Classic American West Coast Boxing

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Roland LaStarza...1965

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Mando Ramos with Enrique Bolanos, dad, Ray Ramos & Jake Shgue (Spelling)

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Eddie Machen & Reuben Vargas....1959

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Roland LaStarza...1954

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Ernie Shavers

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Eder Jofre. Jofre was the second best bantamweight I seen fight live, Manuel Ortiz been the best I seen.

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[Rick Farris]

Roland LaStarza...1965

Ironic. I met LaStarza in 1964, when he co-starred on a Warner Bros. TV series called, "Galant Men".
My grandfather was the LD, and he had me visit the set one day and I was introduced to him.
Nice man. I recall him puffing on a huge cigar that day as he sat studying his script.

[Rick Farris]

Eder Jofre. Jofre was the second best bantamweight I seen fight live, Manuel Ortiz been the best I seen.

I have to agree, Frank. I've been watching videos of Jofre, especially the two very close losses to Fighting Harada.
Jofre was dehydrated, still he fought hard for 15 rounds twice. Harada's extra energy took the fight. These were his only losses.
Jofre retired for a few years, and then came back as a featherweight, remained unbeaten and winning the featherweight title.
He was the Mayor of Sao Paolo, Brazil, and may still be?
Ortiz is without question the best. Jofre has to be #2, my opinion. I also love Olivares and rate him #3.
Olivares was the best I saw live, I've had to rely on videos and the words of those whom really know L.A. & world boxing.
Fighting Harada was a good one, but nobody credits him much today. I think he's the best Japanese fighter I ever saw.

[Rick Farris]

Mando Ramos with Enrique Bolanos, dad, Ray Ramos & Jake Shgue (Spelling)

West Coast boxing royalty.

[Randyman]

Mando Ramos with Enrique Bolanos, dad, Ray Ramos & Jake Shgue (Spelling)

West Coast boxing royalty.

I couldn't agree more Rick.

[Randyman]

Ernie Shavers

One bad dude!

[Randyman]

Lee McAllister was stopped in eight rounds by unbeaten John Murray in a crack at the British lightweight title in January 2009, since when Joe Jordan has been busier than the slippery Scot, out for over a year with an elbow injury. The 28-year-old McAllister, a ticket-seller from the granite city of Aberdeen, finally returns against Hungarian trier Istvan Nagy on Saturday night in Aberdeen, bizarrely scheduled for 12 rounds.
Frankly, this is just a warm-up for McAllister, 31-2 (7), as he checks out his left elbow before concentrating on defences of his Commonwealth lightweight title against the potential likes of Alex Arthur, Willie Limond, Derry Matthews or even hot Cardiff puncher Gary Buckland, who stopped Nagy in the first round in November 2009 in Stoke (down twice).
Nagy, 29, regularly tours the European fight circuit and lasted five rounds with young Scot Paul Appleby in Motherwell in 2007, so he knows what he is up against. In fairness, the gutsy visitor rarely gets stopped and he carries a bit of a dig at 15-8 (8), but McAllister is big, quick and talented enough to halt Nagy from the middle round.

I wish Mel Epstein could see this one.

Mel would have a lot to say about it.

[Randyman]

I am intrigued by the parking lot sign " $5.00 all day".
This past weekend I drove my friend and I into midtown Manhattan to go to the St Johns vs Pittsburg college basketball game. (He has season tickets and a St John's grad).
We had option of taking train, but I said I would drive. There is parking around Mad. Sq. Garden. Sign states "Weekends up to 12 hrs. $18.33, Garden events $24.50, Special events $31.50 up to 12 hrs" Final Result on return to pick up car: On Saturday, In Mad. Sq.Garden 5 hrs-total bill $37.00.
Mgr says- special event plus city tax- that I still had 7 more hours at that price.
Tried to figure out his definition of Garden events and Special Event. Ever argue with a foreigner who has no clue either way.? Know what; I gather-EVERY dam day is "Special Event" no matter if Garden is involved or not.
I'm slowing down, mind lapses after working in city for years.
I should have saw it coming.
On even second thought- I got my car back intact and nothing missing, Thanks to God on that one too.

Charlie . . . Parking in downtown L.A. can be crazy too, especially around the Staples Center.
And isn't it strange that some guy you just heard speaking perfect English, suddenly speaks nothing but Farsi when money is the issue.

The Staples Center can get bad but the Dodgers Stadium has them all beat. It's a madhouse trying to get out. The Angels Stadium on the other hand is a piece of cake.

