From Henry Hascup:
David Desmond Williams Passes Away at 78. Last survivor of SA Team.
David Desmond Williams was a member of the most successful SA Olympic Games team. Other boxers in that squad were heavyweight Johnny Arthur, light-heavyweight George Hunter, middleweight Ken la Grange, welterweight Duggie du Preez, lightweight Gerald Dreyer, featherweight Dennis Shepherd and bantamweight Vic Toweel. Hunter won a gold medal and the Val Barker Cup for the best boxer at the Games. Dreyer also won gold, Shepherd took silver and Arthur won a bronze medal.
The London Games marked the first time that South Africa was represented in all eight divisions at the Olympics. The elimination bouts started at the Empress Hall in Earls Court on Saturday, August 7, and the tournament then moved to the Empire Pool in Wembley on Monday August 9. There were 25 entrants in the flyweight division. In his first fight, Williams won comfortably on points against P Ingmar Burgstrom of Sweden. However, he was battling to keep inside the flyweight limit. He was virtually on a starvation diet, he later recalled. In his next fight, he faced Pascual Perez of Argentina. It was reported that he put up a courageous performance but he was just too weak and was stopped in the third round. Perez went on to outpoint Italian Spartaco Bandinelli in the final.
On his return from the Olympics, Williams continued to box as an amateur before turning professional as a bantamweight. However, after only four fights he retired.
Source: Fightnews
Interesting to note-my father,Charles Norkus,a US Marine,won the All-US Service Heavy Championship in San Diego that year and competed in the USA Olympic Trials here in 1948.
Later that year in Boston Gardens, my father fought the Qtrfinals against Coley Wallace. My father had Wallace down twice in first round.In 3rd Rd, Wallace connected with solid right and KO my dad. Coley went on to fight Norvell Lee in US Finals Qualifier and lost to Mr Lee.
Norvel Lee lost in Gold Medal Finals in Olympics in '48 London.
Classic American West Coast Boxing
Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing
Last edited by CNorkusJr on 05 May 2011, 09:06, edited 2 times in total.
Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing
Two days after the Royal Wedding, we lost our King of heavyweights in Sir Henry Cooper, the most popular British fighter of all time and the only man to win three Lonsdale Belts.
Charming and approachable, Henry's popularity had more to do with his fighting style. Henry was an 'honest' fighter who lacked nothing in grit and a good old-fashioned heavyweight punch. He always had a go, and his left hook got him through many a nasty bout, horribly prone to cuts as he was.
Cooper boxed in an era when boxing made the back pages but he decked Cassius Clay and took on three world heavyweight champions in all, Ali, Patterson and Johannson. At home, his reign as British champion began in 1959 and ended in 1971, on a controversial 15-round decision to a young Joe Bugner. He ruled the roost when four of our heavies cracked the world rankings: Cooper, Brian London, Joe Erskine and Dick Richardson.
"Dick was a dirty bastard!" Henry told Harry Mullan in 1988. "He loved to put the nut in. He used to do it deliberately, usually in the first round. He gave me this scar with his head [pointing to a jagged scar between the eyes]. Very few referees are going to be strong enough to disqualify a man in the first round of a big fight and Dick knew that and used to take advantage of it.
"He had me on the floor in the fifth, and I was badly cut. But I knew where I was, and signalled to Jim (Wicks) that I was okay. When I got up, he came rushing in to finish me with a big right hand but I could see it coming and I let him have it with a left hook, perfect."
Henry hated losing and the loss of his wife in 2008 and of his twin brother George last year hit him harder than the sport ever could.
"He died of a broken heart," wrote Colin Hart.
Charming and approachable, Henry's popularity had more to do with his fighting style. Henry was an 'honest' fighter who lacked nothing in grit and a good old-fashioned heavyweight punch. He always had a go, and his left hook got him through many a nasty bout, horribly prone to cuts as he was.
Cooper boxed in an era when boxing made the back pages but he decked Cassius Clay and took on three world heavyweight champions in all, Ali, Patterson and Johannson. At home, his reign as British champion began in 1959 and ended in 1971, on a controversial 15-round decision to a young Joe Bugner. He ruled the roost when four of our heavies cracked the world rankings: Cooper, Brian London, Joe Erskine and Dick Richardson.
"Dick was a dirty bastard!" Henry told Harry Mullan in 1988. "He loved to put the nut in. He used to do it deliberately, usually in the first round. He gave me this scar with his head [pointing to a jagged scar between the eyes]. Very few referees are going to be strong enough to disqualify a man in the first round of a big fight and Dick knew that and used to take advantage of it.
"He had me on the floor in the fifth, and I was badly cut. But I knew where I was, and signalled to Jim (Wicks) that I was okay. When I got up, he came rushing in to finish me with a big right hand but I could see it coming and I let him have it with a left hook, perfect."
Henry hated losing and the loss of his wife in 2008 and of his twin brother George last year hit him harder than the sport ever could.
"He died of a broken heart," wrote Colin Hart.
Last edited by bennie on 06 May 2011, 02:14, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing
Jackie Cooper, a child movie star who went on to be a director and an executive in the entertainment industry, has passed away at the age of 89. Boxing fans may remember that he starred with Wallace Beery in a movie with a boxing theme called The Champ. His obituary is in today's edition of the Los Angeles Times.
- Chuck Johnston
- Chuck Johnston
Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing
He was also popular, and very good, as a member of pre-Spanky & Alfalfa "Our Gang" (aka, a Little Rascal). (One of my favorite lines, although not by him: "She's barefoot all over!")Chuck1052 wrote:Jackie Cooper, a child movie star who went on to be a director and an executive in the entertainment industry, has passed away at the age of 89. Boxing fans may remember that he starred with Wallace Beery in a movie with a boxing theme called The Champ. His obituary is in today's edition of the Los Angeles Times.
- Chuck Johnston
-
Rick Farris
- Heavyweight
- Posts: 7200
- Joined: 15 Feb 2008, 16:04
Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing
Chuck1052 wrote:Jackie Cooper, a child movie star who went on to be a director and an executive in the entertainment industry, has passed away at the age of 89. Boxing fans may remember that he starred with Wallace Beery in a movie with a boxing theme called The Champ. His obituary is in today's edition of the Los Angeles Times.
- Chuck Johnston
In the 70's, when I was starting out as a lighting tech at Universal Studios, Jackie Cooper would direct many of the studios one hour TV productions. May he rest in peace.
Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing
When Losing is Winning: Tony Baltazar vs. Howard Davis, Jr.
By Phil Rice: The mid-1980s represent something of a golden age for televised boxing. ESPN and USA had weekly boxing shows that often included all of the preliminary matches as well as the main events, so fans got a chance to see the up-and-coming fighters alongside the hard-working club-fighters who might not ever get beyond four-round status. HBO and Showtime programs featured big name attractions, and if a fan watched the cable listings closely, other boxing shows could be found on more obscure channels. But cable television was new and, though the technology was spreading at an enormous rate, as late as 1984 the majority of homes in the United States still picked up their television signal via antennae, which meant their viewing options consisted of ABC, NBC, CBS, and sometimes PBS.
