Classic American West Coast Boxing

[dagosd2000]

You Have To Have A Building

I remember going to Don Fraser's California Boxing Hall Of Fame banquet awhile back.Fraser was on his last legs literally moving himself around in a wheelchair. He was kind of an arrogant guy i thought,always having something sarcastic to say,nothing really warm or friendly about his manner. He liked having mostly his sportswriter pals on the dais with him. He made sure they got inducted and got their plaques.When they made their speeches they were longwinded and tiresome and you see everyone squirming in their chairs wishing they would wrap it up.Of course because they were writers they thought they had the crowd in awe of what they were talking about.I can't recall anything. anyone of them ever said.

One time Fraser was at the podium casing the room and spotted Armando Muniz.Mando at the time was the president of The World Boxing Hall Of Fame.Fraser straightened his back.
"You know Mando The International Boxing Hall Of Fame is the real hall of fame,"he finished saying with a humph.
Mando knew that but Fraser just had to get that in in front of eveybody. That's the kind of guy he was-a self absorbed (you provide the adjective).

Don Fraser ain't with us no more so I'll let it go at that.But in a way he was right about what he said to Mando. Of course his California Boxing Hall Of Fame wasn't the top banana either.When he died his pride and joy followed with him.

So why is the IBHOF regarded as the last word institution for pugs? I guess it's because they have their own building. Just like major league baseball,football,and basketball Where they have the IBHOF in Carmen Basilo's hometown of Canastota,NY they can set it up like they want, and every year have their ceremony with the chicken dinner. Baseball has Cooperstown. Football has Canton ,China and basketball has Springfield,Mass. That's where these sports got invented. But I'll bet the farm Canastota isn't where boxing got its start.

I've never been to The IBHOF but I'd like to go. I know it isn't all gaudy like the big 3, but if I want gaudy I can drive up the freeway to Disneyland. (Haven't been there in over 40 yeas.Used to take my kids on Super Bowl Sunday.Figured there wouldn't be that many people.Just a lot of Asians with their cameras)

RIck Farris' West Coast Boxing Hall Of Fame bash is going to be in March.Every year it gets bigger and better.It will be at The Biltmore Hotel in downtown LA.(Classy joint) Maybe The Biltmore will sell the place one day. We could always take up a collection.


Rick Farris and Dan Hanley at the West Coast Boxing Hall Of Fame

[dagosd2000]

International Boxing Hall Of Fame building.Canasota,Hew,York.


Photo of living members of the first class of "Modern Era Fighters".IBHOF 1990.They're all gone now. Jose Napoles was the last one to go in 2019. I like the three dagos Basilio,Pep,and La Motta all sitting together. They left out some guys who should have been in the pic(Jofre) and there were some fighters who had passed who didn't get in the first time(Monzon)but what the hell. It means very much to a fighter to get recognized into a hall of fame or to win a title belt regardless of stature,but for me a lot of it is politics.

[dagosd2000]

Who?

My next door neighbor,him and his wife, are from Brazil. They've lived there around ten years.I'd say they're both in their late 20's,early 30's maybe. The guy's name is Marcos,his wife's name is Astrid. They have a little girl,Sofia,who I'd guess is around 2.Astrid has another bun in the oven.She told me it's going to be a boy this time.

I've never understood what Marcos does for a living.He told me once his old man owns a chain of hardware stores in San Paolo.He's got this nice pickup truck with a sticker on the rear window that says "No Bad Days"Just about everyday I see him put his surfboard in the back and he's off to the beach. I see Astrid walking her kid and their dog to the park all the time.

Marcos is kind of loud while Astrid doesn't talk much. I always hear them talking Portuguese with each other and to their kid.. The other day I saw all of them in the parking lot with the dog playing with a soccer ball.For the hell of it I made my approach.
"You guys ready for the World Cup?"I asked .
Marcos had his back to me and turned around. Astrid backed away with the kid and the dog.
"It's coming ,"he said excitingly with his thick accent.
"Who do you think is going to win?"I asked again.
"Brazil I hope."
"Aren't they the favorites?"
"They have a good team. So does Argentina.We hate Argentina."
"What about playing in Qatar?"
"It's all political.It's a stupid place to have the World Cup."
Marcos picked up the soccer ball and tossed it to his little girl.His back was to me again.
"Brazil has quite a tradition in soccer,"I said trying to keep the conversation going."Haven't they won five World Cups?The only country to do that?"
The little girl kicked the ball back to her father.
"Well I'm glad the United States made it,"he said still with his back to me.
"And Mexico."I added.
Marcos rolled the ball back to his daughter.I felt cut off by now.I changed the subject.
"Have you ever heard of a fighter named Eder Jofre?He was from Brazil.He just died recently."
"Who?",he said turning around.
"Eder Jofre.He was a great world champion.He fought around the time of Pele.They were friends."
"Where was he from?"
"Brazil."
"Never heard of him.Of course everyone knows who Pele is."
"You should look him up."
What did you say his name is?"
"Eder Jofre."
The little girl bounced the ball back to her father.
"I hope Brazil beats Argentina,"he said."We hate them."



