Classic American West Coast Boxing

[dagosd2000]

Baby

The San Diego papers never gave much pre fight hype to the weekly boxing cards in Tijuana unless it was a championship match. The way I used to get the heads up was by walking along the streets across the border and seeing the fight posters that were nailed on all the telephone poles and on the outside walls of just about every building. Sometimes I wish that I had taken a some of those fight posters back home with me. With the advent of the sports memorabilia craze some of those posters I could have sold on eBay for quite a lot of money. But that was a time before computers, and baby boomers like myself wanted to reach back into the past and relive it all over again.

While walking up and down Revolution Street one night ,stumbling in and out of just about every bar on the street, I noticed a poster that was tacked to a lamp post.One of the fighter's names jumped out at me-Baby Vasquez. Baby Vasquez had been fighting for years by then. He plied his trade in just about every rickety arena in the republic of Mexico. Looking over his record he didn't fight that much in the U.S. He fought several times up at the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles and fought a main event in 1955 in Madison Square Garden with Frankie Ryff losing a decision,but most of his notoriety was amassed in Mexico. I saw a replay of his first fight with Jose Napoles in 1963 on Mexican television. I never saw Napoles swing at air so much as he did that night. Baby was a slippery senor. He didn't pack a wallop and he didn't have the reflexes of a Mayweather but he knew enough stuff to keep him from getting hit flush on the jaw and make his opponent wish that his manager had scheduled another fighter,any fighter.. Mantequilla got the decision in the first go but he was really extended to earn the decision. The rematch was a bit wider,but I don't think Jose wanted to go around with Vasquez anymore for a third fight.

The fight poster read that the fight was going to take place at my favorite venue for the boxing matches in TJ-The Fronton Palacio,in plain English,the Jai Alai Palace. It was a beautiful structure:cream colored stucco walls,tiled spires along the eaves,and a huge entrance door graced with colorful stained glass. What was nice also was that the Jai Alai Palace had a big parking lot in the back unlike the Municipal Auditorium and the downtown bullring where it was every car for itself that had to find a space on the street. You had to pay the kids that roamed the area a buck to make sure that your car was still there when the fights were over ,or at least not broken into. The Jai Alai Palace also had a very posh restaurant and bar to left the left as you entered. Well groomed waiters,tables with white table cloths,and a menu that featured savory dinners unlike the typical tacos and tortas that provided sustenance at the usual boxing haunts.

Before I get too carried away I want to explain(if you're wondering by now)what the game of Jai Alai is. To start off with you could place bets on the matches. Most of the matches were one on one but there was also doubles matches.The game is similar as handball,the rules the same, but instead of swatting at the rubber ball with your hand like in handball,a basket,called a cesta,is strapped to your hand and instead of slapping at the ball the orb is caught inside the cesta and then hurled by the player against the front wall. There was also a side wall and a back wall to make plays on.By the way,the Jai Alai players are traditionally from the Basque region of Spain. The game is fast and exciting to watch.The players all had nicknames and wore colorful t shirts ,and of course most of the matches were rigged.

I sure dropped a lot of money trying to figure who was going to win those Jai Alai matches,but I enjoyed watching the fights there more than anything. When I looked to see who Baby Vasquez was going to fight I didn't recognize the name. Nor did I remember it afterwards.All I knew was that it was late in his career and this would be probably the last chance I'd get to see him fight live.

Baby Vasquez had to be one of the most popular fighters to ever step into a Mexican ring. He was probably also the crowd favorite even if he was fighting a top ranked Mexican fighter. In a way he was like Maromero Paez who I commented on a page or so back in the thread. Vasquez knew where he stood. He wasn't going to be a "Mantequilla" or an "El Puas",not to mention a Julio Cesar Chavez. He was the lunch pail,blue collar type. To make the simile more relevant, Baby Vasquez was like the immortal character,Cantinflas-the Mexican equivilant to Charlie Chaplin. He was the fighter that was stacked up against te odds but didn't care because that's what he was and had to do-be a fighter. Drawing on every ounce of guile and trickery he stood in there with anyone they put in front of him. The aficianados saw themselves with the Baby. Like the cockroach,La Cucaracha in that revolutionary song,that symbolized Pancho Villa using his instincts to do battle with the overwhelming odds.In the end,win or lose,he prevailed. The only thing left when it was all cast to the wind was the little cockroach. He was the strongest thing still breathing when it was over. The cockroach lived on while the others turned to dust.Laugh at death. Laugh at not getting your hand raised at the end. It was all preordained anyway. So The Baby grinned at the grim reaper. When he lost he kept that smile on his face walking back to the locker room.The aficianados stood with him.Baby Vasquez showed everyone that things weren't so bad. You only live once so fill it up with something. I'm glad I got to put into a little crevice the time I saw Baby Vasquez.


Baby Vasquez

[dagosd2000]

[THEHAMMER321]

we used to have jai alai out here in vegas, at the old mgm when I was a kid, the casino that had the tragic fire back in 1981, I was always under the notion that jai alai was more shady than horseracing in regards to being rigged, any info on that would be appreciated.

[dagosd2000]

What If?

What if boxing had restrictions like a fighter couldn't weigh over 200 pounds?Or only amateur boxing could be allowed.?With all those good Castro Cuban fighters being handcuffed by only participating for the socialist idea of making no money,who remembers these guys? Stevenson maybe? Felix Savon? But they never fought the best pros.They never fought the best.

The flagship for pro boxing has always been comprised of the quality of the heavyweight division.The recent crop of heavyweight title claimants:Fury,Wilder,Joshua,and Ruiz have left us walking away wondering if Peggy Lee hadn't scripted the image,"Is That All There Is?"The brain trusts of boxing have been trying their darndest to spook some life into the big man category but the most they can conjure up is a little whistling walking by the graveyard.

When you think of the past legends of heavyweight champions:Sullivan,Corbett,Jeffries,Johnson,Dempsey,Louis,Marciano,Ali,and Tyson,what would have been the interest in the sport if those guys weren't sitting atop their thrones? No matter how great Ketchel,Langford,Greb, Benny Leonard,Robinson,Monzon,Jofre,Ray Leonard,Duran,and Maywether were,the big interest was and is in the heavyweight division.

With the advent of MMA and the millennials that have jumped on its bandwagon,boxing's fan interest is dwindling. Without a hallmark heavyweight champion to save the day boxing will become something a grandfather will talk about to his naïve grandson trying to explain what Muhammad Ali was all about.

So it's up to the heavyweights to rear the ship back on course. But the big and the strong of today's youth have little desire to take up boxing as a livelihood. Football and basketball have supplanted what's left of any cream at the top of heavyweight fighting.The top today is more like skim milk,but looking at some of the torsos of today's heavyweights they look like they've spent more time in the malt shop than the gym.

Good fighters are better to watch than good Mixed Martial Artists. The reason is that boxing has its rules. In MMA anything goes. It gets sloppy. There's nothing finer than seeing two good boxers exhibiting their many skills in the ring. It's a brutal poetry so to speak.Sure ,a boxer wouldn't have much of a chance in a MMA match,but on the other hand McGregor was stopped by Mayweather in the sweet science game.

