BoxRec

BOXING: Pavlik withdrawal may KO his career

By Robert Morales, Staff Columnist
SGVT

Bob Arum is like most boxing promoters in that he rarely has a bad thing to say about anyone in his stable. But he may have finally had it with Kelly Pavlik.

The former middleweight world champion from Youngstown, Ohio was slated to take on Darryl Cunningham tonight in Youngstown in a super middleweight fight. It was to be a prelude to Pavlik next challenging super middleweight champion Lucian Bute.

Pavlik, who previously pulled out of two fights with Paul Williams because of a staph infection and a fight with Brian Vera because of a reported rib injury, did it again this week by withdrawing from tonight's bout.

Pavlik might have been unhappy with a $1.35 million guaranteed purse he was to get by fighting Bute, because he heard Mikkel Kessler was offered $3.5 million to fight Bute, which turned out to be erroneous. That's the reason Pavlik gave to a local television station in Youngstown.

"The fight is off and the Bute fight is not going to happen," Pavlik told WFMJ. "I'm not going to fight a southpaw for peanuts."

Cunningham and Bute are both southpaws. Pavlik was to receive $50,000 for the tune-up with Cunningham and then the $1.35 million for Bute. Pavlik, 29, hasn't been a world champion for nearly two years and he's calling $1.35 million peanuts? Hello!

Anyway, his manager, Cameron Dunkin, told the Las Vegas Review Journal that Pavlik told him something different, that he simply does not want to box any longer.

There's
Advertisement
another possibility, that being Pavlik might not be staying sober like he should be after two fairly recent stints in alcohol rehabilitation. Police were called to Pavlik's parents' home in Youngstown just last month because of a fight between Pavlik and his older brother, Mike. According to the Youngstown Vindicator, the report said both had been drinking.

Speaking by telephone from his Las Vegas office, Arum did not speak in typical promoter tones about Pavlik, who showed no class and no professionalism because his move caused tonight's entire show to be canceled.

Arum's Top Rank Inc. lost money, so did Showtime, so did Cunningham. In short, Pavlik is ruining what once was a fine career.

"I think he has hurt it tremendously because the most important thing for a network or a promotional company is reliability, and if there is lack of reliability and you can't count on the fighter, then who the hell wants to deal with him?" Arum said.

We attempted to speak with Showtime executive Ken Hershman to see if the cable network would still be interested in doing a Pavlik fight. But spokesman Chris DeBlasio said there would be no comment forthcoming from the company.

However, it's interesting to note that from knowledge of previous Showtime cards it costs roughly $140,000 to produce a "ShoBox: The New Generation" event. Since Pavlik pulled out Monday night - only five days from the fight - you can bet Showtime lost some cash and isn't thrilled about it.

Neither is Arum, who has noticed the pattern.

"This isn't the first time," he said. "When Manny Pacquiao was fighting (Antonio) Margarito last November in Dallas), we did a press conference for Kelly, who was supposed to be on the card (against Vera), at the Friar's Club in New York and he's there and he's great and so forth.

"Two days later, he pulled out of the fight. He hurt his ribs."

So Pavlik said.

Before that were the two times in 2009 Pavlik pulled out of fights with Williams because of a staph infection in his right hand.

"It was legitimate he had a staph infection, but the reason the infection got so bad is because he didn't take care of it," Arum said.

Then there was the incident last month at the family home.

"Everyone covers up for him," Arum said. "It was this bizarre incident a few weeks ago where the police had to be called where he has this terrible fight with his brother. They said they were just horsing around. That wasn't the case; he put his brother through a plate-glass window."

Arum was asked if he believes Pavlik has gone back to drinking.

"I have no idea," he said.

The Hall of Fame promoter isn't sure if Pavlik can come back from this.

"The only way he can even think of overcoming it is to fight on some small cards ... even though it's real hard," Arum said. "Who's going to buy a ticket to a Kelly Pavlik fight? Like these poor people did in Youngstown and then in the hot weather they have to go back to the box office and get a refund."

But Pavlik was so stoked about fighting in Youngstown.

"It's always good to fight back home," he said last week. "Who knows when the next time will be? So you make the best out if it when you get the chance."

The next time might be never.

"We spent some out-of-pocket money on this fight in Youngstown," said Arum, who surmised he lost between $20,000-$30,000. "That's small potatoes compared to the tragedy that is now Kelly Pavlik."

America's Boxing Best: Who Can Follow Mayweather and Hopkins?

By Scott Christ on Aug 6,

One of the consistent "complaints" I hear is that there is a dearth of top American fighters in today's boxing game, and when I really thought about it for more than a couple of seconds that I mostly dismiss, I think there's some validity to this.

I certainly don't think that American fight fans need Americans to be the top stars, but I don't think it's a stretch to say it does help. Manny Pacquiao has become incredibly popular here (and everywhere), but boxing fans have a long history of rooting for the hometown fighter, or the guy representing the country, the same as they root for their hometown sports team or their Olympic representatives or whatever else.

