Classic American West Coast Boxing

[Cholo]

Art Aragon with Lawyers Paul Caruso and Jules Cuvey

Frank, Thanks for sharing, was Art in trouble?..

[Rick Farris]

Leonardo Lopez

birth date 1944-01-01
division featherweight
country United States
residence Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
won 9 (KO 3) + lost 8 (KO 4) + drawn 1 = 18
rounds boxed 98 KO% 16.67



1969-03-04 136½ Billy Coleman 138½ 9-14-0
Valley Music Theatre, Woodland Hills, California, United States L KO 4 6
1969-02-20 139 Maclovio Medina 139 3-4-1
Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, United States L PTS 6 6
1967-06-28 135 Ruben Navarro 135½ 7-0-1
Long Beach Arena, Long Beach, California, United States L TKO 7 10
1967-05-25 132 Len Kesey 134 14-3-0
Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, United States L TKO 3 10
time: 2:23 | referee: Joey Olmos
Lopez was down three times in the 3rd round.

1967-04-17 Len Kesey 13-3-0
Las Vegas, Nevada, United States L PTS 10 10
1967-03-14 Marcello Cid 0-2-0
Memorial Auditorium, Sacramento, California, United States D PTS 4 4
1967-03-06 Len Kesey 13-2-0
Las Vegas, Nevada, United States W PTS 10 10
1967-01-05 130 Abel Benitez 126 5-2-0
Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, United States L PTS 6 6
1966-12-08 134½ Herman Escobar 136 3-2-0
Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, United States L PTS 6 6
1966-10-13 132½ Gabriel Hernandez 133 5-11-0
Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, United States L KO 1 6
time: 1:57

1966-10-03 Arreola Lopez 1-1-0
Silver Slipper, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States W PTS 6 6
1966-09-19 Arreola Lopez 1-0-0
Silver Slipper, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States W PTS 6 6
1966-07-25 Phil Montes 0-2-0
Silver Slipper, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States W PTS 5 5
1966-06-21 131 Gabriel Brambila 132 2-18-1
Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States W PTS 6 6
1966-05-23 Gabe Bambia
Hacienda Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States W PTS 6 6
1966-05-09 Rene Macias 0-5-0
Hacienda Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States W KO 4
1966-04-04 128½ Speedy Moran 128½ 0-1-0
Hacienda Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States W TKO 4 4
1964-12-15 135 Dave White 136 6-4-0
Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica, California, United States W TKO 4 4

[Rick Farris]

I hope Tom Ray was not involved with that Tornado that hit Missouri.
What's up Tom?

[Cholo]

More On Art,
Aragon's opinion of himself perhaps is best typified by a brief conversation which took place recently when Art, whose picture appears in the Los Angeles sports sections more often then that of any other contemporary athlete, drove his 1956 Cadillac convertible into one of Los Angeles many drive-in restaurants. The car-hop who approached Art's car to hand him a menu thought his face looked familiar, and she asked politely, "Aren't you a fighter?"
Aragon stuck his elbow out the window, leaned closer to the car-hop, gave her a satisfied smile and said with confidence,
"Honey, I'm the fighter."

[CNorkusJr]

Mel, Money and The Mob . . .


Mel Epstein wanted no part of Jerry McCauley's generosity.
"Your manager is hooked-up. Don't think I don't know it. He's from Ohio, like Suey. Get the picture?"
Mel ranted on, "He gives you and Gil King each a car, money, and all you gotta do is ride around with him one morning a week?"
"He likes to parade you and that bum around like your his race horses, but you haven't won a Kentucky Derby, have you?" Mel puntuated his point with a smirk.

Mel would be on a roll, "Your manager . . ." he'd say sarcasticly, "comes up to me today and hands me a C-note and tells me to buy the kid dinner tonight."
"So I tells the bastid, I buy you dinner every night. He trys to hand me more cash, but I don't want it."
"Everybody thinks I'm crazy but he can't buy me, that phony Phil Silvers kisses his ass, not me. I'm not rich, I'm on a fixed income, but I don't need him."
Mel then lowers his voice to a whisper, even though we are all alone, "You know, your manager keeps Mike Mazurki's restaurant going at the Elk's building."
Mel continued, "Mazurki told me he'd have gone under long ago, but Jerry pays the bills by ordering food for everybody, kicks in for the rent, etc."

Maybe Jerry McCauley wasn't so bad after all?
However, Mel would never admit it. Business man or not, in Mel's eyes Jerry was a gangster.
Mel's grizzled face softens, "And I was in a union up North, on the docks, we had a great union. I have a small pension, and I have you, the "Obstinate Kid".
Mel would smile, having calmed himself from one his little personal fiascos.


