BoxRec

kikibalt wrote:

Frank,I'm going to go out on a limb here. That Glen Roberts resembles Jimmy Roberts who used to sing on The Lawrence Welk Show. Any relation? I know Jimmy Lennon was the Lennon Sisters' uncle.

dagosd2000 wrote:

bennie wrote:Carnera is in a British movie made in 1954 and not a bit 'punchy', much to my relief.
He plays a wrestler.

Bennie
Last night they had the movie"The Prizefighter and The Lady" with Myrna Loy,Max Baer,and Primo Carnera. Also in the film waa Jack Dempsey,Jess Willard,Jim Jeffries,and Joe Rivers. Interesting film. Max Baer was not a bad actor. Carnera's men had them re write the script because in the original version they have Max winning the title from Primo. At the time Carnera was the champ. The re write has the fight a draw.

Also that is great shot of Carnera inside that crowd. Tell me,is Primo in Spaghettiland or some Italian neighborhood in New York?

Not sure where the shot is taken. I seem to recall he had just won the title.
Carnera plays a rather despicable character in the British movie A kid for Two Farthings but he certainly gets plenty of lines and does a good job. The movie is made memorable by Diana Dors, who was our Marilyn Monroe. She is incredibly sexy in the film. No, Carnera doesn't get to sleep with her.

kikibalt wrote:
Alexis Arguello vs Aaron Pryor

Chacon-Limon IV and Leonard-Hearns were magnificent fights, but for me, this was the best fight of the eighties.

dagosd2000 wrote:I mentioned this before. I used to coach one of Joe Louis's adopted children on our high school football team in San Diego. I wasn't his position coach. John Louis was a defensive back and I coached the offensive linemen. I wanted to talk to him,maybe at length,about his father,but I never did. To tell you the truth, I don't even know how John Louis was on the team. Joe Louis had passed about five years earlier,and now his son was playing football for us.

John was kind of skinny,not a physical player,but a real over achiever. One thing though that John resembled was Joe Louis's humility. I saw Joe Louis once with my wife when he was a greeter in front of Caesar'a Palace. He's got on this cowboy hat, and tourists are getting their pictures taken with him. He's patient,smiling and willing. I watched him for a while before I stepped up to the stairs to say something to him. He was like a little kid. He didn't act like what he was doing was demeaning. He was happy to make people feel happy. After watching him for a while ,I made my approach.

My wife is shy around strangers. I think she's a little self conscious of her English. She didn't go to school because she had to take care of her nine brothers and sisters. Anything she wasn't familiar with she'd back away from. But I noticed my wife as we neared the Heavyweight Champ. My wife wouldn't go to a boxing match on a bet. I told her that this man was once the greatest fighter of his day. She looked at that Joe Louis's face. That natural,unpretentious Joe Louis face,and my wife,I could tell liked this man. This man she had never met before. I introduced my wife to Joe Louis.
"Very nice to meet you,"Joe said smiling.
"Sank yous",said my wife blushing up at him. Joe extended his hand very gently ,and held my wife's hand in his. The same hand that had struck with dynamite force on the chins of Baer,Conn,and Schmeling.
Joe turned and smiled at me, still gently holding my wife's hand.
"You have a very pretty wife." said Joe in a very straight honest voice. He said it not only to compliment her,but make me feel good too. I could tell he wanted to make a point by telling me that.
"Sank yous,"said my wife.
I wanted to ask him something. A boxing question. Why not?
"Champ, who's the best fighter today?"
"Why Muhammad Ali is a very fine fighter."
The same Ali that once thought Joe Louis was an Uncle Tom. And Joe thought Ali didn't represent all black people. Maybe there was no more animosity. I don't think Joe Louis was ever angry at Ali. Maybe it was Ali that had come around. Me and my wife thanked him for his time.

I felt that I had achieved something by asking Joe Louis a question. I started to walk away up the steps when I heard from behind Joe Louis.
"Who's your favorite fighter?" he asked. I'm thinking.Joe Louis wants to talk to me some more? Joe Louis wants my opinion?
"You still are Champ,"I said smiling at him.
Joe waved his hand.
"Win a lot of money."he said.

Me and the wife went inside the casino. I think we lost. We walked out after an hour or so and Joe Louis was not there.
"You win money?"asked my wife.
"No. How about you?"
"Me no win notheens," she responded.
"Well," I said. "I don't know about nothing."

I always wanted to tell John Louis that story about his father. I regret I never got around to it.

