Monday, August 23, 2010

Raul Rojas . . .

By Rick Farris

Long over looked by the WBHOF, time to induct L.A. legend and former two-time world champ, Raul Rojas.
Today's voting membership is ignorant of the world boxing scene during the 60's in Los Angeles.
Rojas has been on the ballot, but most voting members have limited knowledge of Rojas and the L.A. market.
We didn't have cable TV in those days, but we did have a weekly local broadcast. Rojas was a star of the era.

Raul has been in bad health for years. He has always participated in WBHOF events when invited, signed autographs.
We are all going to pass one day, and before Raul Rojas' last day he should take the stage and receieve his bronze.
He earned it!

If the votes don't tally, then educate the world by using "Historic Privledge" and just putting him in.
We do not have educated voters, and history should not be held hostage by the ignorant.

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Antonio Margarito denied boxing

By Dan Rafael
ESPN.com

The California State Athletic Commission on Wednesday denied former welterweight titlist Antonio Margarito a boxing license on a 5-1 vote after a nearly six-hour hearing in Los Angeles.

Margarito was seeking a license from the commission that revoked his license in February 2009 following his knockout loss to Shane Mosley the previous month.

The denial throws into question Margarito's proposed fall fight against Manny Pacquiao, which would be for a vacant junior middleweight belt.

In the dressing room before Margarito faced Mosley at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, illegal inserts were discovered in each of his hand wraps after Mosley's trainer, Naazim Richardson, objected to the way his hands had been wrapped. The wraps were cut off and the illegal pads, which were coated in a plaster-like substance, were discovered. Margarito's hands were re-wrapped. The fight went off with Mosley knocking Margarito out in the ninth round to win the title.

California's denial means Margarito cannot reapply there for at least one year. However, now that he has asked California regulators for a license, other commissions in the United States can make the decision on their own about whether he should be granted a license.

Earlier this summer, Margarito applied to the Nevada commission for a license, but it tabled the request and said he should first go back to California before it would consider his application. The Association of Boxing Commissions, which oversees state commissions nationwide, suggested he do the same thing.

Margarito is expected to ask Texas for a license in the hopes of being granted one in order to fight Pacquiao at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington in an HBO PPV fight on Nov. 13. HBO had a camera at the hearing to record it for potential use in the "24/7" reality series it is planning for the build-up to the fight.

Asked for a reaction to California's ruling at practice on Wednesday, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said, "I'm aware of it but have no comment."

Although states typically uphold rulings in other states on licensing issues, that is not always the case. Mike Tyson, for example, was denied a license in Nevada in 2002 before he fought Lennox Lewis for the heavyweight title. After the denial, Tyson was licensed in Tennessee and the fight took place.

Bob Arum's Top Rank, which promotes Margarito and Pacquiao, anticipated a denial in California, issuing a statement immediately after the hearing ended.

"Top Rank has complied with the wishes of the ABC and other states. Top Rank will soon make an announcement about Antonio Margarito," Top Rank's statement read.

Arum, on a cruise, was unavailable for comment.

Margarito's attorney, Daniel Petrocelli, who gained fame for winning a wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of Ronald Goldman's family against O.J. Simpson and for representing former Enron CEO Jeffrey Skilling, was disappointed with the decision.

"We are very disappointed in the ruling," Petrocelli told ESPN.com. "We thought the evidence was indisputable and that the license should have been granted. Almost to a person, the commission expressed the view that Tony was honest and sincere and the chairman [John Frierson] voted to grant the license, and [Frierson] is only one of two commissioners who were on the commission for the revocation hearing.

"The government tried unsuccessfully to convince the commission that Tony knew about the wraps and they failed because there has never been such a finding either today, or at the previous hearing. They want to see another year go by for Tony. I thought that was unreasonable."

The commission never found Margarito knew about the illegal inserts, instead holding Margarito accountable because he is the head of his team.

"I would like first to ask for another chance," Margarito said through a translator during his testimony. "Guarantee this will never happen again. Had I known that there was something illegal in my wrapping, I would not have stepped into the ring. I am glad it was discovered before [the fight]."

Margarito (38-6, 27 KOs) told the commission the same thing he said during his license revocation hearing last year -- that he knew nothing about the illegal pads, which trainer Javier Capetillo took the blame for. Capetillo's license was also revoked.

"I think anything in the wrapping that is illegal would be an unfair advantage," Margarito said. "All I am saying is I did not know. I am being completely honest with you and all of the boxing world. That's why I broke my relationship with Capetillo. It was hard but that's what I had to do. They are my hands and whatever is on them, I am responsible."