[Randyman]

It appears that when they knocked down the Main Street Gym they did away with 318 & 1/2. Probably expect bigger buildings in the future. For those of us that trained here this will always be a special place. It's still strange to see nothing there.

Note the $50.00 for special events. Kinda steep.

[Rick Farris]

It appears that when they knocked down the Main Street Gym they did away with 318 & 1/2. Probably expect bigger buildings in the future. For those of us that trained here this will always be a special place. It's still strange to see nothing there.

Note the $50.00 for special events. Kinda steep.

In the early 70's, gym dues were $5 a month.
And "Skid Row" parking was about 50 cents?

[bennie]

David Haye moves closer to unification showdowns with the Klitschko sisters when he defends his WBA heavyweight crown against, so they say, one of four opponents on the night of May 21 at London's O2 Arena, including old man Roy Jones, but the less said about that one the better. The other three consist of Alexander Povetkin, Denis Boytsov and Ruslan Chagaev.
The unbeaten Povetkin, a former Olympic gold medallist from Russia, has done everything right in six years as a pro and looks ready to go at the age of 31, a good age for a heavyweight, after 21 solid wins. He lacks Haye's chilling brand of speed and power but puts punches together smoothly and firmly, and reads opponents well (unlike most heavies) as he showed when outboxing Philadelphia's "Fast" Eddie Chambers over 12 rounds in 2008, although few heavies, if any, are as fast as Haye, a former undisputed cruiserweight champion of the world who would most likely have destroyed Chambers inside six rounds.
Nevertheless, Povetkin ranks as an outstanding challenger for our man, unlike the despicable Audley Harrison. Yes, Haye comes off that pathetic three-round win over Harrison in Manchester in November in front of a disgusted world, a world that moaned long and hard afterwards - none of which was Haye's fault. A gifted fighter with long arms and a dangerous array of punches, Haye went out there and did his job. He made it look easy - too easy - and has now stopped eight of his last 10 opponents, in good company (overlooking Harrrison). Haye coolly outboxed the two men who did survive, including gigantic Russian Nikolai Valuev to win the WBA heavyweight title in Germany in November 2009, retaining the title twice since.
The Harrison debacle behind him, Haye's heavyweight future looks rosy. Still only 30, the charismatic Londoner often hints at retirement but all fighters do when intense training gets them down, Believe me, Haye has yet even to reach his heavyweight peak; the hard training all pays off, of course, when Haye nails opponents to the canvas or cruises to 12-round decisions, the latter of which he's done twice. Povetkin, in contrast, is one of those lazy, fleshy types who trains half-heartedly and likes to fight at his own often sedate pace. This will hurt him on the night (if he and Haye meet). Haye is all smiles outside the ring but in there, he has the power and the killer instinct to drain the colour from anyone's face and Povetkin is pale-looking as it is.
To the next Russian challenger, Boytsov, a stocky fellow who has racked up impressive stats of 28-0 (23 early) but is largely avoided and yet to fight anyone of Haye's talent and stature, although he did stop a shopworn Taras Bidenko in six rounds in 2009, the Ukrainian who wobbled the colossal Valuev in the 12th and last round of a points defeat dating back to July 2002, can you believe. (Haye also wobbled Valuev in the 12th and last round, but Haye won.) Boytsov, who has boxed only five times in the last three years, winning them all by stoppage, is clearly dangerous but so is Haye at 25-1 (23 early), and the Londoner holds all the edges in size, speed, fluidity, top-flight experience and ring intelligence.
Haye refused to walk into Harrison, for example, with Harrison looking to counterpunch, picking him off instead from the outside and flooring him with a few casual right hands. Long before that, Haye took a shrewd 'knee' when Jean Marc Mormeck hurt him in the early rounds of a big fight at cruiserweight, allowing his head to clear and coming back to chop down the bull of a Frenchman in the seventh of what ranks as a vastly underrated performance from the exciting Haye, one which showed he had learned from his only defeat when he stayed on his feet under fire from Bolton's Carl Thompson and was halted in five rounds at Wembley in 2004. Today, Haye enjoys it in there because he knows he can hurt opponents and take any hurt back, and he knows he can do the full 12 rounds, a mental thing that bothered him for some years. All this will expose the untested Boytsov who looks out of his depth against the superfit, determined, aggressive Haye, a champion who relishes in his fitness, who relishes in dishing it out, and dish it out he undoubtedly will.
Southpaw Chagaev, the mandatory challenger with Hepatitis-B, has been a naughty boy before. He licked Cuban great Felix Savon (14-4) in the heavyweight final of the 1997 world amateur championships in Hungary but had turned pro in the States beforehand (winning two fights by knockout) and was stripped of his medal (shades somewhat of Ingemar Johansson), although he was allowed to rejoin the vested ranks and won super-heavyweight gold at the world championships in Belfast in 2001, where Haye lost in a thrilling heavyweight final to Odlanier Solis. Based in Hamburg, Chagaev, an Uzbekistani, then turned pro openly and stopped 59-fight American Everett "Big Foot" Martin in his official debut in September 2001 (four rounds). The usually durable Martin never fought again.
Chagaev, 32, can undoubtedly fight and has lost only to Haye's bitter rival Wladimir Klitschko in 29 outings, in June 2009, so he will serve as a great sounding board if he does tackle Haye in May. Klitschko dropped Chagaev early in their German encounter in front of an astonishing 61,000 fans but needed nine full rounds to finish him off and never floored him again (it ended on a corner retirement, Chagaev horribly busted up), since when Chagaev has boxed twice - unconvincingly - and was taken to the wire by American 'opponent' Travis Walker last time out in November before taking an eight-round decision.
The man dubbed "White Tyson" looks over the mountain. Chagaev is far more boxer than puncher, anyway, using good movement and boxing skills to offset a lack of height and reach, although he likes to press forward and apply educated pressure once an opponent is tiring. However, the Hepatitis thing is only exacerbated by Chagaev's left eyebrow these days, which is busting open repeatedly, meaning blood and lots of it. The eyebrow let him down terribly against Klitschko but even then, he did tag the giant Ukrainian a few times, who said afterwards: "You can't underestimate Chagaev.
"He did everything today, but I was better."
Nevertheless, Chagaev has largely failed to impress since outscoring that half-man, half-beast Valuev over 12 rounds four years ago, while Haye has continued to look good since outscoring the same man, destroying John Ruiz in nine rounds (four knockdowns), a man who had held Chagaev to a split decision, and toying with Harrison, a southpaw punch-picker like Chagaev.
The form fighter is the British fighter, no matter who he meets.