Nice story. I've seen film of Joe in his role as greeter and the sheer presence of the man is something that can never be demeaned.

dagosd2000 wrote:

kikibalt wrote:

Frank,I'm going to go out on a limb here. That Glen Roberts resembles Jimmy Roberts who used to sing on The Lawrence Welk Show. Any relation? I know Jimmy Lennon was the Lennon Sisters' uncle.

D,

I won't know since I never watch the Welk show. LOL!!

Bobby Chacon & Tony Baltazar

Golden Era Boxers Enter California Hall of Fame

By Johnny Ortiz

Oscar "The Boxer" Muniz, Terry Norris, Joey Orbillo, George "Scrap Iron" Johnson, Reuben Navarro, Paul Gonzales, Frankie Duarte, Monroe Brooks, Jose Luis Cotero and Stan Ward are the fighters that will be inducted into the California Boxing Hall of Fame on Saturday, March 5, 2005 at Steven’s Steak House in Commerce, California.

They were all once a part of an elite group of local boxers that filled the old Olympic Auditorium to capacity every Thursday night for years on end. They joined names like Jerry and Mike Quarry, Ernie and Danny Lopez, Bobby Chacon, Albert Davila, Armando Ramos, Raul Rojas, Rudolfo "El Gato" Gonzalez, Carlos Palomino, Armando Muniz, Mike Nixon and Richard Steele.

Every once in a while, fighters such as Ray "Windmill" White and Manny Lugo would provide comic relief. These are just some of the great fighters who come to mind during the heyday of the Olympic, it was a time when the Olympic Auditorium and the Main St. Gym worked hand in hand to provide the fight fans of Los Angeles with the best weekly fights in the entire country. When the Grand Old Lady that was known as the Olympic Auditorium eventually closed, and later reopened, it never came close to recapturing its former glory.

One would have had to witness the weekly fistic ritual to truly comprehend the uniqueness and magnificence of it all. Those particular days of beer and cheering for your favorite fighter will never come again…not in my lifetime.

In essence…it was truly the best of times.

A part of that grand history will be on display this Saturday afternoon when the aforementioned fighters are inducted, those who were lucky enough to be there when they fought, will be taken back in time by their memories.

Two of my boys, Oscar Muniz and Reuben Navarro called me earlier in the week; they wanted to know if I would be there when they are inducted. I told them both that I would not miss it for the world. With the exception of Stan Ward and Jose Luis Cotero, I am extremely proud to say that I am very good friends with the rest of the inductees.

Jerry Quarry and I were the very best of friends; I met him when he was nineteen years old. He started hanging out in the Stardust, a saloon my brother Ray and I owned in Downey, California. He was a fun-loving guy who had the formula down pat whenever he came in, it was quite simple, he was a good looking young boy from Oklahoma who liked the girls and they liked him.

When Jerry signed to fight another undefeated young heavyweight by the name of Joey Orbillo, it was a huge LA matchup. Both crowd favorites, the arena was full of electricity the night they fought. Joey lost the fight, a fight he says he didn’t remember after the fourth round. The story he tells of finally remembering the fight later in the night in a bowling alley with a friend is hilarious.

Joey will always be eternally grateful to Jerry. He was on leave from the Army when they fought. Due to the fact that he came out of the fight with a perforated eardrum, thanks to Jerry’s big left hook, Joey’s orders to go to Viet Nam with his company were deleted. Joey later learned that his entire unit was wiped out in Nam.

I later became close friends with Joey and his good friend Scrap Iron Johnson. A few years ago, Rick Paap, a talented actor and TV Sports host with his own show, "Talk of the Town," was hosting his annual pre Los Angeles World Boxing Hall of Fame Induction show, his guests included: President Kenneth Thompson, George Latka, Mando Ramos and the present WBHF president Armando Muniz. The other two guests were Joey Orbillo and Scrap Iron Johnson.

Scrap brought down the house when Rick, knowing that Scrap had fought Sonny Liston in Las Vegas, asked him if Sonny hit as hard as they say he did. Scrap replied, "Sonny hit me so hard, I married the wrong woman." Over the years, I would, and still do, run into Joey, Scrap and Jimmy Harriman at Southern California’s most popular Sports Restaurant, "Phil Trani’s" in Long Beach.

I am pleased to see that all of Saturday’s inductees will get the recognition they all so deserve, I will be especially happy to see Oscar Muniz receive his award. During my tenure as co-owner of the Main St. Gym with Carol Steindler, Oscar, complete with his great smile, was there every day I was.