"If it's going to take him coming back one day and saying, 'I did it, I did it,' he will never have a license because that's not what happened and that is not the evidence of the case," Petrocelli said. "He took his punishment for being the captain of the ship when someone on the ship did something wrong. He can't admit to knowing because it's not true. He'd be lying and you might not even believe that. He's not about to say it, not now, not ever."

Margarito, 32, severed his relationship with Capetillo, a father figure to him, not long after the revocation and last fall hired Robert Garcia to train him for his comeback fight. Margarito defeated Roberto Garcia (no relation) in Mexico in May, but purposely waited to fight him until after the one-year revocation period in California had expired.

Petrocelli argued that Margarito waited as a show of respect to the commission even though he could have fought outside the United States and made "hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars" because he supports so many people in his extended family.

Arguing on behalf of the commission, deputy attorney general Karen Chappelle, who also argued against Margarito when his license was revoked, hammered Margarito for not apologizing or showing adequate remorse or rehabilitation in seeking a new license.

"A boxer like Mr. Margarito makes a living with his fists," she said. "He knows what is in the wrappings that go on his fists. His fists are his livelihood. His fists are weapons."

Petrocelli argued against that, saying that the hiring of Garcia as the new trainer showed Margarito was serious, and Garcia, a former world champion and a well-respected trainer, appeared at the hearing to testify on Margarito's behalf.

"You have to be clean. It will never happen again because now I am on top of it," Margarito said, adding that he pays close attention every time Garcia wraps his hands. "I didn't know then. Now I am completely involved in it. I am on top of the wrapping and everything else."

Chappelle tried to discredit Margarito's efforts to strictly follow California's rules, as he said he would, by citing an obscure rule that Margarito and his team were unaware of. If somebody who is unlicensed by California wants to spar, he needs a "sparring permit." Margarito sparred in California in preparation for his fight with Roberto Garcia without having a permit.

Chappelle said that showed that Margarito was not on top of things because he broke that rule.

"I did not know I had to have a permit for sparring," Margarito said. "Had I known that, I would not have done it."

Petrocelli argued that the rule did not apply to Margarito because he was sparring for a fight that did not take place in California.

"You're the CEO of your enterprise. Your attorneys work for you, your trainer works for you," commissioner Gene Hernandez said to Margarito before the vote. "Use them as a resource, but like when you get a drivers license, you need to know all the rules of the road."

"This was a sorted incident in California history," Chappelle said during her closing remarks. "This commission should send a message with its decision. It strains credulity that he didn't know anything about the illegal hand wraps. He still comes before you unwilling to admit any wrongdoing. He says he's sorry because he didn't know what his trainer did. Who stood to benefit from winning that fight? It was Mr. Margarito, not the trainer. ... He hasn't demonstrated any remorse. He has failed to meet his very heavy burden."

All but one of the commissioners agreed.

Monday, August 16, 2010

Alfredo Angulo Turns Down $750,000

By Edgar Gonzalez

It started as a rumor until Gary Shaw, Alfredo Angulo’s promoter, confirmed it with Steve Kim from MaxBoxing that the hard-hitting Mexican just recently turned down $750,000 for a crack at middleweight champion Sergio Martinez- demanding a million bucks- and losing his shot at becoming the only boxer to appear on HBO three times in 2010.

HBO was guaranteeing Angulo a reappearance if he lost on HBO while the WBC was not going to penalize him and he’d still be number one at 154 pounds.

I can’t understand why “El Perro” will walk away with his tail between his legs on such opportunity. $750,000 is a lot of money considering he only made $350,000 in his last fight against Joachim Alcine. Demanding $1 million dollars is obviously without thought.

Sergio Martinez is a threat but $750K is well worth the risk and there is no shame in losing against a worthy opponent.

For Don Chargin, boxing was only his second love

Photobucket

Longtime boxing promoter and Olympic Auditorium matchmaker Don Chargin at his home in Cambria. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

The longtime promoter, 82, helped make L.A.'s Olympic Auditorium a crown jewel of West Coast boxing for 20 years, from 1964 to '84. But the April death of his wife and business partner, Lorraine, has been hard for him to deal with.
ByJerry Crowe

From Cambria, Calif.
Outside the living room window, two blocks down a gently sloping hill, the Pacific Ocean sparkles.

Up the hill stands a forest.

Nestled into a corner in his living room, longtime boxing promoter Don Chargin sips coffee and nibbles on cookies. His custom-built, sharply angled home sits in an idyllic spot along California's Central Coast, the rocky shoreline and other natural wonders mere steps from the door.