[kikibalt]

Watching 'Winchester '73', a classic for sure, on the Western Channel. I remember going to watch it at the Vogue Theater in Montebello when it first came out in 1950...Damn!!, that's 61 years ago!!. Am I that fu*king old??....LOL!!

[Rick Farris]

David Haye moves closer to unification showdowns with the Klitschko sisters when he defends his WBA heavyweight crown against, so they say, one of four opponents on the night of May 21 at London's O2 Arena, including old man Roy Jones, but the less said about that one the better. The other three consist of Alexander Povetkin, Denis Boytsov and Ruslan Chagaev.
The unbeaten Povetkin, a former Olympic gold medallist from Russia, has done everything right in six years as a pro and looks ready to go at the age of 31, a good age for a heavyweight, after 21 solid wins. He lacks Haye's chilling brand of speed and power but puts punches together smoothly and firmly, and reads opponents well (unlike most heavies) as he showed when outboxing Philadelphia's "Fast" Eddie Chambers over 12 rounds in 2008, although few heavies, if any, are as fast as Haye, a former undisputed cruiserweight champion of the world who would most likely have destroyed Chambers inside six rounds.
Nevertheless, Povetkin ranks as an outstanding challenger for our man, unlike the despicable Audley Harrison. Yes, Haye comes off that pathetic three-round win over Harrison in Manchester in November in front of a disgusted world, a world that moaned long and hard afterwards - none of which was Haye's fault. A gifted fighter with long arms and a dangerous array of punches, Haye went out there and did his job. He made it look easy - too easy - and has now stopped eight of his last 10 opponents, in good company (overlooking Harrrison). Haye coolly outboxed the two men who did survive, including gigantic Russian Nikolai Valuev to win the WBA heavyweight title in Germany in November 2009, retaining the title twice since.
The Harrison debacle behind him, Haye's heavyweight future looks rosy. Still only 30, the charismatic Londoner often hints at retirement but all fighters do when intense training gets them down, Believe me, Haye has yet even to reach his heavyweight peak; the hard training all pays off, of course, when Haye nails opponents to the canvas or cruises to 12-round decisions, the latter of which he's done twice. Povetkin, in contrast, is one of those lazy, fleshy types who trains half-heartedly and likes to fight at his own often sedate pace. This will hurt him on the night (if he and Haye meet). Haye is all smiles outside the ring but in there, he has the power and the killer instinct to drain the colour from anyone's face and Povetkin is pale-looking as it is.
To the next Russian challenger, Boytsov, a stocky fellow who has racked up impressive stats of 28-0 (23 early) but is largely avoided and yet to fight anyone of Haye's talent and stature, although he did stop a shopworn Taras Bidenko in six rounds in 2009, the Ukrainian who wobbled the colossal Valuev in the 12th and last round of a points defeat dating back to July 2002, can you believe. (Haye also wobbled Valuev in the 12th and last round, but Haye won.) Boytsov, who has boxed only five times in the last three years, winning them all by stoppage, is clearly dangerous but so is Haye at 25-1 (23 early), and the Londoner holds all the edges in size, speed, fluidity, top-flight experience and ring intelligence.
