Classic American West Coast Boxing

[dagosd2000]

Well I'll Be Damned

I mentioned awhile back about how the boxing gym that was dedicated to Gaspar Ortega in his honor at the Benito Juarez Park in Tijuana had deteriorated as well as the entire park because of the bad element that lurked in the surrounding area.When I had last seen Gaspar at the World Boxing Hall Of Fame Ceremonies I related to him the state of the facility. He didn't seem surprised. He told me that he was never going back to Tijuana anyway. That's where he resided most of his life when he was fighting. But he was in New York City now with his family and didn't pine for those days of yore.

During the holidays I was talking to my granddaughter's husband,Jaime, about how the Benito Juarez Park had once been a pretty popular sports venue.I told him about the "Indio" Ortega boxing gym and the history behind it.I told him when I last went there they were about to shut the park down.

"What are you talking about?Jaime asked."My basketball team played a game there last week.The place is operating and is in good shape."
At first I thought we were talking about two different places.
"When I was there last time they were in the process of closing their doors,"I said.
"Well,I'm telling you it's still open and the place looks great. They have a police station next to the park now to make sure there's no problems."

Well,today I took a spin down to Tijuana with my wife. She wanted to visit our daughter and go shopping.I said I'd let them go on their own and I would check out the park.

The neighborhood is still something that isn't the safest place to be walking around by yourself. But to my surprise when I arrived at the park I was pleasantly surprised.Benito Juarez Park sparkled.They put astro turf on the baseball field,added new bleachers,and constructed an array of lights for night games.

I couldn't get into the boxing gym because it didn't open until 4 in the afternoon.(It was noon when I got there) But they added a basketball court inside next to the gym with a nice electronic scoreboard.

There were various exercise machines in an outside patio where the public could come in and woukout for free.The bathrooms were refurbished and cleaned up and there was a nice snack stand that offered a variety of food and drinks.The place was immaculate.There was fresh paint everywhere.

It made me feel good to see this transformation. I could feel a sense of pride. But like I said the neighborhood still lacked the hominess and a sense of safety. The park was like putting a silk hat on a pig.Let's hope that pig learns something from what he's wearing on his head.


The renovated baseball field


The new recreation building

[dagosd2000]

Flawed Thinking

Yesterday when I revisited Parque Benito Juarez there were three men standing at the gate in front of the park. When I returned from making my rounds I asked them if they had ever heard of Gaspar Ortega whose name used to be on the boxing gym. With the remodeling they didn't put his name back on the door.None of the three knew what I was talking about when I brought up his name.I tried to explain that he was a very famous fighter who had lived in Tijuana and that when they built the gym they named it after him.Still I got blank looks.

One of the men was a vendor selling snacks.He had a cart with him. Another of the men was there to see if anyone wanted their car wiped clean. He had a rag in his hand. The other man was there talking to the other two. I guess he had nothing to do. All three men I'd say were in their 40's.

That's the way it is now in Mexico. The fans know who Canelo is but that's about as far as it goes. Julio Cesar Chavez is about their only historical landmark.When I was going to the fights in Tijuana in the 60's and 70's Mexico was loaded with top quality fighters.Comparitively speaking Mexico still has a good bunch of boys. But even the local prospect, Jaime Munguia, is not that widely known in his hometown.

Chavez,Erik Morales,Jibaro Perez,and Antonio Margarita all have homes in Tijuana.But with the exception of Chavez they aren't household names.If I were to bring up someone like Ruben Olivares or Vicente Saldivar I'd probably have to explain who these fellows were.

But that's an example of how boxing has taken a drop into the rabbit hole. In the U.S. if I mention Terence Crawford to the sports fan in the street I'd wouldn't get much of a reaction if any. Ali would elicit a comment. And then of course there's Tyson. But then I'm talking about trying to start a conversation with someone who was born less than 50 years ago.

I've said that boxing is fading away like an old soldier ala General MacArthur. I've also quipped that it's in its death agony.I can find examples for both.Boxing is virtually ignored by the sports reporters. If Canelo fights he gets mentioned once and the next day he's forgotten.

But I'm not pining about a return to the good ol' days. Yeah, I was a boxing nut. But Thinking back on it I was a little nuts to begin with to be that enthusiastic about a sport where the purpose of the contestants to hit each other as hard as they can in the head.

George Foreman once said that "Boxing is the sport all the others aspire to."If that be the case then here is an example of one of man's flaws.


George Foreman

[geoffreysadao]

You're right about all of that, Roger. People close to boxing have known about "punch drunk syndrome" for many years. Now, with all of the advances with Neuroscience, it's all indisputable.
I guess humans have this genetic tendency to gravitate towards violence in some shape or form. There may be ways to channel this tendency in a less blatantly destructive manner. Some of the other martial arts (not full contact) may be good alternatives.
Personally, I love the boxing gyms and the boxing workout. Even light sparring can be okay. However, people tend to get carried away too easily. For better or for worse, I don't think that I'll be able to shake the boxing bug in this lifetime.
You mentioned many Mexican boxing greats. Saldivar, Olivares, Jibaro Perez, etc.
I remember Perez was like 5'11" or maybe the scribes exaggerated a bit. He took the title from Happy Lora by decision, and eventually, was upset by veteran Greg "The Flea" Richardson. I just love those kinds of upsets. If I remember correctly, the fight took place in '91, and Richardson had won a national amateur title in '74. He didn't keep the World Bantamweight title for long.
I'm back to work at the Sacramento Co. Jail later this morning. Sometimes, I struggle with insomnia the night before my work week starts. I'm damn lucky to be gainfully employed.

[dagosd2000]

You're right about all of that, Roger. People close to boxing have known about "punch drunk syndrome" for many years. Now, with all of the advances with Neuroscience, it's all indisputable.
I guess humans have this genetic tendency to gravitate towards violence in some shape or form. There may be ways to channel this tendency in a less blatantly destructive manner. Some of the other martial arts (not full contact) may be good alternatives.
Personally, I love the boxing gyms and the boxing workout. Even light sparring can be okay. However, people tend to get carried away too easily. For better or for worse, I don't think that I'll be able to shake the boxing bug in this lifetime.
You mentioned many Mexican boxing greats. Saldivar, Olivares, Jibaro Perez, etc.
I remember Perez was like 5'11" or maybe the scribes exaggerated a bit. He took the title from Happy Lora by decision, and eventually, was upset by veteran Greg "The Flea" Richardson. I just love those kinds of upsets. If I remember correctly, the fight took place in '91, and Richardson had won a national amateur title in '74. He didn't keep the World Bantamweight title for long.
I'm back to work at the Sacramento Co. Jail later this morning. Sometimes, I struggle with insomnia the night before my work week starts. I'm damn lucky to be gainfully employed.

When I was working at that private school in Tijuana,Cetys,coaching American football one of the kids on the team named Sergio Rhodes, was close friends with Romulo Quirarte who was the manager and trainer for Jibaro Perez, Quirate also ran the very popular gym in the Unidad Deportivo on Calle Padre Kino.Rhodes and me used to go down to watch Perez train. This was before he won the title from Happy Lora.Perez had tremendous potential. He was tall and strong and possessed a mean streak.He married Quirate's daughter and they had a son,Jibobro Jr.After winning the championship from Lora he was without a doubt the most popular fighter in Tijuana.But he was his own worst enemy. Instead of settling into a stable family life and having a father in law who looked out for his good he let every hanger on buy him a drink and had a preponderance for chasing any woman in a mini falda. Soon his marriage collapsed as well as his boxing career.

I went back to the CREA gym a few years ago.Quirarte still runs things but the gym caters mostly to people who are in there for the exercise.Quirate is very respected by the community. He has the kids' interests at heart.He wants to see them in the gym instead of hooking up with the drug traffickers.He's fighting an uphill battle.But Mexico is different in one great respect from the U.S..-the opportunities offered by a public education. Being a third world country going to public school in Mexico doesn't lead to anything much. By the time a kid finishes the 6th grade he goes out to look for something to earn a peso.

Boxing used to be the poor man's out in Mexico. They had more registered fighters than any country in the world. But now kids want to join the cartels. that's where Quirate serves a purpose.But his influence is waning. Too much sacrifice to be a fighter.

But in the U.S. it's different. A kid can go to a low performing public school and if he has the focus he can go to college on a grant or scholarship. Case in point. I taught school at Southwest High School down by the border. Most of those kids were Mexican and poor. I'd say half lived in Tijuana. Their SAT score were the worst in the county.However,their academic decathlon team was ranked number one!They'd beat all those mucky muck schools with all the rich kids.

I'd ask those kids what motivated them to earn such outstanding results.Basically,it was a fear of failure.They told me that they'd look at the other kids and didn't want to be like them.That academic team all earned scholarships to schools like Harvard ,and MIT.

I don't buy these ex pugs, that when it's over for them, to open a boxing gym,especially for kids. Open a classroom for them to study and do their homework. Have tutors helping them with their studies. Instead of teaching them how to hit a someone in the head they ought to show them to keep a good head on their shoulders by doing well in school. A scholarship or grant may be within reach.Boxing gyms before the war taught a kid how to defend himself in a fight.Fighting is different today.Kids carry a knife or a gun or have their buddies jump in so he can't lose and then hurt him real bad even when he says he's had enough.What good is it to know how to box.?f you want to argue that boxing can teach discipline I can name you a hundred other sports that can give model discipline without getting hit in the head. Light sparring? Please.And now you see girls in a boxing gym. No way I'm buying that one.

In J. Russel Peltz's book about his experiences as a promoter. He says one one his fighters half joking said.
"Promoters are pimps and fighters are their whores."
"You might be right,"said Peltz.
Peltz said he got a laugh out of that. Interesting that he'd include that in his book.

When I was teaching at Juvenile Hall and the county honor camps my heart went out to they ones that wanted to break the mold and get an education.

This week I'm going up to one of Chris Smith's gettogethers for ex fighters in LA.I'll go and say hi to ex fighters like Danny Lopez and his wife Bonnie. He's having his problems. But I don't blame the fighters. I blame the managers,trainers, promoters,and the fathers that push their sons into it thinking boxing is going to make a man out of the kid. But most of all I blame the fans-the ones that go to the fights or pay a hundred bucks to watch it on Pay Per View.I quit going to fights and I haven't paid to watch a fight on TV in 20 years.

