BoxRec

bennie wrote:

dagosd2000 wrote:

kikibalt wrote:
Here I am with Chata,

Frank briefing Chata on how to behave and look cute and don't slobber or fart, just before they make their run to Malibu Beach.

What a lovely shot.

Thanks, Bennie...

Bud Christman

Tammy Campo

Ray Patterson vs Billy Walker

John L. Davis

John L. Davis vs Raul Esqueda

Gil Cadilli

I can't remember what show it was,but it was a story on Rocky Marciano. An Italian Heavyweight Champion of the World. You often see these panels of trainers,ex fighters,managers,and sports writers. If their lineage is Italian,their pick for greatest Heavyweight Champion is Rocky Marciano. The undefeated record is always thrown in for evidence,but it is with a particular humility that they talk about Rocky. I saw Lou Duva sitting with Sugar,Kellerman,and Teddy Atlas. It was a biography of Marciano showing many of his fights. George Foreman came aboard later and paid his respects to Marciano. Of course the accolades were pouring out. Then Sugar asked if Ali ,in his prime ,could beat Rocky. The age old question:could Rocky catch up with him?

They showed the staged computer segments of the "make believe" match between Marciano and Ali that was shown in the theaters. The U.S.version had Rocky stopping Ali,and the version shown in Great britain had Ali winning on cuts(I was inaware of that). A story was shared by Sugar that Ali said he was going to knock off Marciano's toupee during the staged performance. When Ali would go to Marciano's head,Rocky would throw shots downstairs. Looking at the footage,Marciano was really winging it down there. Both boys were inactive. Ali from forced retirement and the Rock's last fight was 15 years in the past. Rock had trained for the sessions and had taken off a lot of weight. The rounds were filmed for a minute at a time. All the different endings were also filmed.

Angelo Dundee told the story of how Rocky didn't like Ali's talking before the "fight." Of course Angelo had been with Ali,and told Rocky that Ali's talking was part of the act. Rocky still didn't like that. Funny,Angelo was an italian from the old school who didn't live with fighters or anyone else that shot their mouths off and kept their teeth.. I always wondered if that talking ever bothered Dundee. I know Dundee,like Rocky,wasn't brought up that way. Wasn't Angelo in Ellis's corner with his fight with Ali?

When Duva was asked if Marciano would have caught up with Muhammad,Lou shrugged his shoulders and said,"Rocky would have found him."

Rocky Marciano in the Italian community is almost someone sacred. You don't say anything negative about him. I remember the Italian gangsters wanted to be in his presence. He was the Heavyweight Champ. The toughest guy on the planet,and he was Italian. He was the good Italian that all Italians wanted to be around.

I remember seeing once Rocky's mother on TV talking about her late son. Her name was Pasqualina. She was a big beautifull decent Italian mother.Above her was a beautifull oil painting of Rocky in his fighting pose. Pasqualina said she would never listen or watch her son's fights. She said that she also worried about Rocky's opponents and hoped they wouldn't get hurt because they had mothers too. Rocky was very close to his family. Like a typical Italian son,he was addicted to his mother's Italian cooking. After Rocky won the championship,he said he went to the shoe factory ,where his father was working ,and said,"That's it pop. You're going home.I'll take care of you now,"

Before Rocky pulled his father out of the shoe factory,Pasqualina told the story of how Rocky would take the sack lunch she had made over to the shoe factory for his father.
"Rocky",said Pasqualina in her tiny feminine voice."Go to the factory and take your father his lunch."
Pasqualina had such a pretty smile when she told this story.
"And Rocky would stop playing with his friends and run over to the shoe factory and take his father his lunch."

You see when you go into the Italian neighborhood and talk about the Rock,you mind your P's and Q's. Rocky Marciano was a good Italian.

kikibalt wrote:

dagosd2000 wrote:All right,I'll let you in on what Frank told me about Chata. You see Frank doesn't really like dogs,but Frank knows that girls like cute little doggies like Chata. Come on,all you have to do is parade around the beach or the park with a cute little dog and you've got the "Ultimate Babe Magnet". Girls think,not only is the doggie cute,but you're a real sensitive guy. Full of love and compassion for vulnerable little things like puppies,and girls.

I didn't mean to blow your cover Frank,but when you've reached the age you have,$2500 could translate into a lot of big scores. Besides,in the long run it'll be a lot cheaper than drivin'(the way the price of gas is)to Reno to drop $2500 everytime at The Mustang Ranch.

diego,

I went to the Mustang Ranch once, but it was a business visited....

