WHAT STAYS IN THE PAST

By Roger Esty

Burke Emery didn't like anyone screwin' around when he was training his fighters. Most of the time he was alone working with his boys at the Coliseum. Art Hafey was his featured fighter. Art would always put on a good show. Burke tried to get him to use his right hand more,but his left hook had so much pop in it that most of the time that was all he needed.

The San Diego Coliseum kept pretty busy during those years. So Cal boxing was going strong. The fighters coming up from Mexico fed the area with competitive fighters that were filling seats in arenas from Mexicali to Los Angeles.

Art Hafey was real good. Almost had enough to become a champ. At featherweight he had no problem finding competition. Being a white fighter from Canada and possessing KO power,the rivalry between Hafey and Latino fighters was a given. Art made a living for a while knocking out opponents from across the border. Art's big break was when he went down to Monterrey Mexico and blew the wind out of Ruben Olivares with his big left hook to the panza. I wasn't there ,but ask Burke about it and he'll tell you that Olivares's mouth piece came shooting out of his mouth with a groan that could be heard in El Paso.

Hafey looked like he might reach the pinnacle,but it wasn't in the cards. To hear it from Burke and to hear it from Art is two different stories. Hafey lost the rematch with Ruben and then went down to Nicaragua to fight Alexis Arguello. Nothing in the win column there. Burke said that it was George Parmassus's idea to send Art to Alexis's country. Art says Burke overtained him and besides was starting to suffer nerve damage to his arms.

Emery owns his bar down the street from where I live.I talk to him once in a while,but he doesn't know where any of his fighters have wound up. Last he heard he thought Art was in Canada again. I guess Hafey hasn't made any overtures to contact his former trainer and manager.

Sometimes it works that way with boxing. What happened in the past stays there.