BoxRec

Ricky Weigel's record

Country USA
Global Id 71018
Division Light Middleweight


Career Record © www.boxrec.com

Date Opponent Location Result
1983-07-25 Jeff Stoudemire Inglewood, USA L KO 2
1983-04-23 Jeff Morgan Inglewood, USA L MD 10
1982-07-18 Herbie Wilens Atlantic City, USA L KO 4
1982-04-17 Pedro Guerrero Las Vegas, USA W KO 4
1981-10-06 Abraham Lara Las Vegas, USA W KO 3
1980-06-13 Henry Walker San Diego, USA W PTS 10
1979-07-20 Renato Garcia San Diego, USA D TD 4
1979-06-03 Paddy Wilson Las Vegas, USA W KO 3
1979-04-08 Mike Baker Las Vegas, USA L UD 10
1979-03-09 Carmen Garcia San Diego, USA W KO 3
1979-02-23 Antonio Adame San Diego, USA W KO 1
1978-09-09 Carlos Santos San Juan, Puerto Rico L PTS 8
1978-08-28 Agapito Ramirez Bakersfield, USA W PTS 10
1978-06-29 Ted Sanders Los Angeles, USA W PTS 6
1978-06-08 Richard Abbott Los Angeles, USA W PTS 6
1978-05-05 Steve Bentley San Diego, USA W KO 5
1978-04-28 Troy Vaughn San Diego, USA W PTS 6
1978-03-17 Richard Abbott Anaheim, USA W KO 3
1978-03-03 Hector Fernandez San Diego, USA W KO 2
1978-02-10 James Waire San Diego, USA W KO 2
1978-01-19 Pascual Ramirez Los Angeles, USA W KO 3
1977-04-21 Freddie Washington Los Angeles, USA L KO 4
1977-02-10 Armando Alatorre Los Angeles, USA D PTS 6
1976-12-02 Frank Battaglia Los Angeles, USA W KO 2
1976-10-14 Armando Alatorre Los Angeles, USA W PTS 5
1976-09-23 Ron West Los Angeles, USA W PTS 5

Record to Date
Won 18 (KOs 11) Lost 6 Drawn 2 Total 26

My father, the late, great Andrew De La O. Somewhere in East L.A., sometime in the 1940's. I don't have any photos of my father fighting but he fought as a featherweight while in the Army. He was always very proud of that. It's through my father that I became a fan. To my father's way of thinking, it was the jab. Everything worked off the jab.The only thing he loved as much as boxing was baseball, or more specifically, the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Ex-Whittier resident to be inducted today
By Robert Morales, Staff Writer
sgvt

John Montes never won a major world championship. But he did win the World Boxing Council Continental Americas super lightweight title in 1986 and the California state super lightweight championship in 1987.

Montes was 43-6 with 31 knockouts. His losses were to Hilmer Kenty, Hector Camacho, Cornelius Boza Edwards, Pernell Whitaker, Sammy Fuentes and Paul Vaden. All six either held, or would hold, major world titles. Aside from the two titles Montes won, he scored a victory over future world champion Freddie Pendleton in 1988.

Montes was a world-class fighter and he will be honored as such today when he is inducted into the World Boxing Council Legends of Boxing Museum at the American Sports University in San Bernardino.

"It's being recognized as one of the best fighters back in my time," Montes said. "It's very exciting for this to be coming. Everyone can hardly wait. My children are excited."

There is an emotional twist. The affair will also act as a fund-raiser for Montes' ex-wife JoAnn, who for the past several years has been waging a battle with breast cancer.

"It has come and gone and come and gone and now it has come to the point where it's Stage 4," said Montes, a former longtime Whittier resident who currently lives with his second wife, Melinda, in Lomita.

Much of the proceeds from today will go toward sending JoAnn Montes to Mexico for further treatment after doctors told her they could no longer help her.

"We're going to sign autographs and I'm going to sell fight films of me," Montes said.

He means "we" as in former and current boxers Antonio Margarito, Israel Vazquez, Paul Gonzalez, Danny "Little Red" Lopez, Carlos Palomino and Armando Muniz, to name a few.

"Danny `Little Red' Lopez. I used to spar with him and Bobby Chacon," Montes, 47, said. "They were a little bit older than I was, but I learned a lot from them."

Today's event begins at 11 a.m. Tickets are available for $40.

Those wishing to make a donation to JoAnn Montes can make checks payable to Bank of America/JoAnn Montes and mail them to 520 Ridgeway Lane, Apt. 3, La Habra CA 90631.

dagosd2000 wrote:

kikibalt wrote:

Randyman wrote:As long as I'm posting pics of my son I might as well post the girls too. These are my daughters Meranda 30, and Savannah 20 taken earlier this year on Meranda's birthday. I also have two step daughters. As soon as they give me some updated photos I'll post them.

