Classic American West Coast Boxing

[dagosd2000]

Sometimes It's Better Just To Stay Down

Denny Moyer had close to 150 fights during a career that lasted more than 17 years. At the time I didn't give it much thought but then when I sat down to think why he endured so long. I concluded that the reason was that he was always in the gym. Oh,he might not have trained like he was in contention to get a title shot,especialty at the end of his career.Those days were over.Carlos Monzon threw him a bone near the last but that was more of a stunt than a real fight. I don't remember Moyer salting himself away out in the foothills of his manager Sid Flaherty's training camp out in the foothills of San Diego to do any Spartan conditioning to prep for King Carlos. But I did see Moyer in the gym everyday at the old San Diego Coliseum.There wasn't a lot of electricity being emitted from Moyer's side. He took it on as kind of just another fight.

I don't remember Moyer ballooning up in weight between fights and then having to deal with the drudgery of having to sweat off 30 pounds to make weight. Hell,he fought so often that he didn't have time to get fat.I heard him once say that if he missed going to the gym for more than two weeks he'd lose his edge.

I often wonder how things would have progressed with him if he' stayed away from the drinking.I really don't think much would have come into play.He fought in an era where there were so many great fighters it all came out in the wash the way it should have. He didn't pack a big punch that could have gotten him out of a few close losses.By the time he came down to San Diego he knew where he stood. But he certainly wasn't the same guy who took on Emile Griffith early when he could barely hold his own with the lunch pail crew who donned the gloves at the ol' Coliseum.

When it finally came to the time that the wear and tear had damaged him beyond repair ,we who were still part of his circle, would instead of cheering him on would shout from ringside"Stay down!Don't get up!"

As time goes on I'm finding less to promote the spirit of fighting. When Denny Moyer died in a nursing home in his hometown of Portland,Oregon he couldn't even recognize his wife. Maybe he should have stayed down a long time ago.


Denny Moyer

[dagosd2000]

Baby Face

I remember when Denny Moyer was making his move up the welterweight division during the 50's. He was fast and quick and kept his feet moving. His manager Sid Flaherty and trainer Danny Rodriguez knew they had something special. The Moyer family was flush was fighters.Younger brother Phil,father Harry,and his uncle Tommy all were Portland pugs, and they weaned the kid Denny on a pair or of Everlasts. I've said it before: he had to get through the finest crop of welterweight fighters that ever came down the pike. He hung in there with all of them,but the two who surfaced to the top were Emile Griffith and Luis Rodrigiuez.Moyer won one out of three against Emile and Luis Ko'd the kid.(I once heard Moyer talking to someone and it sounded like El Feo was the best ever faced)in a fight that I think started Moyer's slide.

But what Denny kept with him through all those contests was his baby face. He looked like he should be sitting in the back of Our Miss Brooks English Lit class. How could a kid with a look that would make Jackie Cooper green with envy be a pug?After the networks eventually did away with the trio of weekly boxing matches on the tube a lot of those familiar faces you saw on the screen were now on wanted posters at your local post office.Where were these guys?

In the 70's Sid Flaherty had a young prospect here in town named Ronnie Wilson.Ronnie's side life was beginning to interfere with his boxing prospects. So Sid sent for Denny Moyer,who despite not being on top of his game anymore,was still climbing through the ropes in any arena that would have him,and there were still plenty.The motive,thought Flaherty,was that the veteran Moyer would take the erratic Wilson by the hand and have a good talk with him.

Well,I think they talked about where the best watering holes were in town.It was like throwing gasoline on the fire.But i must emphasize that when Moyer(and Wilson) abstained from John Barley Corn you never saw two of the nicest and friendliest guys around. When they spoke their voices were so soft they could have put a regiment of insomniacs to sleep.It was all genuine. If you didn't know better you'd approach the pair and give them your daughter's phone number.

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But when these two saddled up and rode into Dodge to bend their elbows at The Long Branch you'd better hide the women and children. It was a metamorphosis that would have made Robert Louis Stevenson think of putting both of them in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.I went out a few times with them to a few of the local dives and when I'd see the switch flip I knew not to get cute with these guys.The chips on their shoulders could have raised bone spurs.

When Moyer arrived in San Diego the first thing I noticed was that the baby face had morphed into the standard pug pan 101.But when he wasn't on the sauce he was still the quiet guy with the Gary Cooper demeanor.The thing was he looked a little rough around the edges like Mr.Shucks Ma'am.But get a few slugs of the Old Red Eye in him and the next thing you now he wants to punch John L. in the mouth.




The Chee Club on Broadway. It was only a few blocks where Moyer and Wilson practiced boxing at The San Diego Coliseum.Inside the Chee Chee they worked on killing off what was left of their careers.
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[dagosd2000]

The Local Guy

When Muhammad Ali blew into San Diego to fight the local local product Ken Norton it was supposed to be a tune up for Ali in order to get together for a mega fight with the champion George Foreman. San Diego wasn't much of a fight town but Ali's presence changed that.The San Diego Sports Arena,the contest's venue,was sold out.Though Norton had fought most of his bouts in San Diego The crowd was behind Ali.

Ali had only lost once and that was to Frazier who then was evaporated by Foreman. So if Ali was to continue to have his following he would have to eventually fight Big George and beat him somehow.In The Fight Of The Century Ali had all that he could deal with with Joe Frazier losing pretty handily .Then Smokin' Joe got smoked by Foreman in KIngston like it was nothing and now Ali had to hold two tigers by the tail to keep up his rep.Thank goodness he was in there with a soft touch like Ken Norton,so he thought. I watched him wind down his training inside The Town And Country Hotel where ,doing his "workouts", he held a microphone doing his stand up routine more than things to break a sweat. Everyday there'd be a full house watching Ali's revue egging him on to come up with another poem or slur aimed at Ken Fartin',Ali's new slight against the ex Marine.

