By Hap Navarro
Close enough, Rick. Fraser was about 24 when he got the Legion job in essence replacing me as boxing publicist because I had been named head matchmaker and that created the opening. He stayed with the Legion for a few years under Jack Leonard before moving on to the Olympic
The photo you mentioned at Soprs was taken at a press party I hosted for the upcoming Willie Vaughn vs Charlie Green state title match which got a few votes for Fight of the Year from the media even though I had already resigned
The Vaughn Green fight was one of the greatest upsets in Legion history, as Willie got off the floor twice as a ten to one underdog to win a unanimous decision over hard hitting Green.
Take care pal, hap navarro.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Tony Baltazar
My son Tony was hit by a truck as he was riding his bike to work yesterday (10-29-10), he is in the hospital with six broken ribs a right broken knee, he is in surgery as I type this....
Don Fraser
By Rick Farris
Don Fraser was the chief of publicity for the Hollywood Legion Stadium in his late 20's, and held the same position for the Olympic during his 30's, and the same for the Forum Boxing Club in his 40's.
Some might find that unimportant, but I'm putting together a story on Don, and I'm uncovering some interesting things. I remember a photo of a baby-face Fraser holding a microphone up to Hollywood Legion matchmaker, Hap Navarro, while visiting training camp, Sopers?. I believe the interview was related to a match featuring Willie Bean? I have always been fond of Hap's memories of Don Fraser & Don Chargin. They were all young men in those days, including Mr. Navarro, whose recall and boxing history is brilliant.
Don Fraser was the chief of publicity for the Hollywood Legion Stadium in his late 20's, and held the same position for the Olympic during his 30's, and the same for the Forum Boxing Club in his 40's.
Some might find that unimportant, but I'm putting together a story on Don, and I'm uncovering some interesting things. I remember a photo of a baby-face Fraser holding a microphone up to Hollywood Legion matchmaker, Hap Navarro, while visiting training camp, Sopers?. I believe the interview was related to a match featuring Willie Bean? I have always been fond of Hap's memories of Don Fraser & Don Chargin. They were all young men in those days, including Mr. Navarro, whose recall and boxing history is brilliant.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
George Parnassus
By Rick Farris
George Parnassus was one of the top promoters in boxing history. He expanded the range of boxing venues and saw the value in promoting fighters in the smaller weight classes. Born in Methone, Greece in 1897, Parnassus followed his brother to the United States in 1916 and first found work as a waiter and dishwasher. Eventually, he and his brother saved enough money to purchase a restaurant in Phoenix, Arizona. The restaurant happened to be located across the street from a fight gym. Legend has it that the fighters began running up unpaid bills at the restaurant, and Parnassus began managing them to settle the debts.
As a manager, Parnassus had great success with Mexican boxers, such as lightweight champ Juan Zurita, Enrique Bolanos, bantamweight champ Raton Macias, and Jose Beccera. In the late 1950s, Parnassus moved from managing to matchmaking and promoting. In 1957 he became the matchmaker for the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles. Parnassus's shrewd matchmaking ability helped save the Olympic from financial ruin.
Parnassus believed that good boxing matches would draw fans and make money. Therefore, he excelled in matching fighters in smaller weight classes when his rivals were concentrating on the heavyweights. He promoted a bantamweight title bout between Jose Beccera and Alphonse Halimi and a junior welterweight championship match between Carlos Ortiz and Battling Torres on the same card at the massive Los Angeles Coliseum, which had not previously been used for boxing. The event was a huge success and gave Parnassus a well-deserved reputation as one of the greatest promoters in the world.
In the 1960s, Parnassus staged fights in such diverse locales as Wales, Mexico, Japan, Thailand, Argentina, Italy, and England. During this period, Parnassus helped establish and finance the World Boxing Council (WBC), which became a top international sanctioning body. Starting in 1966, Parnassus staged successful bouts in Jack Kent Cooke's new venue, The Fabulous Forum in Los Angeles. Ruben Olivares and Jose Napoles were his top draws during this period.
