Classic American West Coast Boxing

[dagosd2000]

The Animal

Before Sonny Liston came on the scene to me the scariest heavyweight was the Cuban,Nino Valdes.He was bigger than Liston and he had a physical stature that would make a guy think twice about becoming a heavyweight.Valdes was . 6/3, a bodyweight when in condition weighing in at 215 pounds,and a mug that looked like that alone could mug any opponent who faced him in the ring.But if you were looking for consistency with the guy he'd leave you scratching your head.

Enrique Encinosa in his antholgy of Cuban boxing,Hard Leather, devoted a chapter to the big man. He left us with some clues to Valdes' malfunctions.Valdes at one time went to a shrink to work out his self doubts.

"When I fought Agramonte in Havana I stopped him in ten...I was in very good shape...and I was not hurt when we fought.Then came Charles in less than a month(sic)and I did not stop training.Hypnosis had nothing to do with that win....That night I felt like fighting."

So he hinted there were times when he didn't feel like putting pedal to the metal.After the 1953 Charles victory Valdes was the top contender for Rocky Marciano's title but though there was a lot of talk about putting them in the ring nothing transpired.The guessers were guessing that Al Weill was looking for something softer and a lot smaller.

In 1955 Archie Moore was hell bent on wanting to face Marciano, who he thought ,like a lot of others, that he could outsmart Rocky in the ring. In a fight ,that was in sorts an elimination bout, Moore and Valdes got that opportunity in Las Vegas.The fight was held outdoors and the skies we clear for the desert sun to wail down on both men. it might have been Archie at his best.I remember watching the fight and Moore made the bigger Valdes miss a lot of punches.Archie also had the savvy to grab Valdes and maneuver him so he was facing the sun most of the time.Moore got the judges' attention and now Nino was out of any shot at Marciano's title.

His next fight was with the mysterious Bob Satterfield in Bob's den of thieves,Chicago. Satterfield pulled the upset.Valdes looked like he had gone back to see his shrink and left his office in a trance that he took with him to Chicago.

Until he retired you wouldn't be off the mark if you considered Valdes club fighter status.In 1958 they showed Nino on Tv in the ring with an up and coming Pat McMurtry.The fight was the main event at Madison Square Garden.Well,if you were tardy coming out of the kitchen making popcorn and a bottle of Pabst Blue Ribbon you probably missed the fight. Valdes towered over the Irishman clubbing him to the canvas in the 1st round before you could say "Comeback."After the fight Jack Drees interviewed McMurtry and all he could get out of his mouth was,"He's an animal."It looked like Nino had finally grown into a man.


But when they brought Valdes back to his backyard of Miami Beach to fight Charley Powell but the only thing that had grown on Nino was his waistline.He looked sloppy.His fat hung on him and that slowed him down to a walk..Powell left his mark. Valdes was finished in 8 rounds.

In Hard Leather, Encinosa talked about Valdes retiring, finally returning to the States and floating from job to job. One of Valdes' jobs was being a bouncer at a seedy bar off Times Square, When Valdes was asked about Teofilo Stevenson being the best of Cuba's heavyweight Valdes took offense.

"He was an amateur and I was a pro.Even today old and overweight, you put me in a phonebooth with Stevenson and I'll be the one walking out on my feet."

But boxing is about fighting in the ring.When you fight in a phonebooth you can be an animal and walk out on your feet.. In a boxing match you have to be smarter than an animal to win.


Nino Valdes

[dagosd2000]

A Tedious Explanation

Everytime I bump into Jeff I've got to explain things.He used to be the bartender at Champs Bar-Burke and Shirley's old place.Then the Covid hit and they closed up. Shirley's grandson,who was left the bar, gave the order.This time I ran into Jeff at the hardware store.
"Hey Roger.How's it going?"
I wouldn't normally have any problem with that but then I knew something was coming.
"I'm in here looking for one of those desk lamps.The old one I had I couldn't find the bulbs for so I'm in here trying to find a new lamp."
"Hey.I read your post the other day."
"Which one?"
"The one about you taking that guy to the doctor and you're in the waiting room waiting for him to come out."
"Did you like it?"
"Were you serious about saying you knew all about people while you were sitting there?"
"I kind of compacted all that."
"You made it sound like you have everything figured out."
"I wanted it to sound like that."
"But nobody has everything figured out."
"That's when that other guy in the waiting room opened the door for that lady and I was just sitting there just watching."
"I don't follow."
"Well,I'm thinking I know it all and the other guy who I think is out of it opens the door.If I was so wise I would have beat him to the door but it never crossed my mind."
"I think I'm getting it."
"When he opened the door that's when my hip started hurting and I began to feel awful."
"Now I get it. Your hip started to hurt and that's why you couldn't open the door."
One of the store clerks then came over holding a desk lamp.
"Sir.Is this what you were looking for?"
"Yeah.That will work."
Then the clerk turned to Jeff.
"Sir.I don't have have any of that touch up paint in the little bottle with that little brush arrached to the cap.They don't make that anymore."
"What about nail polish?That comes in a little bottle with a cap that has a brush inside."
"Then you'll have to go to a beauty salon."
"Do you think they'll have any that will touch up a scratch on a car fender?"
"You'll have to ask them."