After Ali would clear out for the afternoon, Fartin' would mosey in with Eddie Futch and sparring partner Bossman Jones to to work like a demon in front of me and the janitor. Though it looked like on paper that Ali was taking things easy it was Ali's name that seemed to be enough to carry him through in order to get to Foreman.

Ali entered the ring wearing a lavender colored robe given to him by the King Of Rock N' Roll, Elvis Presley.On the back the lettering spelled out "The People's Champ."Everything looked in order.Though Norton was making a successful comeback after losing big time to Jose Luis Garcia in LA no one gave Kenny much of a chance to last with Muhammad.

But Eddie Futch had worked out a plan with Norton how to beat Ali.When Ali started the jab,Norton would jab him back.Ali would raise his gloves and then Norton would punch to the body.Then when Ali would drop his hands Norton would try for the head.Ali worked everything off the jab,but when Norton would counter the jab with one of his own, Muhammad would have to reset. Though at the time you might not have picked up on it during the fight that's what was happening.and it was giving Ali a lot a trouble.

Ali's legs looked dead.Norton's pins didn't have much life either,but his strategy was putting him ahead on the scorecards and disillusioning his faithful.By the time round 12 rolled around it was apparent Ali needed a knockout to win.When the bell rang he waded out of his corner carrying a look of defeat and a swollen jaw. Norton knew he had him.During the last 30 seconds of the round Norton had Ali backed into the ropes and was pounding him with both hands. Ali held his gloves high trying to weather the storm.He couldn't answer with anything. It was then that I thought that the referee might stop it.But no,he let it go to the bitter end. It was scored a split decision win for Fartin' and it was Ali who was s--tting in his pants.The verdict showed you the allure Ali had with the world.The fight was a rout.Ali was never in it. He never hurt Norton .Norton had broken Ali's jaw. He was a whipped fighter.When walking back to the dressing room Ali turned his robe inside out.

The referee for the fight was a local figure ;a guy by the name of Frank Rustich. He was the third man in the ring for just about all the major fights in San Diego.He also was a field umpire for the high school football games in town.My father and him were friends.My father told me that Rustich was Italian so I guess there was the bond.I knew him a little.He wasn't much of a talker.One time I saw him at a high school game and asked him if was thinking of stopping the fight in favor of Norton.
"There was too much big money riding on that one,"he answered.
It didn't make sense. The fight was kind of like Douglas when he fought Tyson.No one thought Norton would win.There couldn't have been much action.But i didn't follow it with Rustich. I think he just didn't stop it because he was afraid to.And now Ali had three tigers he had to hold onto by the tail.


Muhammad Ali

[goose 5]

Roger: Did Moyer and Wilson have any interaction with any of the pro wrestlers who worked the Coliseum ?

[dagosd2000]

Roger: Did Moyer and Wilson have any interaction with any of the pro wrestlers who worked the Coliseum ?

That's a good question Goose. The wrestlers(Freddie Blassie,Mr. Moto,Don Manookian,and Ernie Ladd to name some)would work out right after the fighters.They both used the same locker room. But I never saw them socialize together.

[goose 5]

After they retired, did Moyer and Wilson leave San Diego right away?

[dagosd2000]

After they retired, did Moyer and Wilson leave San Diego right away?

I lost track of them after they retired.Wilson's marriage was on the rocks and he went back to his native Canada to take advantage of the socialized medicine. He was homeless and living in a park where he died a few years ago.He didn't have much contact with his family then.

Moyer went back to Portland and opened a bar that didn't last long.. His health eventually gave way to the dementia and he passed away.

Would love to get those two in Rick Farris' WCBHOF.

[dagosd2000]

The Neighborhood Gym

There's no sign in front of Erik Morales' Gym nor a sign in the window. The gym is located on the corner in the Zona Norte and the door is on the side street.You walk up two short flights of stairs to get to the gym passing fight posters of some of Morales' fights..I've been there a few times and never seen many fighters working out.There's one ring and the usual punching bags.The windows look out to the street.I've never seen Erik Morales. I know he has a house in Chula Vista on the U.S. side.The last time I went to the gym there were a couple of guys cleaning up who I presumed were fighters. I asked them what was going on and they told me the fighters would come in around 4 o'clock. It was 10 o'clock when I got there.I asked them if there were any "hot prospects" in fold and they kind of smiled and said the clientele was composed of mostly regular sorts who just wanted to get some exercise.

Under the gym there is a little family store where they sell the basics like soda pop and beer,candy,milk,and various types of snacks,toilet parer,soap and the whatnots. There are a couple of those video machines where you put your money in to try to win a few free games.There's always a few kids i see playing the machines .l've never seen the store very busy.

The neighborhood is quiet for the most part. The houses are small, looking in need of repair in spots or at least a good sprucing up. Everybody around there knows where the gym is.

I sometimes think back when Erik Morales was the champ and was the one that finally derailed Pacquiao.He was the toast of the boxing world.His fights were on HBO,his name was being talked in the breath with all the great fighters of the day,and the money was rolling in.But I remember when that gym and the little store never left a remarkable footprint. It was still the neighborhood gym and the local kid was champ of the world.But there was nothing to really make a fuss about. The Morales' and their son the champ were still part of the normal flow. On the street it was "Buenos dias" or "Como estas?" and you walked by each other as always.No one asked for an autograph or a photo to sell on Ebay.

You see in that neighborhood,The Zona Norte, that's right against the border stopped by the razor wire fence and the floodlights on the U.S. side the contrast is stark.Maybe there will be no more champs, or maybe there will.It's a waste of time thinking about.The people are trying to find a way to make ends meet.What happens tomorrow is something far away.Besides,if you need something in a hurry the little store below the gym probably will have it.