The good news for the boxing fans without cable was that some of the sports' biggest match-ups were still shown live on network telecasts for free, though the viewer was usually forced to wait through various competitions, such as figure skating or skeet shooting, to get to the boxing match. And this is why Sunday, February 22, 1983 found me sitting in front of the television with CBS Sports Sunday on the screen. The telecast featured an indoor track meet, which was not something that would have normally appealed to my tastes but I was willing to keep the show on in anticipation of the intriguing boxing match being offered afterwards. Howard Davis, Jr. was set to box Tony Baltazar in a lightweight match-up.
Davis was a well-known athlete even to the casual sports fan because he had won a gold medal in the 1976 Olympics and had received the Val Barker Award as the outstanding boxer at those games. Afterwards he was considered a star-in-the-making and accordingly signed a huge contract with CBS Sports, but unlike his teammates Ray Leonard, John Tate, Leo Randolph, and brothers Leon and Michael Spinks, as of 1983 Davis had yet to fulfill his promise by winning a professional world championship. Not that he hadn't tried. In 1980 he traveled to Scotland to wrest the WBC crown from Jim Watt, but Watt retained the title with a unanimous decision.
Following his loss to Watt, Davis fought sporadically against good but carefully chosen opponents. With his record stalled at 21-1, he was now looking to drum up interest in a title shot against Ray Mancini, who had won the WBA title from Arturo Frias in an exciting one-round donnybrook. Mancini, a power puncher with a tough chin and enormous heart, was a popular champion and a television favorite, but most boxing insiders gave the slick boxing Davis a comfortable edge in the match-up. Conventional wisdom suggested that Mancini's only chance would be to land a knockout punch, and Davis's skills were considered more than up to the task of keeping him out of harm's way while he piled up the points with combinations from the outside.
In the midst of the build-up to a possible Davis-Mancini battle steps Tony "The Tiger" Baltazar. According to the pre-fight commentary, the fundamental elements of a classic boxer versus puncher encounter were present: a highly skilled defensive master with quick feet and fast hands against a powerful and presumably plodding tough guy with a big punch. The fact that the flashy boxer had shown a questionable chin in previous fights added the necessary element of suspense to the match-up, but the odds still heavily favored the supremely-skilled boxing master over the rugged slugger.
On paper Baltazar was an obvious choice as a tune-up for Davis because he brought many of the same weapons into the ring as Mancini—he was a tough power puncher with an excellent left hook who could be expected to last the distance in a losing effort. To again borrow the old boxing cliché, he only had a puncher's chance in the contest. At least that is what the boxing pundits suggested going into the bout. But, unbeknownst to most of the television viewers, "The Tiger" was much more than a rough brawler. The first clue came when commentator Gil Clancy mentioned that Baltazar "had a great amateur background. He was the National AAU champion . . . ."
Once the bell for round one rang, the Olympic champion began to discover what patrons of the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles had known for years—that Tony Baltazar was a well-trained, fine-tuned fighting machine with good defensive skills. And, as advertised, he also had power to spare.
My casual round-by-round summary of the fight:
Rd 1: Baltazar wins the round by confidently coming after Davis and landing a few punches. Davis moves around but does little offensively, apparently content to use the opening round to size up his opponent.
Baltazar's round, 5-4.
Rd 2: Davis comes out more assertive, throwing combinations and trying to take control of the fight while keeping the action on the outside. Baltazar is aggressive but seems to be impatient and anxious.
Davis's round, 5-4.
Rd 3: Davis is moving, throwing double and triple jabs followed by a right hand, using the ring; Baltazar is throwing a good jab but it's obvious that he's no match for Davis on the outside. He lands a good hook towards the end of the round but not much else.
Davis's round, 5-4.
Rd 4: Baltazar does not seem frustrated by Davis's speed and movement. Davis stays in command for the first minute and a half of the round, but then Baltazar lands a combination that changes the tenor. Suddenly Davis is not moving as much and Baltazar is able to get inside more effectively. With fifteen seconds to go in the round, Baltazar lands a thudding left hook to the body that gets everybody's attention.
Baltazar's round, 5-4.
Rd 5: Baltazar comes out in the fifth and lands a tremendous hook that sends Davis sprawling on the canvas. He struggles to his feet on unsteady legs as the referee counts. Baltazar comes right after him, and Davis immediately shows his world class sprinting ability. At first Baltazar seems a little overanxious, then he calms down—but he calms down a little too much. Davis is able to move around the ring and by mid round his head seems clear and he is throwing combinations again. As the round winds down Baltazar shows his own boxing skills with a powerful jab followed by precise combinations.
Baltazar's round, 5-3.
Rd 6: The first half of the round is evenly contested with Baltazar continuing to come forward and Davis skillfully moving. In the final minute of the round Baltazar slows down slightly and Davis flashes several combinations to gain an edge in scoring.
Davis's round, 5-4.
Rd 7: Another evenly contested round in the opening minute, but this time it's Baltazar who lands the more effective combinations to close the round. He bulls Davis in the corner on occasion and uses his superior strength on the inside.
Balatzar's round, 5-4.
Rd 8: Davis starts the round looking determined to take back control of the fight. He moves less and keeps his hands busy. Baltazar doesn't keep up the pace but he does land some solid punches to the body. In the final minute a perfect left hook drops Davis on his seat.
Baltazar's round, 5-3.
Rd 9: Sensing the fight slip away, Davis comes out aggressively looking to trade, but Baltazar is ready for him. It's a spirited round with Davis taking a very slight edge thanks to his speed and quantity of punches.
Davis's round, 5-4.
Rd 10: Davis continues to be aggressive, and he again gains a very slight edge in an exciting round.
Davis's round, 5-4.
The fight is officially scored on the round system with a supplemental points system to be used in the event of a draw. Because I was, as a fan, pulling for Baltazar, my scoring gives Davis the benefit of the doubt on the close rounds to offset my favoritism. My scorecard shows the fight even at 5 rounds apiece. Using the supplemental scoring system, Baltazar wins 45-43, thanks to the two knockdowns. But the official scorecards were 7-3, 8-2, and 5-4-1 for Davis, thus rendering the supplemental scoring system moot. The Olympic champion is still on course for a title shot.
Baltazar shakes his head when he hears the lopsided scoring as if he senses what is about to happen. When the final verdict in favor of Davis is announced he looks over at Frank Baltazar, his father and chief second, who flashes a cynical and resigned expression that seems to say "well son, we knew you'd have to knock him out to get the win."
Despite being on the victorious end of a highly debatable verdict (most observers felt Baltazar earned the victory), Howard Davis, Jr. proved that he was not only a brilliant boxer but that he possessed a champion's heart. He received more than he bargained for in his opponent this day—Baltazar was clearly a more complete fighter than Mancini—and he had weathered the storm admirably. He had also showed a willingness to get into the trenches and trade punches if necessary, though that was certainly not his preference.
His flawed performance made a fight with Mancini even more intriguing, but it never happened. When he did get another title shot it was against Edwin Rosario for the WBC title. Rosario was a skillful boxer-puncher with good power, and he was at the peak of what would prove to be his athletic prime. Davis lost a split decision, with two knockdowns—both from left hooks—making the difference in the scoring. He retired in 1996 with his goal of becoming a World Champion in the pro ranks unfulfilled, but his legacy of being one of the finest amateur boxers ever to lace up the gloves remains untarnished.