[dagosd2000]

Something Inherent

The pressure being champ is got to be as demanding as things can get. Some fighters after winning the title begin to really feel the heat and then let go of the rope. For example when Buster Douglas defied the 40 to 1 odds and kicked the hell out of Mike Tyson I don't think on that night anyone in the history in the division ,even in their primes, could have taken Douglas. I never saw a big man so agile on the balls of his feet, working the full 3 minutes of every round,snapping off jabs and following up with lefts and rights. He slowly broke Tyson down so at the end Mike knew that he was whipped.Douglas was the stronger man not only in physical strength but also between the ears. Some thought that after Tyson knocked him down late in the fight that that would be the turning point.Well... .

So now it's Douglas who fights Holyfield and there were a lot of people that thought Buster would copy his Tyson performance against Evander. But when you saw Douglas at the weigh in it was a dead give away. He was fat and sloppy tipping the bar 30 pounds more than that night back in Tokyo.So what made Buster backslide?

To me he couldn't handle the pressure.Now people wanted to see him in the ring from now on like he was with Tyson. It's not a fear of failure.It's a fear of success.Now he had to be the best from now on.It was too much to think about. He let go of the rope and when you do that you're cooked.

They once asked Arnold Palmer who at one time was trading wins with Jack Nicklaus why all of a sudden he couldn't win anymore.

"One day I got out there and I said to myself I didn't want to compete anymore."

Why? Well,they didn't follow up with that and Arnie never won another golf tournament.

The fighter who handled pressure more than all the others was Muhammad Ali. What made ir so amazing is that he put added pressure on himself with his poetic predictions and outrageous pre fight interviews.But he always came through for the mosr part.When he lost to Frazier for the first time he might have "lost" the the match too but the world was so enthralled with his confident manner that in the close fights or his lesser efforts he remained revered. People look up to others who give a laugh at dire challenges.Ali seemed like he feared nothing but fear itself.

But Ali's demeanor carried outside the ring.He could sit with intellectuals like a David Frost or Dick Cavet and though he didn't understand half the words in their vocabularies he'd have them off balance during an interview.And it wasn't a Mike Tyson thing like if you get smart with me and I'll kick your ass you little faggot. No.Ali would keep them on their heels with his wit added by a smile. It was Ali who showed poise, and the smart boys who condescended.When the world's underdogs saw Ali they had their savior.

That's why Ali will always endure even with today's generation who can't even name one of his fights.It's something inherent.


Muhammad Ali

[dagosd2000]

The Italian Connection

In Italy they talk a lot about Marciano,LaMotta,Pep,and Basilio.Though those three never fought in Italy.The fans over there hold them in high regard. It kind of surprised me at first because you'd think that the spin doctors could have put something together,but if you look at the books I can't find that ever happening-the Italian /American fighting a homegrown in Spaghettiland for a title belt.When Primo Carnera was on top of the pile he defended against Paulino Uzcudun in Rome but he was a Spaniard.Vito Antuofumo never went back home to fight a paisan when he was champ.Marciano,LaMotta,Pep,and Basilio could have sold out the Coliseum if they had fought anyone in Italy who owned a pair of boxing trunks. But let's face It Italy never produced a legion of great fighters. If one popped up he crossed the Atlantic on The Normandie and the promoters here got their hooks in them

Nino Benvenuti left his mark in the U.S. But then he got complacent and at the end Monzon all but ate him alive.Paolo Rosi was a pretty fair fighter but he couldn't get by the best the U.S. had to offer.He'd usually fall prey to cuts and that's what did him in when he fought Joe Brown for the lightweight title.

But when thinking about it Benvenuti,Carnera,Antuofermo,and Rosi aren't in the rarified air of Marciano,LaMotta,Basilio,Pep,Graziano,Canzoneri,Ambers,and Johnny Dundee.They made their money here and then if they took a vacation to Italy they'd get a lot of lira at the exchange booth.

Then there were some Italian fighters who had some minor belt but would never leave "The Boot." They wanted to pile up win after win in Milan and Rome often getting benefit of the doubt on the scorecards. "Hometown Decision" I think was invented in Italy.Sandro Lopopolo was a good example. He'd fight these guys who'd sell balloons during the day in these eight round fights and become the talk of the town walking down the streets wearing his silk suit and the fedora with the feather.Guys like Jose Napoles or Carlos Ortiz were on his pay no mind list.