Until a few months ago, the former Olympic Auditorium matchmaker thought he'd found heaven on earth.

"This," he says from his easy chair, "was our Shangri-La."

In his eyes, tears well.

Chargin's Shangri-La lost some of its luster in April, when the love of his life succumbed to cancer. Lorraine, his wife of nearly 49 years, also was his business partner, advisor and confidant.

"There's no such thing as a perfect marriage," Chargin, 82, says, "but I think we had the closest thing to one."

The Chargins, working in tandem, promoted boxing shows all over the world for nearly five decades.

For 20 years starting in 1964, after legendary Olympic Auditorium maven Aileen Eaton persuaded them to leave the Bay Area to come work for her, Don was the boxing matchmaker and Lorraine the building manager at the Olympic.

"It was the place," Chargin says of the building's heyday. "It was the Madison Square Garden of the West."

Don, once described as "maybe the last gentleman promoter left in boxing," remains a consultant for Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Productions, which he helped launch, and still promotes the occasional card. But he and his wife planned to scale back after moving up the coast from the San Fernando Valley in 2003.

Chargin, at one point so busy that the late Jim Healy dubbed him Don "War a Week" Chargin, estimates he has staged more than 130 world title fights since his inaugural promotion in 1951.

For the majority of them, Lorraine was at his side, known to some as "The Dragon Lady" and to others as "Mom," depending on their relationship with the feisty businesswoman.

"No one in boxing has done more good or cared more about people or caused more folks to laugh or think, or, occasionally, duck," longtime boxing reporter Ron Borges wrote in a tribute to Lorraine. "As legacies go, that, plus Don, is pretty good."

Before meeting Lorraine in Oakland in 1957, Chargin notes, "I was sort of wild. She calmed me down."

Growing up in San Jose, Chargin as a teen was an amateur boxer in the 165-pound class. At Bellarmine Prep, he captained the boxing team as a junior and coached it as a senior.

"I didn't know much more than my classmates," he says, "so I used to go down to the pro gyms and pick up a few things. That's the way we did it, and I got the bug."

Though a heart condition forced him to stop competing, Chargin remained in boxing "because I was really hooked on it."

In the late 1940s, the budding businessman says he was barely out of his teens when he learned a valuable lesson while working for a promoter going through a bitter divorce.

"He went on a two-week drunk," Chargin says, "and I did everything . . . and nearly killed myself because I felt bad for him. Well, when the thing was over, I thought I would be rewarded in some way — and he gave me $50.

"I swore right then, 'I'm going to get my own license and I'll never treat anybody like that.'"

Chargin also vowed to take the man's drawing card, which he did, staging his first promotion on Labor Day 1951.

His profit: $16,000.

Six years later, after a failed first marriage that had produced a son and two daughters, Chargin met Lorraine.

The couple presided over the careers of champion boxers such as Bobby Chacon, Tony "The Tiger" Lopez and Loreto Garza, a personal favorite who named his firstborn Lorraine.

When their Olympic run ended in 1984, the Chargins continued to promote shows, Lorraine once famously standing up to Don King when he barged into Arco Arena in Sacramento without credentials to watch future heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis.

"Security asked me if I was worried about her," Chargin notes, "and I said, 'No, I'm worried about him.'"

In 2001, when Don was enshrined at the International Boxing Hall of Fame at Canastota, N.Y., he explained the couple's working relationship in his induction speech.

"Everyone knows that I'm a terrible, terrible details person," he said. "I love to make the matches, but my wife Lorraine does all the work. She does everything."

In his mind, they should have been honored in tandem, as they were in 2007, when they became the first husband-and-wife duo inducted into the California Boxing Hall of Fame.

"If I'm in," he says, "she should be."

They were a team — which is why it's so rough for him now.

"I'm really pushing myself," Chargin says. "Without Lorraine, it's tough to be here. But I've got to do it.

"Some people have said, 'You ought to move,' because of the memories and that. But I really don't want to. If I can, I'd really like to stay here because I know she loved it so much."

jerome.crowe@latimes.com

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Long time Los Angeles boxing trainer/manager and bail bonds man, Henry Blouin has died

Henry Blouin . . .

Frank, I remember Moore & Blouin's stable out of the Hoover Street Gym.
I also have a clear memory of Henry at amateur events when I was a kid.
I know Jerry Moore passed a few years back.

He was part of the L.A. boxing scene that I knew. They had a great stable of fighters over the years.
Rest in Peace.


