Classic American West Coast Boxing

[Rick Farris]

It's always Great to hear a story about the guys who were the "nuts and bolts" of the boxing game. A guy like Andy Heilman, who put his time in the ring probably for less than money than anyone can imagine, taking and giving the raps and hits and still is remembered by those like the members of the California Boxing Hall of Fame.
I see the same thing here with the New Jersey Boxing Hall of fame.
As many of you know, its means the WORLD to them and their families on those nights they are honored.Great story on Andy Heilman.-Today still working hard due to his boxing ethics that he learned as a youngster.
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[Rick Farris]

Photo and caption by Dan


Dan Hanley with Andy 'Kid' Heilman

2008 World Boxing Hall of Fame

[Rick Farris]

Tony resting before his fight, thats Bobby in the backgound.

1968 . . .

This is the Tony Baltazar I knew. He was seven years old, waiting to be called into the ring to box.
Younger brother Bobby is busy in the background drawing.
I shared a lot of dressing rooms with these kids, we were all kids back then.
I won a Jr. Golden Gloves championship that year, and so did Tony!
He was only in the 2nd grade, but Tony was like a little pro in style & class.
Frank talks a lot about Johnny Forbes fighters, Keeny Teran, Gil Cadilli, Carlos Chavez, etc.
They all had classic boxing moves, hands up, they were taught to control the ring.
Proof of Frank's respect for the way Forbes taught boxers was evident in the style and moves of his sons.
Frankie Jr. and Tony were two different boxers (Frankie a lefty), however, both had a certain quality of style that can be linked to the Forbes stable.
Although not a Forbes fighter, Dad took the best he saw and the best he knew and put it into his boxers.
You could see the Johnny Forbes influence. My opinion.

[Cholo]

Tony resting before his fight, thats Bobby in the backgound.

1968 . . .

This is the Tony Baltazar I knew. He was seven years old, waiting to be called into the ring to box.
Younger brother Bobby is busy in the background drawing.
I shared a lot of dressing rooms with these kids, we were all kids back then.
I won a Jr. Golden Gloves championship that year, and so did Tony!
He was only in the 2nd grade, but Tony was like a little pro in style & class.
Frank talks a lot about Johnny Forbes fighters, Keeny Teran, Gil Cadilli, Carlos Chavez, etc.
They all had classic boxing moves, hands up, they were taught to control the ring.
Proof of Frank's respect for the way Forbes taught boxers was evident in the style and moves of his sons.
Frankie Jr. and Tony were two different boxers (Frankie a lefty), however, both had a certain quality of style that can be linked to the Forbes stable.
Although not a Forbes fighter, Dad took the best he saw and the best he knew and put it into his boxers.
You could see the Johnny Forbes influence. My opinion.

Rick, Tony looks he hasn't a care in the world, I knew a kid when I boxed in the amateurs who would fall sound asleep before a bout, I was never that cool..

[Cholo]

The Original "Golden Boy"
Aragon hit the road to prominence in 1949, when he fought 16 times and starred in the first locally televised fight series in southern California. Which originated at Hollywood Legion Stadium. He won 14 of 16 bouts, scoring nine knockouts, six of which came within two rounds. His name became magic in the TV ratings. An enterprising publicity agent capitalized on that impressive record and arranged a pre-fight ceremony at the Stadium in which William Holden, who played the title role in the movie Golden Boy, bequeathed his title to Aragon..

[Panzerfaust]

Up early and in need of a cup of coffee

[CNorkusJr]

Photo and caption by Dan


Dan Hanley with Andy 'Kid' Heilman

2008 World Boxing Hall of Fame

Thanks for photo

[CNorkusJr]

Tony resting before his fight, thats Bobby in the backgound.

1968 . . .

