Sunday, August 23, 2009
Monday, August 10, 2009
The Ravenswood . . .
By Rick Farris
Shortly after I stopped boxing in the mid 70's, I drove my sister-in-law into Hollywood.
Kam was an actress and had some composite photos taken by a top glamour photographer, Ian Vaughn.
We were going to meet Vaughn at his apartment to pick up the photos.
As we drove down Vine Street, Kam asked me if I was familiar with the "Ravenswood"?
She explained that the Ravenswood was an upscale apartment building, an art deco masterpiece, located on Rossmoor Ave. on the edge of Hollywood and Hancock Park.
The classic apartment was built in 1930 by Paramount Studios, the design of a legendary architect of the era.
The Ravenswood served as home to a number of Hollywood stars at one point, including Clake Gable, Ava Gardner and the legendary Mae West.
Mae West had bought the building not long after making a name for herself in the movie business, and lived there right up to her death in 1980. A half-century resident.
Once I learned that Mae West owned the building, it became of great interest to me as Ms. West was a legendary boxing fan who was friends with my ex-manager, Suey Welch.
Suey, actor/gangster George Raft, wrestler Mike Mazurki, middleweight champ Gorilla Jones, and Mae West had been friends for decades, all coming west from Ohio at about the same time.
When we pulled up in front of this magnificent building my mind raced, attempting to visualize how it looked nearly a half-century previous.
I thought back to stories I'd heard of Mae West, who had hired former featherweight champ, Chalky Wright, as her personal Chauffeur.
Rumor was that the actress had a thing for prizefighters, and the former 126 lb. would also serve his boss as a lover.
As we entered the building, Kam spoke with the doorman, an elderly gentleman who looked like something from another era. He was hired when the bulding had opened.
The doorman phoned Ian Vaughn's room and we were granted permission to enter.
In those days, Ian Vaughn was a hot young photographer, and he had a room full of half naked models running around his place, serving him like he was a king.
I liked Ian, who had come to Hollywood via Brighton, England and made a name for himself.
At the time I was new in the film industry and Ian told me of his desire to shift from shooting stills to making movies.
I looked around the room at the stunning beauties waiting on him hand & foot and I asked why he'd want to change things.
Vaughn laughed.
On the way out, I marveled at the old building. I asked the doorman if Mae West still lived there.
The elderly man said in a very proper voice, "Miss West owns the building. Her suite occupies the entire top floor."
"Do you see her much?" I ask.
The man smiled, "Yes, you just missed her. She returned from her walk while you were in Mr. Vaughn's residence."
"Damn!" I wanted to tell her I knew Suey, and Gorilla Jones, and Mike Mazurki, some of her old friends. I wanted meet her.
I had always felt a connection with her era, although I was just twenty-four.
When I told this to the doorman, he just smiled and replied, "She'd probably like to meet you as well."
I left with the doorman's words on my mind.
I looked over Kam's head shots. It was obvious why Ian Vaughn was so popular. He was an artist.
Today Ian Vaughn lives in Las Vegas and shoots resorts. When you see dramatic Las Vegas Hotel photos, chances are Ian shot them.
He also makes movies.
As for Mae West, next year will mark the 30th anniversary of her death, and the 80th anniversary of the Ravenswood's birth.
Shortly after I stopped boxing in the mid 70's, I drove my sister-in-law into Hollywood.
Kam was an actress and had some composite photos taken by a top glamour photographer, Ian Vaughn.
We were going to meet Vaughn at his apartment to pick up the photos.
As we drove down Vine Street, Kam asked me if I was familiar with the "Ravenswood"?
She explained that the Ravenswood was an upscale apartment building, an art deco masterpiece, located on Rossmoor Ave. on the edge of Hollywood and Hancock Park.
The classic apartment was built in 1930 by Paramount Studios, the design of a legendary architect of the era.
The Ravenswood served as home to a number of Hollywood stars at one point, including Clake Gable, Ava Gardner and the legendary Mae West.
Mae West had bought the building not long after making a name for herself in the movie business, and lived there right up to her death in 1980. A half-century resident.
Once I learned that Mae West owned the building, it became of great interest to me as Ms. West was a legendary boxing fan who was friends with my ex-manager, Suey Welch.
Suey, actor/gangster George Raft, wrestler Mike Mazurki, middleweight champ Gorilla Jones, and Mae West had been friends for decades, all coming west from Ohio at about the same time.
When we pulled up in front of this magnificent building my mind raced, attempting to visualize how it looked nearly a half-century previous.
I thought back to stories I'd heard of Mae West, who had hired former featherweight champ, Chalky Wright, as her personal Chauffeur.
Rumor was that the actress had a thing for prizefighters, and the former 126 lb. would also serve his boss as a lover.
As we entered the building, Kam spoke with the doorman, an elderly gentleman who looked like something from another era. He was hired when the bulding had opened.
The doorman phoned Ian Vaughn's room and we were granted permission to enter.
In those days, Ian Vaughn was a hot young photographer, and he had a room full of half naked models running around his place, serving him like he was a king.
I liked Ian, who had come to Hollywood via Brighton, England and made a name for himself.
At the time I was new in the film industry and Ian told me of his desire to shift from shooting stills to making movies.
I looked around the room at the stunning beauties waiting on him hand & foot and I asked why he'd want to change things.
Vaughn laughed.
On the way out, I marveled at the old building. I asked the doorman if Mae West still lived there.
The elderly man said in a very proper voice, "Miss West owns the building. Her suite occupies the entire top floor."
"Do you see her much?" I ask.
The man smiled, "Yes, you just missed her. She returned from her walk while you were in Mr. Vaughn's residence."
"Damn!" I wanted to tell her I knew Suey, and Gorilla Jones, and Mike Mazurki, some of her old friends. I wanted meet her.
I had always felt a connection with her era, although I was just twenty-four.
When I told this to the doorman, he just smiled and replied, "She'd probably like to meet you as well."
I left with the doorman's words on my mind.
I looked over Kam's head shots. It was obvious why Ian Vaughn was so popular. He was an artist.
Today Ian Vaughn lives in Las Vegas and shoots resorts. When you see dramatic Las Vegas Hotel photos, chances are Ian shot them.