Breeding Grounds . . .
By Rick Farris

Teamsters Gym, Stanton A.C., Sacred Heart Boys Club, Moore & Blouin Stable (Hoover St. Gym), Hawiian Gardens Teen Post 109, Johnny Flores Gym, Main St. Gym (Soto Bros.), Eastside Boy's Club, Gordon Shaw's Gym, Seaside Gym . . .

These are a few of the clubs that provided amateur boxing talent, age 4 up, in Los Angeles back in the 60's.
Henry Blouin was always in the mix of the era, regardless of pee-wees or pros, Blouin was a solid teacher and experienced trainer.
He and partner Jerry Moore developed a small child, named Andrew Price, into a world class welterweight contender, Andy "The Hawk" Price.
Just one of many over decades of involvment.

I am visualizing Jerry Moore at the table, along with Henry Blouin, Johnny Flores, Frank Baltzar, Louie Jarequi, Jake Horn, L.C. Morgan, and Tony Cerda.
It's back in the mid-60's. They are matching up Junior boxers.
"But your kid weighs too much."....... "Well your kid has had more fights."
The negotiations start early in boxing. The good guys, like the ones named, they worked it all out.

I recall those match making moments, held just before the show was to begin. You get there a few minutes early.
Of course, Johnny Flores usually made my matches, and Frank was always there with guys like Henry Blouin.
These men all gave a lot of themselves, for the kids, for boxing. I know that they got something from it, as well.

Once again, rest in peace Henry Blouin.

The Fascination of Main Street . . .

By Rick Farris


My destination on Main Street was located right in the heart of skid row.
I grew up in Burbank, a fairly middle-class neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley.
There was no skid row in Burbank. There was little desperation that I was aware of.
Burbank was a working man's town, home to many film industry personnel.
As a kid, I had a wild streak and when I turned thirteen, was already known by the Juvenile Authority.
I wasn't into drugs, or anything too deep, but I had too much energy.
Boxing burned up that energy. The best thing I ever did in my life, in many ways.
Boxing also introduced me to the other side of life. It took me to a place that mesmerized me, Skid Row Downtown L.A.
Aside from the old winos who would be curled up on the sidewalk, often tucked away behind a box, it was the buildings.
These buildings were ancient burlesque houses, ones that were popular decades earlier in the century.
They were pawn shops, knife shops, a downstairs basement pool hall about a block south of the gym.
There were little deals going on, out of sight, yet in plain sight. There were freaks, trans-sexuals, what a cast of players.
Very intriquing to me. I'd walk the street alone, or with my brother or cousin.
The gym was located upstairs in what was once a theatre located above a larger, ground floor burlesque house.
The theatre below was closed, and they knocked out the front wall on Main Street and back wall by the parking lot.
They paved the floor and the theatre was now a tunnel that led thru the building to the parking lot behind.
This was done years before, and you could still see the lighting fixtures attached to the ceiling above what was once the stage.
Below the gym, on the south side of the tunnel was a pawn shop and the ultimate dive bar, on the north side a barber college and luggage shop.

I'd have my gym bag slung over my shoulder, checking things out. Walk to the bus stop on Spring Street and go home.
I gotta education on Main Street.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Ad Wolgast,Joe Rivers and the double knockout drama

By Mike Dunn

One of the most controversial title fights took place on the Fourth of July, 1912, in Vernon, Calif., near Los Angeles. Popular local favorite Mexican Joe Rivers – who wasn’t Mexican at all but a fourth-generation Californian of Spanish-Native American descent whose real name was Jose Ybarra – challenged rugged lightweight champ Ad Wolgast in a fight that would forever be known for the rarest of all fistic occurrences – a double knockout – and for the subsequent shocking actions of the ref enabling Wolgast to retain the title.

Rivers was a formidable challenger, having dispatched of both Johnny Kilbane (KO 16) and Frank Conley (KO 12) to earn his shot at the crown in the open-air Vernon Arena before 11,000 witnesses that hot Independence Day..

Wolgast was a rawhide-tough champion from Cadillac, Mich. bearing the descriptive moniker “Michigan Wildcat” because of the ferocity of his attacks. A two-fisted warrior, Wolgast fought out of a crouch and was willing to trade blow-for-blow with anyone. He brought an outstanding 47-1-9 record into the ring with him but much more important than that, he brought his own referee, Jack Welch, with him that day. If not for the presence of Welch, Rivers would have had his hand raised as champion when the fight was over.