Haye refused to walk into Harrison, for example, with Harrison looking to counterpunch, picking him off instead from the outside and flooring him with a few casual right hands. Long before that, Haye took a shrewd 'knee' when Jean Marc Mormeck hurt him in the early rounds of a big fight at cruiserweight, allowing his head to clear and coming back to chop down the bull of a Frenchman in the seventh of what ranks as a vastly underrated performance from the exciting Haye, one which showed he had learned from his only defeat when he stayed on his feet under fire from Bolton's Carl Thompson and was halted in five rounds at Wembley in 2004. Today, Haye enjoys it in there because he knows he can hurt opponents and take any hurt back, and he knows he can do the full 12 rounds, a mental thing that bothered him for some years. All this will expose the untested Boytsov who looks out of his depth against the superfit, determined, aggressive Haye, a champion who relishes in his fitness, who relishes in dishing it out, and dish it out he undoubtedly will.
Southpaw Chagaev, the mandatory challenger with Hepatitis-B, has been a naughty boy before. He licked Cuban great Felix Savon (14-4) in the heavyweight final of the 1997 world amateur championships in Hungary but had turned pro in the States beforehand (winning two fights by knockout) and was stripped of his medal (shades somewhat of Ingemar Johansson), although he was allowed to rejoin the vested ranks and won super-heavyweight gold at the world championships in Belfast in 2001, where Haye lost in a thrilling heavyweight final to Odlanier Solis. Based in Hamburg, Chagaev, an Uzbekistani, then turned pro openly and stopped 59-fight American Everett "Big Foot" Martin in his official debut in September 2001 (four rounds). The usually durable Martin never fought again.
Chagaev, 32, can undoubtedly fight and has lost only to Haye's bitter rival Wladimir Klitschko in 29 outings, in June 2009, so he will serve as a great sounding board if he does tackle Haye in May. Klitschko dropped Chagaev early in their German encounter in front of an astonishing 61,000 fans but needed nine full rounds to finish him off and never floored him again (it ended on a corner retirement, Chagaev horribly busted up), since when Chagaev has boxed twice - unconvincingly - and was taken to the wire by American 'opponent' Travis Walker last time out in November before taking an eight-round decision.
The man dubbed "White Tyson" looks over the mountain. Chagaev is far more boxer than puncher, anyway, using good movement and boxing skills to offset a lack of height and reach, although he likes to press forward and apply educated pressure once an opponent is tiring. However, the Hepatitis thing is only exacerbated by Chagaev's left eyebrow these days, which is busting open repeatedly, meaning blood and lots of it. The eyebrow let him down terribly against Klitschko but even then, he did tag the giant Ukrainian a few times, who said afterwards: "You can't underestimate Chagaev.
"He did everything today, but I was better."
Nevertheless, Chagaev has largely failed to impress since outscoring that half-man, half-beast Valuev over 12 rounds four years ago, while Haye has continued to look good since outscoring the same man, destroying John Ruiz in nine rounds (four knockdowns), a man who had held Chagaev to a split decision, and toying with Harrison, a southpaw punch-picker like Chagaev.
The form fighter is the British fighter, no matter who he meets.

Roy Jones? I thought that was scraping the bottom of the barrel, however, considering the depth of talent among the Eastern Europeans, why not? I guess the heavyweight division is still on vacation, or gone for good?

[Rick Farris]

4:55am. Gotta go (to work). Good morning Frank & Bennie. Where is Paul?

[kikibalt]

4:55am. Gotta go (to work). Good morning Frank & Bennie. Where is Paul?

Morning Rick. I think Paul is still at the tables in Vegas......