This is the Tony Baltazar I knew. He was seven years old, waiting to be called into the ring to box.
Younger brother Bobby is busy in the background drawing.
I shared a lot of dressing rooms with these kids, we were all kids back then.
I won a Jr. Golden Gloves championship that year, and so did Tony!
He was only in the 2nd grade, but Tony was like a little pro in style & class.
Frank talks a lot about Johnny Forbes fighters, Keeny Teran, Gil Cadilli, Carlos Chavez, etc.
They all had classic boxing moves, hands up, they were taught to control the ring.
Proof of Frank's respect for the way Forbes taught boxers was evident in the style and moves of his sons.
Frankie Jr. and Tony were two different boxers (Frankie a lefty), however, both had a certain quality of style that can be linked to the Forbes stable.
Although not a Forbes fighter, Dad took the best he saw and the best he knew and put it into his boxers.
You could see the Johnny Forbes influence. My opinion.

Very Cool !!!!!! Great Addition to forum. Thanks.

[kikibalt]

Tony resting before his fight, thats Bobby in the backgound.

1968 . . .

This is the Tony Baltazar I knew. He was seven years old, waiting to be called into the ring to box.
Younger brother Bobby is busy in the background drawing.
I shared a lot of dressing rooms with these kids, we were all kids back then.
I won a Jr. Golden Gloves championship that year, and so did Tony!
He was only in the 2nd grade, but Tony was like a little pro in style & class.
Frank talks a lot about Johnny Forbes fighters, Keeny Teran, Gil Cadilli, Carlos Chavez, etc.
They all had classic boxing moves, hands up, they were taught to control the ring.
Proof of Frank's respect for the way Forbes taught boxers was evident in the style and moves of his sons.
Frankie Jr. and Tony were two different boxers (Frankie a lefty), however, both had a certain quality of style that can be linked to the Forbes stable.
Although not a Forbes fighter, Dad took the best he saw and the best he knew and put it into his boxers.
You could see the Johnny Forbes influence. My opinion.

Rick, I shot this pic. at the Eastside Boys Club. you fought there once or twice in you Jr. Golden Glove career....

[Bobbin & Weavin]

Photo and caption by Dan


Dan Hanley with Andy 'Kid' Heilman

2008 World Boxing Hall of Fame

Thanks for photo

Thanks for your posts on Andy Heilman, I dug up some old newspaper articles about some of his fights in the Bay Area and even found my tickets stapled to the program of his fight with Nate Collins, a card where Jesus Pemintel and Frankie Crawford fought in separate bouts on the undercard! Heilman was one tough hombre and I have enjoyed going back and tracing his career here a bit and what a great picture of him at the WBHOF...
Thanks,
Bruce

[Rick Farris]

The Original "Golden Boy"
Aragon hit the road to prominence in 1949, when he fought 16 times and starred in the first locally televised fight series in southern California. Which originated at Hollywood Legion Stadium. He won 14 of 16 bouts, scoring nine knockouts, six of which came within two rounds. His name became magic in the TV ratings. An enterprising publicity agent capitalized on that impressive record and arranged a pre-fight ceremony at the Stadium in which William Holden, who played the title role in the movie Golden Boy, bequeathed his title to Aragon..

The Golden Boy title . . .

That publicity stunt was the brain child of our friend, Hap Navarro!
He had an idea, and called Columbia Studios publicity department to see what they thought about it.
The studio loved the idea.
Hollywood stars packed the Legion for that brief event prior to an Aragon fight.

[Rick Farris]

Tony resting before his fight, thats Bobby in the backgound.

1968 . . .

This is the Tony Baltazar I knew. He was seven years old, waiting to be called into the ring to box.
Younger brother Bobby is busy in the background drawing.
I shared a lot of dressing rooms with these kids, we were all kids back then.
I won a Jr. Golden Gloves championship that year, and so did Tony!
He was only in the 2nd grade, but Tony was like a little pro in style & class.
Frank talks a lot about Johnny Forbes fighters, Keeny Teran, Gil Cadilli, Carlos Chavez, etc.
They all had classic boxing moves, hands up, they were taught to control the ring.
Proof of Frank's respect for the way Forbes taught boxers was evident in the style and moves of his sons.
Frankie Jr. and Tony were two different boxers (Frankie a lefty), however, both had a certain quality of style that can be linked to the Forbes stable.
Although not a Forbes fighter, Dad took the best he saw and the best he knew and put it into his boxers.
You could see the Johnny Forbes influence. My opinion.