I've gotten the boxing bug out of my system.I want to see it pushed back to the Dark Ages where it belongs.


Romulo Quirarte at the CREA gym in TJ


JIbaro Perez Jr. He's dentist in Tijuana

[goose 5]

Joe Frazier was quoted as saying: "Only prostitutes are exploited more than boxers."

[geoffreysadao]

It makes sense that boxing is being offered as an alternative to cartel initiation and involvement for youth TJ, Baja CA. I fully agree that educational options (either academic or vocational) are the way to go. The ideal option is combining academics with recreation/sports or other healthy activities that appeal to and benefit the youth. Here in Sacramento, there used to be the Washington Recreation Center in the Alkali Flats neighborhood. Mostly, it was Latino, African American and some hard scabble, poor White kids who participated. They had tutors, volunteer teachers and other mentors. A man named Don Conley was in charge of the boxing program. Any kid could learn boxing fundamentals, and sparring wasn’t a requirement nor was it pushed by him. Mr. Conley knew that not every kid had the mentality and physicality to box competitively. However, if a kid had that potential and desire, he would assist them. Two of his protegees were Loreto Garza, former WBA JW Champion, and Richard Duran, former Junior FW Contender. Unfortunately, the place lost its main source of funding and has been closed for nearly 15 years. Mr. Conley is gone too. After his boxing career ended, Garza worked for California Dept. of Corrections. It isn’t at all my intention to minimize the dangers of hard sparring and competitive boxing. Duran had real difficulty after his boxing career ended. He committed manslaughter, struggled with substance abuse and is now deceased.
It's really awesome and inspiring how a group of youth whom you described academically outperformed more affluent peers based on desire, determination and mentoring. Of course, the grim prospect of ending up like their wayward peers was a strong deterrent avoiding vices and focusing upon something truly constructive. When you shared this, I almost immediately thought of Tsunesaburo Makiguchi who was a Japanese educational reformer who lived from 1871-1944. He despised the educational method of “rote learning” and pushed strongly for education that contributed to a student’s health, happiness and capacity to become a contributing member of society. His protocol for students was a half a day in the classroom and the other half working in the community. If I remember correctly, he expounded the virtues of “humanitarian competition.” During WWII, Mr. Makiguchi went to prison for refusing to obey Japan’s fascist military government. He was labeled a “thought criminal” and died a martyr in prison from malnourishment and other abuses when he was 73 years old.
In today’s society, it has become even harder for such an outstanding group of youth as you described to make headway. Yes, there are scholarships, but not every kid is an Einstein nor has the capacity to focus so intensely. There are individuals who are truly exceptional. For many youth, particularly young men, it can take a while for them to get on-track and focused. Today, it cost roughly $4000 per semester for California State Colleges, and this doesn’t include books, food or housing. In the late 60’s and mid 70’s, a working class couple could buy a very modest home and even help put their kids thru college. Community college was virtually free. Things have gotten way out of hand. Yet, it’s true that the chance for upward mobility in the U.S. is greater than virtually any other place in the World.

[dagosd2000]

It makes sense that boxing is being offered as an alternative to cartel initiation and involvement for youth TJ, Baja CA. I fully agree that educational options (either academic or vocational) are the way to go. The ideal option is combining academics with recreation/sports or other healthy activities that appeal to and benefit the youth. Here in Sacramento, there used to be the Washington Recreation Center in the Alkali Flats neighborhood. Mostly, it was Latino, African American and some hard scabble, poor White kids who participated. They had tutors, volunteer teachers and other mentors. A man named Don Conley was in charge of the boxing program. Any kid could learn boxing fundamentals, and sparring wasn’t a requirement nor was it pushed by him. Mr. Conley knew that not every kid had the mentality and physicality to box competitively. However, if a kid had that potential and desire, he would assist them. Two of his protegees were Loreto Garza, former WBA JW Champion, and Richard Duran, former Junior FW Contender. Unfortunately, the place lost its main source of funding and has been closed for nearly 15 years. Mr. Conley is gone too. After his boxing career ended, Garza worked for California Dept. of Corrections. It isn’t at all my intention to minimize the dangers of hard sparring and competitive boxing. Duran had real difficulty after his boxing career ended. He committed manslaughter, struggled with substance abuse and is now deceased.
It's really awesome and inspiring how a group of youth whom you described academically outperformed more affluent peers based on desire, determination and mentoring. Of course, the grim prospect of ending up like their wayward peers was a strong deterrent avoiding vices and focusing upon something truly constructive. When you shared this, I almost immediately thought of Tsunesaburo Makiguchi who was a Japanese educational reformer who lived from 1871-1944. He despised the educational method of “rote learning” and pushed strongly for education that contributed to a student’s health, happiness and capacity to become a contributing member of society. His protocol for students was a half a day in the classroom and the other half working in the community. If I remember correctly, he expounded the virtues of “humanitarian competition.” During WWII, Mr. Makiguchi went to prison for refusing to obey Japan’s fascist military government. He was labeled a “thought criminal” and died a martyr in prison from malnourishment and other abuses when he was 73 years old.
In today’s society, it has become even harder for such an outstanding group of youth as you described to make headway. Yes, there are scholarships, but not every kid is an Einstein nor has the capacity to focus so intensely. There are individuals who are truly exceptional. For many youth, particularly young men, it can take a while for them to get on-track and focused. Today, it cost roughly $4000 per semester for California State Colleges, and this doesn’t include books, food or housing. In the late 60’s and mid 70’s, a working class couple could buy a very modest home and even help put their kids thru college. Community college was virtually free. Things have gotten way out of hand. Yet, it’s true that the chance for upward mobility in the U.S. is greater than virtually any other place in the World.

As one of the graduation requirements of the school district where I worked,The Sweetwater Union High School District ,was that a graduating senior had to do 60 hours of community service in the neighborhood in order to get his diploma.Many parents objected because their kids weren't going to be paid for it,Also, San Diego State University implemented a program with the district-any kid who had a B average would automatically get a placement. Of course the families had to pay. But then again there are student loans out there that the lending firms in conjunction with the universities hand out like water.Even with these incentives the Sweetwater District had the lowest freshman enrolment at San Diego State. compared to all the other districts in the county.Idealism and words sound great but action speaks louder.A kid who doesn't have that"capacity" like you say to focus "intensely" can always go to a school to learn a trade. (By the way yu don't have to be an "Einstein" to go to college.).There are also loans available for this type of education.My granddaughter is completing her degree to be a medical assistant and later wants to be a nurse. She is on a loan and will have to work it off. Her husband went to trasde school to learn how to be a welder.He now works as a lead man at National Steel And Shipbuliding.He also went to school on a loan.

I've seen kids in boxing gyms here in San Diego thinking they're going to be champs one day and make all kinds of money. They're fed a lot of false hopes from managers and trainers who tell them that this is going to happen if they only believe in what they say. I knw because it happened to me. The day I realized it was just a bunch of hot air was the day I was tricked into sparring Ken Norton. He broke my nose and I went home with a migraine headache.THey just needed a body to throw in there at the last miment so Norton could get in some work.Luckjily for me,Eddie Futch,a compassionate man stopped the slaughter.Every kid that walks into a gym is fed a line of false hopes.I know there are exceptions but they are few and far between.

[geoffreysadao]

As always, thank you for your frank feedback, Roger. What do you think about reducing the amounts owed on student loans?

I'm off to work soon. Later this week, I'll share with you stories about Arturo "Wino" Vingochea (featherweight who was from Mexicali, Baja CA and fought out of Sacramento) and Leonard Morrow (LH contender from Oakland, CA).

[dagosd2000]

As always, thank you for your frank feedback, Roger. What do you think about reducing the amounts owed on student loans?

I'm off to work soon. Later this week, I'll share with you stories about Arturo "Wino" Vingochea (featherweight who was from Mexicali, Baja CA and fought out of Sacramento) and Leonard Morrow (LH contender from Oakland, CA).

There was talk about Archie Moore getting a mysterious phone call the day before the first fight he had with Leonard Morrow. Moore supposedly hung up the phone and said something to the effect that he had to go into the tank for this one. Morrow stopped him in one round. Goes to show you that even a stand up guy like Moore had to obey the spin doctors and go along to get along. He later KO'd Morrow in a rematch.I also heard it said that Moore carried Morrow to give him a frightful beating. I know they had to carry Morrow from the ring unconscious and put him in an ambulance.

I would never bring up past fights with Moore when I was helping him at his boys club. after If I had brought up the Morrow fight he probably would have told me not to come around anymore.He was very sensitive about his "clean" image.

Forgiving student loan debt? They've been talking about this for years.The democrats use it mostly to get the students behind their agenda. But I wonder if this gesture is really that sincere.I don't think there are many democrats that would go along with this. Since when should students get a pass? How about forgiving mortgage loans? Or car loans? Credit card debt? To many working stiffs with families to support trying to make ends meet ,and you want to give the students a pass?Biden suggested giving former students that are disabled forgiveness.I know a lot of guys trying to pay off on their house that have had strokes and can't get around anymore.

Besides it's all a ruse. The banks knew that most of these kids weren't going to pay the money back.The banks aren't fools.School counselors should have sat with these 18 year olds who had never taken the plunge, and forewarned them about the pitfalls of taking out such big loans.But these counselors just like to sit in their snug offices eating donuts and drinking coffee while the teachers hand fight the kids all day in the classroom.Then the kids would walk in and snivel about how their teacher was a real meanie. Then you'd hear it from these counselors and just shake your head in disgust.

Look.This thing was all a scam. Banks were in a win win situation.If the kid paid the money back the bank collected their interest. If they defaulted the banks still made out.Banks work off a fractional banking system that's exclusive to them. They van loan out to 10 times the money that they have in assets. For example if a bank has a million dollars in accounts they can loan out 10 million. In other words banks loan out money they don't have.So if a kid doesn't pay back the money the banks don't care.They leant out something they didn't have anyway AND WHERE COLLECTING THE INTEREST ON NOTHING!.So what do they do? They pass the debt on to the taxpayers. .Interest rates rise.Inflation soars.