But if boxing is treading water the danger there still exists.All the other sports have readjusted their temperament to "safety". Auto racing was a weekend killer at one time. But the different associations have made "safety" the number one priority.:The designs of the cars have been constructed so even if the drivers speed along at 200 miles per hour and collide with the wall,they walk away like they're going to the 7/11 for an ice cream cone. In football now, if a player even breathes on the other guys helmet they throw a flag for unnecessary roughness. Boxing has implemented a few things,but it's still a journey with a lot of unexpected hazards. I can run off a long list of punchy fighters.The MMA,though on the surface seems more savage,once a guy is down on his back and his opponent gets in some licks the contest is stopped right away. We'll have to give the MMA contingent more time to see if the dementia shows up on the radar in the future.

Before World War II boxing(just males fighting)was a part of young man's right of passage. There was no Little League. Pop Warner was an old football coach. Recreation centers were situated at the country club. A kid back in the day went to the boxing gym.There were no women. It was getting down to business. Most didn't want to pursue boxing as a profession,but symbolized a manhood test. Boxing was even part of a school's physical education curriculum. Could you see boxing offered as an elective at the neighborhood high school? The lawyers would present their clients' lawsuits in the courts and the mommies would have heart attacks.


Joe Louis-When they forget who he was you can throw in the towel

[dagosd2000]

we used to have jai alai out here in vegas, at the old mgm when I was a kid, the casino that had the tragic fire back in 1981, I was always under the notion that jai alai was more shady than horseracing in regards to being rigged, any info on that would be appreciated.

Hammer
My granddaughter's Flamenco teacher's father was a Jai Alai player in Tijuana at the Fronton Palacio. He was a Basque. We'd get together and he'd talk about his sport. He'd tell me that the players would bet on the games and decide in the locker room who was going to win. You'd see some real spectacular plays and then all of a sudden one guy would take a swing and miss with the cesta on an easy shot. Everyone knew what was going on but it was fun to go and watch.The thing was that the "action" wasn't that big so if someone laid a big bet and shifted the odds then the players would see that and at the last minute bet on the longshot. Afterwards they'd ALL split up the winnings.

[dagosd2000]

No Need For Any Hype

Today,we see the weigh ins of the big fights on TV.It's all part of the hype. Often the adversaries are eyeball to eyeball glaring at each other wound up like two snarling tiger cats. The promoters and managers are with the fighters,but that often doesn't prevent a bonus pre fight exchange.Most of the time the big bad security guards step in and pull the angry couple apart before there's an unfortunate accident that would prevent one of the two from fighting for money.Sometimes I wonder if it all isn't staged because after the fight is over ,either by decision or a stoppage, the pre fight rage during the weigh in has now transformed the two in a post fight embrace.

I've never seen film footage of any of the weigh ins of the significant fights of yesteryear:Johnson/Jefffries,Dempsey Tunney(take your pick),Louis/ Schmeling II,Zale/Graziano(take your pick),Pep/Saddler(take your pick),Sugar Ray and Jake the day before Valentines Day(oh,go on and take your pick)...you get the picture. The reason why there wasn't any cameras rolling was because the weigh ins were a routine gesture that was hardly worth noticing. Get on the scales,tip the bar,get off the scales,and go home and eat a good hearty steak and we'll see you tomorrow.

I guess you can blame part of this modern day hoopla on Muhammad Ali. He did a lot of talking leading up to a fight,but it wasn't of a mean and nasty nature. Remember when Mike Tyson was struggling to regain his stature as the toughest guy on the block?Before one of his fights a reporter asked him something and then Iron Mike all of sudden Iron explodes at this guy calling him a "faggot white boy who he'd like to kick his ass." Everybody was getting a little edgy over this including the big bad security guards,not to mention anyone that was white. You'd see that kind of behavior with the wrestlers,but that was all rehearsed beforehand. The MMA is rife with mad dogging. It's a shame so many fighters feel they need to do the same.

My take on the anger part is to keep it all inside until the opening bell rings. All the pre fight hyperbole is a waste of energy. A fighter can kind of spend a big part of himself if he gets too worked up before the fight by telling the world how he's going to rip out the other guy's heart and eat it for lunch. And of course he's got to also question his opponent's manhood.

I was watching a documentary about people who earned the Congressional Medal Of Honor. As these men and women were being presented the Medal by the president,they looked like normal average looking run of the mill men(women) that you'd see standing on the street corner. They accept the nations highest honor straight faced and with a salute.They are the only people where the president HAS to salute THEM in return.

Did I ever tell you about Gunny Sergeant Jimmie Howard?I know I have,but he deserves another call. When I was coaching the kids on the high school football team there was this old guy that drove around the golf cart with all the stuff to line the field. He was our equipment manager.He had one of those walking casts on his leg and he limped around putting out the cones and marking the grass. He had a few girl volunteers who helped out.Most of them got in his way but he was very nice to them. Everyone called him Sarge. One day I asked someone why they called him Sarge.
"You never heard of Gunny Howard?"
"No.I haven't."
"Well,he got the Congressional Medal Of Honor."
"That old guy?
"Him and his platoon were the most decorated outfit in Vietnam."
I'll shut my fat mouth and let you read his story.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmie_E._Howard

I rememger it was the last game of the season. We'd all go out to dinner after the games,but this night Jimmie said he was tired
"My leg is giving me problems."
The cast on his leg was where they cut off his foot because of his diabetes.We thought nothing too much about him not wanting to go. The next morning I got the phone call. Gunny Sergeant Jimmie Howard had passed away in his sleep. They had the service at the Marine recruit base.Every brass hat in The CORPS was there. The CO read JImmie's citation to the audience.And you know what? There was never any mention about Jimmie Howard wanting to rip out someone's heart and eat it for lunch.


Semper Fi

[dagosd2000]

I Couldn't Remember What I Forgot

The other day I was driving along and for whatever reason I was trying to think of who Arche Moore fought in Tijuana when he still owned part of the light heavy title. In my mind I ran down the list of the "Black Murderers Row" fighters,but though it seemed logical that one of those fellas could have been the Mongoose's opponent I knew I was wrong. The thing that I couldn't fathom was how I forgot the guy's name. I 'd talk about that fight that packed the downtown bullring many times like it was second nature,but while driving in my car ,for the life of me, I was drawing a blank.

I stopped off at the gym in Ocean Beach where once a week I go through the motions of lifting weights. The guy on duty that day was Gary Young,the fella I often talk about on the forum. Gary was a pretty decent amateur heavyweight in the 70's and we'd go mostly down to the 32nd Street Naval Gym to spar. After my "workout" in the gym I sat down with Gary in the office. We'd talk about everything from soup to nuts. We started off with politics bantering about how the world seems to be upside down. Before long we shifted gears to something more manageable like boxing. We began talking about the current heavyweight picture when I flashed back to what I was searching in my head in the car on the way over. I knew I had forgotten something,but now I couldn't remember what I the gist of it was. I thought Gary might help me out but how could he if I didn't even remember what I had lost somewhere in my brain. Maybe it was too much CBD oil under my tongue the night before that kept whatever I wanted to find out buried in my mind. So I figure it would be ridiculous to bring something up that I didn't know.