So that's why if you go to Italy and you're sitting outside a trattoria sipping a cappuccino and someone engages you in a conversation about boxing,let them know that you're an American and then mention Rocky Marciano. You'll know then they won't give you the tourist menu.

Rocky Marciano

[dagosd2000]

The Ol' One Two

I don't remember any fights broadcast on TV in the 50's where you had two fighters weighing below the lightweight limit of 135 pounds.Pep and Saddler might have been on the TV and that would have put it around 1950 ,but then if it was it might have only been shown in New York.

You think of some of the great small men(fly through featherweights)especially in the Southland and in Mexico and their faces were unknown to audiences east of the California state line -Manuel Ortiz,Joe Becerra,Pacual Perez to name a few.

In the 60's fights became syndicated and many of the cards at the Olympic Auditorium were broadcast back east.However the three nights a week diet of fights were history. The going down to the local movie house to watch Patterson and Liston fight became the standard mode.Half the time they couldn't project a good picture on the screen and the sound was in and out..Now they have all the technology ironed out however you're coughing up at least 50 smackers to watch just an "exhibition.

But I also remember when sports was coming through the ol' wireless-the radio. Baseball you can still listen to by turning the knob,but the other sports are strictly on the television.I can remember listening to Basilo and Robinson on the radio.It was like sitting on the edge of my seat at ringside.I To do the blow by blow on the radio is an art in itself.The crowd noise in the back round enhances all the drama. The broadcaster has to relay all the all action of each boy.If not, the listener can't visualize what's really happening.You can't afford to have any lag time.But I doubt if any of these talking heads today could manage it.

Chick Hearn,the voice of the LA Lakers was great doing the play by play live broadcasts of the games on the radio and even when he went to TV he kept up his pace.He was an ego maniac and didn't like working with an analyst but he was number one when it came to broadcasting Roundball.

Going through Youtube the only thing I could find that's a great example of a blow by blow radio description is Clem McCarthy's call of the second Louis/Schmeling fight. I'll go ahead and post it,but the film is a little out of sync with McCarthy's voice. But this is an example of listening to a broadcasrer at his best. You can't be a slouch and make it work.

[dagosd2000]

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[dagosd2000]

https://www.oldtimeradiodownloads.com/s ... ng-matches

Found this link of old radio broadcasts of some famous fights. Interesting.Better than turning off the picture on your TV and listening to what these guys have to say today.I was surprised to hear Don Dunphy in the 2nd Louis/Conn bout.He's very good. When he had to stick to describing the action on the radio he was much better than his TV broadcasts where he kind of rambled around and tried to evaluate more than describe.

[dagosd2000]

A Tough Rewrite

I've seen Ray "Windmill" White at just about ever boxing convention they have in Los Angeles.He's been inducted into Rick Farris' Wext Coast Boxing Hall Of Fame and the California Hall also.It's a just decision. Every time I see the former light heavyweight he's dressed impeccably, donning a tailored suit,matching tie and cufflinks.He roams the dining room quietly by himself and if you didn't know it you'd think he was here trying to sell life life insurance. When he was inducted into the LA institutions I assume he had a table or two of guests. The last time I saw him was at the West Coast function.Rick Farris told me that White had approached him before his award and wanted Rick to show a tape of his "highlights". The intent was to show White's defensive prowess. Rick said there wasn't time for that but to get on with his acceptance speech.

If you're familiar with Ray White's boxing career you know that it was accented by his horsing around. He was a tall gangly dude with long double jointed arms and a forehead with the with his hair in retreat. His skin was parchment in hue and he had a demeanor that exuded nothing. .He got his nickname,"Windmill" because he'd often wind up his punches like the hands on a clock going around or let one of his double jointed limbs coil behind his back and let one fly.In his corner was the mysterious Baron Von Stumme who had one of those Snidely Whiplash mustaches and carried himself like a robot. Together they made quite a pair.

But the act didn't go over with the fans nor the scribes. They weren't funny.No one cared where their show was going.They were neither liked nor hated. I saw White fight Jesse Burnett at the Coliseum in San Diego one night.He was totally outclassed. He knew he was in a long night (or a very short one) so every time Burnett tapped him White would flop to the canvas like he shot by a 44 Magnum.He wasn't badly hurt but he wanted to make a farce of things.The crowd was disgusted and so was the ref so he pulled his union card and called the act off. White leaped from the ring and ran outside to the street ,gloves and all, and let the door hit him in the ass. It wasn't fu8nny let alone entertaining.

