BoxRec

kikibalt wrote:
Felipe Torres

Frank, thanks for posting this photo of Felipe. I have special memories of this humble man. Almost all of them include his fists in my face, still, as you know, I remember him fondly. When I met Felipe he was recovering from an auto accident and was about 160lbs. I learned first hand not to underestimate anyone. I never again made that mistake. His strength was not in one single punch but in an accumulation of punches. He was a grinder.

When I think of the lessons of life and the men who taught me those lessons, Felipe Torres is at the top of the list.

Randy

kikibalt wrote:
We had a barbecue yesterday (Easter Sunday) and James barbecue some ribs. they were good!!!

They say "a picture is worth a thousand words"

Frank, when I saw this today I called up Jeri and said "Don't bother with dinner, I'm picking up some ribs tonight"! She didn't put up much of an argument. I stopped at Lucille's BBQ and I got so carried away I ended up with this big extra large bag and enough ribs and sides to feed a small army. Man, they were good!

Randy

kikibalt wrote:

Two photos of "Charlie The Crook"

Frank, that whole episode had me laughing. So now you got an ex-con in the family.

Randy

Charlie "The Crook" is home now, he is not saying much about the time he was on the lam, he is going to have to wear an ankle bracelet (Mico chip).

I finally found this old newspaper clipping that I have had for years. I though I had lost it. The paper says I'm from Santa Monica but I have never lived in Santa Monica. I'm not sure where they got that from.

Randy

Randyman wrote:

kikibalt wrote:

Two photos of "Charlie The Crook"

Frank, that whole episode had me laughing. So now you got an ex-con in the family.

Randy

Yeah! "The Crook" now has a rap sheet....

kikibalt wrote:Charlie "The Crook" is home now, he is not saying much about the time he was on the lam, he is going to have to wear an ankle bracelet (Mico chip).

Now he's a "Kept Dog".

kikibalt wrote:Charlie is home now, he is not saying much about the time he was on the lam, he is going to have to wear an ankle bracelet (Mico chip).

Frank,
Glad to hear Charlie's saga is now behind him, get him a steak and a woman, not necessarally in that order, to help him get through the trauma, in a couple of days he'll be back to his old self!
Welcome home Charlie.
Bruce

This photo of my father and I was taken during the summer of 1979 at Kern River, one of my favorite places on Earth. It was the last family camping trip with my father. We had a great time on that trip. My best fishing story about the one that got away happened on that trip.

Randy

Bobbin & Weavin wrote:

kikibalt wrote:Charlie is home now, he is not saying much about the time he was on the lam, he is going to have to wear an ankle bracelet (Mico chip).

Frank,
Glad to hear Charlie's saga is now behind him, get him a steak and a woman, not necessarally in that order, to help him get through the trauma, in a couple of days he'll be back to his old self!
Welcome home Charlie.
Bruce

He couldn't do dick with a women, got his nuts cut off....

kikibalt wrote:

Randyman wrote:

kikibalt wrote:

Two photos of "Charlie The Crook"

Frank, that whole episode had me laughing. So now you got an ex-con in the family.

Randy

Yeah! "The Crook" now has a rap sheet....

Frank, how is that when we screw up we end up in the dog house but when the dog screws up he ends up on a bed of pillows, in the house?

kikibalt wrote:

Bobbin & Weavin wrote:

kikibalt wrote:Charlie is home now, he is not saying much about the time he was on the lam, he is going to have to wear an ankle bracelet (Mico chip).

Frank,
Glad to hear Charlie's saga is now behind him, get him a steak and a woman, not necessarally in that order, to help him get through the trauma, in a couple of days he'll be back to his old self!
Welcome home Charlie.
Bruce

He couldn't do dick with a women, got his nuts cut off....

Ouch!!!!

Frank,
Glad to hear Charlie's saga is now behind him, get him a steak and a woman, not necessarally in that order, to help him get through the trauma, in a couple of days he'll be back to his old self!
Welcome home Charlie.
Bruce[/quote]

He couldn't do dick with a women, got his nuts cut off.... [/quote]

Ouch!!!![/quote]

That explains why he turned to a life of crime!