Gary asked me if I remembered the fighter in the state of Washington(Gary's neck of the woods)that fought Marciano for the championship. Gary was also stumped by who was the old timer from back east that maneuvered the fighter into a shot for Rocky's crown. Bingo! Put me on "Jeopardy."
"You mean Harry "Kid" Matthews and Jack Hurley,"I said throwing out my chest.
"I can't believe the memory you have.I used to go to the gym and watch Matthews train.Jack Hurley was with him then."
"Oh,it's nothing,"I casually remarked."I keep my mind busy doing crossword puzzles and take plenty of Piracetam."
"What's that?"asked Gary moving up in his seat.
"It's a nootropic drug that stimulates the neurotransmitters of the brain.I've been taking it for over 20 years."
"Well,I'll be damned,"said Gary."Can you write that down."
"Sure.You got a pen?"
Gary reached in the drawer for a pen and a piece of paper.
I started to write the word and then it dawned on me that I didn't know how to spell it.But I wrote what I thought was close enough.Later I found out that I had misspelled it.

After leaving the gym I was walking back to my car knowing that I probably misspelled "Piracetam." It bothered me a little since I had told Gary about how Piracetam makes the mind real sharp. I started the car and turned on the radio. The tuner was set for the Country/Western channel. The song that came on was "King Of The Road" sung by Roger Miller. Damn,that was it. Archie Moore fought Howard King in Tijuana.If that song hadn't come on the radio whatever I had forgotten would have stayed that way like I had never thought about it in the first place. Brother.


Archie Moore

[dagosd2000]

Arm Weary

After one of the West Coast Boxing Hall Of Fame events at the Garland Hotel in North Hollywood, I was having dinner with my wife,Dan Hanley,and Rick Farris(president of the WCBHOF) ,and his wife Monica in the hotel's restaurant. One of the topics brought up was Ruben Olivares.It might have been me that mentioned that Olivares was "all offense" with little regard about how to protect himself. Rick,who was also a former featherweight pro said that he had sparred a few times with Olivares and couldn't lay a glove on him. Now granted that Ruben at the time was the bantamweight champion of the world(I believe Rick was working with Olivares for his upcoming match with Jesus Pimental at the Forum) and Rick was to be on the undercard having a dozen or so fights under his belt,it surprised me a little that Rick couldn't find Ruben in the ring.

If we take a look back at the numerous fights we have of Olivares on YouTube we can see that Ruben's battles were bloodbaths. He was a typical Mexican big left hook artist which was common among the south of the border fighters.It was Rockin' Ruben's left hook that pounded his way to world championships and a magnificent career.But it's important to note that fighter's who use the left hook as their primary weapon also leave themselves open to a counter. Ruben definitely knew about that. But his left hand was so powerful that he was willing to get in exchanges so he could get his left in. Most of the time it was Ruben standing at the end.

But like I mentioned,when Rick was asked to give Olivares some work in the ring Rick was relatively green behind the ears compared to the already famous El Puas.The point I'm trying to make is that often when some half drunk fan is sitting on the sofa watching a boxing match on the television he envisions himself in there pounding the hell out of the other guy-an 80 proof dream.

When I was going down to the old San Diego Coliseum ,for example and volunteering my body to give some of the boys some work,I found out pretty fast that I was the one getting worked ,over. I remember that I thought I was in pretty good shape at the time,but on the minus side I knew nothing about bring a fighter. My first impulse was show my arsenal off. I was big and strong but all muscle was amassed in the weight room. One of my first experiences sparring with the pros was against local light heavyweight Ronnie Wilson. I was bigger than Ronnie and also I thought I was much more stronger and he'd be wary of my 18 inch arms. I'm sure if I had challenged Ronnie about who could bench press more I would have beat him out by a few hundred pounds.But lifting weights and boxing are two sports where "strength' has its own individualized purposes.

Me and Ronnie were friends at that time so I knew that our sparring session wouldn't get out of hand,but I still wanted to show him that I wasn't a man to be taken lightly. When they signaled to start the action I moved ahead with my hands low and my chin left open,but I didn't know any better.I figured I might rough him up a bit,but the next thing I know Ronnie jumped his jab in my face. It kind of woke me up. I kept moving forward wanting to get even for his rap on my nose, but then came another jab this time followed by the right hand. .I still tried to go after him ,but he side stepped me like a matador inside the bullring. I guess I was the bull that day and if we make the analogy with bullfighting we know the bull never wins.This scenario went on like this for several more rounds.At the end my face was red and swollen and ,by the way, I never landed a clean shot.

Several times I've mentioned about how I was coaxed to got in there with a young Ken Norton. Unlike Wilson,I don't think Norton cared too much about me. In fact I heard him grumble to Eddie Futch that he wanted a sparring partner of higher quality,not some stumble bum.(Shortly after when Norton began scaling the ladder he was brought to Los Angeles to train because there were more heavyweights in the area that could make him break a sweat).Well,I certainly didn't make Norton's skin glisten any. Before you could say "get me another boy" he brought up that big left hand that he held below his waist and broke my nose. I decided after that that I'd strut my stuff back in the weight room.

So in a nutshell I'll confidently say that boxing is not only the toughest sport but the hardest to learn with any indication of ability. I think of all the great fighters who retired ,only to come back for whatever reason,and looked really bad against an opponent they would have wupped with one glove tied behind their backs during their primes. Trying to catch lightning in a bottle being an old fighter is like chewing a piece of bubblegum you find on the sidewalk.




Rick Farris and Dan Hanley at the West Coast Boxing Hall Of Fame ceremony

[dagosd2000]

Fighting In The Rain

I know there's a category on the forum pertaining to Australian Boxing so my comments on the Aussie bantamweight champ,Jimmy Carruthers,should be posted there,but Carruthers is also significant with boxing's history so I'll include his name in The Classic American West Coast Boxing group understanding that Carruthers never was in a boxing ring on the West Coast let alone even in the United States. Makes sense to me.

I have two reasons for bringing up Carruthers.One:I thought he was one of the greatest bantamweight fighters who ever put on the gloves. A tough southpaw who never backed down with his attack,he retired undefeated after his last defense of his crown beating the Thai, Chamroen Sonkitrat, in Bangkok. Because Carruthers did most of his fighting below the equator never having shown his skills in the U.S. or Great Britain, he didn't get the print he deserved in the boxing press nor the legacy he deserves. After his fight with Sonkitat,the 25 year old Carruthers retired from boxing for 7 years. When he came back he was a shadow of his once great self. Losing 4 out of 6 fights, fighting featherweight, his record faded to 21 wins against 4 losses.As champ Carruthers KO'd Vic Toweel twice and routed American,Pappy Gault,via decision. Carruthers would fill every stadium and arena he set foot in ,but because he fought when everyone in America and Europe was asleep,he ,for the most part, went under boxing's radar.