It was a fierce battle between the two determined men, each doing damage in the brutal give-and-take manner that characterized the ring wars of that blood-and-guts era.

Wolgast, making the fifth defense of the title he won in the 40th round of a savage war of attrition with Battling Nelson two-and-a-half years before, started strong but was fading under the continued assault of the younger challenger. The champ had been more on the receiving end than the giving end through the first 12 frames of the scheduled 20-rounder and was behind in the scoring.

Rivers had the edge going into the fateful 13th round but both battlers showed the effects of the fierce trading. “Both boys, gory from head to belt, their faces puffed and cut …” is how the ringside reporter described Wolgast and Rivers just prior to the double knockout.

There has been some dispute through the years as to whether the blow that felled Rivers landed low, but the newspaper account said clearly that Wolgast struck below the belt.

“Rivers suddenly collapsed,” the ringside reporter wrote, and there were immediate shouts of “foul” among the spectators. “Wolgast previously in the same round and in several other rounds had struck Rivers rather low and when Rivers went down there was a sudden shout of ‘Foul.’”

Rivers went down in a heap but a moment later Wolgast was down also, falling over top of Rivers’ legs. Just as he was being hit severely in the groin area, Rivers had landed a solid right to the champion’s jaw and Wolgast staggered momentarily before falling.

“Wolgast suddenly crouched and sent a terrific left directly over Rivers’s groin,” it said in the next day’s newspapers. “At the same instant Rivers put his right to Wolgast’s jaw and the champion went down and was practically out. Rivers fell, writhing in pain, and referee Welch began to count.”

Welch later explained that he started counting over Rivers because Rivers went down first. Welch ignored the claims of foul, saying emphatically that Wolgast landed a clean blow. As Welch was counting over Rivers, who was conscious but in terrible pain, he actually helped Wolgast up from the canvas.

“Wolgast rolled off Rivers, his features convulsed. Welch immediately began counting and was still counting when he reached down and helped Wolgast to his feet. There were shouts that the bell had ended the round while Welch was counting. By this time the whole arena was in an uproar.”

The bell rang at the count of 4 and the timekeeper, Al Holder of the Pacific Athletic Club, kept shouting at Welch that the gong had sounded. Welch either didn’t hear him or chose to ignore him. That only added to the outrage of Rivers’ supporters.

“The claims on behalf of Rivers were not heeded by Welch. He picked Wolgast up off the floor and declared him the winner. His seconds had to carry him from the ring. Rivers was lying on the floor but in a moment arose unaided.”

Rivers was prepared to continue fighting but Welch “waved him back.” Welch’s actions ignited a near riot in the arena. Several people came through the ropes, including Rivers’ manager Joe Levy, and confronted Welch.

The referee told the protesters that his actions were fair and then quickly fled the ring. The protests continued for nearly an hour after the fight ended but to no avail. Later that night, Welch stated that Wolgast had struck a legal blow to the stomach that caused Rivers to fall. Shockingly, Welch also said he didn’t see Rivers land the punch that knocked Wolgast senseless.

In a remarkable contortion of logic, this is how Welch responded: “Wolgast was clearly the winner. Just before Rivers went down, Wolgast had landed a heavy left to the body just below the pit of the stomach and followed it with another right smash almost to the same place. Neither blow was low. I did not see what happened to Wolgast.”

So Welch saw two legal blows when others saw a left thrown by the champion that was clearly low. The ref saw Wolgast strike Rivers but he somehow missed the right that Rivers threw to knock Wolgast out! Welch would have made a grand politician.

Rivers later displayed “a dented aluminum protector” in the dressing room to validate his claim of a foul. Levy, Rivers’ manager, called Welch’s actions “the worst case of robbery in the history of the American ring.”

“Never before have I seen a referee pick up a man and then give him the decision,” Levy added. “The foul blow struck by Wolgast was seen by everyone near the ringside. It was the fourth or fifth foul the champion had landed on Rivers. The sum total of it all is that Wolgast knew he was whipped and resorted to his foul tactics to save himself.”

The final paragraph of the newspaper article implies that even Wolgast’s people recognized the injustice of Welch’s actions, though they weren’t about to say so. “No one connected with Wolgast’s camp would say a word and all of them quickly jumped in an automobile and left the pavilion.”

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Clay Hodges . . .