That led me to another idea, which was to rank the top ten American fighters, pound-for-pound. Though I don't currently rank Floyd Mayweather Jr in our weekly divisional rankings, he's active again and he's got to be ranked here.

10. Steve Cunningham (24-2, 12 KO, Cruiserweight)

Cunningham, 35, fights in a division that has never gained much traction in the United States, and he's only sparingly been featured on American TV. At this point, he wisely doesn't even have an American promoter, as he works with Sauerland Event, based in Germany, where the division is popular. His U.S. visibility is pretty low, and his biggest fight for American fans was probably his 2008 war with Tomasz Adamek, which aired on Versus.

9. Austin Trout (23-0, 13 KO, Junior Middleweight)

Trout, 25, is a really talented rising contender and titlist in the 154-pound division, but has had zero major push with American TV. His last two fights have been his biggest, and both were unaired in the States, as Trout went on the road to Mexico to beat Rigoberto Alvarez and David Lopez. He's got the goods in the ring, but so far he just hasn't made a dent on the American public.

8. Chad Dawson (30-1, 17 KO, Light Heavyweight)

Dawson, 29, has had good TV exposure via HBO and Showtime, but he hasn't become a draw either at the gate or on the air. His next fight on October 15 will be on HBO pay-per-view with Bernard Hopkins, but it's expected to flop, both because the fight doesn't figure to be exciting and because it's poor timing, sandwiched between Mayweather and Pacquiao PPV events. Dawson doesn't have the style or charisma to be a big star, but he's a good fighter.

Star-divide

7. Victor Ortiz (29-2-2, 22 KO, Welterweight)

Ortiz, 24, is young, exciting, and though I don't personally enjoy his forced personality much, I'm not the greatest judge of what the American public will like in that regard, and I can see Ortiz becoming a major star. Though he's as hot as he's ever been coming off of his April win over Andre Berto, he's about to get the first really huge push of his career with his September 17 fight against Floyd Mayweather. He's a sizable underdog, but what if he pulled off the win? It would be boxing's biggest upset in a long time, and would make Ortiz a huge star. Even if he loses, he's got potential to be a long-term star so long as he makes for good fights. His style is great to watch.

6. Robert Guerrero (29-1-1, 18 KO, Junior Welterweight)

Guerrero, 28, hasn't broken through as a star yet, but he's a very good fighter who is itching to get bigger and better fights to up his profile. Guerrero has a very likable personality and story, and he's easy to root for because he's just a nice guy who can fight and seems to desperately want to take serious challenges. He hasn't fought above lightweight yet, but that will change in a few weeks when he moves up to junior welterweight to fight battle-hardened Marcos Maidana, in what will be Guerrero's first HBO main event since February 2008 when he faced Jason Litzau. Guerrero should be easy to promote, and also has the Mexican-American thing. Aaand, here's another one...

5. Brandon Rios (28-0-1, 21 KO, Lightweight)

Rios, 25, is a star in the making. He could be the new Arturo Gatti. I feel like I might have him higher than many would, but love him or hate him, Rios can fight his ass off, and I think he's better than his brawler reputation. Yes, he brawls, but he's also a solid boxer whose defensive skills are overlooked, and he puts punches together in combination, with power in both hands. Rios, like Ortiz (a former training partner and press rival), is Mexican-American, which helps promote him, too. I think this guy is one of the key cogs in boxing's future. He's going to lose some fights, probably, but I don't think he'll lose that many, and it's going to take special fighters to beat him. It's all enough to make you wish that that awful video last year with trainer Robert Garcia and gym-mate Antonio Margarito had never come out, but Rios, to his credit, has been doing his best to make up for that tremendous error in judgment.

4. Timothy Bradley (27-0, 11 KO, Junior Welterweight)

Bradley, 27, is ... well, it's hard to gauge his value right now. I doubt any promoter would turn down signing him, but he's hurt his reputation greatly by pulling out of a fight with Amir Khan, and really even worse, continually making himself sound bad when he talks about why he did it. He's not even really bringing up the valid reason of wanting to leave his promoters, who are now suing him. It's just a mess, and for a guy who can't draw a crowd, it's just not good. Bradley is a really good fighter, and has proven himself in the ring, but he's really not a star yet, and is doing himself no favors right now either. Lucky for him, a lot of these issues are easily corrected by a good promoter. Before all this, he did his talking in the ring, and he can do that again.

3. Andre Ward (24-0, 13 KO, Super Middleweight)

Ward, 27, is sort of like Bradley or Dawson, in that he's good, but not the easiest guy to promote. None of them have particularly exciting styles, aren't big punchers, and aren't the most charismatic. But of the three, I think Ward has the most potential to be a bigger star. It's doubtful he'll ever be a superstar fighter or huge draw, but being another Bernard Hopkins-level star is certainly possible, and right now he's on his way.

