Classic American West Coast Boxing

[kikibalt]

These names will be on the International Boxing HOF's 2010 ballot:

http://bwaa.org/ibhof.htm


-Rick Farris

[kikibalt]

Ernie "Red" Lopez has passed away.

RIP

[Chuck1052]

In today's edition of the Ventura County Star, there is an article about Fernando Vargas's attempt to evict his mother from her home, where she has lived since 1979.
It does appear that Vargas holds at least part of the title to the home, but the judge is allowing his mother to stay in the home for now.

- Chuck Johnston

[kikibalt]

In today's edition of the Ventura County Star, there is an article about Fernando Vargas's attempt to evict his mother from her home, where she has lived since 1979.
It does appear that Vargas holds at least part of the title to the home, but the judge is allowing his mother to stay in the home for now.

- Chuck Johnston

Fernando has lots of class, doesn't he?....

[dagosd2000]

Ernie "Red" Lopez has passed away.

RIP

"So how's your brother doing?"I asked
"He's in a home now,"said his little brother they call Little Red.
I was at the World Boxing Hall Of Fame Golf Tournament trying to sell some of my art. I new it would be a wash when I got there. Not the right venue for selling art. A lot of ex fighters with not much money.Some had earned a little. Some never did. All were not in a position to spend anything on a painting. I wasn't sore at all.

Little Red was the world champ once. His big brother Indian Red fought Napoles twice for the welter weight title,but never could cut through Mantequilla. It was like Napoles could see everything that Indian Red threw at him. The fights were one sided. Ernie "Indian Red Lopez" was stopped both times.

The little brother was with his wife. She kept close watch on him. Once she saw that I wasn't trying to take advantage of her husband,she walked away. Fighting had been tough on Little Red too.
"My brother took a lot of shots ,"said Little Red.
"I'm sorry to hear that he's sick."
If Jose Napoles had not been around at that time, Indian Red would have been the champ. But with boxing you can say that about a ton of good fighters who were one fighter away from wearing a crown.

The older brother had dissappeared for a long time after his fighting days were gone. He fell into a state of depression. Having not winning the title had a bad affect on him. Years later Indian Red was found in a homeless shelter in Texas.He was brought back to his family,but he was beyond rehabilitation.
"My brother has his good, and bad days,"said Little Red.
I put my arm around him as my wife snapped a picture.
"Always a pleasure to see you Danny,"I said."I'm sorry to hear that about your brother."
He put his fist up to take the picture ,and as always, a smile on his face.
"His blood pressure goes up and down,"he said.


Little Red saw his wife coming up to us. She said that he should get something to eat.As they walked inside the dining room another fan stopped to talk to the ex fighter. The fan asked Little Red's wife to take a picture. Danny put his fist out.He was still smiling.

[kikibalt]

Ernie "Red" Lopez

[kikibalt]

Ernie "Red" Lopez has passed away.

RIP

[kikibalt]

[dagosd2000]

Frank
I talk once in a while to ex middle weight fighter from San Diego,David Love. Fought some pretty good boys. Bennie Briscoe,Willie Warren,Willie Monroe. Asked David who hit him the hardest.
"Indian Red Lopez. That sucker could crack!"

I remember going up to the Olympic to see the first Indian Red/Lewis fight. You could see in Ernie's eyes that he wasn't going to be denied. Overpowered Hedge. Indian Red always came off to me as "a man's man."
R.I.P Tough Guy

[Expug]

Sorry to hear about Ernie.
He's the reason for the thread. We can honor his memory by keeping the West Coast thread alive and well for a long,
long time.
In his name, friendships have formed, stories exchanged, lives have been enriched.
Somewhere he is looking down with a smile.
R.I.P Red.

[Chuck1052]

I am sorry to learn that Ernie "Red" Lopez has passed away and hope that his family, friends and fans accept my condolences. It was only a few years ago that I saw him at a California Boxing Hall of Fame ceremony, a short time after he was found at a homeless shelter in another state.

- Chuck Johnston

[Rick Farris]

Ernie "Red" Lopez

Rest in Peace, old friend.

[Chuck1052]

Ventura County Star Saturday October 3, 2009

Boxer Wants to Oust Mother From Home

By Raul Hernandez

Former world champion Fernando Vargas and his mother are in a title fight that spilled into a Ventura County courtroom Friday.

Vargas wants to oust his mother from her Oxnard home, which the former IBF and WBA junior middleweight champion claims is his.

His mother, Alicia Romo, contends that in 1999, Vargas talked her into signing over her portion of the title to the property where she, her two sons and a 75-year-old relative live. Romo said she and her mother, who is now deceased, bought the home when Vargas was 1 year old.

Vargas has refused to relinquish the title and has filed legal papers to have her evicted, she said.

"He is my son, but he is evil, " Romo said in an interview.

Vargas' lawyer, Oscar Gonzalez, told Ventura County Superior Court Judge Glen Reiser on Friday that his client owns the house.