Good lookin' daughters you have there, Randy, you have to be proud...

Que Chulada Es El Maiz Prieto

Thanks guys. Yes, I'm very proud of my girls.

kikibalt wrote:Ex-Whittier resident to be inducted today
By Robert Morales, Staff Writer
sgvt

John Montes never won a major world championship. But he did win the World Boxing Council Continental Americas super lightweight title in 1986 and the California state super lightweight championship in 1987.

Montes was 43-6 with 31 knockouts. His losses were to Hilmer Kenty, Hector Camacho, Cornelius Boza Edwards, Pernell Whitaker, Sammy Fuentes and Paul Vaden. All six either held, or would hold, major world titles. Aside from the two titles Montes won, he scored a victory over future world champion Freddie Pendleton in 1988.

Montes was a world-class fighter and he will be honored as such today when he is inducted into the World Boxing Council Legends of Boxing Museum at the American Sports University in San Bernardino.

"It's being recognized as one of the best fighters back in my time," Montes said. "It's very exciting for this to be coming. Everyone can hardly wait. My children are excited."

There is an emotional twist. The affair will also act as a fund-raiser for Montes' ex-wife JoAnn, who for the past several years has been waging a battle with breast cancer.

"It has come and gone and come and gone and now it has come to the point where it's Stage 4," said Montes, a former longtime Whittier resident who currently lives with his second wife, Melinda, in Lomita.

Much of the proceeds from today will go toward sending JoAnn Montes to Mexico for further treatment after doctors told her they could no longer help her.

"We're going to sign autographs and I'm going to sell fight films of me," Montes said.

He means "we" as in former and current boxers Antonio Margarito, Israel Vazquez, Paul Gonzalez, Danny "Little Red" Lopez, Carlos Palomino and Armando Muniz, to name a few.

"Danny `Little Red' Lopez. I used to spar with him and Bobby Chacon," Montes, 47, said. "They were a little bit older than I was, but I learned a lot from them."

Today's event begins at 11 a.m. Tickets are available for $40.

Those wishing to make a donation to JoAnn Montes can make checks payable to Bank of America/JoAnn Montes and mail them to 520 Ridgeway Lane, Apt. 3, La Habra CA 90631.

Glad to hear about his induction but sorry to hear about his exwife. He was a good little fighter and only really lost to the best in his division.

[quote="kikibalt"]Diego,

Did you see Renato Garcia in diego? he fought there a few time.


Ricky,

Do you remember Ricky Weigel? he was one of the nicest guys I met in boxing.

Frank

I remember Renato Garcia as a tall good looking kid with classic boxing skills. A straight up guy. He was undefeated in San Diego and was becoming a big draw. I saw him fight local middleweights,David Love and Eddie Mazon. He went back East and lost a big fight to Emile Griffith in the Garden. After that he was up and down. He was from Chile.

kikibalt wrote:

Rick Farris wrote:

kikibalt wrote:Diego,

Did you see Renato Garcia in diego? he fought there a few time.


Ricky,

Do you remember Ricky Weigel? he was one of the nicest guys I met in boxing.

If your asking me Frank, no. Never heard of the guy

Rick,
I was asking you if you knew or remember Ricky Weigel, he fought some pro fights in the 1970's at the Olympic. He also fought in the local GG's in the 70's., he used to fight for Canto Robledo.

Frank, I turned pro in early 1970 and kinda turned my back on the amateurs except to attend Jr. GG Championship finals. Another buddy of mine, whom I fought four times in the amateurs, fought for Canto, and that was Frankie Santillian, who turned pro at 18 like me, while still in High School. I just can't remember a Ricky Weigel.

-Rick

Rick Farris wrote:

kikibalt wrote:Diego,

Did you see Renato Garcia in diego? he fought there a few time.


Ricky,

Do you remember Ricky Weigel? he was one of the nicest guys I met in boxing.

If your asking me Frank, no. Never heard of the guy

I sparred with Renato Garcia countless times at the Main Street Gym, especially when he was training for his fight with Pete Ranzany. A good guy. Always had a smile for people. A sincere smile. He struck me as very reserved, very quiet. Outside the gym I never saw him but he was one of the guys that I really respected at the gym. He had good work ethic. I don't recall him as a big puncher but he had decent enough skills.

Klitschko stops Peter to reclaim WBC title

By PATRICK McGROARTY, Associated Press Writer

BERLIN (AP)—Vitali Klitschko reclaimed the WBC belt and fulfilled a self-proclaimed dream to hold a heavyweight title at the same time as his brother, stopping Samuel Peter with a technical knockout Saturday night.

Peter chose not to come back out after eight rounds that saw him weaving and occasionally wobbling as Klitschko landed a persistent stream of heavy left jabs to Peter’s head in front of more than 12,000 people at the new O2 World Arena.