Stepping in against Howard Davis marked the big-time debut for Tony Baltazar, and his outstanding performance instantly elevated him to genuine contender status. As he would further demonstrate in subsequent fights, Baltazar possessed a professional demeanor, a sturdy chin, a tremendous heart, great power, and one of the best left hooks in the sport. Just five months after the Davis fight he was in the ring with Robin Blake, a tall power puncher who was receiving tons of media exposure. Baltazar and Blake traded bombs back and forth in one of the most exciting fights of the year. Once again Baltazar raised his stock in a losing effort, this time by ninth round technical knockout.
Unfortunately, like Davis, Baltazar never brought home a world title, but his resume is littered with victories over world-class opponents, most notably a decision victory over Roger Mayweather in 1984. Regardless of such baubles, "Tony the Tiger" proved that he was one of the best lightweights of his generation. Howard Davis, one must assume, would agree with that assessment.
More so than probably any other sport, assessing a boxer's career by looking at the final tally of wins and losses barely provides even a clue as to the athlete's true worth. Perhaps that's a point for the rest of us—that simple two dimensional analyses are ultimately superficial and deceptive. On February 22, 1983, Howard Davis, Jr. was awarded a victory, and from that day forward Tony Baltazar carried an "L10" on his record. But the story is much deeper and richer than those simple facts illustrate. The story is one of growth and fortitude, of living and breathing. And so it is that a single boxing match in the career of two legendary pugilists can stand as a definitive moment for each, regardless of whose hand was raised after the final bell.
Phil Rice, a native of Tennessee, currently lives and writes in Pittsburgh, Pa. He may be contacted at [email protected].
By Phil Rice: The mid-1980s represent something of a golden age for televised boxing. ESPN and USA had weekly boxing shows that often included all of the preliminary matches as well as the main events, so fans got a chance to see the up-and-coming fighters alongside the hard-working club-fighters who might not ever get beyond four-round status. HBO and Showtime programs featured big name attractions, and if a fan watched the cable listings closely, other boxing shows could be found on more obscure channels. But cable television was new and, though the technology was spreading at an enormous rate, as late as 1984 the majority of homes in the United States still picked up their television signal via antennae, which meant their viewing options consisted of ABC, NBC, CBS, and sometimes PBS.
The good news for the boxing fans without cable was that some of the sports' biggest match-ups were still shown live on network telecasts for free, though the viewer was usually forced to wait through various competitions, such as figure skating or skeet shooting, to get to the boxing match. And this is why Sunday, February 22, 1983 found me sitting in front of the television with CBS Sports Sunday on the screen. The telecast featured an indoor track meet, which was not something that would have normally appealed to my tastes but I was willing to keep the show on in anticipation of the intriguing boxing match being offered afterwards. Howard Davis, Jr. was set to box Tony Baltazar in a lightweight match-up.
Davis was a well-known athlete even to the casual sports fan because he had won a gold medal in the 1976 Olympics and had received the Val Barker Award as the outstanding boxer at those games. Afterwards he was considered a star-in-the-making and accordingly signed a huge contract with CBS Sports, but unlike his teammates Ray Leonard, John Tate, Leo Randolph, and brothers Leon and Michael Spinks, as of 1983 Davis had yet to fulfill his promise by winning a professional world championship. Not that he hadn't tried. In 1980 he traveled to Scotland to wrest the WBC crown from Jim Watt, but Watt retained the title with a unanimous decision.
Following his loss to Watt, Davis fought sporadically against good but carefully chosen opponents. With his record stalled at 21-1, he was now looking to drum up interest in a title shot against Ray Mancini, who had won the WBA title from Arturo Frias in an exciting one-round donnybrook. Mancini, a power puncher with a tough chin and enormous heart, was a popular champion and a television favorite, but most boxing insiders gave the slick boxing Davis a comfortable edge in the match-up. Conventional wisdom suggested that Mancini's only chance would be to land a knockout punch, and Davis's skills were considered more than up to the task of keeping him out of harm's way while he piled up the points with combinations from the outside.
In the midst of the build-up to a possible Davis-Mancini battle steps Tony "The Tiger" Baltazar. According to the pre-fight commentary, the fundamental elements of a classic boxer versus puncher encounter were present: a highly skilled defensive master with quick feet and fast hands against a powerful and presumably plodding tough guy with a big punch. The fact that the flashy boxer had shown a questionable chin in previous fights added the necessary element of suspense to the match-up, but the odds still heavily favored the supremely-skilled boxing master over the rugged slugger.
On paper Baltazar was an obvious choice as a tune-up for Davis because he brought many of the same weapons into the ring as Mancini—he was a tough power puncher with an excellent left hook who could be expected to last the distance in a losing effort. To again borrow the old boxing cliché, he only had a puncher's chance in the contest. At least that is what the boxing pundits suggested going into the bout. But, unbeknownst to most of the television viewers, "The Tiger" was much more than a rough brawler. The first clue came when commentator Gil Clancy mentioned that Baltazar "had a great amateur background. He was the National AAU champion . . . ."
Once the bell for round one rang, the Olympic champion began to discover what patrons of the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles had known for years—that Tony Baltazar was a well-trained, fine-tuned fighting machine with good defensive skills. And, as advertised, he also had power to spare.
My casual round-by-round summary of the fight:
Rd 1: Baltazar wins the round by confidently coming after Davis and landing a few punches. Davis moves around but does little offensively, apparently content to use the opening round to size up his opponent.
Baltazar's round, 5-4.
Rd 2: Davis comes out more assertive, throwing combinations and trying to take control of the fight while keeping the action on the outside. Baltazar is aggressive but seems to be impatient and anxious.
Davis's round, 5-4.
Rd 3: Davis is moving, throwing double and triple jabs followed by a right hand, using the ring; Baltazar is throwing a good jab but it's obvious that he's no match for Davis on the outside. He lands a good hook towards the end of the round but not much else.
Davis's round, 5-4.
Rd 4: Baltazar does not seem frustrated by Davis's speed and movement. Davis stays in command for the first minute and a half of the round, but then Baltazar lands a combination that changes the tenor. Suddenly Davis is not moving as much and Baltazar is able to get inside more effectively. With fifteen seconds to go in the round, Baltazar lands a thudding left hook to the body that gets everybody's attention.
Baltazar's round, 5-4.
Rd 5: Baltazar comes out in the fifth and lands a tremendous hook that sends Davis sprawling on the canvas. He struggles to his feet on unsteady legs as the referee counts. Baltazar comes right after him, and Davis immediately shows his world class sprinting ability. At first Baltazar seems a little overanxious, then he calms down—but he calms down a little too much. Davis is able to move around the ring and by mid round his head seems clear and he is throwing combinations again. As the round winds down Baltazar shows his own boxing skills with a powerful jab followed by precise combinations.
Baltazar's round, 5-3.
Rd 6: The first half of the round is evenly contested with Baltazar continuing to come forward and Davis skillfully moving. In the final minute of the round Baltazar slows down slightly and Davis flashes several combinations to gain an edge in scoring.
Davis's round, 5-4.
Rd 7: Another evenly contested round in the opening minute, but this time it's Baltazar who lands the more effective combinations to close the round. He bulls Davis in the corner on occasion and uses his superior strength on the inside.
Balatzar's round, 5-4.
Rd 8: Davis starts the round looking determined to take back control of the fight. He moves less and keeps his hands busy. Baltazar doesn't keep up the pace but he does land some solid punches to the body. In the final minute a perfect left hook drops Davis on his seat.
Baltazar's round, 5-3.