"He is the legal owner of the property. The title is in his name," Gonzalez said. Vargas was not present in court Friday.

Romo, who represented herself during the eviction proceedings, told the judge that she purchased the hous in the 3800 block of Anchorage Street when she was 19.

She said she has paid the property taxes and insurance fees sice the purchase. Romo said that she has never paid rent to Vargas. Romo said that she wants Vargas to produce the lease stating that she agreed to be his tenant.

Noting that Romo had recently filed a lawsuit contesting the ownership of the title, Reiser said there were questions about who owned the property. He ordered a stay of the eviction and wants this issue to be consolidated with the separate lawsuit filed by Romo over the title.

"I am not going to throw these people out on the street," Reiser said.

In a tearful interview and visibly shaken, Romo said she was very happy with Reiser's ruling.

"I never thought it would come to this. He has his money. He has his house. This is my mom's house. This is something that me and my mom worked for."

After the hearing, Romo said she had an appointment with the District Attorney's Office to allege that her son is guilty of fraud.

When asked why Vargas, who earned millions in the boxing ring, would want to kick his mother out of the house even if it turned out that Vargas was the rightful owner, Gonzalez said, "That's kind of a loaded question. It's quite an unfair question. I think those are issues between Fernando and his mother."

"Fernando has been taken advantage of by many people, including his mother," Gonzalez said. "They've been extranged for many years as a result of some financial improprietiesthat she undertook while she was his financial manager."

Gonzalez said that there is "some truth" that Vargas is having financial problems.

Romo said that in 1999, Vargas asked her if he could temporarily replace her name on the title of her home to provide proof of assets to qualify for a loan. Romo said he told her that he needed a $200,000. loan to buy property in Big Bear and to build a home gym. Romo had no money, and Vargas told her he had no money, either.

She said she later found out that he had received $250,000. for his first boxing title fight.

Romo said the house was purchased for $110,000. She said that it was now worth $550,000.

"He has a Rolex watch, and a chain and a ring which cost that cost more than that," she said, adding that her son wants to turn the property into a boarding house.

Romo said she insisted and Vargas always promised that he would put the title back in her name. She said Vargas didn't speak to her for seven years as a result of the home-title dispute.

According to Romo, her mother saw the punch coming. "My mon told me, 'I'm not signing my half because one of these days, he is going to throw us out.' I never thought he was going to throw me out of my house," she said.

Until last year, Romo said, she managed apartments in Bakersfield that are owned by Vargas. She said that he paid her $400. a month and let her live in an apartment with the utilities paid. Vargas bought her a new pickup truck so she could use it for work at the apartments and he paid for the gasoline, Romo said.

Three months ago, Romo claims, Vargas took the truck back.

The feud has taken a mental toll on her, she said. In a declaration to the court for the eviction hear, she wrote that she tried to commit suicide in 2006.

"When Fernando was informed of this, he came to the hospital where I was in the intensive care unit. There he promised me again that he would immediately redeed the property to my home to me and said that he would also buy me another home," she stated. "My response was that I only want my home back."

[Rick Farris]

For Chuck . . . would you PM your mailing address to me? Thanks

[kikibalt]

In the AM radio wars of the '60s, they talked big and talked back
KFWB, KRLA and KHJ had colorful DJs with colorful trademarks. The competition was fierce before the superior FM sound won over listeners in the 1970s.



Robert Morgan, left, and The Real Don Steele were among KHJ's biggest personalities. The DJs moved to FM airwaves in the 1970s, and so did their fans. (Los Angeles Times / May 23, 1998)

By Steve Harvey

It was the case of the missing DJ.

When a Pasadena radio station rechristened itself KRLA and began to rock and roll in 1959, one of its jocks, Perry Allen, was absent. KRLA started a "Find Perry Allen" campaign and promised $10,000 to any listener who could track him down in those pre-Google days.

What mischievous KRLA didn't say was that it knew where Allen was: working at his old station in Buffalo, waiting for his contract to expire.

But KRLA's rival, KFWB, knew. And KFWB sent two representatives to Buffalo to confront Allen and claim the $10,000, wrote ex-jock Bob Eubanks in "It's in the Book, Bob," co-written by Matthew Hansen. KRLA grudgingly paid, then tried to capitalize on its own misfortune with the slogan, "Even KFWB listens to KRLA."

KFWB is known these days as an all-news station that recently switched to a talk format. But in the 1950s and '60s, it was part of the wacky world of AM rock music, competing fiercely in Southern California against KRLA (1110) and KHJ (930) before the superior FM stereo sound caught on in the 1970s.

The AM wars were a time of colorful DJs with colorful trademarks.

KRLA's self-anointed "Emperor," Bob Hudson, had this sign-off: "Get off the freeways, peasants. His Highness is coming."

Over at KHJ, the mantra of the "Real Don Steele" was a recorded woman's voice that cried, "Tina Delgado is alive, alive!" The mysterious Steele died in 1997, never having divulged its meaning.