Today,Ray is wanting to reinvent himself but it's a tough chore.People will always remember him for his lousy antics.He wants to have the respect but the boxing world won't let him off the hook.One time I was with him and I brought up the time I saw him fight Jesse Burnett in San Diego. It was like I had farted..He put his head down and ran out the door-just like he did that night in San Diego.

Ray "Windmill" White

[goose 5]

Hi Roger: California had a nice little crop of lightheavys back in the 70's, didn't it ?

[dagosd2000]

Hi Roger: California had a nice little crop of lightheavys back in the 70's, didn't it ?

Goose
They did but the guy at the top,Bob Foster, was head and shoulders above them all.

[dagosd2000]

Fighting To Reach The Top

Goose yesterday commented on the crop of very reputable light heavyweights who entertained the fans in California during the 70's.They were all hoping to be called up to fight the great Bob Foster who was the champ at the time.As good as a lot of these guys were only three got to go inside the ropes with Bob.Roger Rouse,Chuck Leslie,and Mike Quarry had their chances but came up way short. Some were title fights,some non title;but if they could have beaten Foster they'd have made some money and become household name.I know if you look up the bios on these guys they weren't all born in California,only a few, but they made their livelihoods there so you kind of think of them as California products.

Others that should be on the list are Yaqui Lopez,Andy Kendall,Andy Heilman,Ray White,Hildo Silva,Amado Vasquez,Ronnie Wilson,Jesse Burnett,Lonnie Harris,LOnnie Bennett,and Rudy Robles.None of these fellas' had the goods to be in the IBHOF but they left their marks in the Golden State and gave the fans a good show.

Ronnie Wilson was San Diego's fair haired kid that you'd see several times a month fighting at The Coliseum. I've stated it before: Wilson could box with anybody. He was light on his feet,had an array of offensive skiils.He could slip punches too but then he'd get caught like any of the best in the sport and then his eyes would open up. He lacked a KO punch that could get him out of a jam,but he had plenty of heart that translated into him staying in the game too long.

The San Diego Coliseum wasn't a very spacious arena inside. Maybe you could squeeze a couple of thousand on a good night.Most of the seating were wooden bleachers behind the numbered chairs. There wasn't a bad view in the house.You felt like you were on top of the action so most of the time I'd pay GA and be satisfied.

The Olympic Auditorium catered to the Mexican fans who were behind their ilk-Chicano and Mexican national. Jerry Quarry would draw big but when he started to get a name he began fighting back east a lot.You could say the same for Ken Norton.After being fed a bunch of so so guys at the Coliseum he got woken up in LA by Jose Luis Garcia.After tasting defeat for the first time Norton got some mental help from a shrink name Dean Ezell and started a comeback culminating with beating Muhammad Ali at the San Diego Sports Arena, Then like Quarry,Ken began fighting out of town.

But San Diego split their cheers with the Mexican fighters and the non the Mexican.Most of those fellas' I mentioned at the top couldn't speak Spanish but they could fight good enough to sell a couple of thousand tickets on fight night.


Bob Foster

[dagosd2000]

Justice Rhymes with S--t

I kind of felt sorry for this girls U.S. sprinter,Sha' Carrie Richardson, who ran some remarkable times in the 100 meters to qualify to go to the Olympics in Tokyo.Then yesterday the docs said they found pot in her urine(or blood) when they did the doping test and now she's off the team.I guess she didn't have the greatest of childhoods. Before the qualifying meet she was told her biological mother had passed away.That's why she said she got high.

The kid acts like a kid.She's loud and flashy and into herself but I don't see any chip on her shoulder and her anger level is level.She was on top of the world until she smoked that joint that cost her a gold medal probably.She didn't sound bitter after she got the bad news. She said she takes responsabilty for what happened.Only question I have is did she know marijuana was a banned substance?

Another American girl athlete,Gwen Berry, at the trials who placed 3rd in the hammer throw, when she got up to the podium to receive her award turned her back on the American flag,.Then the next day she said that she was "set up" and that she covered her head with a shirt that read "activist athlete."She went on to say the National Anthem "is not Important.The anthem don't speak for me and never has."She later said "White people are sooo retarded when they're drunk."

It used to be a U.S. Olympic policy that our athletes refrain from making political or protest statements to the public.That rule was lifted this year.So Richardson broke the rules when smoking pot and Berry did not when she called white people "retarded.".But I'm guessing if a white athlete qualifier who would have spoken out against black athletes who call white people retarded would have been shown the door and given a plane ticket back to wherever he came from,or maybe he'd have to pay his own way.


I bet if a white person would say anything bad about her lipstick they'd be branded a racist.It looks beautiful She must have been drunk when she put it on.