Rd 9: Sensing the fight slip away, Davis comes out aggressively looking to trade, but Baltazar is ready for him. It's a spirited round with Davis taking a very slight edge thanks to his speed and quantity of punches.
Davis's round, 5-4.
Rd 10: Davis continues to be aggressive, and he again gains a very slight edge in an exciting round.
Davis's round, 5-4.
The fight is officially scored on the round system with a supplemental points system to be used in the event of a draw. Because I was, as a fan, pulling for Baltazar, my scoring gives Davis the benefit of the doubt on the close rounds to offset my favoritism. My scorecard shows the fight even at 5 rounds apiece. Using the supplemental scoring system, Baltazar wins 45-43, thanks to the two knockdowns. But the official scorecards were 7-3, 8-2, and 5-4-1 for Davis, thus rendering the supplemental scoring system moot. The Olympic champion is still on course for a title shot.
Baltazar shakes his head when he hears the lopsided scoring as if he senses what is about to happen. When the final verdict in favor of Davis is announced he looks over at Frank Baltazar, his father and chief second, who flashes a cynical and resigned expression that seems to say "well son, we knew you'd have to knock him out to get the win."
Despite being on the victorious end of a highly debatable verdict (most observers felt Baltazar earned the victory), Howard Davis, Jr. proved that he was not only a brilliant boxer but that he possessed a champion's heart. He received more than he bargained for in his opponent this day—Baltazar was clearly a more complete fighter than Mancini—and he had weathered the storm admirably. He had also showed a willingness to get into the trenches and trade punches if necessary, though that was certainly not his preference.
His flawed performance made a fight with Mancini even more intriguing, but it never happened. When he did get another title shot it was against Edwin Rosario for the WBC title. Rosario was a skillful boxer-puncher with good power, and he was at the peak of what would prove to be his athletic prime. Davis lost a split decision, with two knockdowns—both from left hooks—making the difference in the scoring. He retired in 1996 with his goal of becoming a World Champion in the pro ranks unfulfilled, but his legacy of being one of the finest amateur boxers ever to lace up the gloves remains untarnished.
Stepping in against Howard Davis marked the big-time debut for Tony Baltazar, and his outstanding performance instantly elevated him to genuine contender status. As he would further demonstrate in subsequent fights, Baltazar possessed a professional demeanor, a sturdy chin, a tremendous heart, great power, and one of the best left hooks in the sport. Just five months after the Davis fight he was in the ring with Robin Blake, a tall power puncher who was receiving tons of media exposure. Baltazar and Blake traded bombs back and forth in one of the most exciting fights of the year. Once again Baltazar raised his stock in a losing effort, this time by ninth round technical knockout.
Unfortunately, like Davis, Baltazar never brought home a world title, but his resume is littered with victories over world-class opponents, most notably a decision victory over Roger Mayweather in 1984. Regardless of such baubles, "Tony the Tiger" proved that he was one of the best lightweights of his generation. Howard Davis, one must assume, would agree with that assessment.
More so than probably any other sport, assessing a boxer's career by looking at the final tally of wins and losses barely provides even a clue as to the athlete's true worth. Perhaps that's a point for the rest of us—that simple two dimensional analyses are ultimately superficial and deceptive. On February 22, 1983, Howard Davis, Jr. was awarded a victory, and from that day forward Tony Baltazar carried an "L10" on his record. But the story is much deeper and richer than those simple facts illustrate. The story is one of growth and fortitude, of living and breathing. And so it is that a single boxing match in the career of two legendary pugilists can stand as a definitive moment for each, regardless of whose hand was raised after the final bell.
Phil Rice, a native of Tennessee, currently lives and writes in Pittsburgh, Pa. He may be contacted at [email protected].
-
Rick Farris
- Heavyweight
- Posts: 7200
- Joined: 15 Feb 2008, 16:04
Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing
kikibalt wrote:When Losing is Winning: Tony Baltazar vs. Howard Davis, Jr.
By Phil Rice: The mid-1980s represent something of a golden age for televised boxing. ESPN and USA had weekly boxing shows that often included all of the preliminary matches as well as the main events, so fans got a chance to see the up-and-coming fighters alongside the hard-working club-fighters who might not ever get beyond four-round status. HBO and Showtime programs featured big name attractions, and if a fan watched the cable listings closely, other boxing shows could be found on more obscure channels. But cable television was new and, though the technology was spreading at an enormous rate, as late as 1984 the majority of homes in the United States still picked up their television signal via antennae, which meant their viewing options consisted of ABC, NBC, CBS, and sometimes PBS.
The good news for the boxing fans without cable was that some of the sports' biggest match-ups were still shown live on network telecasts for free, though the viewer was usually forced to wait through various competitions, such as figure skating or skeet shooting, to get to the boxing match. And this is why Sunday, February 22, 1983 found me sitting in front of the television with CBS Sports Sunday on the screen. The telecast featured an indoor track meet, which was not something that would have normally appealed to my tastes but I was willing to keep the show on in anticipation of the intriguing boxing match being offered afterwards. Howard Davis, Jr. was set to box Tony Baltazar in a lightweight match-up.
Davis was a well-known athlete even to the casual sports fan because he had won a gold medal in the 1976 Olympics and had received the Val Barker Award as the outstanding boxer at those games. Afterwards he was considered a star-in-the-making and accordingly signed a huge contract with CBS Sports, but unlike his teammates Ray Leonard, John Tate, Leo Randolph, and brothers Leon and Michael Spinks, as of 1983 Davis had yet to fulfill his promise by winning a professional world championship. Not that he hadn't tried. In 1980 he traveled to Scotland to wrest the WBC crown from Jim Watt, but Watt retained the title with a unanimous decision.
Following his loss to Watt, Davis fought sporadically against good but carefully chosen opponents. With his record stalled at 21-1, he was now looking to drum up interest in a title shot against Ray Mancini, who had won the WBA title from Arturo Frias in an exciting one-round donnybrook. Mancini, a power puncher with a tough chin and enormous heart, was a popular champion and a television favorite, but most boxing insiders gave the slick boxing Davis a comfortable edge in the match-up. Conventional wisdom suggested that Mancini's only chance would be to land a knockout punch, and Davis's skills were considered more than up to the task of keeping him out of harm's way while he piled up the points with combinations from the outside.
In the midst of the build-up to a possible Davis-Mancini battle steps Tony "The Tiger" Baltazar. According to the pre-fight commentary, the fundamental elements of a classic boxer versus puncher encounter were present: a highly skilled defensive master with quick feet and fast hands against a powerful and presumably plodding tough guy with a big punch. The fact that the flashy boxer had shown a questionable chin in previous fights added the necessary element of suspense to the match-up, but the odds still heavily favored the supremely-skilled boxing master over the rugged slugger.
On paper Baltazar was an obvious choice as a tune-up for Davis because he brought many of the same weapons into the ring as Mancini—he was a tough power puncher with an excellent left hook who could be expected to last the distance in a losing effort. To again borrow the old boxing cliché, he only had a puncher's chance in the contest. At least that is what the boxing pundits suggested going into the bout. But, unbeknownst to most of the television viewers, "The Tiger" was much more than a rough brawler. The first clue came when commentator Gil Clancy mentioned that Baltazar "had a great amateur background. He was the National AAU champion . . . ."
