What I'm Finding.....

By Rick Farris

What I'm finding is that I prefer discussing "the way it was" with our group, than I do exploring "what's new" in boxing.
Not much exciting out there. To attend a match in Southern Cal, you have a handful of events that pop up during the year in town.

Once in awhile Golden Boy will put a show in the Staples Center.
Last time out, Oscar showcased the next L.A. "superstar."
I watched the young man reach an important decision in that bout, that boxing was fine as long as the other guy didn't hit back.
When other guy chose to fight back, the contemporary example of an L.A. prizefighter turned his back and "quit".
You have to respect a guy that turns the tables on the fans, they thought they were going to see a whipping, not at Victor Ortiz's expense.

I didn't care much for boxing downtown anyway. Why drive 15 or 20 minutes to attend a fight downtown at the Olympic, when today we can drive a couple hours thru the hot desert to attend a lesser event in an Indian Casino. These promoters know what they are doing. If the fights strangle the crowd they can wander into the casino and lose their paycheck on the blackjack table. If you are going to lose, you might as well do it right and lose everything.

Sometimes I desire something new in boxing and I'm really getting desperate with my options.
We used to laugh at the notion of women boxing. They are weak, can't hit hard, etc. that was the mind set.
However, today the women are offering just as much or more than they guys. More heart, anyway.
We may put our heads down in shame when we see what's happening with the guys, and the girls are quickly stepping in to fill the void, trying.

I remember the best days of my boxing life took place in the junior amateurs, L.A. was once a breeding ground for champions.
Watching today's pee-wees, struggling to supress their desire to fight and adhere to silly rules that lead to a game of tag, is depressing.
I'd like to see some of these kids matched with what we had a few decades back.

Instead, I prefer to root for something completely different, something with spirit, something trying to over come.
That's the essence of boxing, over coming difficulty, turning things around, succeeding.

I said I appreciate something different from what is common today.
Check out this junior, I'm more impressed with this boxer than most I see today.
I hope this link can be accessed here:

http://www.babelgum.com/browser.php#play/SEARCH_SIMILAR,clipID:3003029,includeClip:true,order:MOST_RELEVANT/0,3003029

God Bless East Los Angeles!