BoxRec

Rick Farris wrote:I, too, would like to hear someday about your experiences with Ruben.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Tom . . . Here is the link to a story I wrote about my Ruben Olivares experience. I wrote it nearly ten years ago, one of my first stories for the Cyber Boxing Zone.

Click on: http://www.cyberboxingzone.com/boxing/box1-00.htm#ruben


-Rick Farris

Thanks Rick. After I finish reading it, will you entertain some follow-up questions?

I finished it! Great article, Rick. No follow-up questions, either.

kikibalt wrote:
(l. to r. Unidentified, Jack Roper (mistakenly marked as "Bob", Dick Donald, fight promoter, Bobby Yannes, boxer), Circa 1939

Jack Roper doing roadwork in preparation for this 17 April 1939 heavyweight championship bout with Joe Louis. Roper was to be knocked out in the first round.

Bobby Yannes lost to Buddy Holzhauer on the undercard.

Dick Donald was a long-time boxing promoter who arranged many events at Wrigley Field, Los Angeles, California, the site of the Louis v. Roper bout.

Frank . . . Roper worked for many years as an actor in Hollywood, both during and after his boxing career. During that time, my grandfather worked with him many times at Warner Brothers, and he'd tell me of how big the former heavyweight contender's fists were.
I recall when he passed away, in the mid-60's. He was living at the Motion Picture Country home in Woodland Hills. The same facility we discussed recently on this thread, one that may soon be closed down.


-Rick Farris

BTW, anybody interested in the answer to those trivia questions I posted a few days ago?

raylawpc wrote:BTW, anybody interested in the answer to those trivia questions I posted a few days ago?

YES!

Dick Donald managed Jack Roper at the time the latter fought Joe Louis.

- Chuck Johnston

Union Station Turns 70


Los Angeles Times file photo

Los Angeles' Union Station formally opened May 3-5, 1939, with a three-day festival that included parades and displays of historic locomotives and streetcars. The Daily Mirror will be posting photos of the station's construction and the opening celebrations.

Above, Union Station under construction, Dec. 22, 1935, with City Hall and the Hall of Justice in the background. The photograph shows the completed underground passageway from the depot to the tracks.

kikibalt wrote:

raylawpc wrote:BTW, anybody interested in the answer to those trivia questions I posted a few days ago?

YES!

Okay:

Q: What boxer's career extended over six decades?

A: JEM MACE (He began his career in 1849 and boxed his last regulation bout in 1897 against Mike Donovan. His last recorded exhibition was in 1905.)

Q: What do HOFers Benny Leonard, Ted "Kid" Lewis, Henry Armstrong, Billy Conn, Manuel Ortiz and Alexis Arguello all have in common?

A: EACH LOST HIS FIRST PROFESSIONAL FIGHT.

raylawpc wrote:

kikibalt wrote:

raylawpc wrote:BTW, anybody interested in the answer to those trivia questions I posted a few days ago?

YES!

Okay:

Q: What boxer's career extended over six decades?

A: JEM MACE (He began his career in 1849 and boxed his last regulation bout in 1897 against Mike Donovan. His last recorded exhibition was in 1905.)

Q: What do HOFers Benny Leonard, Ted "Kid" Lewis, Henry Armstrong, Billy Conn, Manuel Ortiz and Alexis Arguello all have in common?

A: EACH LOST HIS FIRST PROFESSIONAL FIGHT.

Thanks, Tom, I knew that...No I Didn't....

raylawpc wrote:

Rick Farris wrote:I, too, would like to hear someday about your experiences with Ruben.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Tom . . . Here is the link to a story I wrote about my Ruben Olivares experience. I wrote it nearly ten years ago, one of my first stories for the Cyber Boxing Zone.

Click on: http://www.cyberboxingzone.com/boxing/box1-00.htm#ruben


-Rick Farris

Thanks Rick. After I finish reading it, will you entertain some follow-up questions?