KFWB was the first station in Los Angeles to sense the commercial possibilities of baby boomers.

In 1958, the station unveiled a Top 40 song format, calling itself "Color Radio, Channel 98." The term referred to color television, which was catching on.

Program director Chuck Blore made personalities out of his jocks, including Bill Ballance, B. Mitchel Reid and Ted Quillin, dubbing them the "Seven Swingin' Gentlemen."

KFWB became No. 1, and Blore wanted to make sure it stayed that way.

As recounted on laradio.com, Blore once phoned a bored-sounding DJ and said, "You're on the radio, jerk! After the next record, I want you to say there is an amoeba loose and ladies with butterfly nets are chasing [it]." All day the station broadcast amoeba updates to listeners.

KRLA (formerly KXLA) arrived in 1959 with a younger set of DJs including Jimmy O'Neill, who was all of 19. The "1110 Men" made the "Seven Swingin' Gentlemen" seem ancient.

"Kids huddled beneath their bed covers, listening on transistor radios to such inimitable personalities as Huggy Boy, Humble Harv, Emperor Hudson, Dave (the Hullabalooer) Hull, Casey Kasem and Johnny Hayes," The Times' Steve Hochman wrote.

On Hull's first day, not more than 10 seconds into his first record, the free-spirited DJ asked listeners, "Well, how do you like the show so far?" recounted Bill Earl in "Dream-House," his history of KRLA.

Listeners liked it. KRLA rose to No. 1, but the competition was fierce. When KRLA obtained the Trade Winds' yet-to-be-released "New York's a Lonely Town," the station added two spoken lines to the song so neither KFWB nor anyone else could pirate it off the airwaves.

The end product sounded like this: "From Central Park to Pasadena's such a long way/ And there's no KRLA/ I feel so out of it walkin' down Broadway/Sure do miss KRLA."

KHJ entered the AM rock wars in 1965, discarding its mellow-sounds approach. Promotion director Clancy Imislund, noticing that kids were constantly using the word "boss" (translation: outstanding), suggested the concept "Boss Radio."

But the idea was leaked to KFWB, apparently by a fired KHJ employee. KFWB liked the concept too.

One morning, KFWB began airing commercials announcing that the station would become "Boss Radio." KHJ program director Ron Jacobs immediately called a meeting to announce that KHJ would become "Boss Radio" that afternoon at 3, rather than weeks from then as originally planned.

"Then I realized I had forgotten something: music," Jacobs wrote in his memoir, "KHJ: Inside Boss Radio."

No music research had been done. An employee was sent over to Wallach's Music City to pick up "a KRLA song list and two copies of all the records on it," he said.

Within six months, KHJ went from 12th in the local ratings to first.

Jacobs and program consultant Bill Drake emphasized the music, with less chatter from the DJs, though they made exceptions for such strong personalities as cantankerous Robert W. Morgan and the edgy Steele.

The Times' Myrna Oliver once reproduced this bit of Steele's semi-intelligible chatter:

"It's 3 o'clock in Boss Angelese! Hey, hey, HEY! Thitz me. The Real Don Steele. A billion-dollar weekend there. . . . I got nothing but groovy, those groovy golds. We're gonna kick it out here on a fractious Friday, boy. Got to get a set outside that (unintelligible) work resembling blowing bubbles in a glass of water!"

The bubbles began to burst for "Boss Radio" in the 1970s when Steele and Morgan -- and their listeners -- moved to FM. KHJ is now a Spanish-language station.

KFWB dropped music in 1968. KRLA's call letters were changed to KDIS (for Radio Disney).

Tina Delgado's whereabouts are still unknown.

[email protected]

[Randyman]

Ernie "Red" Lopez has passed away.

RIP

I'm really sorry to hear about Ernie's passing. My condolences to the entire Lopez family.
You will be remembered!

Randy

[Randyman]

Sorry to hear about Ernie.
He's the reason for the thread. We can honor his memory by keeping the West Coast thread alive and well for a long,
long time.
In his name, friendships have formed, stories exchanged, lives have been enriched.
Somewhere he is looking down with a smile.
R.I.P Red.

Amen to that Brian! In some ways this thread is his legacy.

Randy

[dagosd2000]

"Irish" Jerry Quarry

[Rick Farris]

"Irish" Jerry Quarry

My Memories of Jerry Quarry

By Rick Farris


I was watching ESPN, hoping to hear the result of a fight that had taken place earlier in the evening. When the sports news finally came on I waited thru the scores of games I had no interest in and was happy to hear the announcer say . . . "And now from the world of boxing".

I expected a report on the fight since there was nothing else of importance going on in boxing at the time. Instead, I heard something that made me forget about the fight result I had been waiting for. I still remember the
words . . ."a sad note to report in boxing today, former heavyweight contender Jerry Quarry has died at the age of 53." I was stunned.

