Classic American West Coast Boxing

[dagosd2000]

A Learning Experience

I asked James Kinchen if he knew David Love. He told me that when he started fighting in San Diego he hooked up with Kinchen to work with him in the ring. Love had been fighting in San Diego for awhile and Kinchen was hoping to pick up a few tricks of the trade. James told me that Love would plant his right foot to the canvas and use it as a pivot.It wouldn't move off the canvas.Love would then pivot facing his opponent as he circled around trying to find an opening.KInchen had never seen anything like that before.It confused him and he said that Love definitely got the better of him.

KInchen went back to the gym and worked with sparring partners who James told to emulate Love's style.When James faced Love again he said that he would feint Love into moving that pivot foot and when he did he had him off balance.James then would move in and attack moving him back.Love was forced to hold on.

James told me that he never condoned going all out in a sparring session. He was there to work on things.The purpose was to come up with a strategy and then implement it in the fight.


James Kinchen

[geoffreysadao]

Kinchen was an excellent boxer-puncher. Patient, tactical and solid/precise puncher. I remember him well. Suffered first loss to the late James Shuler. I really enjoyed watching his fight against crafty old veteran Ralph Moncrief who got the better of Kinchen early on until fading late. Perfect learning experience for a young prospect. Also, his fight with Murray Sutherland was a good chess match. Devastating KO of Alex Ramos. It's a shame that he didn't get the decision against Tommy Hearns, and I didn't see his 1 round KO loss to Virgil Hill. I feel that Hill was underrated in some ways. He was beautiful boxer to watch in his prime but not my favorite.
While boxers are going to suffer damage regardless, I have heard many times that it's better to not go all out in sparring all of the time. All you will get is a damaged, shopworn fighter quickly. Look at Bruce Curry and Bobby Chacon. Also, I'm sure that the Philly gym wars cut many promising careers short. However, as Fritzie Zivic said, "You're not in there to play the piano or win the 'lollipop of the year award.'"
How about Pete McIntyre? I looked at him as a real mystery man. On a given night, he could take anyone out such as Mike Quarry, Eddie Davis and Willie Edwards. Seems like he got jobbed in Australia against Tony Mundine. Tommy Evans, Richmond Cruiserweight contender, was supposed to fight McIntyre, but for reasons unknown, pulled out and never fought again.

[dagosd2000]

Kinchen was an excellent boxer-puncher. Patient, tactical and solid/precise puncher. I remember him well. Suffered first loss to the late James Shuler. I really enjoyed watching his fight against crafty old veteran Ralph Moncrief who got the better of Kinchen early on until fading late. Perfect learning experience for a young prospect. Also, his fight with Murray Sutherland was a good chess match. Devastating KO of Alex Ramos. It's a shame that he didn't get the decision against Tommy Hearns, and I didn't see his 1 round KO loss to Virgil Hill. I feel that Hill was underrated in some ways. He was beautiful boxer to watch in his prime but not my favorite.
While boxers are going to suffer damage regardless, I have heard many times that it's better to not go all out in sparring all of the time. All you will get is a damaged, shopworn fighter quickly. Look at Bruce Curry and Bobby Chacon. Also, I'm sure that the Philly gym wars cut many promising careers short. However, as Fritzie Zivic said, "You're not in there to play the piano or win the 'lollipop of the year award.'"
How about Pete McIntyre? I looked at him as a real mystery man. On a given night, he could take anyone out such as Mike Quarry, Eddie Davis and Willie Edwards. Seems like he got jobbed in Australia against Tony Mundine. Tommy Evans, Richmond Cruiserweight contender, was supposed to fight McIntyre, but for reasons unknown, pulled out and never fought again.

I've written before about my thoughts about James Kinchen's three crucial losses to Tommy Hearns,James Shuler,and Iran Barkely.He beats anyone of those guys he gets a title shot.James as you know by now is a reverend at The Helping Hands Of God evangelical church in Encanto which is located on the far east side of San Diego.James has devoted his life to his faith and doesn't follow boxing like he used to. However, when I started to attend the services and talked to James about how I used to follow his career he came to life. Surprisingly,not many in the flock cared one way or another about James being a fighter once. But there was a time when he was damn good.

About those three fights. James took these matches with those guys in their back yards. He was being managed by Bobby DiFilippis at the time, and it would have been different,I think, if those matches would have been in a San Diego venues.James has no sour grapes about them.He thinks he won all of them but to him it's not worth fretting about. So did the boxing world for the most part thought he got robbed.I went out to Joe Sayotovitch's training facility in the mountains in Campo to watch James train.. He was in top shape then.

James at the end sort of fell apart.His one round KO loss to Virgil Hill looked "funny." I never asked him about that one. He's very happy. I'd see him at the fights here in town once in awhile.He's got his senses.Let's hope he stays that way.

Pete McIntyre was the typical club fighter.Then in 1978 he KO's a worn out Mike Quarry here in San Diego. I was there. You know I don't think anyone liked Mike except maybe his brother. For a southland guy he wasn't very popular. San Diego fans didn't like him because he had beaten the popular Ronnie Wilson three out of three.McIntyre then beat Jesse Burnett up in Stockton. He was getting some notice.But then he loses three big fights to Tony Mundine,Yaqui Lopez,and Saad Muhammad..

McIntyre was a standup target.Easy to hit. BoxRec has him listed as residing in San Diego. I've never heard that before.


