BoxRec

bennie wrote:I used to love the amateur game before headguards and computer-scoring came along. Today, I don't even watch the Olympic stuff. Our own Audley Harrison proved that you can win a gold medal without being able to fight. Harrison just mastered the computer system with a few straight punches per round and then a lot of movement to avoid being pegged back. The fighters are told the score at the end of every round and know if they have won or lost at the final bell. It takes away any spontaneity. It is a ghastly state of affairs.

Same here, Bennie, I don't watch amateur boxing, haven't done so in years.....

Jason Booth's ability to turn up, fight his fight, and a smooth fight it is, will be tested to the very limit by Canada's Steve Molitor later this year. Booth has always been one of those 'natural' fighters for whom preparation is often an afterthought. The craggy 32-year-old kept on winning through a serious spell on the bottle in recent times, just as his brother Nicky managed to win as a crack cocaine addict, but we know all this. Jason challenges the slick-boxing Molitor for the IBF super-bantamweight title in September in Sunderland after beating the bottle and a host of domestic rivals as British and Commonwealth super-bantamweight champion. If you pardon the simile, Booth is like a fine wine as he gets better and better at a stage in his 14-year career when you would expect him to be creaking, fading, retiring. Unlike Nicky, who drifted away from the sport years ago, he continues to slip the net.
Molitor never takes any chances with his conditioning, a man who lives and breathes the gym and whose dedication paid off when he won the IBF title for the second time with a unanimous 12-round decision over South Africa's Takalani Ndlovu earlier this year. The 30-year-old Molitor first won the belt with a dazzling five-round knockout of Hartlepool's Michael Hunter in Hartlepool in 2006, picking off the home man from the start and proceeding to make five defences before Panama's monstrous Celestino Caballero, who flattens opponents for fun, flattened him in four rounds in 2008. Molitor took stock, then forced his way back into world title contention and came good again against Ndlovu in March, with Caballero safely up to featherweight. The two-time champion maintains his weight between fights and often makes do with just a plate of brown rice on the day of a fight. A fighter shouldn't balloon between fights, shouldn't gorge after the weigh-in. Molitor is shining proof.
Southpaw Steve holds a sparkling win over that man Nicky Booth, the less naturally talented of the brothers, in a 12-rounder way back in 2002 in Brentwood. He floored Nicky in the first round and outboxed him for much of the fight, staving off a big effort from the Nottingham man in the later rounds to take the points. Nicky was 'clean' at this time while Jason was down at flyweight, where he won the same British and Commonwealth titles he holds today but failed in three cracks at the European title, which is a worry going into this. You worry about his level. He moved up to super-flyweight in 2003 but lost a bloody 12-rounder to Belfast's clever Damaen Kelly and fell into alcoholism before emerging from the mist in 2006 and re-inventing himself at bantamweight, where he won another Commonwealth title, and then at super-bantamweight, where he is unbeaten and replicated Molitor's five-round win over Hunter, although Hunter was largely spent by this time.
The revenge angle, the fascinating clash of stern discipline and casual unpredictability, make this proper world title fight unmissable. Both men are boxers - movers - quick to switch to the front foot with punches sharp enough to do damage, and with great workrate. Booth goes well to the body but he is unlikely to get any joy with this kid, although you wonder the other way round, and yet nothing seems to faze Jason, who will enjoy great sparring with southpaw Rendall Munroe, a man with his own world title fight to prepare for, a man fresh enough to come again if he loses. You struggle to say the same of Booth. It is now or never for the man who came in from the cold.

An Old Man, A Boy And A Donkey...

An old man, a boy and a donkey, were going to town. The boy rode on the donkey and the old man walked.

As they went along they passed some people who remarked it was a shame the old man was walking and the boy was riding.

The man and boy thought maybe the critics were right, so they changed positions.

Then, later, they passed some people who remarked, 'What a shame, he makes that little boy walk.' So they then decided they'd both walk!

Soon they passed some more people who thought they were stupid to walk when they had a decent donkey to ride.

So, they both rode the donkey.

Now they passed some people who shamed them by saying how awful to put such a load on a poor donkey.

The boy and man figured they were probably right, so they decide to carry the donkey.