I was aware that Jerry had not been doing well and suffered from Dementia pugilistica. I knew that he had been living with his mother Arawanda in a mobile home park near the Hemet area of Southern California and was under her care. Mutual friends from the past, such as former middleweight Mike Nixon, Jerry's brother-in-law, had told me that Jerry could no longer handle simple daily tasks, such as shaving. Jerry's older brother Jimmy would help him with such things. I remember how sad it was to hear this a couple of years back, and that Jerry would no doubt die young. However, I couldn't imagine him dead at 53.

I wasn't the only person surprised to hear of Quarry's death. However, in my case it was something very personal. You see, as a kid all I wanted to do was become a boxer. Jerry Quarry helped make this possible. Jerry's success and accomplishments are a part of boxing history. However, being close to a boxer who won the National Golden Gloves Heavyweight title in 1965, and went on to fight for the World Heavyweight Championship as a professional, is a part of my history.

When I was twelve-years-old I had a dream that was a bit unusual for a middle class kid growing up in Burbank, California. I was going to be a professional boxer. I didn't just want to be a pro fighter . . .I was GOING TO BE a pro fighter. I set a goal for myself and nothing was going to stop me. Of course, nobody took me seriously but it didn't matter, I took myself seriously. However, this was not going to be easy. First off, there were no boxing gyms in the Burbank area or close by where I could start out. The YMCA didn't have a boxing program and even if it had, I was looking for a place where real boxers trained, amateurs and pros.

In early 1965, the Western Regional Golden Gloves Championships were televised in the Los Angeles area and, naturally, I was glued to the TV. The heavyweight final was won by a 19-year-old from Bellflower named Jerry
Quarry. Quarry scored a decision over Clay Hodges and would represent Los Angeles in the national tournament the following week in Kansas City. There was something special about this fighter and I couldn't see anybody beating him in the Nationals. I was right.

Jerry Quarry not only won the 1965 National Golden Gloves Heavyweight title but was the only boxer to do so by knocking out all five of his opponents. I read about Quarry winning the National Golden Gloves title in the Los Angeles Times and the news made me want to start boxing even more.

I was frustrated because I had a goal and couldn't get started. I was twelve years old and not getting any younger. I couldn't help but remember that the TV announcer for the Golden Gloves had said that Quarry had started boxing when he was seven, so I believed that I was about five years behind schedule. I used to think of how great it would be to start out in the same place, and train in the same gym as Quarry did, wherever that was.

One day I had this crazy idea. Why not call Jerry Quarry on the telephone and ask where he trains and how I could get my boxing career started. Of course, this would require a phone number. I remembered that Quarry had been introduced in the ring as being from Bellflower, so I called information and asked the operator for the number of a Jerry Quarry in Bellflower. She said she had one listing and it proved to be the right one. A few minutes later I was talking on the phone with Jerry Quarry.

I think Jerry was as surprised by my call as I was to get thru to him. I congratulated him on winning the Golden Gloves and asked where he started out. Jerry said he started when he was seven-years-old in a little gym behind the garage of Johnny Flores, the manager and trainer of quite a few top professional and amateurs boxers. I asked Jerry where this gym was and he said it was in the San Fernando Valley.

"The San Fernando Valley, I live in the Valley, where's the gym"? I asked. Quarry told me that "The Johnny Flores Gym" was in Pacoima, about a dozen miles from where I lived. I asked Jerry if Flores still worked with kids and was told that Johnny had several kids competing in amateur and junior amateur tournaments. Quarry told me that he was about to turn professional and that Flores would co-manage his career along with his father Jack. I asked when he would have his first fight and he told me that he would make his debut on the undercard of the Vicente Saldivar - Raul Rojas featherweight title fight at the L.A. Coliseum in a few weeks. I wished him luck and thanked him for the information. My grandfather had just retired and he and my father agreed to give me transportation to Flores Gym if I agreed to keep my grades up. Within a few weeks I was a member of the same boxing stable as my new idol, Jerry Quarry.

During the next six years I competed as an amateur and turned professional shortly after my 18th birthday. In 1970, the year of my pro debut, Quarry split from manager Johnny Flores. However, during the first six years of Jerry's pro career, I was one of the first to hear about what was going on behind the scenes in the world of heavyweight boxing.

After Quarry turned professional, he shifted his training headquarters from Flores' Gym to the Main Street Gym in downtown Los Angeles. On weekends, Johnny's gym was closed, so I'd hop on a bus early Saturday morning and workout at Main Street before the professionals took the floor. It was here that I was able to watch Jerry Quarry train as he moved up the ladder in the heavyweight division

Every weekend when Jerry worked out at the Main Street Gym, his entire family would turn out to watch. When I say entire family, I mean everybody. Jerry's parents, brothers & sisters, children and other's would fill the bleachers at one end of the gym. Jerry's mother Arawanda would pack a picnic basket and the family would make an event of it. This was something that used to irritate gym owner Howie Steindler. One day after the Quarrys left the gym, Steindler had to pick up paper plates, cups and napkins left by the Quarry brood. The gruff little Steindler finally posted a sign by the front door that read "THIS IS A BOXING GYM. IF YOU WANT TO HAVE A PICNIC TAKE IT TO GRIFFITH PARK".