2. Bernard Hopkins (52-5-2, 32 KO, Light Heavyweight)

Hopkins, 46, is the fighter who refuses to go away. Not only does he still fight at the absurd of age 46, but he's the legitimate world champion at light heavyweight. He's a Hall of Fame-bound fighter who is known to the mainstream after years of major fights, many of which he wasn't supposed to win and generally did. Bernard is one of a kind.

1. Floyd Mayweather Jr (41-0, 25 KO, Welterweight)

Mayweather, 34, isn't getting any younger, and doesn't keep the schedule we wish he did. But there's no question that Floyd is the best American boxer on the planet, and he has been for years now. The only guy on this list even remotely close to him in terms of greatness is Hopkins, and no one is close to the star that Mayweather is today. Truthfully, he's America's only superstar boxer, and one of only a few fighters who can consistently draw good crowds in the States, and one of only two who can be counted on to sell major numbers on U.S. pay-per-view.

Other Notables

We mentioned the fact that Ortiz, Guerrero, and Rios, as Mexican-Americans, are easy to promote, because the Mexican portion of the American boxing audience is just huge. With that said, both Saul "Canelo" Alvarez and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr are becoming major stars in a hurry. Both drew good numbers in their last HBO fights (1.4 million for Chavez, 1.5 million for Alvarez), and can draw a house. And of course you also have Manny Pacquiao, Miguel Cotto, and a few others who can draw in the States, but aren't American-born.

How big of a factor do you think this is? Does the lack of American-born star fighters play a major role in boxing struggling to make major waves more than a few times a year? And who do you think has the best chance among the younger guys to become a possible superstar fighter?

kikibalt wrote:BOXING: Pavlik withdrawal may KO his career

By Robert Morales, Staff Columnist
SGVT

Bob Arum is like most boxing promoters in that he rarely has a bad thing to say about anyone in his stable. But he may have finally had it with Kelly Pavlik.

The former middleweight world champion from Youngstown, Ohio was slated to take on Darryl Cunningham tonight in Youngstown in a super middleweight fight. It was to be a prelude to Pavlik next challenging super middleweight champion Lucian Bute.

Pavlik, who previously pulled out of two fights with Paul Williams because of a staph infection and a fight with Brian Vera because of a reported rib injury, did it again this week by withdrawing from tonight's bout.

Pavlik might have been unhappy with a $1.35 million guaranteed purse he was to get by fighting Bute, because he heard Mikkel Kessler was offered $3.5 million to fight Bute, which turned out to be erroneous. That's the reason Pavlik gave to a local television station in Youngstown.

"The fight is off and the Bute fight is not going to happen," Pavlik told WFMJ. "I'm not going to fight a southpaw for peanuts."

Cunningham and Bute are both southpaws. Pavlik was to receive $50,000 for the tune-up with Cunningham and then the $1.35 million for Bute. Pavlik, 29, hasn't been a world champion for nearly two years and he's calling $1.35 million peanuts? Hello!

Anyway, his manager, Cameron Dunkin, told the Las Vegas Review Journal that Pavlik told him something different, that he simply does not want to box any longer.

There's
Advertisement
another possibility, that being Pavlik might not be staying sober like he should be after two fairly recent stints in alcohol rehabilitation. Police were called to Pavlik's parents' home in Youngstown just last month because of a fight between Pavlik and his older brother, Mike. According to the Youngstown Vindicator, the report said both had been drinking.

Speaking by telephone from his Las Vegas office, Arum did not speak in typical promoter tones about Pavlik, who showed no class and no professionalism because his move caused tonight's entire show to be canceled.

Arum's Top Rank Inc. lost money, so did Showtime, so did Cunningham. In short, Pavlik is ruining what once was a fine career.

"I think he has hurt it tremendously because the most important thing for a network or a promotional company is reliability, and if there is lack of reliability and you can't count on the fighter, then who the hell wants to deal with him?" Arum said.

We attempted to speak with Showtime executive Ken Hershman to see if the cable network would still be interested in doing a Pavlik fight. But spokesman Chris DeBlasio said there would be no comment forthcoming from the company.

However, it's interesting to note that from knowledge of previous Showtime cards it costs roughly $140,000 to produce a "ShoBox: The New Generation" event. Since Pavlik pulled out Monday night - only five days from the fight - you can bet Showtime lost some cash and isn't thrilled about it.

Neither is Arum, who has noticed the pattern.

"This isn't the first time," he said. "When Manny Pacquiao was fighting (Antonio) Margarito last November in Dallas), we did a press conference for Kelly, who was supposed to be on the card (against Vera), at the Friar's Club in New York and he's there and he's great and so forth.

"Two days later, he pulled out of the fight. He hurt his ribs."

So Pavlik said.

Before that were the two times in 2009 Pavlik pulled out of fights with Williams because of a staph infection in his right hand.

"It was legitimate he had a staph infection, but the reason the infection got so bad is because he didn't take care of it," Arum said.