-Rick Farris

This story above reminds of a story my father had of the "good old days". He had many of them and would share them with a group of guys telling things out of school.
In 1954,my father had a pretty good string of victories and was appearing on National TV fights often. He became a recognizable boxer face in NYC around Stillman's Gym and Madison Sq Garden area.
Though he was hitting his stride, it was still common practice to go out with his manager who had a handful of tickets for his upcoming fite and sell them en masse to areas that would be interested.My father and Ghee Leico would first hit the westside docks and its longshoreman-mostly Irish-thats where the "Murphy" on his robe became important.
He said they would off load about 200-300 tickets there in a snap.Then they would venture in Times Square where my dad shook hands and signed autographs at Dempseys Rest. and on the street,off loading a few more dozen tickets.
Often they hit New Jersey spots to complete the day.

One day after training in Stillmans' joint, an unknown man came up to my father outside and said that he was taking him around to sell the tickets and not Ghee Leico that day with Ghee's backing.
My father didnt think anything of it as the man held about 50 tickets in his hand.
They went into Times Square which held many "Mom and Pop " stores like cleaners,shoe repairs,delis etc etc. Not what you see there today .
The guy told my father to stay outside and greet people who came up to him and this guy would go into the stores and unload tickets to the owners.He would say to my dad each time "That this guy is a BIG FAN of yours and when he looks your way give him a wave or two" .Each time my father would wave as he looked out the window.The owner would shell out big dollars to the guy and the man would pass him two tickets.

This went on all day.It was after awhile and later in the evening that my father spoke with Ghee Leico his trainer.
Ghee said he never sent a guy over to him. After a brief talk a few days later, it was learned the guy was a local Loan-shark, and what he was doing was telling the owners "See that guy out there-Thats Charley Norkus the famous heavyweight fighter-and if you dont pay up right now-he is coming in here to break your legs".
And each time the guy looked up and out the window-There's my father smiling and waving to him.
Hence the money and the exchange of tickets.
My father had no idea and another lesson learned in the Big Apple.
My father later told me that the matter with the loan shark was "settled out of court" and he elaborated no further.

[kikibalt]

Art Aragon with Lawyers Paul Caruso and Jules Cuvey

Frank, Thanks for sharing, was Art in trouble?..

When wasn't the Golden Boy in trouble??....

[kikibalt]

Just thinking way back when.

I always enjoyed my time with my grandfather, no matter what we did.
When he helped me become a boxer, we were together even more.
He didn't just give me a ride to the gym, he got involved. He helped out at Flores Gym, where something was always in need of repair.
My grandad was handy, had tools, and access to misc. crap like bungy cord, tape, wood, etc. If he was going to repair a speed bag, he'd take the bladder home from the gym.

The next day we'd take it over to Warner Bros. where one of his buddies in Transportation would have a mechanic patch the rubber bladder.
He'd grab a length of bungy cord, and take it to repair the double-end bag. Flores was busy, and he didn't always have time to devote to his backyard gym.
My Grandad was retired, and would see things were kept in order.

He'd take me to the Flores gym three nights a week, and I'd get a ride with anther fighter on another night. I'd also train at Main Street Gym on Saturday's & Sundays.
On Sunday, I'd ride the bus, but on Saturday my grandfather would usually give me a lift, and sometimes get his hair cut downstairs at the Barber College below the gym.

That's what memories are for Rick, to think back in time, to remember all your good times with family/friends. Material stuff can be taken away from you, but memories?, no, those are yours for ever....

Frank, after my workouts were finished, my Grandfather and I would usually stop at for lunch at Philippes, near Olvera Street.
On a couple of occasions we'd see Ernie "Indian Red" Lopez also having a sandwich. My Grandpa and Red kind of hit it off.
Like Ernie, my Grandfather had been born on an Indian Reservation. My Grandad had a tough life as a young man, like Ernie, and had come out on top.
I believe my Grandfather could speak with anybody, on any level, he was a self educated man, a hard man.

One day, as we left the cafe, my Grandpa and Ernie visited briefly. Ernie would soon fight Hedgeman Lewis for the first time. We liked Hedgeman, but we loved Ernie "Indian Red" Lopez.

Does anybody remember the third Lopez brother who fought in the mid-60's, Leonard Lopez?
I remember him well. I remember him breaking his ankle during a televised fight from the Olympic.