[bennie]

Limerick's Willie Casey, the small man with the mallet fists, will probably need sledgehammer fists to see off Cuban great Guillermo Rigondeaux in a daunting challenge for the interim WBA super-bantamweight title in Dublin on March 19.
I say Cuban great: Rigondeaux is unbeaten in just seven outings as a pro, so great seems way too strong an adjective. However, the slick, heavy handed southpaw claimed gold in two Olympics (and an amateur record of 400-12) before defecting to the United States in 2009 where he made up for lost money with a 12-round decision over Panamanian threat Ricardo Cordoba three months ago in Texas to win the interim title. This is his first defence. Rigondeaux, 30, also picked up gold in the world amateur championships in 2001 - in Belfast. Yeah, he's a Cuban great.
Casey, a southpaw himself, came from nowhere to win the European super-bantamweight title with an impressive four-round stoppage of big Irish rival Paul Hyland last year to earn this crack. It took his record to 11-0 (7) so, like the champion, Casey is unbeaten but lacks paid experience. However, the man known as "Big Bang" can undoubtedly fight and trains hard we can expect him to pile into Rigondeaux from the start in an effort to outwork the classier visitor. It is now or never for the 29-year-old home man, a welder who turned pro in 2008 to see how far he could get. Barring cuts, Willie gets as far as the full 12 rounds but the decision then goes Rigondeaux's way. After all, if the two met as amateurs, you would clearly go for Rigondeaux.
On the same night, by the way, Belfast's Brian Magee challenges Lucian Bute for the IBF super-middleweight title in Montreal in another all-southpaw battle.




Willie Casey (right) and fan

[bennie]

Jack Petersen at 78.

[CNorkusJr]

It appears that when they knocked down the Main Street Gym they did away with 318 & 1/2. Probably expect bigger buildings in the future. For those of us that trained here this will always be a special place. It's still strange to see nothing there.

Note the $50.00 for special events. Kinda steep.

In the early 70's, gym dues were $5 a month.
And "Skid Row" parking was about 50 cents?

Wow, I dont feel so bad now. $50 for parking. I have a picture of one of my fathers fight card (vs. Roy Harris in Houston) Ringside back then was $3.50.
The Downtown Athletic Club in New York did not have parking. You had to park in a garage about 4 city blocks away at about $40/night. But, across the street on the other side of the Westside Hwy was a dirt lot that could hold about 100 cars. So, thats where many would park and take their chances running across the highway-which wasnt hard to do.No sooner did you park your car there, a homeless man would be right at you. He would say that he will watch your car for $5.00. He said the area was bad for vandals and that he will watch out for your car with a baseball bat that he held.Of course, you bought this personal protection policy. If not, your headlights would be broke and a mirror or two. No witnesses for sure. We always bought his policy-and never had a problem.

[CNorkusJr]

Thanks for posting pictures of Roland LaStarza. My father had a great history with LaStarza throughout the 50's though they only met once in the ring in 1954.
Though my father trained in New Jersey for a few years in the beginning of his career, in 1951 he was moving up in the heavy division with some KO's logged in. With talk of him fighting on the bigger stages in New York, he started training at Stillmans gym about 1951.
LaStarza was already in there and held court to his followers. My father watched as the older LaStarza would train. They became friends very fast and would kid each other about getting together in the ring one day and who would win.
On Nov 9th,1951 LaStarza was originally scheduled to fight Dan Bucceroni, but LaSatarza had the flu and fight was postponed until Dec 21. At that time my father was added to undercard fighting James J Parker who KO'd my father. My father was out for almost 30 seconds before coming too. LaStarza lost to Bucceroni as Main Event.

My father was scheduled to meet Roland in Main Event on Oct 20,1952 in Providence RI.
Rocky Marciano was going to be ref, and this would be his first appearance back in Providence area since winning the title. LaStarza had facial cuts from his previous fight and cancelled, Tommy Harrison was substituted against my father instead.Marciano did not ref,Harrison with Dec.

The two finally met in Cleveland arena in Dec 1954 on National TV. A charity show for The News Toyshop Fund helping poor children. Tixs were, $3,$6,$8,$10 and patron $15.
The fight sold out.Att:9,112. Roland came in at 3-2 favorite. Both fighters trained at Euclid Gym when they got to Cleveland.
In talk before- Angelo Curley-cutman was in my fathers corner with Ghee Leico his mgr.
A lackluster fight with my father getting the nod in the end. Pictures and articles next page.