Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing
Posted: 07 Feb 2009, 21:02
Thanks Rog, you're not doing so bad yourself with you granddaughter....dagosd2000 wrote:What a beautifull little girl. You're blessed Frank.
Thanks Rog, you're not doing so bad yourself with you granddaughter....dagosd2000 wrote:What a beautifull little girl. You're blessed Frank.
Dittodagosd2000 wrote:What a beautifull little girl. You're blessed Frank.
Not yet, Rog.dagosd2000 wrote:Rick
You and Monica have a dog?
"I figure if I get AIDS sitting in a barber chair with all the whoring around that I've done...well then it's my time."dagosd2000 wrote:THE HAIRCUT
My wife wanted to go to Tijuana today because they're going to have a baby shower for my grand daughter at my sister in law's place. I dropped my wife off outside. She wanted me to go inside and say "hello",but my bad manners got a hold of me and I sped on. I pulled into a parking lot near by. I wanted to get a haircut.It was raining on and off all day.
I passed this salon that had written on the window"Corte de Pelo de Hombres 50 Pesos." 2 months ago that would have been around 5 bucks American. Today,it was down to four. There were a couple of women attending to their customers. One customer was an old lady that was getting her hair dyed. The other was a middle aged guy getting the trim. I like going to TJ for a hair cut. They use the scissors a lot and the straight razor. Don't use the straight razor in San Diego no more. Blood pathogens. Can you believe that? I figure if I get AIDS sitting in a barber chair with all the whoring around I've done...well then it's my time.
I sat on a sofa waiting for someone to get up from one of the barber's chairs. There was a little kid in a "walker" moving around the barber shop. The two women cutting hair would look at him and say,"Papi,que quieres? Papi, Yo voy ahorrita."
I don't know who's kid it was between the two of them.
It started to rain again. First a drizzle,then hard. There was a bucket on the floor collecting drops of water that was leaking from the ceiling. At first the drops plopped in the bucket at 5 second intervals. I was counting. The when it started to came down harder, it was a steady trickle.
I watched a portable TV with the rabbit ears while waiting. They had on some variety program with girls in skimpy out fits dancing and strobe flashing on and off. The camera jerked around. It was noisy. The color on the TV screen was bright and smeary looking.
Finally the guy was done with his haircut and I sat in the chair. It wasn't a real barber chair,but one of those salon chairs. I thought I was going to lose my balance.
"No te precupos. No worry. You no fall down. You OK," said the gal that was going to cut my hair.
Just then the little kid bumped into my leg.
"Papi,Yo voy Papi. You want dulce? Candy?"
The gal who was about to cut my hair unwrapped a candy bar for the kid.
"Papi,you like?"
The kid stuck the candy in his mouth.
She asked me how I wanted my hair cut. I told her a number 2 and trim the eyebrows.Before, I never felt right about women cutting my hair,but now I prefer it. Women are attentive and very carefull about pleasing a man about how he wants to be cared for. At least Mexican women barbers are that way.
While she was trimming around,I looked through the nail polsh bottles that were on the rack ,outside to the street. The rain was coming down hard. It was a darkening sky and the wind was picking up. I saw a woman with an umbrella walkng on the other side of the street. I recognized the walk. It was fast and pronounced. Beatriz. I knew were she was walking from. Yes,there was no use standing outside in the rain. No one would come around today. Not in weather like this. She'd just get a cold. The when the sun came out,she'd be sick. I knew were she was walking to. The calafia stand to catch the bus to La Presa. It would take her over an hour to get home in all the traffic and rain. Her head was down .She was walking at a good pace.
The gal finished up cutting my hair and trimming the eyebrows. A liitle talc on the back of the neck,and she took off the apron.
"Listo senor."she said.
I looked in the mirror she was holding in front of me.
"Buen hecho. Very good."
I tipped her a dollar.
As I went outside, the rain had let up. I saw a rainbow to the West. Inside the barber shop I looked at the two women. They were looking at the little kid.
"Ven Papi. Want more candy?"