Reverend James holding my painting of him at The Helping Hands Of God church

[geoffreysadao]

It's so encouraging to hear that he is devoted his life to something so meaningful and rich. So different than the fates of most ex-boxers.
Again, I really enjoy our discussions and exchanges, Roger. You're knowledgeable about so many topics and seem to be "stand up guy."
Leonard Morrow also dedicated his life to his faith. Again, I'm going to summarize it in a story for you. First, I need to mull over my many memories of him (late 1960's to about 1996). He died in 2000 just around the time that I finished graduate school. Mr. Morrow was a great friend to my brother and me. To be older and only brother, he truly was a mentor and role model.

[dagosd2000]

It's so encouraging to hear that he is devoted his life to something so meaningful and rich. So different than the fates of most ex-boxers.
Again, I really enjoy our discussions and exchanges, Roger. You're knowledgeable about so many topics and seem to be "stand up guy."
Leonard Morrow also dedicated his life to his faith. Again, I'm going to summarize it in a story for you. First, I need to mull over my many memories of him (late 1960's to about 1996). He died in 2000 just around the time that I finished graduate school. Mr. Morrow was a great friend to my brother and me. To be older and only brother, he truly was a mentor and role model.

I'll play it safe most of the time and talk about stuff I know. But when it comes to things I don't know I stay back and listen.How many times have you heard ex athletes say that I never prepared myself for a life after my caree ended. I guess a guy like Mayweather will never run out of money but I remember James Kinchen telling me about how he and his wife and kids were stranded in National City outside a run down motel.His station wagon had four ball tires and was running on fumes. All he had to his name was 40 dollars.This was after a career that had netted him 400 thousand..You try to control everything but sometimes you have to turn it over to someone higher.

Looking forward to hearing your story about Morrow.


Tomorrow is this guy's birthday. Happy birthday Marty.

[geoffreysadao]

I was born in Oakland and grew up in Berkeley. My parents’ union was interracial (father Caucasian and mother Japanese). They were both public school teachers in Richmond, CA, and that’s how they met. They taught at a kind of hard and scrabble Junior HS. My Dad taught mostly Social Studies, and my Mom Biology. My Dad was a kind, eccentric man with a charismatic persona and a mercurial temper, and mother is classy, kind yet tough as nails.
My family’s home was in a nice area of Berkeley. My Dad bought a run down house, and over the course of his lifetime, he was always fixing and improving it. My brother was born in ’62, and I was born in ’64. My parents were strong on the notions of equal opportunity and Civil Rights. In Berkeley, there was a line of demarcation (formerly Grove St. and now named MLK Blvd.). Whites lived to the east of it in the hills, and the minorities to the west of it facing the S.F. Bay. Some of the realtors didn’t want to sell to my parents due to my Mom’s Japanese ancestry. I’m sure that my father, who could lose his cool in a quick minute, gave them a piece of his mind. I loved my father for this quality.
At first, growing up in Berkeley was pretty idyllic and awesome. We were around kids of all different races and backgrounds as Berkeley made it a point to bus kids from different neighborhoods so they could attend public school together and less affluent kids would be provided academic opportunities. My first grade teacher, Mrs. Richards, was African American and resided in Oakland. I didn’t catch on as quickly as my brother academically yet she taught me how to write a compound sentence. Mrs. Richards was patient and kind, but she could lay down the law as needed.
In ’66, the Morrow family moved in next door to us. Mrs. Campbell, who lived 2 houses up from us, raised a huge stink. To her regret, she came knocking on our front door, and exclaimed to my father, “The Mau Maus are coming!” My father proceeded to chew her ass out. Many years later, Mrs. Campbell would spend Sundays with the Morrows at their church, but that’s a story for another day.
My parents made it a point to really welcome the Morrows and support them with feeling comfortable moving in. In my opinion, the Morrows were the best neighbors on our block, and this was due in no small part to the character and personality of Mr. Leonard Morrow.