Erik Morales' gym

[dagosd2000]

A Lonely Happy Place

I was just watching a "friendly" soccer match between Spain and Portugal on the tube.There was Ronaldo, who some say is the best, yet there's a contingent that'll argue for Messi. Or how about this Lewandowski guy?There's a lot of foreigners that have located to the U.S. so they'll have their forums arguing who's the best. And of course the rest of the world that breathes soccer can give you an earful. But unless you're a recent immigrado the average American doesn't give a hoot nor a holler for soccer or who is the best player.

Before I read Chris James' excellent biography of Eder Jofre I was left with the same question after finishing his book How come Eder Jofre never received the weight of accolades as of his Brazilian contemporary Pele? If the world's soccer buffs were asked to name ,let's say 10 notable Brazilian soccer players, the names would be rolling off tongues like quicksilver. Then ask the world's boxing aficianados to name the ten most prominent Brazilian fighters and you'd hear a pin drop. Pele's name is still kicked around in soccer circles today with the old and the young. Eder Jofre's name makes boxing fans scratch their heads.

Was it because Eder Jofe fought mostly in Brazil? Was it because he weighed 118 pounds? Or was it because they can't pronounce his name? His fights weren't on American TV.He fiought here a couple of times.He was AWOL from Europe.When Jofre won the vacant title in a match with Eloy Sanchez,Pele and Eder were hotter than two dollar pistols.In 1966 Brazil was favored to win the World Cup but England won the championship,and Eder Jofre was no longer an undefeated fighter losing his crown to Fighting Harada..

Both athletes made comebacks and re established their reputations. Pele's name is legendary. Many will say he was better than anyone out there today. Eder Jofre on the other hand is an all time great that doesn't seem so. As much as I think Chris James' bio is A One Prime,it will fall way short of bringing back to life the accomplishments of Eder Jofre.It's impossible. All the concerted efforts in the wiorld would fail.

But it's not like Eder Jofre talks sour grapes.He's happy with his family and what he achieved.To stand shoulder to shoulder with Pele is not his aim.There are some athletes like Lebron James who call themselves the GOAT.They get sore if you don't concur. With Jofre it doesn't cross his mind.But today Pele isn't arguing for his name to be first billing with all the players who run on the pitch .Nothing bitter from his lips either.Jofre enjoys life and to be with his family.And they're happy to have him.


Eder Jofe

[dagosd2000]

Rules

The other day when I mentioned Audie Murphy in one of my posts I wanted to put his portrait at the end but I couldn't find it. I knew I did one of him,but I either can't find it or I painted over it. So this morning I did my standard Saturday brushwork painting the most decorated American soldier in WW II. The past post was about Art "Golden Boy" Aragon and I mentioned how Aragon became friends with Murphy on the set of the movie To Hell And Back which starred Murphy playing himself giving a running account of his battlefield exploits. Aragon was one of the guys in Murphy's platoon. The two were in a following film .World In My Corner, depicting Murphy as a prize fighter.Of course Murphy was no professional fighter by any stretch so he employed Aragon ,who had a part in the film,to teach him some of the rudiments of the Sweet Science.Aragon said that Murphy was a quick study and would have left a mark with boxing if he had decided to give up Tinsel Town.

i like to roam around the forum and take in what others have to say.It piques my interest when posters equate the sport of boxing with war,or at least the allusion is there.If you've got guts enough to get into the ring well,you've got guts to do about just most anything.

I used to work out with fighters but never did any pro stuff. I fought a sub rosa fight once on the amateur level and that was as close as I got to the championship I played a lot of football in high school and college to supplement any physical contact. But I can say I was never scared.Nervous? Yes.But scared never.The reason I was nervous instead of scared was that sports have rules.

Football and boxing are rough on the body but the rules keep everything in line. You can't bring a switchblade into the ring and use it. You';re not allowed to kick a man when he's down nor deliver a blow below the waist and hit a guy in the balls.You can't bite a guy's ear off (See what happened to Tyson).The rounds are three minutes and when the ref says "break' you "break."They even want you to touch gloves before the start to show manners. The rules are there to protect you. You don't worry about nothing chicken s--t happening.

But war? "All Things Are Fair In Love And War."You can't win a battle unless you stack the odds ,and that means being a dirty fighter. Being a dirty fighter in the ring gets you DQ'd.

So I could see Audie Murphy getting cuffed around by Art Aragon on the set of the movie World In My Corner trying to master more or less a left hook or a straight right. The movie took a month to make and Murphy made 10 grand. In the Army he was raking in a cool 50 dollars a month killing the enemy and getting shot at(He was wounded 7 times).His Medal Of Honor was awarded to him by jumping onto a burning tank and warding off enemy soldiers for an hour firing the 50 caliber machine gun( killing 120 German soldiers) while he was waiting for reinforcements. When they arrived Murphy led the counter attack.He had three bullet holes in his back leading the charge.

When they finished making World In My Corner ,Aragon said that Audie Murphy was the only actor he coached that wasn't afraid during the boxing scene.


Audie Murphy


Audie Murphy in World In My Corner.At least he wasn't scared.

[dagosd2000]

Wrestling With The Question

My father took me in the late 50's to see my favorite wrestler ,Argentine Rocca, wrestle at the Hollywood Legion Stadium in Los Angeles. It was so long ago I can't remember who he wrestled but he didn't disappoint the crowd by executing all kinds of acrobatic moves before pinning his opponent.What stands out also was when you walked in the door of the place you had to walk down aisles to get to the ring.The ring was below street level.

Wrestling back then wasn't like it is today. I want to say it was taken more seriously.I think most everyone knew it was fake,but diehard wrestling fans think it isn't. Even Ring Magazine devoted the back part of its magazine to wrestling, including rankings of the wrestlers. How that was determined was anyone's guess.