Hey Frank
I remember going there once. I took care of business too. I'm showing my age. Business was takin' care of for 10 bucks.

dagosd2000 wrote:I can't remember what show it was,but it was a story on Rocky Marciano. An Italian Heavyweight Champion of the World. You often see these panels of trainers,ex fighters,managers,and sports writers. If their lineage is Italian,their pick for greatest Heavyweight Champion is Rocky Marciano. The undefeated record is always thrown in for evidence,but it is with a particular humility that they talk about Rocky. I saw Lou Duva sitting with Sugar,Kellerman,and Teddy Atlas. It was a biography of Marciano showing many of his fights. George Foreman came aboard later and paid his respects to Marciano. Of course the accolades were pouring out. Then Sugar asked if Ali ,in his prime ,could beat Rocky. The age old question:could Rocky catch up with him?

They showed the staged computer segments of the "make believe" match between Marciano and Ali that was shown in the theaters. The U.S.version had Rocky stopping Ali,and the version shown in Great britain had Ali winning on cuts(I was inaware of that). A story was shared by Sugar that Ali said he was going to knock off Marciano's toupee during the staged performance. When Ali would go to Marciano's head,Rocky would throw shots downstairs. Looking at the footage,Marciano was really winging it down there. Both boys were inactive. Ali from forced retirement and the Rock's last fight was 15 years in the past. Rock had trained for the sessions and had taken off a lot of weight. The rounds were filmed for a minute at a time. All the different endings were also filmed.

Angelo Dundee told the story of how Rocky didn't like Ali's talking before the "fight." Of course Angelo had been with Ali,and told Rocky that Ali's talking was part of the act. Rocky still didn't like that. Funny,Angelo was an italian from the old school who didn't live with fighters or anyone else that shot their mouths off and kept their teeth.. I always wondered if that talking ever bothered Dundee. I know Dundee,like Rocky,wasn't brought up that way. Wasn't Angelo in Ellis's corner with his fight with Ali?

When Duva was asked if Marciano would have caught up with Muhammad,Lou shrugged his shoulders and said,"Rocky would have found him."

Rocky Marciano in the Italian community is almost someone sacred. You don't say anything negative about him. I remember the Italian gangsters wanted to be in his presence. He was the Heavyweight Champ. The toughest guy on the planet,and he was Italian. He was the good Italian that all Italians wanted to be around.

I remember seeing once Rocky's mother on TV talking about her late son. Her name was Pasqualina. She was a big beautifull decent Italian mother.Above her was a beautifull oil painting of Rocky in his fighting pose. Pasqualina said she would never listen or watch her son's fights. She said that she also worried about Rocky's opponents and hoped they wouldn't get hurt because they had mothers too. Rocky was very close to his family. Like a typical Italian son,he was addicted to his mother's Italian cooking. After Rocky won the championship,he said he went to the shoe factory ,where his father was working ,and said,"That's it pop. You're going home.I'll take care of you now,"

Before Rocky pulled his father out of the shoe factory,Pasqualina told the story of how Rocky would take the sack lunch she had made over to the shoe factory for his father.
"Rocky",said Pasqualina in her tiny feminine voice."Go to the factory and take your father his lunch."
Pasqualina had such a pretty smile when she told this story.
"And Rocky would stop playing with his friends and run over to the shoe factory and take his father his lunch."

You see when you go into the Italian neighborhood and talk about the Rock,you mind your P's and Q's. Rocky Marciano was a good Italian.

Rocky Marciano

"The Rock"
By Diego

Rodolfo Gonzalez vs Antonio Cervantes

diego's dog, Molly

kikibalt wrote:
diego's dog, Molly

Hey Frank
I couldn't get my sisters to log on a boxing forum if I held a gun to their heads. Now that the dog is on there,they'll probably become regular posters. We'll know everything there is to know about dogs.

See,I told you guys. Start bringing up the pooches and the next thing you know we'll have the forum full of females. Hold on. Maybe we can get a few phone numbers.

kikibalt wrote:

Rick Farris wrote:If I didn't like her Frank, I'd have never married her . . .

I was saying your wife liking our dog.

I know. Just kidding.

kikibalt wrote:

Rodolfo Gonzalez vs Antonio Cervantes

I still remember the crowd jumping to their feet when Cervantes hit the deck. That hook just cracked on his chin from nowhere, and all of sudden he lay on his back, looking as if he had just been turned inside out. He survived long enough to win on a cut. I truly want to hear what the champ's memory of this moment.