Then there was the incident last month at the family home.

"Everyone covers up for him," Arum said. "It was this bizarre incident a few weeks ago where the police had to be called where he has this terrible fight with his brother. They said they were just horsing around. That wasn't the case; he put his brother through a plate-glass window."

Arum was asked if he believes Pavlik has gone back to drinking.

"I have no idea," he said.

The Hall of Fame promoter isn't sure if Pavlik can come back from this.

"The only way he can even think of overcoming it is to fight on some small cards ... even though it's real hard," Arum said. "Who's going to buy a ticket to a Kelly Pavlik fight? Like these poor people did in Youngstown and then in the hot weather they have to go back to the box office and get a refund."

But Pavlik was so stoked about fighting in Youngstown.

"It's always good to fight back home," he said last week. "Who knows when the next time will be? So you make the best out if it when you get the chance."

The next time might be never.

"We spent some out-of-pocket money on this fight in Youngstown," said Arum, who surmised he lost between $20,000-$30,000. "That's small potatoes compared to the tragedy that is now Kelly Pavlik."

Pavlik . . .

He's never been my type of boxer. A guy with a fairly good punch, no boxing skills, a catcher, a small town hero who is a lost ball in high grass when venturing far from the borders of a dead Mid West city. Big time was just a little beyond the scope of this Youngstown product. The last Youngstown hero, Ray Mancini, wasn't cast from the mold of Willie Pep either, however, "Boom-Boom" had the heart of a lion and only quit once in his career, the day he announced his retirement.

Pavlik thinks facing a southpaw merits more cash? I don't get it? Why? Should a promoter be on the hook to a marginal talent who hasn't done his homework, never sought to solve a problem? I know that the world is filled with those who are scred by the unknown. However, he has had enough time to realize that the only cash he is capable of making without using a shovel is in the ring. He knows there are a few southpaws out there and he best have a clue as what he must do to win. But that would involve homework, gym work, do it for no other reason than survival, financial survival. Kelly Pavlik is a dog. Another red, white & blue embarrassment.

A message from boxing fan . . .

"What a dreadful tought that boxing legends would just be swept under the eternal rug if it werent for the boxing historians."


-Rick Farris

Rick Farris wrote:

CNorkusJr wrote:Does anyone know if Freddie Roach is back in the "Wild Card" these days ?
I dont know if its a year round operation for him (of course unless he's on the road with a boxer of his) or not.

Charlie, If he's not on the road with a fighter, he's there everyday. That's his life.
In the early days, before he was making the big money, that's where he slept.

Thanks Rick, I was away from computer last 2 days, excuse late reply. Thanks,buddy.

Rick Farris wrote:From Alan Swyer:


At last the website is up for my Latin boxing film: http://www.elboxeothemovie.com

Enter site, click on photo of Bobby Chacon.
Then click on "El Promo"
Then click on long version

Enjoy!

Looking forward to it. Its great to post the link. Gracias !

To all CAWCB posters:

Alan Swyer would appreciate any comments from the posters of CAWCB.
Keep in mind, the subject is Latino Boxers. He interviewed every available legend.
Those not seen were unavailable. Keep in mind film makers like Alan Swyer finance their own projects.
Although it will appear on a major cable network, as well as at film festivals, all expense are out-of-pocket.
Alan traveled the world making this, a labor of love.
He's giving a few of us a sneak preview, testing the market.
If you like what you have seen, post here and I'll forward it to Alan.
It's the least we can do.


Thanks, guys . . .
Rick Farris

Who is Alan Swyer . . .


ALAN SWYER (Director, Executive Producer)

Alan Swyer has worked as writer, director, and/or producer on projects ranging from HBO’s award-winning “Rebound,” starring Don Cheadle, Forrest Whitaker, and James Earl Jones; to “The Buddy Holly Story;” and “Alfred Hitchcock Presents," as well as the thriller "Time of Fear." His documentaries include “Spiritual Revolution,” which has played festivals worldwide and is distributed by Kino-Lorber; “Beisbol,” which won the 2009 Imagen Award and is narrated by Andy Garcia; and festival hits "It's More Expensive to Do Nothing" and "Leimert Park Voices." He has also directed assorted music videos and commercials, and produced a special for NBC entitled “Diabetes: Challenges & Breakthroughs.”

In the realm of music, Mr. Swyer’s producing credits include an album of Ray Charles love songs, and he has written liner notes for albums ranging from “The Best of Big Joe Turner,” to “The Fiftieth Anniversary of Doo-Wop,” and “Ray Charles & Betty Carter.”

Mr. Swyer has been a faculty member at the American Film Institute, USC, and Pepperdine, and now teaches at Chapman University. An activist of note, he created the Los Angeles County Teen Court and serves on the board of the Compton Baseball Academy and the Institute of Advanced Journalism at North Carolina A&T University.