Watching Jerry spar with other heavyweights in the gym was always exciting to me. He boxed with a variety of fighters such as Amos "Big Train" Lincoln, Eddie "Boss Man" Jones and Joe "Shot Gun" Shelton to name a few. On occasion, he would even spar with welterweight contender Ernie "Indian Red" Lopez for speed. However, it seemed that the most brutal workouts were the sparring sessions between Jerry and his younger brother Mike, who was my age.

I remember once, shortly after Jerry had become rated among the top ten in the heavyweight division, he and Mike sparred together one Saturday morning. Mike was just 16 at the time and weighed about 160, thirty five pounds less than Jerry. Jerry cut down on his brother like he were fighting for the title and left Mike laying face down on the canvas. Mike had taken a brutal left hook to the body and thought the punch had broken his back. I could understand a fighter working hard when sparring but was surprised to see him cut down on his 16 year old brother like he did. It was no wonder why Mike Quarry adapted a jab-and-move boxing style when he fought. He had learned to keep his distance from his older brother or pay the price.

After winning his first twelve pro fights, eight by knockout, Jerry was held to a draw by another unbeaten heavyweight from Utah, Tony Doyle. He won his next three fights scoring two knockouts before being held to another draw by Tony Alongi. Jerry would get lazy in these fights and allow himself to fight on a dead even level with boxers that were nowhere near him in talent. This drew criticism from the fans and would drive Flores crazy. Jerry had tremendous talent, however, he also had a lazy streak that came out more than once during his career.

After the Alongi fight, Jerry's record was 15-0-2 (10 KO's) and he needed a victory that would impress the many L.A. boxing fans and journalists that were following his career. As he would do so many times in the future when
people doubted him, Jerry Quarry came alive. Jerry was matched with one of the most rugged heavyweight trial horses in the world, George "Scrap Iron" Johnson. Johnson had fought some of the best heavyweights in the world and had never been knocked down. Joe Frazier fought "Scrap Iron" early in his career and Johnson became the only man aside from Oscar Bonavena to go the distance with Frazier.

In the second round of Jerry's fight with "Scrap Iron", Johnson backed Quarry into a corner. The moment Jerry's back touched the turn buckle he cut loose with a vicious left hook that landed flush on Johnson's jaw and sent him reeling backwards across the ring. "Scrap Iron" spun around twice before hitting the ropes on the other side of the ring and went down flat on his back. Referee Lee Grossman didn't even bother to count.

The following month, Jerry returned to Kansas City where he had won his National Golden Gloves title and defeated Al Jones in a ten rounder. It was then back to L.A. for a rematch with Alongi and Flores was upset that Jerry was not taking him serious. Again, Quarry and Alongi fought to a draw. Flores was frustrated at his fighter and told Jerry that he would never reach the top ten unless he started taking things seriously. As far as Jerry was concerned he was still unbeaten and good enough to beat anybody in the world. In his next fight, he would learn differently.

Eddie Machen was considered an over-the-hill former contender that had been KO'ed by Ingemar Johansson in one round, half a dozen years earlier. At least that was Jerry's view. Machen was on a comeback and had recently upset another unbeaten L.A. heavyweight named Joey Orbillo. Quarry knew that he was better than Orbillo and took old Eddie Machen lightly. On July 15, 1966, Machen would hand Jerry Quarry his first professional loss via a unanimous ten round decision.

After a three month rest, Quarry finished 1966 with three straight wins and won three more in early 1967, including a ten round decision over Brian London whom had fought Muhammad Ali for the title the year before. About the time Quarry beat London, Ali was stripped of his Heavyweight title for failing to register for the Draft and the heavyweight title was suddenly vacant.

At this stage, The Ring Magazine rated Jerry Quarry just outside the top ten heavyweights in the world. For Quarry to break into that elite group he would have to defeat one. His next match would offer that chance. The man Quarry would be facing was not only a contender, he was a former World Champion. Floyd Patterson was not only a former champion, but the youngest to ever win the title and the only one ever to regain the title after losing it. These facts would be enough to inspire anybody to take the fight serious, however, the most motivating factor for Quarry was that Floyd Patterson was his idol.

Quarry trained hard for the Patterson fight and should have won. He had everything necessary to beat Patterson but showed the former champ too much respect and didn't follow up on several occasions when Floyd was hurt.
After ten rounds the decision was a draw.