My first memory of him is when I was quite young (probably around 2-4 years old). I looked up and saw this big man with a warm, smiling demeanor. He said something like, “There’s the little guy!” He just had this persona that was impressive. Mr. Morrow was handsome, bright, helpful and exuded positive energy. Yet, he was kind of the watch dog of our neighborhood, and as kids, we knew that we needed to mind our “P’s and Q’s” in his presence.
By the time I reached about 6th grade, being a kid in Berkeley wasn’t so ideal. Too much wildness, lack of structure, and of course, drugs. Some of my peers started smoking MJ as young as 7 years old! They would get it from an older sibling or steal it from their parents. My own parents were a bit more traditional, and they expected us to excel academically. For my brother, this was relatively easy. He was a bit sharper than me and caught onto things more quickly. It would take me about 3 times longer to learn a basic concept than him. Neither of my parents were weed smokers, and they preferred alcohol. I don’t envy parents who tried to raise kids in Berkeley in the 1970’s.
By the time we were both in our late teens, we had more than dabbled with drugs. The peer pressure was tremendous, and you didn’t want to be “on the outs.” It was just part of Berkeley youth culture. The prevalence of addiction and mental illness was high amongst my peers. I feel very lucky that I didn’t get completely derailed by it, but there were definitely a few years when I was pretty lost. My older and only brother suffered much worse than me. In some ways, it’s incredible that he is still alive and working as he went thru hell and back as a young man (ages 19-25). Make no mistake of it, drugs cause brain damage and emotional/mental health problems.
My brother lost many friends. Both peers, and even some family friends, shunned him. Not Mr. Morrow. He took my brother under his strong, kind wing, and he would spend hours with him. It helped that my brother was athletic and agile. Both my brother and I enjoyed “play sparring” with Mr. Morrow. Believe me, he was just going thru the motions, and when he so much as tapped us with his huge hand, we felt his authority and power. Truly a positive role model and mentor.
Mr. Morrow was an evangelical Christian, and of course, he and his wife would take my brother to Church. Even though my brother suffered far more than me, I was actually far more rebellious than him. I was interested in California Native American culture, Rastafari and minority resistance of oppression. My damn brother would come home and sing these Christian songs just to annoy me, and he playfully called me a “pagan.” Of course, Mr. Morrow tried to convert me, but it was never offensive or bothersome. I knew that he loved my brother and me, and his kindness and care were always evident.
In January of ’86, I was preparing to go off to State College near Eureka, CA. Mr. Morrow had me sit down at his dining room table to show me his photo album and scrap book. In ‘80, while learning boxing at the New Oakland Boxing Club, I was made fully aware of his boxing achievements including his victory over Archie Moore by Frank Pittman, his former manager. That particular day in his home, I learned of his victories of Jimmy Bivins, Fritzie Fitzpatrick, Oakland Billy Smith and others. I had a slight abrasion on my face from slap boxing with my brother the day before, and Mr. Morrow gently applied some ointment to the very small wound. That was the best farewell that I could get before moving away to college and working towards my 4 year degree.
Later, when I tried amateur boxing (“try” is the operative word), Morrow accompanied me to the Shields/Pittman Boxing Gym in West Oakland and to the Berkeley PAL. I actually had the foolish notion that I was going to enter the S.F. Golden Gloves tournament in Spring of ’92, but my big brother (Sean not Mr. Morrow) pulled the plug on this not wanting me to get seriously hurt. To this day, I’m still slightly mad at him about this. Admittedly, it was probably for the better.
In Summer of 2000, Mr. Morrow died at the age of 74. Ironically, I had just completed my thesis for my MSW. Over the past decade, Morrow steadily deteriorated with excruciating back pain and dementia. As my father said of Morrow’s condition, “The body wasn’t meant to be bashed!” We attended his memorial at his church, and his beautiful wife whimsically related, “Leonard just loved you little guys.” When I think of this, I still get choked up.
Sometimes, looking at my big brother today is awe inspiring. He works as an educator, cooks these specialized recipes that he has learned and modified, and sings open mike. One of his favorite tunes is the Stylistics’ “You Made Me Feel Brand New.” When I see him getting into a tune, dressed dapper and looking sharp, I think of that wonderful gentleman who lived next door to us.