Eder Jofre


Eder Jofre,Pele,and Eder's dad back in the day.

[dagosd2000]

Sweating Bullets

I had lost track of him.I didn't think he was fighting anymore.But then I saw the fight posters in Tijuana saying that Pipino Cuevas was to fight Lupe Aquino at the Auditorio.I decided I'd go.It wasn't that it was a big fight, though like I said, I thought Cuevas had retired. But I could say that I saw Pipino Cuevas fight that's all.

I really didn't care who won. Aquino had made a name for himself by winning a minor welterweight title.Cuevas at one time was a living legend in Mexico. Jose Napoles had left and then Cuevas emerged with his poker face and his big left hook. .They say he started when he was 14 as a pro,had lost a few here and there,but now had won the vacant WBA title stopping Angel Espada. He would go on to stop him twice more along with everyone else they put in front of him. He looked unstoppable.No one could budge him.

They wrote songs about him. They boasted that he was in a car crash riding shotgun and his head went through the windshield and he just walked away like nothing happened. He didn't say much.He wasn't a showoff..He just mowed 'em down one by one..Mexico had a silent killer.

But then there was this Tommy Hearns guy who was undefeated and in the same manner KO ing whoever stood in front of him. He was one of those Emmanuel Stewart Kronk fighters,tall and lanky with the long reach.Hearns was the counterpart WBA champ.

The showdown was in Tommy's backyard in Detroit. There was a lot of hype. Mexico thought their Pipino would break that skinny guy in half. It was the other way around. Pipino crashed head first to the canvas. There was no give and take. It was over suddeenly.

After that Cuevas skidded downhill.Losing to Roger Stafford and then crumbling before Rberto Duran made the songwriters pick another subject.After losing to Roberto I forgot about Pipino for the most part. But then I saw those fight posters.

The fight with Aquino was I think not the main event. Cuevas entered the ring first.He was like the underdog. Then arrived Lupe. When Pipino took off his robe he was sweating bullets. He was sweating too much. He looked sick,dopey.He had ballooned up to 160 pounds. I sensed that this was going to end quickly.The fight,well there was o fight really,was a joke.When the bell rang Cuevas slowly shuffled center ring and Aquino went to work on him.Cuevas was defenseless. He went down, and then up, and then down. He looked like a Jack In The Box.How he survived the 1st round was a miracle. He didn't survive the next one.

The crowd booed him.Many were laughing and calling him names.He left the ring watery eyed, draped in towels.It would be his last fight. I don't think Mexico ever had a champion who took a fall like this guy did when it was all said and done.


Pipino Cuevas

[dagosd2000]

Just What Boxing Needs

Did you happen to catch what Canelo Alvarez said about Lionel Messi today? Well,the other day Mexico played Argentina(the team Messi plays on ) and Messi scored the go ahead and eventually the winning goal and afterwards in the Argentina locker room someone took a video of Messi seemingly stepping on a Mexican jersey on the floor in front of him.

"Did you see Messi cleaning the changing room with our Jersey?griped Canelo.."He had better ask God that I don't find him."

Now that don't sit well with Canelo who just lost his number one pound for pound ranking after a lopsided loss to some guy named Boll Weevil. Well,instead of threatening Boll Weevil, Canelo wants a part of a soccer player,and he's one of the best soccer players so why not?

But Canelo shouldn't be shooting his mouth off anymore and just get Messi to sign on the dotted line and meet him in the ring-not in a soccer shootout but a real downright prize fight. I'll give you 2 to 1 right now that Canelo could wup him. I bet Lionel is shaking in his soccer shoes.

This is just what boxing needs-a match between the former best P4P and the former best booter in the world.

The only problem I have with all this is after looking at the video I think Canelo overreacted.The way he made it sound was like Messi stomped on the jersey and then scoured the floor with it as he screamed profanities.Kinda' looked like an accident. I don't even know if Messi knew what he did.

But let's take Canelo up on all this.Boxing needs a shot in the arm right now. They say the best pound for pound fighter in the world right now is Bud Crawford from Omaha,Japan. I don't think anyone outside of the Rising Sun has heard of him.So let's get Messi in the ring with Canelo.And I thought Don Fraser was sarcastic .


Doggone it.I've never seen anything so darn right disrespectful.

[dagosd2000]

A Tale Of The Tape

I've got this phobia about taping arms and limbs of athletes.When I was involved with football I tried helping out by taping some of the players' ankles before they stepped onto the field. I went to trainer clinics to learn the methods but for some reason I could never get the hang of it. As I could see a player's face put on a frown as I struggled I would eventually turn the task over to one of the regular trainers.My wrap was either too loose or too restrictive.Finally,when it came time to wrap ankles I was going over my notes about what plays we were going to run.