My second reason for bringing up Jimmy is his last fight with Sonkitrat. The two fought each other during the midst of a typhoon. I remember reading about that fight. Now you can see parts of that blurred replay on YouTube. My issue is how could they have let those two fight in an open air venue during a powerful rainstorm? I might have been able to understand the decision to let them fight sopping wet,but then both boys took off their shoes!The reason was to get better footing. No. fighters don't take off their shoes in the ring. I don't care if it's snowing.Fighters must wear shoes. Maybe it was because they were fighting in Thailand where they fight barefooted.It's a sacrilege to be in the ring with your feet naked. Could you imagine The Rumble In The Jungle with Ali and Foreman fighting barefooted?it would have diminished the contest to some kind of exhibition.

Well,I'm glad I got that off my chest. Now I can focus on something less important like who's going to win the presidency in November.



Fighting In The Rain

[dagosd2000]

The Pressure With Being Number One

When Buster Douglass beat Mike Tyson to become the heavyweight Champion Of The World, he not only scored the greatest upset in boxing history,but accompanying that feat ,Buster became the Number One Fighter in the world. Hypothetically,being the heavyweight champ, it's assumed that you can beat up all the other heavyweights and all the other fighters in the lower weight classes.The night Douglass beat Tyson, I don't think any fighter, past or present, could have beaten him that night. Ali ,when he was in his prime, was a fighter the opponent couldn't hit often with any noteworthiness.The pre banishment in his prime Ali, the only times he was knocked down was one of those flash kinds delivered by Sonny Banks and Henry Cooper who had Clay glassy eyed at the bell ending the 4th round. It was a wakeup call for Clay,later Ali, who came out for the 5th and ripped apart Ol' Henery's face ending the fight. But it wasn't like Banks and Cooper were standing in there with Cassius trading toe to toe with the future champ. Clay/Ali during his heyday was primarily mostly defense. Douglass on the other hand boxed Mike Tyson's puss off and had a prime Iron Mike crawling on the canvas groping for his mouthpiece. That night Douglass could have beaten a prime Ali.Buster was on his toes and unloaded with everything.Ali wouldn't have been able to just dance away and flick his jab and then eventually wear him down.

Now that Buster was on top of the world as the heavyweight champ, instead of not wanting to loosen his hold onto the belt, he flitted the championship away in his first defense to Evander Holyfield ,looking very alien to what he had enacted in Tokyo.. Against Holyfield, Buster did look a 42 to 1 underdog..He was his old self again. In the fight with Evander, Buster had put on 15 pounds.That was enough of a red flag to tell me to lay my money on Evander. After that defeat Douglass never got close to being what he was in Nipponland.In 1998 Buster fought Lou Savarese for some version of the heavyweight crown and didn't last the 1st round. When it comes to these endless lists of who was the best heavyweights of all time Douglass never gets a call.

It's just as hard to stay on top than to eventually accomplish the feat. Now everyone expects you to stay up there,at least for awhile.Granted,Father Time will eventually dethrone a champion with ample effort from his opponent,but that's all part of being human. But even the great tenacious ilk like Duran and Chavez eventually slackened their holds onto their wills. The Duran we saw with Leonard the second time was somebody else that was an impersonator. Chavez, when he reached the point of fighting Frankie Randall, wasn't fighting like he used to do.The killer couldn't pull the trigger anymore. But the case has been made that Julio and Roberto were a bit long in the tooth ,or least they were qualifying for future denture work..

So the Douglass aberration was something to ponder.A psychiatrist could write a thesis about it. Why did Douglass drop so far? I think he was more comfortable being mediocre. After losing to Holyfield the pressure was off.I remember him saying that the money he made with Holyfield he spent faster than a little kid at the candy store.

Being the champ comes with as much pressure as riding on the road to get to that pinnacle. Fear either makes you or breaks you. Most of the time it makes one defer.I heard someone say that it's not what you did with your life,it's what you didn't do.At least Buster Douglass can say he was in that rarified air of being the very best. Not only is it lonely,but it can be scary too.

Mike Tyson

[dagosd2000]

A Friend Betrayed

Spike Lee's production of the movie Malcolm X in 1992 offered the public a biographical Hollywood look at the black civil rights activist Malcolm X.The film showcases his criminal career as a youth,his stint in the penitentiary,his conversion to The Nation Of Islam,his rise as a prolific advocate of the faith,his later falling out with the Nation Of Islam,and the questions leading to his assassination in 1965. Denzel Washington's portrayal of Malcolm X, under the direction of Spike Lee, was applauded by the critics and fans.

Recently,Netflix,has released a 6 part docu- series,Who Killed Malocolm X?,produced by Abdur-Rahman Muhammad that delves into the assassination of Malcolm X at the Audubon Ballroom in New York. His focus is on the coverup of the murder,two of the men arrested and convicted of the crime who weren't even there,and who was the actual killer who fired the shotgun blast that was the fatal shot..

Both,Malcolm X the movie and the Netflix documentary Who Killed Malcolm X? are well worth watching. But there are two aspects that should have been centered on more diligently.
One:When Malcolm X was finally cast aside by Elijah Muhammad and his hierarchy because they felt that Malcolm X 's rapidly growing popularity,was a threat to the cult, and then finally his "Chickens have come home to roost"quote after JFK's fatal coup, gave cause to banish the influential orator from the flock. He then formed his own organization naming it the Muslim Mosque. Right away there began an ugly rivalry. But the Nation Of Islam carried a lot more clout than the newly formed Muslim Mosque. Malcolm X may have been high profile with people outside of the Muslim faith,but Elijah Muhammad's followers far outnumbered whatever Malcolm X could produce on his roster sheet. This data was not highlighted sufficiently in either the movie nor the docu-series. Today,Malcolm X's Muslim Mosque is just a memory. The Nation Of Islam keeps marching on.

The second thing that is glossed over is Cassius Clay's endearment to the ousted Malcolm X. Before the first Liston fight,Cassius was hearing rhetoric that captivated and converted him emanating from the mosques of The Nation Of Islam.At the time Malcolm X was the religious group's most mesmerizing demagogue. Cassius and Malcolm soon formed a love for each other both utilizing their gift of gab. But just prior to Cassius(soon to be Muhammad Ali) "shocking the world" in Miami,the Nation Of Islam had a little talk with this diamond in the rough named Clay. Elijah Muhammad knew if he could get him to join ranks with the Nation Of Islam it would be the greatest publicity steal that would overshadow anything Madison Avenue could conjure.Now it was up to Ali to decide who he would stand behind. Malcolm X was too idealistic to coerce Ali with any kind of physical threats aimed at himself or his family.He believed their union would prevail. Malcolm X believed the bond he had with Ali was strong and everlasting. They saw each other as brothers.At least that's how Malcolm X perceived the union. But Elijah Muhammad was a cruel and calculating person who(to borrow a slogan from Malcolm X)who would incorporate "by any means necessary" to keep Ali away from Malcolm X's influence. Whatever was conveyed to Ali,Elijah Muhammad got his man. Suddenly, Ali distanced himself from Malcolm X like the plague in the Scriptures. When asked to comment on the unexpected separation Ali responded apprehensively.
"He can go his way and I'll go mine,"he said vacantly.

So now Malcolm X found himself stranded on an island surrounded by crocodiles. He knew his fate was just around the corner.The Grim Reaper awaited him at the Audubon Ballroom. There was no mourning from Muhammad Ali. He didn't go to the funeral. He had nothing to say.Ali went on to be THe Greatest always reminding the world that his faith in Allah would never waver,like it had for Malcolm X.