As they crossed the bridge, they lost their grip on the animal and he fell into the river and drowned.

The moral of the story?

If you try to please everyone, you might as well...

...Kiss your ass goodbye!

Randyman wrote:An Old Man, A Boy And A Donkey...

An old man, a boy and a donkey, were going to town. The boy rode on the donkey and the old man walked.

As they went along they passed some people who remarked it was a shame the old man was walking and the boy was riding.

The man and boy thought maybe the critics were right, so they changed positions.

Then, later, they passed some people who remarked, 'What a shame, he makes that little boy walk.' So they then decided they'd both walk!

Soon they passed some more people who thought they were stupid to walk when they had a decent donkey to ride.

So, they both rode the donkey.

Now they passed some people who shamed them by saying how awful to put such a load on a poor donkey.

The boy and man figured they were probably right, so they decide to carry the donkey.

As they crossed the bridge, they lost their grip on the animal and he fell into the river and drowned.

The moral of the story?

If you try to please everyone, you might as well...

...Kiss your ass goodbye!

As hot as it is I wouldn't mind falling with the donkey into the river....

kikibalt wrote:As hot as it is I wouldn't falling with the donkey into the river....

Man, you're not kidding. It's 94 degrees right now. A cold river sounds pretty good right now!

Randy DD

Randyman wrote:

kikibalt wrote:As hot as it is I wouldn't falling with the donkey into the river....

Man, you're not kidding. It's 94 degrees right now. A cold river sounds pretty good right now!

Randy DD

Some cold High Sierra river water sounds great....

94 its been in the 100's for weeks here in South Carolina. I am jumping in with the donkey.

iskigoe wrote:94 its been in the 100's for weeks here in South Carolina. I am jumping in with the donkey.

In Death Valley it's 115 right now. Tomorrow it's 125. I don't handle the heat as well as I used to. Cold river water and a cold beer sound good right now. (I'm not in Death valley but I was just looking at the weather channel)

Anybody see jab Zudah fight tonight on ESPN 2? Stopped his guy in the 3rd. The guy was over matched. Not much of a Zudah fan.

bennie wrote:I used to love the amateur game before headguards and computer-scoring came along. Today, I don't even watch the Olympic stuff. Our own Audley Harrison proved that you can win a gold medal without being able to fight. Harrison just mastered the computer system with a few straight punches per round and then a lot of movement to avoid being pegged back. The fighters are told the score at the end of every round and know if they have won or lost at the final bell. It takes away any spontaneity. It is a ghastly state of affairs.

I hear you Bennie.
In retrospect,if amateurs were wearing headgear back in the seventies, I probably wouldnt have even got involved with the sport.
It just wouldnt have been that interesting to me.
To a kid slugging it out regularly in....unscheduled scrimmages, headgear would have been a negative I think.
Boxing provided a nice outlet to a high spirited young lad. I wouldnt have wanted it watered down.
It just wouldnt have been the same.

Expug wrote:

bennie wrote:I used to love the amateur game before headguards and computer-scoring came along. Today, I don't even watch the Olympic stuff. Our own Audley Harrison proved that you can win a gold medal without being able to fight. Harrison just mastered the computer system with a few straight punches per round and then a lot of movement to avoid being pegged back. The fighters are told the score at the end of every round and know if they have won or lost at the final bell. It takes away any spontaneity. It is a ghastly state of affairs.

I hear you Bennie.
In retrospect,if amateurs were wearing headgear back in the seventies, I probably wouldnt have even got involved with the sport.
It just wouldnt have been that interesting to me.
To a kid slugging it out regularly in....unscheduled scrimmages, headgear would have been a negative I think.
Boxing provided a nice outlet to a high spirited young lad. I wouldnt have wanted it watered down.
It just wouldnt have been the same.

Amateur boxing for me back in the '70s was total excitement. You had 3 rounds to plead your case and that meant non-stop action. When they brought in computer scoring, it went downhill from there. Regarding headgear, man, I hated them. I don't think I ever wore one that didn't slip over my eyes when I ducked. After awhile, I wouldn't duck. I preferred to take the punch rather than duck, get caught with a shot blindly, then readjust the headgear. It was such a pain in the arse.