I finished it! Great article, Rick. No follow-up questions, either.

Tom . . . That makes me happy. If you put me on the witness stand, I'll take the fifth.

-Rick

raylawpc wrote:

kikibalt wrote:

raylawpc wrote:BTW, anybody interested in the answer to those trivia questions I posted a few days ago?

YES!

Okay:

Q: What boxer's career extended over six decades?

A: JEM MACE (He began his career in 1849 and boxed his last regulation bout in 1897 against Mike Donovan. His last recorded exhibition was in 1905.)

Q: What do HOFers Benny Leonard, Ted "Kid" Lewis, Henry Armstrong, Billy Conn, Manuel Ortiz and Alexis Arguello all have in common?

A: EACH LOST HIS FIRST PROFESSIONAL FIGHT.

Tom . . . I meant to get back with you on these questions. Thanks for the answers to the second. I racked their history's trying to come up with the common factor, but walked right by the correct answer. Great trivia!

-Rick

raylawpc wrote:

Rick Farris wrote:I, too, would like to hear someday about your experiences with Ruben.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Tom . . . Here is the link to a story I wrote about my Ruben Olivares experience. I wrote it nearly ten years ago, one of my first stories for the Cyber Boxing Zone.

Click on: http://www.cyberboxingzone.com/boxing/box1-00.htm#ruben


-Rick Farris

Thanks Rick. After I finish reading it, will you entertain some follow-up questions?

I finished it! Great article, Rick. No follow-up questions, either.

There is one small item to the story that is in correct. In the beginning, I named several Mexican greats that Parnassus showcased at the Forum. I incorrectly included the name J.C. Chavez in the list. I knew better, Parnassus was gone when Chavez debuted in L.A. at the Olympic. Chavez did fight at the Forum, but not for George P.

-Rick Farris

In re the photo showing Roper, Donald, Yannes, etc.

Dick Donald broke into the fight game as a cornerman at the Vernon arena in 1913. By the early 1920s he was promoting Saturday boxing shows at the tiny Lyceum Theatre. on Spring street between Second and Third, in L.A. He was also the promoter involved in the infamous Hudkins-Dundee title fight of 1927 that never took place.
Yannes was a promising middleweight for a brief period and was once matched with Sal Herrera in a six round semi-final bout for the mythical Mexican 160 lb. championship of southern California......anything to draw an audience.

hap navarro

What a war!!

Jose Luis Ramirez vs Edwin Rosario

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBlz35VCRA8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbsytjJCO2o

Man, It's been a tough week. Jeri's been staying at my mother's house all week, so I've been a bachelor. I don't like it. I've been eating out every night. I don't mind cooking for myself but not after a long day at work. Sleeping by myself is no fun either.

I'll drive up there Friday, stay there for my mother's 80th birthday (Saturday) and come home on Sunday. I might miss the Paquiao and Hatton fight.

Randy

“Jazzy Jeff“, the Quiet Mayweather Speaks Up

By Dan Hernandez

“Boxing is a one on one sport…No one is going to tap you on the shoulder and sub for you!”

Jeff Mayweather, Trainer and Former World Champion Boxer

“Jazzy” Jeff Mayweather had a ring record of 32-10-5 (10 KO’s). He accomplished his goal of winning a world title, the IBO super featherweight crown, from John Ruby on April 21, 1994. He is better known today as an excellent trainer and developer of young boxing talent. He is also part of the royalty of boxing. He is the brother of Floyd Mayweather Sr. and Roger Mayweather, and the uncle to the retired undisputed pound-for-pound kingpin of boxing, Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Jeff is represented by VMG Worldwide Inc. , who is one of the leading presenters of sports, media, and entertainment in the world. VMG is a wholly owned subsidiary of Vexiom Corporation who owns or controls a collection of companies, including; VMG Marketing, VMG Management, VMG Event, and VMG Entertainment. It is my pleasure to thank Nicholas Sampson, Vice President of VMG Worldwide Inc. for arranging this interview and Tyler Barr, CEO/President of VMG Worldwide Inc., for encouraging Jeff’s participation. Mayweather was enthusiastic in discussing the upcoming Pacquiao-Hatton bout in Las Vegas, Nevada, his family, and his personal goals.


