Classic American West Coast Boxing

[kikibalt]

Now git out there champ and do us proud!

[CNorkusJr]

Now git out there champ and do us proud!

Lol, Thanks

[dagosd2000]

Not Afraid To Die

"Just a cup of coffee this morning Ruby,"I said to the waitress.
"You sure you don't want any apple pie. It was made fresh this morning. It's still warm,"she said.
"No thanks .Just coffee. I'm tyring to cut down."
Ruby had been working at Trey's since the retired Navy chief had opened the place 15 years ago.It was a mom and pop joint. Mostly retired people would come in for breakfast. It slowed down durung the lunch hour. The fast food places picked up then. By 6 o'clock Trey would turn off the lights.
While Ruby poured my coffee I picked up the paper and thumbed through it.
"You sure you don't want any apple pie. It's homemade you know."
"Got to watch my school girl figure,"I said with a smile.
Ruby walked back to the kitchen. She was starting to get up there in age ,but never complained except when her ankles would swell. She was not anything to look at.She could tell you what was going on with everything in the neighborhood. She had more information than the 6 o'clock news.

I flipped through the paper. Nothing jumped out me until I got to the entertainment section. The small headline near the bottom of the page read"Jane Fonda Tells Oprah She's Not Afraid Of Dying." Turns out that Jane Fonda was diagnosed with breast cancer a few years ago and told Oprah she wasn't afraid of death. I read half way through the article and put the paper down.Ruby came back from the kitchen.
"You know what the help wants to do back there?"she said in a stern voice.
"What?"
"Those bastards want May 1st off.That's tomorrow."
"You mean May Day?"
"Yes. That Communist holiday."
"We used to celebrate that too years ago. It's for the workers."
"It's a Commie holiday."
"In Europe I think it's still a big deal."
"If Trey gives them the day off.I quit!"
I don't think Trey will give them the day off,"I said to her trying to calm her down.
"My two boys went to Vietnam.Volunteered for the Marines. Mike,my youngest lost a hand.He has a Silver Star."
I didn't know what to say to her.
"If Trey gives them the day off I'll quit and never come back in here."
I looked at Ruby. I could still see she was upset.
"You know what sweetheart,"I said,"you can give me a refill and some of that homemade apple pie."

[dagosd2000]

Bobby Chacon with the portrait I made of him.

[El Gallo]

Bobby Chacon with the portrait I made of him.

I remember when you gave him that portrait.
You really captured Bobby in that one.

[El Gallo]

Does anyone know when Frankie Crawford died? The date(year ?) of his death is not listed on his record. Wasn't there a question about how he died-murder or suicide ?

jj5000 . . . Frankie Crawford took his life in 1982.
I was caught off guard by the question, and despite knowing Frankie pretty well, I couldn't remember the year.
So I called Jeff Crawford, Frankie's son whom I also know, and he provided the year.
As for the murder rumors, they are just rumors. -Rick Farris

[dagosd2000]

Rick Farris and Lucia Ryker at WBHOF Convention. Lucia holding portrait I made of her .

[El Gallo]

Does anyone know when Frankie Crawford died? The date(year ?) of his death is not listed on his record. Wasn't there a question about how he died-murder or suicide ?

jj5000 . . . Frankie Crawford took his life in 1982.
I was caught off guard by the question, and despite knowing Frankie pretty well, I couldn't remember the year.
So I called Jeff Crawford, Frankie's son whom I also know, and he provided the year.
As for the murder rumors, they are just rumors. -Rick Farris

Frankie Crawford was a world class athlete, a boxer no less.
He walked that special walk some of us know.
He had a confrontation in Las Vegas, where he worked security while training for a comeback.
He scared somebody, and they shot him in the back.
He almost died, but survived, left only with the use of one hand.
Those close to him were worried, the late John Brumshagen would often drive Frankie, do errands for his friend.
The suicide weapon was a shotgun, which some believed was beyond the capabilities of a man in Frankie's medical/physical condition.
But a guy like Frankie defied far greater odds in his young life, and he had been seen brandishing that shotgun as he sat in his wheelchair.
Frankie Crawford, up close & personal.

-Rick Farris

[El Gallo]

Now git out there champ and do us proud!