Once the bell for round one rang, the Olympic champion began to discover what patrons of the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles had known for years—that Tony Baltazar was a well-trained, fine-tuned fighting machine with good defensive skills. And, as advertised, he also had power to spare.
My casual round-by-round summary of the fight:
Rd 1: Baltazar wins the round by confidently coming after Davis and landing a few punches. Davis moves around but does little offensively, apparently content to use the opening round to size up his opponent.
Baltazar's round, 5-4.
Rd 2: Davis comes out more assertive, throwing combinations and trying to take control of the fight while keeping the action on the outside. Baltazar is aggressive but seems to be impatient and anxious.
Davis's round, 5-4.
Rd 3: Davis is moving, throwing double and triple jabs followed by a right hand, using the ring; Baltazar is throwing a good jab but it's obvious that he's no match for Davis on the outside. He lands a good hook towards the end of the round but not much else.
Davis's round, 5-4.
Rd 4: Baltazar does not seem frustrated by Davis's speed and movement. Davis stays in command for the first minute and a half of the round, but then Baltazar lands a combination that changes the tenor. Suddenly Davis is not moving as much and Baltazar is able to get inside more effectively. With fifteen seconds to go in the round, Baltazar lands a thudding left hook to the body that gets everybody's attention.
Baltazar's round, 5-4.
Rd 5: Baltazar comes out in the fifth and lands a tremendous hook that sends Davis sprawling on the canvas. He struggles to his feet on unsteady legs as the referee counts. Baltazar comes right after him, and Davis immediately shows his world class sprinting ability. At first Baltazar seems a little overanxious, then he calms down—but he calms down a little too much. Davis is able to move around the ring and by mid round his head seems clear and he is throwing combinations again. As the round winds down Baltazar shows his own boxing skills with a powerful jab followed by precise combinations.
Baltazar's round, 5-3.
Rd 6: The first half of the round is evenly contested with Baltazar continuing to come forward and Davis skillfully moving. In the final minute of the round Baltazar slows down slightly and Davis flashes several combinations to gain an edge in scoring.
Davis's round, 5-4.
Rd 7: Another evenly contested round in the opening minute, but this time it's Baltazar who lands the more effective combinations to close the round. He bulls Davis in the corner on occasion and uses his superior strength on the inside.
Balatzar's round, 5-4.
Rd 8: Davis starts the round looking determined to take back control of the fight. He moves less and keeps his hands busy. Baltazar doesn't keep up the pace but he does land some solid punches to the body. In the final minute a perfect left hook drops Davis on his seat.
Baltazar's round, 5-3.
Rd 9: Sensing the fight slip away, Davis comes out aggressively looking to trade, but Baltazar is ready for him. It's a spirited round with Davis taking a very slight edge thanks to his speed and quantity of punches.
Davis's round, 5-4.
Rd 10: Davis continues to be aggressive, and he again gains a very slight edge in an exciting round.
Davis's round, 5-4.
The fight is officially scored on the round system with a supplemental points system to be used in the event of a draw. Because I was, as a fan, pulling for Baltazar, my scoring gives Davis the benefit of the doubt on the close rounds to offset my favoritism. My scorecard shows the fight even at 5 rounds apiece. Using the supplemental scoring system, Baltazar wins 45-43, thanks to the two knockdowns. But the official scorecards were 7-3, 8-2, and 5-4-1 for Davis, thus rendering the supplemental scoring system moot. The Olympic champion is still on course for a title shot.
Baltazar shakes his head when he hears the lopsided scoring as if he senses what is about to happen. When the final verdict in favor of Davis is announced he looks over at Frank Baltazar, his father and chief second, who flashes a cynical and resigned expression that seems to say "well son, we knew you'd have to knock him out to get the win."
Despite being on the victorious end of a highly debatable verdict (most observers felt Baltazar earned the victory), Howard Davis, Jr. proved that he was not only a brilliant boxer but that he possessed a champion's heart. He received more than he bargained for in his opponent this day—Baltazar was clearly a more complete fighter than Mancini—and he had weathered the storm admirably. He had also showed a willingness to get into the trenches and trade punches if necessary, though that was certainly not his preference.
His flawed performance made a fight with Mancini even more intriguing, but it never happened. When he did get another title shot it was against Edwin Rosario for the WBC title. Rosario was a skillful boxer-puncher with good power, and he was at the peak of what would prove to be his athletic prime. Davis lost a split decision, with two knockdowns—both from left hooks—making the difference in the scoring. He retired in 1996 with his goal of becoming a World Champion in the pro ranks unfulfilled, but his legacy of being one of the finest amateur boxers ever to lace up the gloves remains untarnished.
Stepping in against Howard Davis marked the big-time debut for Tony Baltazar, and his outstanding performance instantly elevated him to genuine contender status. As he would further demonstrate in subsequent fights, Baltazar possessed a professional demeanor, a sturdy chin, a tremendous heart, great power, and one of the best left hooks in the sport. Just five months after the Davis fight he was in the ring with Robin Blake, a tall power puncher who was receiving tons of media exposure. Baltazar and Blake traded bombs back and forth in one of the most exciting fights of the year. Once again Baltazar raised his stock in a losing effort, this time by ninth round technical knockout.
Unfortunately, like Davis, Baltazar never brought home a world title, but his resume is littered with victories over world-class opponents, most notably a decision victory over Roger Mayweather in 1984. Regardless of such baubles, "Tony the Tiger" proved that he was one of the best lightweights of his generation. Howard Davis, one must assume, would agree with that assessment.
More so than probably any other sport, assessing a boxer's career by looking at the final tally of wins and losses barely provides even a clue as to the athlete's true worth. Perhaps that's a point for the rest of us—that simple two dimensional analyses are ultimately superficial and deceptive. On February 22, 1983, Howard Davis, Jr. was awarded a victory, and from that day forward Tony Baltazar carried an "L10" on his record. But the story is much deeper and richer than those simple facts illustrate. The story is one of growth and fortitude, of living and breathing. And so it is that a single boxing match in the career of two legendary pugilists can stand as a definitive moment for each, regardless of whose hand was raised after the final bell.
Phil Rice, a native of Tennessee, currently lives and writes in Pittsburgh, Pa. He may be contacted at [email protected].
That was a nice article. I always enjoyed watching Tony Baltazar fight, from the time he was a kid he was impressing everybody in the house.
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Rick Farris
- Heavyweight
- Posts: 7200
- Joined: 15 Feb 2008, 16:04
Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing
El Tapayec . . . (spelling?)
Anybody remember those huge "Manuel's Special" burritos that Randy, Frank, and I have posted photos of here?
El Tapayec, the restaurant in East L.A. was featured today on ABC TV.
Anybody remember those huge "Manuel's Special" burritos that Randy, Frank, and I have posted photos of here?
El Tapayec, the restaurant in East L.A. was featured today on ABC TV.
Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing
Nice write up Frank on Tony's fight vs. Howard Davis. I did not get a chance to see it back then. I hope to catch it on Youtube if its there.
Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing
Of course I never ate there, but "Man vs Food" Adam Richman-Food Channel did-knocking off his "Special Burrito-sauce and all. They showed Manual (he was about 70-80 yrs old ?) drinking a shot of Tequila with his lined up guests to get in.They said he did that often. And I dont think he missed a set of girls lips that he kissed in the place.Rick Farris wrote:El Tapayec . . . (spelling?)