The 37-year-old Ukranian fighter (36-2, 35 KOs) used his height—he’s 6-foot-7—and reach to keep Peter crouched and defensive.

Wladimir Klitschko, widely considered the most talented among the chaotic field of so-called heavyweight champions, holds the IBF, IBO and WBO heavyweight belts—and dealt Peter his only previous loss, in September 2005 in a 12-round unanimous decision.

Peter, a 28-year-old Nigerian-born fighter, kept a tight defensive stance and managed to plant a series of solid body shots on his towering opponent. But after eight rounds he hadn’t worked consistently inside Klitschko’s massive reach.

Klitschko told reporters after the fight that he wouldn’t have needed much longer to deliver on a promise to end the fight by knockout.

“If Samuel Peter didn’t stop the fight, I have the feeling in the next two rounds, I would have knocked him out,” Klitschko said. “He got more and more punches, and his chin (was) not so strong as the first rounds.”

Klitschko has been WBC “champion emeritus” since a knee injury forced him to withdraw from a fight and retire from boxing in 2005.

The honorary status gave him the right to fight Peter (30-2), who won the interim belt in a fight against Jameel McCline last September, whenever Klitschko chose to come out of retirement.

“I knew if I lost the fight I wouldn’t get a second chance,” Klitschko told reporters after the fight. “It was a one-way ticket, and I used my chance.”

Klitschko is a three-time champion who won the WBC title in 2004 with an eight-round victory over Corrie Sanders. The Peter fight was Klitschko’s first since he defended the crown with an eighth-round win over Danny Williams in Las Vegas in 2004.

Klitschko’s performances as a powerful puncher have often been overshadowed by injury. In 2005, he withdrew from a WBC title fight with Hasim Rahman because of a torn ligament in his right knee. The injury led him to announce his retirement, and the WBC made him “champion emeritus.” Last fall, he announced a comeback fight against Jameel McCline, only to back out after hurting his back and undergoing emergency surgery.

Promoter Don King said after the fight that a logical next step for Klitschko might be to seek a rematch with the retired Lennox Lewis, whom Klitschko lost to in 2003 when a fight doctor called the bout because Klitschko had a badly cut eye.

“What a triumph that would be for us old guys,” King said.

Klitschko was more reticent.

“I need to think about it,” he said of plans for his newly revived fighting career. “I need to take care of my hand, because it is swollen.”

Klitschko seemed more willing to joke about a hypothetical matchup with his brother—which both have said is out of the question.

“You know what? I like this belt very much,” he quipped as he picked up one of the three title belts Wladimir had brought with him to the press conference, where he sat beside Vitali.

“Watch yourself now, brother,” Wladimir shot back.

Peter declined to attend the post-fight press conference, but his manager Ivaylo Gotzev said the loss put Peter on “the comeback trail.”

“We’ve been here before, and we’re going to go back and look at the tape and see what we need to work on,” Gotzev said.

In an undercard fight, heavyweight Odlanier Solis improved to 12-0 and grabbed the WBC international heavyweight belt by beating American Chauncy Welliver (34-5-5, 13 KOs) in the ninth round. Belarussian Alexander Ustinov (13-0, 11 KOs) dealt a heavy-handed knockout to Detroit’s Julius Long (15-10, 13 KOs) in the first round of another heavyweight matchup.

dagosd2000 wrote:

kikibalt wrote:Diego,

Did you see Renato Garcia in diego? he fought there a few time.


Ricky,

Do you remember Ricky Weigel? he was one of the nicest guys I met in boxing.

Frank

I remember Renato Garcia as a tall good looking kid with classic boxing skills. A straight up guy. He was undefeated in San Diego and was becoming a big draw. I saw him fight local middleweights,David Love and Eddie Mazon. He went back East and lost a big fight to Emile Griffith in the Garden. After that he was up and down. He was from Chile.

I also remember Renato Garcia. We were the same age and he turned pro at 18, like me. He was handled by Willie Ketcham, and I recall my last trainer Mel Epstein used to like Garcia and his work ethic. Mel would look over at Garcia, and then look at me and only Randy could imagine the look he had on his face as he barked at me, "Look at that Renato Garcia, I like that kid. He has a fighter's haircut. Not like somebody I know . . ."

-Rick

Rick Farris wrote:

dagosd2000 wrote:

kikibalt wrote:Diego,

Did you see Renato Garcia in diego? he fought there a few time.


Ricky,

Do you remember Ricky Weigel? he was one of the nicest guys I met in boxing.

Frank

I remember Renato Garcia as a tall good looking kid with classic boxing skills. A straight up guy. He was undefeated in San Diego and was becoming a big draw. I saw him fight local middleweights,David Love and Eddie Mazon. He went back East and lost a big fight to Emile Griffith in the Garden. After that he was up and down. He was from Chile.