Message to the Brick Yard:

Not with your boxing club involved!
But help is on the way in L.A.!!!
Send this message to your boss when you call in your daily internet report! ;;-)

[El Gallo]

To Paul "Cholo" . . .

Thanks for sending that great news clip from the Los Angeles Mirror. I had heard that the lights had gone out at the Olympic right before Art Aragon stepped into the ring to fight Jimmy Carter. Somebody who claims to have been to all these fights says "The lights never went out." I had heard that story from several people over the years (people who actually attended the match) and this article validates the story. What a line up of Hollywood stars turned out to see the Golden Boy that night . . . Dean Martin, Tony Curtis, Georgie Jessel, Ann Miller and so many others.

[El Gallo]

Retired Boxer's Foundation . . .

Have been in communication with Jacquie Richardson of the RTB.
Nobody truly knows the challenges of veteran boxers better than Jacquie as she deals with them daily.

-Rick Farris

[Cholo]

To Paul "Cholo" . . .

Thanks for sending that great news clip from the Los Angeles Mirror. I had heard that the lights had gone out at the Olympic right before Art Aragon stepped into the ring to fight Jimmy Carter. Somebody who claims to have been to all these fights says "The lights never went out." I had heard that story from several people over the years (people who actually attended the match) and this articale validates the story. What a line up of Hollywood stars turned out to see the Golden Boy that night . . . Dean MArtin, Tony Curtis, Georgie Jessel, Ann Miller and so many others.

Rick,

[dagosd2000]

Living Off A Name

Friday night I was flipping through the channels and came across the fights from Houston,Texas. I waited through the prelims because Juan "Baby Bull "Diaz was fighting after a 2 year layoff in the main event. Diaz was born in the same town as my wife,Paredones,Michoacan. The pueblo is on top of a mountain isolated from many 21st century amenities. If there's a hundred people who live there I'll eat my sombrero. When I go there with my wife(mainly to see her madrina)it's like being in an episode of Gunsmoke. I say that because of Paredones' seperation from the rest of civilazation has made it an easy mark for bandits.

But Diaz's opponent Friday also piqued my interest,Pipino Cuevas Jr. Now if Junior resembled his father,I could be sure the fight would be rife with "golpes and sangre."

Before the main event they showed both fighters at the weigh in."Baby Bull's" frame looked like the son of a toro,but when Junior took off his shirt he looked like a fatted calf. But Mexican fighters aren't noted for their chiseled bodies. It's the Indian in them. Pipino Cuevas wouldn't have won any Mr. Mexico contests,but he was strong as, let's say-a baby bull. Legend has it that he went through a windshield in a car accident and walked away to the nearest cantina to celebrate.I was waiting to see if Junior had any his dad's toughness.

Junior's record was announced as 15 wins,9 losses all by stoppages. That was a red flag. The bell rang and that flag never stopped waving. The kid backpeddled the entire 6 rounds he lasted until his wheels started to come off and referee stopped it. Going backwards doesn't put much momentum in a punch. I was glad it was over, except for Junior and his corner who protested that Junior still had some air in the spare.

I guess if a promotor wants to put the kid's name on a card he'll bring in the curious who have never seen Junior before and still remember the dad. Those promotors are probsably thinking they don't want anyone to read this.

[dagosd2000]

Alfonso Zamora-another baby bull

[dagosd2000]

The Cold

I don't know if Muhammad Ali had ever been to San Diego proper before he had his first fight with Ken Norton. I know he looked up Archie Moore when he was Cassius Clay atarting out his fistic career looking for a trainer.Moore's camp was in Ramona,California which is in the foothills of San Diego. But Archie wanted Clay to fight Archie's way and compound that with the daily chores The Mongoose would make Cassius led to a divorce pugilistic style.

When Ali arrived to San Diego to finish up training for Norton,he brought the wife and kids. They all stayed at some swank hotel in Mission Valley. A ring was set up on the premises for both fighters to train in.Ali would arrive first. The training sessions were open to the public and there were big crowds everyday primarily to watch Ali. I think the crowds were a little disappointed because they expected Ali to float like a butterfly,but Ali would mainly lie against the ropes and have Billy Joiner work him over. Ali knew his legs were gone and that in every fight from now on he would have to absorb punishment.