The biggest misnomer and the core of this anti Christ cartel is the Federal Reserve. It's a private corporation of international banks that have shareholders and has nothing connected with the Federal government.So when everyone goes broke, including the average guy on the street to the entire countries, there is no other place they can turn but go back to the banks and get even in more debt.This translates into more national debt that at this point is something like 26 trillion dollars.That debt is compounded with interest. It will never be paid back and the banks end up owning everything.They want o keep you owing them so that they own you.

The banks hate me.I paid off my 30 year mortgage in 13 years. I bought my cars with cash. I have no credit card debt.I don't want to be in my 70's and be a slave to these most evil people in the world. They have everybody bought off-the polliticians,the media,the educators,big business,countries.When the Fed got their hooks in this country in 1914 it was the beginning of the end.Then Nixon is duped to take the U.S. off the gold standard in 1971. That meant the banks could lend out unlimited amounts of money backed by nothing.3rd world countries like Mexico were socked with rapid inflation and their people started to migrate north.All this time the banks are licking their hops. They know the only way the impoverished can tread water is to grovel at their feet.Crooked politicians like "New World Order" H.W, Bush and "Slick Willie" Clinton pushed through these horrible "free" trade agreements so big business could close the factories here and layoff Americans so they could relocate to the biggest cheap labor pool in the world,China.

You had a question about forgiving student loan debt?

[geoffreysadao]

Dear Roger,

Could you please clarify your position on student loan reduction/foregiveness?!?!?!

Thank You,
Geoffrey

[geoffreysadao]

You know I'm just kidding and enjoy our exchanges!

[dagosd2000]

You know I'm just kidding and enjoy our exchanges!

You had me worried.I have a grandson who went to the San Francisco Art Institute to major in "Film Making. " He took out a 50 thousand dollar loan.He graduated 12 years ago. Since then he's been scuffling working odd jobs like at Starbucks and fast food places. Sometimes he works setting up play productions constructing sets. He tells me he relies on funding from sources like The Warhol Foundation. He's pissed off because last year he made 200 dollars more than the poverty level and he lost his Medical. He has no credit. No car.Lives in a flat down on Market Street with some of his artistic buddies. His mother got him a credit card that she pays off.. He still owes 50 grand. We should forgive this guy ? He walks around like he knows everything because he can tell you who starred in the latest movie from the Czech Republic. He really gets on my nerves.

[geoffreysadao]

Not surprisingly, Covid is rampant at Sacramento Co. Jail where I work. I work with inmates who have been identified as being severely mentally ill in the IOP Program. Right now, our POD is on quarantine so I have a bit of down time.
How old is your grandson? It sounds like he has some very specialized interests which don't lead directly to gainful employment. So many youth are in a similar situation. $50,000 is student debt is high, but I've seen much worse. Based on what you described, I can see why he might be hard to take. Does the kid like any of your favorite movies?
I grew up in the East Bay (Berkeley), and my first serious girlfriend ("Ramona") attended S.F. Art Institute. The campus was located near the Marina District (if I remember correctly). One of her instructors was Angela Davis as there were academic requirements in addition to the art courses.
Ramona was Filipino/Japanese mix. She was a cute, shy and persnickety girl. Her father was a local ILWU labor leader originally from Hilo, Hawaii. At one point, we had plans to marry, and her family planned to move to Hilo. For a minute, I had thoughts of going with them. Their plans changed up and so did mine. I owe Ramona a debt of gratitude as she introduced my to Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism. Her mother was originally from Japan and was a strong practitioner. It appealed to me as I learned that my Japanese grandfather practiced ritualistic prayer with Seichi No Iye. My mother fondly recalled how he would perform curative prayer when she had skin blemishes and ringworm. This was probably when they were interned in Tule Lake or previously living in Auburn, CA temporarily thinking that they could avoid interment. For roughly 32 years, I've practiced Daishonin's Buddhism with some consistency, and it has helped me thru both good and bad times alike.
Against the wishes of my parents, I would go to Newman's Gym in the Tenderloin roughly 3 afternoons per week. Lacking enough pocket change, I would often sneak onto the BART (local metro) train. Initially, I went to the New Oakland Boxing Club where Dick Foster kindly gave me time and attention. Like me, he attended Berkeley HS but some 50 years earlier. During the 1930's, he fought Fred Apostoli (both as an amateur and pro), Young Corbett III, Ken Overlin, Ceferino Garcia, etc. New Oak Boxing Club was located at the edge of Oakland Chinatown, and it closed in Spring of '81. Dick exclaimed, "The Chinese bought us out." At that point, Newman's was the only gym that was nearby that was still open. At Newman's, Charley "Tiger" Smith kindly took me under his wing. He was a former CA State Welter Champ, and he fought Tombstone Smith, Hilario Morales, Orlando de la Fuente and Gabe Terronez. I was a scared, volatile kid wanting to learn to defend myself. I was lucky that I didn't get seriously hurt. Both Dick and Charley were excellent teachers, and I assert that they were every bit as good as any professor that I had in my Social Work grad program. Some of the professors at Sac State were good too!
I'm going to check-in with the deputies to find out about the status of our inmates/patients.

[dagosd2000]

Not surprisingly, Covid is rampant at Sacramento Co. Jail where I work. I work with inmates who have been identified as being severely mentally ill in the IOP Program. Right now, our POD is on quarantine so I have a bit of down time.
How old is your grandson? It sounds like he has some very specialized interests which don't lead directly to gainful employment. So many youth are in a similar situation. $50,000 is student debt is high, but I've seen much worse. Based on what you described, I can see why he might be hard to take. Does the kid like any of your favorite movies?
I grew up in the East Bay (Berkeley), and my first serious girlfriend ("Ramona") attended S.F. Art Institute. The campus was located near the Marina District (if I remember correctly). One of her instructors was Angela Davis as there were academic requirements in addition to the art courses.
Ramona was Filipino/Japanese mix. She was a cute, shy and persnickety girl. Her father was a local ILWU labor leader originally from Hilo, Hawaii. At one point, we had plans to marry, and her family planned to move to Hilo. For a minute, I had thoughts of going with them. Their plans changed up and so did mine. I owe Ramona a debt of gratitude as she introduced my to Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism. Her mother was originally from Japan and was a strong practitioner. It appealed to me as I learned that my Japanese grandfather practiced ritualistic prayer with Seichi No Iye. My mother fondly recalled how he would perform curative prayer when she had skin blemishes and ringworm. This was probably when they were interned in Tule Lake or previously living in Auburn, CA temporarily thinking that they could avoid interment. For roughly 32 years, I've practiced Daishonin's Buddhism with some consistency, and it has helped me thru both good and bad times alike.
Against the wishes of my parents, I would go to Newman's Gym in the Tenderloin roughly 3 afternoons per week. Lacking enough pocket change, I would often sneak onto the BART (local metro) train. Initially, I went to the New Oakland Boxing Club where Dick Foster kindly gave me time and attention. Like me, he attended Berkeley HS but some 50 years earlier. During the 1930's, he fought Fred Apostoli (both as an amateur and pro), Young Corbett III, Ken Overlin, Ceferino Garcia, etc. New Oak Boxing Club was located at the edge of Oakland Chinatown, and it closed in Spring of '81. Dick exclaimed, "The Chinese bought us out." At that point, Newman's was the only gym that was nearby that was still open. At Newman's, Charley "Tiger" Smith kindly took me under his wing. He was a former CA State Welter Champ, and he fought Tombstone Smith, Hilario Morales, Orlando de la Fuente and Gabe Terronez. I was a scared, volatile kid wanting to learn to defend myself. I was lucky that I didn't get seriously hurt. Both Dick and Charley were excellent teachers, and I assert that they were every bit as good as any professor that I had in my Social Work grad program. Some of the professors at Sac State were good too!
I'm going to check-in with the deputies to find out about the status of our inmates/patients.

My grandson is 32 years of age. When he was in high school he was into photography and was making some silent short flicks that were very amateurish like following the life of a pigeon that lived near the lunch court of his high school.He went to University High School in Irvine,CA. But I excused that because of his age.I bought him a movie camera and we'd talk movies and I introduced him to some of the films I liked-"Exiles" that was about the Indians who moved from the reservation to LA and were having problems of adjusting..Then there was "Killer Of Sheep" that was about the problems facing this African /American guy and his family living in South Central.Both films were student films.Very good I thought. My grandson was bent on going to San Francisco Art Institiute,I told him there was a better school just down the stree that would open more doors for him. UC Irvine. But he wanted to get away from his mother and the mundane world of Irvine to go to Dan Francisco.

He also wanted to go to Uruguay to study something ,so he said, so I sponsored that venture. After graduating from San Francisco Art Institute he was looking for a job connected to his studies but he seemed kind of lost. Rick Farris who was a lighting tech at the studios on Burbank with the movie and TV industry at the time told me to bring my grandson to the studio and Rick would show him around and introduce him to people.Rick had been working for the studios for 30 years.But my grandson balked for some reason and didn't go. That's when I started seeing red flags.

My wife and I went to her hometown,Jiquilpan, in Michoacan last November where we had a house built 20 years ago. The house is in a very rural part of central Mexico. The town was declared a "Pueblo Magico" by the government denoting a typical pueblo that connotates the ambiance of Mexico.There are around 60 or so such towns that are "Pueblo Magicos." The town hasn't changed in appearance since I've been married for almost 50 years.Lazaro Cardenas was born there.the very popular president(He and Benito Juarez were the best of the lot of Mexican presidents.) So was Augustin Bustamants,another president who served very early after Mexico's independence from Spain.The famous trumpeter Rafael Mendez was also born in Jiquilpan.

Anyway my grandson wanted to go..I was a little reluctant at first because his arrogance rubbed me the wrong way but I told my wife I'd pay for everything since he was broke like usual.He hadn't been there since he was a little boy. As soon as we arrived he stepped up and wanted to be the center of attention wanting to be catered to and do the things he wanted to do.That was mainly take him around all over so he could take pictures with his fancy camera.If you didn't take him right now he'd sulk.One time we went to a tourist trap called Manzamitla on a Sunday. The place was so crowded I couldn't find a place to park so I left and i drove to another town near by that wasn't a tourist trap and for me was more natural. My grandson wouldn't talk to me after we left Manzamitla. What a baby.He wanted to take pictures but couldn't so he wasn't going to talk to me.But he never conveyed to me that his intent was to take pictures, My wife finally told me why my grandson wasn't talking to me and by not talking to me that was his way of saying he was upset. I told that if had told me that he wanted to take pictures I could have dropped him off and would have come back later for him.
He said he wasn't really mad at me.This just made me want to wash my hands of him.