By Rick Farris

In the Amateurs, Clay Hodges owned George Foreman (circa 1967-68) Clay beat Foreman twice, the last time shortly before the 1968 Olympic Trials.
Clay Hodges was a hard luck heavyweight. He'd lost Joe Frazier in the 1964 Olympic Trials, close fight.
In the 1965 Western Region Golden Gloves finals, Hodges floored Jerry Quarry twice, but lost a decision. Quarry won the Nationals that year.
But In 1967, Clay Hodges represented Los Angeles in the National Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions.
Clay came home with the National title, along with his L.A. team mates, Thurman Durden and Paul Bad Horse.

I still recall the three boxers interviewed by Mickey Davies on KTLA Ch.-5, all sporting their gigantic National GG's trophy.

I used to cross paths with Clay Hodges often in the 1980's. Clay was an actor, and we'd see each other on film sets.

I recall Clay lamenting over an eye injury suffered in an early pro fight. He had been unbeaten. In the pro debut of Clay Hodges, he won a decision over Jimmy Young. Clay was tall, 6'4", and a solid boxer.

My thoughts on Ken Norton . . .

By Rick Farris

I saw Ken Norton for the first time in 1968, when he made his L.A. debut with a KO of Cornell Nolan.
Norton was unbeaten, and Nolan was his sixth consecutive victory, fifth by KO.
Norton's next four fights would also be in L.A. and he'd win all by KO.

More than two years into his pro career, Ken Norton is unbeaten, 15-0 (14 KO's).
To some, Norton was a God, a physical specimen who could punch. I'd see Norton training under Bill Slayton, at the Main Street Gym and he often was impressive. However, I'm a hard critic of heavyweights of the era. I was also a tad prejudiced in favor of my stablemate, Jerry Quarry.

I always wanted Jerry to win, thruout his career, prime and long past prime. I knew all of the idiosincracies the made up Jerry Quarry. At times the sum total of those "quirks" created a devistating heavyweight contender during one of the toughest heavyweight eras in boxing history.

With guys like Ali and Frazier around, Jerry Quarry would never be a heavyweight champion.
With guys like Frazier and Foreman around, a guy like Ken Norton should have never been a champ, either.
But Norton had something few others had, and that was Muhammad Ali's number. Ali never beat him, in my mind.
Norton's poison was a hard puncher. I saw Quarry put him to sleep in a late 60's sparring session, and drop him with a body shot in another.
The Jerry Quarry that Ken Norton stopped in 1975, wasn't the Jerry that faced and flattened Earnie Shavers more than two years previous.
At the time, Jerry's most common sparring partner was cocaine. He was spiritually shot as a fighter, and he retired after Norton stopped him.

However, lets go back five years before Norton faced Jerry Quarry in the ring. Norton is unbeaten, as I mentioned above, and the 6'3", 27-year-old physical specimen is going to fight a 6'2", 188 pounder from Venezuela, Jose Luis Garcia. Manager Willie Ketchum was touting Garcia as a threat to Norton. Few believed it.

I was scheduled to fight my second pro match on the undercard, but my opponent never showed up at the weigh-in, so I was just a spectator that night. I was with my girlfriend, talking with people at ringside, when Norton hit the deck early in the fight. Suddenly my attention went right to the ring. Within the next few rounds, Garcia would floor Kenny three more times, ending matters for good in the eighth round. Afterwards, I told of how Jerry had KOed Norton in the gym. The bubble had been burst by a South American light-heavy.

Three years later Norton would redeem himself, and make his mark on history. He not only handed Ali his second loss, he broke the Greatest's jaw in the process.

Even with his dominance of Muhammad in all three matches, I never saw Kenny Norton in the same light as Ali, Foreman, Frazier, or Quarry. I likened him to a Jimmy Young, Ron Lyle, Earnie Shavers level contender. You know, just a few french fries short of a happy meal in the overall scope of heavyweight boxing during the era.

How ironic that today I would love to see just one heavyweight with half the talent of Ken Norton.
How things change.