A few months later Joe Frazier won the New York version of the Heavyweight title with a decision over Buster Mathis. However, few considered Frazier-Mathis as a valid title bout considering there were eight other heavyweights in the picture. I will never forget the smile on Johnny Flores' face the day he walked into his backyard gym and told us that he had learned that there was going to be an eight man elimination tournament to determine a successor to Muhammad Ali's title. The reason for Flores happiness was that his heavyweight, Jerry Quarry, would be among the eight.

In the quarter final round Quarry would be matched with Patterson in a rematch of their fight just four months previous. Jerry wanted a tune-up first and KO'ed Billy Daniels in one round at the Olympic Auditorium. Six
weeks later he would avenge his draw with Patterson and score a 12 round split decision over the former two-time champ.

Quarry's opponent in the semi-final round of the tournament would be Thad Spencer, the man who was favored to win the title. I remember that during the weeks leading up to this fight, Johnny Flores would talk about reports
he was getting regarding Spencer's conditioning. Flores had gotten word that Spencer was doing a lot of partying and taking Quarry lightly. This was a major mistake because Jerry was in top condition and ready. On February 3, 1968 Jerry Quarry gave Thad Spencer a one-sided beating before stopping him in the 12th and final round. Going into the championship final with Jimmy Ellis, Jerry Quarry was a solid 8-to-5 favorite based on his exceptional performance against the heavily favored Spencer.

By now, the in-fighting between Jerry's father Jack and Johnny Flores had been going on for months. Flores was one of boxing's shrewdest and most respected managers in boxing. Jack had been a problem from day one. He had no experience in dealing with boxing promoters and had no business being included in the management of his son. He insisted Jerry make him co-manager along with Flores so he could keep an eye on things. His only responsibility was to make sure that Jerry got up every morning early to do his road work. Unfortunately, Jack Quarry rarely got up early enough to wake his son.

In Jerry's first shot at the heavyweight title, he made the mistake of trying to out box Jimmy Ellis and dropped a boring fifteen round decision. After the decision was announced, Quarry grabbed the microphone from the ring announcer and dramatically announced his retirement from boxing in the middle of the ring. Jerry was only 23 and I remember thinking, "give me a break", as I watched this on TV. After the disappointing performance Jerry had put on that night, nobody cared.

Seven months later Quarry was back in the ring and KO'ed trial horse Bob Mumford in Phoenix. After winning four straight with three knockouts Quarry made his Madison Square Garden debut with an impressive twelve round decision victory over Buster Mathis. Jerry Quarry was back in the heavyweight spot light and three months later would return to the Garden for another shot at the Heavyweight title. This time, Quarry would be facing one of the best heavyweights to ever step into the ring, Joe Frazier.

I will never forget this fight. I was seventeen years old at the time and had watched it develop from day one. My closest friend, amateur heavyweight Alan "Kit" Boursse' would travel to New York with Flores and Quarry to serve as a sparring partner. Jerry set up training camp in the Catskills at the legendary Grossingers Resort where many boxing greats of the past, such as Rocky Marciano, trained for championship fights at the Garden. I would get weekly reports back home from Boursse' who told me that Jerry was in top shape and had injured every sparring partner in camp but himself. "Jerry's punching the crap out of everybody they bring in here and I don't know how I've avoided getting hurt", Boursse reported. "He's going to surprise everybody that thinks he hasn't a chance with Frazier. Jerry is likely to knock him out".

I had high hopes for Jerry Quarry the night he stepped into the ring with Joe Frazier for their first fight. Jerry was ready and, as always, so was Frazier. In the first round I think Jerry shocked everybody, especially Frazier, by going right to Smokin Joe and backing him up. Quarry had Frazier reeling from an all-out attack and there was the smell of an upset in the air. Jerry fought Frazier tough and I'll never forget the people in the theatre watching it on closed circuit TV jumping to their feet and cheering Quarry during the first few rounds. However, by the 7th round Frazier had taken control of the match and stopped Jerry. Jerry had given his best and I was disappointed he didn't win. To add insult to injury, after the bout, the I.R.S. invaded Quarry's dressing room and served he, his father Jack and trainer Teddy Bentham with tax bills. They announced that back taxes for all three would be garnished from the purse. The only one in Jerry's camp that was not served with a tax bill was Flores. Jack Quarry was furious that he would have to pay back taxes out of his cut and noticed that the feds were not bothering Flores. "What About him!" Jack shouted, pointing at Flores. The agent looked at Jack and answered "Mr. Flores has paid his taxes and is not involved in this".