I remember Leonard Lopez Rick, but not very well...

[Cholo]

Art Aragon with Lawyers Paul Caruso and Jules Cuvey

Frank, Thanks for sharing, was Art in trouble?..

When wasn't the Golden Boy in trouble??....

Frank,

[CNorkusJr]

Thought you might like to see this Rick.

Charley Norkus and good friend Mike Murzurki, NYC year not known

[kikibalt]

My late gym friend Keeny Teran in 1956. He was busted on a drug charge. Keeny was one of the best fighter to come from the Johnny Forbes stable in the early 1950's. A sure champ and maybe an all time great if not for the his drug habit. I am proud to have known him, albeit; only in the gym. I used to see him often in the gyms in the early '50's, then lost track of him until he started coming to see Frankie and Tony as they started their pro careers. The following photos are of his days in the courts/jail.





Keeny and his lawyers

[Cholo]

Art Aragon, August 1956, when Aragon was awarded a ninth-round TKO over Cisco Andrade, a local product who is a top contender for the world lightweight title, in an outdoor fight at Wrigley Field, the referee, Abe Roth, a retired furniture store owner who officiates as a hobby, was suspended on the grounds that he had mishandled the fight. When Aragon heard about it the next day his reaction was, "What-only one official got suspended? I must be slipping."
Aragon made news when a Los Angeles welterweight Dick Goldstein caught him as he was leaving the Olympic Gym in downtown Los Angeles, whirled him around and punched him on the chin.
His motive supposedly was that he had been told Aragon had said he would knock him out in the first round if the two ever were matched, and Goldstein was anxious to disprove this evaluation of his ability. When asked why he didn't punch Goldstein back, Art said, "I wanted to save him.
I may decide to fight him in the ring some time." The next person to take a punch at Aragon was one of the most prominent figures in California boxing circles, Babe McCoy, when the Olympic Auditorium's matchmaker, whose weight is estimated at anywhere from 250 to 300 pounds. It happened just a month after the Goldstein incident.
Aragon was walking out of the Olympic Auditorium after watching the fights, and McCoy stopped him in the aisle to inquire about $125 Aragon allegedly owed him. Art answered him with an insult, and McCoy countered with a haymaker right that missed. It was good for Page One headlines the next day, though, and the only one hurt in the incident was Olympic promoter Cal Eaton, who had tried to seperate the two and caught one of Babe's subsequent wild rights on the jaw..

[kikibalt]

Keeny Teran behind bars

[Cholo]

My late gym friend Keeny Teran in 1956. He was busted on a drug charge. Keeny was one of the best fighter to come from the Johnny Forbes stable in the early 1950's. A sure champ and maybe an all time great if not for the his drug habit. I am proud to have known him, albeit; only in the gym. I used to see him often in the gyms in the early '50's, then lost track of him until he started coming to see Frankie and Tony as they started their pro careers. The following photos are of his days in the courts/jail.





Keeny and his lawyers

Frank, I think Keeny was signed to fight Gabriel "Flash" Elorde at this time, but got busted.

[kikibalt]

My late gym friend Keeny Teran in 1956. He was busted on a drug charge. Keeny was one of the best fighter to come from the Johnny Forbes stable in the early 1950's. A sure champ and maybe an all time great if not for the his drug habit. I am proud to have known him, albeit; only in the gym. I used to see him often in the gyms in the early '50's, then lost track of him until he started coming to see Frankie and Tony as they started their pro careers. The following photos are of his days in the courts/jail.





Keeny and his lawyers

Frank, I think Keeny was signed to fight Gabriel "Flash" Elorde at this time, but got busted.

No, Elorde was way to big for Keeny, Keeny was only a flyweight...

[Cholo]

My late gym friend Keeny Teran in 1956. He was busted on a drug charge. Keeny was one of the best fighter to come from the Johnny Forbes stable in the early 1950's. A sure champ and maybe an all time great if not for the his drug habit. I am proud to have known him, albeit; only in the gym. I used to see him often in the gyms in the early '50's, then lost track of him until he started coming to see Frankie and Tony as they started their pro careers. The following photos are of his days in the courts/jail.





Keeny and his lawyers

Frank, I think Keeny was signed to fight Gabriel "Flash" Elorde at this time, but got busted.

No, Elorde was way to big for Keeny, Keeny was only a flyweight...

Frank, My mistake, i thought i read it somewhere..

[Cholo]

Ernie "Red' Lopez

Just thinking way back when.