Then he wanted to go to the fern forest outside of Jiquilpan they call "The Bosque."He wanted to take pictures.This is a dangerous spot to be walking around because it's a good place to get kidnapped.I told him this but he thought stuff like this wouldn't happen to him. To top it off my wife wanted to go to keep an eye on him. Now I'm really starting to despise this little runt.

We got back to San Diego and I was glad it was over.My grsandson likes to show off his erudite manner because he thinks he's so damn smart. The irony is he isn't.I know a lot more about the history of movies and television,history in general,and literature than this kid who owes 50 grand studying it in school.

I probably won't hear from him for awhile unless me and the wife have another trip planned so he can tag along.


Downtown Jiquilpan.Population around 15 thousand.

[geoffreysadao]

Sounds like Jiquilpan is a gorgeous colonial/historical town. So much rich history and culture I'm sure. How wonderful that you and your wife have a home there. I've only visited Guadalajara, Jalisco in 2017 and Mazatlan, Sinaloa in 1990. Most of my travels to Latin America have been to Colombia and Puerto Rico. Colombia has some beautiful rural Colonial towns. I spent a lot of time in El Departamento de Huila (especially Pitalito and San Agustin). Algun dia, quiero regresar alla pero con el problema de Covid, tengo que esperar. Mi esposa y yo fuimos a Puerto Rico la ultima vez en Enero de 2019. En ese tiempo, El Carnival de San Cristobal paso. Tanta musica y comida! Tres dias divertidas!
I'd really like to take my wife to Bogota for like a week so she could enjoy the sites, food and scenery. It might be a bit much for her to travel by bus to the rural areas like I did when I was younger.
I'll get back to you later, Roger, with those stories about Vingochea and Morrow. I knew Leonard Morrow quite well as he was my next door neighbor for many years (starting in 1966) in Berkeley, CA. He was a really good man.

[dagosd2000]

Sounds like Jiquilpan is a gorgeous colonial/historical town. So much rich history and culture I'm sure. How wonderful that you and your wife have a home there. I've only visited Guadalajara, Jalisco in 2017 and Mazatlan, Sinaloa in 1990. Most of my travels to Latin America have been to Colombia and Puerto Rico. Colombia has some beautiful rural Colonial towns. I spent a lot of time in El Departamento de Huila (especially Pitalito and San Agustin). Algun dia, quiero regresar alla pero con el problema de Covid, tengo que esperar. Mi esposa y yo fuimos a Puerto Rico la ultima vez en Enero de 2019. En ese tiempo, El Carnival de San Cristobal paso. Tanta musica y comida! Tres dias divertidas!
I'd really like to take my wife to Bogota for like a week so she could enjoy the sites, food and scenery. It might be a bit much for her to travel by bus to the rural areas like I did when I was younger.
I'll get back to you later, Roger, with those stories about Vingochea and Morrow. I knew Leonard Morrow quite well as he was my next door neighbor for many years (starting in 1966) in Berkeley, CA. He was a really good man.

Yeah ,Jiquipan is gorgeous ,a real colonial/historical town.Howewer ,the people can't buy groceries having that in mind.Rich history and culture doesn't pay the bills.It's not so wonderful having a home there anymore. When we first had it built back in 2002 we could have sold it for 100 grand.We had an offer but declined thinking we'd retire there some day.. Today ,we couldn't unload it for half that. Between a shattered economy, the cartels taking over,and a corrupt government it's a horrible place to live.Just about everyone wants out of there and go to the United States.

If you go inside a typical house in Jiquilpan you don't see pictures on the wall of Diego Rivera or Frida Kahlo. You won't see bookshelves crammed with books.People don't sit around and talk culture.You'll see photographs of family and images of the Virgin Of Guadalupe.,lots of crosses,and maybe a picture of the Pope.Mexico's Octavio Paz won the Nobel Prize for literature.You can count on one hand the people in Jiquilpan who have ever heard of him let alone read anything he has written.Jiquilpan has a very nice cultural center with a stage and classrooms.it's mostly empty everyday.When we visited last time the center was going to have a concert with a soprano singing arias from operas. I went because I promised the director I'd go. The people who showed up were the aristocratic ilk of the town. They look down their noses at the rest of the more unfortunate which is typical.Mexico is very class conscious.It makes me sick.The soprano was horrible and by the 2nd number everybody was falling asleep wearing their Sunday clothes..

The former director,a fellow named Conrado Leyva, was in charge for many years. He thought my paintings were wondeful.He'd have his office decorated with them.. He also thought my granddaughter,Amanda,was something really special. She would teach Flamenco dancing to the little girls of the town during the summer. But Conrado is no longer there.He's had numerous strokes and had to retire.I miss him very much.

You can have Latin America. If you want to soak in the culture that's one thing.However,the natives could care less about art and old buildings. Especially the younger generation. They want modern things-new clothes,nice cars,fancy tech toys. They've even morphed their Mexican music into "Mexican Rap." . That all translates into having money.

My dumb grandson could never get that. Jiquilpan was like a zoo where he could see the interesting animals(the people),take pictures of them and the old buildings,and then go home and tell everybody he knows all about Mexico..But don't get me wrong. I love Mexico in a different way. My Italian ancestors from southern Italy were once conquered by the Spanish.YIu see you can't fight genetics.I'm more "Mexican" in my heart and soul than I am a gringo.I'm on the same wave length with Mexico taking the bad with the good.I never had a problem adjusting. I wouldn't marry an anglo or non Mexican gal.The Italian women in the U.S. have been anglosized.To me they are a turn off.

If Latin America is so hot why does just everybody breaking their asses to get up here. Only the privileged and the narcos want to stay.But the answer is obvious. Latim America has got to fix their own countries so their people don't want to leave.But it will never happen.It's not a matter of politics. It's a matter of genes. Mestizo blood(Indian and Spanish)is not conducive for a functioning democracy..With that said I wouldn't trade my life with anyone.. Viva Mexico!


COonrado ,my dear friend, and Amanda in his office with one of my paintings - the Mexican fighter and another dear friend.Rodolfo Gonzalez


MY granddaughrer Amanda preparing her class for their Flamenco recital.


Amanda and her ensemble on opening night.

[geoffreysadao]

I know that the history of Latin American countries is checkered and corruption is often rampant. It's disappointing when everyday folks are unaware of achievements and contributions of people in their region. Yes, there is plenty of class snobbery in Latin society. Nevertheless, I've had so many positive experiences of being treated warmly. A first time encounter with someone ends up being an invite into their home and sharing a meal with their family. You feel as though you've known the person and their family for years despite only recently meeting them. These are the experiences that I cherish. My first time traveling to South America in '92 resulted in me meeting my first wife. We were married for 10 years, and my only child (Wendy Martiza) resulted from our union. It was a very trying, difficult marriage, but I learned some things that wouldn't have had I not taken the risk. My first wife was from a small, rural town in Southern Colombia (low Andes). We married there during the holidays. Our marriage was "no picnic." When she came to the U.S., she met a lot of Mexican and Central American folks, and we befriended them. Once at our home, one lady remarked, "Que bueno. Usted habla Espanol y Cristina (la esposa) esta aprendiendo Ingles." Like a smart ass, I replied, "Si. Ahora podemos pelear en dos idiomas!"
My current and last marriage is stable and happy. Jessica is mature and trustworthy, and she doesn't put up with any B.S. She is truly a Chicana. Born and raised in Sacramento. First language Spanish. Began learning English in kindergarten. She is the one who first shared her family story involving Arturo Vingochea which I'll pass onto you soon.
On a totally different subject, have you ever met David Love (San Diego middleweight contender from the 70's)?

[dagosd2000]

I know that the history of Latin American countries is checkered and corruption is often rampant. It's disappointing when everyday folks are unaware of achievements and contributions of people in their region. Yes, there is plenty of class snobbery in Latin society. Nevertheless, I've had so many positive experiences of being treated warmly. A first time encounter with someone ends up being an invite into their home and sharing a meal with their family. You feel as though you've known the person and their family for years despite only recently meeting them. These are the experiences that I cherish. My first time traveling to South America in '92 resulted in me meeting my first wife. We were married for 10 years, and my only child (Wendy Martiza) resulted from our union. It was a very trying, difficult marriage, but I learned some things that wouldn't have had I not taken the risk. My first wife was from a small, rural town in Southern Colombia (low Andes). We married there during the holidays. Our marriage was "no picnic." When she came to the U.S., she met a lot of Mexican and Central American folks, and we befriended them. Once at our home, one lady remarked, "Que bueno. Usted habla Espanol y Cristina (la esposa) esta aprendiendo Ingles." Like a smart ass, I replied, "Si. Ahora podemos pelear en dos idiomas!"
My current and last marriage is stable and happy. Jessica is mature and trustworthy, and she doesn't put up with any B.S. She is truly a Chicana. Born and raised in Sacramento. First language Spanish. Began learning English in kindergarten. She is the one who first shared her family story involving Arturo Vingochea which I'll pass onto you soon.
On a totally different subject, have you ever met David Love (San Diego middleweight contender from the 70's)?

David Love runs a gym out by San Diego State.HIs gym is similar to the others in San Diego. No hot prospects.A few pros but nothing great. David Love went to Kearny High School here in San Diego. He fought a lot at the Coliseum.He was a little cocky and not overly popular.One of the most puzzling fighters around.He'd beat guys that he shouldn't.-Bennie Briscoe.Bobby Watts.Wiliie Warren .Then he'd lose to a run of the mill type. He was tall and had a long reach.Angelo Dundee once was thinking of handling his training.This was when Love was fighting back east.I was with a friend who was at the golf course in Chula Vista.There was Love playing golf.He told us his record was 32 and 2.Didn't feel it was worth my time to argue with him.