Monday, August 9, 2010

R.I.P., Eddie "Bossman" Jones

By Bennie The Short

A name familiar to all fight fans of a mature disposition, Eddie "Bossman" Jones, passed away on Saturday of natural causes.
Jones, a rugged, aggressive light-heavyweight from California, took on the best in his division for over a decade, and I mean the best. It is hard to depict how deep the light-heavyweight ranks were before other weights decimated the lines in recent years, but a quick glance at Eddie’s record does the job. Jones turned pro in 1965, had his nose spread in early fights against Harold Johnson, Jimmy Dupree and Henry Hank, tightened up his defence and worked his way to a shot at the WBA title held by Venezeula’s Vicente Rondon, whom he took the full 15 rounds in Caracas in 1971, before establishing himself as one of the toughest, cutest men around against the likes of Victor Galindez, Jesse Burnett, Len Hutchins, Tom Bethea, Andy Kendall, Rudiger Schmidtke and Tom Bogs, the latter two in Europe. Eddie was forced on the road because he couldn’t get a fight in California. Ex-pro Rick Farris describes him as "too good for his own good - it's as if Eddie had no home."
As his career relented in the mid-1970s, his obvious assets were preyed upon by the leading heavyweights of the day, all basking in a golden era, as Jerry Quarry, Ken Norton and George Foreman used him extensively in the gym. Eddie is perhaps best known as one of Muhammad Ali’s sparmates for the "Rumble in the Jungle" in Zaire in 1974, along with a young Larry Holmes and the much-avoided Roy Williams. When they say Ali enjoyed the greatest sparring imaginable for Foreman, they were not kidding. Jones played his part in an unforgettable win for Ali, and an unforgettable night for boxing.

Saturday, August 7, 2010

Alexander - Kotelnik Preview

Alexander - Kotelnik Preview

By Rob Morris -

Devon Alexander and Andriy Kotelnik clash for the former’s WBC and IBF Light Welterweight titles in a fascinating fight on Saturday 7th August at the Scottrade Center, St Louis, Alexander’s hometown.

Alexander will be looking to prove he is number one in the red-hot Light Welterweight division whilst Kotelnik will be looking to get back into championship class having previously held the WBA belt at this weight. There is much riding on this fight as a fight between rival champions Alexander and Tim Bradley is reportedly close to being made..

Alexander is coming off arguably his biggest win in March this year when he flattened teak-tough Juan Urango in 8 rounds with devastating uppercuts, the Columbian having previously gone the distance with Ricky Hatton and Andre Berto.

Kotelnik meanwhile has not fought in over a year, since losing his crown in fact, to England’s Amir Khan on points in July 2009.

As good as Alexander’s win over Urango was it displayed a punching power not hitherto seen; Alexander’s record is 20-0 (13 KO’s) and he is regarded as a respectable though not particularly heavy puncher. It is also worth bearing in mind that the scorecards were close against Urango (one judge had Alexander up by 3 points, the other up by one whilst the third had Urango ahead by one). There are also some who say some of Alexander’s biggest wins (against Junior Witter and DeMarcus Corley particularly) came against men who were old and/or past their best as Witter and Corley were both 34 and had clearly seen better days. This is a tad unfair to Alexander though who has beaten every man he has faced so far since turning pro in 2004 and you can’t ask for much more than that. On his day he is a good counter puncher with quick hands and a good jab although he can be a little flat footed.

He had a long amateur career which culminated in a losing effort to Rock Allen in the final of the US Olympic trials.

Kotelnik fights in the typical East European style adapted from the amateurs; although now based in Hamburg, Germany he is originally from Lviv, Ukraine. He stands straight up, has a good jab and although he is a bit plodding, he usually finds a way to get the job done. As you would expect from a former Olympic silver medallist (in Sydney 2000) he is technically sound. He is the only man to have beaten the fearsome punching Marcos Maidana so far (albeit by split decision), a win that looks better by the day and has generally mixed in a better class than his opponent. He is also tough, his three defeats, in a 31-3-1 (12 KO’s) log have all come on points against solid opposition, Witter, Frenchman Souleymane M’baye and Khan.

The pick here then would have to be Alexander by decision; the blueprint on how to beat Kotelnik is already out there as proved by Witter, M’baye and Khan. Box, move, keep him off balance with your jab and give him different angles, all things Alexander is more than capable of. Whilst I don’t see Alexander winning 10 to 12 rounds the Khan did, I do see him putting in a fairly dominant performance and winning a comfortable decision.

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Hook, Line and Sinker, the Fall of a Hall . . .

By Rick Farris


I can't imagine anybody spending more than a day in the world of boxing and not trip over at least a dozen phonies.
They're everywhere, and if you are so naive as to not pick-up on their methods, the familiarity of a losing concept, etc. then life won't be easy for you. Boxers tend to be a naive lot, for the most part. Most aren't ready to give up belief in a fairy tale.

The latest phony to strike, convinced the President of the WBHOF that he could turn our annual induction banquet (that lost over $20,000 last year) into a Las Vegas extraveganza, a combination of Hall of Fame inductions and top shelf entertainment.