He also makes movies.
As for Mae West, next year will mark the 30th anniversary of her death, and the 80th anniversary of the Ravenswood's birth.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
A Denny Moyer Story
By Bill O'Neill
Denny Moyer was a good, tough, very PROFESSIONAL fighter. Nice, stand-up style, good movement, great chin, gutty and intelligent--had everything EXCEPT a punch. He boxed brilliantly early in his career; his first loss was to Don Jordan in a world title fight when he was only about 19, and he kept fighting right on up into his forties. Beat a lot of great fighters, but stayed in the game too long. Was from a fighting family. His father boxed, as I recall; as did Denny's brother Phil, and their sons.
But now, let me tell you a story about Denny Moyer--and I'll try to make it brief. A lifelong friend of mine named Jack Thompson was training Denny, very late in Denny's career, in a gym in Portland (Oregon), that was upstairs over a bar in a seedy section of town. The two of them, along with a young middleweight named Davey Rogers, were leaving the gym one evening when a couple of DRUNKS stopped them on the narrow stairway. "Where's Denny Moyer?" one of the drunks demanded. "I've got two hundred bucks that says he can't last one round with me!"
Jack and Denny looked at each other, and decided to go back upstairs and take the guy up on his offer. In the gym, as Jack was lacing up the drunk's gloves, the guy started cursing at Davey Rogers. Words were exchanged, and the drunk said, "Put the gloves on this punk! I'll bet a hundred dollars that says I can knock HIM out in one round, before I knock out Denny Moyer!"
So they strapped a pair of 14-oz. gloves on Rogers, who Jack tells me could really whack. The kid leveled the drunk with the first punch he threw; knocked him flat. The professionals collected the hundred, and had begun to pack up their stuff again when the drunk's friend yelled out, "Look! He's getting up!" And sure enough, the drunk staggered to his feet and said, "I didn't get my shot a Denny Moyer yet!" He and his friend threw two one-hundred-dollar bills on the ring apron and said, "Come on! A deal is a deal!"
So Jack put the gloves on Moyer, but cautioned him: "Look, don't hit this guy in the head. He has just been knocked out, and another concussion like that could get us in big trouble."
Thereupon, Moyer quickly put the guy down and out with a body punch, causing a spew of vomit that shot six feet in the air. A few minutes later, the three pros helped the drunk down the stairs and back into his favorite bar--and departed the scene, three hundred dollars richer. (Fortunately, they didn't get arrested.)
Denny Moyer was a good, tough, very PROFESSIONAL fighter. Nice, stand-up style, good movement, great chin, gutty and intelligent--had everything EXCEPT a punch. He boxed brilliantly early in his career; his first loss was to Don Jordan in a world title fight when he was only about 19, and he kept fighting right on up into his forties. Beat a lot of great fighters, but stayed in the game too long. Was from a fighting family. His father boxed, as I recall; as did Denny's brother Phil, and their sons.
But now, let me tell you a story about Denny Moyer--and I'll try to make it brief. A lifelong friend of mine named Jack Thompson was training Denny, very late in Denny's career, in a gym in Portland (Oregon), that was upstairs over a bar in a seedy section of town. The two of them, along with a young middleweight named Davey Rogers, were leaving the gym one evening when a couple of DRUNKS stopped them on the narrow stairway. "Where's Denny Moyer?" one of the drunks demanded. "I've got two hundred bucks that says he can't last one round with me!"
Jack and Denny looked at each other, and decided to go back upstairs and take the guy up on his offer. In the gym, as Jack was lacing up the drunk's gloves, the guy started cursing at Davey Rogers. Words were exchanged, and the drunk said, "Put the gloves on this punk! I'll bet a hundred dollars that says I can knock HIM out in one round, before I knock out Denny Moyer!"
So they strapped a pair of 14-oz. gloves on Rogers, who Jack tells me could really whack. The kid leveled the drunk with the first punch he threw; knocked him flat. The professionals collected the hundred, and had begun to pack up their stuff again when the drunk's friend yelled out, "Look! He's getting up!" And sure enough, the drunk staggered to his feet and said, "I didn't get my shot a Denny Moyer yet!" He and his friend threw two one-hundred-dollar bills on the ring apron and said, "Come on! A deal is a deal!"
So Jack put the gloves on Moyer, but cautioned him: "Look, don't hit this guy in the head. He has just been knocked out, and another concussion like that could get us in big trouble."
Thereupon, Moyer quickly put the guy down and out with a body punch, causing a spew of vomit that shot six feet in the air. A few minutes later, the three pros helped the drunk down the stairs and back into his favorite bar--and departed the scene, three hundred dollars richer. (Fortunately, they didn't get arrested.)
FIGHT TO THE FINISH
By Roger Esty
I remember Denny Moyer. I remember a lot of fighters like him that were fighting too long. But whether they needed the money or not they seemed not to care. I think they knew in the back of their minds that things would only get worse. They never talked about it because that would be sniveling and fighters don't snivel. Denny Moyer wasn't a sniveler. Nice enough guy sober. Get him drunk,which didn't take much doing,and you better be on his right side. But sniveling? Naw,how can you have fun complaining?
The stories we read about the Moyers back to the Langfords,and recently the Gatti's and Arguellos,and the recent HBO documentary on the Resto/Collins fight-it's part of the world of boxing. We feel for them,but what can we do? Boxing isn't one of those sports where kids are honed like Little League. (Remember that Walt Disney series,'Moochie And The Little League?).Can you imagine Walt Disney putting together a kids' show called "Moochie And The Boxing Ring?" Society would push The Society For The Prevention Of Cruelties To Animals to the back burner.
Big venues for boxing are Vegas and Atlantic City. Gamblers are on it like flies on sh-t. There'll never be a world or even a national commission to control it because the the leeches would have to move on.The leeches are in control. Congress won't do anything except ask basesball players about steroids.
If Denny is coherent I don't think he'd want anyone to feel sorry for him.It's good that he has his wife. I've always thought fighters' wives are the best. Their bridge to heaven is their suffering watching their husbands engage in the ring. But whever Denny is,I think he's still trying to find a good time.Too bad we all cry watching him struggle.
