Classic American West Coast Boxing

[bennie]

although the memory plays a lot of tricks on me.

That happens to the best of us, Bennie...

It was Lou Tabat, Frankie. I was half right.

[bennie]

Famed fighter & trainer George Benton passed away this morning.
Here is a good piece on him written by a Dear friend.
RIP George Benton

http://www.phillyboxinghistory.com/figh ... ses_01.htm

I always admired George Benton. The man was a defensive boxing genius and passed on his skills unselfishly.

[Panzerfaust]

Im glad that interview was made when it was and that i got a chance to see it.

R.I.P George

[BOXERJOSH]

Boxing from the Olympic Auditorium......

I haven't posted in a while, hope everyone is doing well-

I think that I posted this question before but I can't remember if anyone replied with an answer: Does anyone know where any downloads of the weekly fights from the Olympic Auditorium might be? Today is the 4th anniversary of my dad's passing and the best memories that I have of him are watching the fights at the Olympic every Thursday night.

[coach greg v]

Boxing from the Olympic Auditorium......

I haven't posted in a while, hope everyone is doing well-

I think that I posted this question before but I can't remember if anyone replied with an answer: Does anyone know where any downloads of the weekly fights from the Olympic Auditorium might be? Today is the 4th anniversary of my dad's passing and the best memories that I have of him are watching the fights at the Olympic every Thursday night.

> you can go to you tube but you have to put in a fighters name that fought there like mando ramos or indian red lopez

[kikibalt]

Boxing from the Olympic Auditorium......

I haven't posted in a while, hope everyone is doing well-

I think that I posted this question before but I can't remember if anyone replied with an answer: Does anyone know where any downloads of the weekly fights from the Olympic Auditorium might be? Today is the 4th anniversary of my dad's passing and the best memories that I have of him are watching the fights at the Olympic every Thursday night.

You won't find many fights from the Olympic on Youtube, Boxer...

[BOXERJOSH]

Boxing from the Olympic Auditorium......

I haven't posted in a while, hope everyone is doing well-

I think that I posted this question before but I can't remember if anyone replied with an answer: Does anyone know where any downloads of the weekly fights from the Olympic Auditorium might be? Today is the 4th anniversary of my dad's passing and the best memories that I have of him are watching the fights at the Olympic every Thursday night.

You won't find many fights from the Olympic on Youtube, Boxer...

Thanks Frank. I've found that out myself searching youtube....wishful thinking I guess.
~Joshua

[coach greg v]

Boxing from the Olympic Auditorium......

I haven't posted in a while, hope everyone is doing well-

I think that I posted this question before but I can't remember if anyone replied with an answer: Does anyone know where any downloads of the weekly fights from the Olympic Auditorium might be? Today is the 4th anniversary of my dad's passing and the best memories that I have of him are watching the fights at the Olympic every Thursday night.

You won't find many fights from the Olympic on Youtube, Boxer...

Thanks Frank. I've found that out myself searching youtube....wishful thinking I guess.
~Joshua

> frank I found about 25 from the olympic with the right searchs

[BOXERJOSH]

You won't find many fights from the Olympic on Youtube, Boxer...

Thanks Frank. I've found that out myself searching youtube....wishful thinking I guess.
~Joshua

> frank I found about 25 from the olympic with the right searchs

I'll continue my search on youtube with entering the name of the fighters, thanks Greg.

[coach greg v]

Thanks Frank. I've found that out myself searching youtube....wishful thinking I guess.
~Joshua

> frank I found about 25 from the olympic with the right searchs

I'll continue my search on youtube with entering the name of the fighters, thanks Greg.

>start with armando muniz got good results there. sorry about your dad....

[BOXERJOSH]

> frank I found about 25 from the olympic with the right searchs

I'll continue my search on youtube with entering the name of the fighters, thanks Greg.

>start with armando muniz got good results there. sorry about your dad....

Thanks Greg...it's all good though; I choose to celebrate my dad today and that's why I was searching for the fights from the Olympic, good times! I may take a drive down to the Olympic today and walk around the building to feel some past memories (although it's now a Korean Church!) Thanks guys.

[Rick Farris]

Im glad that interview was made when it was and that i got a chance to see it.

R.I.P George

That's right! I forgot that I let Remy see our interviews when he was here.

[Rick Farris]

You won't find many fights from the Olympic on Youtube, Boxer...