I always enjoyed my time with my grandfather, no matter what we did.
When he helped me become a boxer, we were together even more.
He didn't just give me a ride to the gym, he got involved. He helped out at Flores Gym, where something was always in need of repair.
My grandad was handy, had tools, and access to misc. crap like bungy cord, tape, wood, etc. If he was going to repair a speed bag, he'd take the bladder home from the gym.

The next day we'd take it over to Warner Bros. where one of his buddies in Transportation would have a mechanic patch the rubber bladder.
He'd grab a length of bungy cord, and take it to repair the double-end bag. Flores was busy, and he didn't always have time to devote to his backyard gym.
My Grandad was retired, and would see things were kept in order.

He'd take me to the Flores gym three nights a week, and I'd get a ride with anther fighter on another night. I'd also train at Main Street Gym on Saturday's & Sundays.
On Sunday, I'd ride the bus, but on Saturday my grandfather would usually give me a lift, and sometimes get his hair cut downstairs at the Barber College below the gym.
After my workouts were finished, my Grandpa and I would usually stop at for lunch at Philippes, near Olvera Street.
On a couple of occasions we'd see Ernie "Indian Red" Lope also having a sandwich. My Granpa and Red kind of hit it off. Like Ernie, my Grandfather had been born on an Indian Reservation. My Grandad had a tough life as a young man, like Ernie, and had come out on top. I believe my Grandfather could speak with anybody, on any level, he was a self educated man, a hard man.

One day, as we left the cafe, my Grandpa and Ernie visited briefly. Ernie would soon fight Hedgeman Lewis for the first time. We liked Hedgeman, but we loved Ernie "Indian Red" Lopez.

Does anybody remember the third Lopez brother who fought in the mid-60's, Leonard Lopez?
I remember him well. I remember him breaking his ankle during a televised fight from the Olympic.

Rick, Los Angeles seemed to be the place to be for a young boxer, wish i'd grown up there....

[kikibalt]

Frank, I wonder if Don Fraser remembers this,
To stimulate interest in the Aragon-Danny Giovanelli fight at Hollywood Legion Stadium in March 1956, Don Fraser, the enterprising publicity man for the Stadium, facetiously signed Harvey Knox as Aragon's trainer.
Knox is the stepfather of the transient football star, Ronnie Knox. Harvey is known as quite a headline grabber himself, and the combination of Harvey and Art, however short-lived, unquestionably was the fastest talking team ever to set foot in a boxing ring.
After Art knocked out Giovanelli in the ninth round, the boxing writers covering the fight crowded into Aragon's dressing room to see who, Art or Harvey, was going to have the last word. Surrounded by so many newspapermen, Art and Harvey became dizzy with inspiration. Art said, "Harvey's a hell of a straight man, isn't he?" Harvey suddenly got into an argument with one of the sportswriters, Bud Furillo of the Los Angeles Herald-Express, for whom he had developed a dislike during the previous football season. Furillo said to Harvey, "You call yourself a second ? you don't even make a good third" Whereupon Harvey led with his right and socked Furillo on the jaw.
After other writers had seperated the two combatants, Aragon said in disgust, "That's Harvey -always trying to steal the glory."

Paul, I talked to Don Fraser about this, said he paid Harvey Knox $100.00 to go along with the publicity stunt, said that's all it was, just a stunt, Knox never worked with Aragon in Aragon's boxing career.

[Rick Farris]

Screw Worms . . .

If there was one thing that sent Mel over the edge it was seeing what was once commonly referred to as a "Hippie".
He blamed their existence on a variety of things, and all were bad. The Beatles, Elvis, and that SOB Ed Sullivan.
"That Ed Sullivan is a pinko bastid," Mel would say. "He brought those F__king Beatles to the country!"

Mel was conviced the Beatles were filthy, disease laden degenerates. "I saw a picture and one of them is crossing the street and he ain't wearing any shoes! That tells me that the bastid has got screw woims." What's a screw worm?, or "woim" as Mel would say?

Mel told me that there are tiny, micro-scopic worms that live in cement and aphalt. When people walk barefooted on such surfaces the "screw woims" attach themselves to the bottom of a foot and then just screw their way into a person's flesh. "Next thing you know the woim screws itself all the way up the body and into the brain. That's when the bastids go crazy. The Beatles, Charles Manson, they all got screw woims!"

Mel had many such beliefs.

[kikibalt]

Screw Worms . . .