Randyman wrote:

kikibalt wrote:

Randyman wrote:

Two photos of "Charlie The Crook"



Frank, that whole episode had me laughing. So now you got an ex-con in the family.

Randy

Yeah! "The Crook" now has a rap sheet....

Frank, how is that when we screw up we end up in the dog house but when the dog screws up he ends up on a bed of pillows, in the house?

Randy, those are old photos, taken before he hit the road.... DD

Bobbin & Weavin wrote:Frank,
Glad to hear Charlie's saga is now behind him, get him a steak and a woman, not necessarally in that order, to help him get through the trauma, in a couple of days he'll be back to his old self!
Welcome home Charlie.
Bruce

He couldn't do dick with a women, got his nuts cut off....

Ouch!!!!

That explains why he turned to a life of crime!
[/quote]
I told him if he is going to be a crook, be a good one, don't get caught....

Kikibalt Wrote:
Randy, those are old photos, taken before he hit the road....

Yeah but I'll bet he still has the pillows! DD

Randyman wrote:

Kikibalt Wrote:
Randy, those are old photos, taken before he hit the road....

Yeah but I'll bet he still has the pillows! DD

Yes!!

Time to go tackle a few more ribs!!

Jimmy Hornsby

kikibalt wrote:

Randyman wrote:

kikibalt wrote:

Two photos of "Charlie The Crook"

Frank, that whole episode had me laughing. So now you got an ex-con in the family.

Randy

Yeah! "The Crook" now has a rap sheet....

Charlie's new "moniker" "Charlie from Puente", he comes out of the joint and said he is now a "Homeboy"....

Oscar De La Hoya announce his retirement
April 14, 2009 by Edgar Gonzalez


In front of hundreds of fans and media Oscar De La Hoya called it quits in the ring, the Golden Boy from East Los Angeles announced his decision outside the Nokia plaza across the street from Staples Center, where a statue of the 36-year-old stands.

Oscar De La Hoya will always be remembered for winning 10 world titles in six divisions and becoming boxing’s most popular fighter in the world. De La Hoya began boxing at age 5, following in the path of his grandfather and father. He won an Olympic gold medal at the 1992 Barcelona Games launching a pro career that brought him worldwide fame and generated millions in pay-per-view profits.

“I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s over,” said Oscar De La Hoya. “It’s over inside the ring for me.”



De La Hoya retires four months after his brutal beating by the Filipino icon Manny Pacquiao. De La Hoya has lost four of his last seven fights. He finished with a record of 39-6 and 30 knockouts.

“This is the love of my life, boxing is my passion, boxing is what I was born to do,” he said. “When I can’t do it anymore, when I can’t compete at the highest level, it’s not fair. It’s not fair to me, it’s not fair to the fans, and it’s not fair to anybody.”

“Now I understand why athletes have such a tough time retiring from something that you feel so passionate about, from your sport that you’re always thought you can try one more time,” he said.

“I can still train hard and I can still compete, but when you’re an athlete that has competed on the highest level for a lot of years, it’s not fair. It’s not fair to step inside the ring and not give my best.”

Oscar De La Hoya didn’t cry like Floyd Mayweather did when he originally announced his retirement, but you could tell by his voice he wanted to when he thanked his father Joel. His father and his gorgeous wife Millie were by him.

“I remember the times when he would take me to the gym and never gave up on me,” De La Hoya said. “We’ve lived some tough moments inside the ring, we’ve been through everything, but my father was always there for me. Thank you for pushing me as hard as you did.”

Oscar said he will stay involved in the sport as a promoter thru his successful Golden Boy Promotions Company.

Frank, I was intrigued by your pick of Flash Elorde as one of your favorite fighters. I read about him, of course, but never saw him, even on film. Not too many people talk about him anymore. Why is he one of your favorites? Inquiring minds want to know!

Rafael Herrera, 40 years ago . . .

