By Rick Farris
I remember seeing Sonny Ray at amateur boxing shows all thru the later 60's.
Sonny worked with Ernie DeFrance and company at Long Beach's Seaside Gym.
Jake Shagrue took over the place around that time.
In 1969, Sonny joined DeFrance, Jake Horn, and Memo Soto as a coach for our Southern Pacific AAU team.
We'd compete in the Nationals in San Diego in early April.
We'd all be lodged at the Le Baron Hotel on San Diego's Hotel Circle.
Sonny Ray was born in Tennesee in 1936. He grew up in Chicago but would begin his pro boxing career in California, at age 18.
From the mid-50's-to-60's, Ray fought some of the best lightheavy's of the era.
In 1959, he took on World Light Heavyweight champ, Harold Johnson, in a ten-rounder at Chicago Stadium. Losing by 10th rd. TKO.
A year later, he returned to Chicago Stadium to fight another light-heavy champ, Willie Pastrano. He lost a close decision.
Sonny wasn't afraid to fight the best in their hometowns.
He'd travel to Peru to face, Mauro Mina.
In London, he'd fight Chic Calderwood at Wembley Stadium.
In Hawaii, he'd face Bobo Olson.
Between ages 18 and 30, Sonny Ray fought nearly fifty pro fights.
When he joined our AAU team as a coach, he was 33, had retired three years earlier after losing to Matt Blow in San Bernardino.
He was quiet, spoke when it was necessary and wasn't afraid to bark at the Long Beach boxers.
Everybody liked the man, and respected him.
The only time I saw Sonny Ray smile was after the tournament finals.
The old men were all in one of the coach's room. They had a poker table set up, cards and chips out.
The bath tub was filled with ice and booze.
We'd leave for home the next day. More than 350 boxers were suddenly running wild thru the hotel, San Siego, and T.J.
The fights were over. The dogs were all let out for the night. No woman was safe.
However, the older guys let the younger guys go out and get themselves in trouble. They'd all been there, done that, no mas.
Our lightweight punched out a bartender in TJ. A couple days later his dad bailed him out of the Tijuana Jail
There were other adventures.
The old guys played it smart. Drank all night, poker all night. Eventually they went to sleep.
The next day, all coaches were ready to leave early.
Some of us were suffering pain that had nothing to do with punches.
Sonny Ray just shook his head.
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ReplyDeletei actually trained there for a few years in the mid 80's. Ernie was a great freind to my late grandfather as well as Sonny. I actually have pictures of Ernie and Sonny early pictures maybe 60's. He trained my uncle Ray Gurrola, Javier Gurrola and my self Rodolfo Ramirez. Great story brings back great memories..thanks..
ReplyDeleteI am so glad i found this site. I loved boxing as a young teen. Moved to Long Beach in the mid 60's and found Seaside gym down by the beach downtown. My trainers were a older fellow named Bill Fields maybe.. who had an insurance business on Signal Hill. My other trainer was a short lil guy named George i believe...not sure.. . This was back in 68/'69. I fought a couple fights at Chino prison. (won them both) I was a young married with child already and had a 40 hr job. I simply couldn't find the time to train and had to quit. But the memories are great!...Whatta wonderful place. Seaside Gym
ReplyDeleteI also remember a lil lightweight named Petey Cassias?..He was my first sparring partner. I had only been in the gym maybe 2 weeks, working in front of the mirror and speed & heavy bag. I was a welterweight and had reach and height advantage.. Well Petey had maybe 2/3 months in the gym and as you know, that is more than enough gym experiance to spank a kid with only 2 weeks in the gym. I'll never forget how it was obvious to both of us, but he took it easy on me. We were budz after that.
DeleteI believe we had a World Champ at Seaside named Rudolfo Gonzalez...maybe a lightweight?
It would be great if someone had some old pix of Seaside Gym by the beach, that they could post on here...
Have a great and safe holiday season all!!!
yes in fact they were all good people , i met Sonny Ray and Ernie Defrance, there when i was around 14 years old, i was a scraffy mexican from the town of Wilmington Ca, introduced to boxing by a guy named Roberto Aguilar, that was some kind of a gym rat, Ernie was the guy who really got me going, sent me looking for a pair of oversized coverse shoes and a pair of mits and said son, after a warm up, job and the right punch it's all you going to practice in front of this mirror i left at 18 years of age, and returned 5 years later on and off, the streets had a strong call on me and emotionally inmature i believe now, though at a point when the gym was moved to gaviota and anaheim i decided it was time to be serious at it and set myself to train for the golden gloves tournament, worked hard used to run early in the morning was having a good mexican breakfast at 7:am and was at my regular job at 8:am to 5:pm thanx mom and Ernie taught me a lot he was versed in the art of boxing, although i did not get the championship was a runner up in a strange loss to a guy from baldwin park ca, in santa fe springs ca, the tournament had started in the olympic and ended there for every one else exept for me as johnny flores told me see him after the fight on the day it was suppossed to be the championship fight after wining a decision i just walked to the side of the ring were johnny was one of the judges i guess and i said yes sir, he noticed me your final fight in santa fe springs next saturday, there were people from san diego coming to fight but i did not have a clear idea what was going on we got there it was a rainy afternoon the weighting scale was not properly working, i felt my feet very cold and they were all rushing you go in the opening fight not even with a round of warm up, fabela chaves was the referi whom from the start of the tournament i felt very negative energyzed he called the fight which i felt, fast i was hit although not very hard i felt lost in the first two rounds they were spats not even punches they were plenty and all over at the end of the second round when at my corner and sitting i felt some kind of energy creepin through my legs it was like lightening at the bell, ring i came out now with sharpenned senses could see clearly, heard and could distinguish every ones voice, saw the guy coming at me confidently, saw him throw a job and a right which i deffered with my gloves and i just kind of moved back when i saw a short left hook going in front of my face exposing his left side of face that received the most violent of my right punches to that date he was frailing back with his arms like a wind mill no defence at all from the middle of the ring to the ropes i followed him and still connected a left job a short right and was about to kill with a hook to the liver when the referi made the bell ring and stopped the fight i thought i had won but it was not my night.
ReplyDeleteI use to train at the Seaside Gym in Long Beach. I spared with
ReplyDeleteRudolfo Gonzalez who became the WBC Lightweight Champion in 1972.
I spared with him in 1967. He taught be alot, Rudolfo was super cool. He was very quiet and polite. He took his training seriously and was am excellent person to spar with. I was just a young Jr. Golden Glove Boxer and Rudolfo was a true pro. Thank You Rudolfo for the boxing lessons. Don Pierce