The Olympic Auditorium featured weekly matches with Dick Lane doing the announcing. My two favorites were Art 'Sailor" Thomas and Eddie "Bearcat" Wright Jr.Eddie's old man once fought Jack Johnson after he came out of Leavenworth and KO'd him with a solar plexus punch.Thomas had these big pecs and he could make them alternate going up and down like water balloons.

Up in LA Tom Hatton had a weekly show that featured the wrestling at The Olympic. Hatton was also a pretty good cartoonist and would sketch a lot of cartoon characters on his show. He showed a lot of Popeye so he drew drew a lot of the characters on that show in grease pen.

The Coliseum in San Diego had their wrestling shows every week. Freddie Blassie was the big draw. He'd shoot of his mouth and everyone wanted to see him lose. Mr.Moto was a "good guy" in San Diego but when he wrestled in LA he was a "bad guy."The big tag team duo was The Destroyer,who wore a mask, and Don Manookian who used to play pro football for the Raiders. The two called everyone they hated "Pencil Neck Geeks.".Pretty soon all the kids were calling each other 'Pencil Neck Geeks."

I don't remember any female wrestling in The Southland but back East the big star was The Fabulous Moolah,and she was BIG.

The big question back then was could a wrestler beat a fighter in a match. I know Lou Thesz and Ezzard Charles had some matches. But the thing was that the fighter had to wear gloves and box and the wrestler could wrestle.I always thought that the boxer was the better man but it all depends.I guess if the boxer could get to the wrestler's chin first then he walks away the winner. But if they tie up then the wrestler would get the pin.

When they had that match of Ali and Inoki back in the day I was really interested to see what would happen.But the way they set up the rules spoiled it. When Inoki grabbed Ali all Muhammad had to do was grab a rope and they were separated. I think Ali threw three jabs during the whole 15 rounds.It proved nothing.Well, it proved that if you really wanted to settle the argument they should have taken those guys in the back of an alley and let them go at it.


Inside Hollywood Legion Stadium

[dagosd2000]

Oops

You don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out that Jack Johnson was an ego maniac.He loved being the center of attention.He loved being heavyweight champion of the world.And he wanted to do what he wanted without any interference from anyone.He wrote his autobiography before he was 40 because he just couldn't wait to tell the world how smart he was.He was all about himself like OJ was and didn't give a hoot nor a holler about other Negros.There never was a heavyweight champion around(nor any other fighter)that caused so much controversy.

He taunted his opponents and did so to the his most prominent adversaries:Buens,Ketchel,and Jeffries who were paler than white cows eating vanilla ice cream cones in a blizzard.Even Muhammad Ali said many years later "that if you thought I was crazy I had nothing on Jack Johnson. How he escaped a necktie party or a snipers bullet is anyone's guess.

He opened a bar on the Southside of Chicago but they ran him out business before he could get the place smelling of rotgut booze and cheap perfume.He said he was fluent in 5 or 6 languages,was an expert on nutrition(the banana was earth's perfect food),and could act in any Shakespearean play and bring it home a winner,But what got him in hot water was his fondness for the fairer sex who had a much fairer complexion than himself,and he wasn't afraid of showing them off to the public and taking them for a stroll down the altar showing his prized gold teeth.They even invented a law to put a stop to his no color line antics called The Mann Act but somehow he escaped across the pond and resumed his naughty behavior in Europe. But instead of training like a champion he acted like a glutton gorging on anything French cuisine (And you know how bad that food is for your cholesterol.) By the time he lost his belt to Willard in Cuba he couldn't fit it around his waist anyway.

After Johnson had served his time in the pen the public never waned to see another black heavyweight champion again. But then came along Joe Louis. Mike Jacobs the matchmaker/guru of boxing on the East Coast knew he could parlay Joe's fists into a cash cow.Of course he'd have to fight white contenders. Louis was head and shoulders above all of then except when he didn't listen to his trainer Jack Blackburn and stayed on the golf course too long before his fight with Schmeling.But that turned out to be a lucky charm in the sense that the rematch would bring the fight to the eyes of the world.

But before they let Joe Louis get on a roll there were some ground rules.The rules revolved around the firs black heavyweight champ Jack Johnson. There was a sit down with Joe Louis and he was told never chide your opponent.Never celebrate after a KO.And most importantly, if you're gonna' woo the white girls do it in private and for God's sake don't marry one of them.And last but not least stay as far away from Jack Johnson as possible.

Well,Joe Louis certainly was a clean a fighter as there ever was.When Billy Conn got himself tangled on the ropes in their first fight (With Billy way ahead on the cards)Joe backed off and let him untangle.Louis never taunted an opponent in the ring but he must have felt like it with Two Ton Tony.He had his share of white gals(Sonja Henie and Lana Turner)but that didn't come out until much later.And for Jack Johnson?Well,Jack certainly wanted to stick his nose in and mess things up but they were pretty good shooing him away.Jack all he waned to do probably was to give Louis some French lessons ,but for the most part had nothing much to do with Louis except to say that Joe was lucky he never got in the ring when he was on top of his game.

But there's this one photo of them together.Johnson caught him off guard and pushed his way through so he could get himself in the lens with The Brown Bomber. If there ever was a look of someone with their hand caught in the cookie jar it was Louis in the below photograph. By the look on his face you know that Johnson had pulled a fast one.

[goose 5]

I love this photo !

[dagosd2000]

Exhibitions That Exhibit What' The World Has Come To

Floyd Mayweather made more money horsing around with Logan Paul the other night than Michael Jordan made i playing basketball for real years for 15 years in the NBA. Fill me in.i'm out of it half the time .I want to keep pace but I lose interest.Who's Logan Paul? He had one fight I saw,but he's not a fighter by profession. My grandson Adam went to Florida to visit his friend who's a Navy Seal and they went to this "exhibition".I asked him about it and who is Logan Paul and it's still not clear in my mind who he is or how they put this thing together.I mean who in their right minds would shell out all this dough to what an exhibition?

