Classic American West Coast Boxing

[Randyman]

"El Maceton"

Mr. D.

There's your Man!!!

Marvin Camel.
He fought a few guys from here.
Young Joe Louis
Leroy Murphy
Chuck Warfield.

Warfield fought Yaqui Lopez too.
He tried to train a fighter once.
He brought a guy to the gym once who wanted to fight.
He bugged my trainer for half an hour to let him spar with me.
I had already one or two pro fights.
Anyway this guy was clearly right out of the joint.
Muscles everywhere , tatoos and that wild freakin look in his eyes.
Finaly my trainer said ok.
Round one this guy comes at me like a wildman .
He even lands a few but they are wild shots and dont hurt.
End of the round , and hes thinkin this boxing aint so hard.
But I had just been layin back a bit and hes gassed.
Round two I hang him up on the ropes and open up with both hands.
Heres the funny part.
The guy jumps out of the ring walks over to Warfield and says FU.K this take these things off.
He walks out of the gym and thats that.

What a great story Pug! It looks easy but wimps need not apply.

[Randyman]

"El Maceton"

Mr. D.

There's your Man!!!

Marvin Camel.
He fought a few guys from here.
Young Joe Louis
Leroy Murphy
Chuck Warfield.

Warfield fought Yaqui Lopez too.
He tried to train a fighter once.
He brought a guy to the gym once who wanted to fight.
He bugged my trainer for half an hour to let him spar with me.
I had already one or two pro fights.
Anyway this guy was clearly right out of the joint.
Muscles everywhere , tatoos and that wild freakin look in his eyes.
Finaly my trainer said ok.
Round one this guy comes at me like a wildman .
He even lands a few but they are wild shots and dont hurt.
End of the round , and hes thinkin this boxing aint so hard.
But I had just been layin back a bit and hes gassed.
Round two I hang him up on the ropes and open up with both hands.
Heres the funny part.
The guy jumps out of the ring walks over to Warfield and says FU.K this take these things off.
He walks out of the gym and thats that.

What a great story Pug! It looks easy but wimps need not apply.

[dagosd2000]

"El Maceton"

Mr. D.

There's your Man!!!

Marvin Camel.
He fought a few guys from here.
Young Joe Louis
Leroy Murphy
Chuck Warfield.

Warfield fought Yaqui Lopez too.
He tried to train a fighter once.
He brought a guy to the gym once who wanted to fight.
He bugged my trainer for half an hour to let him spar with me.
I had already one or two pro fights.
Anyway this guy was clearly right out of the joint.
Muscles everywhere , tatoos and that wild freakin look in his eyes.
Finaly my trainer said ok.
Round one this guy comes at me like a wildman .
He even lands a few but they are wild shots and dont hurt.
End of the round , and hes thinkin this boxing aint so hard.
But I had just been layin back a bit and hes gassed.
Round two I hang him up on the ropes and open up with both hands.
Heres the funny part.
The guy jumps out of the ring walks over to Warfield and says FU.K this take these things off.
He walks out of the gym and thats that.

What a great story Pug! It looks easy but wimps need not apply.

Thanks Randy.
Hey Pug,Remember Sixto Rodriguez'a role in "Fat City"?. Maceton Cabrera remende me so much of that psrt. He had a limp,would carry his bag into the dressing room,lace on the gloves,and go to work. After it was over,it was back on the bus. Every town in Mexico had a boxing ring. Maceton saw about all of them.

[Randyman]

A short bio of my life in Simons and boxing

Forget the "Ok' You guys ask for it" you guys didn't ask for it, the guys at CBZ did, but instead of re-typing it I just copy it from the CBZ.

And you said you can't write. Yeah Right! Frank that was really great. I enjoyed reading it. You mentioned Zeffie Gonzales. We went to school together. El Rancho High in Pico Rivera. We didn't hang around but he was really tight with my friend Al Campos. The last time I saw him he wasn't looking that good. it was a while ago. For those that don't know, Zeffie went the distance with Roberto Duran in 1979, when Duran was still Duran. Zeffie's brother Chris was also a boxer. He loved to drink. He had a lot pf potential.

[kikibalt]

Light heavyweights Jerry Quarry (left) and Al Gillispie score near-misses during second round of one of 10 Olympic all-star bouts held Saturday night at the Valley Garden Arena. Quarry was awarded decision. September 28, 1964.

[Randyman]

Great reads Frank.
Thanks.
You mentioned Zeffy Gonzalez.
I remember watching him fight Duran.
Its been a long time but I recall that Zeffy gave him a hell of a time.