I also remember Renato Garcia. We were the same age and he turned pro at 18, like me. He was handled by Willie Ketcham, and I recall my last trainer Mel Epstein used to like Garcia and his work ethic. Mel would look over at Garcia, and then look at me and only Randy could imagine the look he had on his face as he barked at me, "Look at that Renato Garcia, I like that kid. He has a fighter's haircut. Not like somebody I know . . ."

-Rick

Rick, you always nail it with Mel, he always used that exact line with me. Always intended to drive guilt and a little shame into your heart. I always liked to wear my hair a little long back then. Mel hated it. Go back a few pages. I posted a photo from 1973. That was how I liked my hear. Mel volunteered to cut it several times. As you can imagine, I declined. He sent me downstairs several times to get my hair cut. Mel was a character. Runyonesque.

BACK TO THE GRIDIRON

The kids in school are always asking if I would like to return to coaching football at the local high school. The school ,Mar Vista,won't win a game this year. They're one of the worst teams I've ever seen.

I tell them I'm done with coaching football. 17 years of it was enough. At the end ,I knew I'd had it. My wife wasn't a good football wife. She doesn't like sports and couldn't understand why I spent so much time on the field. It made her happy when I threw in the towel.

It's been 20 years since the last game. Sometimes I think when I retire I might help out somewhere. Maybe. I always have a few kids in each class that are on Pop Warner teams. They know next year when they go to Mar Vista ,they'll take a drubbing. Being on a team that never wins is no fun at all. I tell them to go to another school if football is that important to them. This never happens. I guess they're not into it like they say they are.

I have in my 1st period class a couple of kids that are on two different Pop Warner teams. Today they played each other. They told me the game was at Morse High School. When I coached at Point Loma High School,our games with Morse were classics. Whoever won that game usually went on to win the CIF Championship.

Some great players were on those teams back then. We had J.J. Stokes who was an All America receiver at UCLA. La'Roi Glover,who plays for the Rams,was my big lineman. They always had to add extra seating when we played each other.

Today I got in the car and headed out to Morse High. I took some wrong turns and got lost. It had been a while. I had to ask for directions. There was a bad glare this afternoon and I seemed to be driving directly into it. I got a headache. When I got to the field I stopped at the concession stand. I saw they had hot links. My favorite. The thing was though this was the lousiest link I ever ate. Mushy. To top things off,the two teams that were playing weren't the ones that those kids were on. I threw what was left of the hot link in the trash and walked back to the parking lot.

As I was driving back home,I thought about how I might coach again when I retired. I don't think so now. Then was then and now is now. Now I'd rather watch my grandaughter dance Flamenco.

Vitali Klitschko, right, from Ukraine hits Samuel Peter, left, from Nigeria during a WBC heavyweight boxing world championship fight in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2008. Klitschko won the fight after round nine due to technical knock out.

dagosd2000 wrote:BACK TO THE GRIDIRON

The kids in school are always asking if I would like to return to coaching football at the local high school. The school ,Mar Vista,won't win a game this year. They're one of the worst teams I've ever seen.

I tell them I'm done with coaching football. 17 years of it was enough. At the end ,I knew I'd had it. My wife wasn't a good football wife. She doesn't like sports and couldn't understand why I spent so much time on the field. It made her happy when I threw in the towel.

It's been 20 years since the last game. Sometimes I think when I retire I might help out somewhere. Maybe. I always have a few kids in each class that are on Pop Warner teams. They know next year when they go to Mar Vista ,they'll take a drubbing. Being on a team that never wins is no fun at all. I tell them to go to another school if football is that important to them. This never happens. I guess they're not into it like they say they are.

I have in my 1st period class a couple of kids that are on two different Pop Warner teams. Today they played each other. They told me the game was at Morse High School. When I coached at Point Loma High School,our games with Morse were classics. Whoever won that game usually went on to win the CIF Championship.

Some great players were on those teams back then. We had J.J. Stokes who was an All America receiver at UCLA. La'Roi Glover,who plays for the Rams,was my big lineman. They always had to add extra seating when we played each other.

Today I got in the car and headed out to Morse High. I took some wrong turns and got lost. It had been a while. I had to ask for directions. There was a bad glare this afternoon and I seemed to be driving directly into it. I got a headache. When I got to the field I stopped at the concession stand. I saw they had hot links. My favorite. The thing was though this was the lousiest link I ever ate. Mushy. To top things off,the two teams that were playing weren't the ones that those kids were on. I threw what was left of the hot link in the trash and walked back to the parking lot.

As I was driving back home,I thought about how I might coach again when I retired. I don't think so now. Then was then and now is now. Now I'd rather watch my grandaughter dance Flamenco.