It was the same with the taping of a fighter's hands.I could never get the hang of it.Of course there were fighters who had their own way of wanting to get their hands wrapped.As I'd be unwinding the tape or tearing it off in strips he'd be explaining to me how he wanted it done. Now I would get completely lost.It didn't take me long to realize that the fighters didn't want me to get involved in the process. The pressure was off me, but then I felt like I wasn't in the loop so to speak.Oh,I could cut off the tape with the scissors but why do that when I couldn't cut it being a tape wrapper.

Many fighters are very particular about getting taped. They usually will let only someone who knows how to tend to their special needs do the job. Many do it themselves.Archie Moore taped his own hands.

I guess there's an art to it. A taper has to have confidence when performing his task. That comes with experience. But I'll let you in on something. I always marveled how a trainer could tape someone.I could watch it for hours. His hands work like magic.It reminds me of the card shark who who can work slight of hand with a deck of cards.His fingers are like a concert piainst.Me?I'm all thumbs.


Archie Moore

[dagosd2000]

A Common Practice

James "the Heat KInchen" told me, kind of half jokingly, that when he fought at the Auditorio in Tijuana that all the fighters on the card used the same dressing room and that they they all "loaded" their gloves similar:after pre wrapping they'd put a small wet face towel on top of the wrap and then sprinkled Plaster of Paris on it and then added tape.He said he didn't participate but it makes you wonder what goes on down there.I think of Antonio Margarito and how many times he must have done that. Shane Mosely's dad got wind of him so before Margarito stepped into the ring with his son he caught him Red handed so to speak in the dressing room loading his gloves.He was a nothing against Mosely that and after that showed his real self as a fighter.Take away his Kryptonite and he was not even a decent contender.


James"The Heat" KInchen

[dagosd2000]

Carlos Padilla Coming Clean...Almost


I read where Carlos Padilla bared his soul saying that during the bout he reffed between Nedal Hussein and Manny Pacquiao for a version of some kind of bantamweight title that he leaned in favor of his fellow countryman,Manny,by giving him a "Long Count" after Nerdal dropped him. Now when Carlos is confronted at the Pearly Gates God will know that Padilla made his penance.Who is this guy trying to kid.?

When they set up the Thrilla' In Manila,Joe Frazier's manager Eddie Futch objected to all the referees Don King had put o the table. So Carlos Padilla,a relatively unknown, stepped in to officiate. Now granted ,Ali stopped Joe late in the fight,but up until the 11th round it was anyone's win. In fact Frazier had Ali admitting afterwards that was the closest he ever came to having a near death experience.But if you look at the replay any honest ref would have DQ'd The Greatest or at least deducted points for his constant holding of Joe behind the head when Ali needed a breather. That tactic kept him in the fight .But where was Padilla?He'd pull Ali's hand off when Ali grabbed hold but there were no warnings nor points deducted.A DQ would have been justified.But now your talking about Ali the savior of boxing,the most recognizable face on the planet,and if there was a vote the most popular and influential athlete(or maybe even non athlete) who ever lived Ali gets it. Can't send this guy back to his corner in shame. Yeah Carlos you forgot to mention that fight when you went to Confession.

And how about Ali anyway? They have this thread running "most gift decisions" on the forum.I don't know if he got the most Christmas presents but he got some mighty big gifts that you couldn't fit under the tallest tree.Here we go:
Norton II and III
Frazier II and the aforementioned helping hand of Padilla in Manila.
Spinks II(another grab and hold victory)

But I'm thinking if Carlos Padilla would have been the referee when Ali fought Larry Holmes and the fight went the distance(and Ali not dying in the ring in the meantime)Carlos would probably have DQ'd Larry for hitting Ai too hard(or something like that)

But God nows.Shame on Padilla and all those other judged for not being honest.But at least they could bare their souls like Padilla tried to fake.Now if God had been the judge in those fights I mentioned with The Greatest he wouldn't have been remembered as The Greatest, but at least Saint Peter would have opened The Pearly Gates for him.But then again he was a Muslim and I don't think they have Pearly Gates.


Manny Pacquiao

I was just thinking.After the Manila fight the president Ferdinand Marcos ambles up to Ali in the ring and says that he won a lot of money betting on him.I wonder how much money Marcos kicked down to Padilla after that fight?

[dagosd2000]

Young And In Love

It happens all the time,two kids fall in love and then the reality sets in.Usually it''s no romance without finance. With fighters it's a little different. If a fighter gets off to a good start then there's some money coming in. And there's the other factors that enter.Popularity has its price. Now everybody wants to be around you,have their picture taken with you,buy you a drink,turn you on to a gram of coke.And of course the girls. The wife starts having kids and ,looking a bit matronly and acting also like a mother.The glamour is fading.With the dolls there's just the fling,no ties.But those broads are tricky.They' ve been around the block.They figure as long as the money is rolling in they'll keep working their schemes.They're pros at it.