Thanks Frank. I've found that out myself searching youtube....wishful thinking I guess.
~Joshua

> frank I found about 25 from the olympic with the right searchs

Only 1 of 100 Available . . .

It's nice to have those 25, however, Aileen Eaton put on 50 shows a year for more than a dozen years.
That's 600 promotions, more than 3,000 matches, approx. 2500 hit the TV screen in L.A.
Youtube has about 1% of Olympic Audtorium Thursday night fights available.

[Rick Farris]

Josh you have my condolences over the passing of your father.

[BOXERJOSH]

Josh you have my condolences over the passing of your father.

Thanks Rick, much appreciated. It's amazing though....of all the memories that I have of my dad, spending time going to and watching the fights with him were the most outstanding, especially those at the Olympic Auditorium. It proves that boxing is more than just a sport, it's a community.
~Joshua

[coach greg v]

Thanks Frank. I've found that out myself searching youtube....wishful thinking I guess.
~Joshua

> frank I found about 25 from the olympic with the right searchs

Only 1 of 100 Available . . .

It's nice to have those 25, however, Aileen Eaton put on 50 shows a year for more than a dozen years.
That's 600 promotions, more than 3,000 matches, approx. 2500 hit the TV screen in L.A.
Youtube has about 1% of Olympic Audtorium Thursday night fights available.

>Rick you told me all those shows have disappeared

[Rick Farris]

Josh you have my condolences over the passing of your father.

Thanks Rick, much appreciated. It's amazing though....of all the memories that I have of my dad, spending time going to and watching the fights with him were the most outstanding, especially those at the Olympic Auditorium. It proves that boxing is more than just a sport, it's a community.
~Joshua

The Best of Times . . .

Same with my dad & I, the Olympic is where we had the most fun.
The same is true with others who post here. It connects us.
A couple months back, I walked into the Olympic for the first time since it became a church.
I was with our pal Remy, who wanted to see it.
Of course, it's different, but you'll recognize it.
You'll see where the ring once stood, and you'll look up to the balcony.
If you close you eyes you can hear the crowd. Remember how they went crazy when they saw a woman?
I visualized Mando Ramos bouncing down the aisle in his red mini-robe. He owned the place in the late 60's, as Aragon did in the 50's.
And I remembered sitting in the dressing rooms, "the catacombs" as Frankie Duarte called them.
I thought of little Tony Baltzar, age 5, putting on a shadow boxing exhibition that brought 10,000 fans to their feet.
I thought back to a time before my time, the 20's, when Jack Dempsey broke ground for the Olympic.
I thought of all the great fighters, legendary actors & celebrities, the gangsters, the greats and the not-so-greats I saw there.
The place was pretty dark when Remy and I looked it over. I saw enough, I tried to tell him "how it was."
Same old place, in disguise. Maybe one day boxing will return . . . in my dreams!


-

[coach greg v]

Josh you have my condolences over the passing of your father.

Thanks Rick, much appreciated. It's amazing though....of all the memories that I have of my dad, spending time going to and watching the fights with him were the most outstanding, especially those at the Olympic Auditorium. It proves that boxing is more than just a sport, it's a community.
~Joshua

The Best of Times . . .

Same with my dad & I, the Olympic is where we had the most fun.
The same is true with others who post here. It connects us.
A couple months back, I walked into the Olympic for the first time since it became a church.
I was with our pal Remy, who wanted to see it.
Of course, it's different, but you'll recognize it.
You'll see where the ring once stood, and you'll look up to the balcony.
If you close you eyes you can hear the crowd. Remember how they went crazy when they saw a woman?
I visualized Mando Ramos bouncing down the aisle in his red mini-robe. He owned the place in the late 60's, as Aragon did in the 50's.
And I remembered sitting in the dressing rooms, "the catacombs" as Frankie Duarte called them.
I thought of little Tony Baltzar, age 5, putting on a shadow boxing exhibition that brought 10,000 fans to their feet.
I thought back to a time before my time, the 20's, when Jack Dempsey broke ground for the Olympic.
I thought of all the great fighters, legendary actors & celebrities, the gangsters, the greats and the not-so-greats I saw there.
The place was pretty dark when Remy and I looked it over. I saw enough, I tried to tell him "how it was."
Same old place, in disguise. Maybe one day boxing will return . . . in my dreams!
> rick I can remember being 12 in jr high. running home because boxing from the olympic was on. I would lay on the rug on the floor watching getting as close to the tv as I could. seeing my heros mando ramos indian red lopez olivares castillo... I could go on and on later art hafey and others. Then driving my van down hwy 101. Funny that you were on the opening fights on that card in summer of 1970. Some of the broads with the big tits would make the circle of ringside and get tons of applause and things thrown.....
-

[Rick Farris]

Benton strategy whipped Ali . . .