Rick Farris wrote:

kikibalt wrote:BOXING: Pavlik withdrawal may KO his career

By Robert Morales, Staff Columnist
SGVT

Bob Arum is like most boxing promoters in that he rarely has a bad thing to say about anyone in his stable. But he may have finally had it with Kelly Pavlik.

The former middleweight world champion from Youngstown, Ohio was slated to take on Darryl Cunningham tonight in Youngstown in a super middleweight fight. It was to be a prelude to Pavlik next challenging super middleweight champion Lucian Bute.

Pavlik, who previously pulled out of two fights with Paul Williams because of a staph infection and a fight with Brian Vera because of a reported rib injury, did it again this week by withdrawing from tonight's bout.

Pavlik might have been unhappy with a $1.35 million guaranteed purse he was to get by fighting Bute, because he heard Mikkel Kessler was offered $3.5 million to fight Bute, which turned out to be erroneous. That's the reason Pavlik gave to a local television station in Youngstown.

"The fight is off and the Bute fight is not going to happen," Pavlik told WFMJ. "I'm not going to fight a southpaw for peanuts."

Cunningham and Bute are both southpaws. Pavlik was to receive $50,000 for the tune-up with Cunningham and then the $1.35 million for Bute. Pavlik, 29, hasn't been a world champion for nearly two years and he's calling $1.35 million peanuts? Hello!

Anyway, his manager, Cameron Dunkin, told the Las Vegas Review Journal that Pavlik told him something different, that he simply does not want to box any longer.

There's
Advertisement
another possibility, that being Pavlik might not be staying sober like he should be after two fairly recent stints in alcohol rehabilitation. Police were called to Pavlik's parents' home in Youngstown just last month because of a fight between Pavlik and his older brother, Mike. According to the Youngstown Vindicator, the report said both had been drinking.

Speaking by telephone from his Las Vegas office, Arum did not speak in typical promoter tones about Pavlik, who showed no class and no professionalism because his move caused tonight's entire show to be canceled.

Arum's Top Rank Inc. lost money, so did Showtime, so did Cunningham. In short, Pavlik is ruining what once was a fine career.

"I think he has hurt it tremendously because the most important thing for a network or a promotional company is reliability, and if there is lack of reliability and you can't count on the fighter, then who the hell wants to deal with him?" Arum said.

We attempted to speak with Showtime executive Ken Hershman to see if the cable network would still be interested in doing a Pavlik fight. But spokesman Chris DeBlasio said there would be no comment forthcoming from the company.

However, it's interesting to note that from knowledge of previous Showtime cards it costs roughly $140,000 to produce a "ShoBox: The New Generation" event. Since Pavlik pulled out Monday night - only five days from the fight - you can bet Showtime lost some cash and isn't thrilled about it.

Neither is Arum, who has noticed the pattern.

"This isn't the first time," he said. "When Manny Pacquiao was fighting (Antonio) Margarito last November in Dallas), we did a press conference for Kelly, who was supposed to be on the card (against Vera), at the Friar's Club in New York and he's there and he's great and so forth.

"Two days later, he pulled out of the fight. He hurt his ribs."

So Pavlik said.

Before that were the two times in 2009 Pavlik pulled out of fights with Williams because of a staph infection in his right hand.

"It was legitimate he had a staph infection, but the reason the infection got so bad is because he didn't take care of it," Arum said.

Then there was the incident last month at the family home.

"Everyone covers up for him," Arum said. "It was this bizarre incident a few weeks ago where the police had to be called where he has this terrible fight with his brother. They said they were just horsing around. That wasn't the case; he put his brother through a plate-glass window."

Arum was asked if he believes Pavlik has gone back to drinking.

"I have no idea," he said.

The Hall of Fame promoter isn't sure if Pavlik can come back from this.

"The only way he can even think of overcoming it is to fight on some small cards ... even though it's real hard," Arum said. "Who's going to buy a ticket to a Kelly Pavlik fight? Like these poor people did in Youngstown and then in the hot weather they have to go back to the box office and get a refund."

But Pavlik was so stoked about fighting in Youngstown.

"It's always good to fight back home," he said last week. "Who knows when the next time will be? So you make the best out if it when you get the chance."

The next time might be never.

"We spent some out-of-pocket money on this fight in Youngstown," said Arum, who surmised he lost between $20,000-$30,000. "That's small potatoes compared to the tragedy that is now Kelly Pavlik."

Pavlik . . .

He's never been my type of boxer. A guy with a fairly good punch, no boxing skills, a catcher, a small town hero who is a lost ball in high grass when venturing far from the borders of a dead Mid West city. Big time was just a little beyond the scope of this Youngstown product. The last Youngstown hero, Ray Mancini, wasn't cast from the mold of Willie Pep either, however, "Boom-Boom" had the heart of a lion and only quit once in his career, the day he announced his retirement.