It was about this time forty years ago. I was 17, a junior in high school on Spring break.
I usually trained at Johnnie Flores Gym during the week, and the Main Street Gym on the weekend.
However, on Spring break, I took advantage of my free time to train downtown, where I could work with more pros.

It was about 4pm when I stepped on to the gym floor ready to workout.
Larry Soto approaches Johnnie Flores and asks if I would box with Rafael Herrera.
The bantamweight contender was preparing for a fight in Canada and was scheduled to leave the next day.

I looked across the floor and saw Herrera sitting on a bench next to the Soto brother's equipment room, wrapping his hands.
His trainer, the legendary Lupe Sanchez, was tearing strips of tape for for his wraps.

I didn't know Rafael Herrera, but I'd seen him fight at the Olympic.
He was one of the best of a brilliant group of Mexicam bantams of the era. Almost all would would become World Champs.
On this day, he was dressed in casual gym clothers; cut off jeans, white t-shirt and black "MM" hi-top boxing shoes from Mexico.

As Flores tied my gloves, I watched the future bantamweight champ climb thru the ropes into the ring, wearing 14oz. Casanova training gloves.
He moved around, stretching. Lupe Sanchez called him to the side. He slipped a headguard on his fighter.
After spreading vaseline over his boxer's face he poured a little water down his throat. Herrera leaned over the ropes and spit the water into a bucket.

I stepped thru the ropes, already gloved up and ready to box. Flores gave me some water.
"Work hard but don't get careless with this guy," Johnny told me.

I moved around the ring for a moment, waiting for the bell. The timer had just ended the previous round so I had about a minute. Before things started, my trainer Julio Flores, called me over to the side.
"Don't get lazy if he acts like he's playing, that's his game."

A moment later the bell rings. We touch gloves in the center of the ring and go to work. I'm pressing, he's boxing, tip-tap, he flicks out a couple of weak punches, I block, slip in, bang his body.
With a minute left, I start to throw hard, he continues to move, sliding off the ropes, very cool.

"Thirty seconds!" Julio shouts. I pick it up more, and . . . BANG!
This big flash blinds me and I suddenly feel myself kinda floating. Thru blurry eyes I see a fuzzy image. I jab toward the image.

I regain my vision and I see a smiling dark face behind the padding of a red REYES headguard. I fight back, he slides away smoothly. The bell sounds and I walk back to the corner.

I forget the exact words that Julio Flores told me between rounds, but he was serious, and I listened.

Round two was pretty much the same, except a lot more action.
I felt good in the round, and actually believed I was doing pretty well, until . . . BANG!
The prick rang my bell again. This time he was following up and I was fighting to survive.
When he came in close I grabbed him and thru my head into his face. I felt the top of my head crack him.

He pushed me off and moved in. He was pissed off and throwing hard.
I think I smiled at him. Toss a little gas on the fire. Why not?
I was on the ropes, he was unloading but not really landing solid, I was covered well, tried to spin off.
Whack-Whack-Whack he was launching them to my body and head.

I was happy to hear the bell ring.
When I walked over to Julio, he was shaking his head.
Johnny walks over and says, "that's enough." He was smiling

As Julio pulls off my gloves, I see Larry Soto hand Lupe Sanchez a towel.
Herrera's headguard is removed and I see a trickle of blood coming from his nose. Sanchez wipes his fighters face.

Herrera's eyes meet mine. I nodded to him and smiled.
If looks could kill, I'd have been deader than Kelsey's nuts.
I guess he didn't like my trick any better than I liked his.

If a lesson could be extracted from the experience, I'm not exactly sure what it was.
I'm just happy I lived to tell about it.


-Rick Farris

Rick Farris wrote:Rafael Herrera, 40 years ago . . .

It was about this time forty years ago. I was 17, a junior in high school on Spring break.
I usually trained at Johnnie Flores Gym during the week, and the Main Street Gym on the weekend.
However, on Spring break, I took advantage of my free time to train downtown, where I could work with more pros.