But now the pug begins to show wear and tear.He's losing fights.He ain't making the money like before. His friends ain't around like they used to be.The money ain't coming in like before.And the girls? Well,they've moved on. The fighter tries to right the ship but he can't.He's taking a lot of shots. He escapes into a bad dream of booze and drugs, His speech is getting slurred. Now he's got a short fuse.The wife is taking the brunt of it. Now it's her move.

Some wives can't take it anymore and leave with the kids.Some wives go down with sinking ship.But anyway you look at it it is never the same way as it was in the beginning.

[dagosd2000]

The one that got away.

[dagosd2000]

Why Try

I was watching the replay of the Roberto Duran/Pipino Cuevas fight. The fight was in LA.It was what you call one of those crossroad fights. Roberto was coming off the disgrace of quitting against Sugar Ray Leonard,losing to Kirkland Lang,and getting nipped by Wilfredo Benitez.Pipino had gotten his lunch handed to him by Tommy Hearns and then stinking up the joint against Roger Stafford. Did these former "killers" become pacifists?

I remember the tagline for this fight was "Someone Is Gonna' Fall." Everybody thought so but who was it going to be? Duran entered the ring and you could see that eye of the tiger in him again. Cuevas was his stoic self. The LA crowd was behind Cuevas because he was the Mexican and Los Angeles has the second most Mexicans behind Mexico City.. Duran's mother was Mexican but unlike the Jews who say if your mother is a Jew then you're a Jew it was never that way with Duran.No.Roberto Duran was a die hard Panamanian.

Both fellas came out fighting. I was thinking when I saw the fight on TV:who's gonna fold first,or will it be give and take.?The Mexicans in the stands were chanting "Meheeco,Meheeco!"To tell the truth I think it psyched out Cuevas. Here his compadres were wiling to forget Hearns and were backing their countryman.

In the 3rd round I noticed that Cueva was still throwing but he had taken something off his fastball. The cracks were showing in his mental armor. In the next round Duran landed some good shots and had Cuevas backing against the ropes. in other words he had let go of the rope. He went down.Duran had broken him. Cuevas got up but you could tell the fight was out of him.Another knockdown followed and the ref waved it off.There was a routine gesture from Pipino but he was whipped.

I couldn't see a guy like Carmen Basilio giving up like that. He never did even when it was evident that he wasn't going to finish.But Pipino was no Basilio by any stretch.You see on these thread things like"Who was the hardest puncher?" I give more credence to "Who had the most guts?"


Roberto Duran

What I notice as much as anything with Duran was when he was in form he was a very good defensive fighter.He could slip and roll with punches and keep his head moving.He was proud of that. He said he could see everything in front of him and not have to guess.

[goose 5]

Hi Roger:

Duran's mother was Panamanian. It was his father who was Mexican; however, some sources say Papa Duran was actually born in America and was of Mexican descent. Wouldn't that be something- Duran having an American father ?

[dagosd2000]

Hi Roger:

Duran's mother was Panamanian. It was his father who was Mexican; however, some sources say Papa Duran was actually born in America and was of Mexican descent. Wouldn't that be something- Duran having an American father ?

Goose,
You're right about that. I stand corrected.His dad was of Mexican descent born in AZ.

[dagosd2000]

Boxing Royalty

When in the 1950's they started showing fights on the tube three nights a week, it was glorious time.The color line was practically gone when it came to matchups and title shots there were no hang ups abut who desreved to get his big chance except for Patterson who played duck and cover. It was a time when you could see a breed of cat that roared like a lion. The lightweight ,welterweight,and middleweight divisions were chock full of talent.At 135 pounds there were names like Joe Brown,Jimmy Carter,Kenny Lane,Cisco Andrade,Art Aragon,and Carlos Ortiz. A weight above guys like Carmen Basilio,Kid Gavilan,Tony DeMarco,,Gaspar Ortega ,Benny Paret,and Denny Moyer were attracting attention from the pundits. At 160 Ray Robinson was still with us,Gene Fullmer,Joey Giardello,Joey Giambra,Bobo Olson,and Randy Turpin were getting writeups in the sports pages. And you don't have to remind me;I know I left a lot of names out.

One guy who came on like a house on fire was Emile Griffith.,There was a time I thought when no one could beat him. Him and Paret put on classic battles:give and take in every round.Then came Luis Rodriguez who could give Griffith all he could ask for. Those two fought four times and put on clinics that could be studied in the classrooms of the sweet science school of arts..

In the beginning I didn't like Griffith. He beat the guy I liked ,Paret ,and then there was that tragedy.I thought the cards were stacked against Rodriguez every time except the time in LA, and that pissed me off.And to top it off Griffith was gay and I was homophobic.But as time wore on and I started growing up a little I didn't care who Griffith was making whoopee with. I realized that he was one of the all time great fighters.Pretty Boy never met a fighter like him(or Rodriguez).Howie Albert and Gil Clancy kept Griffith active.He fought everybody and was always in the best condition he could be in despite the years at the end when you could see he had lost a step.