[dagosd2000]

I was born in Oakland and grew up in Berkeley. My parents’ union was interracial (father Caucasian and mother Japanese). They were both public school teachers in Richmond, CA, and that’s how they met. They taught at a kind of hard and scrabble Junior HS. My Dad taught mostly Social Studies, and my Mom Biology. My Dad was a kind, eccentric man with a charismatic persona and a mercurial temper, and mother is classy, kind yet tough as nails.
My family’s home was in a nice area of Berkeley. My Dad bought a run down house, and over the course of his lifetime, he was always fixing and improving it. My brother was born in ’62, and I was born in ’64. My parents were strong on the notions of equal opportunity and Civil Rights. In Berkeley, there was a line of demarcation (formerly Grove St. and now named MLK Blvd.). Whites lived to the east of it in the hills, and the minorities to the west of it facing the S.F. Bay. Some of the realtors didn’t want to sell to my parents due to my Mom’s Japanese ancestry. I’m sure that my father, who could lose his cool in a quick minute, gave them a piece of his mind. I loved my father for this quality.
At first, growing up in Berkeley was pretty idyllic and awesome. We were around kids of all different races and backgrounds as Berkeley made it a point to bus kids from different neighborhoods so they could attend public school together and less affluent kids would be provided academic opportunities. My first grade teacher, Mrs. Richards, was African American and resided in Oakland. I didn’t catch on as quickly as my brother academically yet she taught me how to write a compound sentence. Mrs. Richards was patient and kind, but she could lay down the law as needed.
In ’66, the Morrow family moved in next door to us. Mrs. Campbell, who lived 2 houses up from us, raised a huge stink. To her regret, she came knocking on our front door, and exclaimed to my father, “The Mau Maus are coming!” My father proceeded to chew her ass out. Many years later, Mrs. Campbell would spend Sundays with the Morrows at their church, but that’s a story for another day.
My parents made it a point to really welcome the Morrows and support them with feeling comfortable moving in. In my opinion, the Morrows were the best neighbors on our block, and this was due in no small part to the character and personality of Mr. Leonard Morrow.
My first memory of him is when I was quite young (probably around 2-4 years old). I looked up and saw this big man with a warm, smiling demeanor. He said something like, “There’s the little guy!” He just had this persona that was impressive. Mr. Morrow was handsome, bright, helpful and exuded positive energy. Yet, he was kind of the watch dog of our neighborhood, and as kids, we knew that we needed to mind our “P’s and Q’s” in his presence.
By the time I reached about 6th grade, being a kid in Berkeley wasn’t so ideal. Too much wildness, lack of structure, and of course, drugs. Some of my peers started smoking MJ as young as 7 years old! They would get it from an older sibling or steal it from their parents. My own parents were a bit more traditional, and they expected us to excel academically. For my brother, this was relatively easy. He was a bit sharper than me and caught onto things more quickly. It would take me about 3 times longer to learn a basic concept than him. Neither of my parents were weed smokers, and they preferred alcohol. I don’t envy parents who tried to raise kids in Berkeley in the 1970’s.
By the time we were both in our late teens, we had more than dabbled with drugs. The peer pressure was tremendous, and you didn’t want to be “on the outs.” It was just part of Berkeley youth culture. The prevalence of addiction and mental illness was high amongst my peers. I feel very lucky that I didn’t get completely derailed by it, but there were definitely a few years when I was pretty lost. My older and only brother suffered much worse than me. In some ways, it’s incredible that he is still alive and working as he went thru hell and back as a young man (ages 19-25). Make no mistake of it, drugs cause brain damage and emotional/mental health problems.
My brother lost many friends. Both peers, and even some family friends, shunned him. Not Mr. Morrow. He took my brother under his strong, kind wing, and he would spend hours with him. It helped that my brother was athletic and agile. Both my brother and I enjoyed “play sparring” with Mr. Morrow. Believe me, he was just going thru the motions, and when he so much as tapped us with his huge hand, we felt his authority and power. Truly a positive role model and mentor.
Mr. Morrow was an evangelical Christian, and of course, he and his wife would take my brother to Church. Even though my brother suffered far more than me, I was actually far more rebellious than him. I was interested in California Native American culture, Rastafari and minority resistance of oppression. My damn brother would come home and sing these Christian songs just to annoy me, and he playfully called me a “pagan.” Of course, Mr. Morrow tried to convert me, but it was never offensive or bothersome. I knew that he loved my brother and me, and his kindness and care were always evident.
In January of ’86, I was preparing to go off to State College near Eureka, CA. Mr. Morrow had me sit down at his dining room table to show me his photo album and scrap book. In ‘80, while learning boxing at the New Oakland Boxing Club, I was made fully aware of his boxing achievements including his victory over Archie Moore by Frank Pittman, his former manager. That particular day in his home, I learned of his victories of Jimmy Bivins, Fritzie Fitzpatrick, Oakland Billy Smith and others. I had a slight abrasion on my face from slap boxing with my brother the day before, and Mr. Morrow gently applied some ointment to the very small wound. That was the best farewell that I could get before moving away to college and working towards my 4 year degree.
Later, when I tried amateur boxing (“try” is the operative word), Morrow accompanied me to the Shields/Pittman Boxing Gym in West Oakland and to the Berkeley PAL. I actually had the foolish notion that I was going to enter the S.F. Golden Gloves tournament in Spring of ’92, but my big brother (Sean not Mr. Morrow) pulled the plug on this not wanting me to get seriously hurt. To this day, I’m still slightly mad at him about this. Admittedly, it was probably for the better.
In Summer of 2000, Mr. Morrow died at the age of 74. Ironically, I had just completed my thesis for my MSW. Over the past decade, Morrow steadily deteriorated with excruciating back pain and dementia. As my father said of Morrow’s condition, “The body wasn’t meant to be bashed!” We attended his memorial at his church, and his beautiful wife whimsically related, “Leonard just loved you little guys.” When I think of this, I still get choked up.
Sometimes, looking at my big brother today is awe inspiring. He works as an educator, cooks these specialized recipes that he has learned and modified, and sings open mike. One of his favorite tunes is the Stylistics’ “You Made Me Feel Brand New.” When I see him getting into a tune, dressed dapper and looking sharp, I think of that wonderful gentleman who lived next door to us.

Great recollections.When I think of Leonard Morrow I naturally think of that faction of black fighters during the 40's often referred to as "The Black Murderers Row."(Holma Williamna,Charler Burley,Lloyd Marshall,Eddie Booker,Bert Lytel,Cocoa Kid,Jack Chase,Rusty Payne)They were dangerous men in the ring and were often ducked by the white contenders. The only fighter who came out of it ,if you want to call it successfully,was Archie Moore. But he can thank Doc Kearns for taking over late in his career to get him a shot at Joey Maxim who was also managed by Kearns.

Not only were these fighters not given the opportunity to fight for the crown and make the big money but they had to to take "dives" in order to keep on fighting. My father was a "Mob Guy" in Chicago during that time. They called themselves "The Outfit." it was an extension of Capone's group of racketeers. They controlled boxing in The Windy City. My father told me that one of the black fighters they had in their pockets was Bob Satterfield,another of "The Murderer Row" boys.My father told me that he could have been the middleweight champ .But the only black fighter that got a pass was Sugar Ray Robinson. Satterfield could hit as hard as any of them. Well,when Jake La Motta was on the way up he fought Satterfield in Chicago. Jake won by KO in 7. Later,La Motta said that Satterfield hit harder than any fighter he ever fought.

The "Mob" didn't ask Robinson to throw any fights.He wouldn't do it anyway. But he did co operate in a sense with "The Outfit" when he fought in Chicago. After he won the welterweight title he "carried" all his opponents going the distance. This way the Wise Guys could make a little side money..They bet it to go the distance when Robby was favored to win by an easy KO.