I remember Denny Moyer. I remember a lot of fighters like him that were fighting too long. But whether they needed the money or not they seemed not to care. I think they knew in the back of their minds that things would only get worse. They never talked about it because that would be sniveling and fighters don't snivel. Denny Moyer wasn't a sniveler. Nice enough guy sober. Get him drunk,which didn't take much doing,and you better be on his right side. But sniveling? Naw,how can you have fun complaining?
The stories we read about the Moyers back to the Langfords,and recently the Gatti's and Arguellos,and the recent HBO documentary on the Resto/Collins fight-it's part of the world of boxing. We feel for them,but what can we do? Boxing isn't one of those sports where kids are honed like Little League. (Remember that Walt Disney series,'Moochie And The Little League?).Can you imagine Walt Disney putting together a kids' show called "Moochie And The Boxing Ring?" Society would push The Society For The Prevention Of Cruelties To Animals to the back burner.
Big venues for boxing are Vegas and Atlantic City. Gamblers are on it like flies on sh-t. There'll never be a world or even a national commission to control it because the the leeches would have to move on.The leeches are in control. Congress won't do anything except ask basesball players about steroids.
If Denny is coherent I don't think he'd want anyone to feel sorry for him.It's good that he has his wife. I've always thought fighters' wives are the best. Their bridge to heaven is their suffering watching their husbands engage in the ring. But whever Denny is,I think he's still trying to find a good time.Too bad we all cry watching him struggle.
DAMAGED GOODS
Documentary exposes harsh reality of life after boxing
By STEVE BUFFERY
There is a scene in the documentary "After The Last Round" when an old man named Harry Moyer wanders over to his son Phil and begins to wipe Phil's face with a tissue, precisely as he would have done years earlier when Phil was boxing and Harry was his trainer.
Phil suffers from dementia and stares past his father, unfocussed and lost.
"You're all right," whispers Harry to his aging son.
Phil, however, clearly is not all right.
In his 90s, Harry is in much better shape than Phil and his other son Denny, who also was a world-ranked fighter out of Portland, Ore., in the 1950s and '60s.
The camera then pans out to show Denny and Phil sitting in adjoining chairs, starring blankly ahead, brothers bound by the brutal sport of boxing and the wretched consequences the so-called "sweet science" exacts on those who embrace it.
Everyone who has ever watched a round of boxing generally is aware that the sport is -- particularly at the professional level -- dangerous and potentially lethal. But what we don't see is what happens to these damaged fighters after they walk away from the ring.
Denny and Phil Moyer were legends in the Portland area, world-ranked middleweights, charismatic and handsome.
Now, they are broken, suffering from dementia, living together at a nursing home, in need of constant care, their conditions deteriorating.
Laura Moyer, Phil's daughter, describes how when they first took her father to the home, the tough ex-fighter, who fought the very best of his day, including Sugar Ray Robinson, began crying.
"He said: 'Please don't leave me here,' " said Laura, breaking down in tears. "But we couldn't take care of him anymore."
The executive producer of After The Last Round is Tom Moyer, a cousin of Denny and Phil.
Now a resident of Santa Barbara, Calif., Tom grew up in Portland, where the Moyers were the first family of boxing. Tom's father also trained Phil and Denny. But what was once a source of pride for the family has turned into tragedy. And not just because of Denny and Phil's dementia. Harry also is a victim, as he spends his remaining days dealing with the fact that he put his boys in the ring and is, in a way, the architect of their demise.
Decades later, having witnessed his cousins' downward spiral, Tom Moyer encouraged his own son Patrick and Patrick's friend, the filmmaker Ryan Pettey, to take put together a documentary, not just about the Moyer family, but on what happens to fighters after the final bell has sounded.
Patrick is the film's producer and Pettey the director.
The film shows that not only are many ex-professional fighters, perhaps even the majority, damaged goods, most are destitute, or nearly there -- cast away like broken toys, treated worse than greyhound dogs.
There is no pension for ex-fighters. Most walk away with nothing, in fact, less than nothing, because they leave boxing with less than what they had going in.
After The Last Round profiles boxers who are in the advanced state of dementia, or blind, or broke, but also examines why some fighters, including many who waged tremendous wars in the ring and absorbed untold punishment -- such as Canadian heavyweight legend George Chuvalo -- have survived seemingly unscathed, at least physically.
Tom Moyer is justifiably proud of the film, but equally frustrated, as he is attempting to have the movie included in this year's Toronto International Film Festival. But as of yet, he has had no luck.
Near the end of the documentary, the camera focuses on Denny's wife, Sandy.
"He's living over there, but really he's dead," she says of her husband. "And nobody cares. Frankly, nobody ever will care. But I care."
Tom Moyer's reason for producing After the Last Round, and for pushing for its inclusion in this year's TIFF, is so more people will care.
STEVE.BUFFERY@SUNMEDIA.CA
By STEVE BUFFERY
There is a scene in the documentary "After The Last Round" when an old man named Harry Moyer wanders over to his son Phil and begins to wipe Phil's face with a tissue, precisely as he would have done years earlier when Phil was boxing and Harry was his trainer.
Phil suffers from dementia and stares past his father, unfocussed and lost.
"You're all right," whispers Harry to his aging son.
Phil, however, clearly is not all right.
In his 90s, Harry is in much better shape than Phil and his other son Denny, who also was a world-ranked fighter out of Portland, Ore., in the 1950s and '60s.
The camera then pans out to show Denny and Phil sitting in adjoining chairs, starring blankly ahead, brothers bound by the brutal sport of boxing and the wretched consequences the so-called "sweet science" exacts on those who embrace it.
Everyone who has ever watched a round of boxing generally is aware that the sport is -- particularly at the professional level -- dangerous and potentially lethal. But what we don't see is what happens to these damaged fighters after they walk away from the ring.
Denny and Phil Moyer were legends in the Portland area, world-ranked middleweights, charismatic and handsome.
Now, they are broken, suffering from dementia, living together at a nursing home, in need of constant care, their conditions deteriorating.