If there was one thing that sent Mel over the edge it was seeing what was once commonly referred to as a "Hippie".
He blamed their existence on a variety of things, and all were bad. The Beatles, Elvis, and that SOB Ed Sullivan.
"That Ed Sullivan is a pinko bastid," Mel would say. "He brought those F__king Beatles to the country!"

Mel was conviced the Beatles were filthy, disease laden degenerates. "I saw a picture and one of them is crossing the street and he ain't wearing any shoes! That tells me that the bastid has got screw woims." What's a screw worm?, or "woim" as Mel would say?

Mel told me that there are tiny, micro-scopic worms that live in cement and aphalt. When people walk barefooted on such surfaces the "screw woims" attach themselves to the bottom of a foot and then just screw their way into a person's flesh. "Next thing you know the woim screws itself all the way up the body and into the brain. That's when the bastids go crazy. The Beatles, Charles Manson, they all got screw woims!"

Mel had many such beliefs.

[kikibalt]

Bobby Jones (L) losing a decision to Charlie Salas

[Cholo]

Frank, I wonder if Don Fraser remembers this,
To stimulate interest in the Aragon-Danny Giovanelli fight at Hollywood Legion Stadium in March 1956, Don Fraser, the enterprising publicity man for the Stadium, facetiously signed Harvey Knox as Aragon's trainer.
Knox is the stepfather of the transient football star, Ronnie Knox. Harvey is known as quite a headline grabber himself, and the combination of Harvey and Art, however short-lived, unquestionably was the fastest talking team ever to set foot in a boxing ring.
After Art knocked out Giovanelli in the ninth round, the boxing writers covering the fight crowded into Aragon's dressing room to see who, Art or Harvey, was going to have the last word. Surrounded by so many newspapermen, Art and Harvey became dizzy with inspiration. Art said, "Harvey's a hell of a straight man, isn't he?" Harvey suddenly got into an argument with one of the sportswriters, Bud Furillo of the Los Angeles Herald-Express, for whom he had developed a dislike during the previous football season. Furillo said to Harvey, "You call yourself a second ? you don't even make a good third" Whereupon Harvey led with his right and socked Furillo on the jaw.
After other writers had seperated the two combatants, Aragon said in disgust, "That's Harvey -always trying to steal the glory."

Paul, I talked to Don Fraser about this, said he paid Harvey Knox $100.00 to go along with the publicity stunt, said that's all it was, just a stunt, Knox never worked with Aragon in Aragon's boxing career.

Frank, Thanks again, it's great talking to you guy's, and thank Don Fraser....

[Randyman]

Screw Worms . . .

If there was one thing that sent Mel over the edge it was seeing what was once commonly referred to as a "Hippie".
He blamed their existence on a variety of things, and all were bad. The Beatles, Elvis, and that SOB Ed Sullivan.
"That Ed Sullivan is a pinko bastid," Mel would say. "He brought those F__king Beatles to the country!"

Mel was conviced the Beatles were filthy, disease laden degenerates. "I saw a picture and one of them is crossing the street and he ain't wearing any shoes! That tells me that the bastid has got screw woims." What's a screw worm?, or "woim" as Mel would say?

Mel told me that there are tiny, micro-scopic worms that live in cement and aphalt. When people walk barefooted on such surfaces the "screw woims" attach themselves to the bottom of a foot and then just screw their way into a person's flesh. "Next thing you know the woim screws itself all the way up the body and into the brain. That's when the bastids go crazy. The Beatles, Charles Manson, they all got screw woims!"

Mel had many such beliefs.

I remember the day that Elvis died, Mel and I were talking on the phone, a little later in the day, he hadn't yet heard about Elvis' death. I said to Mel "did you hear about Elvis, he died today". "So what! Should have taken the F**king Beatles with him too! Then of course he went on his tirade about the commies, hippies and the ruination of the world, yada, yada, yada. I got pissed off, one of the few time I ever got mad at Mel. Mel had his own way of looking at the world. I think a few screw woims got into him when he was younger.

[Randyman]

My late gym friend Keeny Teran in 1956. He was busted on a drug charge. Keeny was one of the best fighter to come from the Johnny Forbes stable in the early 1950's. A sure champ and maybe an all time great if not for the his drug habit. I am proud to have known him, albeit; only in the gym. I used to see him often in the gyms in the early '50's, then lost track of him until he started coming to see Frankie and Tony as they started their pro careers. The following photos are of his days in the courts/jail.





Keeny and his lawyers

Frank, great photos of Keeny. Never saw these before.

[kikibalt]

Thanks Randy, I've 4 more to post.

[kikibalt]

Keeny Teran