Pugs,

Zeffy G. was a good fighter, but lack of a punch kept him from breaking the top ten, he could boxs though.

He frustrated the hell out of Duran that night.

[dagosd2000]

A JACK OF ALL TRADES,A MASTER OF ONE

Remember when Ray Robinson retired and tried to take up tap dancing? His son said after the novelty of people watching Ray as a curiosity piece wore off,his dancing career was done.

I bet I know what the Sugar Man was thinking. He could skip rope prettier than any other fighter, so he equated that skill with prospects of becoming another Fred Astaire. Like his son said,"Dad was no Fred Astaire."

This is my take though. If Fred Astaire wanted to put a dance number in that involved skipping rope,I bet he would have done it better than Ray. Skipping rope is dancing ,and no one danced better than Fred Astaire.

But Fred knew his limitations ,unlike Robinson. Astaire knew if he took up boxing ,he couldn't have beaten LaMotta five out of six.

[Randyman]

Speaking of tortillas, for about the first ten years of our marriage my wife would make home made tortillas EVERYDAY, and then one day we're visiting my mom and dad, and my dad ask my wife "Connie do you still make tortillas everyday?", she said "yes, other wise he won't eat" meaning me, my dad tells my wife "if he wants tortillas evryday let him buy them", well that was the end of my home made tortillas, years later I tell my dad "pops I had a good thing going and you ruined it for me" you know what he tells me? "son if I can't have home made tortillas neither can you" my mom had stopped making tortillas some years before my dad and my wife had their little talk.

That's funny Frank. I love homemade tortillas. can't beat them. When I was a kid my mother made them all the time. Soft and pillowy. As fast as she would make them, I would smother them with butter and eat them. My dad had to pull me away from the tortillas, or he wouldn't have got any. When my father passed away in 1981, my mom stopped cooking all that good Mexican food that we all grew up with. That was the end of it. The only thing she still makes for me is Chile Verde. She loved cooking for my father. It was for him that she cooked. The food was part of their love affair. When he was gone, so was the food. My mother now cooks modern healthy food. It would have killed my dad.

Early on when my wife tried making tortillas, I used one for a frisbee. I blew it. She pretty much told me what your father told your wife "If you want tortillas you can buy them". And so, we buy them.

[kikibalt]

A short bio of my life in Simons and boxing

Forget the "Ok' You guys ask for it" you guys didn't ask for it, the guys at CBZ did, but instead of re-typing it I just copy it from the CBZ.

And you said you can't write. Yeah Right! Frank that was really great. I enjoyed reading it. You mentioned Zeffie Gonzales. We went to school together. El Rancho High in Pico Rivera. We didn't hang around but he was really tight with my friend Al Campos. The last time I saw him he wasn't looking that good. it was a while ago. For those that don't know, Zeffie went the distance with Roberto Duran in 1979, when Duran was still Duran. Zeffie's brother Chris was also a boxer. He loved to drink. He had a lot pf potential.

Well, what can I say, I'd write that, Randy, I was booking Zeffie and Chris in the amateurs at the Olympic, one nite I had Chris fighting some kid whom's name I can't remember now, anyway in the second round Chris gets knock down, he gets up and while he is taking the 8 count his opponent rushes across the ring and reaches around thre ref and hits Chris hard, I jump in the ring and told the ref that I wanted a DQ for Chris, he wouldn't do it, instead gave Chris a 5 minute rest, which didn't do any good, Chris got stopped in the same round.

[dagosd2000]

Antonio Margarito with Erik Morales

That was a presentation in the "Rio' in Tj. It was after Tony beat Cotto. Tony was given a "key to the city" by Presidente Municipal(Mayor), Jorge Ramos. Tony lives in the Zona Norte somewhere. Morales' Gym is there also. With all the "shit" happening in TJ now,I think the word on the street is "Hands Off Tony."

[kikibalt]

Speaking of tortillas, for about the first ten years of our marriage my wife would make home made tortillas EVERYDAY, and then one day we're visiting my mom and dad, and my dad ask my wife "Connie do you still make tortillas everyday?", she said "yes, other wise he won't eat" meaning me, my dad tells my wife "if he wants tortillas evryday let him buy them", well that was the end of my home made tortillas, years later I tell my dad "pops I had a good thing going and you ruined it for me" you know what he tells me? "son if I can't have home made tortillas neither can you" my mom had stopped making tortillas some years before my dad and my wife had their little talk.