He cleaned out the welterweight division.He was a natural at 147 or slightly below but he went up a weight and won the middleweight crown in the process. Even when he was no longer champion he came out to the coast and spanked the best fighters that had the spotlight at The Olympic Auditorium. Indian Red and Armando Muniz neve came close.Then they had the idea that Emile could take Jose Napoles. There were two fighters that Griffith admitted later beat him fair and square:Napoles and Hurricane Carter when baldy spoiled Emile's Christmas in Pittsburg.

I saw Emile Griffith at one of the last World Boxing Organization banquets around 12 years ago. He was damaged goods by then.His dementia necessitated him having a caretaker. Emile would drift in and out from panic to hysteria. He couldn't be left by himself. There were the typical sponges who groped for his autograph but wouldn't shell out a 20 to buy his biography. (I mean you'd get an autograph if you bought the book)

I look back on Griffith now and think about all these so called fighters who have some sort of title belt and just walk around the ring.GRiffith would have done a tap dance on them.He was a master in the ring,a dazzler.Bring up his name today and people give you a blank look.But I remember when if you said the name Emile Grifith you were speaking royalty.Pretty Boy,Cotto,De La Hoya,Canelo,Hopkins,Pacquiao,Trinidad,Marquez-he'd just serve them up on a silver platter.



Emile Griffith

[dagosd2000]

Emile Griffith clinching my wife,Maria. World Boxing Hall Of Fame,2010

[dagosd2000]

A Little Follow Up

I want to clean up a few thigs about Emile Griffith from yesterday. When Howie Albert took control of managing Griffith's path he brought in Gil Clancy to be the principal trainer.Clancy waa a physical education instructor for the Park and Rec Department for the city of New York had a trainer's dream come true.

Griffith showed tremendous promise from the get go: coordination ,foot and hand speed,lightning reflexes,and a will to learn without butting heads with his handlers.

Griffith's first loss as a ;pro was against Randy Sandy,a veteran pro who had been in there with stiffer competition than Emile had endured.Though Sandy didn't have the talent that Griffith possessed ,Emile came up short against the Brooklynite because for the first time he wasn't focused for a fight. He learned his lesson from the loss and never tried to cut corners again in training.

Griffith's second loss was out on the coast against another young sensation ,Denny Moyer,in front of Denny's home crowd in Portland,Oregon.A close fight they say that could have gone either way,Griffith had won a close one with Moyer in The Apple.This time it was Moyer who got the split win.

Then came the showdowns with Benny Paret. After Paret's two sensational wins that were nationally televised against Charley Scott,Paret got a crack at Don Jordon's lightweight belt and took it away from him.(Later when I saw Gatti and Ward go toe to toe it reminded me of Paret's encounters with Charley Scott).Emile stopped Paret in the first fight only to lose the rematch;the rubber match will go down as one of the saddest moments in boxing history.I'll never forget Don Dunphy saying to the TV audience ,and especially to Paret's family, that Benny will be all right as the carried him out of the ring.The referee,Ruby Goldstein, quit forever being the third man in the ring after that.

I'll pass on Griffith's fights with Nino Benvenuti.Benvenuti gained a lot of popularity winning two out of the three. But then Carlos Monzon crushed him.Funny.Nino always talks about his fights with Griffith as his high water marks.Monzon? He never heard of Carlos Monzon.

Griffith's two fights with Dick Tiger were thought to be epic battles when the contracts were signed..But like that old adage""Styles make good fights" couldn't have carried more weight.Tiger was a counter puncher.He waited for his opponent to come in and then he'd unload. Griffith knew that so he cheery picked his leads against the Nigerian.In two of the most boring fights between two Hall Of Famers,Emile came out on top both times.No consideration for any "Fight Of The Years" with these two engagements.

Like I alluded to yesterday,the frame of reference when it comes to boxing history i closing.When Griffith was fighting,he and his peers were the talk of the boxing world..Today,when you bring up those names you feel might like some alien from outer space.

Dick Tiger

[dagosd2000]

Friendly enemies(Emile Griffith and Gaspar Ortega) and some guy in the middle

[dagosd2000]

The Ice Cream Man

Gaspar Ortega I would sit down with and talk boxing. My wife Maria would be with me and she would talk about Mexico to Gaspar ,and being from the ranch she would talk to him about how life was in the pueblitos and he'd counter like they had been neighbors. I always felt there was a closeness that my wife shared with him more than what I could salvage talking about boxing.

Gaspar said he was a natural welterweight and didn't like fighting middleweights or even junior middleweights. If he did,and that was rarely,he'd never weighed in more than 150 pounds.After losing his lone title shot to Emile Griffith in Los Angeles he returned to Mexico and roamed from pueblo to pueblo fighting anybody-the reason mainly for a paycheck. He was a journeyman by then,. He went to Italy and was supposed to be a set up for Benvenuti ,and though he lost a decision, he considered Nino too strong for him.