Hot links. When they are good, they are very good. When they are bad, they...... Well you did the right thing Rog, throwing it away. There will always be other links on the horizon. Most of them good.

As for coaching, you may feel different later. Coaching is a calling, in any sport. But then, so is being a grandfather.

kikibalt wrote:
Vitali Klitschko, right, from Ukraine hits Samuel Peter, left, from Nigeria during a WBC heavyweight boxing world championship fight in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2008. Klitschko won the fight after round nine due to technical knock out.

Maybe it's just me but I can't seem to care about the heavyweights right now. Has there ever been a worse time. This is the era of.. what? Shameful.

A BROKEN CHERRY

I tell ya' about this fighter I hung around with,Gary Young. We both lived at the beach. Gary had started to teach school for emotionally disturbed kids. I was delivering fried chicken. We used to like to work out together. Gary was trying to teach me how to box along with some of the other trainers at the Coliseum and the 32nd Street Gym. Since we were heavyweights ,we were in demand to work as sparring partners.

I had sparred with Gary a few days before. He pinched a nerve in his left shoulder and everytime he jabbed or hooked,he'd wince real bad. He rested it and put ice on it for a few days, and we went back to the gym. As soon as Gary threw the left he shouted.

That day Kenny Norton walked in with his trainer Bill Slayton. Kenny was begining his pro career and San Diego was throwing their weight with him. That day Norton and his crew were looking for someone to work with. They saw Gary and asked if he'd spar some rounds. Gary told them about the shoulder. He then turns to me and tells me that I should volunteer.
"They know you don't have much experience. It will be all right."
When Gary motioned Norton towards me,I meekly nodded. Norton knew he had raw meat with me. I put on the headgear and Slayton shouted"Time".

I must have been frozen right in front of Norton when he throws his jab. Norton threw a real heavy jab. He hit me flush in the face with it. I didn't know it,but he had busted my nose. Gary jumped through the ropes with a big smile.
"That's always the first to go",he said. "You broke your cherry."

As Gary was holding my head back with the towel pressed against my face,I didn't remember breaking my cherry with Ken Norton

Randyman wrote:

dagosd2000 wrote:BACK TO THE GRIDIRON

The kids in school are always asking if I would like to return to coaching football at the local high school. The school ,Mar Vista,won't win a game this year. They're one of the worst teams I've ever seen.

I tell them I'm done with coaching football. 17 years of it was enough. At the end ,I knew I'd had it. My wife wasn't a good football wife. She doesn't like sports and couldn't understand why I spent so much time on the field. It made her happy when I threw in the towel.

It's been 20 years since the last game. Sometimes I think when I retire I might help out somewhere. Maybe. I always have a few kids in each class that are on Pop Warner teams. They know next year when they go to Mar Vista ,they'll take a drubbing. Being on a team that never wins is no fun at all. I tell them to go to another school if football is that important to them. This never happens. I guess they're not into it like they say they are.

I have in my 1st period class a couple of kids that are on two different Pop Warner teams. Today they played each other. They told me the game was at Morse High School. When I coached at Point Loma High School,our games with Morse were classics. Whoever won that game usually went on to win the CIF Championship.

Some great players were on those teams back then. We had J.J. Stokes who was an All America receiver at UCLA. La'Roi Glover,who plays for the Rams,was my big lineman. They always had to add extra seating when we played each other.

Today I got in the car and headed out to Morse High. I took some wrong turns and got lost. It had been a while. I had to ask for directions. There was a bad glare this afternoon and I seemed to be driving directly into it. I got a headache. When I got to the field I stopped at the concession stand. I saw they had hot links. My favorite. The thing was though this was the lousiest link I ever ate. Mushy. To top things off,the two teams that were playing weren't the ones that those kids were on. I threw what was left of the hot link in the trash and walked back to the parking lot.

As I was driving back home,I thought about how I might coach again when I retired. I don't think so now. Then was then and now is now. Now I'd rather watch my grandaughter dance Flamenco.

Hot links. When they are good, they are very good. When they are bad, they...... Well you did the right thing Rog, throwing it away. There will always be other links on the horizon. Most of them good.

As for coaching, you may feel different later. Coaching is a calling, in any sport. But then, so is being a grandfather.

Well spoken Pal

I wrote this for my blog back in November of 2007.

Remembering the Main Street Gym
My earliest memories of the old Main Street Gym in Los Angeles are of my father and I going there to watch the fighters workout and spar. This would be in the 1960’s. My father bought all his clothing from the haberdasheries that were found up and down Broadway Street at that time, including Mickey Cohen‘s haberdashery, but that was before my time. I went with him knowing that a trip downtown meant a visit to the Main Street Gym, on Third and Main. My father was a boxer in the army during the 1940’s and remained a fan all of his life, perhaps equaled only by his love of the Los Angeles Dodgers. We would spend a few hours there while my father pointed out the fighters and explained the finer points of boxing to me. We would stop at Crony’s on Whittier Blvd, in East Los Angeles and grab a hot dog or two, before heading home. It was a great time and a great memory.