[dagosd2000]

Got To Thinking

I got to thinking what happened to that Richardson gal who got bumped off the Olympic team for smoking pot.I think she did it on purpose. When they asked the president about it he answered like.I felt about it. He said the "rules are the rules" and she knew ahead of time what she was getting into.But he added that he like the way she took the responsibility for what she did.The rule may have been chicken s--t but they can decide about changing that later.End of subject
So why would she do it on purpose?Here's my stab at it.She's 19.It will be her first Ol.ympics. I think she figured she wouldn't win a Gold at Tokyo so she smoked the weed knowing she'd get canned for it. It's the old Fear of success mode.-a form of hari kari prelude to Tokyo.

As far as the chip on her shoulder discus thrower/hammer (head) tosser,she won't make the cut over there.if she finished 3rd here those Eastern European babes will eat her alive.i hope they do and don't spit anything out.She made it bad for herself and no one likes her except the other BLM militants. As far as the runner she made it bad on herself too but she's getting lot of sympathy.

Fighters usually don't get into politics or the social injustice thing.Of course Ali did but people listened to him and he was ironic,on the mark, AND funny. He surrounded himself with white guys more than blacks and everyone knew he wasn't really that pissed off.He could hold his own with the red necks if he had to and kids loved him.

About the most stupid stunt I ever saw when it came to a fighter acting like a jerk was when Bernard Hopkins burned the Puerto Rican flag in front of Felix Trinidad.I don't know if that as staged, but if it was they needed to come up with a different script.

For the most part fighters just want to fight and be the champ and spend their money on booze and broads and blow the rest.


It was hard to hate this guy

[dagosd2000]

He Gave It A Try Sort Of

"Do you think Kirkman has a chance against Foreman?"I asked my friend Gary.
"I sparred with him a lot up in Seattle and he's got the tools."
Gary Young was the top amateur heavyweight in San Diego however that wasn't saying much but he knew that.Gary had moved down from Portland,Oregon and was working as a full time teacher trying to untrack kids with "special" needs:That is the kids were juvenile delinquents. We were over at his place with a six pack of beer in front of us waiting for the fight to start on the TV.Gary was on the edge of the couch.Like Gary I wanted Kirkman to pull the upset.

Kirkman had done most of his fighting in his neck of the woods Seattle and the Northwest. His only defeat came at the hands of Doug Jones who he was beating before a bad cut over his eye caused the ref to stop it.Everyone figured if Kirkman hadn't have gotten sliced he would have beaten Jones.Gary and Kirkman looked like they could have been twins and I could tell that Gary had a lot of emotion in him wanting Kirkman to beat the guy who was having a Liston like effect on the division.

Foreman was the new kid on the block and he had champ Joe Frazier in his sights. He hadn't lost and most of his wins followed a pattern.He'd come out smashing his jab into the face of his opponent. It was like getting hit with a telephone pole. It put his foes back on their heels making them think what the hell could his right hand and left hook feel like.Then in round two he'd let everything go and down went the guy in front of him. Fight over.The scenario would be the same for Kirkman everyone thought.

The bout was to be held in Madison Square Garden in New York. It was of course to showcase Foreman.When the two fighters stood center ring getting their instructions from Arthur Mercante they looked pretty much similar-both big men with no fat around their waistlines.However,the thing that stood out to me was I could tell Kirkman was nervous.He couldn't look at Foreman straight on and was shifting his feet.Maybe Foreman was nervous too but he didn't show it.

Usually after the opening bell fighters lose the jitters and get down to business.But this wasn't the case with Kirkman. The crowd was behind George,.No one knew who Kirkman was.Before there was a punch Foreman pushed Kirkman and had him flat oh his behind. For a short spell Kirkman hung in there trading shots but then you could see he was giving way the more he felt Foreman's power..Foreman would stick the jab in his face and then swing right left and you could see Kirkman looking for a place to fall.Foreman had him staggering around the ring like he was drunk. It didn't end in the customary 2nd but by the 4th Kirkman had had enough. It wasn't even close.

Gary didn't say much watching his friend slowly break down. There wasn't much for me to say either.
"Let's have one more beer and then go down to the gym and spar,"said Gary.
"If you reallywant to," I reluctantly replied.
I went along and we put on the gloves.Gary gave me a good working over.Too bad Kirkman couldn't have pulled the upset.It would have saved me from going home with a migraine.


George Foreman

[dagosd2000]

Press A Weight,Get A Lift

I just saw on the internet Deontay Wilder in the gym trying to lift around 300 pounds in the bench press. He had a guy on each side of the bar helping him get the weight off his chest.I don't know if Wilder implements weightlifting into his training regimen but if he is someone should stop him.He needs to focus more on getting more leverage on his punches,defending himself better,and pacing himself efficiently.Doing a one rep lift with a bench press adds up to practically nothing.In fact he didn't even "make" the lift but he celebrated like he just had set a world rcord.He's lucky he didn't tear his shoulder.