But I read where people were upset after it was over. They wanted to see a real fight. There was too much stalling on Mayweather's part they claimed. At the end there was no decision. Hey.It was an exhibition.

The other day I took a day trip along the border and drove into Mexicali which is on the other side of the line from Calexico,California. After retiring, Joe Louis,like some other ex champs went on an exhibition tour and took off his pants to spar his old workout partner Perk Daniels. It made about as much noise as a fart in a hail storm.Imagine Louis pocketing 20 million for sparring with Perk Daniels in a town in the middle of the desert? But Vegas is in the middle of the desert and there's a lot of money made on the fights in that tawdry place. But now it's gotten to the point that a king's ransom can be raked in with putting on an "exhibition."

I guess Perk Daniels didn't have the drawing power like Logan Paul.Or maybe the match wasn't sold to the public like what they can get away with today.This would be a great dream match up:marketing Perk Daniels in the ring with Logan Paul.Call it an exhibition,a fight,or a slow dance. Today's public is a pushover for just about anything.BTW:My grandson Adam said he had the time of his life.


Louis and Daniels in Mexicali. This is an example of poor marketing .If they did it like they do today -a cool 20 million.

[dagosd2000]

The Other Side Of The World

After dropping into Mexicali on my Mexican road trip I crossed back into the U'S. and made my way to Yuma,Arizona. I spent an hour at the old Yuma Territorial Prison Park and roamed around the premises.The penitentiary was built in 1876 and closed in 1909.It's in the middle of the Mojave Desert where it gets to be over a hundred degrees every day for a several months. Then it cools down into the 90's before the oncoming of the winter period.In the lock up There's two rows of cell blocks that are exposed the weather.The bunk beds are made of cast iron with no mattresses.They gave you a pot to piss and s--t in and that was it.Your food was shoved under the bars.Fascinating place.

After taking in all the amenities I got back into my car nd drove about five miles to cross the border back into Mexico at the town of San Luis Rio Colorado in the state of Sonora. I've always said there is no international boundary in the world that separated two countries like the U.S,. and Mexico with such dramatic contrasts. You might want to count Spain and Morocco but the Straits Of Gibraltar is a water boundary. You can look across from both sides and not see nothing except nature's panorama.But going back and forth from the U.S. and Mexico is surrealistic. How can the contrasts be so dramatic?I don't want to get into the cause of the differences because that would cast Mexico in a bad light.And don't give me any crap that it's the United States' fault. So I'll just give you a little of my own personal impressions on my personal Trip Advisor.

I've driven through San Luis Rio Colorado on the Mexican side but I've been reluctant to cross into the town from Yuma.The reason was that the border crossing on the U.S. entry back to Yuma has only 3 lanes. I've been afraid that if there was a long line that I'd be there all day waiting to cross back.I went on the internet the day before and was reading that there was a Sentri Lane(a lane that gets you through faster upon Homeland Security approval)so I took my chances. When I got to the booth to cross in I was greeted by the U.S. customs. I asked if there was Sentri Lane and they said "No"So I said I wanted to turn around and they laughed and said that I had to continue going into Mexico.

I made the most of it and decided I'd park the car and get something to eat. But as soon as I crossed all I saw were drug stores and cheap curio stands. There were so many drug stores they were practically in the middle of the street.I thought I was going to hit one of them. There seemed to be nobody around.The air was hot and still.Movement was a slow walk's pace. The heat was oppressive.You could hear a pin drop. It was a metaphor for idleness. No one seemed like they had a regular job and the ones that did sat around and did nothing.

By contrast I'm not saying Yuma,Ariziona is an industrial Mecca. But they have their paved streets and synchronized traffic lights. There's the malls and the usual franchise joints. To top it off gasoline is a buck fifty less than on the Mexican side.

San Luis on the other hand is an ennui of hand painted signs,the smell of Mexican gas and manteca,and packs of mongrel dogs looking for something to do or chew.

It really didn't surprise me. Tijuana is the Las Vegas of Mexico and that's because San Diego is on the opposite side and there are enough employers to hire any Mexican with a Green Card. Yuma is a place that you pass through on the way to Phoenix.So when I crossed back there were no cars in any of the 3 lanes. But I guess I gave the Custom's guy something to do.

Odds are that if you go to San Luis Rio Colorado you'll probably never go back. Did you know that Carlos Palomino was born there. So was Maromero Paez. Gaspar Ortega started out fighting in that burg.I wonder if her ever went back?Not recently I'd think. Paez has relatives there.That's where his abuelita had her traveling circus and Jorge was one of the acrobats.As for Palomino.I doubt it. He lives in Los Angeles now and San Luis Rio Colorado might seem like it's on the other side of the world.But then again you get there by car inside a day.


Some sweaty guy who just got back from San Luis Rio Colorado and Carlos Palomino

[RamTis49]

Ramon Tiscareño is my grandfather. He would love to see video of his fights. Could anyone point me in the right direction to fulfill this wish fo him?

Any info is greatly appreciated.

[dagosd2000]

Ramon Tiscareño is my grandfather. He would love to see video of his fights. Could anyone point me in the right direction to fulfill this wish fo him?

Any info is greatly appreciated.

I see that Audie Aragon,Art Aragon's son is on Facebook. Try getting in touch with him.He might have something on the fight his dad had with your grandfather.Good luck.

[dagosd2000]

The Championship Rounds

You ever saw someone you thought you knew but because of the circumstances dismissed it as impossible.I told this story way back when but I thought about it the other day and I'm starting to lose a grip on it.So for practice I'll run it through again and see if I can shake some cobwebs loose.