DH: Where did you get the nickname of “Jazzy Jeff”?

A lot of people thought I was named after the rapper but basically, a friend of mine gave me that name a long, long time ago. Some of my teachers used it also, they called me Jazzy because I used to dress up when I went to school.

DH: So you always dressed sharp then, is that right?

Yeah, they used to say that, “You look real jazzy today.” The name just kind of stuck.

DH: How about today, do you still dress up sharp?

Occasionally, when I have to. (Laughter)

DH: When you were a fighter, you won the IBO Super Featherweight title. How did it feel when you won that championship?

It felt good; it felt like I had arrived. Anytime you do any kind of sport, at the end of your career, you want to be able to look back and say, I achieved something in this sport. It wasn’t the title that I would have preferred to win, but I’m glad I was able to win a title.

DH: Congratulations on that, you can never lose that, it’s in the records.

No that’s true; I have proof of it, at home.

DH: Jeff, your family is famous in boxing with: Roger, Floyd Sr., and your nephew, Floyd Jr. Were there fighters or other people in your family involved with boxing prior to your immediate family?

No, it started with my brother, Floyd Sr., that’s as far back as I know. My dad was never a fighter and I never heard of anyone in his family being a fighter. It all started with us, with Floyd Sr.

DH: How much older than you is Floyd Sr.?

I think 10 years.

DH: Did you guys ever come to blows growing up?
No, no, never, however, Roger and I had a few.

DH: You all seem to get along well now, do you always work together?

Actually, we all work separately; we all try to be in support of one another. However, we all do our own separate things.

DH: Another nickname for you is “The Quiet Mayweather”, why is that?

They call me that too, because I’m not flamboyant, I’m not boisterous, and I just try to let my work speak for itself and get along with everyone.

DH: I like that. Is your popularity as a trainer growing?

Lately I’ve been getting a lot of calls and a lot of people are trying to contact me, it’s a good position to be in.

DH: Do you enjoy training people as much as you did boxing?

To be honest, I think I enjoy being a trainer better than being a fighter.

DH: How is that?

It’s kind of like being an artist and you’re painting a portrait. Once you start, you don’t really know what it’s going to look like when you’re done. Sometimes you’re lucky and you create a masterpiece, you create something special. So far, I’ve had a pretty good ratio of people that I’ve trained; over 95% of the people that trained with me have been winners.

DH: Are you attending the Hatton-Pacquiao bout?

Yes I am, I’m going in support of my brother and as a fan. I would love to be in the corner but I’m just going as a fan. Unfortunately, that job of training of Hatton was already taken. (Laughter)

DH: Who is going to win that fight?

Well, I’m rooting for Hatton. Of course when I say that, the first thing people say that it is because my brother is training Hatton. But, no, I would say that even if my brother weren’t training him. I think that Pacquiao got far too much credit for beating a drained De La Hoya, I mean Oscar had depleted himself of everything, he went in the ring that way and it showed. I had picked De La Hoya to win that fight, but I didn‘t know that he had done that to himself.

Pacquiao struggled at 126 pounds, I mean the two fights with Marquez could have gone either way. As a matter of fact, the second one I actually gave to Marquez. It’s a situation where Hatton is the bigger man and I believe the smarter man. I think Pacquiao is a heck of a fighter, but I don’t think he has what it takes to makes the adjustments that are necessary to beat Hatton. Hatton gave Floyd Jr. for five rounds before my nephew was able to overcome his style, and I think that in all honesty that Floyd is probably the smartest fighter in the world.

DH: Floyd is awesome, no doubt about it.

