Frank is it almost Menudo time. ?

Don't have manudo time today, too busy working on bios for the CBHOF.....

Let me know if you need help with the Fitzsimmons bio. I have lots of stuff in my files.

[kikibalt]

Frank is it almost Menudo time. ?

Don't have manudo time today, too busy working on bios for the CBHOF.....

Let me know if you need help with the Fitzsimmons bio. I have lots of stuff in my files.

I'll let you know if I need help...Thanks Tom.....

[Randyman]

Of course, maybe O'Grady wouldn't have patience with the idiocy of Merchant & Lampley?

Ha! Sean is one of the least confrontational people you'll ever meet. And if they pay him enough, he'll put up with stupidity for hours on end . . .

I remember one night when Sean was commentator for a Ray Mancini fight, I don't remember who Ray was fighting but after seeing Ray take a couple of good shots from his opponent, Sean says to his fellow commentator, "Mancini takes a pretty good punch for an Italian". I thought it was hilarious but there but there was a brouhaha about it for a few weeks. Do you remember that Tom?

[Randyman]

That is a keeper ! Great post. It seemed to me that Hearns punch-counts were always high.Not just with Leonards', but with everybody. The image I have of him is these off-balance straight arms.
Duran on the other hand looked like he put his legs into his punches more-hence his power.

Charlie, I don't know where Duran's power comes from, but it's beyond the legs, the body.
Duran's power and energy surpasses the normal human being. Without question.
My opinion, but anybody who was close to Duran for more than a minute will understand what I'm saying.
Anybody who stepped into a ring with Roberto Duran was treated like somebody who had entered his domain, his house, you were trying to steal something.
He didn't care if you were a pro, amateur, bigger, smaller, whatever, you were going to feel his power.
I loved Duran for the way he beat up an over-rated superstar, Sugar Ray Leonard. Leonard had his strengths, Duran was just stronger, a true great.
The "No Mas" thing reflected something in the nature of the great Duran that people could not relate to. He defied his legend. But he came back anyway.
Duran is a little crazy. All fighters are a little crazy?

Duran drawing by R. Slone