Malcolm X

[dagosd2000]

Downtown Henry Brown

Henry Brown was my mentor teacher when I was working on my teaching credential after I decided to switch careers from toiling at the county agriculture department. I first met Henry when I was playing football for the semi pro all black football team The Ghetto Messengers. I had played football at San Diego City College and Henry's brother Charlie was on that team. He was a running back and I was on the defensive side holding down the nose guard position. This was back in 1968. A few years later I got a call from Charlie wanting to know if I was interested playing with The Ghetto Messengers. That's when I met his older brother Henry.

I knew of Henry Brown when he was playing ball for San Diego High School back when I was on the ol' gridiron at Point Loma High School.We played Henry's team.It was the last regular season game of the season. We won the game 7 to 0.You could certainly call that game a defensive struggle. Henry was a cornerback in that game. I can say there wasn't a pass that was completed anywhere near Henry that afternoon. But then that was a time when just about all the high school teams "ran" the ball. Point Loma High's football team was no exception. Our coach used to borrow University of Texas coach Darrel Royal's line "When you throw the ball three things can happen and two of them are bad."But even though no balls were completed in Henry's neighborhood that didn't stop him from sticking his helmet in a slew of tackles.

Henry was unlike his brother Charlie who as carefree as could be always joking around taking life as it comes with a laugh and a smile. But though Henry wasn't as demonstrative as his brother he had a side to him that was very unassuming and sensitive. He was always calm and nothing seemed to openly upset him. When I got to The Ghetto Messengers ,Henry was the quarterback.There was no second string quarterback and no opposition from within the team that his role should be questioned.

We were the second best team in the division.The team that we had difficulty with was the squad comprised of San Diego State College former players. We lost 3 out of 4 to those guys. All the scores were very close,but it seemed at the end, when the game was in the balance, our guys would start arguing amongst them selves losing that "team" comradery and we'd go back to our cars parked in the lot still grumbling.

Me and Henry kept in touch after that. Henry had gotten married to an Italian gal shortly afterwards and started taking up boxing. I'd see him at the old San Diego Coliseum training and we'd share our experiences.I was more or less just messing around but Henry had his mind set on being a fighter. He started off boxing amateur at 160 pounds and I'd go down to the Coliseum to watch him fight. That's when he got the nickname"Downtown Henry Brown."

Henry was damn good. He was tall and lanky but had terrific coordination and was lightning fast with his footwork and hands.I don't think he ever lost a fight when he was fighting for no pay. But that was the time I began drifting away from going to the fights, let alone hanging around the gym. I was just married and the time I was devoting to be a husband and a dad was occupying most of my time,not that I was a role model for the sacred union. Ward Cleaver I was not.

It was almost 20 years later that I was involved with Henry again. Like I said I was working on being a combination teacher/coach and I need to jump through a few educational hoops to get my credential. Student teaching was one of the last requirements. National University,where I was in the graduate progam,said that I could pick the school I wanted to get my student teaching out of the way.I had heard that Henry was teaching at Juvenile Hall so I went down to the kids' jail to get connected. It was easy as pie. No questions asked. I told the principal that I wanted Henry for my mentor teacher and the deal as sealed

When I sat down with Henry he told me that I could personally fill out all the observation forms and then when my tenure was over he'd sign on the dotted line. Henry had what they called the "Improve Unit."These wee kids that had to be kept in individual cells because they were very volatile. Any little thing would set them off.They couldn't successfully socialize with themselves or any of the other prison populations.But when we got those kids together for an hour or so it wasn't too bad. Henry had that calming affect on them. He really felt for those kids. I could see that most of those kids had something psychologically malfunctioning but with us they were for the most part settled down.I think they saw that Henry was no hard ass "screw."

Well I got my degree out of the way with ample aide from Henry. I went on to get hooked up with a school near the border. In the beginning me and Henry stayed in touch. At that time Henry and his wife had split up. I think what caused the split was that Henry's son got messed up with a gang in the ghetto and got busted for an armed robbery rap.He was doing a stretch up at Folsom in Northern California.I'd invite Henry over to my parents' house so he could eat some of my family's Italian recipes.My mother got a kick cooking pasta for Henry.He was so very polite and gracious. My mother loved it when Henry would come over.

But like anything else time can separate relationships amongst friends. Me and Henry just kind of drifted away without much thinking about it. Then a few years ago I got call from Henry's brother,Charlie. He told me that Henry was dying of prostrate cancer.He was in a hospice. I went there to see him.

I could tell he was in a bad fix. The cancer was gonna' get him soon.We talked but he didn't seem despondent.,at leat he didn't show it. I knew that it would be the last time I'd see him. He knew it too He didn't want to be a drag on anyone. It would be the time to say an understood good by. The last thing he said before I left always stuck in my mind.
"Roger,"he weakly muttered."I found something out that I never knew.The world I was living in was not the real world."
I didn't question him on that. I left and walked out,but what he said I could never forget and I think about it quite often.

[goose 5]

Roger: What exactly is a "semi-pro" football team ? I was always curious about that term.

[dagosd2000]

Roger: What exactly is a "semi-pro" football team ? I was always curious about that term.

Good question Goose.I was a little hesitant about putting that tag on that team I played for,The Ghetto Messengers. I've always thought that when you get paid for playing on a team that this qualifies for the term "semi pro" if that team isn't in the NFL. "Semi Pro" football has been around since the sport evolved. San Diego back in the 40's had a "Semi Pro" team that called themselves The San Diego Bombers. When the NFL teams would finish their season they would barnstorm around the country playing local "Semi Pro" teams. George Radovich who owned the Arizona Café down by the beach played for The San Diego Bombers.He told me(and I have an old copy of the San Diego Union to verify his statement)that they played a game in Balboa Stadium against the NFL champs ,The Washington Redskins. The term "Semi Pro" mostly applies to paid football. Major League Baseball has its Minor Leagues. Basketball now has an off season league that's called "The NBA Development League." The thing that separates "Semi Pro" football from the lesser NBA league and Major League's farm system is that with "Semi Pro" football there is no affiliation with the parent clubs.The league that I was in was 8 Man Football with pads. I was getting paid 25 dollars a game plus a small percentage of the gate, which was very scant.. There was no health insurance that came with playing in that league. I never saw an NFL scout in attendance.I guess you could say I played for the "love" for the game.Man,was that a long time ago.

[goose 5]

Thanks, very interesting.

[dagosd2000]

Circuses And Parades

Tonight, Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder are going to go at it for the second time for the quest for the World Boxing Council heavyweight crown. After Anthony Joshua played tag with an out of shape and uninterested Andy Ruiz Jr.,Tony is the claimant of the other four boxing associations' versions of what the heavyweight champ should look like. If those four fellows are to breath life into the pinnacle of the sport you can break out an iron lung.