That's funny Frank. I love homemade tortillas. can't beat them. When I was a kid my mother made them all the time. Soft and pillowy. As fast as she would make them, I would smother them with butter and eat them. My dad had to pull me away from the tortillas, or he wouldn't have got any. When my father passed away in 1981, my mom stopped cooking all that good Mexican food that we all grew up with. That was the end of it. The only thing she still makes for me is Chile Verde. She loved cooking for my father. It was for him that she cooked. The food was part of their love affair. When he was gone, so was the food. My mother now cooks modern healthy food. It would have killed my dad.

Early on when my wife tried making tortillas, I used one for a frisbee. I blew it. She pretty much told me what your father told your wife "If you want tortillas you can buy them". And so, we buy them.

Randy, where're you digging this stuff from......

[kikibalt]

Antonio Margarito with Erik Morales

That was a presentation in the "Rio' in Tj. It was after Tony beat Cotto. Tony was given a "key to the city" by Presidente Municipal(Mayor), Jorge Ramos. Tony lives in the Zona Norte somewhere. Morales' Gym is there also. With all the "shit" happening in TJ now,I think the word on the street is "Hands Off Tony."

Diego, were you there that day?

[dagosd2000]

A short bio of my life in Simons and boxing

Forget the "Ok' You guys ask for it" you guys didn't ask for it, the guys at CBZ did, but instead of re-typing it I just copy it from the CBZ.

And you said you can't write. Yeah Right! Frank that was really great. I enjoyed reading it. You mentioned Zeffie Gonzales. We went to school together. El Rancho High in Pico Rivera. We didn't hang around but he was really tight with my friend Al Campos. The last time I saw him he wasn't looking that good. it was a while ago. For those that don't know, Zeffie went the distance with Roberto Duran in 1979, when Duran was still Duran. Zeffie's brother Chris was also a boxer. He loved to drink. He had a lot pf potential.

When me and the wife got married ,we lived a short time in her house in Jiquilpan. We later fixed it up ,and eventually tore it down to build our new home that I hope I retire to in the future. But I remember that old house. Dirt floor. Had to sleep with a mosquito net at night. No plumbing. No outhouse either. Just go somewhere in the back 40 and do your business. Washed clothes on a big rock in the back yard. Had to light a fire outside the "lena" to keep the wild animals out of where we stored the beans.

Some of the happiest days of my life. But I wouldn't want to go back to that again.

[dagosd2000]

Antonio Margarito with Erik Morales

That was a presentation in the "Rio' in Tj. It was after Tony beat Cotto. Tony was given a "key to the city" by Presidente Municipal(Mayor), Jorge Ramos. Tony lives in the Zona Norte somewhere. Morales' Gym is there also. With all the "shit" happening in TJ now,I think the word on the street is "Hands Off Tony."

Diego, were you there that day?

No Frank I wasn't.

[dagosd2000]

Speaking of tortillas, for about the first ten years of our marriage my wife would make home made tortillas EVERYDAY, and then one day we're visiting my mom and dad, and my dad ask my wife "Connie do you still make tortillas everyday?", she said "yes, other wise he won't eat" meaning me, my dad tells my wife "if he wants tortillas evryday let him buy them", well that was the end of my home made tortillas, years later I tell my dad "pops I had a good thing going and you ruined it for me" you know what he tells me? "son if I can't have home made tortillas neither can you" my mom had stopped making tortillas some years before my dad and my wife had their little talk.

That's funny Frank. I love homemade tortillas. can't beat them. When I was a kid my mother made them all the time. Soft and pillowy. As fast as she would make them, I would smother them with butter and eat them. My dad had to pull me away from the tortillas, or he wouldn't have got any. When my father passed away in 1981, my mom stopped cooking all that good Mexican food that we all grew up with. That was the end of it. The only thing she still makes for me is Chile Verde. She loved cooking for my father. It was for him that she cooked. The food was part of their love affair. When he was gone, so was the food. My mother now cooks modern healthy food. It would have killed my dad.

Early on when my wife tried making tortillas, I used one for a frisbee. I blew it. She pretty much told me what your father told your wife "If you want tortillas you can buy them". And so, we buy them.

Randy, where're you digging this stuff from......

Frank
Randy's going back deep into the thread. Good for him. I've forgotten some of this stuff.

[dagosd2000]

I was in TJ about a week ago. As usual I'm wandering around some pretty dark areas. And I'm alone. There must have been a half dozen taxis that pulled up next to me and honked the horn. No way dude. With things the way they are down there ,I wonder how many of those taxistas take you down a dark alley where his buddies are waiting or worse yet,they're calling your family for the ransom money.