Pavlik thinks facing a southpaw merits more cash? I don't get it? Why? Should a promoter be on the hook to a marginal talent who hasn't done his homework, never sought to solve a problem? I know that the world is filled with those who are scred by the unknown. However, he has had enough time to realize that the only cash he is capable of making without using a shovel is in the ring. He knows there are a few southpaws out there and he best have a clue as what he must do to win. But that would involve homework, gym work, do it for no other reason than survival, financial survival. Kelly Pavlik is a dog. Another red, white & blue embarrassment.

Rick, I have never been a fan one way or the other, of Kelly Pavlik but I have had a certain amount of respect for him but that is fading fast. That was a fairly accurate synopsis on Pavlik. I couldn't have said it better myself.

Panzerfaust wrote:

kikibalt wrote:

Mexican Joe Rivers, Tom McCarey and Baby Arizmendi

Tom McCarey got the ''crazy eyes'' fixed at Arizmendi it looks... not a look i would like to get from anyone

Yeah, he looks a few french fries short of a Happy Meal.

Rick Farris wrote:

Panzerfaust wrote:

kikibalt wrote:

Mexican Joe Rivers, Tom McCarey and Baby Arizmendi

Tom McCarey got the ''crazy eyes'' fixed at Arizmendi it looks... not a look i would like to get from anyone

Yeah, he looks a few french fries short of a Happy Meal.

What a awesome documentary "El Boxeo", thanks Alan Swyer, can't wait to see it in full..

Art "Golden Boy" Aragon On Oscar De La Hoya,
"He can use the nickname, good fighter," " Reminds me a little of me. Glad we came in different eras, wouldn't have been room for both of us."

Cholo wrote:Art "Golden Boy" Aragon On Oscar De La Hoya,
"He can use the nickname, good fighter," " Reminds me a little of me. Glad we came in different eras, wouldn't have been room for both of us."

Paul, you sure have become the resident expert on the true "Golden Boy"...

kikibalt wrote:

Cholo wrote:Art "Golden Boy" Aragon On Oscar De La Hoya,
"He can use the nickname, good fighter," " Reminds me a little of me. Glad we came in different eras, wouldn't have been room for both of us."

Paul, you sure have become the resident expert on the true "Golden Boy"...

Frank, Thanks buddy..

Art "Golden Boy" Aragon 1954,
Much of the sheen of the "Golden Boy," Art Aragon, has worn off in recent years because of bad showings he's made and because of the defeats he's suffered, but the cocky welterweight still must be considered a top man in his class. Art, for example, has been decisively whipped when he's tackled the champions or top contenders. Jimmy Carter gave Aragon his worst trouncing in 1951 when Art tried to win the lightweight crown. Earlier Carter had lost to Aragon in a non-title match. Billy Graham decisioned Art early to halt a six-match victory string. And while Aragon bested Chuck Davey in Los Angeles, the verdict was questionable and unpopular. But Art's over-all record is good.
Unpopularity is nonthing new to Aragon, who works out of Los Angeles. His sneering remarks about other fighters, his cafe brawls, his showy behavior has long had press and public alike against him. Nevertheless, arrogant Art is a torrid box-office attraction on the West Coast. From 1950 through 1953, for example, his 23 bouts drew over $620,000 in gate revenue. The fans flock to the Stadium to see the brash, 26-year-old welterweight get his just deserts. He's always booed upon entering the ring wearing a gold robe. Once Aragon retaliated by thumbing his nose at the crowd.
The controversial, "colorful" Aragon hails from the sunbaked state of New Mexico. He turned professional at Los Angeles in 1944, after having worked as a laborer in a dairy plant. A speedy boxer with concealed dynamite in both hands, he ran up a phenomenal string of kayoes although his opposition at first was limited solely to West Coast local talent. His initail big win was over Enrique Bolanos and he's had good wins over Johnny Gonsalves and Lauro Salas. Art is managed by patient Jimmy Roach who has made Aragon rich beyond his dreams. Most boxing insiders feel Aragon hasn't a chance to cop welterweight honors unless he trains seriously and cuts out his screwball tactics. Meanwhile, though, they're paying off.

Uncle Tom McCarey died in 1936, so he must've not lived that long after the photo was taken.
His son, Leo McCarey, was going great guns as a movie director at the time.

- Chuck Johnston

A Leslie Nielson memory . . .

Working with Michael Landon on "Highway to Heaven" meant working with brilliant actors as guest stars.
Eli Wallach, Dick Van Dyke, James Earl Jones to name a few, and a favorite, Leslie Nielson.
Nielson had a great sense of humor, as you'd expect, and when together with Landon and Vic French, they were "one take" wonders.
That was Mike's deal, he hired guys who were not only legendary actors, but those he could trust to get it in one.
Mike knew what he needed to make films professionally, without extreme waste of time & money.
Mike saved money, and we were a crew who could give him exactly what he wanted and needed. And we could do it fast & have fun.
At the time the average 60 min. edpisodic production filmed in 7-9 days, avg. 12-15 hrs a day. We filmed ours in 5-6, 8-10 hr. days.
Michael owned the company, and we helped him come in ahead of schedule and under budget each episode. He was the best!
Keep in mind Mike wrote most of the episodes, produced, directed and was the principal charactor. He owned the property, not the network or studio.