I read that Fury weighed in 17 pounds more than he did in the first fight. I'm sure the added pounds aren't very much muscle and sinew. By now you know I won't shell out a red,white,and blue nickel to watch that circus on PayPerView.I could drive down to Tijuana and watch it on a big flat screen in one of the local bars for free but it ain't worth the price of gas that I'd burn up. Both boys are real good at shooting their mouths off hyping up this parade. They're both better at talking than fighting.If I want to see a comedy routine I can always find something just as inane on my Netflix channel.

Boxing needs a shot in the arm to win back the public interest.The problem is that boxing is so crippled by a lack of quality talent that the needle would have to inserted in another part of the anatomy because that arm I was talking about was amputated decades ago.

As I sometimes read the scrolls that run across the bottom of the TV screen on ESPN, here are some of the latest flashes regarding the Sweet Science. Conor McGragor wants another shot at Floyd Mayweather. and Laila Ali might be interested in fighting Clarissa Shields.That's just peachy:a proposed match between a UFC fighter and a retired boxer who hasn't fought in three years, and a fight between two girls,one of them who hasn't put on the gloves in 13 years,but guess what her last name is? It rhymes with "fol-LY."

Looking at BoxRec's rankings of the top three fighters in world today(and I agree with the assessment)there's nothing on the table with these guys. Numero uno Canelo is supposed to fight in May in Las Vegas against someone named TBA. The second man on the list,Terence Crawford,shows nothing lined up for the year so far. The third place finisher,Golovkin,draws another blank when it comes to "I got nexts."

Back when every burg had an arena that featured boxing matches one night and wrestling on another, weekly cards are a thing of the past. There are no more local heroes to go watch. A few years ago I took my grandson to watch a card in Tijuana featuring Jaime Mungia and Luis Nery,two pretty hot prospects,but it wasn't before long that the promoters on the U.S. side gobbled them up. Mexican venues can say "adios" to those two for the time being.

The last fight I saw in San Diego was five years ago. It was 20 bucks to sit in the back of the banquet room at the 4 Points Sheraton Hotel.The featured fighter was Leon Spinks the 3rd who couldn' t stir up enough paying customers to fill up all the seats and didn't show much of anything in the process. His uncle Leon Spinks,the former heavyweight champ,made an appearance to support his nephew and was the highlight of the evening.

I post only on the "Boxing History" column.It's the only segment where I can find any relevance to a time when boxing was an integral component of the sports world instead of what it has morphed into today--a athletic afterthought.Looking at tonight's Wilder/Fury rematch I can only say that P.T. Barnum would have had a field day.

Conor McGregor

[dagosd2000]

About Last Night

Was watching on the TV some of the undercard of the Fury/Wilder fight. The fight between Matias and Ananyan was a good one. Both boys mixed it up pretty hard,but then something happened .I think it was in the 7th round. I wasn't scoring the fight ,but it looked like Matias,who was uindefeated,was slightly ahead. But Ananyan with about a minute to go in the round caught Matias with a solid right hand.The shot you could tell hurt Matias.Ananyan pressed the attack throwing more rights and caught him with a shot that backed Matias against the ropes. This was with about 30 seconds to go in the round.I thought that it was time for Matias to go too. He was helpless.The ref moved in.I thought he was going to stop the fight.But then he pulled the rug out from under Ananyan and motioned him to go to a neutral corner.He waned to give Matias a Standing 8 Count.

The Standing 8 Count is one of most stupid rules in boxing. I guess it's up to the state commissions whether to permit this regulation,but it's grossly unfair to the fighter who has to wait in a neutral corner while his victim gets a breather to regain his senses. By the time all the sorting out was done and the eight count had been administered the bell sounded to end the round.

Look.If a guy is getting pounded and can't defend himself the referee should step in and stop the fight. If the battered opponent feels he needs some time to clear his head he can drop to a knee and the ref will do his duty and start the count. Anyway you look at it it's going to be a two point round. But Matias bore up and didn't want to fall.He was getting a pasting though.Then his guardian angel,the referee,stepped in and called a Standing 8. Matias got off the hook when the fight should have been stopped.

Ananyan pressed Matias for the remainder of the fight and to Matias's credit he held up. But the damaged that Ananyan had put on him in the 7th was telling. Matias lasted,but barely. At the end of the last round I was hoping that they'd score the fight in Ananyan's favor. It would have been an injustice to have awarded the fight to Matias. But this time judges got it right-unanimous decision for Ananyan.

This morning I gleaned what there was on YouTube of the main event. Yesterday I dissed the four current heavyweights that have laid claim to the championship at one time or another. I still think that all the hype that has been blown on these guys is just that-a lot of wind and smoke. But I will say this about Tyson Fury,he comes to fight every minute of every round.That's more than I can say about the other three. Fury has a lot of bad habits in the ring,but he's a determined bloke.When he got up off the deck in their last fight he showed his mettle. I tip my cap to him. Maybe it was all that 5 finger love that had something to do with his resolve. I wonder how many fighters will implement ol' Rosey Palm into their training regimens? However,unlike Fury I bet they won't admit that to the press.


Deontay Wilder

[dagosd2000]

Crazy Legs

My father talked to me once about maybe taking on a prospect fighting out of Tijuana. The fighter's name was Rosendo Ruvalcaba. My father and I were at the fights at the Jai Alai Palace when we bumped into Ruvalcaba before the action started and my father introduced me to him. He was a bronze skinned ,tall, good looking kid with wavy black hair and dark penetrating eyes and rock star looks. His smile was captivating and he spoke with a voice as smooth as satin. The kid said he had a fight lined up the following week at the downtown bullring. He was to fight a Puerto Rican fighter from New York named Papo Villa on the undercard of the Chango Carmona/Raimundo Dias main event.

After disengaging from Ruvalcaba and walking to our seats my father said that he had watched him train at the very popular CREA Gym that was located in the Rio section just east of the downtown area.
"This Rosendo is the kind of fighter I like,"said my father."He's tall and has a long reach."
My father took after Emmanuel Stewart in respect that he felt a tall fighter had an advantage over a short guy. The shorter fighter has to try to work inside to land his punches and in the process has to take a lot of shots in order to land his own.
"So what's holding you back?"I asked my father.
"He chases after women too much. He gets distracted by them."

I decided that I'd go to the bullring and take in the card.For some reason my father didn't go so I went by myself.There was a good size crowd that night. It was set up as a revenge fight for Carmona.He had lost on a TKO to the Brazilian ,Dias, earlier in the year in the bullring in Ciudad Juarez.The winner was in line for a shot at the WBC lightweight title that belonged to Mando Ramos. It was a ripe plum of an opportunity looking back on things. Ramos was in full self destruct mode. Whoever got into the ring with him wouldn't have to do much to topple him over. Carmona won in spectacular fashion and had the aficianados standing on their feet the whole way.

But just as interesting to me was the semi main with Ruvalcaba doing battle with the Puerto Rican from the South Bronx.Ruvalcaba brought his 5-1 record into the ring along with his good looks and a contingent of senoritas sitting ringside to see their macho man reek havoc on the squat looking trial horse. It was unusual to see Ruvalcaba's dazzling face on the cover of the fight program instead of the main eventers.It was a picture from the waist up showing the bare chested Ruvalcaba sporting a gaudy gold chain around his neck.