This is a good example of what's going on in a lot of boxing gyms today. This guy is fighting for the heavyweight championship of the world and he's trying for a max on a bench press.I don't think Ali ever touched a weight.He was old school.Weightlifting was probably the last sport to incorporate any kind of training pertaining to boxing.I wouldn't ask a fighter to take it up.I remember years ago the world's strongest man ,Paul Andrson,tried his hand at the sweet science.He had a few fights and then disappeared.

Some fighters today think that having a 20 inch arm is going to supply more power in his punch. Not so.Most of your big punchers have normal looking blue collar arms.Earnie Shavers didn't have big arms.Neither did Ray Robinson. Being binded up by big muscles slows down the speed of your punches and that will take some of the impact off the swing.

This fight with Fury and Wilder is at the end of the month.Maybe Wilder will bring his weights into the ring.In the last fight he was dressed up like Darth Vader.He blamed his loss because the outfit weighed him down before the fight.Maybe that's why he's doing bench presses.He wants to be able to lift himself off the canvas after Fury knocks him down.


Deontay Wilder

[dagosd2000]

Can you believe this guy?He didn't even make the lift.Those two guys helped him with it.I once bench pressed 535 pounds and I wasn't even a contender.

[goose 5]

535? Man, that's fantastic. How long were you lifting before you reached the 500 pound mark, Roger ?

[dagosd2000]

535? Man, that's fantastic. How long were you lifting before you reached the 500 pound mark, Roger ?

Believe it or nor not I accomplished that when I was 50 years old.I started lifting when when I was 15 years old in 1962.I stopped in 1970 and then when I got into coaching football I had the players on the weight room.That was in 1986.I still lift but with two artificial hips,two torn rotator cuffs;I go to the back of the gym and lift the sissy weights.

[goose 5]

Age 50 ? very impressive. Years ago, I knew a young guy who was stuck at 495-he just couldn't reach the 500 pound mark.

[dagosd2000]

Age 50 ? very impressive. Years ago, I knew a young guy who was stuck at 495-he just couldn't reach the 500 pound mark.

That happens quite often. For example guys get stuck on 295 and can never make 300.It's a mental thing.I never had that problem.

[dagosd2000]

Better Watch Your Ass

The number 4 P4P fighter better watch his ass when he gets into the ring with the 42 year old Manny Pacquiao.Pacquiao is the last of the great fighters from an era that featured the likes of Mayweather,Morales, Marquez,Cotto,Moseley,Antonio "Hands Of Plaster Of Paris" Margarito,De La Hoya,Barrera;when the best fought the best and there were plenty of candidates.Spence may be undefeated but he's a big fish in a small pond. Mickey Garcia(who didn't have his heart in it),slow and predictable Shawn Porter?No future Hall Of Famers there.

They're hping this fight up because Pacquiao is 42 years old.And why not?Many thought Manny would be fodder for no loss Keith Thurman. But when Thurman came center ring he couldn't see where the the punches were coming from. Manny did a tap dance around him. Keith would think of something but he was late on the draw.Maybe if the fight was a 15 rounder Thurman may have shaded him.But Manny knew how much gas was in his tank and won the fight like he planned it.By the way if Spence would have been in the ring with Thurman he would have been tagged with his first loss.

Like Thurman, Spence will be in there with a fighter who knows more tricks of the trade than the best of any of the P4P fighters on BoxTec's list..Now back to the question of Manny's 42 years on earth .He's never been a drinker or a druggie.His family life keeps his feet on the ground. I'd bet everything I have on Pacquiao.I don't think it will be close.Pacquiao has ceratainly been in there with better fighters.Spence is no Mayweather.As for spence he must be counting on Manny losing step. If he has the stretch won't be long enough.


Floyd Mayweather

[dagosd2000]

PEDs

I was over to the Brit side of the forum and read a few posts about the upcoming Pacquiao/Spence go.One bloke remarked that if Pacquiao emerged the winner it would probably be the result of Manny' use of of PEDs.There was some talk of that when they were trying to put together the fight between Pacquiao and Mayweather when both both boys were in their primes. Both sides were accusing the other of PED use.

For starters, I think that Peds have the least positive effect on boxers all the other athletes. Often those effects result in disappointing performances. I talked about my 535 pound bench press lift a few days back.I credit a lot to that with my use of steroids. Weightlifting is where steroids got its start with the Russians,primarily with Olympic weightlifting, in the late 50's, and has spread to all realms of sports genres.Weightlifting and PEDs go together like peas and carrots.