Rick, I shot this pic. at the Eastside Boys Club. you fought there once or twice in you Jr. Golden Glove career....

A Friday Night on the Eastside . . .

The only time I fought at the Eastside BC was in early 1968, same year this picture was taken. Likely the same night?
I remember the date because it was the first fight I had following the death of my grandfather.
I was motivated to win big for my grandfather. I fought a kid who had defeated me the previous year, and I never whipped a boxer so easily.
Frank, as usual, you were the busiest guy in the house. Besides your own boy's fighting, you were making matches, running around getting things ready.
Johnny Flores was out of town with Jerry Quarry, and my other trainers were unable to come, so my dad worked my corner, and I think Noe Cruz wrapped my hands.
I remember after the instructions, I went to my corner awaiting the bell and all my dad had to say was, "You know what to do. Go out and win this for your grandpa!"
That was the best thing he could have said to me, and the worst thing for my opponent.
I was not going to be denied. I think I went right out and hit him below the belt, then went to work.

[Cholo]

The Original "Golden Boy"
Aragon hit the road to prominence in 1949, when he fought 16 times and starred in the first locally televised fight series in southern California. Which originated at Hollywood Legion Stadium. He won 14 of 16 bouts, scoring nine knockouts, six of which came within two rounds. His name became magic in the TV ratings. An enterprising publicity agent capitalized on that impressive record and arranged a pre-fight ceremony at the Stadium in which William Holden, who played the title role in the movie Golden Boy, bequeathed his title to Aragon..

The Golden Boy title . . .

That publicity stunt was the brain child of our friend, Hap Navarro!
He had an idea, and called Columbia Studios publicity department to see what they thought about it.
The studio loved the idea.
Hollywood stars packed the Legion for that brief event prior to an Aragon fight.

Rick, Thanks for the Info buddy, I bet Hap could tell us some stories about the Golden Boy..

[Rick Farris]

The Original "Golden Boy"
Aragon hit the road to prominence in 1949, when he fought 16 times and starred in the first locally televised fight series in southern California. Which originated at Hollywood Legion Stadium. He won 14 of 16 bouts, scoring nine knockouts, six of which came within two rounds. His name became magic in the TV ratings. An enterprising publicity agent capitalized on that impressive record and arranged a pre-fight ceremony at the Stadium in which William Holden, who played the title role in the movie Golden Boy, bequeathed his title to Aragon..

The Golden Boy title . . .

That publicity stunt was the brain child of our friend, Hap Navarro!
He had an idea, and called Columbia Studios publicity department to see what they thought about it.
The studio loved the idea.
Hollywood stars packed the Legion for that brief event prior to an Aragon fight.

Rick, Thanks for the Info buddy, I bet Hap could tell us some stories about the Golden Boy..

He's been sharing them with Audie Aragon. Nobody alive was closer to Art Aragon in those early days.

[scartissue]

2008 World Boxing Hall of Fame

Thanks for photo

Thanks for your posts on Andy Heilman, I dug up some old newspaper articles about some of his fights in the Bay Area and even found my tickets stapled to the program of his fight with Nate Collins, a card where Jesus Pemintel and Frankie Crawford fought in separate bouts on the undercard! Heilman was one tough hombre and I have enjoyed going back and tracing his career here a bit and what a great picture of him at the WBHOF...
Thanks,
Bruce

Bruce, a dude Heilman was with came up to me at the memorabilia show (where this was taken) and said, "This man was a boxer, known as the Dakota Kid. Do you know he he is?" I said to him "I only knew of 3 fighters who came out of the Dakotas and that he obviously isn't Billy Petrolle, and I know he isn't Virgil Hill so...is he Andy Heilman?" When he said he was, I performed one of the great 'put my foot in my mouth' feats you ever heard:

Me: I knew you were a fighter by your nose.
Heilman: Yeah, but I got it fixed.
Me: You did?!