And they call it "The Sweet Science." PU




Bob Satterfield

[geoffreysadao]

I know that Satterfield hit like a mule on steroids. Even as a heavyweight, he was damn dangerous. I knew that he had an interest in art too and studied it. Satterfield died very young in '78 I believe.

[geoffreysadao]

Charlie Fusari was a great welterweight contender, but it looked as though Robinson may have carried him. No slight to Fusari at all. I know Robinson fought Earl Turner, Richmond, CA welter/middle of the late 40's. Apparently. Turner put up a gallant effort. How about Robinson's fight with tall Bobby Dykes? Majority decision win. On the level or not?

[dagosd2000]

Charlie Fusari was a great welterweight contender, but it looked as though Robinson may have carried him. No slight to Fusari at all. I know Robinson fought Earl Turner, Richmond, CA welter/middle of the late 40's. Apparently. Turner put up a gallant effort. How about Robinson's fight with tall Bobby Dykes? Majority decision win. On the level or not?

Just about everyone knows that Robinson carried Fusari.Dykes the same. Robinson "carried " more people than Mother Dionne.The Mob tried to work out a trilogy with Robinson and Burley:Robby winning,then Charley,the third fight on the level. And they banned Pete Rise from the Hall Of Fame because he bet on the Reds. .

[geoffreysadao]

I'm not a baseball like my brother is. He was a Cincinnati Reds fanatic ('75-'76). Yet, I know that it's outrageous that they ban "Charlie Hustle" from the HOF. Simply put, he was a great player with tenacity, guts and great team spirit. Personally, my favorite was "Little Joe" Morgan. I could relate to him, because I was an undersized runt. Of course, they accepted Orlando Cepeda who had some past legal issues. I was fortunate enough to not just meet him but go to his home as well. My deceased friend (Bob Garcia) was close friends with Orlando. He practices in the Buddhist organization that I belong to, and he helped introduce Bob to the practice.

[dagosd2000]

Going Sugar Ray's Way

I want to touch again on Ray Robinson's fights in Chicago when he was the welterweight champDYkes,Bobby Lee,and Bernard Docusen all went the distance. Docusen's daughter wrote a book about her father around 12 years ago.I bought a copy.She is very proud of her dad.The highlight of her book was her father's fight with Robinson for the title in Chicago.She's very proud that he went the full 15 with Robinson. If you watch the fight on YouTube you can see that Robinson was in total control from start to finish. Sometimes he would pop Docusen and set him back ,but then he wouldn't follow up. He'd back away or tie him up.I didn't want to post about this back then thinking that Docusen's daughter might be a reader on the forum But a few years ago I posted what really happened.Ray could have taken Docusen out any time he wanted.

My father used to work at a dairy in Chicago named Meadowmoor. It was a brainstorm of Capone. In the early 50's Ray Robinson was approached by Meadowmoor to put his name on a chocolate drink As usual Robinson asked for to much money and the deal fell through. Robinson was standing on the corner outside the dairy after the failed deal waiting to be picked up when a car drove by. The guys inside started firing Thompsons.Robinson hit the sidewalk. Everyone came running outside(including my dad) to see what had happened.The guys inside the car had just bumped off some lawyer who was a snitch.but Robinson didn't know that.Many years later me and my dad saw Robinson at a fight. My father knew him because of the dairy and the Mob connections. Let Robby say it.
"Hey Joe remember that time in front of the dairy and those guys started shooting?I thought they were trying to whack me.You know I always co operated.Man was I scared!"


Sugar Ray Robinson

[geoffreysadao]

How about the careers of Ike Williams and Johnny Saxton? The name of Blinky Palermo is consistently mentioned. I remember when Jimmy Young and Ken Norton fought that elimination fight in Fall '77 with Norton earning a hairline SD. Leading up to the fight, there was mention that Palermo actually owned some of Young's contract. Apparently, Young didn't know who he was, and asked, "What's a Blinky?" Perhaps, Young knew what was going on and was feigning ignorance.

[dagosd2000]

How about the careers of Ike Williams and Johnny Saxton? The name of Blinky Palermo is consistently mentioned. I remember when Jimmy Young and Ken Norton fought that elimination fight in Fall '77 with Norton earning a hairline SD. Leading up to the fight, there was mention that Palermo actually owned some of Young's contract. Apparently, Young didn't know who he was, and asked, "What's a Blinky?" Perhaps, Young knew what was going on and was feigning ignorance.

Here's a Jimmy Young story I've told before.There was a white heavyweight who had just gotten out of the Marines and began his pro career here in San Diego. His name was Clay Hodges.HIs amateur record in the service included two decision wins over George Foreman.He started out at the Coliseum but I wasn't impressed by the guy. He was big, slow,awkward,and lacking skills. But the fans loved him and that was all that counted.

IN hIs opening 4 round prelim he stopped a no name like himself and you couldn't tell much except that "How in the hell did he ever beat George Foreman twice?"

In his second fight he drew a back east fella' from Philly named Jimmy Young.I believe it was a four round fight but BoxRec has it down as a six rounder.Well,no one had ever head of Jimmy Young.Hi record showed that he hadn't lost in two tries. To tell the truth I wanted Young to win and expose Hodges. Well ,the opening bell sounds and Young steps across the ring and unloads a left hook and Hodges is on the seat of his pants. He gets up and Young throws another hook and it's deja vu all over again. Now Hodges gets up again but I figure he won't last another knockdown,But now Young decides to take the rest of the round off!

