BoxRec

Art Aragon vs Jimmy Carter

Art Aragon after the Jimmy Carter title fight

Art Aragon, Marilyn Monroe and Mickey Rooney

Art Aragon with Marilyn Monroe, Mickey Rooney and Dale Robertson

Frankie Baltazar and Art Aragon
Jan., 2007

It is very sad to learn that Art Aragon, possibly the most
colorful boxer and greatest drawing card in Los Angeles
boxing history, has passed away. I hope that Art's
family, friends and fans accept my condolences.

- Chuck Johnston

This morning my stablemate and friend, Carlos Palomino, called to tell me that Art Aragon had passed on. Being that he fought before my time I never saw him fight but later on in 1966 Art's trainer, Benny Conniors, became my trainer for a little over a year. That is when I first met Art. Benny used to tell me alot about Art, how he fought, his style of fighting and how he fought with no fear. I last saw Art at the WBHF banquet this past October. It is a sad day for all of us in the boxing world to lose a boxing legend. My condolences to his family. May he rest in peace.

I would also like to express my condolences to the family of Luis Magana who also passed on this week. He was a personal friend for over 30 years. We used to talk frequently at the Olympic Auditorium and Luis often offered to help me when I needed help because of my limited English.

This is an answer for Bennie...
What do I think of Buchanan as a champion?
He was always in good shape for the couple of times I saw him fight. A really strong fighter with a good right hand punch, however, he was a straight-up fighter like most European fighters are. A fighter with that style is a perfect target for a liver punch. If the two of us had ever had an opportunity to fight each other, the liver punch would have been my first choice of punches.

Expug---
It is a nice to have boxing fans like you.

Elmer---
My memories of winning the WBC Lightweight Title in 1972 are unforgetable. After 13 years of struggling in the boxing world I finally reached my goal. I was so happy because I would now have enough money to buy a house in Tijuana for my mother and my four brothers and sister, to get them out of the small one bedroom apartment where they were living in a very rough area of the city. (Shortly after this I bought them a 10 room house)

Yes, I do have the tape of my championship fight against Chango Carmona. The fight is narrated in Spanish, but the punches are in English. LOL.

The reason why a fight between myself and Robert Duran never took place is because at that time, Duran was the WBA Champion and I was the WBC Champion. My manager, Jacky McCoy, asked Duran's manager if they would agree to a fight between the two of us. His manager told Mc Coy that we should keep our title and they would keep theirs. You are right that it would have been one of the toughest fights for both of us. Now today we are friends. We talked a couple of years ago in Cancun and again in 2006 when he was inducted into the WBHF. In fact, he invited Barbara and I to visit him in Panama.

Regarding my fight in Japan with Guts Suzuki, I was more than 20 pounds overweight when I arrived in Japan for the fight and I had to lose them in 10 days. Furthermore, I was recuperating from a black widow spider bite. I just didn't have the strength to fight after losing so much weight so fast. My corner man, Benny Georgino, had to push me up off my stool at the beginning of each round. Also I didn't have the same desire to box anymore. It was time to spend more time with my wife and kids. By the way, I had a surprise meeting with Suzuki and all of his family along with a filming crew in Tombstone, AZ a couple of summers ago. It was very special to see each other outside the ring as friends after so many years.

Dago---
I will answer you tomorrow about my boxing days in Jiquilpan.

El Gato

El Gato wrote: . The fight is narrated in Spanish, but the punches are in English. LOL.

El Gato

Please explain that one. LOL.
.

Cheers, El Gato.

Johnny Gonsalves (L) vs Paolo Rosi...1959

I seen Gonsalves fight Art Aragon live in 1951 at the Olympic Aud.
Aragon won.

Danny Valdez, George Latka, Andy (The Hawk) Price & Frankie Baltazar

Art (Golden Boy) Aragon & GSBA President Larry Montalvo

(L-TO-R) back row, Bobby Chacon, Georgie Latka, Willie Bean, Danny Valdez & Andy (The Hawk) Price.

In front; Frankie Baltazar

Danny Valdez

Danny fought Davey Moore for the FW title.

