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Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing
Posted: 20 Jan 2010, 12:57
by THEHAMMER321
kikibalt wrote:Hammer, when ever a mexican National and Chicano fought, you had to be ready for extra fist cuffing, one night at the Olympic Frankie is fighting a Mexican National, Miguel Meza, Meza had all his drunken friends there to root him on, Frankie had all the home boys from La Puente there, Frankie ko Meza in the fourth round, we were the main so we were the last fight on the card, after Frankie taking a shower, we walked out to the parking lot and into the middle of a fight between Meza's friends and Frankie friends, I got Frankie out of there fast....
You mean they didn't have gloves on
Re:
Posted: 20 Jan 2010, 13:50
by THEHAMMER321
kikibalt wrote:
Tony Baltazar, Alex Ramos and Bonnie & Danny Lopez
You know Frank I never saw Tony fight after the Mayweather fight I will always remember him in his fighting days he had long hair back then,Ramos I saw fight many times back in the 1980s can't believe how he got so grey,as for little red he looks the same to me
Re: Re:
Posted: 20 Jan 2010, 14:14
by kikibalt
THEHAMMER321 wrote:kikibalt wrote:
Tony Baltazar, Alex Ramos and Bonnie & Danny Lopez
You know Frank I never saw Tony fight after the Mayweather fight I will always remember him in his fighting days he had long hair back then,Ramos I saw fight many times back in the 1980s can't believe how he got so grey,as for little red he looks the same to me
You missed Tony's fight Buddy McGirt on CBS?. Btw Tony's not as heavy now, at the time that photo was shot he had a thyoid condtition that he didn't know about, now that he is on meds for it he has lost some pounds
Re: Re:
Posted: 20 Jan 2010, 14:29
by THEHAMMER321
kikibalt wrote:THEHAMMER321 wrote:kikibalt wrote:
Tony Baltazar, Alex Ramos and Bonnie & Danny Lopez
You know Frank I never saw Tony fight after the Mayweather fight I will always remember him in his fighting days he had long hair back then,Ramos I saw fight many times back in the 1980s can't believe how he got so grey,as for little red he looks the same to me
You missed Tony's fight Buddy McGirt on CBS?. Btw Tony's not as heavy now, at the time that photo was shot he had a thyoid condtition that he didn't know about, now that he is on meds for it he has lost some pounds
Yeah I missed it Tony had not fought much in the few years previous to that fight was it a good fight
Re: Re:
Posted: 20 Jan 2010, 14:32
by kikibalt
THEHAMMER321 wrote:kikibalt wrote:THEHAMMER321 wrote:
You know Frank I never saw Tony fight after the Mayweather fight I will always remember him in his fighting days he had long hair back then,Ramos I saw fight many times back in the 1980s can't believe how he got so grey,as for little red he looks the same to me
You missed Tony's fight Buddy McGirt on CBS?. Btw Tony's not as heavy now, at the time that photo was shot he had a thyoid condtition that he didn't know about, now that he is on meds for it he has lost some pounds
Yeah I missed it Tony had not fought much in the few years previous to that fight was it a good fight
Yeah, great fight, Tony had McGirt down and almost out in the second round, you can find the fight on youtube
Re: Re:
Posted: 20 Jan 2010, 15:26
by THEHAMMER321
kikibalt wrote:THEHAMMER321 wrote:kikibalt wrote:
You missed Tony's fight Buddy McGirt on CBS?. Btw Tony's not as heavy now, at the time that photo was shot he had a thyoid condtition that he didn't know about, now that he is on meds for it he has lost some pounds
Yeah I missed it Tony had not fought much in the few years previous to that fight was it a good fight
Yeah, great fight, Tony had McGirt down and almost out in the second round, you can find the fight on youtube
Just got through watching the fight on utube all of the top fighters that Tony fought did a lot of running only Robin Blake came to fight,Mayweather and Howard ''The coward'' Davis needed track shoes
Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing
Posted: 20 Jan 2010, 15:36
by kikibalt
You're right about the runners Hammer....
Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing
Posted: 20 Jan 2010, 15:52
by Rick Farris
Tony Baltazar vs. Buddy McGirt:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9i1Yra4 ... re=related
This is well worth watching.
The CBS Sports Sunday telecast not only features Tony "The Tiger" and McGirt, but also a nice piece on Sugar Ray Robinson.
I don't know of many welterweights who could stand up to Tony's power.