In an episode featuring Nielson, we'd film out on the streets, and in one location we were shooting inside a rest home in North Hollywood.
When we filmed around L.A. we had production trucks owned by Michael Landon Productions, and "Highway to Heaven" painted all over the huge production vans that would pull in and take over a film location. Landon was a TV legend, a pioneer as Little Joe Cartwright for 14 seasons on Bonanaza, Pop Ingalls on "Little House" for 9 seasons and Jonathon Smith on "Highway" for 5 more seasons. That's 28 top ten seasons on NBC. The women loved Michael Landon, women of all ages. In Victor's and Nielson's case, the old gals would flock to get a picture or an autograph. Both were happy to oblige, as would Michael if their was time.

Leslie Nielson is well known in town for a little gag he does. He has one of those squeez gags in his pocket that sounds like a fart.
He has perfected it to sound like the real thing. He will be talking seriously about something and squeeze the fart gag and never break his look.
He'd just act like nothing happened and people would be privatly appalled, yet say nothing because he was a celebrity.
They didn't care, and none stepped back, except one young actress who reacted in horror. "Oh my God!"
Nielson didn't miss a beat, acted like nothing happened and the girl composed herself, but kept her distance from Leslie.

Victor thought this was great fun and Leslie gave Vic his own squeeze gag. Vic would keep it in the pocket of the jacket he wore on the set.
You might notice that Michael is almost always in the same wardrobe, year-after- year on every TV production he starred in. Little Joe almost always wore the same clothes, occasionally he'd dress up. Same on Little House & Highway.
Makes for less wardrobe changes, thus saving time & money.
Well Vic had the same jacket in every episode, the wardrobe truck had a dozen stand bys.
He'd keep that squeezer in his jacket pocket, and when an old gal would want to hug or kiss him he'd squeeze the gag and stop them in their tracks.
Vic didn't play it like Leslie, French would dramatize it by lifting a leg, like crude trailer trash.

I have a photo that I took, a classic of both Landon and French stepping out of the final scene of "Highway to Heaven".
That was on December 1, 1988, the last day of production for Highway. Six months later Victor French would pass away.
It was an emotional photograph, I captured it as they stepped out of frame. I have it on the wall of my den, and will try to snap a photo of it.
They are laughing as Vic had just squeezed his device, turning tears into uncontrollable laughter.
Michael's copy hung on a wall in his office. Vic's was on the wall of his den, like mine is today. I think you guys will appreciate this.
Mike passed twent years ago, on July 1st. Vic two years previous, June 15, 1989. Both were 54.
Leslie Nielson passed away last year.

God bless their souls.

Chuck1052 wrote:Uncle Tom McCarey died in 1936, so he must've not lived that long after the photo was taken.
His son, Leo McCarey, was going great guns as a movie director at the time.

- Chuck Johnston

You guys can make fun of his creepy stare all you want, but Uncle Tom McCarey is somebody Rick and Frank should make sure gets into the CBHOF. He was the first great boxing promoter in LA. http://boxrec.com/media/index.php/Tom_McCarey

Among the greats that Uncle Tom brought to LA were Jack Johnson, Kid McCoy, Joe Walcott, Dixie Kid, Sam McVey, Solly Smith, Frankie Neil, Denver Ed Martin, Hank Griffin, Frank Childs, Al Neill, Joe Bernstein, and Billy Woods. Jack Johnson fought for him at least eight times. He had a reputation of being one of the first promoters who treated black fighters in a fair manner.

raylawpc wrote:

Chuck1052 wrote:Uncle Tom McCarey died in 1936, so he must've not lived that long after the photo was taken.
His son, Leo McCarey, was going great guns as a movie director at the time.

- Chuck Johnston

You guys can make fun of his creepy stare all you want, but Uncle Tom McCarey is somebody Rick and Frank should make sure gets into the CBHOF. He was the first great boxing promoter in LA. http://boxrec.com/media/index.php/Tom_McCarey

Among the greats that Uncle Tom brought to LA were Jack Johnson, Kid McCoy, Joe Walcott, Dixie Kid, Sam McVey, Solly Smith, Frankie Neil, Denver Ed Martin, Hank Griffin, Frank Childs, Al Neill, Joe Bernstein, and Billy Woods. Jack Johnson fought for him at least eight times. He had a reputation of being one of the first promoters who treated black fighters in a fair manner.

Thanks Tom, Good info on this post !

My son, Andrew, bringing down the house, somewhere in Seattle.

Rick Farris wrote:A Leslie Nielson memory . . .