Throughout his career, Parnassus always aimed for top quality shows. He declared, "The thing is not to be the richest promoter in the world, but to be the best." His honesty and fairness were highly valued in professional boxing. Parnassus died of a heart attack in 1975.
George Parnassus was one of the top promoters in boxing history. He expanded the range of boxing venues and saw the value in promoting fighters in the smaller weight classes. Born in Methone, Greece in 1897, Parnassus followed his brother to the United States in 1916 and first found work as a waiter and dishwasher. Eventually, he and his brother saved enough money to purchase a restaurant in Phoenix, Arizona. The restaurant happened to be located across the street from a fight gym. Legend has it that the fighters began running up unpaid bills at the restaurant, and Parnassus began managing them to settle the debts.
As a manager, Parnassus had great success with Mexican boxers, such as lightweight champ Juan Zurita, Enrique Bolanos, bantamweight champ Raton Macias, and Jose Beccera. In the late 1950s, Parnassus moved from managing to matchmaking and promoting. In 1957 he became the matchmaker for the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles. Parnassus's shrewd matchmaking ability helped save the Olympic from financial ruin.
Parnassus believed that good boxing matches would draw fans and make money. Therefore, he excelled in matching fighters in smaller weight classes when his rivals were concentrating on the heavyweights. He promoted a bantamweight title bout between Jose Beccera and Alphonse Halimi and a junior welterweight championship match between Carlos Ortiz and Battling Torres on the same card at the massive Los Angeles Coliseum, which had not previously been used for boxing. The event was a huge success and gave Parnassus a well-deserved reputation as one of the greatest promoters in the world.
In the 1960s, Parnassus staged fights in such diverse locales as Wales, Mexico, Japan, Thailand, Argentina, Italy, and England. During this period, Parnassus helped establish and finance the World Boxing Council (WBC), which became a top international sanctioning body. Starting in 1966, Parnassus staged successful bouts in Jack Kent Cooke's new venue, The Fabulous Forum in Los Angeles. Ruben Olivares and Jose Napoles were his top draws during this period.
Throughout his career, Parnassus always aimed for top quality shows. He declared, "The thing is not to be the richest promoter in the world, but to be the best." His honesty and fairness were highly valued in professional boxing. Parnassus died of a heart attack in 1975.
Roger Mayweather
By Bennie
Roger Mayweather will never be someone to make any bones about the person he is or the life he has lived. A former two-time world champion and current day trainer to his nephew Floyd, one of this generation’s finest talents, Roger's unique nature comes from his brazen mentality and unwillingness to conform to anything other than his own morals.
The 49-year old trainer is scheduled for criminal trial tomorrow for felony charges that he physically assaulted his former female fighter Melissa St. Vil in a Las Vegas condominium in August of last year. After the altercation Mayweather was arrested and charged with a single count of coercion and a follow up charge of battery with strangulation. If convicted, Mayweather could face up to ten years in prison.
While those unsettling facts would present a heavy cloud over most people’s heads, Mayweather seemed completely care free as he spoke about his life earlier this month inside of the Mayweather Boxing Club five minutes west of the strip in Las Vegas. Getting deep on several topics, Roger and I discussed his latest pupil Tim Coleman, working with Floyd over the years, his personal career as a fighter, the influence of money, and whether or not he has any fears whatsoever in his life with such a daunting task in front of him.
Candidly as always, this is what Roger had to say…
What’s next for Tim Coleman…
“I think he is going to fight the guy who used to be the WBO champion at 140 pounds. Kendall Holt. It’s a good fight for him actually. Tim has four knockouts but he’s a better puncher than he knows. Because whoever trains him, they don’t know how to get the best out of a fighter. That’s what makes a fighter; how you train. It’s how you train. That’s all there is to it.”
A slew of champions…
“I trained Vernon Forrest to go to the Olympics. I trained Laila Ali. I loved Muhammad Ali and when I trained Laila she won four championships with me. Obviously I’ve trained my nephew. I worked with Joan Guzman. It was no big thing to me. I can work with anybody. I’ve worked with Hasim Rahman. It aint nothing for me to work with a fighter anyways.”