What's a number 2?Rick Farris wrote:"I figure if I get AIDS sitting in a barber chair with all the whoring around that I've done...well then it's my time."dagosd2000 wrote:THE HAIRCUT
My wife wanted to go to Tijuana today because they're going to have a baby shower for my grand daughter at my sister in law's place. I dropped my wife off outside. She wanted me to go inside and say "hello",but my bad manners got a hold of me and I sped on. I pulled into a parking lot near by. I wanted to get a haircut.It was raining on and off all day.
I passed this salon that had written on the window"Corte de Pelo de Hombres 50 Pesos." 2 months ago that would have been around 5 bucks American. Today,it was down to four. There were a couple of women attending to their customers. One customer was an old lady that was getting her hair dyed. The other was a middle aged guy getting the trim. I like going to TJ for a hair cut. They use the scissors a lot and the straight razor. Don't use the straight razor in San Diego no more. Blood pathogens. Can you believe that? I figure if I get AIDS sitting in a barber chair with all the whoring around I've done...well then it's my time.
I sat on a sofa waiting for someone to get up from one of the barber's chairs. There was a little kid in a "walker" moving around the barber shop. The two women cutting hair would look at him and say,"Papi,que quieres? Papi, Yo voy ahorrita."
I don't know who's kid it was between the two of them.
It started to rain again. First a drizzle,then hard. There was a bucket on the floor collecting drops of water that was leaking from the ceiling. At first the drops plopped in the bucket at 5 second intervals. I was counting. The when it started to came down harder, it was a steady trickle.
I watched a portable TV with the rabbit ears while waiting. They had on some variety program with girls in skimpy out fits dancing and strobe flashing on and off. The camera jerked around. It was noisy. The color on the TV screen was bright and smeary looking.
Finally the guy was done with his haircut and I sat in the chair. It wasn't a real barber chair,but one of those salon chairs. I thought I was going to lose my balance.
"No te precupos. No worry. You no fall down. You OK," said the gal that was going to cut my hair.
Just then the little kid bumped into my leg.
"Papi,Yo voy Papi. You want dulce? Candy?"
The gal who was about to cut my hair unwrapped a candy bar for the kid.
"Papi,you like?"
The kid stuck the candy in his mouth.
She asked me how I wanted my hair cut. I told her a number 2 and trim the eyebrows.Before, I never felt right about women cutting my hair,but now I prefer it. Women are attentive and very carefull about pleasing a man about how he wants to be cared for. At least Mexican women barbers are that way.
While she was trimming around,I looked through the nail polsh bottles that were on the rack ,outside to the street. The rain was coming down hard. It was a darkening sky and the wind was picking up. I saw a woman with an umbrella walkng on the other side of the street. I recognized the walk. It was fast and pronounced. Beatriz. I knew were she was walking from. Yes,there was no use standing outside in the rain. No one would come around today. Not in weather like this. She'd just get a cold. The when the sun came out,she'd be sick. I knew were she was walking to. The calafia stand to catch the bus to La Presa. It would take her over an hour to get home in all the traffic and rain. Her head was down .She was walking at a good pace.
The gal finished up cutting my hair and trimming the eyebrows. A liitle talc on the back of the neck,and she took off the apron.
"Listo senor."she said.
I looked in the mirror she was holding in front of me.
"Buen hecho. Very good."
I tipped her a dollar.
As I went outside, the rain had let up. I saw a rainbow to the West. Inside the barber shop I looked at the two women. They were looking at the little kid.
"Ven Papi. Want more candy?"
Classic!
Roger . . . I spoke with El Gato's lady Barb this morning, she said he'd check in a little later. She said he had some news regarding Logan, wanted to share it with you. Possibly something about a gym the champ might run. Sounds like the right neighborhood for a gym. Boxing gyms thrive in areas haunted by "shadows". Wouldn't it be great to have a "real" boxing gym close by, one supervised by a real "old school" boxing legend.dagosd2000 wrote:
JACK'S ISLAND
Jack's Island was in a section of Logan that was really down and out. A cop told me that that area was the herion center of San Diego. During the day that part of town barely moved. That's because all the hypes were still sleeping. At night the shadows,as I called the hypes, would be moving like cockroaches. Lost souls lurking through the alleys and between cars. Anything that they could grab and trade in for a fix was their prey. In the middle of it all was Jack's Island.