Both boys tipped the scales within the welterweight limit,but because of his height Ruvalcaba looked much bigger. The bell sounded for the first round and Ruvalcaba began working his jab trying to fend off the crouching attack of Villa. Nothing much of consequence was happening until the 5th round when Villa hit that magic spot on Ruvalcaba's chin. It wasn't a big shot,but he hit the "button." Suddenly,Ruvalcaba's legs shorted out. He was staggering around the ring like the Straw Man in The Wizard Of Oz. Anytime something like that happens it brings a laugh from the crowd regardless of whose side you're on.Ruvalbaba didn't fall down,but that made it even more comical. The referee didn't know what to do. He didn't want to motion Villa in to polish off Ruvalcaba because he was helpless,so he waited for him to right the ship.Once he regained his balance(sort of ) the referee grabbed Ruvalcaba's gloves and asked him if he wanted to continue. He said he was OK but 10 seconds later Villa finished off what was left of the Ray Bolger impersonation.

I went home after the fight and my father asked me how Ruvalcaba made out.
"I think he was spending more time in the bedroom than in the gym.He got knocked out."
"Well,I'm sure the girls will wrap their arms around him and kiss his boo boos,"said my father shaking his head.
Then I said something off the top of my head.
"He's has to learn to take life as it comes."
"If he learns that he'll win on of life's biggest victories."

Chango Carmona

[dagosd2000]

One I Never Heard Of Before

I'm sure if I went over to the "British/Irish" threads on the forum there'd be some comments,mostly wry and sardonic,about Deontay Wilder's reason about why he lost to Tyson Fury. Deontay says that the Darth Vader costume he wore into the ring was so heavy(40 pounds) that it tired his legs. So how many of you bought that excuse? I was watching on the tube the prelims and then the entrances of the title combatants.As Wilder was trudging towards the ring wearing his Trick Or Treat garb,I never gave it a thought that his ensemble would have a bearing on his performance. As Wilder was getting the crap beat out of him I didn't say to myself,
"I knew that Darth Vader outfit would lead to his downfall."

Brings to mind some other preposterous alibis by the defeated fighter. Let's see. Roberto Duran's steak and orange juice meal prior to his rematch with Leonard caused Bobby to get a tummy ache. Pipino Cuevas couldn't get any traction with his feet because his shoes kept slipping all over the place(that's Pipino talking) before Tommy Hearns dropped him from an overhand right that caused Jose's face to hit the canvas before the rest of his body caught up with it. Two Ton Tony Galento blaming his corner, after he sent Joe Louis to the mat for a flash, saying that his people wanted him "to box" the Brown Bomber. Why didn't you just go after Louis and demolish him once and for all paisan? Again, another Joe Louis story.This time Lou Nova ,through swollen lips. "I lost the fight because my trainer Ray Arcel was never a fighter." I'll add one more.Larry Holmes saying he had Mike Tyson where he wanted him,but Larry's arm got hung up on the ropes before he was deliver the coup de gras.

So Deontay's apology is in a class by itself. BTW.What was that rapper who was leading you into the cauldron chanting?Something about "black" this and "black" that. Sounded like something to alienate the crowd before a WWF extravaganza.A white against black thing maybe?Very bad. I read where Wilder has a rematch clause he can take advantage of. If they put that together and when the time comes, I'll slide in my copy of Star Wars into my DVD. I don't remember Darth Vader mentioning anything about his regalia weighting him down.I bet he'd put on a better showing than Deontay Wilder did.

Joe Louis

[dagosd2000]

Maestro

"Maestro" means "teacher" in Spanish. "Maestro" was the nickname the aficianados gave to their flyweight champion Miguel Canto from Merida,Yucatan. Though he defended his title 14 times he wasn't a common presence in the Southland. He wasn't even on many of the cards in the big venues in Mexico. He fought at the Arena Coliseo in Mexico City a few times while on his way up the ladder. He never fought in Tijuana. He crossed the border north once in a defense of his crown at the LA Sports Arena against an unranked fighter by the name of Orlando Javierto.

Canto came to being during the glory days of the great Mexican fighters during the 1970's. But he was never on a card with a Napoles, an Olivares,or a Saldivar. Most of his fights, even after winning the championship, were staged in his patria chica of Yucatan or outside the country. At that time there was a fighting feud with the Asian fighters. Canto didn't have any qualms about boarding a plane and fighting in Japan or Korea to take on the best they had to offer.

I never saw Canto fight "live" but I did see the replays of many of his fights on Mexican TV. Mexican fight buffs like their killers. They want to see blood,smashing punches that deliver the KO. But Miguel Canto wasn't that. He was a Mexican Willie Pep. I wouldn't call him a "cutie".He wasn't a Nicolino Locche who prided himself of eluding everything that was thrown at him and offer very little in return. No. Miguel Canto liked to fight.

Not many fighters weighing 112 pounds have much power packed in their gloves. Canto was no exception.However, Canto could attack and counter as well as any fighter I've seen. Baby Vasquez was a Mexican fighter that made his mark as a "defensive" fighter,but Canto not only could be hard to find,he could out punch his opponents more effectively. He was absolutely beautiful to watch. Unlike so many fighters I see today that want to load up with every shot,Canto was very relaxed yet always on high alert. A fighter can expend a lot of useless energy moving in the ring all tensed up.Canto was like a cat.He could let himself lie on the ropes as his opponent flailed away unable to land a telling blow. Canto would roll and slip diffusing the power of his opponent's punches and then step aside and let his hands go. Most of his 60 wins(that doesn't include the unrecorded fights)came going the distance.

When I think of the recent "defensive" fighters like Mayweather,Hopkins,and Wright,they didn't have the magic,the flair of Miguel Canto. Canto was a truly a "teacher" in the ring. The three aforementioned were for the most part what I call "avoiders".They knew if they could get away with playing tag then they wouldn't be "It".Too bad Miguel Canto didn't get more recognition with the fans outside of Mexico. He's a very underrated fighter. But some of his best fights can be seen on YouTube.If you've never seen a Miguel Canto fight I strongly urge you to log on to YouTube. You might learn something.


El Maestro

[Chuck1052]

Maestro

"Maestro" means "teacher" in Spanish. "Maestro" was the nickname the aficianados gave to their flyweight champion Miguel Canto from Merida,Yucatan. Though he defended his title 14 times he wasn't a common presence in the Southland. He wasn't even on many of the cards in the big venues in Mexico. He fought at the Arena Coliseo in Mexico City a few times while on his way up the ladder. He never fought in Tijuana. He crossed the border north once in a defense of his crown at the LA Sports Arena against an unranked fighter by the name of Orlando Javierto.

Canto came to being during the glory days of the great Mexican fighters during the 1970's. But he was never on a card with a Napoles, an Olivares,or a Saldivar. Most of his fights, even after winning the championship, were staged in his patria chica of Yucatan or outside the country. At that time there was a fighting feud with the Asian fighters. Canto didn't have any qualms about boarding a plane and fighting in Japan or Korea to take on the best they had to offer.