Scartissue

kikibalt wrote:Both Frankie Duarte and Albert Davila were part of a great crop of Los Angeles Jr. Golden Glovers from the '60's, the likes that we haven't seen since. A big number of them went on to become top contenders, some like Davila champions. I think I can speak for Rick Farris on this and say that we are proud to say we were part of that L.A. boxing history.

Davila beat Pintor in a non-title fight and then lost to him for the title. Can anyone remember how the rematch went? The scores suggest it was desperately close.

In their second bout, Alberto Davila piled up a big early lead, but Lupe Pintor had a very strong finish during the last eight rounds.

- Chuck Johnston

Getting ready for another hot day....

bennie wrote:

kikibalt wrote:Both Frankie Duarte and Albert Davila were part of a great crop of Los Angeles Jr. Golden Glovers from the '60's, the likes that we haven't seen since. A big number of them went on to become top contenders, some like Davila champions. I think I can speak for Rick Farris on this and say that we are proud to say we were part of that L.A. boxing history.

Davila beat Pintor in a non-title fight and then lost to him for the title. Can anyone remember how the rematch went? The scores suggest it was desperately close.

Bennie, it was like Chuck said. Davila over the first half and then Pintor over the second half. Davila almost dropped Pintor in the 2nd round I believe with a fast straight right, but moreover, this bout was fought at an absolutely sizzling pace. It was one of the best 118 lb. bouts I've seen for sheer technical skill.

Scartissue

kikibalt wrote:Getting ready for another hot day....

Scorching here too, Frankie. But wait, we just had a downpour. Great...that did nothing but drive the humidity through the roof.

Scartissue

Brutal here eh Dan?
Hey, how was fishing with Gapper?

We being having over 100 degree weather for about 5 days now, its suppose to cool down to about 90 for the next few days....

kikibalt wrote:We being having over 100 degree weather for about 5 days now, its suppose to cool down to about 90 for the next few days....

Its hot here too. . . mid 90s, but with the humidity it feels over 100 degrees. Unfortunately, that's pretty typical for late July/August here in St. Louis.

Detroit . . .

After a near 90 hour work week, it was great to sleep in today.
About two blocks from the Motor City Hotel & Casino, where our film crew is being lodged, is an old vacant lot, over grown in weeds, surrounded by a chain link fence.
Wandering closer to the fence, I notice in the center is a baseball diamond, pitcher's mound, home plate and base lines that are somewhat maintained.
I discover that the vacant lot was once Briggs Field, which decades ago was home to the Detroit Tigers.
In this stadium Ty Cobb stole bases, and Babe Ruth, playing for the visiting N.Y. Yankees hit home runs.
However, more importantly, this is the place where Baseball legend Lou Gehrig, would bench himself. Gehrig had started in more than 2100 consecutive baseball games during his 14 seasons with the Yanks, a record that still stands. However, on this day in 1939, Gehrig was too sick to play, and he would never play again. Two years later he would die of what today is known as "Lou Gehrig's Disease", neuromuscular disease.

I walked around to what was the front of the old stadium. Nothing remains but the modestly maintained diamond, a stretch of the original front gate, and the area where once stood the grandstands that were taken down decades ago. Now all that remains where the fans watched baseball games is soil overgrown with weeds.

I walked out onto the field and stood at home plate, and then out to the mound. Looking out toward center field one monument to the past still remains, the center field flag pole.

Standing next to home plate, a shiver ran down my spine, knowing that during the early part of the last century Ty Cobb had crossed that plate, and likely had slid into it with his spikes in the air, ready to cut into the catcher attempting to tag him out. A freeway now runs along the edge of what was once the left-center field fence. I imagined one of Ruth's homers smashing into a car passing by on the freeway just beyond the fence.

Of course, the men I am referring to were not Detroit Tigers, but N.Y. Yankees who were playing against the Tigers. I took a few snap shots using my cell phone, and I will return next sunday with a better camera to take better pictures.