FRANKIE DUARTE AND FRANK BALTAZAR
Golden State Boxers Assoc. anniversary luncheon (8-12-07)

kikibalt wrote:
FRANKIE DUARTE AND FRANK BALTAZAR
Golden State Boxers Assoc. anniversary luncheon (8-12-07)

Duarte must have married a plastic surgeon. He used to bleed when he blew his nose but looks unmarked today. What a great little fighter. I seem to recall he went off the rails for a few years when his 'first' career came to an end but he came back with the Goosens and so nearly won a world title.
His rematch with Davila - 10 years after they first met - is a modern classic.

bennie wrote:

kikibalt wrote:
FRANKIE DUARTE AND FRANK BALTAZAR
Golden State Boxers Assoc. anniversary luncheon (8-12-07)

Duarte must have married a plastic surgeon. He used to bleed when he blew his nose but looks unmarked today. What a great little fighter. I seem to recall he went off the rails for a few years when his 'first' career came to an end but he came back with the Goosens and so nearly won a world title.
His rematch with Davila - 10 years after they first met - is a modern classic.

Bennie,

By looking at Frankie you would never think that he was an ex-fighter, he talks real good too, btw he is one of the nicest guy you can meet.

kikibalt wrote:

bennie wrote:

kikibalt wrote:
FRANKIE DUARTE AND FRANK BALTAZAR
Golden State Boxers Assoc. anniversary luncheon (8-12-07)

Duarte must have married a plastic surgeon. He used to bleed when he blew his nose but looks unmarked today. What a great little fighter. I seem to recall he went off the rails for a few years when his 'first' career came to an end but he came back with the Goosens and so nearly won a world title.
His rematch with Davila - 10 years after they first met - is a modern classic.

Bennie,

By looking at Frankie you would never think that he was an ex-fighter, he talks real good too, btw he is one of the nicest guy you can meet.

I had the pleasure to meet Frankie two years ago and I totally agree, what a nice guy. He has the hooded fighters eyes but fortunately does not show the effects of his hard life in and out of the ring. A really personable guy.

Scartissue

El Gato wrote: This is an answer for Bennie...
What do I think of Buchanan as a champion?
He was always in good shape for the couple of times I saw him fight. A really strong fighter with a good right hand punch, however, he was a straight-up fighter like most European fighters are. A fighter with that style is a perfect target for a liver punch. If the two of us had ever had an opportunity to fight each other, the liver punch would have been my first choice of punches.

El Gato

El Gato, I have an old article of an interview with Jackie McCoy. He was your manager when the piece was done but he commented on how he believe he screwed things up for you in regards to a proposed fight with Buchanan. Apparently Ken's people were looking for a non-title fight opponent in like the spring of '71 in London and you were the proposed opponent. In the interview McCoy said some reporter asked him at the time what he thought about a Buchanan-Gonzalez non-title match and McCoy said, "Rodolfo Gonzalez will break Buchanan in half!" He said Buchanan's people got wind of this and suddenly Carlos Hernandez was the non-title opponent. He also added that he wasn't your manager at the time and wasn't even thinking about becoming your manager, but felt he was at fault for ruining an opportunity for you. Do you recall any of this going down at the time and who was your manager at the time?

Scartissue

Art Aragon fought in an era when there was glamour in boxing, Art certainly was not a great fighter, but he was colorful and good enough to beat some good fighters of that era,

It was a time when we only had one major league team in L.A. (Rams) and 5 newspapers so boxing would get lots of coverage and Art was good print, I remember the stories on all 5 papers on his bar-room fight with Lauro Salas which led to their sell-out fight at the Olympic, I was there too, LOL!.

Those days are long gone and not too many of the fighters and boxing people of that era are with us any longer, I was a teenager at the time, certainly I was not in the inside at the time, that came later, but I have very good sources for information of that era in Don Fraser and Don Chargin who are also up in years, and I would go to the fights just about every week, so I seen alot, my memories of the early 1950's are as a fan and I was a big fan of those fighters, I wallpaper my bed room with newpaper photos/articles of fighters.

I'll say to the young fans of today, "you don't know what you missed".

I know what you mean Frank.
I feel the same way about the seventies era boxing.
That was a great period also.
I find myself thinking back to those days everyday.
Hell a song from the seventies will come on the radio and I'll somehow tie it to a seventies fight!

FRank, didn't George Latka die recently as well?

raylawpc wrote:FRank, didn't George Latka die recently as well?

Yes he did, last year.