Why Floyd is different…
“What makes Floyd different than the fighters I trained before him? First off, Floyd is my nephew so Floyd is my blood. Of course, since he’s my nephew I want the best for him more than I want the best for anybody. Because the best that he is going to be, the more it is going to benefit me.”
Floyd’s future…
“I’ve seen Floyd everyday. He’s doing OK. I can’t see why [he wouldn’t fight again]. He’s still young. No matter what people say, they want to see Floyd fight Pacquiao. They don’t want to see Floyd fight Martinez or those other guys because those guys don’t bring anything to the table.”
An interesting take on Sergio Martinez-Paul Williams II…
“It’s about making money. Whatever makes money, makes sense. And neither one of them dudes are popular. Because neither guy is popular and that’s what makes money. That’s what you are in the sport for. You aren’t in the sport to fight a fight that doesn’t make sense.”
Shane Mosley’s issues with weight in his draw with Sergio Mora…
“Shane Mosley fought way out of his weight class. That’s the only reason he didn’t perform the way he would have performed. He was fighting a due who was a 157 pounds; that’s too far from his weight class. Three of the last great fighters to ever transition out of their weight class and win titles. Number one is Sugar Ray Leonard. Number two is Robert Duran. Number three is Tommy Hearns. And before them it was Henry Armstrong. Well my nephew too. Skills pay the bills when you start talking about fighting in different weight classes. It aint just power, you need skills.”
The transition to training…
“I knew all about boxing when I was an itty bitty kid. I trained boxers when I was a kid myself. I was thirteen years old and I knew how to hold mitts then. I was doing that shit when I was thirteen years old. That’s when I knew when my career in boxing was over what I would be doing. I knew how to train anyways. That was natural to me. I was doing it since I was a kid and it was basically easy for me to make a transition from boxing to a trainer. I knew I wasn’t going to be no doctor.”
Early professional career…
“By the time I had won the world championship, do you know how many world rated guys I had beat? I fought dudes with way more fights than me. The thing about it, I beat four world rated top fighters in the world. I didn’t even have ten fights yet. Then my first fight that I fought for a title was an ESPN Nevada State championship against Carlton Sparrow. He was 18-1 and I was 8-0. Then I came back fought Ruben Munoz. He was number two in the world. I fought him at lightweight even though I was a junior lightweight.
Conquering Las Vegas…
“Understand this about boxing. Here’s what I came out here to do. I came out here because I was born to fight. I came out here because I wanted to fight. I came out here because aint nobody tell me I wasn’t going to be champion of the world. I knew I was going to be a champion. That’s why I came out here. In the first year I started boxing, I won about three titles before I ever won the world championship. I would never come this far, come way over and have no belief in myself. The reason why I came to Las Vegas was because I was going to do what I already told you I was going to do from the beginning.
Seeing the city change…
“It’s changed. When I came to box here there weren’t so many fighters coming to Las Vegas that I knew from pretty much the Midwest and places like that. Once I got out here I started seeing changes. I started seeing more people come here from Midwest to box. I see more of that now as opposed to when I came out here.”
No regrets…
“I could have done some things different. As I got older I played around more. I didn’t it as serious as I could have. When you get fame and success, everything comes with fame and success. Certain things happen. That’s because you believe you are better than what you really are. But I don’t look back and say I have regrets about what I have done because what I have done, most people in a lifetime are never going to do. I don’t back and say ‘I could have done this’. I fought damn near twenty of the best fighters in the world. Even if I never won a world championship I still would be blessed because when I walked out of the ring I walked out unhurt. I aint got no brain injury. I know my name. I can take care of my own business. I don’t need nobody to help me walk or help me talk. These are the greatest things to me that I’ve benefited from through being in boxing. I did what I was supposed to do. I came out here to be a world champion and that’s what I became.”
Wasting money…
“I did all of that. I had seventeen cars in my front yard. Who is going to drive seventeen cars? You don’t realize that when you are younger. As you get older you realize what you are doing. You buy the car because you had the money. My manager told me, he said ‘Do you see how many cars I have in my front yard?’. My manager was a millionaire. People damn near couldn’t park in my yard, there was no room. He asked me what I was going to do with all those cars, because I could only drive one at time. I was just young. You know what they say? When you’re young, you’re dumb. As I moved on I realized that there was a lot of money that was wasted.”