Laura Moyer, Phil's daughter, describes how when they first took her father to the home, the tough ex-fighter, who fought the very best of his day, including Sugar Ray Robinson, began crying.
"He said: 'Please don't leave me here,' " said Laura, breaking down in tears. "But we couldn't take care of him anymore."
The executive producer of After The Last Round is Tom Moyer, a cousin of Denny and Phil.
Now a resident of Santa Barbara, Calif., Tom grew up in Portland, where the Moyers were the first family of boxing. Tom's father also trained Phil and Denny. But what was once a source of pride for the family has turned into tragedy. And not just because of Denny and Phil's dementia. Harry also is a victim, as he spends his remaining days dealing with the fact that he put his boys in the ring and is, in a way, the architect of their demise.
Decades later, having witnessed his cousins' downward spiral, Tom Moyer encouraged his own son Patrick and Patrick's friend, the filmmaker Ryan Pettey, to take put together a documentary, not just about the Moyer family, but on what happens to fighters after the final bell has sounded.
Patrick is the film's producer and Pettey the director.
The film shows that not only are many ex-professional fighters, perhaps even the majority, damaged goods, most are destitute, or nearly there -- cast away like broken toys, treated worse than greyhound dogs.
There is no pension for ex-fighters. Most walk away with nothing, in fact, less than nothing, because they leave boxing with less than what they had going in.
After The Last Round profiles boxers who are in the advanced state of dementia, or blind, or broke, but also examines why some fighters, including many who waged tremendous wars in the ring and absorbed untold punishment -- such as Canadian heavyweight legend George Chuvalo -- have survived seemingly unscathed, at least physically.
Tom Moyer is justifiably proud of the film, but equally frustrated, as he is attempting to have the movie included in this year's Toronto International Film Festival. But as of yet, he has had no luck.
Near the end of the documentary, the camera focuses on Denny's wife, Sandy.
"He's living over there, but really he's dead," she says of her husband. "And nobody cares. Frankly, nobody ever will care. But I care."
Tom Moyer's reason for producing After the Last Round, and for pushing for its inclusion in this year's TIFF, is so more people will care.
STEVE.BUFFERY@SUNMEDIA.CA
Friday, August 7, 2009
FOR THE SPORT OF IT
By Roger Esty
"So Tony ,did you ever go sport fishing with those Rams that came used to come down for the summer?"
Tony Panza was drawing me a draft as he reached back in memory.
"I went a couple of times,"he answered.
"I've heard those guys could really kick up their heels."
Tony stretched out his arms on the bar. He looked at me kind of funny. Made me feel younger than my years.
"Roger,I remember one time in the early 50's when the Rams were goin' strong and Murphy was on his way up.They all was in here one night and decided they wanted to charter a boat and go sport fishing."
Sport fishing. The Rams. Irish Bob Murphy. I asked Tony to draw me another beer.
"It was decided that Radovich,Steve Bradaric who was behind the bar that night,and Fears,Van Brocklin,Skeets Quillan,and Elroy Hirsch,and of course Murphy were going to go down to the docks and charter a boat."
"Who could deny them?,"I asked. I moved to the edge of my stool.
"Well the way I heard it they couldn't find a boat because everything was booked so they talked Ross Miller to go out in his 24 foot lobster skiff."
"Did Ross put up a stink?"
"Naw. He didn't care as long as those fellas' filled it up with gas and supplied the booze."
I told Tony to set me up with a shot of Jack Daniels.
"That's a lot of people for a skiff,"I said.
"Hell, Ross would have taken out the whole Ram team if they'd asked him. Hell,he didn't care."
"So did they catch any fish?"
"No,"said Tony."They spent too much time getting drunk and trying to throw each other overboard."
Tony saw that I was nearing the end of beer number two so he broke out another glass and drew me another.
"Someone,I think it was Steve Bradaric ,brought out a shotgun and I they they spent more time shooting at seagulls than fishing."
"So they came back empty?"
"It was a miracle they came back at all,"said Tony.
"So what happened?"
I wasn't going to forget this.
"Well they decided they'd done enough huntin' and fishin' and since they were a few miles off Ensenada,it was a good idea to pull in port and frequent the local whorehouses. Besides,they ran out of booze."
"I would have liked to have been there,"I remarked.
"No you wouldn't. You see Murphy got possessive of one of the girls in the bar when she tapped him of all his money and she then sat with another guy. The next thing you know it's the Rams and Murphy against the Mexican cops."
"Geez, Tony you could write a book."
"Radovich is trying to stop it.but then he gets whacked with a billy club and now he's swingin' away. To make a long story short all those gringos spent the night in the Ensenada jail."
"That was quite a story."
"That wasn't the end of it. When they pulled up to the dock the next morning the skiff was gone.They had let Murphy tie the boat up since he was in the Navy."
Tony caught himself and shook his head.
" Murphy didn't secure the line good enough and the skiff broke loose and was floating out to Hawaii."
I laughed,but wasn't surprised.
"They all started to yell at Murphy,but the dumb Irishman told them they never showed him how to tie knots in the Navy."
Me and Tony looked at each other in the eye. We smiled kind of sad like.
"Yeah,"I sighed."They don't make 'em like that anymore."
"Yeah," said Tony. "And we're lucky they don't as long as we stay out of their way."
"So Tony ,did you ever go sport fishing with those Rams that came used to come down for the summer?"
Tony Panza was drawing me a draft as he reached back in memory.
"I went a couple of times,"he answered.
"I've heard those guys could really kick up their heels."
Tony stretched out his arms on the bar. He looked at me kind of funny. Made me feel younger than my years.
"Roger,I remember one time in the early 50's when the Rams were goin' strong and Murphy was on his way up.They all was in here one night and decided they wanted to charter a boat and go sport fishing."
Sport fishing. The Rams. Irish Bob Murphy. I asked Tony to draw me another beer.
"It was decided that Radovich,Steve Bradaric who was behind the bar that night,and Fears,Van Brocklin,Skeets Quillan,and Elroy Hirsch,and of course Murphy were going to go down to the docks and charter a boat."
"Who could deny them?,"I asked. I moved to the edge of my stool.
"Well the way I heard it they couldn't find a boat because everything was booked so they talked Ross Miller to go out in his 24 foot lobster skiff."