I'm screaming and yelling for him to finish him off but he lets Hodges clear his head and get to the bell.Now there's two old geezers sitting right in front of me at ringside wearing frayed blazers and chewing on cigars.One of them turns around and says to me,
"Sonny I got 20 bucks saying Hodges is going to win."
I couldn't get my wallet out fast enough.The old guy who dared me is grinning from ear to ear.Well, for the next five rounds Jimmy Young doesn't throw another punch worth mentioning.After the final bell Fred Lewis,the ring announcer,raise Hodges' hand. I start to take out a couple of sawbucks to give to the old guy but then he turns the tables on me.
"Sonny keep your money.The fix was in on this one.Hell,you could have beat this guy(Hodges)

Hodges fought again at the Coliseum.HIs opponent was a huge muscle bound black guy named Kenyatta Huckenhall. In the 2nd round Huckenhall breaks Hodges' jaw. Career over.I often wonder how many fights Young had to go into the tank to obey the his ex con manager Blinky Palermo.



JImmy Young

[geoffreysadao]

I really admired Young's crafty style. When he challenged Ali, Cosell described him as a "youngster." Truth is that Young had been a pro since '69 and was very seasoned. I'm sure that the Philly gym wars both helped make and break him. His fight against Norton was supposed to be for a one million dollar purse. I wonder how much he got after taxes, and paying his trainer, manager and other stragglers. He and his wife thought that they were secure for life. In retrospect, we know that that wasn't the case. His 1988 10 rounder against journeyman Tim "Doc" Anderson may still be on YouTube. The skills and cunning were still there, but the reflexes and timing were long gone.

[dagosd2000]

I really admired Young's crafty style. When he challenged Ali, Cosell described him as a "youngster." Truth is that Young had been a pro since '69 and was very seasoned. I'm sure that the Philly gym wars both helped make and break him. His fight against Norton was supposed to be for a one million dollar purse. I wonder how much he got after taxes, and paying his trainer, manager and other stragglers. He and his wife thought that they were secure for life. In retrospect, we know that that wasn't the case. His 1988 10 rounder against journeyman Tim "Doc" Anderson may still be on YouTube. The skills and cunning were still there, but the reflexes and timing were long gone.

Whether we're conscious of it or not our comments warrant action to abolish boxing.I can't fathom any arguments to further its existence-unless you're a promoter.




Blinky Palermo. Convicted of fixing fights,managing without a license,extortion ,and income tax evasion; he goes to jail and when he gets out the commission in Pennsylvania grants him a manager's license.Good night

[geoffreysadao]

Yes, all of our exchanges and posts make a sound argument for the abolishment of the "Nobel Art."

[goose 5]

I have to agree with you both- boxing should be abolished. Yes, I'm a hypocrite; I love to watch boxing-it's the only sport I watch and I can't resist watching . If it were abolished, I'd still watch old fights; that's how hooked I am.

[dagosd2000]

I have to agree with you both- boxing should be abolished. Yes, I'm a hypocrite; I love to watch boxing-it's the only sport I watch and I can't resist watching . If it were abolished, I'd still watch old fights; that's how hooked I am.

I'm kind of with you there but it's not because I love boxing. Example:I'll watch my favorite fighter Jose Napoles fight, let's say Ernie Lopez.It's sort of a surrealistic metaphor symbolizing my past I might watch a replay of a current fight on YouTube the following day.but it's just to satify my curiosity.

The top four heavyweights today-Fury,Joshua,Wilder,and Usyk would no way win universal recognition of heavyweight champion of the world during the mid 60's through the 80's.Lewis would have beaten those guys too.

[dagosd2000]

Jack's Off

Every once in awhile when I'm visiting the local boxing gyms in Tijuana I ask if anyone inside knows where Jack Johnson's bar was in town. I've probably asked around a hundred times. But I haven't just asked the faces inside the gyms.When I was working at that private school CETYs coaching American football,,that is a combination high school/college,I'd ask the profs in the history department to the custodians, if they could tell me where was Jack Johnson's bar.There's a couple of tourist information booths in the downtown area.I've asked there too.It's like looking for the Holy Grail.There are still some old footprints of Tijuana's history that kleave a faded imprint.Remnants of the old Aguas Caliente casino which was transformed many years ago into a public high school.There's the racetrack that was burned to the ground in 1970 to destroy the American Johnny Alessio's interest so the the narcos could take over.(I was there on the day before they torched the place feeding the horses with my money) They built a new track which is a far cry from the beauty of the old one. There's still the Caesar Hotel on Revolucion where the Caesar salad was invented.The first edifices of the infamous Rosarito Hotel still stand amid all the new construction.I don't know know many times the cops raided that place because of all the illegal gambling going on in the back.I figured someone in those old haunts might know.

So what's the closest anyone has come up with?
"Who's Jack Johnson?"



Jack Johnson

[geoffreysadao]

In the East Bay, Johnson frequented Emeryville (Alameda Co.) as there was quite a nightlife scene there. Also, there's mention of him spending time in Bakersfield, CA. I wonder if he visited Allensworth which was an African American community near Bakersfield.