What it’s all about…
“I don’t fear life because I already know that life has its certain ways. You’re going to live and you’re doing to die. My main thing in life, what I’ve contributed to life, is my kids. Because whatever I had, my kids are going to inherit. I hope I made great decisions as to what I wanted in life so when I leave that my child will not look back and say ‘Oh, my daddy didn’t do this’ or ‘My daddy didn’t do that’. I believe I have done the right things for my children. And I believe I’ve done the right things in putting things away from them to be happy when I was gone. That’s what is important to me. It’s not about no titles, it’s about life. Remember, when you’re fighting it’s one thing. When you’re not fighting it’s another thing. You live life like anybody else and you have to look out and see what plans did you have for your child? I’m not going to worry about that because I know what they are going to have when I leave. I put it there for them to have. Not to spend, to have. That’s what it’s about.”
Roger Mayweather will never be someone to make any bones about the person he is or the life he has lived. A former two-time world champion and current day trainer to his nephew Floyd, one of this generation’s finest talents, Roger's unique nature comes from his brazen mentality and unwillingness to conform to anything other than his own morals.
The 49-year old trainer is scheduled for criminal trial tomorrow for felony charges that he physically assaulted his former female fighter Melissa St. Vil in a Las Vegas condominium in August of last year. After the altercation Mayweather was arrested and charged with a single count of coercion and a follow up charge of battery with strangulation. If convicted, Mayweather could face up to ten years in prison.
While those unsettling facts would present a heavy cloud over most people’s heads, Mayweather seemed completely care free as he spoke about his life earlier this month inside of the Mayweather Boxing Club five minutes west of the strip in Las Vegas. Getting deep on several topics, Roger and I discussed his latest pupil Tim Coleman, working with Floyd over the years, his personal career as a fighter, the influence of money, and whether or not he has any fears whatsoever in his life with such a daunting task in front of him.
Candidly as always, this is what Roger had to say…
What’s next for Tim Coleman…
“I think he is going to fight the guy who used to be the WBO champion at 140 pounds. Kendall Holt. It’s a good fight for him actually. Tim has four knockouts but he’s a better puncher than he knows. Because whoever trains him, they don’t know how to get the best out of a fighter. That’s what makes a fighter; how you train. It’s how you train. That’s all there is to it.”
A slew of champions…
“I trained Vernon Forrest to go to the Olympics. I trained Laila Ali. I loved Muhammad Ali and when I trained Laila she won four championships with me. Obviously I’ve trained my nephew. I worked with Joan Guzman. It was no big thing to me. I can work with anybody. I’ve worked with Hasim Rahman. It aint nothing for me to work with a fighter anyways.”
Why Floyd is different…
“What makes Floyd different than the fighters I trained before him? First off, Floyd is my nephew so Floyd is my blood. Of course, since he’s my nephew I want the best for him more than I want the best for anybody. Because the best that he is going to be, the more it is going to benefit me.”
Floyd’s future…
“I’ve seen Floyd everyday. He’s doing OK. I can’t see why [he wouldn’t fight again]. He’s still young. No matter what people say, they want to see Floyd fight Pacquiao. They don’t want to see Floyd fight Martinez or those other guys because those guys don’t bring anything to the table.”
An interesting take on Sergio Martinez-Paul Williams II…
“It’s about making money. Whatever makes money, makes sense. And neither one of them dudes are popular. Because neither guy is popular and that’s what makes money. That’s what you are in the sport for. You aren’t in the sport to fight a fight that doesn’t make sense.”
Shane Mosley’s issues with weight in his draw with Sergio Mora…
“Shane Mosley fought way out of his weight class. That’s the only reason he didn’t perform the way he would have performed. He was fighting a due who was a 157 pounds; that’s too far from his weight class. Three of the last great fighters to ever transition out of their weight class and win titles. Number one is Sugar Ray Leonard. Number two is Robert Duran. Number three is Tommy Hearns. And before them it was Henry Armstrong. Well my nephew too. Skills pay the bills when you start talking about fighting in different weight classes. It aint just power, you need skills.”
