Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing
Posted: 07 Jan 2009, 22:03
THE IMPRESSARIO
Iganacio Huizar put everthing together down there when there was a card. All the venues:The bull ring,race track,auditiorium,the Arena 72,and the Jai Lai Palace. All the fights went through him. Even when it was on the big screen,Huizar had his name on it.
He was kind of a portly guy. Dressed nice. There was plenty of action across the border then. Not the drugs, and drug lords killing each other like now. Lots of good fights. Lots of crazy joints afterwards . Plenty of food all over town. It was fun. Yes it was a time that town will never see again.
I can't remember the fight,but I wanted to get my tickets early. Trying to wrestle your way to the ticket window the night of the fight was a struggle. Besides the pick pockets made a living off the bugs sqeezing their way to the window.At the bottom of the fight posters that were nailed all over town was the address of Huizar's restaurant if you wanted to buy your ducats early.
A few days before the fight I was in TJ. It was getting dark and it was cold. Beginning to drizzle. I thought I'd hurry over to Huizar's eatery to by my ticket. The place was somewhere south of the old bull ring,but for the life of me,I couldn't pin it down. I must have driven by it a dozen times,but I kept missin' it. Finally I pull over. I'll ask a cab driver.
"Donde esta restaurant Huizar?",I ask a cab driver standing beside a lamp post.
He tells me I 'm right in front of it. A little store front that has a sign that read "Tacitos". There was a counter inside with about 5 or 6 stools. A card table with four chairs. So I walk inside. The place is empty. Nobody behind the counter.
"Los boletos de box?"
I ask if this is where I could by the tickets for the fights. Out from the back comes out this stout little guy with a thin mustache. Huizar.
"Si amigo,"he says. "Quieres un boleto?"
I bought a ticket.
"Enjoy the fight amigo,"said Huizar.
He didn't introduce himself. Why should he? I knew who he was though. One of the biggest and wealthiest promoters in Mexico. And here he was in his little taco shop. Probably felt that was enough for him. All those big shots down there have a front that's modest like a little taco shop. Unassuming. Perhaps they own a bay front mansion in Acapulco,but something like a little taco shop to make them feel at home ia a gimme'.
I got in the car. It was dark now. Hell,I wonder if the tacos were any good?
Iganacio Huizar put everthing together down there when there was a card. All the venues:The bull ring,race track,auditiorium,the Arena 72,and the Jai Lai Palace. All the fights went through him. Even when it was on the big screen,Huizar had his name on it.
He was kind of a portly guy. Dressed nice. There was plenty of action across the border then. Not the drugs, and drug lords killing each other like now. Lots of good fights. Lots of crazy joints afterwards . Plenty of food all over town. It was fun. Yes it was a time that town will never see again.
I can't remember the fight,but I wanted to get my tickets early. Trying to wrestle your way to the ticket window the night of the fight was a struggle. Besides the pick pockets made a living off the bugs sqeezing their way to the window.At the bottom of the fight posters that were nailed all over town was the address of Huizar's restaurant if you wanted to buy your ducats early.
A few days before the fight I was in TJ. It was getting dark and it was cold. Beginning to drizzle. I thought I'd hurry over to Huizar's eatery to by my ticket. The place was somewhere south of the old bull ring,but for the life of me,I couldn't pin it down. I must have driven by it a dozen times,but I kept missin' it. Finally I pull over. I'll ask a cab driver.
"Donde esta restaurant Huizar?",I ask a cab driver standing beside a lamp post.
He tells me I 'm right in front of it. A little store front that has a sign that read "Tacitos". There was a counter inside with about 5 or 6 stools. A card table with four chairs. So I walk inside. The place is empty. Nobody behind the counter.
"Los boletos de box?"
I ask if this is where I could by the tickets for the fights. Out from the back comes out this stout little guy with a thin mustache. Huizar.
"Si amigo,"he says. "Quieres un boleto?"
I bought a ticket.
"Enjoy the fight amigo,"said Huizar.
He didn't introduce himself. Why should he? I knew who he was though. One of the biggest and wealthiest promoters in Mexico. And here he was in his little taco shop. Probably felt that was enough for him. All those big shots down there have a front that's modest like a little taco shop. Unassuming. Perhaps they own a bay front mansion in Acapulco,but something like a little taco shop to make them feel at home ia a gimme'.
I got in the car. It was dark now. Hell,I wonder if the tacos were any good?