Me and some black guys from Logan got ourselves a snootfull and we talked ourselves to giving Jack's Island a whirl. I parked the car right in front of the open door. I wanted to be able to see the car at all times. As dark as the neighborhood was inside, the Island didn't add much to the illumination. A bar with eight stools,four booths,and a pool table. There were no pictures on the wall. No sports emblems. A mirror behind the bar. That was it. The shadows would be walking around outside. Sometimes they'd stumble in and have word with the bartender who was this old Mexican guy who wore a stained apron. Couldn't hear what was discussed. Every shadow that walked in went over to the bartender ,said something,and walked out. Me and the black guys from Logan ordered some bottles of beer. The refigeration must have been turned down because the beer tasted stale.
The only lights in the place were behind the bar next to the mirror. The bartender didn't feel like talking to us. He just smoked a cigarette and leaned on the bar. There was a juke box with a bunch of 45 records. I walked over thinking some music would perk up the joint. Most of the songs were Mexican. I put in four quarters. When the music came on it was so low you could hardly hear it. I didn't bother asking the bartender to turn it up.
Me and my pals sat there thinking what to do next. About half way through the beers we decided that we had vacationed enough at Jack's Island. I put a quarter on the bar and we walked out.The bartender didn't say anything.
As we walked out the door another shadow went by us. He was rubbing his nose.
"Well we got that curiosity out of our system,"I said to my friends.
They kind of gave a laugh.
"You know,"I said. "There was more intrigue wondering what it was like before we went inside."
As I said that,the shadow that had passed by us at the door emerged outside rubbing his nose.
Roger . . . As the first anniversary for "Classic American West Coast Boxing" approaches, we are pushing 15,000 posts and 600 pages. Instead of fizzling out, we just get stronger. This is only the tip of the iceberg, I think we're going to around for awhile?dagosd2000 wrote:RickRick Farris wrote:L.A. Cut Men . . .
Today everyone is a specialist. Used to be a boxer's manager or trainer would work on cuts. Some were better than others and most had their own "medicine". When I was with Johnny Flores I never cut, so I never gave it much thought, however if I had been cut, Johnny would have handled it. I know that Johnny had his own special cut "formula" and it was a medicine that surgeons used to stop internal bleeding during stomach surgery. Johnny said that it stopped major hemmoraging in surgery in less than five seconds.
When Flores worked the corner of his heavyweight, Jerry Quarry, Teddy Bentham was Quarry's trainer/cutman in the gym and between rounds. Teddy was great with cuts and had worked with world champ Carlos Ortiz for years, as well as other greats. Bentham had come up in New York, and was around guys like Whitey Bimstein and other's who knew how to stop bleeding. Teddy worked my corner twice, along with Johnnie & Julio Flores.
When I was with Mel Epstein, Mel made sure he had somebody else capable of handling a cut, usually Johnny Villaflor worked my corner. Mel was half blind and his hands were shakey, he'd have turned a simple slice into blood bath. Mel knew boxing strategy, but you didn't want him wrapping your hands or trying to seal a cut. Once, Mel used Jerry Beldering, who was of no use in a corner beyond carrying the bucket and handing in the water bottle. Jerry was a guy who hung around boxing gyms but really didn't know much about the game. He was not a teacher, although I saw him trying to teach others. He'd work corners of top guys occasionally, like Art Hafey, but in the corner he was a lost ball in high grass. If you needed somebody to carry something, Jerry was your guy, but that was it. Luckily, I didn't cut when Jerry was in the corner.