One afternoon Ali walked into the ring all wrapped up in towels and his robe. He sat down on the canvas and grabbed his customary microphone. (Only fighter I've ever seen train with a microphone). He said he had a cold and wouldn't be doing any training . He said he'd field some questions and talk about how he was "gonna' wup Ken Fartin's ass." Ali was funny. He was friendly. He even charmed the red necks who came to see him lose.He talked about how his wife and kids had gone to the zoo and how laid back San Diego was. In a way Ali was having fun with San Diego. Weren't we lucky to have him here in this whistle stop.

When Ali would finish his show ,Ken Norton would arrive with Bossman Jones. By that time the crowd had dwindled to practically nothing. Norton worked hard and never stopped. Even though he looked in better shape,no one gave him much of a chance against Muhammad Ali,a living legend.

Well we know what happened.Ali entered the ring wearing a robe Elvis had given him that read"The People's Champ"on the back.Ali got a bigger hand than Norton who lived in San Diego.At the bell Ali did a slow walk with Norton going through everthing Ali could put up there. He was lucky the ref didn't have enough nerve to stop it in the last round.Ali left the ring with a broken jaw wearing the Elvis robe inside out. To his credit though, he didn't blame his ass wuppin' on a cold.

[dagosd2000]

Ken Norton

[El Gallo]

Ken Norton

Excellent Rog!!!
El Pintor De Los Campeones!

[El Gallo]

Want to see a hot featherweight prospect ready to make his pro debut . . . Prince "Tiger" Smalls

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsSVWERk ... e=youtu.be

[dagosd2000]

Want to see a hot featherweight prospect ready to make his pro debut . . . Prince "Tiger" Smalls

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsSVWERk ... e=youtu.be

Rick
Thanks for the compliment on the painting.Prince Small looks very relaxed.I like the way he moves his feet. Throws the right hand down the pipe. Tiger told me his son is tentatively going make his debut in Vista,CA. May 17th. I'll keep in touch. Rog

[Cholo]

Massacre Canyon Inn, Gilman Hot Springs, San Jacinto Mountains Of Southern California.
The first fighter ever train at the Gilman resort was Elmer "Rocky" Beltz, a stiff-punching Los Angeles welterweight who drilled there for his meeting with Art "Golden Boy" Aragon in 1953. Elmer probably was in marvellous condition after six weeks of rigorous training in the smog-free high desert-but he somehow failed to duck when Aragon cut loose with a haymaker at the opening bell, and it was all over before you could say "Gilman Hot Springs." The Beltz debacle almost ruined the Massacre Canyon Inn for ever as a training camp. Boxing people, always a superstitious lot, are quick to form opinions concerning "lucky" and "unlucky" training sites. The Orner camp a stone's throw down the road, was always "lucky"-and it's a matter of record that no fighter who ever trained there or at the Inn ever ran out of gas in a fight. But when Beltz failed to last half a minute with the original "Golden Boy," it was rumoured that the "Indian Sign" had been placed on him by the long-extinct Ivahs of Massacre Canyon. Whatever the reason, it was several years before another fighter trained at the Inn. Among the well known fighters who trained there at different times were Art Aragon, Sugar Ray Robinson, Davey Moore, Don Jordan, Paul Andrews, Cisco Andrade, Jose Luis Cotero, Hedgemon Lewis, Jerry and Mike Quarry, Ruben Navarro, Mac Foster, Richie Sue and Mike Nixon.

[Cholo]

Rog, excellent paintings, thanks for sharing.

[El Gallo]

Massacre Canyon Inn, Gilman Hot Springs, San Jacinto Mountains Of Southern California.
The first fighter ever train at the Gilman resort was Elmer "Rocky" Beltz, a stiff-punching Los Angeles welterweight who drilled there for his meeting with Art "Golden Boy" Aragon in 1953. Elmer probably was in marvellous condition after six weeks of rigorous training in the smog-free high desert-but he somehow failed to duck when Aragon cut loose with a haymaker at the opening bell, and it was all over before you could say "Gilman Hot Springs." The Beltz debacle almost ruined the Massacre Canyon Inn for ever as a training camp. Boxing people, always a superstitious lot, are quick to form opinions concerning "lucky" and "unlucky" training sites. The Orner camp a stone's throw down the road, was always "lucky"-and it's a matter of record that no fighter who ever trained there or at the Inn ever ran out of gas in a fight. But when Beltz failed to last half a minute with the original "Golden Boy," it was rumoured that the "Indian Sign" had been placed on him by the long-extinct Ivahs of Massacre Canyon. Whatever the reason, it was several years before another fighter trained at the Inn. Among the well known fighters who trained there at different times were Art Aragon, Sugar Ray Robinson, Davey Moore, Don Jordan, Paul Andrews, Cisco Andrade, Jose Luis Cotero, Hedgemon Lewis, Jerry and Mike Quarry, Ruben Navarro, Mac Foster, Richie Sue and Mike Nixon.