[dagosd2000]

The Bandit Promoter

By 1915 Jack Johnson was tired of living in Europe. He didn't like having that Mann Act warrant hanging over his head.His mother was dying in the States and he wanted to see her.To compound matters Jack Johnson was broke.

He was trying to work out something with the State Department so he could return to the U.S.,maybe cop to a plea bargain,and in the meantime defend his heavyweight title.Jack Curley,the promoter, liked the idea of Johnson wanting to fight again.But Johnson couldn't fight in the U.S. unless it was going to be in a prison yard.Curley decided that if Johnson could fight somewhere close to home he could then do the hop,step,and the jump back to the USA and let the chips fall where they lie.

Curley thought of holding the fight in Juarez,Mexico that was right across the Rio Grande from El Paso ,Texas.Johnson's White Hope opponent was to be a big Kansas plowboy by the name of Jess Willard.He was the best of the lot of vanilla faces.The undefeated Luther McCarty had died in a barn in Calgary fighting to get the opportunity to face Johnson.So the door was still left open.Willard was a big ol' boy,not much charisma,but he had killed a fighter by the name of Bull with one punch.Wilard was the Hope Of The White.

But there was a thorn in the side of Johnson fighting in Juarez in 1915 and it had nothing to do with him being on the lam.The problem revolved around the Mexican Revolution that was going great guns at the time.There was a power struggle between two former allies who helped overthrow Diaz's dictatorship earlier-Venustiano Carranza and Pancho Villa. Both were vying for power and both hated each other's guts.

As 1915 progressed Villa was on the retreat.His once feared Dorados were being beaten back north by Carranza's very competent general,Alvaro Obregon.After losing consecutive battles at Celaya and Leon,Villa's army was backed up at the border town of Agua Prieta just across the line from Arizona territory. Then the ultimate slap in the face occurred when President Wilson recognized Carranza as the legitimate president of Mexico.

At Agua Preita the U.S. government allowed Obregon to cross into Arizona and get behind Villa's army. Getting out flanked Villa's army was decimated.Villa then had to flee with what he had left to his home state of Chihuahua..He was always welcomed there.It was a safe haven.Now we get to the world's heavyweight champion and the champion of the poor.

Jack Curley wanted the fight in Juarez in the state of Chihuahua.But Curley ran into problems right off the bat. Villa,being the strongman, wanted to promote the fight.it wasn't so much that he was a fan,but he needed to money to keep his side of the battle going.That wasn't going to happen.Curley wouldn't give in.Besides, the Mexican government now considered Villa an enemy of the republic.Wilson didn't want Villa in the picture as well since after the president tapped Carranza on the shoulder Villa proclaimed he'd shoot any gringo on sight.Curley and Willard being gringos fell into that category. How do you spell "ransom?" and then have them "dobe walled."

Well,you know where Johnson and Willard finally got together,and it wasn't in Mexico. But it would have been somethin' to have seen the former bandit turned revolutionary wearing his big sombrero and waving his pistola bringing the two fighters to the center of the ring.Viva Villa! and duck for cover.


Pancho Villa

[geoffreysadao]

Johnson was just a fascinating guy. So many phases and stories. He sure got around!

[dagosd2000]

El Fhooey

Ever read those interviews with fighters labeled ,"The Best I Faced"?Chris Smith told me that on the 22nd of January(that was yesterday) he was to have another of his "Meet And Greet" functions in LA's art district starting at 12 noon.I said I'd go but then something popped up. My great grandson was to play a soccer game at the stadium in Tijuana yesterday..He's on the 21 and younger team for the G.F Pachuca team. I couldn't miss that one.(BTW Pachaca won .They played the Tijuana team.My grandson is a defender and he played a fine game).

So I had to miss Chris' event.Anyway,one of the guest fighters was Ruben Olivares,the former bantamweight champion they call "El Puas."Olivares got front billing in the flyer ahead of Danny "Little Red" Lopez.I guess it was no big deal but the two did meet at the Forum and Danny lit up the Mexican stopping him in 7 frames.But I guess Rockin' Ruben was the big draw yesterday.

Olivares built his rep like a house on fire winning 61 fights(I think all by K0)with a sole draw with a fella' named German Bastides.It was an era of glorious bantam weights,practically all of them Mexican-national and Chicano.Lionel Rose however was wearing the title belt and he was an aborigine from down under Australia. I was at the Forum the night he decisioned Chucho Castillo .I thought the call was right but the other 99 percent Mexican crowd disagreed and started a riot.

Waiting in the wings was "El Puas" with his big "gancho" wanting to take Rose's head off with it.I was also at the Forum when Rose almost got his head taken off including every one of his body parts.Now Ruben was the top guy.

Well, now I want to get back to his interview with Ring Magazine after OLivares hung up his gloves.He goes down the list of who was the best he faced. He says Arguello had the best jab and that he was beating Arguello like a drum when he had Alexis on the ropes but made the "mistake"? wanting to finish him off.That's when Arguello finished Ruben off.

But here's the two most important categories on the list of Olivares' nominees that threw me for a loop.Best Overall Skills-Bobby Chacon.Best Overall-Jesus Pimentel."C'Mon man. Olivares had Bobby's number stopping him twice in 2 out of 3.(Bobby winning the last one by decision.)But Pimentel for the best overall? I saw Olivares fight Pimentel at the Forum.Pimentel was overpowered from start to finish,the fight ending with "Chuy" draped through the ring rope totally at Ruben's mercy.

