BoxRec

Rick Farris wrote:

Rick Farris wrote:Some L.A. Boxing Trivia . . .

Aileen Eaton (Olympic Aud. promoter), Jimmy Jacobs (mgr./historian), and Allen Malamud (Sports writer) have all passed on, and all have been inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame. What else do these three boxing figures have in common????

(answer in following post)

All graduated from Los Angeles High School.


-Rick Farris

Rick Farris wrote:AD WOLGAST . . .

I haven't yet had time to read the above stories posted on Ad Wolgast and Battling Nelson (and will later today when time permits), however, as a kid in Jr. High School, I read an interesting story on Wolgast, a story that written by a true boxing writer from the past, a guy who could paint a brilliant picture with his words (in other words, something we no longer see from boxing journalists.)

I will share this one part of the story, which tells of Wolgast's mental challenges after his retirement.

Wolgast had been commited to a rest home for the mentally impaired and would often sneak out of the place, like a boxer breaking training and escaping camp. Upon discovering the former boxing champ was gone, the hospital staff would notify authorities who would attempt to find him. A couple days after one of Wolgast's disappearances, the home receieved a phone call from a L.A. hospital, reporting that that Ad had arrived via ambulance to the emergency room early that morning.

It seems that Wolgast had been run over by a street car while running down Spring Street, in downtown Los Angeles, breaking both of his legs. When a reporter heard of the accident, he visited the punch drunk ex-fighter in the hospital, and asked him what he was doing in the middle of the street at 5am.

"I was doing roadwork for my fight with Battling Nelson, and this time I'm going to knockout the sonofabitch!"

The fight had taken place ten years earlier.


-Rick Farris
World Boxing Hall of Fame- Director/Historian

Rick Farris wrote:AD WOLGAST . . .

I haven't yet had time to read the above stories posted on Ad Wolgast and Battling Nelson (and will later today when time permits), however, as a kid in Jr. High School, I read an interesting story on Wolgast, a story that written by a true boxing writer from the past, a guy who could paint a brilliant picture with his words (in other words, something we no longer see from boxing journalists.)

I will share this one part of the story, which tells of Wolgast's mental challenges after his retirement.

Wolgast had been commited to a rest home for the mentally impaired and would often sneak out of the place, like a boxer breaking training and escaping camp. Upon discovering the former boxing champ was gone, the hospital staff would notify authorities who would attempt to find him. A couple days after one of Wolgast's disappearances, the home receieved a phone call from a L.A. hospital, reporting that that Ad had arrived via ambulance to the emergency room early that morning.

It seems that Wolgast had been run over by a street car while running down Spring Street, in downtown Los Angeles, breaking both of his legs. When a reporter heard of the accident, he visited the punch drunk ex-fighter in the hospital, and asked him what he was doing in the middle of the street at 5am.

"I was doing roadwork for my fight with Battling Nelson, and this time I'm going to knockout the sonofabitch!"

The fight had taken place ten years earlier.


-Rick Farris
World Boxing Hall of Fame- Director/Historian

Expug wrote:Great stuff on Nelson and Wolgast guys.
Two of the toughest fighters ever to lace em up no doubt.
Nelson was from Hegewisch which is a tough blue collar area on Chicagos South East side.
When I worked construction, (I was a Laborer)I worked with some guys from there.
They were not candy asses lemme tell ya.
I think the guys posting in this thread would like Hegewisch.

Chuck1052 wrote:Take a look at Ad Wolgast's record on BoxRec, which shows that he had more than one bout after 1917. Moreover, Wolgast appears to have to been a competent fighter as late as 1919, the year that he fought a competitive bout with Earl "Young" France, a fighter who piled up a crediable record during his career.

- Chuck Johnston

kikibalt wrote:

bennie wrote:Frankie, do you anything about Rudy Zavala, who was hit by a car and killed in California in 1998?

No, Bennie, don't know much about him, I did see him fight a few times, at the start of his career he looked like a real good up and coming fighter, then something went wrong and he started losing and the little I know about that, is that he couldn't handle the losing, he started drinking I was told and that led to his fatal accident, which btw happened close to my house.

kikibalt wrote:

Ad Wolgast vs Owen Moran
4 July 1911, San Francisco,Ca

World's Lightweight Championship

"Owan was distinctly "down and out" He rolled on his side, claimed that he had been hit low, and writhed on the ring floor. Jack Welsh, the referee...refused to listen to the claim of foul and pointed to Wolgast as the winner..."

-Douglas Erskine. Milwaukee Free Press. July 5, 1911

WOLGAST IS VICTOR IN FRISCO FIGHT

SCORES KNOCKOUT OVER MORAN IN THE THIRTEENTH ROUND

"It was not a fight that would have gladden the heart of the Marquis of Queensberry..."

"Whoever named Wolgast the wildcat, did about as well as the closest student of animal life could have done..."

"The champion lightweight is worth watching when he leaps into action. "Leaps' is the only word that describes ...the spring toward his opponent that is the main feature of Wolgast's style of fighting."

"...Wolgast covered his face with his gloves and dashed into close quarters, perfectly willing to take what Owen swung at him on the way in..."

Round two action of the battle between the only two men to ever have knocked out Battling Nelson. When the end came in round thirteen many observers felt Ad Wolgast and Referee Jack Welsh may be developing prizefighting into a team sport. Welsh was be accused of becoming Wolgast's "personal" referee, officiating all of the Champions important bouts. More importantly ,Welsh was accused of turning a blind eye to Wolgast's fouling tactics, particularly dramatically low blows. These rumblings that would reach a crescendo a year later to the day with Wolgast's controversial victory over Mexican Joe Rivers, which saw Wolgast carried to his corner as Welsh declared him the victor.

On this day, Owen Moran was on the receiving end of one of Wolgast's "body shots".

kikibalt wrote:
Archie Moore vs Tony Anthony, at the Olympic...1957
and I was there....

kikibalt wrote:
My brother Mando's new toy, a new Harley

Expug wrote:There is a legend about Nelson at the Willard Dempsey fight.
It seems before the fight started and unknown to the masses attending that fight, The Battler, who was not the most hygenic guy in the world, took a dip in a huge vat of leomanade that was to be sold as refreshment that day.
Gotta love it.

dagosd2000 wrote:I'm passing this along before I start working on Murphy's mug. I've got the inspiration building. First of all,women are real sneaky when it comes to their men. Case in point. Ronnie Wilson was always in and out of the house because of his drnking and whatever else was going on. His wife was extremely jealous. One day she wants to talk with me about her husband's behavior and "Is there anything I should know." Well being a pal,I told her that I'd talk with him and not to worry about"another woman."

She's crying, looking helpless. I felt real sorry for her. BIG MISTAKE ON MY PART. A few days later Ronnie comes roaring up to me wanting to fight. He says that his wife said that I said that I was trying to put a move on her. Well it took a lot of convincing to calm him down. But things were never the same after that. Her trick worked. He went back to her. Whether they stayed together,I don't know. We never talked agin.