[dagosd2000]

Speaking of tortillas, for about the first ten years of our marriage my wife would make home made tortillas EVERYDAY, and then one day we're visiting my mom and dad, and my dad ask my wife "Connie do you still make tortillas everyday?", she said "yes, other wise he won't eat" meaning me, my dad tells my wife "if he wants tortillas evryday let him buy them", well that was the end of my home made tortillas, years later I tell my dad "pops I had a good thing going and you ruined it for me" you know what he tells me? "son if I can't have home made tortillas neither can you" my mom had stopped making tortillas some years before my dad and my wife had their little talk.

That's funny Frank. I love homemade tortillas. can't beat them. When I was a kid my mother made them all the time. Soft and pillowy. As fast as she would make them, I would smother them with butter and eat them. My dad had to pull me away from the tortillas, or he wouldn't have got any. When my father passed away in 1981, my mom stopped cooking all that good Mexican food that we all grew up with. That was the end of it. The only thing she still makes for me is Chile Verde. She loved cooking for my father. It was for him that she cooked. The food was part of their love affair. When he was gone, so was the food. My mother now cooks modern healthy food. It would have killed my dad.

Early on when my wife tried making tortillas, I used one for a frisbee. I blew it. She pretty much told me what your father told your wife "If you want tortillas you can buy them". And so, we buy them.

Randy
I remember my grandson's Communion. The party afterwards was at my daughter's place. She hired some Mexican caterers to make the food. It was this older woman and her son and daughter. I don't know what my daughter paid these people,but the caterers never had it so easy than that afternoon. And they learned something about how to make Mexican food.

My grandaughter Amanda asked my wife if she could make her some "gorditas'". I told Amanda to ask the caterers. No way. Amanda had to have "Tita's'" gorditas. Right away my wife puts on a "mendil" and is behind the "brasero". My wife made gorditas,sopes,tacos,and even put her own homemade hot sauce on everything(which she always brings along because she won't eat someone elses').

On top of all that the caterers are eating my wife's cooking like it's their last meal on Earth. I finally went up to my wife and told her she was crazy,but I could see she was in "taco heaven."

"Callete",she tells me. "Eres menso." (Shut up. you're an idiot)
So I had her make me a taco.

[bennie]

Tony will probably always stay that way, Frankie.

He really is not that bad, Bennie, if in time he doesn't get worse, he'll be ok.

Yes, I meant he'll never get any worse, Frankie. Sorry if that remark came across as crass.

[bennie]

Ken Buchanan

Great Photo. It makes me sad though. You can see the brightness in his eyes. He was full of life in this photo. It has to be before Duran. After his loss to Roberto Duran. Buchanan was never the same. It was mental. The fight got into his head and he could never accept the loss. He's convinced himself but for the low blow, he might have won. Nothing and no one could have saved him from Roberto Duran that night.

That's the thing about boxers, especially champions, and even more so the very great ones. When the gig is up, they can't accept it. The very quality that got them where they are; heart, courage, determination, intestinal fortitude, desire, and that deep burning desire to never say die, the refusal to lose, betrays them at the end of their careers, it can make fools of them. The very quality the once was their best attribute is now their worst. Sad but true. Just look at Julio Cesar Chavez at the end of his career and you'll see what i'm talking about.

That's what happened to Buchanan. The fight and the loss to Duran didn't ruin the Ken's quality of life. That came from within. Over the years he became bitter. His unhappiness is evident in every interview I have ever seen.

Maybe bennie knows, but didn't a lot of Buchanan's bitterness stem from Duran's refusal to give him a rematch? You look at Buchanan's post-Duran record, and he was clearly one of the top one or two contenders until the upset loss to Suzuki. Duran should have fought him again.

Didn't Buchanan also claim (a la Tunney in the first Greb fight) that he figured out how to beat Duran during the course of the fight, but by the time he figured it out, he was too tired and beat up to carry it out?

I've never heard the latter claim but, yes, Duran's refusal to give Buchanan a rematch in New York (Kenny could apparently have got a rematch if he was willing to travel to Panama) didn't help Kenny's mindset for many, many years. It does seem strange that Duran didn't fight Kenny again, although I'm sure it was down to Duran's management than Duran himself. The situation was not helped by the fact Duran was banned from fighting in New York for a while, after he pulled out of a scheduled defence there against Carlos Ortiz, citing illness.

