Bert W. Colima has written a book about his late father, Bert Colima known as the "The Whittier Flash" a Mexican-American fighter in the 20s and 30s who was a middleweight champion in Hacienda Heights. (SGVN/Staff Photo by Keith Birmingham)
It's not every day an 8-year-old gets to meet the "greatest heavyweight champion of all time."
But that's what happened to Hacienda Heights resident Bert W. Colima when his father introduced him to Joe Louis.
And how did the boy get the chance to meet the boxing legend?
His father, Bert "The Whittier Flash" Colima, was a world-class boxing champion in his own right.
Now the younger Colima, 78, has written about his father's career in the recently released, "Gentleman of the Ring: The Bert Colima Story," published by Long Beach-based Magic Valley Publishers.
The book details Colima's rise from his roots in the tiny Los Nietos community near Whittier to the boxing ring in the 1920s and 1930s.
One of the era's top sports writers, Jimmy Kilty, called Colima, "The greatest Mexican personality to ever appear in the ring."
He even credited Colima with paving the way for other Hispanic boxers.
Colima was born Epifanio Romero on Sept. 8, 1902 on a Los Nietos ranch. When he started boxing, he changed his name to Colima, the name of his family's ancestral homeland in Mexico. Romero was too common, he decided.
Colima grew to be a fan favorite among Mexicans and Mexican-Americans, earning a record of 135-38-21 with 48 knockouts.
"He was their idol," Kilty wrote in 1942.
This generation, however, does not know about the Whittier Flash's exploits, his son said.
"To many of the younger generation, the name Colima does not mean much," he said. "But to the fight fans of yesteryear, it brings back memories of a great Mexican-American boxer who helped start it all."
The younger Colima, who boxed when he was young but eventually ended up in the insurance business, began the book more than 25 years after his father's death in 1979.
"I always wanted to tell his story," he said. "My dad rarely spoke of his career because he was an unassuming man."
The research, however, was hampered by the fact that hundreds of newspaper clippings kept in a trunk were destroyed in a fire.
"I spent a lot of time on the Internet and at libraries trying to collect what was lost," Colima said.
His wife, Rose, 75, helped with the work.
"After I collected information on my dad's fight record, she told me I needed `a story,"' Bert W. Colima said of his wife.
Fortunately, the elder Colima had written about his early years living on the ranch and his boxing career.
He included stories of boxing with his brothers on the ranch and getting his first set of gym clothes from an uncle at age 16.
Bert W. Colima said he didn't get many boxing stories from
Cover of Bert W. Colima's book about his late father, Bert Colima Sr. who was known as the "The Whittier Flash." (SGVN/Staff Photo by Keith Birmingham)his father.
"My father always downplayed his boxing career," Colima said.
That despite winning several titles, including the Mexican middle weight championship of 1928.
"He was a great man, very humble," said Ralph Romero, 62, of Coachella, the boxer's nephew.
When Colima retired from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, he was recognized by then Los Angeles Mayor Sam Yorty, Romero said.
Romero hosts an annual boxing tournament.
The top fighter is given a BCR belt. It stands for Bert Colima Romero.
"It's a way to honor my uncle, who paved the way for other young Mexican-American fighters," Romero said.
As for the book, Colima called it a "work of love."
"I want to get his name out there and be recognized for the trailblazer he was."
sandra.molina@sgvn.com
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