It was about 4pm when I stepped on to the gym floor ready to workout.
Larry Soto approaches Johnnie Flores and asks if I would box with Rafael Herrera.
The bantamweight contender was preparing for a fight in Canada and was scheduled to leave the next day.

I looked across the floor and saw Herrera sitting on a bench next to the Soto brother's equipment room, wrapping his hands.
His trainer, the legendary Lupe Sanchez, was tearing strips of tape for for his wraps.

I didn't know Rafael Herrera, but I'd seen him fight at the Olympic.
He was one of the best of a brilliant group of Mexicam bantams of the era. Almost all would would become World Champs.
On this day, he was dressed in casual gym clothers; cut off jeans, white t-shirt and black "MM" hi-top boxing shoes from Mexico.

As Flores tied my gloves, I watched the future bantamweight champ climb thru the ropes into the ring, wearing 14oz. Casanova training gloves.
He moved around, stretching. Lupe Sanchez called him to the side. He slipped a headguard on his fighter.
After spreading vaseline over his boxer's face he poured a little water down his throat. Herrera leaned over the ropes and spit the water into a bucket.

I stepped thru the ropes, already gloved up and ready to box. Flores gave me some water.
"Work hard but don't get careless with this guy," Johnny told me.

I moved around the ring for a moment, waiting for the bell. The timer had just ended the previous round so I had about a minute. Before things started, my trainer Julio Flores, called me over to the side.
"Don't get lazy if he acts like he's playing, that's his game."

A moment later the bell rings. We touch gloves in the center of the ring and go to work. I'm pressing, he's boxing, tip-tap, he flicks out a couple of weak punches, I block, slip in, bang his body.
With a minute left, I start to throw hard, he continues to move, sliding off the ropes, very cool.

"Thirty seconds!" Julio shouts. I pick it up more, and . . . BANG!
This big flash blinds me and I suddenly feel myself kinda floating. Thru blurry eyes I see a fuzzy image. I jab toward the image.

I regain my vision and I see a smiling dark face behind the padding of a red REYES headguard. I fight back, he slides away smoothly. The bell sounds and I walk back to the corner.

I forget the exact words that Julio Flores told me between rounds, but he was serious, and I listened.

Round two was pretty much the same, except a lot more action.
I felt good in the round, and actually believed I was doing pretty well, until . . . BANG!
The prick rang my bell again. This time he was following up and I was fighting to survive.
When he came in close I grabbed him and thru my head into his face. I felt the top of my head crack him.

He pushed me off and moved in. He was pissed off and throwing hard.
I think I smiled at him. Toss a little gas on the fire. Why not?
I was on the ropes, he was unloading but not really landing solid, I was covered well, tried to spin off.
Whack-Whack-Whack he was launching them to my body and head.

I was happy to hear the bell ring.
When I walked over to Julio, he was shaking his head.
Johnny walks over and says, "that's enough." He was smiling

As Julio pulls off my gloves, I see Larry Soto hand Lupe Sanchez a towel.
Herrera's headguard is removed and I see a trickle of blood coming from his nose. Sanchez wipes his fighters face.

Herrera's eyes meet mine. I nodded to him and smiled.
If looks could kill, I'd have been deader than Kelsey's nuts.
I guess he didn't like my trick any better than I liked his.

If a lesson could be extracted from the experience, I'm not exactly sure what it was.
I'm just happy I lived to tell about it.


-Rick Farris

Rick, Rafael Herrera was one of my favorite bantams. I always considered him the Gene Tunney of 118 lbers due to the fact, like Gene, he did the unforgivable, he beat a much beloved champion. I felt he didn't get his just dues as he beat Martinez, Castillo and fought a life and death battle with the underrated Borkorsor. I'm envious that you got a chance to share the field of battle with him.

Scartissue

MY UNBIASED LIST OF MY FAVORITE FIGHTERS

Heavyweight Rocky Marciano

Light Heavyweight Willie Pastrano

Middleweight Jake LaMotta

Welterweight Carmen Basilio

Lightweight Lou Ambers

Featherweight Willie Pep

Bantamweight Mario D'Agata

Flyweight Frankie Genaro