Nice story about you and your marriages.Glad to see that number two is working out. The proof of the pudding is living in Mexico, working there and trying to raise a family on Mexican wages. Then see if everything is a bed of roses. It's a dog eat dog down world down there and everyone is wearing Milk Bone underwear.

"Que chulada es el maiz prieto!" You know what that means?


David Love and one one his charges

[geoffreysadao]

))))))))))))))),

[dagosd2000]

My wife grew up in the Southside area of Sacramento and attended Catholic school as a young girl. The Guadelupe Church was within easy walking distance of her home. She was raised primarily by her mother (maiden name of Chacon) and an older woman from Sinaloa (Eduarda) whom she referred to as Grandma La La. My mother in law and Eduarda migrated to Sacramento in the late 30’s. Previously, they lived somewhere in East LA. Eduarda had been married to a bootlegger years earlier, and for a time, worked as a governess for actress Gloria Swanson. She loved movies of her era, and she referred to George Raft as “mi Jorge Raft.” La La had survived the Mexican Revolution and had a cartucho still lodged in her shoulder that my wife loved to touch. My wife has half siblings whom she is very close to, and their father was mixed with Mexican and Sikh. In the early days, the Sikh men came to the U.S. without wives, and many married Mexican women. My wife has memories of being brought to the Sikh temple by one of her “uncles” who lived in Lodi, CA. Her half-siblings’ great grandmother came from Nuevo Leon, Monterrey, Mexico. They (including my wife) all referred to her as Grandma Chiquita, and she was like 90 plus years old when my wife was a little girl. One of the many children raised by Grandma Chiquita was Patricia (“Primi”) who was pure East Indian/Sikh and whose biological parents had died. When she was a teenager, she fell head over heels for Arturo who was a local main event boxer originally from Mexicali, Baja CA. Her family opposed this vehemently. Arturo had split 2 fights with Trino Savala, and he battled Raul Rojas and other notables. “Primi” and Arturo got married and had a son (“Arturo Jr.”). They lived within blocks of my wife’s childhood home, and at first, Primi felt so proud being with Arturo. Fight posters were on the walls of their home. Well, they started having problems. Arturo drank a lot as evidenced by his nickname “Wino.” He started losing most of his fights. Primi left him. She married a more stable guy, and she became a legal secretary. She and her new husband raised Arturo Jr. who went on the graduate from State College. In the early 1970’s, my wife and her mother paid a visit to their extended family’s home. At the kitchen table sat Arturo. He looked desponded, and his complexion was yellowish. To my wife’s mother, he conveyed his sadness about losing Primi. Shortly after, my wife’s mother remarked to my wife, “Pobre Arturo . . .” In ’74 Arturo died of Cirrhosis. Como se dicen, “La vida es asi.”

You haven't answered my question about what"Que chulada es el maiz Prieto!"means.

[geoffreysadao]

Yes Sir, I enjoy the "beautiful dark corn." My wife is more triguena-like and a beautiful person inside and out. Lots of beautiful women for sure! Truthfully, I cheated and googled the term. My understanding of it may be simplistic.

Thanks for the info. and photo of David Love. What an intriguing fighter. Rollercoaster career. He beat so many outstanding fighters such as Willie Monroe, Bobby Watts, an older Briscoe, Marcos Geraldo, etc. He lost twice to George Cooper who was a top middleweight contender from Oakland. I had a nice conversation with his trainer (Bobby Warren) a few years ago. Mr. Warren was like 86 years old and still training fighters at King's Gym. I know that Cooper went undefeated from like '69-'77' finally losing a decision to Sugar Ray Seales. It's unfortunate that the only footage that I could find on him was when he lost his State Middleweight title to Geraldo in '78. Clearly, Cooper was past his prime, and Geraldo beat him like a drum. This was on the undercard of the Cuevas-Ranzany title fight at Hughes Stadium (Sac. City College) in Sacramento.

One of the factors about this boxing bug affliction that I have is that boxing is like a cruel study in Sociology and Urban Anthropology. The stories of fighters like Vingochea could be written by someone like Oscar Lewis who wrote "Children of Sanchez" and other works. Watching the movie "Fat City" was one of the push factors for me to pursue a career in social work/human services. Can those at the bottom rung be empowered to improve their lot? This is something that I've been plying my efforts at for over 30 years. Lots of heartbreak and disappointment, but there have been inspiring success stories too albeit often few and far between.

[chrisjs1985]

I saw footage of Eder Jofre's appearance in L.A. I believe that this was at Rick Farris' Boxing Hall of Fame. It did appear that he was "out of it." There was one clip of him doing some play sparring with Sugar Ray Leonard with Michael Nunn present. Leonard and Nunn seemed to get a kick out of Jofre's tenacity. To me, he was like on automatic pilot, going on muscle memory alone. I really wonder if he was fully aware of the significance of the event or his surroundings.
Wilfred Benitez was considered one of the most gifted defensive fighters of all time. He is now bedridden and incapacitated. If I remember correctly, he turned pro at 15 and was sparring all of NY City's best fighters at that age. What a tremendous toll to pay!
On the other hand, I saw recent footage of Fighting Harada. He appeared to be clear thinking with his "marbles intact." Also, Tony DeMarco, who died very recently, was pretty articulate until the end. I fully understand that these are exceptions to the rule in boxing.
I've seen ex-pros in the gyms who are very bad off. They were broken and severely impaired.

I was sitting next to Jofre the day before the event at a "Meet And Greet" lunch in the Art District in downtown LA. Jofre was escorted to the the States by his son and daughter.There, he was also met by a a gal who spoke Portugese. But this was mostly for the benefit of the son and daughter . I think he might have understood what she was saying but he could not speak,at least coherently.Chris Smith,who wrote an excellent bio of Jofre and put together his trip to Rick's event, was also present.Jofre has been fighting dementia for many years and with the aid of recent medicines it seems to have slowed the process but he's in very bad shape mentally..Take my word for it.He wasn't aware of too much not to mention that he was being honored.Sugar Ray Leonard was not at the event.Michael Nunn,however,was. Chris was on stage with Eder "sparring around" with him.Chris said that always got a response from him. Jofre's limbs are very stiff and he needs constant rubbing to get the circulation going.His hands are very bad so he has to be spoon fed. Of course everyone wanted his autograph but his hand had to be held by his son to guide his signature. I don't think he was aware of significance of what he was doing.

I talked to Chris about if he was going to do a follow up bio on Fighting Harada.He was considering it. He told me he doubted it now because Harada is now in the rabbit hole of dementia.He's afraid to leave his native Japan.



Chris Smith holding the plaque awarded to him for "The Boxing Book Of The Year." West Coast Boxing Hall Of Fame 2021.

We went to Leonard's house a couple of days after the WCBHOF banquet and that's where the Jofre/Leonard/Nunn footage came from. Yes, Eder will always forget things. His daughter reminds him about his recent trip to LA and he remembers bits from it, but I'm sure he doesn't quite grasp a lot of it. He's actually coming back in June and will go to Canastota. I asked him a few years ago if he wants to go back there and he says yes. He is excited when he is told of these things. I think it's good for his mental state. When he's in the moment and signing for fans, taking photos etc; he feels loved and admired.

When I took him to The Olympic, I was asking him on the way into the venue. "Do you remember when you won the world title in 1960?" He said yes. "I asked if he remembered fighting Jose Medel here" again, yes. Then I said, "right now we are arriving at the Olympic" and his eyes lit up and his eyebrows raised. He was very happy to be back. We also had a Japanese lady come by the house to write a piece for Japan's "Boxing Magazine" and she helped translate a video call with Fighting Harada. When she arrived, Eder greeted her and bowed and said a Japanese phrase.

[chrisjs1985]

In October, 2021, Brazil’s greatest ever boxer, Eder Jofre, was inducted into the West Coast Boxing Hall of Fame in Los Angeles, California. Jofre, 85, made the journey from his home in São Paulo, Brazil to attend. Jofre has been recognized by multiple Hall of Fame’s, including The International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, New York, but this latest accolade had certain emotional elements attached that made this so memorable. It was in Los Angeles where Jofre became Brazil’s first ever world champion in 1960 and this trip would be his first trip back to California since he was world bantamweight champion in the 1960’s. Jofre’s magnificent career saw him run up a fine record of 72-2-4 (50), reigning as bantamweight world champion from 1960-1965 and WBC featherweight champion from 1973-1974. The Ring ranked him the 19th greatest boxer of the previous 80 years in 2002, and The International Boxing Research Organization recently placed him 16th on their all-time pound-for-pound rankings, ahead of such legends as Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Manny Pacquaio, Floyd Mayweather, Julio Cesar Chavez, Carlos Monzon and others.

Here is a diary of events put together by Christopher J. Smith, author of the recent book on Eder Jofre, Eder Jofre: Brazil’s First Boxing World Champion, and friend of the boxing legend.

Background

I’m 36 years old, and have been fascinated about boxing history, probably since the age of around 11 or 12. I really got the “boxing bug” and it became an obsession for me when Evander Holyfield upset Mike Tyson for the heavyweight title in November of 1996. It was then that I wanted to learn about all the great former heavyweight champions and that trickled down to the lower divisions. My favorite boxer became Felix “Tito” Trinidad and that sort of infused a passion for boxers from Latin America. I learned about all the great Mexicans and Puerto Ricans, but it wasn’t until I was looking through the International Boxing Hall of Fame Register, did I stumble across a Brazilian legend. That boxer was Eder Jofre. I was fascinated by his story, how he was so dominant and consistent in an era where that wasn’t common and also by how he did all of this while being a vegetarian. He seemed different to me than other fighters. I collected everything I could on him and was so intrigued by his life and fell in love with his style. I appreciate fine boxing, but I also need my fighters to pack a punch. With Jofre you had it all. A genius level boxer, with perfect technique and power in both hands. It’s like this fighter was molded specifically for my enjoyment. Of course, decades before I’d ever heard of him, he was a national hero in his native land and admired by anyone who ever saw him fight.