I would think about those days years later while working out at the gym. At that time I was training under Mel Epstein, who eventually became like the grandfather I never knew. Mel was a trainers trainer, old school and hard core. When I met Mel he was 75 years old and was managing middleweight Mike Nixon, and another young fighter Gary Pittman. His most noted fighter was light heavyweight "Young Firpo", whom he managed and trained in the 1930’s. He also managed and trained boxing writer and historian Ricky Farris. Despite the fact that Mel was a west coast figure, no one evoked a more “Runyonesque” aura. He had been involved in every facet of the fight game at one time or another, including promoting and matchmaking.

The Main Street Gym was managed by that other “Runyonesque” character, Howie Steindler. Howie ran that gym with an iron fist and rarely, if ever, tolerated any bullshit in his gym. Howie managed Ernie “Red” Lopez, Danny “Little Red” Lopez and Alberto Davila. The trainers that I remember from that time are Larry Soto, Memo Soto, Gil Cadilli, Benny Georgino, Teddy Bentham, Bob Armstrong, Frankie Crawford, Phil Silvers, Ralph Gambina and Harry Shapiro, who had the habit of reaching over and talking into your ear. It was the only way he would talk. Occasionally other trainers and fighters would come by, usually for some sparring. Joe Ponce and Bobby Chacon would stop by regularly. One of the greatest moments during those years was a spectacular sparring session with Chacon and “Little Red”. It was one of those “You had to be there” moments. These two were true cross town rivals, but they kept it friendly outside of the ring.

I can’t remember the name of the first guy that I sparred with, only that he was a “Main Event” fighter at the Olympic Auditorium. I do remember the bloody nose, split lip, bruised body and black eye that I got. I came back the next day for more. In time I gave as good as I got. I had the opportunity to spar with some good welter and middleweights at that time, as well as some lightweights, and a few light heavies, including Mike Quarry. I was a 147 pounds give or take a few. The toughest guy I ever sparred with, hell, the toughest guy I ever traded punches with period, in or out of the ring was Felipe Torres. Torres had lost a decision to Roberto Duran a few years earlier. Torres was a natural lightweight, but when I met him he was around 165 pounds and working on a comeback. At that time he was managed by Glen Williams, although I think it was more of a friendship than a true manager boxer relationship.

I had turned down an offer by Williams to leave Mel and sign with him. He promised me the world, but I was happy with Mel and declined. I think after that he kind of had it in for me, maybe I’m wrong, who knows. I know that when I had a fight at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas, Felipe was my sparring partner. I had two weeks to get ready. It was only my second fight and it was a six round fight with a ten round fighter named Eduardo Barba from Mexico. I had misjudged Felipe, thinking that because he was a little over weight, and older than me, I would be able to handle him fairly easy. As the saying goes, “when the student is ready, the master will appear“. Well, I suddenly found myself in the ring with a Master, with a capital “M’. He literally tore me apart the fist round. In the second I was determined to get my shot in. I landed a right hand that really seemed to tick him off, he ripped off his head gear and seemed to scratch the ring floor as a bull would, and just tore into me. Every time I stepped into the ring with Felipe, I felt as if I was fighting for my life. This went on for two weeks. What made it worse was that Mel wanted me to spar without head gear, he seemed to think that it toughened a fighter up. I’m not so sure he was right. By the time I got to Vegas for my fight I was bruised , worn and battered on the inside. I lost the decision but it was good fight. It was on the under card of the Mike Quarry - Tom Bethea fight. My fight was the only prelim that night. Bethea lost that night too. Howie Steindler got me that fight, and I remember the night before I left for Vegas, Howie said to me “ You picked your profession, now get out there and do your best”. Some of the guys from the gym said they had seen the fight and thought I had won, but I have to admit, Barba won that fight, fair and square, but I gave as good as I got.

One of the things that I really liked at the gym was the way the heavy bags were set up. There were five or six bags in a row set over raised wooden floors. What was different than most gyms is that the ceiling was so high, a really long chain was needed for the bags. This gave the fighter the opportunity to sway the bag in
circles, follow it or duck under it, something you can’t do on a short hung bag. It makes a difference when training. There were two rings set up and they were always busy. There were two mirror set up for shadow boxing, and a locker room with an old wooden sit up table made by Norman Lockwood. Mel had an ongoing squabble with most of the trainers there over the windows. He wanted them wide open when his fighters were training and every other trainer in the gym wanted them closed. Sometimes he won the argument, sometimes he lost.