It was George Benton who trained a small heavyweight, with only eight pro fights, to take the heavyweight title from the great Muhammad Ali. Benton designed the winning strategy used by Leon Spinks to score one of the biggest upsets in boxing history.

Benton told us that he instructed Spinks to jab at Ali's left shoulder, not his face.
After taking shots to his deltoid muscle for several rounds, the snap left Ali's jab, taking away the champ's most effective weapon. God bless the old school trainers, and bless Georgie Benton. What a gentleman he was, kind to share his memories with us. Respectful of people from days gone by, even the shady charactors, such as Frankie Carbo.

Earlier in the day Dan Hanley and I interviewed Benton, then in the evening George was inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame. I caught up with Benton in the hotel bar after the event. I sat with George and his son, and he shared more about his brilliant career. As Dan Hanley mentioned when interviewing the former middleweight contender, "George, you were known as a 'cutie' " Benton smiled, having not heard that term in ages. There was a time in boxing when certain boxers were such masters of their craft, they were known as "cuties". Today there is no such thing.

God Bless George Benton.

[kikibalt]

George Benton - Rest in Peace



A true Boxing Hall of Famer! Great boxer & a great trainer.
The personification of "old school" brilliance. One of Philly's best.

Dan Hanley & I conducted George Benton's last interview on camera.
We will be previewing that interview along with others at an upcoming
"Golden State Boxer's Association" meeting. The photograph was taken
during our interview by Dawn Paradis.

Rick Farris

[Randyman]

Famed fighter & trainer George Benton passed away this morning.
Here is a good piece on him written by a Dear friend.
RIP George Benton

http://www.phillyboxinghistory.com/figh ... ses_01.htm

My condolences to his family and friends. A great trainer.

[Randyman]

Benton strategy whipped Ali . . .

It was George Benton who trained a small heavyweight, with only eight pro fights, to take the heavyweight title from the great Muhammad Ali. Benton designed the winning strategy used by Leon Spinks to score one of the biggest upsets in boxing history.

Benton told us that he instructed Spinks to jab at Ali's left shoulder, not his face.
After taking shots to his deltoid muscle for several rounds, the snap left Ali's jab, taking away the champ's most effective weapon. God bless the old school trainers, and bless Georgie Benton. What a gentleman he was, kind to share his memories with us. Respectful of people from days gone by, even the shady charactors, such as Frankie Carbo.

Earlier in the day Dan Hanley and I interviewed Benton, then in the evening George was inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame. I caught up with Benton in the hotel bar after the event. I sat with George and his son, and he shared more about his brilliant career. As Dan Hanley mentioned when interviewing the former middleweight contender, "George, you were known as a 'cutie' " Benton smiled, having not heard that term in ages. There was a time in boxing when certain boxers were such masters of their craft, they were known as "cuties". Today there is no such thing.

God Bless George Benton.

[Rick Farris]

George Benton at the Olympic - 1963 . . .

Today I was visiting Don Fraser and informed him of George Benton's death.
Don remembered back to 1963, when he was the Director of Public Relations for the Olympic.
George Parnassus was Cal & Aileen Eaton's matchmaker at the time, and he matched California's hard-hitting state middleweight Champ, "Joltin" Johnny Smith with Philadelphia's George Benton.
Benton was already a 14-year veteran, and Fraser said Smith was a bit intimidated by the cagey middleweight contender.
It didn't last long, Georgie Benton KOed Johnny Smith in the second round.


-Rick Farris

[Rick Farris]

More on Benton . . .

Keep this in mind, when George Benton had been boxing professionally for 21 years, he was still a winning fighter and fighting competitive opposition. His career ended suddenly when he was shot . The bullet would ended his career, not his age or ability.

[Rick Farris]

‎ "That's the only time I was scared in the ring. Sonny Liston. First time. First round. Said he was gonna kill me."

- Muhammad Ali