This was the beginning of the end of Flores' association with Quarry. Jerry would fight three more times in 1969, scoring two KO's prior to returning to Madison Square Garden in December to face George Chuvalo. Chuvalo was the rugged Canadian who had fought Ali for the title five years earlier and was known as a catcher. Jerry went into the bout a heavy favorite and in good shape. Of all the disappointing moments in Jerry Quarry's career this was the most surprising of all. As expected, Jerry had his way with Chuvalo and handed him a one sided beating. Thru the first six rounds Quarry had staggered Chuvalo repeatedly and in the 7th had Chuvalo ready to go. After staggering the Canadian Jerry got careless and caught a left hook on the chin. The blow caught Jerry off balance and sent him to the canvas. Jerry was not hurt but the referee had to call it a knockdown. Instead of Quarry jumping to his feet quickly to show he wasn't hurt, he foolishly decided it would be a good time to take a breather until the count of eight. Jerry was resting in a kneeling position but when the count reached eight he remained on one knee and was counted out. Jerry's excuse was that he couldn't hear the count and the fans went crazy. I still remember how disgusted Flores was when he returned to California after the fight. At this point Flores and Jerry were no longer speaking and Johnny would never again work his fighters corner.

Jack Quarry had convinced his son to drop Johnny Flores. However, Flores still had two years remaining of a seven year contract signed by the fighter upon his turning professional. Jack Quarry didn't pay much attention to
contracts and attempted to sign with promoters for fights involving his son. He soon discovered that the contracts were no good without Flores' signature and that promoters had no time to do business with an idiot like Jack Quarry.


This infuriated the elder Quarry and Jerry as well. As wrong as it was to alienate himself from Flores, Jerry made one smart move at the time and that was to get rid of his father. Unlike Flores' contract, Jack Quarry's
contract with his son had expired two years previous and had never been renewed. Johnny Flores would still be entitled to one half of 33.3% of all of Jerry's future earnings until 1972. The father would be entitled to exactly what he deserved, nothing.

At the time Jerry had become friendly with a very well known Los Angeles attorney known for his underworld connections. It was no secret that Quarry was upset over having to honor Flores' share of future purses and a few months later Flores' became the target of an attempted contract hit involving two off-duty Los Angeles police officers. The attempt upon Flores' life was a failure and never connected to Quarry directly. The L.A.P.D. was able to play the incident off as a case of "mistaken identity" but Flores sued the City of Los Angeles and settled out of court.

After winning four straight in 1970 with three KO's Jerry would become Muhammad Ali's first opponent after three years of inactivity. The bout was held in Atlanta on October 26th and Ali had no trouble using Quarry as a
target, stopping Jerry in three rounds.

After winning his next six fights, Quarry challenged Ali a second time in 1972 and once again was stopped, in seven rounds this time. Jerry opened 1973 with a 7th round knockout over Randy Neumann and the following month was matched with Ron Lyle. Lyle was an unbeaten knockout artist and was considered the next Sonny Liston. Quarry entered the match an underdog and not expected to beat the thunderous punching Lyle. As so many times before in the career of Jerry Quarry, he rose to the occasion and easily defeated Lyle over twelve rounds at Madison Square Garden.


Ten months later, after scoring two more knockouts Quarry was matched with another unbeaten knockout puncher, Earnie Shavers.

Quarry was considered to be on the down side of his career despite his beating Lyle earlier in the year. People would say "Quarry just can't win the big ones", and Shavers was expected to win. Once again Jerry Quarry
defied popular opinion and this time did it convincingly. He knocked out Earnie Shavers in the first round, setting up a rematch with Joe Frazier.


The previous year, Frazier had the lost the title to George Foreman and had just lost his second fight with Ali. Quarry was hot and Frazier had lost his last two. Quarry fans believed that this might be Jerry's fight. However,
after five rounds Quarry was finished and the bout was stopped.

Quarry's ring career came to an end on March 24, 1975 he was KO'ed by Ken Norton in five rounds at Madison Square Garden.

Quarry wisely announced his retirement from boxing after the Norton fight and was immediately hired by CBS to announce their televised fights. This was an ideal situation for Quarry because he was articulate and the fans loved his analysis of fighters and matches. Jerry was able to provide something in the broadcast that other sports announcers could not and that was a fighter's perspective of a match. After years of Howard Cosell's nonsense on ABC, Quarry was a welcome alternative and CBS could not have been happier.

Two years later, after establishing himself with CBS, Quarry was having thoughts of a comeback at age 32. When CBS got word of Jerry's intentions they immediately were supportive of their announcer's decision to fight again and wanted to televise his comeback on their network. They told Quarry that if it was successful, great. However, if it did not go well he would be able to step right back into his job at the mike. However, they wanted to have an option on the TV rights to his first fight and offered him $250,000.


This is where it became evident that Jerry Quarry was no wiser a business man than his father Jack. When Quarry learned that ABC was willing to pay $300,00 to televise his comeback, Quarry took the greater offer and signed with ABC. On November 5, 1977 Jerry returned to the ring in a scheduled ten round bout that appeared on ABC. Jerry fought a light hitting nobody named Lorenzo Zanon in Las Vegas and took a beating from the opening bell until finally catching the Italian with a left hook in the 9th round. Luckily, Zanon went down from the hook and couldn't (or wouldn't) get up. Had the fight gone the distance Quarry would have lost. Jerry realized he
was thru and retired once again.