So, I can’t see Pacquiao being able to make the same adjustments that Floyd did. A lot has to be taken into consideration when you’re talking about a fight of this magnitude.

DH: Have you found that the smarter a boxer is, the more effective he is, and the longer his career?

Certainly, sometimes you have to make adjustments in the middle of a fight. That’s where the smartness comes through. Just like Bernard Hopkins, at an age where he should be home watching the fights, he’s still winning big matches. He has style and smarts.

DH: Does that go down to training also, showing boxers how to switch styles or plans in mid-stream?

You are fortunate if you have a fighter that can do that. I believe most trainers try to instill that in their fighters but few boxers have that ability.

DH: How many fighters are you working with at present?

Currently I’m working with four professional fighters and a few amateurs as well. Professionals that I am working with are; Mickey Bey, Cortez Bey, Lorissa Rivas, and Renell Griffen. Griffen is a kid from New Orleans and Lorissa is a female fighter. They are all good and I believe that they’ll get better with me. Mickey and Cortez are already proven fighters I just hope to make them even better.

DH: How do you keep them focused with so many distractions?

Boxing is a sport in which you have to focus to get the most out of it you have to be focused. In any sport, you can’t worry about what’s going on in the world, you just got to do what you do. As a trainer I try to come in with a positive mindset and giving them the benefit of that. It’s mutual. I give them my full and positive attention and I expect the same.

DH: Do you have any other goals beyond boxing or in boxing?

Of course, all trainers have the goal of taking their fighters to fight for a championship. I have been blessed by having a few fighters that have been in that position. What’s more important now is what happens after boxing. That’s why my brothers and I have many interests, we all work hard to enhance our name and to add value to our name in the sport of boxing. We are trying to ensure a good future for ourselves.

DH: After the Mayweather-Hatton fight, Floyd mentioned starting his own promotional venture, a la Golden Boy. Has anything come of that?

He actually ended up retiring after that fight and it would have been a perfect time to begin promoting if that’s what he wanted, but he’s young and has time to accomplish whatever he wants. I’m kind of in the dark in that situation, but it seems that that plan is off to the side right now.

DH: Jeff in closing, do you have any words of wisdom that you’d like to share young boxers?

When it comes to boxing as a profession, you have to be focused and it has to be something that in your heart, that it’s something that you know you want to do. It’s not a game, it’s not like most sports. I mean football and basketball are games, but boxing is fighting. If you look at this as a career, you have to realize that what you’re doing and that’s what you’re doing the rest of your life. No one is going to come in a tap you on the shoulder to sub for you; it’s a one on one sport. It is not tidily winks. On the other hand, all the glory and all the spoils will go to you.

Randyman wrote:Man, It's been a tough week. Jeri's been staying at my mother's house all week, so I've been a bachelor. I don't like it. I've been eating out every night. I don't mind cooking for myself but not after a long day at work. Sleeping by myself is no fun either.

I'll drive up there Friday, stay there for my mother's 80th birthday (Saturday) and come home on Sunday. I might miss the Paquiao and Hatton fight.

Randy

Randy...Moms come first, we call always see the fights later, say happy birhtday to your mom from us here at the Baltazar's.

kikibalt wrote:What a war!!

Jose Luis Ramirez vs Edwin Rosario

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBlz35VCRA8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbsytjJCO2o

Frank, I remember this fight well. This was a big win for Ramirez, especially since he lost in the first fight with Rosario. Both of these guys were damned good fighters. Rosario always held his hands up in an unusual manner. Very high and out but it worked for him.

Back in the mid eighties or so, both he and Julio Cesar Chavez were coming up at around the same time. It was somewhat of a rivalry. When they finally met Chavez was too much for him, as he was for anyone else during those years.

I thought Rosario got robbed when he fought Hector Camacho. That was one of the biggest robberies of the eighties. The fight between Rosario and Chavez is one of my favorite fights. Chavez was at his peak and literally took Rosario apart round by round before stopping him in the 11th round.