There are a lot of great memories from my time at the gym, none more memorable than meeting the legendary Sugar Ray Robinson. He was there quite often in the mid 1970’s. My first contact with him was on a weekday afternoon. I was shadowboxing in front of the mirror. Not the mirror by the door when you waked in, the mirror opposite of the doors, by the windows, near the speed bags. If you trained there you know which mirror. I could see Robinson jumping rope behind me as I shadowboxed. He was watching me. He stopped jumping and just stared at me. After a minute or so, he walked over to me and tapped my shoulder and said “ Excuse me son, do you mind if I give you a little advice?” I looked over at Mel, knowing how he felt about anyone bothering his fighters. Even he recognized the magnitude of the moment for me. He smiled and nodded to me. Do I mind if Sugar Ray Robinson gives me advice? Do birds fly? He gave me a good piece of advice about not drawing my right hand back when I jabbed with my left. He told me to “think of my right as a catcher’s mitt and the other guys fist as a baseball. Just relax and catch it.” To this day when I pass that advice on to someone and they question it, I tell them that Sugar Ray Robinson told me that. It’s almost always good enough. During the time he was working out there we got to be somewhat friendly. we would talk almost every day he was there. One day he stopped coming and I never saw him again. Years later when I heard on the news that he had passed away, I felt bad. I read a few biographies on him over the years and there have been some unflattering things said about him, but to me he was a class act and a nice guy. That’s how I remember him.

The Main Street Gym has been used for so many television shows and movies that I would never be able to list them all, but perhaps the most memorable (to me) is the original “Rocky” with Sylvester Stallone, Burgess Meredith and Talia Shire. The reason it is so memorable to me is that I was an extra in the movie. I’m sparring with Monroe Brooks in the movie. Brooks was stopped by Roberto Duran a few years later. Monroe and I became friends and when I had a fight scheduled with local welterweight Chris Gonzalez, at the Forum later that year he stopped by to wish me luck. The fight was canceled just minutes before it was scheduled to start, still I appreciated him coming by. He was another class act. Brooks is currently a trainer in Los Angeles. Mel and I had lunch with Burgess Meredith, and I remember Meredith picking Mel’s brain for any and all information. I see some of Mel in Mickey.

I had the opportunity to meet so many fighters and famed trainers during those days. It’s been so long that I can’t remember them all, but I do remember meeting and shaking hands with Henry Armstrong, Alexis Arguello and so many others.

After the fight at the Aladdin Hotel, I never fought again. It wasn’t a choice, it just worked out that way. I ended up with a family to support and got a job at Mc Donnell Douglas Aircraft Company. Like most fighters I never really got it out of my system and in 1980 I tried one more time. Things were different now. Mel had passed away that year, Howie Steindler had been murdered a few years earlier and the gym just had a different aura about it. Larry Soto was training me now. Larry was training a fighter by the name of Felipe Canela at the time. I got along well with Larry but he was a completely different type of trainer than Mel, and was pretty vocal about it. His style of training seemed more assembly line as opposed to Mel, who seemed to bring out an individual style. Maybe it was just me. At any rate it didn’t make a difference. That year my father became sick with cancer and I wanted to spend as much time with him as possible. So between raising a family, working a full time job with overtime, and going to the hospital daily, something had to give, and it was the gym.

I have great memories of the Main Street Gym. It was a great time in my life and I met some great people there. It was, at it’s peak,, the “Mecca of Boxing” on the west coast, rivaling the best of them, including Stillman’s and Gleason’s in New York. The Gym closed down in the mid ‘80’s and was eventually razed and the spot were the legendary gym once stood is now a parking lot. It was an honor to climb up the flight of stairs, passing Howie’s office, look up and see the sign that read “The greatest fighters in the world train here” and enter the doorway. The sounds and smell of that gym still live in me.

Randy,

Did you know Frank Williams who used to train fighters out of the main St. Gym?

Randyman wrote: Rick, you always nail it with Mel, he always used that exact line with me. Always intended to drive guilt and a little shame into your heart. I always liked to wear my hair a little long back then. Mel hated it. Go back a few pages. I posted a photo from 1973. That was how I liked my hear. Mel volunteered to cut it several times. As you can imagine, I declined. He sent me downstairs several times to get my hair cut. Mel was a character. Runyonesque.

Speaking of hair, I had to cut Tony's hair during a fight, it happened in 1976 during the Nat. Jr Olympics, in his first fight his hair kept coming out of his headgear and the ref was going to give Tony a DQ, so I just cut his hair and pissed him off, he won the fight and later the championship.

I also remember Renato Garcia. We were the same age and he turned pro at 18, like me. He was handled by Willie Ketcham, and I recall my last trainer Mel Epstein used to like Garcia and his work ethic. Mel would look over at Garcia, and then look at me and only Randy could imagine the look he had on his face as he barked at me, "Look at that Renato Garcia, I like that kid. He has a fighter's haircut. Not like somebody I know . . ."