Oscar should have been a world champion. He would have been if he had been given the title shot he deserved. On December 11, 1980, he fought a bantamweight elimination fight with Francisco "Kiko" Bejines…Oscar won a unanimous decision. Thinking he would be fighting for the title, he was sidestepped by his manager who gave the title shot to Oscar’s stablemate Albert Davila. Albert won the vacant WBC Bantamweight crown by beating Kiko Bejines, the same fighter Oscar beat in their elimination bout.

Oscar was a terrific fighter, on July 23, 1983, he beat the great bantamweight champion Jeff Chandler in a ten round non-title fight. No one deserves the recognition, and the award more than...Oscar the Boxer.

Reuben Navarro fought the very best, on February 12, 1971, he fought and lost a close fifteen round decision to Lightweight Champion Ken Buchanan at the Sports Arena in Los Angeles. Rueben was so good; he was often dodged by the managers of up and coming fighters. Not many wanted to fight "The Spoiler."

Today, Reuben takes his fight to the Devil, working for the Lord. He also expressed to me that he would be interested in doing boxing commentary or radio broadcasting on the side. I have had Reuben on my radio show as a co-host, he is extremely articulate. Rueben would excel in anything he chooses to do.

In the Posthumous induction category, the list includes the great heavyweight champion Jack Johnson, broadcaster Jim Healy, writer Rodolfo Garcia, and two people I knew and greatly admired, Canto Robledo and Bill Slayton. When I made the movie "Play It To The Bone" with Antonio Banderas and Woody Harrleson, I was able to rekindle my friendship with Bill Slayton. The gym scenes were shot at Slayton’s Broadway Gym, I played the gym owner. It was fun reminiscing about days gone by with Bill; he was a very special man.

There are also nine others that will be inducted into the non-boxer category. Two of them are personal friends of mine, Julian Eget and "The Steamer," Bud Furillo.

I first met Julian Eget while being a fellow member of the World Boxing Hall of Fame Board of Directors. We became instant friends, I can say unequivocally…Julian Eget is one of the finest gentlemen I have ever had the pleasure of knowing.

Without his knowledge, I have personally witnessed on several occasions, his generosity and his willingness to help those less fortunate who he considers a friend. Julian probably wouldn’t like it to be made public, but if truth be known, what he has done for someone we all love, Bobby Chacon, is a testament to his kindness and compassion. Julian’s friendship with "Schoolboy" Bobby is truly heart-warming. A man could not ask for a better friend than Julian Eget.

During our board meetings, you can count on Julian to be the first one to stand up and voice an opinion if he feels a wrong needs to be corrected.

Julian is presently the Vice-President of the Golden State Boxing Association and the Vice President of the California Hall of Fame, which incidentally, is putting on this event Saturday. He is also the Executive Vice President of the World Boxing Hall of Fame. I am not alone in thinking that one-day; Julian Eget will make an outstanding President of our organization.

It has been a long time in coming, but this Saturday afternoon, Julian Eget will finally be recognized for the tireless efforts he has dedicated to Boxing. Being inducted into the California Hall of Fame is a fitting, crowning glory to a humble man who is known by those close to him as the original…stand up guy!

Bud Furillo has been a very well known member of the Los Angeles media for as long as I can remember. He was the Sports Editor of the now defunct Los Angeles Herald Examiner, largely regarded as the best sports section ever produced in the Los Angeles area.

Among his many responsibilities, Bud was once the President of the Baseball Writers of America. Bud later went into sports radio broadcasting where his sports expertise and connections made him a huge success.

Bud and I have been the best of friends since the Sixties, I first met him when he came into our saloon in Downey. With his help, the cocktail lounge my brother Ray and I owned soon became a hangout for the LA Rams, Dodgers, Angels, fighters, famous actors and the sports media. The Stardust was the frontrunner of what is commonly known today as "Sports Bars."

As sports editor, I accompanied Bud to all of the big social and sporting events in LA., but the biggest thrill for me came when in 1963, he and I went to Palm Springs to attend the Frank Sinatra Golf Invitational, it was there that I would be introduced to his great friend Frank Sinatra. On our way to the Springs, I asked Bud what the chances were that I would get to meet Frank, he replied, "meet him, we’re going to party with him."

True to his word, we partied with Frank and the rest of the rat pack every day in the VIP room after the conclusion of each day of golf. When my book, "Once Upon A Star, My Life Among The Icons," is finally released, you will be able to read all of my exploits with Bud, including the great times spent with "Ole’ Blue Eyes."