Phil Silvers also was an L.A. corner man, but I don't know how good he was at stopping bleeding. Back in those days, guys wore many hats in the corner. Today, I recall an up and coming young boxer, Francisco "Panchito" Bojado. Here was a kid who turned pro young after doing well in the Olympics. Racked up a few wins and soon had a whole entourage, Joe Chavez was his hand wrapper/cutman, A guy named Rob, who was De La Hoya's nutritionist/conditioning trainer was brought in to "condition" Panchito's body, and Floyd Mayweather Jr. would actually "train" the boxer, and there was an internet mgr, and there was a PR man, and their was a physician on the payroll as "camp doctor", and the attorney, and there was Bojado's dad, collecting a check for making sure his son got up early every morning to run, and then there was Shelly Finkle, his "advisor". Keep in mind this young fighter hasn't yet reached the top ten, or even the top twenty. As it turned out, they spoiled a great prospect, ruined him with Bullshit. The kid thought he was already a champ, and lost his drive, he finally lost to an old vet, and today is nothing more than a De La Hoya sparring partner.
Too many specialists.
-Rick Farris
You've really been on a roll lately with your stories on LA. area boxing. You could put that stuff together and have a nice little book. Throw in Frank's photos and you've got something that's a credit to the sport and to good writing.BTW. I suggested this last year. Hey the 14th is coming up. Brian's post on Indian Red.
I also get my hair cut in a Salon.kikibalt wrote:For about 25 years I used to go to a barber shop, "Jimmy's Scissor Cut's", Jimmy Espinoza and his son Dino were the barbers, only two ways they would cut hair, scissors or straight razor, take it or leave it, mostly everybody would take it as that shop was pack all the time, it was also a local hang out, I would stop there even if I didn't need a hair cut, have a couple of beer and shoot the bull with the guys, Albert "Superfly" Sandoval's dad also used to hang out there, in the mid-1990's Jimmy died, a year late Dino died, after that I had a hard time fining a good barber, one day my wife tells me, "go with Blanca", Blanca is connie's hair dresser, "Blanca will cut your hair any you want", so now I go to "Blanca's" and listen to all the ladies gossip, I don't like to gossip because somebody that gossips with you will gossip about you....
The SonRick Farris wrote:Kenny Watkins Jr. . . .
This guy's dad campaigned as a middleweight/light-heavy in Southern Cal years before, but Kenny Watkins Jr. fought in L.A. between 1965-70. Made his pro debut at Olympic, losing to another young L.A. middleweight, Dub Huntley, and then finished his career defeating Amado Vasquez in San Diego, five years later. Toward the end he dropped a couple decisions to Mike Quarry in six rounders.
Kenny Watkins Sr. was a big talent during California's "Golden Age" of boxing. He fought Bobo Olson, Bob Murphy, Milo Savage, Jack Chase and many others. Watkins was a headliner everywhere he fought in L.A. including the Olympic, Hollywood Legion and Wilmington Bowl arenas.
I bet Hap Navarro could give us the scoop on Kenny Watkins Sr.
-Rick Farris
Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, United StatesRick Farris wrote:Blackie Zamora . . .
This tough Texan came to Los Angeles in late 1964 to fight unbeaten Raul Rojas at the Olympic. The 23-year-old featherweight from San Pedro stopped Zamora, setting into works a title fight. Six months later, before a big crowd at the L.A. Coliseum, Rojas challenged a brilliant 22-year-old Champion, Mexico's Vicente Saldivar, for the world title.
The fight was a war, both fighters were cut and swollen going into the 15th and final round. Saldivar would stop Rojas before the final bell, defending his world title for the first time after taking it from Sugar Ramos the year before.
In a five round prelim, 19-year-old Nat'l Golden Gloves heavyweight champ, Jerry Quarry, made his professional debut.
-Rick Farris
Expug's original post from the "Ernie "Indian Red" Lopez . The Lost Decade." thread that started this popular topic:Rick Farris wrote:Ernie "Indian Red" Lopez Day . . .
Hey Rog, you pointed out that Feb. 14th is the one year anniversary of this thread.
Since Ernie Lopez was the focus of Pug's original post, on the 14th, I'm going to share a couple of special "Indian Red" memories.
I have several.
Seems appropriate.
-Rick