-Rick[/quote]

Rick, you always nail it with Mel, he always used that exact line with me. Always intended to drive guilt and a little shame into your heart. I always liked to wear my hair a little long back then. Mel hated it. Go back a few pages. I posted a photo from 1973. That was how I liked my hear. Mel volunteered to cut it several times. As you can imagine, I declined. He sent me downstairs several times to get my hair cut. Mel was a character. Runyonesque.[/quote]



Randy, here was a Mel Epstein point-of-view, regarding the state of the country, etc. . . .

"That Ed Sullivan destroyed the country. He brought those Goddamn Beatles over here, with their long dirty hair and bare feet. Those bastards walk around barefoot in the hot sun on asphault and that's where the "screw worms" live. They just lay between the gravel and when a bare foot walks over them, they turn into little screw shapes and drill right up into the foot, and then they eventually screw all the way up to the brain and the drug addict bastards go totally insane. If I ever run into that Ed Sullivan, I'm going to punch him right in the face!", Mel would bark.

True story. Randy, did Mel ever mention "screw worms"? Or, it was more like, "Screw Woims" when Mel shared the story. A lot will be revealed about Mel Epstein the night we visit at the banquet. John Bardelli will pick up his dad's posthumous WBHOF award, so I have a feeling that the posthumous spirits of Mel and Firp will be present. In a sense, when you think about Mel and Guido Bardelli, this night means something, and Randy, they are a part of us. For me, this means something because it not only recognizes Young Firpo, but Mel Epstein. Mel had a lot of anger, and it cost his friendship with Young Firpo in latter years. However, it was thru Mel I learned about Dempsey, Kearns, Mickey Walker, of course Young Firpo, John Henry Lewis, Leo Lomski, Tiger Jack Fox, Wesly Ketchell, Maxie Rosenbloom, Jimmy MacLarnin, Dave Shade, Jock Malone, Benny Leonard, and many others.

These "stories" weren't so much about statistical facts, as they were the feeling and nature of the era. Who was who, and what were they really doing. Not always compelling information, often just a "day in the life" thing. Mel could somehow take me right into another era. I had an open mind, and I knew when his heart was speaking and when his pride and prejudice would contradict reality. However, Mel was usually pretty right on. He taught little variations of punches that really worked. Dumb little things that 90% of the time would trick an opponent, and leave him vulnerable to a blow they never saw coming. They worked! I should have studied harder under Mr. Epstein.

By the way Randy, did Mel teach you the "inverted jab"? Did he tell you about Dave Shade's "educated left hand", and while holding his hands up he does a little move and he digs his boney old knuckles right between your ribs. He fakes you out. I remember he did that to Mike Nixon once, and Mike was so pissed he took a swing at 71-year-old Mel. The old man slid to the side and the punch missed him by six inches. Nixon came to his senses and cooled down. I understand how Nixon felt. This is what he would do when I had a hangover, too wake me up.

As you said, he was quite a charactor. An original, for sure!

-Rick

Rick, you always nail it with Mel, he always used that exact line with me. Always intended to drive guilt and a little shame into your heart. I always liked to wear my hair a little long back then. Mel hated it. Go back a few pages. I posted a photo from 1973. That was how I liked my hear. Mel volunteered to cut it several times. As you can imagine, I declined. He sent me downstairs several times to get my hair cut. Mel was a character. Runyonesque.[/quote]






LOL! Yes, he also offered to cut my hair. My answer . . . no way Jose!

-Rick

kikibalt wrote:Randy,

Did you know Frank Williams who used to train fighters out of the main St. Gym?

If he was the same Frankie that hung around with Phil Silvers than yes. I might be getting the last name mixed up with another Frank. Kind of a slick looking guy?

Randyman wrote:

kikibalt wrote:
Vitali Klitschko, right, from Ukraine hits Samuel Peter, left, from Nigeria during a WBC heavyweight boxing world championship fight in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2008. Klitschko won the fight after round nine due to technical knock out.

Maybe it's just me but I can't seem to care about the heavyweights right now. Has there ever been a worse time. This is the era of.. what? Shameful.

"Shameful" is the kindest thing that can be said, Randy. You know, I really love Vitali, the better of the Lurch Brothers. I love that the soft chinned oaf is so willing to stick his gigantic jaw out while his hands are held so ridiculously low. Mando Ramos used to end a phone conversation with the same old saying, "Keep your hands up, your chin down, and ass off the canvas." It seems as if the Eastern European heavy's are eager to showcase their weak chins. Their hearts are no stronger, so what's going to keep them off the deck, aside from inferior opposition such as a Sam Peter? They are big, however.

Rick

Randyman wrote:To my father's way of thinking, it was the jab. Everything worked off the jab.

He was right!