[bennie]

Sorry, Ray, I read your 'stifling Panama' post after my above post. It wouldn't surprise me at all if Kenny and Carlos engaged in some anti-Duran banter after (or before) their clash in 1972, given Carlos disliked Duran as much as Buchanan. Yes, I'm sure Carlos would have tipped off Buchanan as regards Panama. It is a very interesting point.
Buchanan-Ortiz, coincidentally, topped the bill in MSG - with Ali against Patterson on the undercard. That bit is true. Kenny also likes to say that Ali knocked on his dressing room door and asked him if he could share the dressing room because he didn't have one of his own, but I think Kenny is waxing a bit lyrical there.

[bennie]

Antonio Margarito with Erik Morales

at Morales size

This is FUNNY!

[bennie]

Barry McGuigan vs Eusebio Pedroza

Barry kept an entire nation indoors on a warm summer's night. The way boxing has degenerated, it will probably never happen here again.
You know, Pedroza would have been stopped but his corner broke ammonia capsules under his nose between every round.

If my memory serves the official TV audience that watched McGuigan - Pedroza on the BBC was 20 million. The population of the UK at that time would of been about 55 million.

If they get eight million viewers for ANY show today, they award themselves huge bonuses. Twenty million! Like I say, we won't see that again.

[bennie]

Ruben 'Hurricane" Carter

What a physique Carter had. I didn't care much for Carter's autobiography though, anyone else read it?

I didn't read the book but I saw the movie and didn't care much for the movie, probably for the same reason you didn't care for the book.

The only good thing about Carter's (deserved) incarceration is Dylan's song (Hurricane).
"He ain't no Gentleman Jim..."

[bennie]

Great reads Frank.
Thanks.
You mentioned Zeffy Gonzalez.
I remember watching him fight Duran.
Its been a long time but I recall that Zeffy gave him a hell of a time.

Pugs,

Zeffy G. was a good fighter, but lack of a punch kept him from breaking the top ten, he could boxs though.

He frustrated the hell out of Duran that night.

Apparently, as Duran hitched up his shorts at one point, "Speedy" tagged him with a few shots (shades of Lanas, when Duran stuck his chin out).

[kikibalt]

by Marc Abrams
spam.com

ShareThisFRANK ESPINOZA TO OPEN PROMOTIONAL COMPANY IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
LOS ANGELES, CA (October 13, 2008) Highly regarded boxing manager Frank Espinoza is preparing to launch his own promotional boxing company, “Espinoza Boxing Promotions” in this first quarter of 2009.

“It’s something I’ve thought about for quite a while. The boxing scene in Southern California continues to grow, the fans here are very supportive and I’ve got a growing stable of fighters to keep busy,” said the much acclaimed longtime boxing manager.

Continued Espinoza, “My son Frankie has really been instrumental in this decision. He’s done a great job with the day to day operations of managing my stable and at this point I feel that the next step is for me to start promoting many of my younger fighters.”

I’ve had a few world champions like (current WBC junior featherweight champion) Israel Vazquez and Martin Castillo and I see similar traits in Luis Ramos, Carlos Molina, Abraham Lopez, Jesus Hernandez, Manny Roman and my new signee Ronny Rios. Nothing is ever guaranteed but they all seem to have that special something that gives them a shot at being a future world champion.

They all work hard, they’re all highly skilled and they need to stay busy. So now seems the best time for me to start promoting”, said Espinoza.

Details on the first promotional event will be announced shortly.

The ESPINOZA BOXING CLUB was started in 1991 by Los Angeles area businessman Frank Espinoza. Espinoza has earned numerous accolades for his management skills from many boxing newspaper and internet writers.

In 2006, Espinoza was awarded the Manager of the Year award from the World Boxing Hall of Fame and inducted into the California Boxing Hall of Fame.

In the September 2008 issue of Ring Magazine, Espinoza was praised for his outstanding handling of the career of junior featherweight world champion and “Pound for Pound” superstar Israel “EL MAGNIFICO” Vazquez.

Vazquez is currently ranked on numerous Pound for Pound lists including # 4 by Yahoo Sports, # 5 by Ring Magazine and # 7 by ESPN.

Espinoza also has managed former world champions Martin “EL GALLITO” Castillo, Enrique “EL Zurdo de Oro” Sanchez and Isidro Garcia. He currently manages world ranked Alex Valdez and Miguel “EL ANESTESISTA” Huerta in addition to undefeated prospects Manuel “SUAVECITO” Roman, Jesus “POLLO” Hernandez, Luis Ramos, Carlos Molina, Abraham Lopez and Ronny Rios.

For more information on The Espinoza Boxing Club, please visit their newly remodeled website at www.espinozaboxingclub.com