What great history, Paul. I didn't know that, and I guarantee that nobody else whoever posted here knew it either! I trained at the Massacre Canyon Inn just once, and that was in early 1971. I boxed there just one day with both Ruben Navarro and Ronnie Cisneros. I was scheduled to fight a six-rounder on the undercard of Buchanan vs. Ramos in five days, but Mando pulled out, and Ruben got the call to replace him. So we all went home that night, and a few days later Ruben almost won the title on one day of training! Also, my favorite LA fighter, Dwight Hawkins, was a sparring partner for Davey Moore at that camp fpr both Moore's fights with Hogan "Kid" Bassey and Sugar Ramos. Dwight told me that he and Moore would run to the top of a mountain, then sit and talk. Hawkins loved Davey Moore, and his death after the Ramos fight devistated "The Hawk".

[dagosd2000]

Rog, excellent paintings, thanks for sharing.

Thanks Paul

[El Gallo]

Ken Norton

Excellent Rog!!!
El Pintor De Los Campeones!

Norton is on the canvas!

Roger Esty has never boasted of his boxing past, however, I know that back in the day he traded blows with Kenny Norton in the gym.
Glad to see him put Norton on "the canvas" in a way that Foreman never could!!

[Cholo]

Massacre Canyon Inn, Gilman Hot Springs, San Jacinto Mountains Of Southern California.
The first fighter ever train at the Gilman resort was Elmer "Rocky" Beltz, a stiff-punching Los Angeles welterweight who drilled there for his meeting with Art "Golden Boy" Aragon in 1953. Elmer probably was in marvellous condition after six weeks of rigorous training in the smog-free high desert-but he somehow failed to duck when Aragon cut loose with a haymaker at the opening bell, and it was all over before you could say "Gilman Hot Springs." The Beltz debacle almost ruined the Massacre Canyon Inn for ever as a training camp. Boxing people, always a superstitious lot, are quick to form opinions concerning "lucky" and "unlucky" training sites. The Orner camp a stone's throw down the road, was always "lucky"-and it's a matter of record that no fighter who ever trained there or at the Inn ever ran out of gas in a fight. But when Beltz failed to last half a minute with the original "Golden Boy," it was rumoured that the "Indian Sign" had been placed on him by the long-extinct Ivahs of Massacre Canyon. Whatever the reason, it was several years before another fighter trained at the Inn. Among the well known fighters who trained there at different times were Art Aragon, Sugar Ray Robinson, Davey Moore, Don Jordan, Paul Andrews, Cisco Andrade, Jose Luis Cotero, Hedgemon Lewis, Jerry and Mike Quarry, Ruben Navarro, Mac Foster, Richie Sue and Mike Nixon.

What great history, Paul. I didn't know that, and I guarantee that nobody else whoever posted here knew it either! I trained at the Massacre Canyon Inn just once, and that was in early 1971. I boxed there just one day with both Ruben Navarro and Ronnie Cisneros. I was scheduled to fight a six-rounder on the undercard of Buchanan vs. Ramos in five days, but Mando pulled out, and Ruben got the call to replace him. So we all went home that night, and a few days later Ruben almost won the title on one day of training! Also, my favorite LA fighter, Dwight Hawkins, was a sparring partner for Davey Moore at that camp fpr both Moore's fights with Hogan "Kid" Bassey and Sugar Ramos. Dwight told me that he and Moore would run to the top of a mountain, then sit and talk. Hawkins loved Davey Moore, and his death after the Ramos fight devistated "The Hawk".

Rick, thanks for the Info on Dwight Hawkins and Davey Moore, Art Aragon also trained there for his fight with Basilio.