My friend's old man had this what I'd call an Asian bar in downtown San Diego during the Vietnam War. It was on the corner of 4th and E streets. The old man was one of those Nissei Japanese(an American) and he called his place "The Orient." During WW 2 he was in one of those interment camps and that's where he met his future wife. His last name was Takasugi but everyone called him "Tak."He was an enterprising SOB and after he was sent home he started a family(he had 4 sons) and bought a small tuna boat.The crew pole fished and he was doing all right but then one day the boat burned down(a fire in the engine room)so he had to scuffle for a time working in one of those arcades at the foot of Broadway. In time he had enough dough to buy himself the bar.The first thing he did was change the decor and rename the joint. It used to be called "The Rio": but since Nam was heating up and there were always a fleet of Navy ships in port with plenty of horny sailors ready to blow their money he was sitting on a gold mine.

The girls of course were all Asian types. Since Tak was Japanese he liked to hire Japanese girls but he also had a mix of Korean and Filipino.The girls were vey clannish and there was a pecking order. The Japanese girls thought that their poop smelled like perfume and the Korean and Filipino gals had regular smelling poop, However, when the swabbies walked through the door it was every girl for herself. Hell,those guys didn't care.You see one and you'd see them all. They all were hustlers top notch. They were divorced from other servicemen or were still married while their hubbies were out to sea.

The girls would spread the newspapers on the pool tables and look to see what ships were at the dock.They knew them all and the sailors on board.It was" Buy me a drink Number 10".Or "Let's play pool for a dollar". And there were plenty of arcade machines that would eat the servicemens' quarters. And if the Navy was slick enough and had any dough left after 2 o'clock there plenty of "No Tell Motels" in the area.

But aside from the sailors there was a small local crowd that would frequent The Orient.They were comprised mostly of the winos and drifters that lived in the neighborhood. I was always trying to hit on one of the girls and didn't have much to do with the self proclaimed war heroes or the bums.

One night (I think it had to be in the late 60's)I saw this guy stagger in with clothes on his back that were so threadbare that they looked like they had stuck to his skin.He had on a frayed fedora and his shoes weren't worth a shine anymore. He needed a shave plus a good scrubbing. At first glance something rang a bell but I couldn't put my finger on it.

But I noticed the girls took a liking to him. They treated him like a little boy so he'd always buy the one he was talking to a drink.I heard one of the girls call him "Charlie" but that couldn't have been his real name because if I had to bet on it the guy was Mexican.He wasn't very big and he had a pan that looked like he'd been in his share of brawls.

One night I asked Tak who the guy was.He told me that he used to be fighter.That's when the bell rang loud and clear. The guy, I'd bet my life on it, was Manual Ortiz the ex bantamweight champ.But what the hell was doing in the Orient five nights a week?I started a conversation with one of the girls and she told me that "Charlie" was a fighter once but didn't embellish on the topic.So I waited for him to come back.Then i'd move in and play dumb and get it out of him. But he never came back. I asked around and Tak and the girls didn't know what happened either.They didn't know where he lived of who he hung around with. I tried a few other bars on the block and never saw him.After time I forgot about it.

Then one day I was thumbing through the local sports section of the paper and on the back page I saw this tiny headline:"Former Boxing Champ Passes Away In Local Hospital."The article was two sentences long. The first sentence told of the death of "ex bantamweight champion Manual Ortiz" from liver failure at the County Farm.The last sentence said that services were" pending."

I never saw Manual Ortiz fight.But I sure did hear about a lot about his fights from the old timers.Before Aragon he was the talk of the boxing world in LA.He defended his title for years. I heard Aileen Eaton talk about how he got his start fighting. He was a field worker in the Inland Empire in California. For recreation they put on amateur fights on Saturday nights.One night one of the guys in the main event took a powder,.Well, Orriz was sitting ringside and feeling no pain so his pals talked him into filling in for the no show.Well,you guessed it.Ortriz climbed through the ropes and kicked this guy's ass.He went on to be one of the greatest champions of all time. They could have at least mentioned that in the obituary.


Manual Ortiz

[dagosd2000]

To Be The Best You Have To Beat The Best

So how many fights do you have to have before you get a shot at the title?It's not the number of fights but the number of top fighters that you've put in the loss column.Remember Sean O'Grady from Oklahoma is OK?He had run up around 60 or so fights without a loss,most of those victories at the Red Carpet In in Ok, Oklahoma.Then he left the nest and was matched with Little Red Lopez at the LA Forum and Sean was wishing before it was over that he was in the safe confines of The Red Carpet Inn. I took a look at O'Grady's prior victories and none of his opponents had a winning record . Or it was their pro debut. Talk about a house of cards.So after the devastating loss to Little Red ,O'Grady returned to The Red Carpet and got the Red Carpet Treatment beating a bunch of fighters, granted were a class above his previous casualty list, but when he crossed the pond to fight Jim Watt ,Sean wasn't in his backyard at The Red Carpet.Heads collided and the bout was awarded to Watt on a TKO.Sean and his dad/manager Pat O'Grady claimed a foul. His plea was ignored.

Hilmer Kenty gave O'Grady a shot at his title and lost to the Irishman,but then Andy Ganigan burst Sean's bubble with a stunning KO in Little Rock (that was not that far away from The Red Carpet Inn).You look at O'Grady's 80 and 5 record but when you peel off the layers just about all those wins were against the local "Tough Man" fighters in town. Sean's dad played it to too safe and it backfired when his son was there with a top notch fighter.The baby face O'Grady retired when he was 24,the best move he made and became a boxing analyst.

I remember when the brash Cassius clay was matched against a big cowpuncher by the name of Lamar Clark who had over 40 winning fights going in with all but one via the KO variety. Cassius on the other hand had 5 fights under his belt. Well,somebody knew what they were doing.Lamar was out of there in 2 frames.But like O'Grady, Clark's streak was compiled against guys that were stepping into the ring for the first time or had just come in from a round up.