"Did Ross put up a stink?"
"Naw. He didn't care as long as those fellas' filled it up with gas and supplied the booze."
I told Tony to set me up with a shot of Jack Daniels.
"That's a lot of people for a skiff,"I said.
"Hell, Ross would have taken out the whole Ram team if they'd asked him. Hell,he didn't care."
"So did they catch any fish?"
"No,"said Tony."They spent too much time getting drunk and trying to throw each other overboard."
Tony saw that I was nearing the end of beer number two so he broke out another glass and drew me another.
"Someone,I think it was Steve Bradaric ,brought out a shotgun and I they they spent more time shooting at seagulls than fishing."
"So they came back empty?"
"It was a miracle they came back at all,"said Tony.
"So what happened?"
I wasn't going to forget this.
"Well they decided they'd done enough huntin' and fishin' and since they were a few miles off Ensenada,it was a good idea to pull in port and frequent the local whorehouses. Besides,they ran out of booze."
"I would have liked to have been there,"I remarked.
"No you wouldn't. You see Murphy got possessive of one of the girls in the bar when she tapped him of all his money and she then sat with another guy. The next thing you know it's the Rams and Murphy against the Mexican cops."
"Geez, Tony you could write a book."
"Radovich is trying to stop it.but then he gets whacked with a billy club and now he's swingin' away. To make a long story short all those gringos spent the night in the Ensenada jail."
"That was quite a story."
"That wasn't the end of it. When they pulled up to the dock the next morning the skiff was gone.They had let Murphy tie the boat up since he was in the Navy."
Tony caught himself and shook his head.
" Murphy didn't secure the line good enough and the skiff broke loose and was floating out to Hawaii."
I laughed,but wasn't surprised.
"They all started to yell at Murphy,but the dumb Irishman told them they never showed him how to tie knots in the Navy."
Me and Tony looked at each other in the eye. We smiled kind of sad like.
"Yeah,"I sighed."They don't make 'em like that anymore."
"Yeah," said Tony. "And we're lucky they don't as long as we stay out of their way."
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Sheck your Mexican status
If you can run and play any sport while wearing chanclas... You're a
Mexican!!
If your late Tio left you a van and you turned it into a taco vending
business...Yes, you're a Mexican.
If you pronounce words beginning with the letter 'S' by putting an 'E' in
front of it, (estop instead of stop)...big time Mexican.
If you call a chair, a sher, you got it.... Mexican.
If you have ever hurt yourself and your mama rubbed the area while
chanting, ' Sana , Sana , Colita de rana.....' You're Mexican, big time!!!
If you have your last name in old English lettering anywhere, on your car,
truck, or tattooed on your back...Yes, you ARE a Mexican (proud one too).
If you refer to your wife as your ruca, your hina, your wifa, your old
lady, mija or your vieja, guess what?...Not only are you a Mexican, you're
a cholo..
If you throw a 'Grito' every time you hear Vicente Fernandez... then not
only are you a Mexican, but you are a drunk Mexican.
If you have ever been pinched in church and been told 'pobrecito de ti si
lloras' or 'Vas a ver orita que salgamos.'... Yes, you're definitely a
Mexican.
If you grew up being called 'chamaca or chamaco'...Mexican.
If you grew up scared of La Llorona, or fear the dark because of El
CuCuy!.....
Yes! Mexican!
Si te persinas with a lotto ticket in your hand before every drawing..
You're in the Mexican Zone!!!
If you ask for something by 'dame esa chingadera' instead of calling it by
its name... Yup! Mexican!
If you constantly refer to cereal as 'con fleys' or cake as
'kay-ke'...You're a Mexican.
If you use manteca instead of vegetable oil and can't figure out why your
butt is getting bigger.....You might be a Mexican.
If you have some Tias that dress up in their prom dresses to go to a
birthday party at 'el parque'... Guess what? You're a Mexican.
If your Tias and Abuela dress up in their Sunday best with heels and all
to go to the 'pulga.' (AKA the Flea Market) ...Then, yes, you are a True
Mexican.
If most of the houses on your block are painted bright pink, mint green,
and lavender. ..Mexican.
If you use the bushes in front of your house, the fence, or the top of an
old car to dry laundry. ..Yes, you're a Mexican.
If you're congested and your mamasita rubbed 'Bicks' on you...You're
Mexican.
IF YOU DON'T NEED ANY EXPLANATIONS FOR ANY OF THE ABOVE, YOU KNOW THAT YOU
ARE A TRUE MEXICAN. VIVA LA RAZA!!!
You know you're laughing your head off. It's all in fun, so don't get all
'adoloridos.'
Mexican!!
If your late Tio left you a van and you turned it into a taco vending
business...Yes, you're a Mexican.
If you pronounce words beginning with the letter 'S' by putting an 'E' in
front of it, (estop instead of stop)...big time Mexican.
If you call a chair, a sher, you got it.... Mexican.
If you have ever hurt yourself and your mama rubbed the area while
chanting, ' Sana , Sana , Colita de rana.....' You're Mexican, big time!!!
If you have your last name in old English lettering anywhere, on your car,
truck, or tattooed on your back...Yes, you ARE a Mexican (proud one too).
If you refer to your wife as your ruca, your hina, your wifa, your old
lady, mija or your vieja, guess what?...Not only are you a Mexican, you're
a cholo..
If you throw a 'Grito' every time you hear Vicente Fernandez... then not
only are you a Mexican, but you are a drunk Mexican.
If you have ever been pinched in church and been told 'pobrecito de ti si
lloras' or 'Vas a ver orita que salgamos.'... Yes, you're definitely a
Mexican.
If you grew up being called 'chamaca or chamaco'...Mexican.
If you grew up scared of La Llorona, or fear the dark because of El
CuCuy!.....
Yes! Mexican!
Si te persinas with a lotto ticket in your hand before every drawing..
You're in the Mexican Zone!!!
If you ask for something by 'dame esa chingadera' instead of calling it by
its name... Yup! Mexican!
If you constantly refer to cereal as 'con fleys' or cake as
'kay-ke'...You're a Mexican.