Former fighter, and Motown Record creator, Berry Gordy Jr. was honored by the CBHOF a few years ago and was so kind to show and accept his award.
The promoter tells Mando Muniz, "I've got Gordy, which means I have Smokey Robinson, Gladys Knight, and other Motown headliners at my fingertips." He continued, "We're going to have them perform, as an opening act to the ceremony, award Gordy for his success, then honor the boxers. But first, a mega press conference, and a huge golf tournament. It'll take place just six days before Thanksgiving, just six days after Manny Pac vs. Margarito."

I'm no event organizer, but this WBHOF banquet being held on a friday, in what would be a tourist dead spot date-wise, seems not well thought out. Golf? We've lost money on golf tourneys before, so why not again? What's the thinking here?
Oh, and I forgot, the promoter, a black guy who claims to "know how to do business with black people" (that one lost me completely), also says SHOWTIME will want to broadcast the banquet live. When I was told that my reaction was simply, "BULLSHIT!"

This isn't the first time this promoter showed his face on the West Coast circuit. He laid a line on the Golden State Boxers Association about getting Muhammad Ali for guest appearances, etc. Just a 24 karat dirt bag in a suit.

As it is at the moment. A well meaning, but grossly naive President faces there being no WBHOF banquet this year.
That's about where it stands right now. This was the design of some, but there is no talk of salvaging the event, not yet, that is.

Thirty years, thirty banquets. No 31st? That's the talk around town.
The buzzards are circling above the battle scarred World Boxing Hall of Fame.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

A Mel Epstein Dinner Table . . .

By Rick Farris

I spent a lot of time in restaurants with Mel Epstein.
He would order for me whenever he could.
We'd go to this little cafe on 6th Street, around the corner from George Parnassus office.

The place was called the "Hi-Ho", and the old waitress might have been there on opening day, at least a half century before.
Old "Mary" was a nice lady, she would address Mel as "Mr. Epstein" and I was always, "young man."
"I'll have the lamb", Mel would tell her after reading the menu, "and the obsinate kid over there will have the liver."
Mel was buying, so I had little say in the menu.
Mel would flirt with Mary for a moment, and then she would smile and say,"Oh Mr. Epstein . . ." as she hurried away.

Mel would be pleased by her reaction and turn to me, smiling.
When Mary returned she'd have water glasses. Mel would immediatly frown and grab my glass, "Take this back and dump the ice."
Mary would look at him, puzzled, but then follow his order. When she brought me the water, I'd whisper to her, "he's crazy."
She'd nod, considering the possibility.

Mary would disappear and then bring our dinner.
Mel was in total control. He had a waitress at his beck & call, and I wasn't resisting his nutritional demands.

As I cut my liver Mel asked me if I was aware of the most healthy item on my plate.
"The liver?" My guess.
"No. It's the parsley. That little green decoration has more useful vitamins than that dead animal flesh your cutting into.
I reminded him, "You ordered that dead animal flesh."

Randy, did Mel ever lay that Parsley story on you? He'd tell how healthy the twig of parsley was, and then he'd top it off.
He'd proudly put the parsley in his mouth and eat it.

Mel Epstein was truly a crazy bastid.

Watching a Six Round Fighter School a World Champ . . .

By Rick Farris

The World Champ was a dangerous puncher, one who had flattened featherweight contender Bobby Valdez with one punch.
The champ was Hiroshi Kobayashi, of Japan.

The six-round fighter was my stablemate, a guy who had once fought tens.
Those main events took place years before, before an opponent died after their bout, before he walked away in the early 60's.
My stablemate was Rod Contreras, a guy who fought on a par with the young Ramos, Navarro, Gonzalez early on.
But his heart was never really in boxing after an opponent died. He hesitated, when he could have finished the job.

This may have prevented Rod Contreras from moving up in the ratings, but it didn't prevent him from handing an ass-whipping to a champ.
It took place on a saturday morning at the Main Street Gym. I've told the story before, and surely will do so again.

When the bell rang, opening the first round of boxing, Kobayashi puts the pressure on right away.
He thows a short, inside combo to the body and lets fly with a hook to the head that Rod slips under.
The punch looked like it might have taken off his head. Rod just let it fly over his head, spun Kobayashi and put him in the corner.
He then rattled off some jolting combos, then moved away. The Japanses fighter attacked, wild, missed, and Rod countered.
Cracking left jabs, it was beautiful, and you should have seen Johnny & Julio Flores smiling in the corner.
Everytime Kobayashi would charge in he'd catch a jab in the face. His nose bled almost immediatly.
This went on for three rounds, then Kobayashi climbed out. He was done for the day.
I remember blood on Rod's white gym shirt. It wasn't his blood.

That was one pissed off Jap that stepped out of the ring that morning!