I'll give you a little background o my "PEd" escapades.It was around the time when that reporter saw those "mysterious" bottles in Mark MCGwire's locker and questioned him about it. McGwire told him that it was something he bought at a health food store so he could "recover" from muscle soreness.I didn't catch the name of it,but at the time my focus was to reach 500 pounds in the bench press.At the time my PR was 475.I seemed stuck there.Then I got an intestinal bacteria that put me on my back for a week. My body weight plummeted as did my bench press..I could barely manage 400 pounds.I was slowly staring to move back up but I couldn't manage anything more than 460 pounds. That's when I decided to change course.

I went to the what I called the "the state of the art" health food store and asked the guy what he had to increase lifting powerHe pulled off the shelf two bottles.One was called Androstene and the other Andriol..He said they increased testosterone levels.Sounded good to me.Besides,it was legal,but even it was not I would have taken the plunge. He didn't say they were "steroids".It wouldn't have mattered. They sell steroids ,that you an only purchase through a doctor's prescription in the U.S., in Tijuana over the counter at the drug store like jelly beans in a candy shop.I was reluctant to do that because if I had gotten popped bringing that across it would have been a federal beef and II'd have lost my teaching credential and served time in jail..

So I stated taking Androstene and Andriol and cut WAY BACK on my drinking, and I noticed immediate improvement.Each week I'd progress 5 pounds on my bench progress until I got up to 515 pounds. Then the tears started.PEDs build muscle but don't strengthen connective tissue.If anything it makes it more brittle..

I struggled through pain to get to 535. Then I tore my left rotatior cuff,then the right pne.By that time the FDA had classified Androstene and Andriol a Steroid" and yanked it off the store shelves.Also the bully boys in Congress went after these homerun hitters like McGwire and Sosa and nailed them to the cross for something they were using that was legal at the time,not to mention everyone else as indulging also.

Now to boxing and Peds.There's no doubt Holyfield used PEDs when was being being mentored by Mr. Universe Lee Haney on how to put on muscle mass so Holy could fight at heavyweight.But I never thought it made him a better fighter..In the beginning he was even having heart irregularities until he got the dosages straightened out,.Fernando Vargas thought steroids were the answer to beating Oscar De La Hoya but all it did was slow him down binding him up.

Pacquiao may have used PEDs to make a solid weight progression from flyweight to were he is now but he doesn't rely on the stuff to make him a more skilled fighter. PEDs and boxing is the wrong mix.Even monsters like Liston sand Foreman wouldn't more power behind their punches using 'roids.If anything it would tie them up.Slow them down.

I worked with a gal in the court schools who trained with the LA Merquerettes.She had this to say.Florence Griffith at the time was the 3rd or 4th best U.S. sprinter. Then she was turned on to steroids. Within a year she was the fastest female sprinter in the world.Her 100 and 200 meter records still stand after almost 40 years.In 1998 she died of a stroke at the age of 39.

For a straight ahead blast of speed steroids can cad take off tenths of seconds,but boxing isn't a ten second sprint.It's on your toes ,reflexes,,constant movement,staying loose,Can you imagine Muhammad Ali or Ray Robinson on 'roids.?

So when Manny Pacquiao starts throwing punches from all angles at Errol Spence it won't be the result of PEDs.Boxing is like a dancing Fred Astaire.Imagine him taking 'roids?.


Ray Robinson

[dagosd2000]

A Liar But An Honest One

I remember Dan Hanley mentioning a ways back about how he'd sit in front on the TV and watch the weekly fights from the Olympic Auditorium.Dan is from Chicago and he said the fight game in the Windy City was in the doldrums.Nothing was happening.Well,there ain't much happening in the Southland anymore either.

The spin doctor promoters have hyped everything up so you have to pay for it to come onto your TV screen.They'll promote exhibition matches and make them sound like it's the 2nd coming of Dempsey /Tunney ,and the public swallows it hook line and sinker. Mayweather made more money "fighting" this guy last month than he did when he squared off against Pacquiao.My grandson went to see this thing and said the stadium wasn't full so it had to be the TV revenues.They're getting away with it. This McGregor MMA deal the other night was another ruse-he keeps losing,but he's putting more money into the bank than ever before. He wound up with a broken leg so he called his opponent's wife a naughty name. He knows how to work it. Pretty soon they'll have the rubber match and the public will be bending over again.

Fellini once called himself a "liar" but an "honest one."That's the world of the ad men.They can sell ice to the Eskimos and what can you do?Either get into the business yourself or sit on the sidelines and watch. That's one thing I was never good at-being a salesman.I don't have my heart in it.

It was a long time back.They got Joe Louis to to do a TV ad for Delaware Punch.Well,they fed him the obvious straight line.
"Hey champ.What's your favorite soft drink?"
"Coca Cola," answered Joe.