If you use manteca instead of vegetable oil and can't figure out why your
butt is getting bigger.....You might be a Mexican.
If you have some Tias that dress up in their prom dresses to go to a
birthday party at 'el parque'... Guess what? You're a Mexican.
If your Tias and Abuela dress up in their Sunday best with heels and all
to go to the 'pulga.' (AKA the Flea Market) ...Then, yes, you are a True
Mexican.
If most of the houses on your block are painted bright pink, mint green,
and lavender. ..Mexican.
If you use the bushes in front of your house, the fence, or the top of an
old car to dry laundry. ..Yes, you're a Mexican.
If you're congested and your mamasita rubbed 'Bicks' on you...You're
Mexican.
IF YOU DON'T NEED ANY EXPLANATIONS FOR ANY OF THE ABOVE, YOU KNOW THAT YOU
ARE A TRUE MEXICAN. VIVA LA RAZA!!!
You know you're laughing your head off. It's all in fun, so don't get all
'adoloridos.'
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Bradley decision unfair but inevitable
By Kevin Iole, Yahoo! Sports
If the California State Athletic Commission does the right thing, it will overrule referee David Mendoza’s verdict that gave Timothy Bradley a third-round technical knockout over Nate Campbell at the Agua Caliente Resort in Rancho Mirage, Calif., on Saturday and instead will declare the bout a no-decision.
Campbell clearly had a massive gash opened on his left eyebrow from an inadvertent clash of heads.
Campbell doesn’t deserve the loss on his record.
Whatever the commission decides, though, won’t really matter. Because anyone watching the World Boxing Organization super lightweight title bout knows who the better man was in the nationally televised bout.
Those who saw the bout know who the faster man was.
Those who saw the bout know who the better defensive fighter was.
Those who saw the bout know who was dictating the pace and controlling the action.
Those who saw the bout know who was landing the sharper, harder punches.
It’s about time that Bradley gets serious consideration for a spot in the top 10 pound-for-pound rankings. He clearly was outclassing a high-caliber opponent.
The controversy, of course, will obscure much of that, as will Mendoza’s confusing and somewhat contradictory comments.
Bradley was getting the best of nearly every exchange in the fight and had backed the 37-year-old former lightweight champion to the ropes when his head moved down and Campbell’s head came up. The result was a gaping wound that traversed the length of Campbell’s left eyebrow.
Asked directly by Showtime’s Jim Gray if he saw the head butt and whether it was the cause of the bleeding, Mendoza said, “Yes, that’s what happened.”
It was obvious. And it’s clear in the rulebook. When a fight is stopped as a result of a cut caused by an accidental head butt and it hasn’t gone four full rounds, it is to be declared a no-decision.
Campbell got a raw deal, though it likely saved him a frightful beating for another nine rounds.
Mendoza’s decision was baffling. He admitted he saw the butt. He admitted the blood began to flow almost instantly afterward. Yet, he ruled it was from a punch. Bradley threw two punches right after the clash of heads, but neither seemed to land flush and certainly neither of them was hard enough to tear apart Campbell’s skin.
“They both were head butting each other as they were fighting and the last head butt, when they touch heads, then he pulled back to throw a punch [and] after he threw the punch, the blood started coming out,” Mendoza said.
Watching a replay, Mendoza said he sees the butt.
“Right there,” he said, indicating the butt.
That in and of itself was enough to rule it an inadvertent butt. Period. It’s ludicrous to think that anything that happened in the next two seconds had an impact like the vicious clash of heads.
“You see, the blood hasn’t come out,” Mendoza said, watching a replay as Bradley’s head still is in the process of pulling back from Campbell’s. “You see, then he hits him again right there. That’s when I was watching him, and I saw the blood come out. I have to go by the last thing I saw, which was a punch.”
The controversy made for good television, but it really wasn’t the story of the fight. The story of the fight was that Bradley bullied the bully. He stared down one of the game’s toughest men, an old-school type who has won many fights in the past with his will and determination alone.
On Saturday, though, Campbell ran into a guy with a will and determination equal to his own and skills that, at this stage in their careers, are far superior.
Campbell usually is a brilliant inside fighter, but Bradley negated that expertly. He went hard after Campbell’s body with several shots and then would slip outside and keep a jab in Campbell’s face.
Bradley’s hands always were moving, and he fought with the idea of wearing down the man who is 12 years his senior. It was working by the midway point of the third round; one can only imagine what Campbell may have looked like had the bout reached the ninth.
“It didn’t even matter,” Bradley said of the head butt and the ensuing controversy. “He was going to get beat anyway. It didn’t matter. It did not even matter. As the rounds kept going on and on and on, he was getting older and older and older.
“I understand where [Campbell is] coming from. I understand what he’s talking about. But it’s not my job [to worry whether or not it was a head butt]. That’s the ref’s job. My job is to fight.”
Bradley was fighting brilliantly and clearly looks like the second-best fighter in the 140-pound weight class. The best, of course, is pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao, though anyone who saw Bradley perform on Saturday who doesn’t believe a Pacquiao-Bradley fight wouldn’t have Fight of the Year potential simply doesn’t know or like boxing.
Bradley, though, doesn’t have the name recognition or the drawing power to get into the mix for fights against men like Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr.
And though his promoter, Gary Shaw, wasn’t willing to commit to giving Campbell a rematch when a sense of fairness screams that it’s the right thing to do, Bradley said he had no issue with it.
He knows, and anyone who saw the bout Saturday knows, what would happen in a rematch.
“Why not [give Campbell a rematch]?” Bradley said.
“Why not? It’s going to be the same outcome. That’s easy work. Too slow. Too heavy-footed. I’ll move all day on him.”
Campbell stomped out of the ring, cursing angrily and demanding a no-decision as well as a rematch, both of which he deserves.
But he may get another thing, and surely he won’t want that.
If they fight again, Bradley is going to put a major-league whipping on him.
Bradley is the real deal and has become one of the elite fighters in the world.
If the California State Athletic Commission does the right thing, it will overrule referee David Mendoza’s verdict that gave Timothy Bradley a third-round technical knockout over Nate Campbell at the Agua Caliente Resort in Rancho Mirage, Calif., on Saturday and instead will declare the bout a no-decision.