Rosario was a worthy fighter. He died much too young.

Thanks for posting the fight.

Randy

kikibalt wrote:

Randyman wrote:Man, It's been a tough week. Jeri's been staying at my mother's house all week, so I've been a bachelor. I don't like it. I've been eating out every night. I don't mind cooking for myself but not after a long day at work. Sleeping by myself is no fun either.

I'll drive up there Friday, stay there for my mother's 80th birthday (Saturday) and come home on Sunday. I might miss the Paquiao and Hatton fight.

Randy

Randy...Moms come first, we call always see the fights later, say happy birhtday to your mom from us here at the Baltazar's.

You're right Frank but still, why couldn't she have been born on the 1st?

All kidding aside, I'll pass along the Happy Birthday wishes to my mother. Thanks Frank.

Randy

Randyman wrote:

kikibalt wrote:

Randyman wrote:Man, It's been a tough week. Jeri's been staying at my mother's house all week, so I've been a bachelor. I don't like it. I've been eating out every night. I don't mind cooking for myself but not after a long day at work. Sleeping by myself is no fun either.

I'll drive up there Friday, stay there for my mother's 80th birthday (Saturday) and come home on Sunday. I might miss the Paquiao and Hatton fight.

Randy

Randy...Moms come first, we call always see the fights later, say happy birhtday to your mom from us here at the Baltazar's.

You're right Frank but still, why couldn't she have been born on the 1st?

Randy

Randy
Wish your mom a great 80th birthday. Rog. As for these fights. We've seen a lot of them. You'll catch the replay. I see a war,but a short one. Pacman inside 6.

dagosd2000 wrote: Randy
Wish your mom a great 80th birthday. Rog. As for these fights. We've seen a lot of them. You'll catch the replay. I see a war,but a short one. Pacman inside 6.

Thanks Rog, I tell her. I see Pac winning too.

Randy

I might not get to see the fight this coming Saturday, however I have a pretty good idea who will win. Nothing is set in concrete but I see Manny Paquiao winning this one, possibly by a late round stoppage.

Paquiao is fighting above his natural fighting weight but he doesn't seem to have an ounce of fat on him. He fits the Jr. welters nicely. He seems to be getting better with every fight.

Hatton is now trained by Floyd Mayweather Sr. and Hatton appears to be a willing student and has added some technique to his arsenal. I am a true believer that brawlers, when a fight really breaks out or when they get hurt will always revert to what comes naturally for them. I see this fight ending similar to the Paquiao vs David Diaz fight but maybe better, maybe a little close for the first few rounds.

Randy

kikibalt wrote:Union Station Turns 70


Los Angeles Times file photo

Los Angeles' Union Station formally opened May 3-5, 1939, with a three-day festival that included parades and displays of historic locomotives and streetcars. The Daily Mirror will be posting photos of the station's construction and the opening celebrations.

Above, Union Station under construction, Dec. 22, 1935, with City Hall and the Hall of Justice in the background. The photograph shows the completed underground passageway from the depot to the tracks.

FILM NOIR BASEBALL

Minor league baseball was all San Diego had,but it was fullfilling for us kids. Then came O'Malley's Dodgers to L.A. A team like the Dodgers in Los Angeles. It wasn't a crummy team like the Phillies or the Cubs. A baseball team with names like Campanella,Reese,Snider,Gilliam,and Drysdale. Later came Maury,Sandy,and Davis. If they weren't in the World Series ,they were always in contention. No way us kids were going to miss out watching that team.

In those days games weren't televised. We loved(and still do)listening to Vin Scully broadcast the Dodger game on the radio. Jerry Doggett was his sidekick. Many a night those two would put me to bed with their play by play.