I never saw Canto fight "live" but I did see the replays of many of his fights on Mexican TV. Mexican fight buffs like their killers. They want to see blood,smashing punches that deliver the KO. But Miguel Canto wasn't that. He was a Mexican Willie Pep. I wouldn't call him a "cutie".He wasn't a Nicolino Locche who prided himself of eluding everything that was thrown at him and offer very little in return. No. Miguel Canto liked to fight.

Not many fighters weighing 112 pounds have much power packed in their gloves. Canto was no exception.However, Canto could attack and counter as well as any fighter I've seen. Baby Vasquez was a Mexican fighter that made his mark as a "defensive" fighter,but Canto not only could be hard to find,he could out punch his opponents more effectively. He was absolutely beautiful to watch. Unlike so many fighters I see today that want to load up with every shot,Canto was very relaxed yet always on high alert. A fighter can expend a lot of useless energy moving in the ring all tensed up.Canto was like a cat.He could let himself lie on the ropes as his opponent flailed away unable to land a telling blow. Canto would roll and slip diffusing the power of his opponent's punches and then step aside and let his hands go. Most of his 60 wins(that doesn't include the unrecorded fights)came going the distance.

When I think of the recent "defensive" fighters like Mayweather,Hopkins,and Wright,they didn't have the magic,the flair of Miguel Canto. Canto was a truly a "teacher" in the ring. The three aforementioned were for the most part what I call "avoiders".They knew if they could get away with playing tag then they wouldn't be "It".Too bad Miguel Canto didn't get more recognition with the fans outside of Mexico. He's a very underrated fighter. But some of his best fights can be seen on YouTube.If you've never seen a Miguel Canto fight I strongly urge you to log on to YouTube. You might learn something.


El Maestro

I saw Miguel Canto fight Orlando Javierto in person. In addition, I watch some tapes of Canto's fights. He had one beautiful boxing style.

- Chuck Johnston

[dagosd2000]

I saw Miguel Canto fight Orlando Javierto in person. In addition, I watch some tapes of Canto's fights. He had one beautiful boxing style.

- Chuck Johnston
[/quote]

Chuck
I saw where Canto WAS on a card with Olivares.It was that night you were there.I see that Olivares was stopped by a relatively unknown fighter. Also Alberto Davila and Shinichi Kadota were also fighting that night. Must have been quite a night.

[Chuck1052]

I saw Miguel Canto fight Orlando Javierto in person. In addition, I watch some tapes of Canto's fights. He had one beautiful boxing style.

- Chuck Johnston

Chuck
I saw where Canto WAS on a card with Olivares.It was that night you were there.I see that Olivares was stopped by a relatively unknown fighter. Also Alberto Davila and Shinichi Kadota were also fighting that night. Must have been quite a night.
[/quote]

Roger, I have seen both Ruben Olivares and Alberto Davila fight in person, but I don't much of a memory of them fighting on the same card as Miguel Canto did when the latter fought Orlando Javierto. Canto's bout comes to mind because that is the only time that I saw him fight in person. There was another fighter on the card that I remember well, Sigfrido Rodriguez. He had extremely awkward, unorthodox fighting style, which seemed to be somewhat effective.

- Chuck Johnston

[dagosd2000]

I saw Miguel Canto fight Orlando Javierto in person. In addition, I watch some tapes of Canto's fights. He had one beautiful boxing style.

- Chuck Johnston

Chuck
I saw where Canto WAS on a card with Olivares.It was that night you were there.I see that Olivares was stopped by a relatively unknown fighter. Also Alberto Davila and Shinichi Kadota were also fighting that night. Must have been quite a night.

Roger, I have seen both Ruben Olivares and Alberto Davila fight in person, but I don't much of a memory of them fighting on the same card as Miguel Canto did when the latter fought Orlando Javierto. Canto's bout comes to mind because that is the only time that I saw him fight in person. There was another fighter on the card that I remember well, Sigfrido Rodriguez. He had extremely awkward, unorthodox fighting style, which seemed to be somewhat effective.

- Chuck Johnston
[/quote]

Chuck
When you responded to my post mentioning that you saw Canto fight Javierto at the Sports Arena,I went to the BoxRec archives and saw that Olivares and Davila were on that card also. Who knows? I used to watch Sigfrido Rodriguez fight in Tijuana and in San Diego. However,when I returned to the BoxRec records to look Rodriguez up his fights stop in 1978. I remember seeing him fight a few times in the 1980's in Tijuana and the San Diego Coliseum.You're right about him:a very tight muscled fighter who was very primitive with technique.

One last comment about Olivares. After Chucho Castillo beat him after that long win streak,Olivares became a mortal in the eyes of his opponents. After that first loss you never knew what to expect with him.He had rough times with Herrera and also with Art Hafey. I remember Burke Emory telling me that he took Hafey down to Monterrey,Mexico to fight Olivares. Burke told me that it was a massacre. Olivares couldn't cope with Hafey's big left hook. Finally,I think the 5th round,Hafey dug his hook into Olivares' gut and the force of the blow made Ruben spit out his mouthpiece half way across the arena.They fought again in LA and they robbed Hafey from getting the decision. There was little money to be made with Hafey. Olivares on the other hand was still a very popular fighter in Mexico and LA.


Ruben Olivares today.They still remember him fondly

[dagosd2000]

Between Dreams

"So show me where the roses are and I'll go over and smell them,"I said sarcastically.
"You can't swing a dead cat without hitting them,"said Jeff the bartender as he set the draft on the bar in front of me.
Champs bar as usual was empty in the mornings. When Burke was alive and him and his girlfriend Shirley were running things they opened the place at 10 am. Champs had been open for an hour.The place was empty.
"You guys lose money being opening at 10,"I said.
"I don't run things around here,"Jeff said."Besides,I'm getting paid for doing nothing."
"Do you ever think about taking down all of Burke's press clippings?"
"Like I said.I don't run things around here."
"Burke told me wanted to fight Archie Moore for the championship,"I said.
"What happened?"
"Burke lost a big fight in Madison Square Garden against Jose Torres.After that things dried up for him."
"Archie Moore's son Billy used to come around once in awhile when Burke was alive."
"Burke thought he could beat Archie Moore. That's what he said."
"Do you think he could have beaten Archie Moore?"
"No.But you never can tell. He later went to Scotland to fight Chic Calderwood and lost on cuts early in the fight."
"He was a bleeder they say,"said Jeff.
"His eyes were always coming apart."
"Well,I don't think they'll ever change the name of this place or take down his newspaper articles."
"Shirley's grandson just wants to leave things as they were.Burke like a lot of ex pugs always made an excuse about how he got robbed.Like the fight with Calderwood. He said if he had fought him here in the states or Canada he would have won."
"I never talked to him,"said Jeff.".They say he lived in the past and then when he started to go he couldn't remember much of anything."
"Sometimes it's what a man doesn't say that's the real truth. Burke always thought he could have been a world champion.I think he knew he was kidding himself."
"It's funny,"said Jeff beginning to wipe the counter with a towel. "No one brings up his name anymore except you when you come in here."
"I wonder why's that?"
"Maybe people don't want to bring up the past. "
"Bars are good places to bring out your fantasy world,"I said.
"Well.Burke didn't have a problem doing that."


Burke and me.Champs Bar