Campbell clearly had a massive gash opened on his left eyebrow from an inadvertent clash of heads.
Campbell doesn’t deserve the loss on his record.
Whatever the commission decides, though, won’t really matter. Because anyone watching the World Boxing Organization super lightweight title bout knows who the better man was in the nationally televised bout.
Those who saw the bout know who the faster man was.
Those who saw the bout know who the better defensive fighter was.
Those who saw the bout know who was dictating the pace and controlling the action.
Those who saw the bout know who was landing the sharper, harder punches.
It’s about time that Bradley gets serious consideration for a spot in the top 10 pound-for-pound rankings. He clearly was outclassing a high-caliber opponent.
The controversy, of course, will obscure much of that, as will Mendoza’s confusing and somewhat contradictory comments.
Bradley was getting the best of nearly every exchange in the fight and had backed the 37-year-old former lightweight champion to the ropes when his head moved down and Campbell’s head came up. The result was a gaping wound that traversed the length of Campbell’s left eyebrow.
Asked directly by Showtime’s Jim Gray if he saw the head butt and whether it was the cause of the bleeding, Mendoza said, “Yes, that’s what happened.”
It was obvious. And it’s clear in the rulebook. When a fight is stopped as a result of a cut caused by an accidental head butt and it hasn’t gone four full rounds, it is to be declared a no-decision.
Campbell got a raw deal, though it likely saved him a frightful beating for another nine rounds.
Mendoza’s decision was baffling. He admitted he saw the butt. He admitted the blood began to flow almost instantly afterward. Yet, he ruled it was from a punch. Bradley threw two punches right after the clash of heads, but neither seemed to land flush and certainly neither of them was hard enough to tear apart Campbell’s skin.
“They both were head butting each other as they were fighting and the last head butt, when they touch heads, then he pulled back to throw a punch [and] after he threw the punch, the blood started coming out,” Mendoza said.
Watching a replay, Mendoza said he sees the butt.
“Right there,” he said, indicating the butt.
That in and of itself was enough to rule it an inadvertent butt. Period. It’s ludicrous to think that anything that happened in the next two seconds had an impact like the vicious clash of heads.
“You see, the blood hasn’t come out,” Mendoza said, watching a replay as Bradley’s head still is in the process of pulling back from Campbell’s. “You see, then he hits him again right there. That’s when I was watching him, and I saw the blood come out. I have to go by the last thing I saw, which was a punch.”
The controversy made for good television, but it really wasn’t the story of the fight. The story of the fight was that Bradley bullied the bully. He stared down one of the game’s toughest men, an old-school type who has won many fights in the past with his will and determination alone.
On Saturday, though, Campbell ran into a guy with a will and determination equal to his own and skills that, at this stage in their careers, are far superior.
Campbell usually is a brilliant inside fighter, but Bradley negated that expertly. He went hard after Campbell’s body with several shots and then would slip outside and keep a jab in Campbell’s face.
Bradley’s hands always were moving, and he fought with the idea of wearing down the man who is 12 years his senior. It was working by the midway point of the third round; one can only imagine what Campbell may have looked like had the bout reached the ninth.
“It didn’t even matter,” Bradley said of the head butt and the ensuing controversy. “He was going to get beat anyway. It didn’t matter. It did not even matter. As the rounds kept going on and on and on, he was getting older and older and older.
“I understand where [Campbell is] coming from. I understand what he’s talking about. But it’s not my job [to worry whether or not it was a head butt]. That’s the ref’s job. My job is to fight.”
Bradley was fighting brilliantly and clearly looks like the second-best fighter in the 140-pound weight class. The best, of course, is pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao, though anyone who saw Bradley perform on Saturday who doesn’t believe a Pacquiao-Bradley fight wouldn’t have Fight of the Year potential simply doesn’t know or like boxing.
Bradley, though, doesn’t have the name recognition or the drawing power to get into the mix for fights against men like Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr.
And though his promoter, Gary Shaw, wasn’t willing to commit to giving Campbell a rematch when a sense of fairness screams that it’s the right thing to do, Bradley said he had no issue with it.
He knows, and anyone who saw the bout Saturday knows, what would happen in a rematch.
“Why not [give Campbell a rematch]?” Bradley said.
“Why not? It’s going to be the same outcome. That’s easy work. Too slow. Too heavy-footed. I’ll move all day on him.”
Campbell stomped out of the ring, cursing angrily and demanding a no-decision as well as a rematch, both of which he deserves.
But he may get another thing, and surely he won’t want that.
If they fight again, Bradley is going to put a major-league whipping on him.
Bradley is the real deal and has become one of the elite fighters in the world.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Ricky Hatton Speaks
By Craig Watt of FightNews
It has been three months since Ricky “The Hitman” Hatton (45-2, 32 KOs) lost inside two rounds to Manny Pacquiao at the MGM in Las Vegas. Until now, the 30-year-old former IBF, WBA and IBO light welterweight and WBA welterweight champion has been tight lipped about his boxing future and discussion about the devastating loss to Pacquiao in May. He has shunned all media requests for interview and discussion about his boxing future but today in the UK gave his fans some insight into his thoughts about the Pacquiao fight and his future with a full length interview on Sky Sports News. He stated, “There has been so much written about me in recent weeks that has been untrue that I thought it was about time I started doing some interviews and clearing up the issues I am reading about on a daily basis.”
On the Manny Pacquiao defeat, Hatton was quite open and frank about his preparation for the fight and stated, “To be honest when I walked to the ring on the night of the fight I knew I had left my best preparation in the gym three weeks previous. Before I went to the US to finish my training my weight was spot on and I felt great but when I arrived I think I had left everything in the gym in the UK. I knew my sparring in Las Vegas had not gone well and when I entered the ring I remember saying to myself that all I needed was one big shot and I could take out Manny and that was my hope. I knew it was going to be a big ask and by the time the first knockdown came it was Pacquiao that had landed fifty eight punches on me and I just couldn’t get into the rhythm I wanted to. I had my hands held low and everything was all wrong. It was a devastating loss and I still haven’t watched the fight and not sure when I will be ready to see the fight. It went from my best training camp in the UK to my worst ever camp when I overdid it in the last three weeks. That is the only things that niggles me about the fight and calling it a day. I know with better preparation I could have done better.”