The National League was the better league. The Yanks were beginning to wind down. Teams in the National League like the Giants(what a rivalry back then with L.A.)featured the Willies,McCovey and Mays. Marichal on the mound with that high leg kick. The Cards had Gibson throwing B.B.'s. Aaron was magnificant for the Braves. The Reds had a young second baseman named Rose.Frank Robinson played their centerfield with the sleeveless jersey.Roberto was the star of the Pirates. He might have been the brightest of them all..

We were too young to drive,legally anyway. In the early 60's we thought nothing of going up to Union Station on the train.Union Station was big and majestic. Like a citadel with all the tracks running into the station. The diesel slowing down as it wound past the flood control channels .

The safety factor was sound. Our parents didn't worry. We'd get off at the Union Station,walk through Olvera Street,wind our way in Korea Town,and then up Chavez Ravine to Dodger Stadium.

We'd get there early and watch guys like Drysdale and Koufax pull into the Stadium parking lot with their lemon yellow T Bird convertibles. For a buck we'd sit in the bleachers. Maybe buy a souvenier from Danny Goodman. There'd always be some fan sitting by us with Vin and Jerry on the radio.Sometimes we'd hear the Spanish broadcast too. Rudy Hoyos and Jaime Jareem.

Dodger Stadium was beautifull. The red crushed brick infield. Plenty of foul space. Football could never fit in Dodger Stadium. It was made for baseball.

After the game we'd walk back to Union Station the same way we got up there. I remember the posters on the walls. The funny looking language on the front of the stores. The smells of the Mexican cooking . The neighborhood was old. The walk back was slow and dreamy. Though it was night by then,the images seemed to stand out more.I remember them that way.

On the train going back to San Diego,we'd talk,but little by little we'd doze off. I often think of those Dodger games. My thoughts are in black and white except for those lemon yellow convertibles. It was the only thing worth remembering in color.OK,I forgot Dodger Blue.

Dongee wrote:In re the photo showing Roper, Donald, Yannes, etc.

Dick Donald broke into the fight game as a cornerman at the Vernon arena in 1913. By the early 1920s he was promoting Saturday boxing shows at the tiny Lyceum Theatre. on Spring street between Second and Third, in L.A. He was also the promoter involved in the infamous Hudkins-Dundee title fight of 1927 that never took place.
Yannes was a promising middleweight for a brief period and was once matched with Sal Herrera in a six round semi-final bout for the mythical Mexican 160 lb. championship of southern California......anything to draw an audience.

hap navarro

Hap . . . The Lyceum Theatre must have stood on a parcel directly across 2nd St. from where the Los Angeles Times Bldg. is located today. And for the record, today that parcel is a parking structure used by L.A. Times employees (and often used as parking for film crews filming in the area). Very interesting to me is that entire area within a few blocks of the Main Street Gym that I knew, on the Eastside of Main Street between 3rd & 4th Sts (318 1/2 S. Main). I know the original gym that burnt down was across the street. I know there were other gyms close by, such as the one near Angel's Flight. And wasn't there a Newsboy's Gym in the area, as well? Great history!


-Rick Farris

Randyman wrote:Man, It's been a tough week. Jeri's been staying at my mother's house all week, so I've been a bachelor. I don't like it. I've been eating out every night. I don't mind cooking for myself but not after a long day at work. Sleeping by myself is no fun either.

I'll drive up there Friday, stay there for my mother's 80th birthday (Saturday) and come home on Sunday. I might miss the Paquiao and Hatton fight.

Randy

Randy . . . Monica and I wish your mother a happy 80th. Hope she's feeling better. The fight will be replayed the following week, and our feelings are pretty much the same as to the probable outcome. Rog is on the same page. I'd like to say that "great minds think alike" however, when it comes to boxing, I with hold the "great minds" thing until Sunday.


-Rick Farris

Hap
As a young man did you ever go into those clubs I've read and heard about like Jack's Basket,the Hi De Ho,Club Alabam,or the Barrelhouse? Man I would have loved to hear guys like Dexter Gordon and Wardell Gray having saxophone duels on the bandstand. Rog