Help identifying Ranzany opponent

[klompton]

I got some footage today listed as September 11, 1977. It features clips from a Pete Ranzany fight in Sacramento. Ranzany wears a blue and gold bath robe and has Eddie Futch in his corner. The guy he is fighting is wearing white trunks trimmed in black and is either black or dark complected. Ranzany drops him with a beauty of a left hook to the liver, followed by another knockdown from a left hook to the liver, followed by a flurry of punches which sends the guy down for the third (and Im assuming final) time. It then cuts to Ranzany being interviewed where he says "well we were roommates in the army, we boxed twice, he won the first one and I won the second one, and we are pretty good friends, hes a real nice guy but hes a champion and I wanna be the champion..." Im wondering who the guy is Ranzany is fighting as he isnt listed as having fought in September. Im guessing Palomino is the guy hes talking about rooming with, which is interesting because I never heard that story.

[greynotsoold]

Maybe Babilah McCarthy?

[klompton]

I think its his second fight with Abel Cordoba which he scored three KDs in to get the decision. I think the film just cuts to Ranzany's hand being raised. The interview at the end was probably the only part filmed in Sept of 77.

Yup, thats what it is. The reports say the first two KDs took place at the end of the round and sure enough you can see the cornermen beginning to come in to the ring as the count finishes for each.

[Chuck1052]

Steve, I saw Pete Ranzany fight Abel Cordoba in person on a fight card which featured a great, hard-fought main event in which Carlos Palomino successfully defended his WBC world welterweight title by stopping Armando Muniz at the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles. I also saw Palomino made another successful defense of his title against Muniz by easily winning a fifteen-round decision in a far less compelling bout, which also took place at the Olympic Auditorium.

- Chuck Johnston

[klompton]

You were lucky indeed Chuck. I have that fight on film also, as well as the Palomino-Muniz fight you mention but I envy being able to see all those old fights at the Olympic. That was Ranzany's first fight with Cordoba. Im convinced this is his second bout in Sacramento as it matches the description of the knockdowns. The first KD Ranzany throws a beauty of a left hook to the liver. Absolutely text book. What a great era for California boxing. So many fights I wish I could have seen. One day I will track down the archives of the shows the Olympic filmed...

[Chuck1052]

You were lucky indeed Chuck. I have that fight on film also, as well as the Palomino-Muniz fight you mention but I envy being able to see all those old fights at the Olympic. That was Ranzany's first fight with Cordoba. Im convinced this is his second bout in Sacramento as it matches the description of the knockdowns. The first KD Ranzany throws a beauty of a left hook to the liver. Absolutely text book. What a great era for California boxing. So many fights I wish I could have seen. One day I will track down the archives of the shows the Olympic filmed...

Steve,

It is a possibility that much of the footage of fights staged at the Olympic and the Inglewood Forum no longer exists. But there were tapes of some Olympic and Forum fights shown on some Spanish language television stations as recently as a few years ago.

Pete Ranzany was an incrediable drawing card in Sacramento. His fight with Pipino Cuevas in Sacramento drew a huge live gate and had a closed-circuit showings in a number cities. Yet I read that Ranzany received a relatively small purse for the bout. It is too bad that Ranzany faltered badly when facing the best welterweights.

The Olympic Auditorium was a virtual dump during the 1970s and early 1980s, but it was a great place to see a fight because it was built with boxing and wrestling in mind. The Forum was much newer and better maintained, but it was far more massive and had an oval seating configuration, which meant that it was a much worse place to see fights. Another great place to see fights was Strongbow Stadium in Bakersfield, another venue built with boxing and wrestling in mind. It had a capacity of about 1,000 and a circular seating configeration.

- Chuck Johnston