Our friend John Bardelli (age 13) once attended a game at Briggs Field, back in the 1956, the same year Mickey Mantle won the triple crown. John was in Michigan that year to play in the Babe Ruth League World Series, representing Wallace, Idaho. I forwarded the photos to John, and in return I received a lot of baseball history. John was a helluva ball player, and today a baseball historian. More than boxing history runs thru the blood of Mr. Bardelli.

Next week, we will re-shoot several scenes for the series pilot for "Detroit 187", and we will do so in the same neighborhood (using the same house) that was used recently in the Clint Eastwood feature "Grand Torino". The neighborhood is located in nearby Highland Park. Despite the long work week, I'm enjoying Detroit, and the people of this sadly dacaying town. Next Saturday night, we will be attending a Detroit Tigers game courtesy of the film company.

Last night we went to Hockey Town, a local sports bar, however, with no major event in town, it was closed. As we approached the club, I couldn't help but think of our buddy Brian (ExPug) hoisting up the Stanley Cup on the ice after his Black Hawks defeated Detroit's Red Wings recently. Although I'm not a Chicago guy, I thought it would be fun to show off that picture, but it probably wouldn't win me many friends here in the Motor City. We ended up in Greek Town, had dinner and then it was back to the Hotel where I fell asleep.

My original plan was to be here for six months, for the first 12 episodes, but I will be returning to L.A. on the 28th, to light another TV production during August, and then begin pre-production on Spider Man-4, which will keep me busy thru next May. I don't mind the heat and humidity of Detroit, but I was not looking forward to the cold winters and filming outside. On that note it will be a pleasure to return to L.A..

As for boxing, there is a card scheduled for this coming friday in nearby Royal Oak, and if by chance we are not filming that evening, the company will see a few of us have good seats for that fight card. However, I have a feeling we'll be filming that night? At this stage, the shooting schedule is being revamped, so who knows?

I send my best to all of my CAWCB amigos!


-Rick Farris

Rick Farris wrote:Detroit . . .

After a near 90 hour work week, it was great to sleep in today.
About two blocks from the Motor City Hotel & Casino, where our film crew is being lodged, is an old vacant lot, over grown in weeds, surrounded by a chain link fence.
Wandering closer to the fence, I notice in the center is a baseball diamond, pitcher's mound, home plate and base lines that are somewhat maintained.
I discover that the vacant lot was once Briggs Field, which decades ago was home to the Detroit Tigers.
In this stadium Ty Cobb stole bases, and Babe Ruth, playing for the visiting N.Y. Yankees hit home runs.
However, more importantly, this is the place where Baseball legend Lou Gehrig, would bench himself. Gehrig had started in more than 2100 consecutive baseball games during his 14 seasons with the Yanks, a record that still stands. However, on this day in 1939, Gehrig was too sick to play, and he would never play again. Two years later he would die of what today is known as "Lou Gehrig's Disease", neuromuscular disease.

I walked around to what was the front of the old stadium. Nothing remains but the modestly maintained diamond, a stretch of the original front gate, and the area where once stood the grandstands that were taken down decades ago. Now all that remains where the fans watched baseball games is soil overgrown with weeds.

I walked out onto the field and stood at home plate, and then out to the mound. Looking out toward center field one monument to the past still remains, the center field flag pole.

Standing next to home plate, a shiver ran down my spine, knowing that during the early part of the last century Ty Cobb had crossed that plate, and likely had slid into it with his spikes in the air, ready to cut into the catcher attempting to tag him out. A freeway now runs along the edge of what was once the left-center field fence. I imagined one of Ruth's homers smashing into a car passing by on the freeway just beyond the fence.

Of course, the men I am referring to were not Detroit Tigers, but N.Y. Yankees who were playing against the Tigers. I took a few snap shots using my cell phone, and I will return next sunday with a better camera to take better pictures.

Our friend John Bardelli (age 13) once attended a game at Briggs Field, back in the 1956, the same year Mickey Mantle won the triple crown. John was in Michigan that year to play in the Babe Ruth League World Series, representing Wallace, Idaho. I forwarded the photos to John, and in return I received a lot of baseball history. John was a helluva ball player, and today a baseball historian. More than boxing history runs thru the blood of Mr. Bardelli.