The transition to training…
“I knew all about boxing when I was an itty bitty kid. I trained boxers when I was a kid myself. I was thirteen years old and I knew how to hold mitts then. I was doing that shit when I was thirteen years old. That’s when I knew when my career in boxing was over what I would be doing. I knew how to train anyways. That was natural to me. I was doing it since I was a kid and it was basically easy for me to make a transition from boxing to a trainer. I knew I wasn’t going to be no doctor.”
Early professional career…
“By the time I had won the world championship, do you know how many world rated guys I had beat? I fought dudes with way more fights than me. The thing about it, I beat four world rated top fighters in the world. I didn’t even have ten fights yet. Then my first fight that I fought for a title was an ESPN Nevada State championship against Carlton Sparrow. He was 18-1 and I was 8-0. Then I came back fought Ruben Munoz. He was number two in the world. I fought him at lightweight even though I was a junior lightweight.
Conquering Las Vegas…
“Understand this about boxing. Here’s what I came out here to do. I came out here because I was born to fight. I came out here because I wanted to fight. I came out here because aint nobody tell me I wasn’t going to be champion of the world. I knew I was going to be a champion. That’s why I came out here. In the first year I started boxing, I won about three titles before I ever won the world championship. I would never come this far, come way over and have no belief in myself. The reason why I came to Las Vegas was because I was going to do what I already told you I was going to do from the beginning.
Seeing the city change…
“It’s changed. When I came to box here there weren’t so many fighters coming to Las Vegas that I knew from pretty much the Midwest and places like that. Once I got out here I started seeing changes. I started seeing more people come here from Midwest to box. I see more of that now as opposed to when I came out here.”
No regrets…
“I could have done some things different. As I got older I played around more. I didn’t it as serious as I could have. When you get fame and success, everything comes with fame and success. Certain things happen. That’s because you believe you are better than what you really are. But I don’t look back and say I have regrets about what I have done because what I have done, most people in a lifetime are never going to do. I don’t back and say ‘I could have done this’. I fought damn near twenty of the best fighters in the world. Even if I never won a world championship I still would be blessed because when I walked out of the ring I walked out unhurt. I aint got no brain injury. I know my name. I can take care of my own business. I don’t need nobody to help me walk or help me talk. These are the greatest things to me that I’ve benefited from through being in boxing. I did what I was supposed to do. I came out here to be a world champion and that’s what I became.”
Wasting money…
“I did all of that. I had seventeen cars in my front yard. Who is going to drive seventeen cars? You don’t realize that when you are younger. As you get older you realize what you are doing. You buy the car because you had the money. My manager told me, he said ‘Do you see how many cars I have in my front yard?’. My manager was a millionaire. People damn near couldn’t park in my yard, there was no room. He asked me what I was going to do with all those cars, because I could only drive one at time. I was just young. You know what they say? When you’re young, you’re dumb. As I moved on I realized that there was a lot of money that was wasted.”
What it’s all about…
“I don’t fear life because I already know that life has its certain ways. You’re going to live and you’re doing to die. My main thing in life, what I’ve contributed to life, is my kids. Because whatever I had, my kids are going to inherit. I hope I made great decisions as to what I wanted in life so when I leave that my child will not look back and say ‘Oh, my daddy didn’t do this’ or ‘My daddy didn’t do that’. I believe I have done the right things for my children. And I believe I’ve done the right things in putting things away from them to be happy when I was gone. That’s what is important to me. It’s not about no titles, it’s about life. Remember, when you’re fighting it’s one thing. When you’re not fighting it’s another thing. You live life like anybody else and you have to look out and see what plans did you have for your child? I’m not going to worry about that because I know what they are going to have when I leave. I put it there for them to have. Not to spend, to have. That’s what it’s about.”