Jose Urtain was another fighter who got out of the gates like crazed bull .He was on the cover of Ring Magazine and they were touting him of having more power in his fists than Louis. But the fellas he was beating were mostly a bunch bulls who left their horns in the barn Urtain wax a Basque and the dictator Franco felt like adopting him. Legend had it that Urtain's packed a wallop so powerful that he once planted one on a "toro" and the next thing you know they were carting the deadanimal to the local meat market.But like O'Grady and Clark ,Urtain was a sheltered matador and when he left the Iberian peninsula to fight Ol' Enery at Wembley for EBU Heavyweight honors it was Cooper, the noted bleeder, who had gored Urtain to the point that he was ready to have his ear cut off and given to the Queen(I seriously believe if she would have hung it over her mantle place)

So how many fights do you need before deserving a title shot?It depends on the quality of the opposition.For me if you beat the number one contender then the champ has to give you the shot. You can have ten fights or a hundred.You beat the number one contender then you're next to challenge.


Jose Urtain

[dagosd2000]

Clearing Something Up

I've written many times anecdotes about the summer I spent helping out at Archie Moore's ABC club for kids(after working at the school for handicapped kids,Friendship Home)I've mostly touched upon Archie's kids putting on the gloves. But it sure wasn't a factory for turning out fighters like the Kronk Gym.In fact the boxing end of it was minor in respect to the other activities that went on inside, all superivised by Mr. Moore.Exercise was indeed important. There was the boxing ring,but in addition there was a ping pong table,wrestling mats,and a pool table.(Pool is a sport)Archie enjoyment playing ping pong as much as he did showing a kid how to keep his guard up.There were plenty of tables and chairs where the kids could crack open a book and study for an upcoming test or do their homework. And of course Archie was always there to supplement a lesson with his ample words of wisdom..


Archie worked with pro fighters (George Foreman in particular in preparation for Ali in Zaire)but I never saw any pro fighters at the ABC.The Any Boys Can was funded by the city and by private donations and I don't think they wanted to sponsor a Philly type gym.Neither did Archie.

There was some talk of a group to buy back his brick house in Southeast ,with the swimming pool shaped like a boxing glove, but I doubt if that will ever happen.His son Billy said he'd turn it into a museum.I hate to say it but the people who live in the neighborhood today never even heard of him unless they're in their 70's.


Archie Moore's old brick hoise.If you had dialed that number you could have hooked up going to a swingers' party.

[dagosd2000]

When A Legend Needs To Walk Away

I'll catch hell for this.I've been thinking about how to say it so here it is:Vin Scully who had been the voice of the Los Angeles Dodgers since the Korean War, should have thrown in the towel 20 years before he turned off his microphone.The game of baseball had passed him by and he knew it.

When I was a kid there was no major league baseball on the Wesr Coast. Then the Dodgers arrived from Brooklyn after Walter O'Malley couldn't get his way with Robert Moses ,the city manager of New York,to find a place of his liking to build a new ballpark.So the Irishman told Moses he was going to pack his bags and split to Los Angeles.They were more than happy to make O'Malley happy.. The league OK'd the deal only if another team would go West Young Man too. So Horace Stoneham, the owner of the New York Giants, sat down with O'Malley( both finishing off a 5th of Johnny Walker Black Label) and in 1958 sunny California was in the big leagues.With the Bums traveled their announcer Vin Scully who had apprenticed under Red Barber.

San Diego had the minor league team,the Padres,but it was like the "Second City" complex down here at the end of the line. Then when San Diego finally got a major league team,I hate to say it,many of the fans here still wore Dodger blue.

I remember when the Dodgers would blow into town and you'd be sitting in the stands and you'd here the radio broadcasts of Scully calling the action. Hell.we didn't even like our own announcers.One time I was with my sisters at the stadium going up to were our seats were in the press elevator.In walked Vin Scully.We told them that the fans would turn to his broadcast instead of listening to our guys.He was really floored.He ate it up.

Scully always worked alone. He had Jerry Doggett or Russ Porter with him but they would come in after Scully would announce the first three innings.Then one of them would take his turn for three,and then Scully would come back and finish.

In the 60's there wasn't much "science" to any of the sports except boxing. Today it's the opposite.Boxing has decayed into a plodding exhibition of unschooled muscle tight pugs who have about as much knowledge about what they're doing inside the ring as the ring card girls.

But the other sports like football,basketball,and baseball have broken it down into a PHD study:arm angles,release pionts,pitching to spots,studying film trying to find the batters' weaknesses,coming up with pitches that won't tear down an arm. When I was playing ball,and this went for guys in the Bigs as well,it was throw as hard as you can for a strike. And I'm just talking pitching.Today,the average high school coach knows more than Casey Stengel did back in the day.

But as the game progressed so did the game's play by play in the booth. Vin Scully knew he was good with words.He was the poet laureate of baseball announcing.He wanted every game to sound like Roger Kahn's Boys Of Summer. He was talking poetry when people wanted to start to knowing the nuts and bolts.But he knew where he stood with the rhetoric.As far as what he could pass on as the intricacies, he was lost.He would have had to start back at square one. He would have had to swallow his pride.And his head was too big to ingest.That's why he didn't want an analyst to work beside him.In fact he didn't want an analyst to be within 50 miles of Dodger Stadium.

At the end he didn't associate with any of the players.He didn't travel with the team.Affer he announced that he would retire they asked him if he wanted to do a World Series game.He refused. They wanted to put an analyst in the booth with him but his literary ego felt threatened.

The other day I was listening to a Padre game. Don Orsillo,the "voice" of the team,was talking to his analyst partner and former player,Marc Grant. (Hey, these guys are red hot-very informative and they give the fan a good dose of levity.They'd have been great in Vaudeville)Orsillo remarked to Grant that he had worked in the league long enough to find out that there were head announcers that still felt threatened by an analyst in the booth. It was the inferiority complex sort of thing.Grant was stunned by Orsillo's comment.Well,the first thing that came to my mind was you guessed it.