While President of the Baseball Writers of America, Bud did something no one had ever done before or will ever do again, when they had their annual Baseball Writers Banquet, who do you suppose Bud called and asked if they would mind performing for the occasion? Just a couple of guys by the name of Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. Needless to say, those in attendance were thrilled beyond belief.

No doubt about it, some of the most fascinating, memorable times I have ever had were with Bud Furillo, including hanging out with Frank, Sam Giancana and friends in the back room of the Metropole Restaurant in Palm Springs.

In reality, being inducted into the California Hall of Fame is a mere formality; Bud Furillo was born into the Hall of Fame.

After the Stardust, Bud and I became partners in our own saloon, it was called "The Lancer Lounge." It too, became a huge sports hangout. If a guy could pick a super guy to party with…Bud Furillo would definitely be your man.

You will have to wait and read the chapter on Frank and Bud if you want the skinny on all of the outrageous times we had.

In all sincerity, there are not enough accolades or awards to cover the brilliant sports career this unique man has had. I have known them all; there is no one in the sports media whose light ever shown brighter than…The Steamer!

Boxing2005.com is thrilled to announce that our own William Trillo aka "Will the Thrill" has been selected by Showtime Championship Boxing to be one of the three ringside media judges this Saturday night at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas during the lightweight championship fight between two time champion Jose Luis Castillo and former IBF champion Julio "The Kidd" Diaz.

"The Thrill" is finally getting the attention he so deserves. William is an excellent, hard working boxing writer as well as a super human being.

UNTIL THE NEXT ROUND…PEACE AND GOD BLESS!

( L to R )
Devin Phelps, Chanelle Baltazar, Tony Baltazar and Nakojua Baltazar, the Baltazar girls are Tony's daughters

Arnie Koslow
Long time Southern California time-keeper

kikibalt wrote:

( L to R )
Devin Phelps, Chanelle Baltazar, Tony Baltazar and Nakojua Baltazar, the Baltazar girls are Tony's daughters

Handsome line-up. Is Devin Phelps related to Mike Phelps?

Jerry Cheatham and Frankie Baltazar

Shane Mosley...don't know who the babe is.

Hedgemon Lewis and Don Fraser

Art Frias and Bobby Chacon

(L-to-R)
Art Frias, Bobby Chacon & Tony Baltazar

Rick Farris and Frank Baltazar

A Mexican and an Englishman
Cantinflas and Mike Todd

Bobby Baltazar and Albert Davila

I been posting some pics. I might have already posted some of them before. for that I apologize.

bennie wrote:

kikibalt wrote:

( L to R )
Devin Phelps, Chanelle Baltazar, Tony Baltazar and Nakojua Baltazar, the Baltazar girls are Tony's daughters

Handsome line-up. Is Devin Phelps related to Mike Phelps?

No!!

kikibalt wrote:
Jerry Cheatham and Frankie Baltazar

Good to see Jerry (and Frankie) looking so well. Jerry was one of those 'fringe' contenders who could never quite get up there, although only the nasty duo of Tony Ayala and Charlie Weir ever stopped him.

Bennie,

Jerry is doing good too, he is a fireman with the city of Phoenix, he and Tony are very good friends and they both came to the 2007 CBHOF luncheon.

kikibalt wrote:Bennie,

Jerry is doing good too, his is a fireman with the city of Phoenix, he and Tony are very good friends and they both came to the 2007 CBHOF luncheon.

Funny you should say that, Frankie - he actually LOOKS like a fireman.

kikibalt wrote:
A Mexican and an Englishman
Cantinflas and Mike Todd

Mario Moreno. He understood Mexico. In the early 50's ,Moreno raised money to build a hospital in Tijuana. After the hospital was built the President of Mexico put his name on it. "Miguel Aleman Hospital".

When I drive through the pueblos,walk the streets of Mexico City,sit in a park in TJ.,I often think of this man who knew Mexico and they loved him.
When I worked at Juvenile Hall,I supervised the unit with the illegals(the kids from Mexico who broke the law here). These kids were the easiest kids in Juvenile Hall to work with. They appreciated 3 meals a day,indoor plumbing,their own bed. They cleaned their rooms. Didn't belong to gangs. On Fridays I brought them movies to watch on the VCR. They laughed the hardest at the movies with Cantinflas. They were really into him. Probably reminded them of home.