Anybody remember those huge "Manuel's Special" burritos that Randy, Frank, and I have posted photos of here?
El Tapayec, the restaurant in East L.A. was featured today on ABC TV.
Great piece on the place.
Happy Cinco De Mayo to my Mexican Friends here.
Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing
http://www.canopicpublishing.com/theporch/baltazar.htmkikibalt wrote:When Losing is Winning: Tony Baltazar vs. Howard Davis, Jr.
By Phil Rice: The mid-1980s represent something of a golden age for televised boxing. ESPN and USA had weekly boxing shows that often included all of the preliminary matches as well as the main events, so fans got a chance to see the up-and-coming fighters alongside the hard-working club-fighters who might not ever get beyond four-round status. HBO and Showtime programs featured big name attractions, and if a fan watched the cable listings closely, other boxing shows could be found on more obscure channels. But cable television was new and, though the technology was spreading at an enormous rate, as late as 1984 the majority of homes in the United States still picked up their television signal via antennae, which meant their viewing options consisted of ABC, NBC, CBS, and sometimes PBS.
The good news for the boxing fans without cable was that some of the sports' biggest match-ups were still shown live on network telecasts for free, though the viewer was usually forced to wait through various competitions, such as figure skating or skeet shooting, to get to the boxing match. And this is why Sunday, February 22, 1983 found me sitting in front of the television with CBS Sports Sunday on the screen. The telecast featured an indoor track meet, which was not something that would have normally appealed to my tastes but I was willing to keep the show on in anticipation of the intriguing boxing match being offered afterwards. Howard Davis, Jr. was set to box Tony Baltazar in a lightweight match-up.
Davis was a well-known athlete even to the casual sports fan because he had won a gold medal in the 1976 Olympics and had received the Val Barker Award as the outstanding boxer at those games. Afterwards he was considered a star-in-the-making and accordingly signed a huge contract with CBS Sports, but unlike his teammates Ray Leonard, John Tate, Leo Randolph, and brothers Leon and Michael Spinks, as of 1983 Davis had yet to fulfill his promise by winning a professional world championship. Not that he hadn't tried. In 1980 he traveled to Scotland to wrest the WBC crown from Jim Watt, but Watt retained the title with a unanimous decision.
Following his loss to Watt, Davis fought sporadically against good but carefully chosen opponents. With his record stalled at 21-1, he was now looking to drum up interest in a title shot against Ray Mancini, who had won the WBA title from Arturo Frias in an exciting one-round donnybrook. Mancini, a power puncher with a tough chin and enormous heart, was a popular champion and a television favorite, but most boxing insiders gave the slick boxing Davis a comfortable edge in the match-up. Conventional wisdom suggested that Mancini's only chance would be to land a knockout punch, and Davis's skills were considered more than up to the task of keeping him out of harm's way while he piled up the points with combinations from the outside.
In the midst of the build-up to a possible Davis-Mancini battle steps Tony "The Tiger" Baltazar. According to the pre-fight commentary, the fundamental elements of a classic boxer versus puncher encounter were present: a highly skilled defensive master with quick feet and fast hands against a powerful and presumably plodding tough guy with a big punch. The fact that the flashy boxer had shown a questionable chin in previous fights added the necessary element of suspense to the match-up, but the odds still heavily favored the supremely-skilled boxing master over the rugged slugger.
On paper Baltazar was an obvious choice as a tune-up for Davis because he brought many of the same weapons into the ring as Mancini—he was a tough power puncher with an excellent left hook who could be expected to last the distance in a losing effort. To again borrow the old boxing cliché, he only had a puncher's chance in the contest. At least that is what the boxing pundits suggested going into the bout. But, unbeknownst to most of the television viewers, "The Tiger" was much more than a rough brawler. The first clue came when commentator Gil Clancy mentioned that Baltazar "had a great amateur background. He was the National AAU champion . . . ."
Once the bell for round one rang, the Olympic champion began to discover what patrons of the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles had known for years—that Tony Baltazar was a well-trained, fine-tuned fighting machine with good defensive skills. And, as advertised, he also had power to spare.
My casual round-by-round summary of the fight:
Rd 1: Baltazar wins the round by confidently coming after Davis and landing a few punches. Davis moves around but does little offensively, apparently content to use the opening round to size up his opponent.
Baltazar's round, 5-4.
Rd 2: Davis comes out more assertive, throwing combinations and trying to take control of the fight while keeping the action on the outside. Baltazar is aggressive but seems to be impatient and anxious.
Davis's round, 5-4.
Rd 3: Davis is moving, throwing double and triple jabs followed by a right hand, using the ring; Baltazar is throwing a good jab but it's obvious that he's no match for Davis on the outside. He lands a good hook towards the end of the round but not much else.
Davis's round, 5-4.
Rd 4: Baltazar does not seem frustrated by Davis's speed and movement. Davis stays in command for the first minute and a half of the round, but then Baltazar lands a combination that changes the tenor. Suddenly Davis is not moving as much and Baltazar is able to get inside more effectively. With fifteen seconds to go in the round, Baltazar lands a thudding left hook to the body that gets everybody's attention.
Baltazar's round, 5-4.
Rd 5: Baltazar comes out in the fifth and lands a tremendous hook that sends Davis sprawling on the canvas. He struggles to his feet on unsteady legs as the referee counts. Baltazar comes right after him, and Davis immediately shows his world class sprinting ability. At first Baltazar seems a little overanxious, then he calms down—but he calms down a little too much. Davis is able to move around the ring and by mid round his head seems clear and he is throwing combinations again. As the round winds down Baltazar shows his own boxing skills with a powerful jab followed by precise combinations.
Baltazar's round, 5-3.
Rd 6: The first half of the round is evenly contested with Baltazar continuing to come forward and Davis skillfully moving. In the final minute of the round Baltazar slows down slightly and Davis flashes several combinations to gain an edge in scoring.
Davis's round, 5-4.
Rd 7: Another evenly contested round in the opening minute, but this time it's Baltazar who lands the more effective combinations to close the round. He bulls Davis in the corner on occasion and uses his superior strength on the inside.
Balatzar's round, 5-4.
Rd 8: Davis starts the round looking determined to take back control of the fight. He moves less and keeps his hands busy. Baltazar doesn't keep up the pace but he does land some solid punches to the body. In the final minute a perfect left hook drops Davis on his seat.
Baltazar's round, 5-3.
Rd 9: Sensing the fight slip away, Davis comes out aggressively looking to trade, but Baltazar is ready for him. It's a spirited round with Davis taking a very slight edge thanks to his speed and quantity of punches.
Davis's round, 5-4.
Rd 10: Davis continues to be aggressive, and he again gains a very slight edge in an exciting round.
Davis's round, 5-4.
The fight is officially scored on the round system with a supplemental points system to be used in the event of a draw. Because I was, as a fan, pulling for Baltazar, my scoring gives Davis the benefit of the doubt on the close rounds to offset my favoritism. My scorecard shows the fight even at 5 rounds apiece. Using the supplemental scoring system, Baltazar wins 45-43, thanks to the two knockdowns. But the official scorecards were 7-3, 8-2, and 5-4-1 for Davis, thus rendering the supplemental scoring system moot. The Olympic champion is still on course for a title shot.
