Los Angeles Golden Age of Boxing

By Frank "kiki" Baltazar

For the record I consider Los Angeles Golden Age of Boxing to have ended in 1959 with demise of the Hollywood Legion. Prior to that, we had boxing 6 days a week, sometimes 7 days. The boxing gyms were busting at the seams with talent ready to fill cards in the many venues in the southland. Starting in 1960 boxing was almost at a standstill. The Olympic became the only show in town but, at times would only go once a month. And lots of gym closed down. Things started to pick-up in the mid-60s with the emerging of Mando Ramos among others. With the opening of the Forum in 1968 boxing in the southland became close to what it had been in the Golden Age of Boxing, but to me it didn’t feel the same, something was missing, something that I can’t put my finger on. Maybe my enthusiasm was waning? Maybe so.