About this time I stopped by Johnny Flores' house with Kit Boursse', my friend who'd been Jerry's sparring partner years earlier. Flores' told us that after the fight Quarry tried to get his job back with CBS but the network was so angry at him for giving ABC the television right to his comeback they were no longer interested in him.

The last time I saw Jerry Quarry was in 1983. I was living in Westalke Village, California and I knew that Jerry had a home in Agoura Hills, just a few miles away. One day a friend of mine who worked in a local restaurant
called me to say that a couple of boxers were sitting at the counter and they said they knew me. "Who are they?" I asked. "Jerry and Mike Quarry". I immediately drove to the restaurant and talked with Jerry and Mike for about an hour. Jerry seemed the same as always and I didn't notice any signs of dementia at the time. However, Mike looked like a beat up old fighter and was slurring his words. I'd run into Jerry several times over the years but hadn't seen Mike since before he was KO'ed in a world title fight by Bob Foster. I could tell that Mike was different and it made me feel bad because he was always the best looking and sharpest of the Quarry brothers.

Jerry was 38 years old at the time and very overweight. A couple of months later I was shocked to learn that he'd had a fight in Albuquerque and had scored a first round knockout. A few months later he won again by decision in a ten rounder in Bakersfield, California. However, Jerry retired again and I hoped that this time it was for good. Unfortunately it wasn't. Nine years later at the age of 47 Jerry Quarry lost a six round fight in Colorado to some nobody. This would be Jerry's last boxing match, however, it would not be his last fight.

Jerry's biggest challenge would come in the form of Dementia Puglistica. The night I tuned into ESPN hoping to hear the result of a fight, I had no idea it would be the result of Jerry Quarry's last fight.

Today when I think of Jerry Quarry I don't picture him with dementia, or bleeding from a cut after a bout with Muhammad Ali. I see the Jerry Quarry that excited thousands of boxing fans as he fought his way into the
heavyweight picture at the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles. I see the Quarry that sent "Scrap Iron" Johnson flying across the ring before falling unconscious to the canvas. I see Jerry going toe-to-toe with Joe Frazier and
having the best of it in the early rounds. I see Earnie Shavers unable to make it thru the first round with Jerry. And I can still hear the voice of the 1965 National Golden Gloves Heavyweight Champion telling me where I can
find my dream and make it come true.

Rest in peace Jerry Quarry . . . and Thank You.

[kikibalt]

My brother Mando and wife Pat, and pets too, had to, under mandatory order evacuate their home in Wrightwood because of the fire, he is worry because he had to leave his new Harley behind....

[Rick Farris]

My brother Mando and wife Pat, and pets too, had to, under mandatory order evacuate their home in Wrightwood because of the fire, he is worry because he had to leave his new Harley behind....

Frank . . . I hope Mando's property is saved from the fire.
I have always liked the Wrightwood area.
We filmed a Rockford Files episode up there in the late 70's, in the snow.
These fires are crazy, and most are cases of arson.

[Rick Farris]

This post is number 22,222 of this great thread!


-Rick Farris

[kikibalt]

My brother Mando and wife Pat, and pets too, had to, under mandatory order evacuate their home in Wrightwood because of the fire, he is worry because he had to leave his new Harley behind....

Frank . . . I hope Mando's property is saved from the fire.
I have always liked the Wrightwood area.
We filmed a Rockford Files episode up there in the late 70's, in the snow.
These fires are crazy, and most are cases of arson.

Thanks, Rick.....

[Rick Farris]

Dwight Hawkins

The Hawk . . .
You really caught Hawkins massive upper body in the portrait.
This is something not so obvious in the photo, but your image reflects what Hawkins was really like.
You know, Don Fraser and Frank were interested in inducting The Hawk into the CBHOF this year, but he had moved and I didn't have his new address.
Frank, I think I've found him. If I can reel him in would you & Don put him in next year?
You know the Hawk still has a minor following of old Japanese in Tokyo who have remained Hawk fans four decades ater his retirement.
His wife, Virginia, he met in Japan years ago.
Dwight Hawkins was a real West Coast featherweight warrior, and more important, a great human being, a great citizen.

-Rick Farris

[kikibalt]

Dwight Hawkins

The Hawk . . .
You really caught Hawkins massive upper body in the portrait.
This is something not so obvious in the photo, but your image reflects what Hawkins was really like.
You know, Don Fraser and Frank were interested in inducting The Hawk into the CBHOF this year, but he had moved and I didn't have his new address.
Frank, I think I've found him. If I can reel him in would you & Don put him in next year?
You know the Hawk still has a minor following of old Japanese in Tokyo who have remained Hawk fans four decades ater his retirement.
His wife, Virginia, he met in Japan years ago.
Dwight Hawkins was a real West Coast featherweight warrior, and more important, a great human being, a great citizen.

-Rick Farris

Rick, if you can reel him in, I'll do my best to put him in....

I agree with you that Roger did one hell of a job in painting Dwight...