Vin Scully.Like an old movie that doesn't resonate anymore

[goose 5]

"Plodding exhibition of muscle tight pugs" - talk about hitting the nail on the head; superbly written, Roger.

[dagosd2000]

"Plodding exhibition of muscle tight pugs" - talk about hitting the nail on the head; superbly written, Roger.

Thanks Goose.For the life of me I can't understand why just about all fighters come out of their corners so tense. Don't they know that they're expending energy? Getting fatigued doing nothing? Then they unload everything behind their punch but in the process it slows any follow up punch.Floyd Mayweather got through undefeated mainly by relaxing.He could see things clearer.If a fighter's body is relaxed and loose he can react faster and sharper. I used to be amazed at the Cubans like Napoles,Legra, and Rodriguez.Sometimes they'd start a punch and then knew it wasn't going to hit the mark so thy let off the gas and reset their legs to find something else.You never saw Ali wound up tight as drum.

If I had a young fighter I'd tell him to take his stance and tighten every part of his body. Just stand there doing that and your muscles will begin to tire. I think they call that "isotonics."

[dagosd2000]

I've Got News For You

I was sitting in Parque Guerrero under a shade tree taking a break from the heat when I saw Vargas leaving the panaderia across the street carrying a bag.The park was at its usual crowded capacity mostly with mothers with their kids playing on the swings and the slides.Around were the carts with the vendors selling the razpados,corn on the cob,tortas,and cold soft drinks. One cart was selling hot cakes that you could put different kinds of flavored syrup that was in those plastic squeeze bottles.There were the guys with the balloons on a string and toys on stick.Another guy had a small wagon that he scooped ice cream into either a waffle cone or in a cup.Most of the flavors were of tropical fruits or just plain vanilla.I almost fell asleep listening to the the creaking of the chains on the swings of the kids being pushed back and forth by their mothers.Fewer men ,all tired looking and needing shaves and wearing their same clothes, were sitting around together or alone with nothing to do but read the papers or talk about what they had just read.A little wind would pick up and cool things off, and then settle down to nothing again.When I saw Vargas I called out to him and he stopped and waved and then walked over.
"Hey Rogelio "he said taking a seat on the other end of the bench."What are you doing here?"
"They're fixing a dent on my car across the street."
"These guys have been doing this for a long time."
"I know.I've been coming here for over 40 years. I always go to those guys that have that white shed across the street.I remember when they used to work on my father's car."
"Even if you have insurance it's better that you get the work done here."
Vargas opened the bag and pulled out a roll.
"You want some bread.It just came out of the oven?"
"No thanks.I just had an ice cream cone."
Vargas closed the bag rolling the top to keep the heat in.
"Did I tell you I sold the gym?"
"I noticed the "Se Vende"sign on it when I was on my way to my daughter's place in Canon Jhonson."
"I couldn't make a go of it anymore."
"The last time we talked you said it was getting harder."
"I'll tell you what finally did it."
"What was that?"
"I've been paying the narcos ten dollars a week for protection."
"So what else is new?"
"Well,last week this other guy comes in and says I have to pay him now.I told him I'm already paying this other guy ten a week."
"So?"
"He tells me that he killed the other guy and now I have to pay him."
"So what's the beef?"
"He now wants twenty or if I don't go along he'll torch the place."
"Does the landlord know this?"
"I think he's in on it."
"What are you going to do now?"
"Going to the police won't do me any good. I'll have to just think about it for awhile."
I looked across the street and saw this little kid running towards me. He stopped short of breath and told me that my car was done.I gave him a quarter.
"Well Vargas. My car is done.I've got to get going.That line at the border is getting longer and longer every day.Even if you have a Sentri."
"Before you go .You sure you don't want some bread?It just came out of the oven>"


Parque Guerrero in Tijuana


I like to get a scoop of vanilla and top it with a scoop of coconut

[dagosd2000]

May I Have This Dance?

Vargas was .lucky he found someone to buy his gym. He'd had the place for about 20 years.I think he latched onto it for 5 grand. He let it go,I heard through the grapevine, for 2.He was still paying on the equipmemt. The ring stayed and most of the bags,gloves,and headgears.The new thug(who said he killed the old thug) who wanted to shake Vargas down was the last straw.Vargas said his landlord might have been behind it.Hell,I can't think of Vargas making monthly rent payments on time when the world got turned upside down.. When the Covid thing hit he told me his landlord gave him a month's grace period to get things together.He had to close the gym anyway so I can't imagine how he came up with the money.That's maybe when the landlord went to the narcos and put they squeeze on him.

If boxing is on weak legs in Tijuana you can imagine what it's like in the rest of the country. My nephew has a palenque in my wife's hometown of Jiquilpan. He had to close.The soccer team in Tijuana is back in business but it's a house of cards. They only allow a few selected friends into the stadium.But the owner doesn't worry much. He's another Chapo but he's walking around a free man.There's also has a pro baseball team in town,The Toros.. It's up in the air when they'll start.

You can think that the fans everywhere are hungry for their sports to get in gear,but it's a double edged sword. I think the aficianados have turned in their membership cards and now it's like" if my guys wins-fine. If they don't-I'm not going to lose any sleep over it.When they start paying my rent I'll sympathize."

I don't see how anyone can take sports very seriously anymore.All the hype,the phony drama-it's a dog and pony show with the critters stepping on each others' paws and hooves. When these "hot dogs" do their celebrating after scoring a touchdown all that happens is that the mustard slips off the bun (Thank you Chick Hearn).It's kind of pathetic. These superstars act like what they say is so God damned important because they can make 2 out of 3 three pointers.

When the docs at the hospital discovered that my heart was out of whack after my last hip replacement they gave me medicine to fix it.I didn't see any of them celebrating shaking their asses in the recovery room.And they told me that ALL lives matter.

CREA Gym in Tijuana