Baltazar shakes his head when he hears the lopsided scoring as if he senses what is about to happen. When the final verdict in favor of Davis is announced he looks over at Frank Baltazar, his father and chief second, who flashes a cynical and resigned expression that seems to say "well son, we knew you'd have to knock him out to get the win."
Despite being on the victorious end of a highly debatable verdict (most observers felt Baltazar earned the victory), Howard Davis, Jr. proved that he was not only a brilliant boxer but that he possessed a champion's heart. He received more than he bargained for in his opponent this day—Baltazar was clearly a more complete fighter than Mancini—and he had weathered the storm admirably. He had also showed a willingness to get into the trenches and trade punches if necessary, though that was certainly not his preference.
His flawed performance made a fight with Mancini even more intriguing, but it never happened. When he did get another title shot it was against Edwin Rosario for the WBC title. Rosario was a skillful boxer-puncher with good power, and he was at the peak of what would prove to be his athletic prime. Davis lost a split decision, with two knockdowns—both from left hooks—making the difference in the scoring. He retired in 1996 with his goal of becoming a World Champion in the pro ranks unfulfilled, but his legacy of being one of the finest amateur boxers ever to lace up the gloves remains untarnished.
Stepping in against Howard Davis marked the big-time debut for Tony Baltazar, and his outstanding performance instantly elevated him to genuine contender status. As he would further demonstrate in subsequent fights, Baltazar possessed a professional demeanor, a sturdy chin, a tremendous heart, great power, and one of the best left hooks in the sport. Just five months after the Davis fight he was in the ring with Robin Blake, a tall power puncher who was receiving tons of media exposure. Baltazar and Blake traded bombs back and forth in one of the most exciting fights of the year. Once again Baltazar raised his stock in a losing effort, this time by ninth round technical knockout.
Unfortunately, like Davis, Baltazar never brought home a world title, but his resume is littered with victories over world-class opponents, most notably a decision victory over Roger Mayweather in 1984. Regardless of such baubles, "Tony the Tiger" proved that he was one of the best lightweights of his generation. Howard Davis, one must assume, would agree with that assessment.
More so than probably any other sport, assessing a boxer's career by looking at the final tally of wins and losses barely provides even a clue as to the athlete's true worth. Perhaps that's a point for the rest of us—that simple two dimensional analyses are ultimately superficial and deceptive. On February 22, 1983, Howard Davis, Jr. was awarded a victory, and from that day forward Tony Baltazar carried an "L10" on his record. But the story is much deeper and richer than those simple facts illustrate. The story is one of growth and fortitude, of living and breathing. And so it is that a single boxing match in the career of two legendary pugilists can stand as a definitive moment for each, regardless of whose hand was raised after the final bell.
Phil Rice, a native of Tennessee, currently lives and writes in Pittsburgh, Pa. He may be contacted at [email protected].
Article with photos
Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing
Thanks Charlie. The fight is on YoutubeCNorkusJr wrote:Nice write up Frank on Tony's fight vs. Howard Davis. I did not get a chance to see it back then. I hope to catch it on Youtube if its there.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJ_eyGHh ... ADB0A556FC
Here's the fight, the rest can be seen on Youtube
Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing
Paramount Studios - Stage 17 . . . .
I've been working at Paramount Studio this week. Sometimes I'll mention past productions that have been filmed on different stages I've worked on. I don't know the history of all stages, but many I'm familiar with as a result of personal experience, stories from other film makers or, as in this case, a brief history is listed on a plaque near the stage door. Paramount is the oldest movie studio in Hollywood, dating back before the 1920's. Stage-17 was built in 1941, and the plaque pictured gives a short list of it's films from the past.
-Rick Farris
I've been working at Paramount Studio this week. Sometimes I'll mention past productions that have been filmed on different stages I've worked on. I don't know the history of all stages, but many I'm familiar with as a result of personal experience, stories from other film makers or, as in this case, a brief history is listed on a plaque near the stage door. Paramount is the oldest movie studio in Hollywood, dating back before the 1920's. Stage-17 was built in 1941, and the plaque pictured gives a short list of it's films from the past.
-Rick Farris
Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing
Frank, I've been looking at Tony's ring record, a win over Roger Mayweather, Mayweather a good fighter. Frank what would you say was Tony's best fight.....
Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing
Frank, Did you see the fight at the Olympic with Vince Delgado and Boots Monroe in 1960, they say it was a thriller....
Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing
Don't remember that I did, Paul. Boots Monroe was a good fighter, seen him fight many times. Vince Delgado, a nephew of the near-great Carlos Chavez was considered to be a sure champ when he turned pro under great trainer Johnny Forbes, but after spending two years in the army (fighting the Korean war), he came home a different fighter, it was obvious that he had lost a step or two during his time in the army....As to the Monroe/Delgado fight, I just don't remember it.Cholo wrote:Frank, Did you see the fight at the Olympic with Vince Delgado and Boots Monroe in 1960, they say it was a thriller....
Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing
Frank, Thanks for the info on Vince Delgado....kikibalt wrote:Don't remember that I did, Paul. Boots Monroe was a good fighter, seen him fight many times. Vince Delgado, a nephew of the near-great Carlos Chavez was considered to be a sure champ when he turned pro under great trainer Johnny Forbes, but after spending two years in the army (fighting the Korean war), he came home a different fighter, it was obvious that he had lost a step or two during his time in the army....As to the Monroe/Delgado fight, I just don't remember it.Cholo wrote:Frank, Did you see the fight at the Olympic with Vince Delgado and Boots Monroe in 1960, they say it was a thriller....
Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing
Yes, the Mayweather fight was a great win for Tony....Cholo wrote:Frank, I've been looking at Tony's ring record, a win over Roger Mayweather, Mayweather a good fighter. Frank what would you say was Tony's best fight.....
Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing
Frank, I would say that the Mayweather win was a excellent victory for Tony, i remember seeing Mayweather give Vinny Pazienza a good beating on the the undercard of Sugar Ray Leonard/Donny Lalonde, and then drop Lou Duva....kikibalt wrote:Yes, the Mayweather fight was a great win for Tony....Cholo wrote:Frank, I've been looking at Tony's ring record, a win over Roger Mayweather, Mayweather a good fighter. Frank what would you say was Tony's best fight.....
Frank what are Tony and Frank jr doing these days are they still involved with the fight game?..... Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing
Bonanza, The Ed Sullivan Show and The Andy Griffith Show were the TV series of the 1960s for me.kikibalt wrote:Paramount Studios - Stage 17 . . . .
I've been working at Paramount Studio this week. Sometimes I'll mention past productions that have been filmed on different stages I've worked on. I don't know the history of all stages, but many I'm familiar with as a result of personal experience, stories from other film makers or, as in this case, a brief history is listed on a plaque near the stage door. Paramount is the oldest movie studio in Hollywood, dating back before the 1920's. Stage-17 was built in 1941, and the plaque pictured gives a short list of it's films from the past.
-Rick Farris
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Rick Farris
- Heavyweight
- Posts: 7200
- Joined: 15 Feb 2008, 16:04
Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing
Ric wrote:Bonanza, The Ed Sullivan Show and The Andy Griffith Show were the TV series of the 1960s for me.kikibalt wrote:Paramount Studios - Stage 17 . . . .
I've been working at Paramount Studio this week. Sometimes I'll mention past productions that have been filmed on different stages I've worked on. I don't know the history of all stages, but many I'm familiar with as a result of personal experience, stories from other film makers or, as in this case, a brief history is listed on a plaque near the stage door. Paramount is the oldest movie studio in Hollywood, dating back before the 1920's. Stage-17 was built in 1941, and the plaque pictured gives a short list of it's films from the past.