When asked about his future in boxing he added, “I must admit when I see young lads get knocked out now it sends a shiver down my spine. I haven’t decided whether to carry on boxing or not but I know that I am going to have a good long rest from the sport before deciding either way. I have been doing this professional game of boxing now for 13-years and I have crammed 47 fights in that 13-years and they have been some tough fights. I have never been a master of defence and so those 47 fights have been exactly that – tough fights. I just think for the time being I have just had enough of it, for the time being. I am just going to enjoy the time with the family and my son Campbell and put my feet up. If one day I wake up and think I am ready to get the gloves back on, then I will return, but likewise-if that date doesn’t come, I won’t return and I know I have only been beaten by the two best pound for pound fighters in the world by Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquaio and there is no shame in that. I have won 5 world titles in two weight divisions and had a post war record crowd of 56,000 at the City of Manchester Stadium so I can hold my head up high. I may give it another go after a good rest but I will have to say watch this space and wait and see. At the moment I am not thinking about boxing and just getting on with my promoting.”
When questioned about a possible match with new WBA 140 pound champion Amir Khan he stated, “I am delighted for Amir–he has really turned his career around after a bad defeat and his performance was deserved for all his efforts. He is a wonderful talent and is on the start of his career. If I do decide to continue then this is a fight that would be a big night for British boxing, but it is well documented about my problems with Frank Warren and it would be a non starter unless I promoted it and not Frank. It all depends on whether I decide to continue boxing again however.”
Hatton is proud of this new venture into the promotional arena and stated, “I have signed some good fighters into my gym here in Manchester which cost over £2m to set up and I am really enjoying putting something back into the sport that has been so good to me for thirteen years. You will see some exciting fighters coming through this gym in the years to come I am sure. The facility is a credit to all my team. You will see a lot of me in the sport but at the moment it will be as a promoter, outside the ropes until I make up my final mind on the future and whether to get back inside the ropes again.”
Overall, Hatton has enjoyed a successful boxing career with one of the biggest fan bases in recent boxing times and many believe that after a rest he will return to the boxing ring to face Khan in one of the biggest UK fights in the last twenty five years. Until that time however he is committed to his new career as a promoter in the sport.
It has been three months since Ricky “The Hitman” Hatton (45-2, 32 KOs) lost inside two rounds to Manny Pacquiao at the MGM in Las Vegas. Until now, the 30-year-old former IBF, WBA and IBO light welterweight and WBA welterweight champion has been tight lipped about his boxing future and discussion about the devastating loss to Pacquiao in May. He has shunned all media requests for interview and discussion about his boxing future but today in the UK gave his fans some insight into his thoughts about the Pacquiao fight and his future with a full length interview on Sky Sports News. He stated, “There has been so much written about me in recent weeks that has been untrue that I thought it was about time I started doing some interviews and clearing up the issues I am reading about on a daily basis.”
On the Manny Pacquiao defeat, Hatton was quite open and frank about his preparation for the fight and stated, “To be honest when I walked to the ring on the night of the fight I knew I had left my best preparation in the gym three weeks previous. Before I went to the US to finish my training my weight was spot on and I felt great but when I arrived I think I had left everything in the gym in the UK. I knew my sparring in Las Vegas had not gone well and when I entered the ring I remember saying to myself that all I needed was one big shot and I could take out Manny and that was my hope. I knew it was going to be a big ask and by the time the first knockdown came it was Pacquiao that had landed fifty eight punches on me and I just couldn’t get into the rhythm I wanted to. I had my hands held low and everything was all wrong. It was a devastating loss and I still haven’t watched the fight and not sure when I will be ready to see the fight. It went from my best training camp in the UK to my worst ever camp when I overdid it in the last three weeks. That is the only things that niggles me about the fight and calling it a day. I know with better preparation I could have done better.”
When asked about his future in boxing he added, “I must admit when I see young lads get knocked out now it sends a shiver down my spine. I haven’t decided whether to carry on boxing or not but I know that I am going to have a good long rest from the sport before deciding either way. I have been doing this professional game of boxing now for 13-years and I have crammed 47 fights in that 13-years and they have been some tough fights. I have never been a master of defence and so those 47 fights have been exactly that – tough fights. I just think for the time being I have just had enough of it, for the time being. I am just going to enjoy the time with the family and my son Campbell and put my feet up. If one day I wake up and think I am ready to get the gloves back on, then I will return, but likewise-if that date doesn’t come, I won’t return and I know I have only been beaten by the two best pound for pound fighters in the world by Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquaio and there is no shame in that. I have won 5 world titles in two weight divisions and had a post war record crowd of 56,000 at the City of Manchester Stadium so I can hold my head up high. I may give it another go after a good rest but I will have to say watch this space and wait and see. At the moment I am not thinking about boxing and just getting on with my promoting.”
When questioned about a possible match with new WBA 140 pound champion Amir Khan he stated, “I am delighted for Amir–he has really turned his career around after a bad defeat and his performance was deserved for all his efforts. He is a wonderful talent and is on the start of his career. If I do decide to continue then this is a fight that would be a big night for British boxing, but it is well documented about my problems with Frank Warren and it would be a non starter unless I promoted it and not Frank. It all depends on whether I decide to continue boxing again however.”
Hatton is proud of this new venture into the promotional arena and stated, “I have signed some good fighters into my gym here in Manchester which cost over £2m to set up and I am really enjoying putting something back into the sport that has been so good to me for thirteen years. You will see some exciting fighters coming through this gym in the years to come I am sure. The facility is a credit to all my team. You will see a lot of me in the sport but at the moment it will be as a promoter, outside the ropes until I make up my final mind on the future and whether to get back inside the ropes again.”
Overall, Hatton has enjoyed a successful boxing career with one of the biggest fan bases in recent boxing times and many believe that after a rest he will return to the boxing ring to face Khan in one of the biggest UK fights in the last twenty five years. Until that time however he is committed to his new career as a promoter in the sport.
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