Joe Louis

[dagosd2000]

No More Simple Life

Ah yes.Give me the days when life was more simple. That won't happen again.Life never evolves that way anyway. After WW II Europe was injured. Even the countries on the winning side(and we had a few that flipped flopped-France and Italy)veered off course. I mean who wanted to stick around after 5 years of killing?No. Go to America.They didn't experience any of the carnage except for the 1 percent of the 5 million GI's that got a taste of it overseas.

But now Covid hit the world and everyone who lives in a tree hut in some village in Africa to some billionaire who lives in some swank mansion in Beverly Hills has to at least think about it.The world will NEVER be the same again. The news (which has emerged into a viral gossip column)has misinformed,deliberately lied,made stuff up,and spread fear so they can manipulate our delicate little minds.

They say the "Truth will set you free".I believe in Santa Claus more.First I want to know what the "truth" is.Second,the "truth" just gives me a reason to go back on Prozac. So let's use sports as an example of how you can get all mixed up in the head. Since this is BoxRec I'll keep the faith.

I was reading the Wikipedia about BoxRec. It talked about how John Sheppard had a Burning Bush experience when he saw Prince Hameed fight in England in the 90's and equated the event with going to the Louvre and seeing the MOna Lisa for the first time so he started BoxRec which has become the most accurate catalogue on fighters past and present. The article went on to say that on a typical day 50 thousand people view the annals of this amazing feat of record keeping.

But I wonder if that number of viewers has dwindled? I'll stick to the forum.From my view the count is way down. The number of posters has diminished and the replies and new posts are just a trickle of what they once where.This doesn't have to do with anything BoxRec did. You can pin the blame on the sport. Fewer fighters.Fewer fans. A handful of gyms. Trainers who have negligible knowledge of boxing.The UFC.So what can save boxing from going under? The media.

But the media sees more dollar signs with this UFC style of fighting.I mean you don't have to be very good to be one of these guys,.But then you don't have to be very good to be a fighter either anymore.

I was talking to a younger fellow the other day about Muhammad Ali. He had never seen him fight but was convinced that he was the greatest sports legend in history. You could post his picture on a rubber tree in Malaysia and people would still know who he IS.The lad said you couldn't say that about LeBron.

Then we went on to talk about boxing and because I was older I had the leverage on him when talking about how the sport has backslid he became transfixed about what I was saying -but then he stopped me,
"But you do have to admit Deontay Wilder in a hellava fighter."

I used to be a history teacher.The kids found history their least interesting subject.


MUhammad Ali

[dagosd2000]

Going Downstairs

A lot has changed with boxing over the years.I wish most of it was on the plus side,but it seems that the UFC has knocked boxing down to second place with fan interest. Kids today can name you the UFC stars but when it comes to boxing -maybe Fury and Wilder and that's it. Canelo is some guy they never heard of.

One thing though that hasn't changed is that the Mexican fighters still attack downstairs.They always have and they still do.Working the body is a basis fundamental in prepping to be a fighter.

It used to be that that was just about all the Mexican fighter went with-the left hook to the liver.Or what they called the "gancho."Marco Antonio Barrera had to add a few more things to his menu to polish his skills and that helped him to move up to star quality. "Gato" Gonzalez will talk your ear off about his left hook to the liver and he had a beauty. Ruben Olivares' left hook seemed like it could crash through concrete walls and eventually Lionel Rose.

I can't understand why the left hook to the liver isn't taught in U.S. gyms more. It's probably because I don't think it's a part of the boxing tradition like it is south of the border. It's harder to hit a guy in the head than it is to find the body. Some guys have granite chins.I've never known a fighter who likes to get hit downstairs. There's no bone around a man's gut..Sam Langford used to say "hit the body and the head will fall."Well,he was right.But fighters lack a knowledgeable attack when it comes to breaking a man down around the beltline.Some of these fighters hold their gloves very high yet the other guy is still taking shots at the head. The strategy today is a reflection of the blind leading the blind.Bad trainer.Bad fighter.

As great a fighter as Floyd Mayweather Jr. was most of his opponents wanted to shoot for his head. I never saw a fighter back him into the ropes and start working both hands to his body to bring his guard down. If Floyd had been fighting some of those top boys in during the 60's and 70's he would have lost a few. The guys Floyd fought had talent but it wasn't implemented the right way.

It's frustrating to watch a fighter go after a guy's head when 9 out of his 10 shots miss.But he keeps it up.His corner is in a fog ,and the guy loses the fight.

But I don't see things improving. Like I said.The Mexican fighters are still taught to fire that "gancho" to the gut.It's a part of the culture.If a fighter doesn't do it he's an expatriot.


Julio Cesar Chavez got a help making it to the top with his "gancho."