Over the years, as my collection grew, so did my connections. One day I reached out to Eder’s son, Marcel, since I heard they were making a movie on his life. I needed to know everything and Marcel was a tremendous help. It wasn’t long before I told him I look for all the fight film I can on his father and would love to know what he had. It felt like a punch in the gut when he told me he had less than me, but I also felt good, because that meant I could share rare film with him that he had not seen since the actual fights themselves. For those not aware, Eder Jofre fights are rare. Globo TV studios burned down in the 1970’s, losing most film, and then again in the 1980’s, losing what little was left. There is hours of footage available on Jofre, so this is not a Harry Greb situation, but for a fighter who was a national hero and the best pound-for-pound boxer of his era, the amount of full fights available is relatively low compared to other greats of that era.

Over time, myself and Marcel shared materials and stories and I was connected with his sister, Eder’s only other child, Andrea. Since 2013, when Eder’s wife Cidinha passed away, Andrea has been Eder’s caregiver. She was always very happy to receive what I found and happy to share memories and stories. I shared a lot of information online about Jofre’s great career to the point many people would reach out to me, asking me additional questions. A few people told me I should write a book on him. I played with that idea for a while and then one day decided to ask Marcel and Andrea if they felt it would be a good idea. Of course the answer was a resounding yes. I then just put two feet in and went for it. During the process of doing my final round of interviews for this book, I received a Facetime call from Andrea while I was in Las Vegas, in June of 2019. I was talking to Eder and he said ‘Las Vegas” and “muitos lutas,” which means “many fights.” Then he said ‘Mike Tyson,” so I could clearly see that Eder kept up with boxing even today.

I always assumed due to his age that he simply couldn’t travel but Andrea said, “He always says how much he loves America and he wants to go back,” so I asked, “Why hasn’t he been back? Is it his health?” and she said that it was more a case of her not really knowing how to go about arranging such a trip as it’s an expensive trip from Brazil and a lot of work is involved. At that point I said, “What if I can arrange something somehow?” and she was very receptive. The significance of Jofre coming back to America, especially Los Angeles, is that this is the city where he became his country’s first world boxing champion in 1960. He once told me his favorite venue he ever fought in was the Olympic Auditorium here and that Los Angeles was the favorite of all the cities he boxed in.

I wanted to make sure Marcel would also be on board with this and he was, so I got to brainstorming. One idea was to put all of the book sales into a fund to help but I figured the book was almost two years away from release, with pay for sales not immediate, and numbers not guaranteed. My idea was to have Eder sign memorabilia, such as gloves, photos, posters, cards and sell officially licensed products such as t-shirts. When my mission statement was released, the reaction was great. Lots of fans from around the world wanted to purchase items and after a couple of weeks I matched all the sales to the dollar, with the idea that I could get the funds back in book sales down the line.

Early on in this process, Rick Farris, former professional boxer, and Co-founder and President of the West Coast Boxing Hall of Fame called me and asked me what the possibility is of bringing Eder over here so that we can induct him into the West Coast Boxing Hall of Fame. I told Rick it was almost a certainty and that I was already working on it. “I grew up around the best bantamweights of my era, simply by virtue of living and boxing on the West Coast.  Jofre was a name from afar, and it wasn't until much later I learned just how great he was,” Ricks said.

Rick moved some things around and started to broadcast that Eder Jofre will be inducted in October of 2020. I saw a lot of keen boxing historians and fans were very excited about Jofre’s presence and that added to my excitement.

Unfortunately, the world changed when COVID-19 came into our lives and things became uncertain. The October date was canceled, then moved to March, 2021, so I booked flights and then this virus continued to surge, and in November of 2020, that date was moved to October, 2021. Things started getting a little bit more back to “normal” but the virus was still ravaging Brazil and they were put on a travel ban list. Brazilians could not enter the United States.

At first, I thought this would blow over, but as time went on, the US government remained strict and wouldn’t budge. Fast forward to August of this year, and I had to find a way to work around this mess. I discovered that Eder and his family could apply for what is called a National Interest Exception (NIE). As the travel party was set to be Eder, Marcel, Andrea, and five other family members, I scrambled frantically to get all of their visa’s and passports and filled out all the necessarily paperwork and documentation for the NIE.

About a month before the WCBHOF ceremony, I received the unfortunate news that Marcel’s wife and two children were rejected, as was Andrea’s husband and their cousin. It was hard for me to tell these people this news as I had made a commitment and a promise but they were very understandable of what was going on and had optimism that at least Eder and his children would be able to attend.

On September 23, I woke up and checked my e-mail at about 6 am and the first one I see was from the consulate in São Paulo. “Dear Mr. Eder Jofre, Mrs. Andrea Jofre, Mr. Marcel Jofre, we are pleased to inform you that your travel to the United States was approved as a National Interest Exception..” What a relief! I jumped up for joy and immediately shared the good news. I could now make it officially official that Eder Jofre was finally coming back to Los Angeles and would be present for his WCBHOF induction.

One final matter that needed to be sorted was that neither Marcel or Andrea are fluent in English, so with their English speaking cousin denied an NIE, I had to see if my translator, Carolina Massote, would be free to travel. Her visa didn’t qualify her for entrance, and it was too late to file for an NIE, so we looked into a 14-day quarantine option for her. Luckily, a lot of her work is done remotely, so we were able to send her to Cancun for two weeks before entrance into America.



Thursday, October 14.


The Jofres left São Paulo on the Wednesday evening, a little later than scheduled due to their American Airlines flight having to change connection. They had been scheduled to get into Los Angeles by way of Dallas, but due to maintenance at DFW Airport, their connection was changed to Miami. Their flight arrived at LAX on Thursday morning a little after 11 am so I got out of my car and waited for them at baggage claim.

I ordered a coffee from Starbucks and waited in a corner by myself near where the luggage was coming off the carousel. I was looking through my phone when I heard “Chris.” I looked up and it was Andrea and Marcel Jofre. Although we had communicated for a number of years and had a bond, this was my first time meeting them, so we entered a warm embrace. Then they switched my focus to their father, who was sat there in his wheelchair. His eyes were clear and open, despite spending the better part of 16 hours traveling from his home to the city where he made history all those years ago. In my limited Portuguese I asked him if he was doing well and he responded “very well” and I asked him if he was happy to be back in Los Angeles to which he responded that he was “very, very happy.”

From the airport, we had some time to kill before their Airbnb would be ready so we went for a quick lunch at the world famous In & Out Burger. Probably not the best selection given that Eder is a vegetarian, and Marcel also followed his father’s footsteps but they enjoyed the fries while I made up for missing breakfast with my usual order - a burger with four patties. Having a little more time to kill, we loaded up on essentials which would be needed for the week and then arrived at the Airbnb.

We took the afternoon to relax and what better way to do that in the presence of Eder Jofre, than to watch some of his own fights? I played the classic first bout with Jose Medel, and while Eder didn’t say much, I could see that he was liking what he was seeing. After settling down at what would be our home for the next week, we headed over to Long Beach to meet a familiar face in Carlos Zarate. The legendary former bantamweight world champion had also arrived earlier that day from his native Mexico and was staying with his son Oscar. While I had met Zarate before and become good friends with him, the boxing geek in me was having to pinch myself as I watched two of my favorite boxers of all-time, and indeed my choice as the top two bantamweights of all-time, embrace each other.

Zarate and Jofre had met several times over the years, from the 1983 WBC 20th year anniversary ceremony in New York City to the WBC convention in Cancun in 2019. The admiration and affection of which Zarate showed Jofre was very touching and you could see that Jofre was very happy to see his old friend once again. “I was glad to greet him again. I consider him to be a great champion,” Zarate later said.

Jofre’s children were made to feel very welcome by the Zarate family, who were extremely familiar with his legendary career. Oscar got his father’s WBC belt out, the one he won when he knocked out Rodolfo Martinez in 1976 and Jofre wanted to get his hands on the belt too, having won the exact same model when he won the featherweight title in 1973 against Jose Legra. We took several photographs and the two legends signed items for their children to share as gifts with one another. It had been an epic day and I was tired but I had to stay up past midnight as our translator, Carolina was arriving late from Mexico where she had been quarantining for the previous 14 days.


Friday, October 15.

On Friday morning everybody got a chance to wake up slowly and recover from the previous day as we cooked different breakfast dishes to share while we got ready to start the day. I made the vegetarian friendly tortilla Espanola (Spanish omelette) which was well received. Carlos Zarate came by with his son Carlos Jr., who also lives in Los Angeles. Once everyone was ready, we went to Hollywood Boulevard where we showed the Jofres some of the attractions such as Grauman's Chinese Theatre and brushed shoulders with many of the entertainers who work on the strip from Spider Man to Freddy Kruger.

After grabbing a slice of Pizza it was onto Santa Monica and the Loews Hotel, where we were invited by the world famous artist Jun Aquino. Jun was staying at the Loews that week as “Artist Of The Month” and had many of his breathtaking pieces on display. Among these magnificent pieces was a brand new Eder Jofre painting which he had completed the day before and a stunning new painting of Carlos Zarate, also finished the day prior. Zarate said “This is the most spectacular piece of art anybody has ever created of me,” and half joked to Jun, “can I have it?” He was surprised and very happy to find out Jun had created this piece of art specifically for him to take with him since he had so much respect and admiration for Zarate.

Always jovial, Zarate was telling his new friends that I was his “promoter” as we all sat down for a lovely dinner as the sun set on Santa Monica Pier. Former WBC super bantamweight world champion Paul Banke joined us too and as usual was full of energy and filming videos and interviews for his audience on Facebook. Jun drew caricatures of both Jofre and Zarate as we enjoyed the moment. For Jun Aquino, it had been a particularly memorable evening for him to have met Eder, a man he holds in such high regard. “I feel blessed that I get to work with some of the biggest legends thanks to The West Coast Boxing Hall of Fame. Eder Jofre’s name is up there with Pele in soccer or like a Michael Jordan in basketball. More than 70 fights and the only losses he had came from (Fighting) Harada. That’s 100% GOAT for me!” What was it that impressed Aquino so much for him to hand out such lavish praise? “I admire his passion and dedication. For me he is in the top five of all-time: Muhammad Ali, Manny Pacquiao, Sugar Ray Robinson, Henry Armstrong and Eder. Until now meeting the champ was like a dream. It's always good when you see your name with legends, especially immortalizing them on my canvas and I'm very happy about that. Also he is a good son: I would like to add this quote: ‘Great men are not born, but molded by their fathers and their fathers before them.’ That's why he is very special to me,” Aquino said.