-Rick Farris
Ric, The Andy Griffith Show was filmed at Desilu Studios, which is now a part of the Paramount lot. Desilu was originally RKO, owned by Howard Hughes. It was a small studio lot (about 8 stages) that was right next to Paramount, seperated only by a wall. In 1950, Lucy & Desi bought the studio from Hughes and changed the name to Desilu. After the Lucy & desi split in the early 60's, Lucy sold the studio to Paramount and now both lots are one. On the plaque I posted, it says that Bonanaza was filmed on the stage from 1959-1973. Bonanza did have a 14 year run during those years, but the last three years of the series was filmed at Warner Bros. I was fortunate to be a member of Michael Landon's crew, and we heard many, many stories from Mike about working on Bonanaza, his relationship with Dan Blocker. Those were the days!
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Rick Farris
- Heavyweight
- Posts: 7200
- Joined: 15 Feb 2008, 16:04
Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing
Rick Farris wrote:Ric wrote:Bonanza, The Ed Sullivan Show and The Andy Griffith Show were the TV series of the 1960s for me.kikibalt wrote:Paramount Studios - Stage 17 . . . .
I've been working at Paramount Studio this week. Sometimes I'll mention past productions that have been filmed on different stages I've worked on. I don't know the history of all stages, but many I'm familiar with as a result of personal experience, stories from other film makers or, as in this case, a brief history is listed on a plaque near the stage door. Paramount is the oldest movie studio in Hollywood, dating back before the 1920's. Stage-17 was built in 1941, and the plaque pictured gives a short list of it's films from the past.
-Rick Farris
Ric, The Andy Griffith Show was filmed at Desilu Studios, which is now a part of the Paramount lot. Desilu was originally RKO, owned by Howard Hughes. It was a small studio lot (about 8 stages) that was right next to Paramount, seperated only by a wall. In 1950, Lucy & Desi bought the studio from Hughes and changed the name to Desilu. After the Lucy & desi split in the early 60's, Lucy sold the studio to Paramount and now both lots are one. On the plaque I posted, it says that Bonanaza was filmed on the stage from 1959-1973. Bonanza did have a 14 year run during those years, but the last three years of the series was filmed at Warner Bros. I was fortunate to be a member of Michael Landon's crew, and we heard many, many stories from Mike about working on Bonanaza, his relationship with Dan Blocker. Those were the days!
(Old-time TV studios and ranches.)
Yeah, I remember as a kid seeing the "Filmed at Desilu" text and/or Desilu logo at the end of an episode of many TV series during the 1960s--including Star Trek.
(Other series mentioned here. BTW: check out this video.)
Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing
JOEY GIARDELLO STATUE TO BE UNVEILED MAY 21
PHILADELPHIA, PA - A larger than life statue of former middleweight champion Joey Giardello will be unveiled and dedicated in a public ceremony on Saturday, May 21, 2011 at 1:00 PM. The event will be held at the permanent statue location of South 13th Street, Mifflin Street and East Passyunk Avenue in South Philadelphia.
The statue was sculpted by artist Carl LeVotch for the Joey Giardello Project, a partnership of boxing organizations that consists of the Veteran Boxers Association, PhillyBoxingHistory.com, and the Harrowgate Boxing Club. The group worked on the non-profit project over the past two and one half years.
In addition to honoring the great Giardello, the realistic artwork is also a tribute to the history of boxing in South Philadelphia. A total of seventy boxers are included in the tribute as well as landmark South Philadelphia gyms and fight venues.
Joey Giardello won the world middleweight championship in 1963 by defeating Dick Tiger and held the title for two years. He compiled a professional ring record of 101-25-7 with 33 KOs, and entered the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1993. Giardello died September 4, 2008.
The bronze statue will be the first such monument of a real-life boxer in Philadelphia, one of the world's greatest fight towns.
The dedication event is free to the public and will be a celebration of Giardello, the statue and Philly boxing history.
####
CONTACT:
John DiSanto
Philly Boxing History
609-377-6413
[email protected]
John DiSanto
609-377-6413
[email protected]
PHILADELPHIA, PA - A larger than life statue of former middleweight champion Joey Giardello will be unveiled and dedicated in a public ceremony on Saturday, May 21, 2011 at 1:00 PM. The event will be held at the permanent statue location of South 13th Street, Mifflin Street and East Passyunk Avenue in South Philadelphia.
The statue was sculpted by artist Carl LeVotch for the Joey Giardello Project, a partnership of boxing organizations that consists of the Veteran Boxers Association, PhillyBoxingHistory.com, and the Harrowgate Boxing Club. The group worked on the non-profit project over the past two and one half years.
In addition to honoring the great Giardello, the realistic artwork is also a tribute to the history of boxing in South Philadelphia. A total of seventy boxers are included in the tribute as well as landmark South Philadelphia gyms and fight venues.
Joey Giardello won the world middleweight championship in 1963 by defeating Dick Tiger and held the title for two years. He compiled a professional ring record of 101-25-7 with 33 KOs, and entered the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1993. Giardello died September 4, 2008.
The bronze statue will be the first such monument of a real-life boxer in Philadelphia, one of the world's greatest fight towns.
The dedication event is free to the public and will be a celebration of Giardello, the statue and Philly boxing history.
####
CONTACT:
John DiSanto
Philly Boxing History
609-377-6413
[email protected]
John DiSanto
609-377-6413
[email protected]
-
Rick Farris
- Heavyweight
- Posts: 7200
- Joined: 15 Feb 2008, 16:04
Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing
Ric, if you look at the picture you'll see at the bottom Desilu stages 6 & 7. When Paramount took over the lot, they combined both stages into one, and that is now Stage-32 and is home of the "Dr. Phil" TV show. It was necessary to renumber the old Desilu stages to accomodate the Paramount system. Most productions use more than one stage, and Stage-15, which is Paramount's largest, is always used by Star Trek for their large "Enterprise" set. At the moment, another "Star Trek" feature film is in pre-production and set to start filming by late summer.Ric wrote:Rick Farris wrote:Ric wrote: Bonanza, The Ed Sullivan Show and The Andy Griffith Show were the TV series of the 1960s for me.
Ric, The Andy Griffith Show was filmed at Desilu Studios, which is now a part of the Paramount lot. Desilu was originally RKO, owned by Howard Hughes. It was a small studio lot (about 8 stages) that was right next to Paramount, seperated only by a wall. In 1950, Lucy & Desi bought the studio from Hughes and changed the name to Desilu. After the Lucy & desi split in the early 60's, Lucy sold the studio to Paramount and now both lots are one. On the plaque I posted, it says that Bonanaza was filmed on the stage from 1959-1973. Bonanza did have a 14 year run during those years, but the last three years of the series was filmed at Warner Bros. I was fortunate to be a member of Michael Landon's crew, and we heard many, many stories from Mike about working on Bonanaza, his relationship with Dan Blocker. Those were the days!
(Old-time TV studios and ranches.)
Yeah, I remember as a kid seeing the "Filmed at Desilu" text and/or Desilu logo at the end of an episode of many TV series during the 1960s--including Star Trek.
(Other series mentioned here. BTW: check out this video.)