Working with Michael Landon on "Highway to Heaven" meant working with brilliant actors as guest stars.
Eli Wallach, Dick Van Dyke, James Earl Jones to name a few, and a favorite, Leslie Nielson.
Nielson had a great sense of humor, as you'd expect, and when together with Landon and Vic French, they were "one take" wonders.
That was Mike's deal, he hired guys who were not only legendary actors, but those he could trust to get it in one.
Mike knew what he needed to make films professionally, without extreme waste of time & money.
Mike saved money, and we were a crew who could give him exactly what he wanted and needed. And we could do it fast & have fun.
At the time the average 60 min. edpisodic production filmed in 7-9 days, avg. 12-15 hrs a day. We filmed ours in 5-6, 8-10 hr. days.
Michael owned the company, and we helped him come in ahead of schedule and under budget each episode. He was the best!
Keep in mind Mike wrote most of the episodes, produced, directed and was the principal charactor. He owned the property, not the network or studio.

In an episode featuring Nielson, we'd film out on the streets, and in one location we were shooting inside a rest home in North Hollywood.
When we filmed around L.A. we had production trucks owned by Michael Landon Productions, and "Highway to Heaven" painted all over the huge production vans that would pull in and take over a film location. Landon was a TV legend, a pioneer as Little Joe Cartwright for 14 seasons on Bonanaza, Pop Ingalls on "Little House" for 9 seasons and Jonathon Smith on "Highway" for 5 more seasons. That's 28 top ten seasons on NBC. The women loved Michael Landon, women of all ages. In Victor's and Nielson's case, the old gals would flock to get a picture or an autograph. Both were happy to oblige, as would Michael if their was time.

Leslie Nielson is well known in town for a little gag he does. He has one of those squeez gags in his pocket that sounds like a fart.
He has perfected it to sound like the real thing. He will be talking seriously about something and squeeze the fart gag and never break his look.
He'd just act like nothing happened and people would be privatly appalled, yet say nothing because he was a celebrity.
They didn't care, and none stepped back, except one young actress who reacted in horror. "Oh my God!"
Nielson didn't miss a beat, acted like nothing happened and the girl composed herself, but kept her distance from Leslie.

Victor thought this was great fun and Leslie gave Vic his own squeeze gag. Vic would keep it in the pocket of the jacket he wore on the set.
You might notice that Michael is almost always in the same wardrobe, year-after- year on every TV production he starred in. Little Joe almost always wore the same clothes, occasionally he'd dress up. Same on Little House & Highway.
Makes for less wardrobe changes, thus saving time & money.
Well Vic had the same jacket in every episode, the wardrobe truck had a dozen stand bys.
He'd keep that squeezer in his jacket pocket, and when an old gal would want to hug or kiss him he'd squeeze the gag and stop them in their tracks.
Vic didn't play it like Leslie, French would dramatize it by lifting a leg, like crude trailer trash.

I have a photo that I took, a classic of both Landon and French stepping out of the final scene of "Highway to Heaven".
That was on December 1, 1988, the last day of production for Highway. Six months later Victor French would pass away.
It was an emotional photograph, I captured it as they stepped out of frame. I have it on the wall of my den, and will try to snap a photo of it.
They are laughing as Vic had just squeezed his device, turning tears into uncontrollable laughter.
Michael's copy hung on a wall in his office. Vic's was on the wall of his den, like mine is today. I think you guys will appreciate this.
Mike passed twent years ago, on July 1st. Vic two years previous, June 15, 1989. Both were 54.
Leslie Nielson passed away last year.

God bless their souls.

Rick, thanks for sharing that great story with us. I know I speak for everyone when I say that we all enjoy hearing about your days working with Michael Landon and Victor French. Some times the emotion jumps off the page, as it should. What memories. no amount of money could replace it and no amount of time could erase them.

It's hard to believe it's been twenty years since Michael Landon died, plus two for Victor French. I was a fan of both through the years. I think both would be please with how you remember them and how you share you memories of them. No wonder they were your friends.

raylawpc wrote:

Chuck1052 wrote:Uncle Tom McCarey died in 1936, so he must've not lived that long after the photo was taken.
His son, Leo McCarey, was going great guns as a movie director at the time.

- Chuck Johnston

You guys can make fun of his creepy stare all you want, but Uncle Tom McCarey is somebody Rick and Frank should make sure gets into the CBHOF. He was the first great boxing promoter in LA. http://boxrec.com/media/index.php/Tom_McCarey

Among the greats that Uncle Tom brought to LA were Jack Johnson, Kid McCoy, Joe Walcott, Dixie Kid, Sam McVey, Solly Smith, Frankie Neil, Denver Ed Martin, Hank Griffin, Frank Childs, Al Neill, Joe Bernstein, and Billy Woods. Jack Johnson fought for him at least eight times. He had a reputation of being one of the first promoters who treated black fighters in a fair manner.

Yeah, he needs to be in the CBHOF. Wonder if he has any relatives?

Randyman wrote:
My son, Andrew, bringing down the house, somewhere in Seattle.

Great photo, Randy.

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