-Rick Farris

My loveable pooch Buttercup -

kikibalt wrote:

Rick Farris wrote:

kikibalt wrote:

Moreno vs Chestnut 1957

Frank, during his ten-year career Ike Chestnut fought some great featherweights, from coast-to-coast as well as in Mexico. He was inducted into the WBHOF in 2006 posthumously, after passing away in 1985, at age 59. I've read a lot about Chestnut, heard lots of stories, a few from Dwight Hawkins who had boxed with Chestnut in the gym. I know you saw him at the Olympic, the Hollywood Legion, and probably other venues? You likely saw the fight the above pic came from? How did Chestnut fight, could you share your memories of what you saw, or your thoughts relating to Ike Chestnut? I wish I could post his record, just for the conversation that his opposition would stimulate.

-Rick

Rick,

I did get to see Ike Chestnut fight a few times live, I remember his fight vs Pajarito at the Olympic and I can tell you that it was a great fight, with both going toe to toe until it was stopped because of cuts suffer by Chestnut, Chestnut made the mistake of going toe to toe with Moreno, not too many did that and survive with Moreno, Chestnut should have stuck with what he did best and thats box.
Chestnut was a cagey fighter and could box well.

Frank, I'm finally going thru the thread and dig up the material I miss during the week. Thank you for answering my questions about your memories of certain fighters. You, like Johnny Flores, always had a keen eye for fighters, you are part of the history. The answers you provide for the questions I ask is priceless to me. I'd hate to carry on the opinion of so-called "historians" who really only lived the experiences thru newspaper articles, etc. Their work is important and serves a purpose, but it NEVER tells people "how it really was". Besides your info on Chestnut, Jofre, etc. I like when you post a good story you have found on Pajarito Moreno or Jose Beccera, etc. Your efforts are not just lost on the few of us who post here, it's being carried on.

-Rick Farris

raylawpc wrote:My loveable pooch Buttercup -

Nice teeth!

raylawpc wrote:My loveable pooch Buttercup -

Looks like a girlfriend I had back about 1950.... ...

Lira to enter Boxing Hall of Fame
By Claudia Palma, Staff Writer
sgvtribune

SOUTH EL MONTE - The world of professional boxing has many stars, but often the people behind the big names and champions are overlooked.

The California Boxing Hall of Fame is making sure that Ben Lira's name and work is never forgotten.

"He's a super guy," said Don Fraser, founder and president of the organization, "and devoted to the sport."

The organization is inducting the South El Monte boxing coach into its 2008 Hall of Fame this Saturday at a special ceremony in Studio City.

The 67-year-old Whittier resident has been running South El Monte boxing programs since 1992. The gym welcomes youth ages 8 and older, helping them stay out of trouble.

"I want a place for kids to come, have fun and learn some skills," said Lira.

His work in boxing stretches over 40 years.

"He's dedicated so much time to working with boxers and children," said Fraser, "He's long overdue."

Lira, along with his brother, produced two professional boxers. He was also one of the pioneers in getting women into the world of boxing.

His passion for boxing began as a 12-year-old growing up in Santa Paula and learning boxing with his older brother, Al. Lira kept boxing while serving in the Army for two years. After returning to Santa Paula he realized that to do well in boxing, he would have to move to the Los Angeles area.

Lira followed his brother, Al, to La Habra. He boxed as an amateur for 10 years and

professionally for a couple more.
"Too bad there's not more Ben Liras in boxing," said Fraser.

[email protected]

(626) 962-8811, Ext. 2110

Rodolfo Gonzalez vs Antonio Cervantes



"The Cut"

kikibalt wrote:

Rodolfo Gonzalez vs Antonio Cervantes



"The Cut"

Great pics, Frankie.

Frank, you were probably there that night. The picture looks like the cut was at the side of Gato's eye. Was Gato having trouble seeing as a result of the cut? Because it doesn't look like any blood is going into his eye.

raylawpc wrote:Frank, you were probably there that night. The picture looks like the cut was at the side of Gato's eye. Was Gato having trouble seeing as a result of the cut? Because it doesn't look like any blood is going into his eye.

Tom,

The cut was not in a bad spot, but it WAS a nasty cut, the fight had to be stopped, no doubt about that.

bennie wrote: Great pics, Frankie.

Thanks to Dan!