As everyone left, I asked Marcel what he wanted to go and see before we headed back home and he said ‘Ross!” With quality clothing being so expensive in Brazil, he wanted to make sure he stocked up for his family back home. Eder appeared bored of standing around so started play-boxing with myself and Carolina. I asked if he was tired and if he wanted to go to sleep. He said that he was fine and showed some of the wit with which he was accustomed when his health was better. “I put a lot of people to sleep. They didn’t want to go to sleep, but I made them go to sleep,” as he raised his fists in a boxing pose.

Back at the house that evening, rather than watch fights, I decided the easiest thing to watch for all, would be Mr. Bean, one of my all-time favorite television programs. This kept everyone entertained as I started to map out our next few days. One of the cool last-minute additions to the itinerary was a meeting scheduled with Sugar Ray Leonard at a coffee shop by my friend Akbar Abdul Muhammad, a long-time admirer of Eder Jofre and friend and former employee of Leonard.  



Saturday, October 16.



I had scheduled a fan gathering which was centered around a meet & greet with Jofre, Zarate, and Michael Nunn at 12:30 pm at the Art’s District Brewing Company in Los Angeles. The weather was absolutely perfect for this event, and we were also joined by Gene Aguilera, who had copies of his brand new Lost Stories of West Coast Latino Boxing for sale and brought along former light heavyweight world title contender Yaqui Lopez as a guest.

I must confess, I was a little nervous that perhaps I wouldn’t get a large turnout, which could potentially embarrass these great champions and make me look bad, but to the contrary, the turnout was better than anticipated and a wonderful time was had by all. Nunn was absolutely thrilled to meet these legends which he had grown up idolizing and was able to meet many of his own fans, who hadn’t forgotten the time when he was one of the world’s premier boxers pound-for-pound and was plying his trade out of Joe Goosen’s camp in Burbank. Accompanying Nunn was his fiancee Beverly and family who had come in from Iowa to see his induction into the West Coast Boxing Hall of Fame. The Jofres and Nunns clicked right away and everyone got a kick out of seeing the two men go toe-to-toe in a friendly play fight. Jofre was a signing machine this day as he was signing old magazines, programs, photos, posters, gloves etc; and he was happy to take photos with fans who had traveled from as far as San Diego and even San Jose just to see him. "I am very grateful to all my fans. For the respect and admiration they have for my career in boxing,” Jofre said.


Zarate had copies of his excellent book Exito y Nocaut (Success and Knockout) and fans were very happy to get a copy of this emotional memoir. Zarate wants to share this story in English and that is something I personally hope to see come to fruition as it is a great book and he deserves to raise his profile globally as far as he can for the champion he was and the person he remains to this day.


After the gathering, we still had beautiful weather, so I took the Jofres to one of LA’s hidden rooftop gems, The Broken Shaker at the Freehand Hotel. We enjoyed a quiet drink there as the sun went down and I connected Eder with the father of my friend Nick Christofides via Facetime. Nick, from Blackpool, England, was about as big a fan of Eder Jofre as one could be. I connected with him perhaps a decade ago and we shared many of the same favorite fighters, but Eder was our main connection. We shared stories and footage on him. Unfortunately, Nick passed away at the tender age of 29 in August. A bitter blow for all who knew him and knew that one of his goals was to make it out to America to meet Jofre. I’d like to think that Nick was able to see that call and see Eder’s appreciation as his father, James sat in his bedroom with all of Nick’s Eder Jofre items on display.

After we left the Broken Shaker and got back to the car, we headed back to Hollywood this time to link up with West Coast Boxing Hall of Fame President and Co-Founder Rick Farris and co-founder Dan Hanley. Rick’s wife, Monica is also from Brazil and was able to bond with the Jofre family immediately. Rick recalled early on in his relationship with Monica, he asked her about Jofre. “When we met, and I learned she was from Brazil, one of the first questions I asked her was, ‘Have you ever heard of a boxing champion, Eder Jofre?’  Although not a fan of boxing, she certainly knew of Eder Jofre, a ‘National Treasure’” he recalled.


Eder had his second “fight” of the day as he boxed with Rick in front of an audience and we took plenty of photographs. “It was like a dream come true.  I had boxed with some great champs during my career, but to see the face of the great Jofre looking me in the eye and shadow boxing with me was priceless!” Rick said.

We then headed home because we had a big day ahead and none of us had prepared our speeches which we would need to give at the banquet the following day.


Sunday, October 17.

Sunday was the centerpiece of the trip so to speak. A day which we had planned for so long and at times, looked like it would never happen, was finally here. To say I was excited would be an understatement. I got up early, got ready and was on my toes all morning until everyone was ready and we could head over to the Loews Hotel in Hollywood. The first person we saw was Juan Carlos Medel, son of one of Eder’s greatest opponents, Jose Medel. He had a ticket at our table and was so happy to finally meet Jofre face-to-face. He talked about his father and Eder acknowledged what a great fighter he was and was so happy to see Juan Carlos. Ace photographer and professional boxer, Nate Wren then flagged us down and took some photos of us all together. We moved towards the venue and mingled with the excited crowd which was congregated around the entrance and the red carpet. I could spot the boxing history buffs a mile away. Comments like “Wow! That’s Eder Jofre!”, “It’s really him!”, “I can’t believe he’s here from Brazil” gave them away. It was heartwarming to see so many people respond to this great champion in the manner they did. Eder was happy to pose for what felt like hundreds of photographs before we took part in an interview for Globo TV in Brazil.

The ceremony itself was a beautiful occasion as Rafael Ruelas, Gabriel Ruelas, Adrian Arreola, Michael Nunn, Richard Steele, Robert Diaz, Roy Englebrecht, Lee Espinoza, Sue Fox and Douglass Fischer were present to accept their awards for their inductions. Inductees Art Hafey, Fighting Harada, Oscar De La Hoya were unable to attend while Johnny Tapia, Ceferino and Alberto Reyes were posthumously inducted.

Eder was given a rapturous applause as he got on stage to accept his awards and acknowledged the entire audience as he was recognized in yet another hall of fame. Eder, along with his children had prepared a moving speech, which was read out by Carolina. It read: “When I think about it, it all started about seven miles away from here at the Olympic Auditorium. That is why Los Angeles will be in my heart forever as well as the American people who welcomed me with their arms open for what I did in the sport that I chose. I would do it all over again. Boxing has been my life and has made me the happiest man in the world. I especially have to thank my beloved father Kid Jofre, who was hands down the greatest (influence) for my career, always giving me his knowledge, pushing me to do my best, always with lots of love. To my missed wife, Cidinha, my eternal love. Only she and I know how important she was in my life, giving me a beautiful family, which is fundamental for a sportsman to be special. Finally, thank you very much Christopher Smith, for making my story eternal in the English language, so the entire world will have access to it. I am forever grateful to you. Rick Farris and members of the WCB Hall of Fame, thank you very much for the consideration, endearment and friendship.”

After the speech, I went over to Eder and began boxing with him. We put on a little show for the audience and then embraced and I lifted his arms in the air so that he could feel one last round of applause before going back to his seat.

Up next, I accepted the “Book of the year” award for my book Eder Jofre: Brazil’s First Boxing World Champion. My feeling was honestly, somewhat of embarrassment. This was Eder Jofre’s moment and I am simply grateful to have played a role in it. Next to this great champion, I am nobody. But it has since dawned on me that I am very grateful to everyone that has read my book and has been kind enough to say nice things about my work. I am also eternally to Rick Farris for helping to promote my book and bestowing this honor upon me. I am humbled that so many people have been interested to learn about this boxer who I hold to such high regard and that they are doing so through my work.

For the rest of the ceremony, I really made the point to soak it all in. The pre-speech nerves had dissipated and I was a very content individual at this point. At the end of the ceremony we went back outside and mingled with the audience again, and once again Eder posed for photographs and saw his new friend Michael Nunn and wanted to box with him as he had done so the day before. It had been a very exciting day for Eder so we wanted to make sure he could get some rest so we went into the bar next to the lobby in the hotel. Inside we spoke to Carlos Palamino and Carlos Zarate while Michael Nunn came in to join us. John Scully came by too to say goodbye before he headed to the airport to go back east.

Myself, Rick, Co-founder and vice-president Dan Hanley and boxing historian Roger Esty took up a table and talked about what a roaring success this event had been. Rick said he felt so good that this had been his finest event to date and it’s hard to argue. It really was a spectacular show that created an energy still felt even as everybody began to go home. Rick said that Eder was perhaps the greatest boxer he has had the pleasure of inducting thus far and spoke of how big an honor it had been. “It meant the world to me to induct the great Eder Jofre into the WCBHOF, there is more than one all-time great boxer, but none are greater than Jofre.  His record alone validates my words, but his presence takes it to another level,” he said. Although Rick’s wife, Monica is not a boxing fan in the slightest, she had a great afternoon at the event. “Monica had the best time ever at our event, being able to speak Portuguese with the champ and his great family,” Rick added.

Eder talked briefly about how he felt about the day: “Knowing that I was recognized in another Hall of Fame, I'm very happy. I did everything for my fans. I want to thank Rick Farris for his consideration and also someone very special and important to me. I owe all of this recognition to my father and coach Kid Jofre. He made me a champion,” he said. When asked about my book on him receiving an award, Eder was happy to hear it. “The book written by my fan and friend Chris Smith, to know that the public accepted it well and even more to know that Chris received an award for the book at the ceremony. I feel so happy and grateful.”



Monday, October 18.



It had been an action-packed and enjoyable few days, so we took the Monday morning to simply relax. We looked over the various awards, photographs, watched some of Eder’s fights and of course Mr. Bean too. In the late afternoon we headed back to Long Beach to connect with the Zarates and were interviewed for Joseph Geromanio's “On Boxing” podcast. Zarate said that it was one of the better interviews he had conducted in recent times because he was asked questions he hadn’t previously been asked while Jofre actually surprised with some of the details he could remember from as far back to his youth and the Olympics in Melbourne in 1956 when he represented Brazil. I also told Carlos how he would be getting inducted into the West Coast Boxing Hall of Fame and he was very happy to receive this news. “I will be happy to enter this hall of fame and especially with those beautiful people who saw me fight and become world bantamweight champion,” he said. Zarate, of course, was one of the most popular boxers in Los Angeles boxing history, having been a major hit at the box office in the 1970’s.