Lucky he didn't kick my arse.

Scartissue

[Rick Farris]

Thanks for photo

Thanks for your posts on Andy Heilman, I dug up some old newspaper articles about some of his fights in the Bay Area and even found my tickets stapled to the program of his fight with Nate Collins, a card where Jesus Pemintel and Frankie Crawford fought in separate bouts on the undercard! Heilman was one tough hombre and I have enjoyed going back and tracing his career here a bit and what a great picture of him at the WBHOF...
Thanks,
Bruce

Bruce, a dude Heilman was with came up to me at the memorabilia show (where this was taken) and said, "This man was a boxer, known as the Dakota Kid. Do you know he he is?" I said to him "I only knew of 3 fighters who came out of the Dakotas and that he obviously isn't Billy Petrolle, and I know he isn't Virgil Hill so...is he Andy Heilman?" When he said he was, I performed one of the great 'put my foot in my mouth' feats you ever heard:

Me: I knew you were a fighter by your nose.
Heilman: Yeah, but I got it fixed.
Me: You did?!

Lucky he didn't kick my arse.

Scartissue

[Bobbin & Weavin]

Thanks for your posts on Andy Heilman, I dug up some old newspaper articles about some of his fights in the Bay Area and even found my tickets stapled to the program of his fight with Nate Collins, a card where Jesus Pemintel and Frankie Crawford fought in separate bouts on the undercard! Heilman was one tough hombre and I have enjoyed going back and tracing his career here a bit and what a great picture of him at the WBHOF...
Thanks,
Bruce

Bruce, a dude Heilman was with came up to me at the memorabilia show (where this was taken) and said, "This man was a boxer, known as the Dakota Kid. Do you know he he is?" I said to him "I only knew of 3 fighters who came out of the Dakotas and that he obviously isn't Billy Petrolle, and I know he isn't Virgil Hill so...is he Andy Heilman?" When he said he was, I performed one of the great 'put my foot in my mouth' feats you ever heard:

Me: I knew you were a fighter by your nose.
Heilman: Yeah, but I got it fixed.
Me: You did?!

Lucky he didn't kick my arse.

Scartissue

Classic! Thanks for the laugh...
And speaking of Dakota I see that all of Andy's fights were out here, did he grow up in the Dakotas and come out here before he started fighting or was just born there and someone thought it just a good moniker, did he have much of an amateur career?
Bruce

[Cholo]

The Golden Boy title . . .

That publicity stunt was the brain child of our friend, Hap Navarro!
He had an idea, and called Columbia Studios publicity department to see what they thought about it.
The studio loved the idea.
Hollywood stars packed the Legion for that brief event prior to an Aragon fight.

Rick, Thanks for the Info buddy, I bet Hap could tell us some stories about the Golden Boy..

He's been sharing them with Audie Aragon. Nobody alive was closer to Art Aragon in those early days.

Rick,

[Rick Farris]

"The Golden Boy" . . .

I received an e-mail today from Hap Navarro.
This will provide a clear picture into the exact origin of Art being tagged, "The Golden Boy".
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Truth be told Rick. Back in the late 40s Johnny Allen of the LA Daily News wrote that "Hollywood Legion had found its Golden Boy in Art Aragon".
Art would draw twice as many fams to his fights no matter who he fought. That gave me the idea as a start, but there had been a lot of other GBs in the past, beginning in the late 20s when heavyweight Jack De Mave was called that. Then there was Gus Lesnevitch, Artrie Levine and one of the DeJohn boys all GBs among their boosters.