-Rick Farris
Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing
Posted: 20 Jan 2010, 15:58
by THEHAMMER321
Rick Farris wrote:Tony Baltazar vs. Buddy McGirt:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9i1Yra4 ... re=related
This is well worth watching.
The CBS Sports Sunday telecast not only features Tony "The Tiger" and McGirt, but also a nice piece on Sugar Ray Robinson.
I don't know of many welterweights who could stand up to Tony's power.
-Rick Farris
Just got through watching the Mcgirt vs Baltazar fight,do they have any of the old fights from the Olympic on utube
Re: Re:
Posted: 20 Jan 2010, 16:04
by telboy66
THEHAMMER321 wrote:kikibalt wrote:THEHAMMER321 wrote: Yeah I missed it Tony had not fought much in the few years previous to that fight was it a good fight
Yeah, great fight, Tony had McGirt down and almost out in the second round, you can find the fight on youtube
Just got through watching the fight on utube all of the top fighters that Tony fought did a lot of running only Robin Blake came to fight,Mayweather and Howard ''The coward'' Davis needed track shoes
Calling a man who fought 43 times & lost just 6 "the coward" seems a bit strong to me I would have thought ultra defencive would have been a better description
Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing
Posted: 20 Jan 2010, 16:05
by kikibalt
Hammer, have you seen any of Frankie's, fights on utube? there is a few of them. some from the Olympic
Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing
Posted: 20 Jan 2010, 16:08
by kikibalt
Re: Re:
Posted: 20 Jan 2010, 16:12
by THEHAMMER321
telboy66 wrote:THEHAMMER321 wrote:kikibalt wrote:
Yeah, great fight, Tony had McGirt down and almost out in the second round, you can find the fight on youtube
Just got through watching the fight on utube all of the top fighters that Tony fought did a lot of running only Robin Blake came to fight,Mayweather and Howard ''The coward'' Davis needed track shoes
You are right I apologize we just had the same discussion about Ken Norton yesterday someone on the forum called him a bum,by rights anyone who steps in the ring should not be put down it takes a lot of guts to get in the ring
Calling a man who fought 43 times & lost just 6 "the coward" seems a bit strong to me I would have thought ultra defencive would have been a better description
Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing
Posted: 20 Jan 2010, 16:17
by THEHAMMER321
kikibalt wrote:Hammer, have you seen any of Frankie's, fights on utube? there is a few of them. some from the Olympic
I will go and watch a few I never saw Frankie fight I Didn't think he fought on network T.V back when Tony's fights were on
Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing
Posted: 20 Jan 2010, 16:18
by raylawpc
I know that Tony was an exciting boxer with that big left hook . . . but I really enjoy watching Frankie work. Frankie was a very technically skilled boxer - a very complete fighter, and a joy to watch for any boxing pureist. I wish I could have seen Frankie live back in the day.
And I really wish I could have seen Frankie and Tony spar. If they were like other brothers in boxing, those sparring sessins must have been all out wars.
Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing
Posted: 20 Jan 2010, 16:21
by kikibalt
raylawpc wrote:
I know that Tony was an exciting boxer with that big left hook . . . but I really enjoy watching Frankie work. Frankie was a very technically skilled boxer - a very complete fighter, and a joy to watch for any boxing pureist. I wish I could have seen Frankie live back in the day.
And I really wish I could have seen Frankie and Tony spar. If they were like other brothers in boxing, those sparring sessins must have been all out wars.
They were wars Tom, to the point I had to put a stop to it...
Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing
Posted: 20 Jan 2010, 17:30
by THEHAMMER321
How about the Montes boys Herman and John they fought at the same time as Tony and Frankie about the same weight figured they would have fought you guys ever have any offers to fight
Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing
Posted: 20 Jan 2010, 17:57
by kikibalt
THEHAMMER321 wrote:How about the Montes boys Herman and John they fought at the same time as Tony and Frankie about the same weight figured they would have fought you guys ever have any offers to fight
Tony ko John Montes in about 20 seconds of the first round in the amateurs, John was out cold for about ten minutes, also in the amateurs Frankie easily beat Herman, there was not much talk of Frankie and Tony fighting them in th pros, there was nothing there for us to gain.
Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing
Posted: 20 Jan 2010, 21:12
by Randyman
Thanks guys for the kind words about my uncle Larry. I appreciate it. I feel kind of bad. I hadn’t seen him in years. I meant to but I didn’t get around to it. Something always came up. Near the end of last year I was planning on visiting him but I got the flu and then pneumonia so I had to put it off. I figured I would do it after the holidays. Little did I know that he had already died on December 23. Nobody knew. My aunt didn’t spread the word. My cousin Louie Burke called me from Las Cruces. He’d seen the obituary and called to see what I knew. Another cousin, Tony Garcia from Silver City saw the obit and called as well. Nobody knew anything. I called my uncle Gilbert in Arizona and he had just found out the same way I did, someone called and told him about the obituary. So yesterday, I skipped work and went to see my uncle Henry and he found out when he saw the obit. I should mention that there is some hard feelings in the family. One uncle doesn’t talk to another and so forth.
When my father was alive everyone got along. He made sure of it. After he died, one by one they stopped talking with each other, which is why everyone lost touch. Over the years, I would contact one of them but it became work. There were once ten brothers and sisters, now there are only three, Henry, Gilbert and Tony. One uncle didn’t say anything bad about Larry but he also didn’t seem to broken up, I won’t repeat what the other one said. The men in my family take their grudges to the grave with them.
The obit piece says a little about my uncle but leaves out so much. In his early years he was not such a good guy and did some bad things but he mellowed when he got older. I’m sure he had his regrets. He owned several pool halls in east Los Angeles and was a professional gambler. He was no Mickey Mouse Gambler, he was the real deal. He was an old style gangster, East L.A. style. Years ago, my father told me he counted Mickey Cohen as one of his acquaintances . I remember him as a bit of a con artist in his later years. We had a bar size pool table at my parents house so Larry would come over on the weekend and play pool with us. My father was good too but my uncle was something else. He was a boxing fan and Jose “Mantequilla” Napoles was his man. In his later years he owned Larry’s Pawn Shop in East Los Angeles on Atlantic Blvd. It was a popular hangout spot for a lot of people including (at the time) local politicians . He was also an entertainer and dancer and he and his wife, my aunt Frances, would perform at local political events.
There will be a service for him this coming Saturday at the Calvary Cemetery in East L.A. on Whittier and Eastern. I’ll be there to say goodbye and pay my respects to another relative of my past that has passed. The previous generation is almost gone.
If no one minds I would like to post some photos. I might have posted some of them before but I’ll repost
Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing
Posted: 20 Jan 2010, 21:18
by Randyman
I'm amazed every time I see that fight, simply because it was only Frankie's sixth fight. He fought like a seasoned pro. He was a well schooled fighter.
Randy
Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing
Posted: 20 Jan 2010, 21:24
by Randyman
THEHAMMER321 wrote:dagosd2000 wrote:I'm carefull about how I talk about fighters.Calling a fighter a bum is out of bounds with me. When I was much younger than the broken down body I have today,I'd go to the 32nd Naval Gym or the Coliseum and workout with the gloves. I got to know some of the fighters:Moyer,Wilson,Norton,DiFilippis,Hafey,Gilbert Baptist.Of course Archie Moore kept himself in the picture. I remember Charley Powell too.I'd go to Junior Robles's gym in National City. Burke Emery and Danny Rodriguez trained a lot of the boys in town. It was a time of a lot of fun. LA. ,Tijuana,and San Diego sandwiched in between made this area(in my opinion)the center of the boxing world in the 60's and 70's.
However when the arenas gave way to Cable TV and closed circuit,the big fights went to Atlantic City and Vegas. Everything in San Diego disappeared. The fellas I remembered either had passed away or went their seperate ways.Then I became a regular on the thread. I became friends with Frank and Rick and they were nice enough to introduce me to a gang of ex fighters in the LA. area. Mando Muniz,Gato Gonzalez,Little Red,Bobby Chacon,Frankie Baltazar and his dad to name a few. The CBHOF and WBHOF was like going back into my past. To see those fellas again. Who would have ever thought I'd get to know Gaspar Ortega?
Well I got involved somewhat with my art pertaining to boxing. I circulated a little. I always felt comfortable. Fighters,as a whole,are the nicest bunch around.
I remember Rick called me up about something once. In the middle of the conversation he said something I'll never forget.
"Rog,the fighters like you."
I didn't say anything. The conversation went on,but I'll never forget what Rick said to me.
Maybe if a fighter rubs me the wrong way,I might question his mother's ancestry,but a bum? When a man climbs through the ring ropes that name"bum" goes out the window.At least that's the way it will stay with me.
Rog I am with you all the way on that subject,but what are we eating
Hammer's my kind of guy!
Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing
Posted: 20 Jan 2010, 21:49
by THEHAMMER321
Randyman wrote:THEHAMMER321 wrote:dagosd2000 wrote:I'm carefull about how I talk about fighters.Calling a fighter a bum is out of bounds with me. When I was much younger than the broken down body I have today,I'd go to the 32nd Naval Gym or the Coliseum and workout with the gloves. I got to know some of the fighters:Moyer,Wilson,Norton,DiFilippis,Hafey,Gilbert Baptist.Of course Archie Moore kept himself in the picture. I remember Charley Powell too.I'd go to Junior Robles's gym in National City. Burke Emery and Danny Rodriguez trained a lot of the boys in town. It was a time of a lot of fun. LA. ,Tijuana,and San Diego sandwiched in between made this area(in my opinion)the center of the boxing world in the 60's and 70's.
However when the arenas gave way to Cable TV and closed circuit,the big fights went to Atlantic City and Vegas. Everything in San Diego disappeared. The fellas I remembered either had passed away or went their seperate ways.Then I became a regular on the thread. I became friends with Frank and Rick and they were nice enough to introduce me to a gang of ex fighters in the LA. area. Mando Muniz,Gato Gonzalez,Little Red,Bobby Chacon,Frankie Baltazar and his dad to name a few. The CBHOF and WBHOF was like going back into my past. To see those fellas again. Who would have ever thought I'd get to know Gaspar Ortega?
Well I got involved somewhat with my art pertaining to boxing. I circulated a little. I always felt comfortable. Fighters,as a whole,are the nicest bunch around.
I remember Rick called me up about something once. In the middle of the conversation he said something I'll never forget.
"Rog,the fighters like you."
I didn't say anything. The conversation went on,but I'll never forget what Rick said to me.
Maybe if a fighter rubs me the wrong way,I might question his mother's ancestry,but a bum? When a man climbs through the ring ropes that name"bum" goes out the window.At least that's the way it will stay with me.
Rog I am with you all the way on that subject,but what are we eating
Hammer's my kind of guy!
Thanx Randy I like to have a little fun it's not all about left hooks and right crosses btw my condolences about your loss
Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing
Posted: 20 Jan 2010, 22:03
by Randyman
Larry De La O and his then wife, Marcella. Late 30's early 40's?
Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing
Posted: 20 Jan 2010, 22:04
by Rick Farris
Frankie Crawford at 14 . . .
He had just won a novice Golden Gloves Championship in Cleveland when he decided it was time to split to Los Angeles.
He was a skinny kid, wirey tough, alarmingly strong to those who made the mistake of underestimating him.
Frank Crawford was never the bigger man in a fight, but more often than not, he'd be standing over a body in the end.
Frank's Jr. High School boy's dean encouraged the teenager to "follow his dreams".
Perhaps he was hoping to reduce his case load?
Frankie Crawford stood up for those who couldn't. He'd learned that bullies hate a challenge, especially a proven fist fighter.
So when somebody made the unforgivable error of disrespecting his little sister, Christina ("Choo-Choo" he'd nicknamed her.), they'd have to answer to a windmill of blows that often left blood and teeth in the street. Everybody's blood & teeth, including his own.
Crawford packed a bag and promised his little sis that he would "make it big" in California, and then return to get her and the family.
For the record, this was a promise that he would keep, enabling several to find successfull careers in the film industry.
Crawford would hitch-hike West and find his way to the front door Jake Shagrue.
Shagrue was a local legend in L.A. and ran the Hoover Street Gym in South Los Angeles.
He let the skinny kid sleep in a small garge located behind his home, which was next door to his gym.
The kid shared the garage with a prelim fighter, Manny Lugo.
Crawford would clean the gym, and box with a variety of top pros under Shagrue's experienced eye.
Jake Shagrue understood guys like Frankie Crawford. The salty Navy vet had been a fighter, a trainer and a survivor.
They're relationship worked, Shagrue could give him the start he needed.
Jake also was about to guide the career of a hot unbeaten heavyweight, Joey Orbillo.
With Orbillo and Crawford in his stable, Jake Shagrue carried some weight in L.A. boxing circles.
I'll continue on with Crawford, Shagrue, and others who were a part of this.
I don't know everything about Frankie Crawford, but I know quite a bit. He was a special fighter, a throw-back to a different era.
More later . . .
-Rick Farris
Re: Classic American West Coast Boxing
Posted: 20 Jan 2010, 22:10
by Rick Farris
Randyman wrote:
Larry De La O and his then wife, Marcella. Late 30's early 40's?
I think your Uncle looks cool, Randy. May he rest in peace.
Great photo!
-Rick