After the interviews we headed over to El Pollo Fino restaurant in Anaheim. The invitation was from Jose, who along with his brother Robert, and father, own the restaurant and are huge boxing fans and friends with many legends of the game. Much like Saturday, Michael Nunn was on hand to join us. The champions were having a great time as, much like Saturday, hardcore boxing fans came to get their autograph, take a photo with them and just talk about their old fights.



Tuesday, October 19.



With their return flights only two days away, the Jofres needed to get a COVID test in order to travel, so we got that out of the way early and headed over to the Grand Olympic Auditorium where we were met by documentary maker Steve DeBro and author Gene Aguilera. The Olympic is not the easiest place to get inside, but through DeBro’s connection, we were able to get special access so that Jofre could go inside the venue in which he made history back in 1960.  



“The Olympic project is about connecting the past to the present, so being able to facilitate a visit by the great Eder Jofre to the place where he became a world champion was amazing. His eyes lit up when he walked in the old arena, and I could imagine what it must have been like for him in 1960, with a packed crowd cheering him on. We traveled back in time and it was magic,” DeBro said.

These days, the Olympic is a Korean church, but the building is unmistakable from the outside, despite the large painting of Jesus Christ on the south side of the building. Despite passing this building every day, this was my first time going inside. This was the first time for Marcel and Andrea also, and Eder’s first time since he won the bantamweight world title there in 1960. As we were arriving in the parking lot, I asked Eder if he remembered fighting Jose Medel here and he said he did. I asked if he remembered winning the title against Eloy Sanchez here and he said yes, and then I said “Well, now we are pulling up to the venue and will be going back inside.” His eyebrows raised and I could see this was a moment of genuine excitement for him. “It's always a thrill to be able to go back to places I've been to, especially to be back at the Olympic Auditorium, where I won the world title in 1960,” he said. Although it’s a church these days, if you look at the old photos from inside the venue, the layout of the arena and the seating are unmistakable. “It was like a trip back in time, going back to the city where it all started, where my father won the first world boxing title for Brazil. Where my father, after more than 60 years, had the opportunity to feel all the energy of November 18, 1960 again,” Marcel said.


Our next appointment was dinner at a friend’s house in San Pedro for homemade pizza at 5 pm, so we had time to kill after leaving the Olympic. Eder was a little hungry so we stopped for lunch. I asked what they wall wanted and they said ‘Pizza!” I reminded them how we were having pizza later that evening and there were other options close by like sandwiches, salads, Mexican etc; but they still wanted pizza so we went to Patxi's at LA Live. We then had a walk around LA Live where Eder took some photos next to the statue of Oscar De La Hoya before heading to San Pedro.

We were welcomed by John and Lucrecia Jacobson with open arms at their home. This invitation came from the last time I was at their home and mentioned how I had guests coming from Brazil and they were fascinated with their story so they said to invite them. John is a master pizza maker, who owns his own pizza oven and imports many of his ingredients from Italy. The Jofres favorite food is pizza so it was a match made in heaven. John and Lucrecia clicked with the Jofres, as Lucrecia is also a vegetarian and was born in Argentina, just like Eder’s father, Aristides ‘Kid” Jofre, and his oldest (and still living) sibling is also named Lucrecia. A wonderful time was had as we drank wine, eat delicious pizza, and watched a perfect sunset.

On the way home, I get a message from my friend Akbar and it read: “Check your e-mail!” and the first thing that crossed my mind is that perhaps Sugar Ray got tied up and couldn’t meet up which I would have totally understood given Leonard’s busy schedule. Sometimes surprises are good though. The e-mail said: “Change of plans, Mr. Leonard would like to invite you to his home instead.” While it was exciting enough to be getting to meet Leonard at a coffee shop, going to his house promised to be next level.

When we got back to the house Eder took a nap because we had an important meeting scheduled at 11 pm. Through my Japanese friends Akihide Ishi-I and Shoji Tsue we were able to connect a Zoom meeting between Eder and the only man to ever defeat him, Masahiko “Fighting” Harada. I was wearing a Fighting Harada sweatshirt and Eder noticed the writing and said “Fighting Harada. Japan.” I asked him how he felt about Harada and he said, “he’s a great person.” At this point Eder wasn’t aware he would be speaking to his old foe in a short while.

Yuriko Miyata, a Los Angeles based writer for Japan’s Boxing Magazine came to the house to help translate and to meet Eder. Miyata wrote a piece on this reunion for the magazine and remarked how happy she was to meet Eder. “I never imagined I’d get to meet Eder Jofre in person. It was such an honor for me to see him. And when he recognized me being Japanese, he said “A No Ne, Chotto Matte Ne,” meaning “well, wait a second” in Japanese. That amazed me!!! That showed me how it was memorable for him to visit and fight in Japan. And I cannot forget his smile when he saw his old rival on the monitor. That was an unforgettable moment. A fight, a rivalry brings a timeless never-ending friendship.” Indeed, both fighters were so happy to see each other and even began to throw punches at the screen as they laughed and greeted one-another.



Wednesday, October 20.



To make sure we were not late for our 11 am appointment with Sugar Ray Leonard, we left early just in case something unforeseen came up on the way. I am a punctual person and one of my pet peeves is tardiness, so I was not about to be even one minute late to meet a man like Sugar Ray. We got to his beautiful home and were welcomed with open arms. Leonard was very friendly and warm. He had a genuine interest in Eder’s career and I found it quite surreal to see him looking through my book and asking me questions. Eder had previously cited Leonard as one of the boxers he admired most in the days since he retired in 1976 but his memory has eroded over time, so he wasn’t quite able to comprehend whose home we were in at first. Then we started listing off Leonard’s world titles and Eder’s eyebrows raised and he put his hands up in a boxing pose and starting boxing with Leonard. Michael Nunn had given Leonard a heads up that Eder still could use his hands and in no time it was clear for Leonard to see this also. He was so impressed with Eder and said “There is nobody his age who can do this.” Eder, Leonard, and Nunn then worked the bag together and I just stood back and soaked it all in. Like I had to pinch myself. We were inside Sugar Ray Leonard’s home and everyone was having a blast. We went outside and got to spend about an hour just shooting the breeze, talking about subjects ranging from the recent Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder III match to Eder’s vegetarianism to Nunn’s having just missed out on the fabled “Fab Four (Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Thomas Hearns, and Roberto Duran) to discussing the career of Carlos Monzon.

After leaving Sugar Ray’s house we went with Akbar, Nunn and his fiancée to Versailles Cuban restaurant on Venice Blvd. As mentioned earlier, Akbar has been a huge fan of Eder Jofre since he first heard about him and caught the Jofres by surprise when he showed them a tattoo of Eder’s initials “EJ” on his arm in honor of his favorite boxer.

After we split, I made sure to take the Jofres on some sightseeing before getting home so we went to Beverly Hills where I showed them Rodeo Drive, the famous Beverly Hills sign and some of the spectacular homes in the area. None of which were as spectacular as Sugar Ray’s I must add. Later that evening Jun Aquino came around to see the Jofres one last time and presented them with a special piece of art he painted from the previous Friday in Santa Monica.


Thursday, October 21.



Thursday brought us back to where it all started - LAX airport. They had a midday flight but the rental had to go back early so we got up, had breakfast and headed over to the JW Marriott Hotel for coffee. I was feeling sad that I had to see them off as I had really enjoyed having them in town for the week and wanted even more time. But on the plus side, I was feeling very content that we had overcome so many obstacles to get to this point of even having them come over and having Eder actually be physically at his induction. Speaking with the Jofres, I wanted to know what had been the high points of their week in Los Angeles. “For me, going to Los Angeles for the first time was a huge joy. To see my father enter into another hall of fame and to be part of this story. I am very grateful for everyone involved for providing a moment of happiness for my father,” Andrea said. She also mentioned how she had been thrilled to see Akbar’s tattoo and how nice it was to see how well received they were by Michael Nunn and Carlos Zarate’s family. Of course, a huge standout part of the trip had been the day at Sugar Ray Leonard’s house and many of the new friendships they made. “Also meeting Rick Farris and his (Brazilian) wife Monica, seeing my father boxing with Rick and mainly to see all of your work in providing us with this,” she added.

Marcel echoed many of Andrea’s sentiments regarding the highlights of his trip. He was very happy to see his father recognized once again in America. Marcel had been present when Eder was inducted in Canastota at the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1992. “Surrounded by fans and friends, the reaction was the best possible. The sparkle in the fans' eyes was unforgettable, the feeling of affection and admiration is indescribable. The welcome was magnificent,” he said. Marcel said that he loved every moment of the trip and that it was a “dream come true” having finally visited Los Angeles and to have retraced some of his father’s history. “The highlights were mainly those linked to the affection of the American people who welcomed us with open arms. The visit to the Olympic, the fantastic Hall of Fame ceremony at the Lowes Hotel, the visit to friends John and Lucrecia, the dear family of the great champion Carlos Zarate and finally the visit to Sugar Leonard, in the company of our great friend Michael Nunn,” he said.


Before I left them, I asked Eder if he would like to come back. “Oh, I would definitely like to come back to America! Everyone was very attentive. I leave here, a big hug to all my friends and fans,” he said.

This was without doubt one my my proudest moments. Some of these things had seemed like a pipe dream not so long ago, but moved so quickly. I was overjoyed to see the affection which met the champion everywhere he went, whether it was from former fighters or from fans. It was touching to see how well received Eder and his family were. I was also extremely happy to receive messages online from people over the world who said how much they enjoyed seeing our posts on social media documenting the events and because I was on such a high, I already started planning and talking about Eder’s next visit to America. This will happen in 2022.

[geoffreysadao]

I appreciate this so much, Roger. I'm off work tomorrow, and I will read these entries from start to finish!

[dagosd2000]

I appreciate this so much, Roger. I'm off work tomorrow, and I will read these entries from start to finish!

Chris Smith wrote those entries.