My stint was helped along by a lot of luck....the idea had not been explored before, I was free at the moment to walk over to Columbia Studios on Sunset and Gower, I had no trouble getting in to see Jimmy O'Toole, the publicity head at the studios and he welcomed me with open arms, liked the idea, and said luck was on our side because Bill Holden happened to be staying in town for a spell.
Art did his poart to keep the flame alive and so no other Golden Boy received serious thought until de la Hoya's time. But Artie was THE Golden Boy and he played it to the hilt! Gold trunks, golden robe, golden crown. A fictional character incarnate!

take care AND THANKS, good friend.

hap navarro

[Panzerfaust]

Hap must be without a doubt one of the last treasurechests with that great behind the scenes knowledge from that era in L.A boxing.
A true joy that he contributes to this thread through Rick
Great stuff as always

[Rick Farris]

Hap must be without a doubt one of the last treasurechests with that great behind the scenes knowledge from that era in L.A boxing.
A true joy that he contributes to this thread through Rick
Great stuff as always

Remy . . . The old Hollywood Legion Stadium is now a Balley's Fitness Center, but the building still stands.
So does the old Columbia Studio lot, which is now called the Sunset-Gower Studios. All are just a few blocks from where you will be staying in Hollywood.
When I work at Paramount Studios (which is a few blocks further down Gower from the Legion) I pass by the old arena, as well as the old Columbia lot.
Not a time passes when I drive down Gower and cross Hollywood blvd. that I don't think of Hap, and imagine him crossing the little alley in back of the LEgion to the rear entrance of the Blue Palm bar.
I can still see it all from the corner of Gower & Hollywood Blvd. as I drive by. If we could just turn back the clock sixty years.

[Rick Farris]

Haye vs. Klitschko . . .

This actually has my interest.
Naturally the bout must be held in Germany, a security blanket for the insecure Eastern European bum.
Wembley packed with thousands of Brits would intimidate the weak kneed Ukranian eunic.
I expect David Haye to knockout the youngest Lurch brother.
Nothing else will be acceptable.

[kikibalt]

Canelo Alvarez imho sucks. it would be hard to find a safer opponent than the guy he is fighting tonight, and yet the guy is still around in the 11th round. good fighters blows guys like that out. Like Jackie McCoy used to say "a good fighter get an opponent like that out early"". The fighter called "Perro" will beat imo.....

[Rick Farris]

Canelo Alvarez imho sucks. it would be hard to find a safer opponent than the guy he is fighting tonight, and yet the guy is still around in the 11th round. good fighters blows guys like that out. Like Jackie McCoy used to say "a good fighter get an opponent like that out early"". The fighter called "Perro" will beat imo.....

He's nothing, Frank. We have already seen the best of Canelo Alvarez, and it's not much.
He has peaked, he will not improve. As for "Perro", I think he and Canelo are cut from the same piece of cloth, and it ain't silk!
I have just put Canelo in the "Forget about it" file.

[Cholo]

Hap must be without a doubt one of the last treasurechests with that great behind the scenes knowledge from that era in L.A boxing.
A true joy that he contributes to this thread through Rick
Great stuff as always

Remy . . . The old Hollywood Legion Stadium is now a Balley's Fitness Center, but the building still stands.
So does the old Columbia Studio lot, which is now called the Sunset-Gower Studios. All are just a few blocks from where you will be staying in Hollywood.
When I work at Paramount Studios (which is a few blocks further down Gower from the Legion) I pass by the old arena, as well as the old Columbia lot.
Not a time passes when I drive down Gower and cross Hollywood blvd. that I don't think of Hap, and imagine him crossing the little alley in back of the LEgion to the rear entrance of the Blue Palm bar.
I can still see it all from the corner of Gower & Hollywood Blvd. as I drive by. If we could just turn back the clock sixty years.

Rick, Awesome post by Hap, Hap is our man, more on the Golden Boy, please..