Next week, we will re-shoot several scenes for the series pilot for "Detroit 187", and we will do so in the same neighborhood (using the same house) that was used recently in the Clint Eastwood feature "Grand Torino". The neighborhood is located in nearby Highland Park. Despite the long work week, I'm enjoying Detroit, and the people of this sadly dacaying town. Next Saturday night, we will be attending a Detroit Tigers game courtesy of the film company.

Last night we went to Hockey Town, a local sports bar, however, with no major event in town, it was closed. As we approached the club, I couldn't help but think of our buddy Brian (ExPug) hoisting up the Stanley Cup on the ice after his Black Hawks defeated Detroit's Red Wings recently. Although I'm not a Chicago guy, I thought it would be fun to show off that picture, but it probably wouldn't win me many friends here in the Motor City. We ended up in Greek Town, had dinner and then it was back to the Hotel where I fell asleep.

My original plan was to be here for six months, for the first 12 episodes, but I will be returning to L.A. on the 28th, to light another TV production during August, and then begin pre-production on Spider Man-4, which will keep me busy thru next May. I don't mind the heat and humidity of Detroit, but I was not looking forward to the cold winters and filming outside. On that note it will be a pleasure to return to L.A..

As for boxing, there is a card scheduled for this coming friday in nearby Royal Oak, and if by chance we are not filming that evening, the company will see a few of us have good seats for that fight card. However, I have a feeling we'll be filming that night? At this stage, the shooting schedule is being revamped, so who knows?

I send my best to all of my CAWCB amigos!


-Rick Farris

nice to hear from you Rick. Great post....

Great to hear from you Rick.
I really enjoyed your description of Briggs field.
Are you going to be leaving on the 28th of July to go back to L.A?
Or, are you going to be in Detroit for part of the winter?
I'd like to meet up with you at some point.

Yeah,those folks out there in "hockeytown" probably wouldnt be real thrilled with your buddy Brian.
We have a ...spirited rivalry going with RedWing fans presently.
You can hear Blackhawk fans chanting "Detroit Sucks" at home games when the Hawks arent even playing the Wings.

Expug wrote:Great to hear from you Rick.
I really enjoyed your description of Briggs field.
Are you going to be leaving on the 28th of July to go back to L.A?
Or, are you going to be in Detroit for part of the winter?
I'd like to meet up with you at some point.

Yeah,those folks out there in "hockeytown" probably wouldnt be real thrilled with your buddy Brian.
We have a ...spirited rivalry going with RedWing fans presently.
You can hear Blackhawk fans chanting "Detroit Sucks" at home games when the Hawks arent even playing the Wings.

Brian . . .

I was looking forward to us getting together in Detroit later in the year, but I've been presented with a better opportunity back in L.A. I'll finish the series pilot on the 27th and return the next day.

I regret our not being able to hook-up here. I thought it might be fun to visit Hockey Town with you, talk up the Hawks and endear ourselves to the locals. What are they going to do, kick our asses?

A friend of mine called and told me he'd just accepted a feature film in Greece, and that he'd have to leave a film he's doing in Chicago, "Transformers-3". He asked if I'd be interested in replacing him. That was a tough one to turn down knowing that both you and Dan Hanley are in Chicago, but it would interfere with the bigger Spider Man film that will begin pre-production in September, and begin filming in December.

I know this, states such as Michigan, Louisiana and New Mexico are making film producers offers that they can't refuse. While California is going broke out of stupidity, other states are taking advantage of the tremendous revenue film companies contribute to their economy. If California politicians are so stupid as to let one of their greatest money makers leave town, I'll be leaving with the work, so chances are we'll have a chance to get together somwhere in due course.

I love L.A. but I don't like a lot of the phony bastids that hang on the fringe of the film industry. As I told Dan a few nights ago, I have a couple of Chicago guys on my crew, and they are great guys. California still has the best film technicians, however, I believe you could teach a monkey to do many of the jobs we do, so the Golden State had best get it's act together or kiss the movie industry good bye.

Chuck1052 wrote:In their second bout, Alberto Davila piled up a big early lead, but Lupe Pintor had a very strong finish during the last eight rounds.

- Chuck Johnston

Cheers, Chuck.