Ortega was born in the northern state of Baja California.He began his pro career fighting in the desert in rickety arenas in towns like San Luis Rio Colorado and Ensenada and knew the insides of every bullring along the Mexican border.

In the mid 50's he found his way back east and quickly became a staple on cards in New York and Boston with side trips down to Miami.The welterweight division couldn't have been richer with talent..Beginning on undercards he battled his way up the rankings fighting the likes of Tony DeMarco,Kid Gavilan,Isaac Logart,Ralph Dupas,Denny Moyer,Florentino Fernandez,and Emile Griffith. And it wasn't one time events.He fought these guys multiple times, winning and losing.

It was also the day of prime time fights three times a week on the tube.Gaspar Ortega's face was on TV as much as Milton Berle's.His corner consisted of some pretty good gurus. Freddie Brown and Whitey Bimstein taught him the skills.Nick Corby,his manger kept him in contact wit Teddy Brenner the matchmaker of The Garden.When Emile Griffth was on top of the welterweight heap and also on top of his game Ortega was matched with Griffith in a title fight on the coast in LA. It was a no brainer.The Mexican fan base was there and so was the interest. But the aficianados had little to cheer about at The Olympic Auditorium that night. In a nutshell,Emile was just too rapido for Ortega. He lasted till the 12th round and couldn't continue.

Ortega was living in Tijuana at the time in Colonia Morelos where they have the army base.There's a park across the street from the army base and me and my faher were sitting there after we got haircuts at the barber shop(a quarter) that was next to the base. All of a sudden this sleek lemon colored convertible comes rushing to the curb and I see this dark haired fella with an open collared shirt and a gringo blond nuzzled up to him stop and get out of the car.Like ants drawn to honey there was a crowd of neighborhood denizens swarming around these two. Turned out it as Gaspar Ortega and (I think) his wife.There was a pushcart on the sidewalk where this guy was selling ice cream.Gaspar opened his wallet and soon everyone had a cone in their hands..It was right after He had lost to Griffith but he was still the pride of the barrio.

I asked Gaspar many years later if he remembered that day. He smiled and nodded. His wife was with him when I asked.I hope I didn't blow it but I'm sure she could roll with a punch as well as her husband. You know in over 150 fights he only twice failed to go the distance.One time was that championship fight with Griffith.

Many years later they opened a sports facility near the U.S. border in the Zona Norte. They built a boxing gym.They named it "GImnasio Indio Ortega." He was invited for the opening ceremony. He told me that was the last time he had visited Tijuana.That must haver been in the 1980's. As time went on the facility and the neighborhood fell prey to a bad element, and the gym became a shooting galley at night for the addicts.broken windows and graffiti was now the trademark. When I told him of what had transpired he just shook his head and said that he would never go back anyway. There was nothing left.

I went back to visit the gym last year to see if it was still there.To my surprise they had renovated the entire facility including the gym. But they didn't put Gaspar's name back on the wall. Maybe they didn't know who he was.Whatever the reason Gaspar had passed away by then. But I'm sure there's plenty of ice cream to go around where he's at now.


Gaspar Ortega



Gaspar and my better halves at the World Boxing Hall Of Fame

[dagosd2000]

Inside the old Indio Ortega Gym today located in Parque Benito Juarez,a stone's throw across from the U.S. border.

[goldenboy]

I remember going to Don Fraser's California Boxing Hall Of Fame banquet awhile back.Fraser was on his last legs literally moving himself around in a wheelchair. He was kind of an arrogant guy i thought,always having something sarcastic to say,nothing really warm or friendly about his manner. He liked having mostly his sportswriter pals on the dais with him. He made sure they got inducted and got their plaques.When they made their speeches they were longwinded and tiresome and you see everyone squirming in their chairs wishing they would wrap it up.Of course because they were writers they thought they had the crowd in awe of what they were talking about.I can't recall anything. anyone of them ever said.

One time Fraser was at the podium casing the room and spotted Armando Muniz.Mando at the time was the president of The World Boxing Hall Of Fame.Fraser straightened his back.
"You know Mando The International Boxing Hall Of Fame is the real hall of fame,"he finished saying with a humph.
Mando knew that but Fraser just had to get that in in front of eveybody. That's the kind of guy he was-a self absorbed (you provide the adjective).

Don Fraser ain't with us no more so I'll let it go at that.But in a way he was right about what he said to Mando. Of course his California Boxing Hall Of Fame wasn't the top banana either.When he died his pride and joy followed with him.