There was no mention of "Little Red" nor Rafael Herrera on Olivares' "Best" list.Herrera dominated Olivares getting inside his wide hooks with straight crisp right hands. In the 8th "El Puas" was one spent rooster. (BTW-a 'puas' is a razor blade they tie onto a fighting cock's talon before he goes to battle inside the Palenque.)

The insight to Olivares' interview was that he didn't give mention to two guys who kicked his ass good.

One other caveat about "El Puas."I hope all you fans got a chance to read Chris Smith's excellent bio of Eder Jofre(Brazil's First World Boxing Champion).Chris beforehand asked for some commentaries prior to publication.i was honored to be asked along with a plethora of boxing pundits.All the responses were articulate and intelligent displaying Jofre as the great champion that he was. "El Puas" was also beckoned for words.Well,here's what he had to say.

"When I was young I admired Jofre. ...I had heard whispers that a fight with Jofre was in the works but it never panned out.If we had fought I would have knocked him out. ...I'm sorry to say this.I would have loved to tangle...but his manager having common sense would have stopped it."

Olivares' rational was the he was on his "way up" and Jofre was on his way "down."I'll make an exception to my avoiding of"mythical matchups."But in this case it would have been "El Puas" who would have been going down on the canvas

.


Ruben Olivares



















..

[chrisjs1985]

El Fhooey

Ever read those interviews with fighters labeled ,"The Best I Faced"?Chris Smith told me that on the 22nd of January(that was yesterday) he was to have another of his "Meet And Greet" functions in LA's art district starting at 12 noon.I said I'd go but then something popped up. My great grandson was to play a soccer game at the stadium in Tijuana yesterday..He's on the 21 and younger team for the G.F Pachuca team. I couldn't miss that one.(BTW Pachaca won .They played the Tijuana team.My grandson is a defender and he played a fine game).

So I had to miss Chris' event.Anyway,one of the guest fighters was Ruben Olivares,the former bantamweight champion they call "El Puas."Olivares got front billing in the flyer ahead of Danny "Little Red" Lopez.I guess it was no big deal but the two did meet at the Forum and Danny lit up the Mexican stopping him in 7 frames.But I guess Rockin' Ruben was the big draw yesterday.

Olivares built his rep like a house on fire winning 61 fights(I think all by K0)with a sole draw with a fella' named German Bastides.It was an era of glorious bantam weights,practically all of them Mexican-national and Chicano.Lionel Rose however was wearing the title belt and he was an aborigine from down under Australia. I was at the Forum the night he decisioned Chucho Castillo .I thought the call was right but the other 99 percent Mexican crowd disagreed and started a riot.

Waiting in the wings was "El Puas" with his big "gancho" wanting to take Rose's head off with it.I was also at the Forum when Rose almost got his head taken off including every one of his body parts.Now Ruben was the top guy.

Well, now I want to get back to his interview with Ring Magazine after OLivares hung up his gloves.He goes down the list of who was the best he faced. He says Arguello had the best jab and that he was beating Arguello like a drum when he had Alexis on the ropes but made the "mistake"? wanting to finish him off.That's when Arguello finished Ruben off.

But here's the two most important categories on the list of Olivares' nominees that threw me for a loop.Best Overall Skills-Bobby Chacon.Best Overall-Jesus Pimentel."C'Mon man. Olivares had Bobby's number stopping him twice in 2 out of 3.(Bobby winning the last one by decision.)But Pimentel for the best overall? I saw Olivares fight Pimentel at the Forum.Pimentel was overpowered from start to finish,the fight ending with "Chuy" draped through the ring rope totally at Ruben's mercy.

There was no mention of "Little Red" nor Rafael Herrera on Olivares' "Best" list.Herrera dominated Olivares getting inside his wide hooks with straight crisp right hands. In the 8th "El Puas" was one spent rooster. (BTW-a 'puas' is a razor blade they tie onto a fighting cock's talon before he goes to battle inside the Palenque.)

The insight to Olivares' interview was that he didn't give mention to two guys who kicked his ass good.

One other caveat about "El Puas."I hope all you fans got a chance to read Chris Smith's excellent bio of Eder Jofre(Brazil's First World Boxing Champion).Chris beforehand asked for some commentaries prior to publication.i was honored to be asked along with a plethora of boxing pundits.All the responses were articulate and intelligent displaying Jofre as the great champion that he was. "El Puas" was also beckoned for words.Well,here's what he had to say.

"When I was young I admired Jofre. ...I had heard whispers that a fight with Jofre was in the works but it never panned out.If we had fought I would have knocked him out. ...I'm sorry to say this.I would have loved to tangle...but his manager having common sense would have stopped it."

Olivares' rational was the he was on his "way up" and Jofre was on his way "down."I'll make an exception to my avoiding of"mythical matchups."But in this case it would have been "El Puas" who would have been going down on the canvas

.


Ruben Olivares



















..

Roger, we had some great events over the weekend. At Maria's Grill in Downey on Friday night we played some of Ruben's fights and the one he wanted to watch most was the Jesus Pimentel fight. He said Pimentel had so much guts and that he admired him greatly. This Friday, we will be at Tamayo Restaurant in East LA if you can make it. I'll send you details in a little while. 5 pm start until around 7:30/8 pm.