So why is the IBHOF regarded as the last word institution for pugs? I guess it's because they have their own building. Just like major league baseball,football,and basketball Where they have the IBHOF in Carmen Basilo's hometown of Canastota,NY they can set it up like they want, and every year have their ceremony with the chicken dinner. Baseball has Cooperstown. Football has Canton ,China and basketball has Springfield,Mass. That's where these sports got invented. But I'll bet the farm Canastota isn't where boxing got its start.

I've never been to The IBHOF but I'd like to go. I know it isn't all gaudy like the big 3, but if I want gaudy I can drive up the freeway to Disneyland. (Haven't been there in over 40 yeas.Used to take my kids on Super Bowl Sunday.Figured there wouldn't be that many people.Just a lot of Asians with their cameras)

RIck Farris' West Coast Boxing Hall Of Fame bash is going to be in March.Every year it gets bigger and better.It will be at The Biltmore Hotel in downtown LA.(Classy joint) Maybe The Biltmore will sell the place one day. We could always take up a collection.


Rick Farris and Dan Hanley at the West Coast Boxing Hall Of Fame
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Denny's Last Stand

In a way it was good that Denny Moyer wound up his career in San Diego. He certainly wasn't the fighter he was when he started out , and then developed into a top pro during the 60's.Sid Flaherty,his manager,asked him to come down from his home base in Portland ,Oregon to take Sid's young charge,Ronnie Wilson,under his wing. He thought the veteran Moyer would be a positive influence on Wilson. Flaherty had a stable of fighters working out in his facility in the foothills in the east county of San Diego.Along with his soulmate, Danny Rodriguez, (and Sid's kennel of Malamute dogs)they had a corner on the market in San Diego's boxing shopping center.

Wilson was beginning to struggle at that time. He was a very good boxer but he was not very strong, and now he was prone to getting cut up in fights. His family life was beginning to get strained and he was finding refuge in the bottle. Moyer was to be a proper role model. But it all backfired. Denny was fond of drink too and it was like pouring gasoline on the fire.

Flaherty kept both men active.But Wilson was fighting to early after getting his face sliced up not affording ample time to heal properly. Besides that he had Wilson in the ring against opponents that he had already mastered and the bouts served little purpose.

Moyer on the other hand was fighting for a paycheck.He quality as a legitimate contender were long gone by then. Both fighters were taking that one step forward and two steps back.

When I was hanging around the old Coliseum or taking a ride up to the foothills to watch ,especially Moye, work out,I could still see the glimpses of his once mastery in the ring.His signature baby face had aged into a worn countenance and his enthusiasm for the sport became sort of a chore. It was like he was performing from rote memory, yet he kept appearances in the gym because he knew that what edge he had left, though dulling,could only be honed by at least going though the formalities.

But as time passed he was getting farther off the mark. Age and his drinking were putting nails in his fistic coffin. A few times I went out with him and Wilson to test a few of the downtown watering holes.They both worked part time at the Goodyear tire store that was located near the Coliseum. After work we'd go out and have a good time. Like many elbow benders they were fine when sober,but after a few belts it was better to keep your distance from them.I was OK because I didn't try to compete with them. When they were in their cups they were looking for a another fight that wasn't inside a boxing ring.

It's hard for me to recall when I made my break with the fight scene in San Diego,especially the bouts at the Coliseum. I know that both fighters wound up with the dementia. Wilson returned to his native Canada and was homeless living in park in Vancouver. Moyer returned to Portland.

There's an excellent documentary profiling fighters' dementia on Youtube, It was put together by Moyer's family. I watched it and was stunned but not really surprised. The documentary is called "After The Last Round." Not only did Denny fall prey to the disease but also his brother Phil. Much of the film is devoted to what the families have to bear coping with this tragedy.

I can say that I saw Denny Moyer make his boxing last stand in a way. However it was his family that experienced the end.


The old San Diego Coliseum long after they turned of the lights.

[dagosd2000]

Let's Get It On

There's probably no other sports official that puts himself in a more precarious position and draws controversy than the boxing referee.Looking back in history there a plenty of examples of referees that have screwed up the outcome of fights by either taking too much action,not taking enough,or down right submitting to taking a bribe.Or they'll let their prejuduces mar their duty and give their favorite an unfair edge. An example of this was when Carlos Padilla recently stated that, when being the third man in the ring, he gave his countryman fighter,Manny Pacquiao the benefit of a long count after being floored. But his biggest no no was when he let Ali continually hold the back of Frazier's neck in Manila.Never a warning ,let alone points deducted.

Former referee Mills Lane passed away the other day at the age of 85. His career was suddenly cut short 20 years ago by a debilitating stroke. In recent days his condition had worsened according to his son Tommy.

When I think of Mills Lane I see a no nonsense guy. A straight shooter he could have been that cowboy in the movies whose word was his law. Lane was a Marine and he always said that was his his proudest accomplishment. He did his duty by serving his country.Sounds kind if square and corny in this day of loudmouth athletes who think anything that requires holding your hand over your heat is racist.

He's probably best remembered for being the referee for the Holyfield/Tyson rematch. In the 3rd round, when Tyson knew in his heart that his pumper wasn't as big as Holyfield's,he tried to give the impression that he had turned turned into some sort of mad dog and bit Holy's ear.Lane immediately DQ'd the faker.Mark Ratner, who was at the time a Nevada state boxing commissioner, poked his head into the ring and asked Lane,"Are you sure?" (Talk about how money talks and bulls--t walks).Lane let it go on(probably to Mike's dissatisfaction )so Make got right back to gnawing. Yeah,Mike was crazy alright.Crazy with fear. No second guessing from Ratner now. Tyson was gone.A banzai charge couldn't have dissuaded Lane from sending Mr. Bloody Teeth to his corner.

Lane was also involved in a fight that nowadays is quite common:fighters who,for whatever reason, don't want to hit each other. Lane DQ'd Henry Akinwande when the African wanted to lay all over Lennox Lewis. After warning Hank time and time again Lane had had enough. I wouldn't mind seeing more of that kind of interference today.(Anthony Joshua comes to mind)

I always got the sense that when Mills Lane was talking you better not try to pull any fast ones."Bulls--t" wasn't in his vocabulary. His trademark expression was after his instructions before the bell rang was ,"Let's get it on!" Semper Fi.


MIlls Lane after the stroke.It was hard to imagine.

[dagosd2000]

Fly In The Ointment

Read an article by someone that says that now that Canelo Alvarez is on the wane Mexico's new boxing hero is Juan Francisco Estrada. Not to take anything away from Estrada, he is a very good fighter. He's got two wins,though close,over Roman Gonzalez, and the nemesis of Gonzalez,Wangek,Juan Francisco Estrada is not the talk of the pueblo in Mexico by any stretch.. If anything Alvarez is still holding on to what's left of his popularity.

Some factors to consider: Canelo Alvarez emerged as a hero at 160 pounds. He sailed in waters with some pretty impressive man o wars,and with the exception of Mayweather who gave him a boxing lesson,Alvarez righted his ship and torpedoed the opposition. Mexico got used to that.

Before, it was the lighter weights that held Mexico's attention,especially the bantamweights.But on the international scene there was little interest. In America these cock fighters never knew Madison Square Garden. In the 70's Mexico had a flyweight champion who could master the squared circle like no other.But even Miguel Canto fell short in the boxing ballot count compared to Olivares,Herrera,Martinez,Castillo;and then the weightier Sanchez,and the transplanted Cuban Jose Napoles.

Juan Francisco Estrada is the biggest fly in a division that comes with a most demeaning name.Who cares if you have the toughest fly on the block?Mexico isn't bragging.

No,Estrada will have to deal with the future of getting very little notice in a country were the bigger you are the more macho.Imagine if Andy Ruiz's mother would have had him five miles farther south from the town of Imperial,California?Or Pulgarcito Ramos could have followed with a sold right hand behind the left hook that buckled Joe Frazier' knees?All the flies in the world would have still been bugs.


MIguel Canto

[dagosd2000]

A good big man will beat a good small man

[dagosd2000]

What You See Is What You Get, I Guess

Being In the dark when trying to assess the worth of fighters from the past can be problematic. The best way is to look at film, but it hasn't been until recently that every sporting event from Pop Warner football through the Super Bowl(to use football as an example)is on celluloid. You can belly up to the bar and get in a give and take about who was better Mickey Mantle or Willie Mays,but how much can you see on film of these two? Sure,there's people who are still around who saw both those guys roam the outfield and can give you their take,but it's mostly pretty subjective.I saw both play.My two cents? Mickey Mantle and I won't go into it.

But go back even farther. Babe Ruth or Ty Cobb?Cobb I don't know how many of those fans still are breathing.Ruth?You probably wouldn't have enough to fill up a dugout.And now you bring up boxing.There's no film on Harry Greb yet you have all these experts that can tell you what he was all about.Gets to be a waste of time.

Just as little film as the other sports.Joe Louis was probably the first fighter that was in the lens finder consistently. Today,there's enough cans to fill up a warehouse.As much as film is out there for entertainment purposes,film is also an excellent tool to study the next opponent.

I once asked Archie Moore if he studied film of fighters.He shook his head.
"I don't need to.Every guy I fought I had seen in the ring."

Fighters also pass scuttlebutt about other fighters' tendencies -strength and weaknesses. Carlos Palomino asked Hedgemon Lewis what he should look out for when he was about to fight John Stracey.Hedge said that Stracey's main strength was his strength. So Palomino sparred with middleweights and even a light heavyweight.

Archie Moore said that old fighters get lazy.I think any old athlete gets lazy. Toward the end Jose Napoles skipped sessions in the gym and looked at film of opponents,and then went to the racetrack.

But getting back to barroom discussions about who was the best,Even if there's reels of film on your subjects it's something that I don't waste much breath with.Those guys don't pay my rent.


Hedgemon Lewis