Thursday, October 21, 2010
David Haye
By Bennie
David Haye no longer fears 12 rounds. The right-hand-happy cruiserweight who punched himself out against Carl Thompson developed strength and strength of character as he filled out to heavyweight a couple of years ago. All of a sudden the gangling youngster looked different, all of a sudden the 30-year-old Haye was different, and he chased off a Russian behemoth by the name of Nikolai Valuev to win the WBA heavyweight title last year in Germany, wobbling Valuev in the 12th and last round with a big left hook and taking a unanimous decision. The new David Haye had arrived.
Audley Harrison landed his own big left in the 12th and last round to win the European heavyweight title against Michael Sprott earlier this year in London. The new Audley Harrison? 'Oh yes,' say his long-suffering fans, when we had a virtual replica of Harrison's infamous 12-rounder with Julius Francis many moons ago (and there was more than one moon on the night) as Harrison waited and waited to pull the trigger, then waited some more. Southpaw Harrison only unloaded when he was sure his opponent posed absolutely no threat to him, flooring an overweight, exhausted Francis in the final round to seal a snoozefest of a decision and flattening the tired little Sprott to seal a knockout and a shot at Haye on November 13 in Manchester. Be careful what you wish for.
Harrison, who is 39 next week, faces a man who no longer grows tired, who no longer relies on just the big right hand, who no longer wants to be friends. David Haye is the heavyweight champion of the world and this, for him, is another annoying, marking-time affair like his 10-round stoppage of John Ruiz in Manchester in April, when Haye refused to allow a notorious stinker in the Harrison mould do his thing, busting up the challenger, flooring him four times and punching him to a slow standstill.
I can see the same happening next month. Harrison will run and run and run (he calls it boxing) as Haye picks the big shots, floors him every time he gets through, and forces a stoppage in the middle rounds after yet another knockdown.
David Haye no longer fears 12 rounds. The right-hand-happy cruiserweight who punched himself out against Carl Thompson developed strength and strength of character as he filled out to heavyweight a couple of years ago. All of a sudden the gangling youngster looked different, all of a sudden the 30-year-old Haye was different, and he chased off a Russian behemoth by the name of Nikolai Valuev to win the WBA heavyweight title last year in Germany, wobbling Valuev in the 12th and last round with a big left hook and taking a unanimous decision. The new David Haye had arrived.
Audley Harrison landed his own big left in the 12th and last round to win the European heavyweight title against Michael Sprott earlier this year in London. The new Audley Harrison? 'Oh yes,' say his long-suffering fans, when we had a virtual replica of Harrison's infamous 12-rounder with Julius Francis many moons ago (and there was more than one moon on the night) as Harrison waited and waited to pull the trigger, then waited some more. Southpaw Harrison only unloaded when he was sure his opponent posed absolutely no threat to him, flooring an overweight, exhausted Francis in the final round to seal a snoozefest of a decision and flattening the tired little Sprott to seal a knockout and a shot at Haye on November 13 in Manchester. Be careful what you wish for.
Harrison, who is 39 next week, faces a man who no longer grows tired, who no longer relies on just the big right hand, who no longer wants to be friends. David Haye is the heavyweight champion of the world and this, for him, is another annoying, marking-time affair like his 10-round stoppage of John Ruiz in Manchester in April, when Haye refused to allow a notorious stinker in the Harrison mould do his thing, busting up the challenger, flooring him four times and punching him to a slow standstill.
I can see the same happening next month. Harrison will run and run and run (he calls it boxing) as Haye picks the big shots, floors him every time he gets through, and forces a stoppage in the middle rounds after yet another knockdown.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Leroy Jones
By Bennie
Leroy Jones missed out on the mysterious quality known as a little bit of luck on a cold night 30 years ago. Leroy took a thumb in the eye from Larry Holmes in the eighth round of their Las Vegas encounter in March 1980 and, while he bravely stayed on his feet, he had to be rescued as the spiteful Holmes teed off on him in a corner. That was it; Leroy’s challenge for the world heavyweight title was over, along with the very rest of his boxing career. Jones, at the age of 29, had suffered a detached retina.
Nobody seems to know what the big Denver man did in his post-boxing years. Leroy certainly kept his nose clean, probably raised a family, probably held down a job. You want to think he was happy; you want to think he did good things. He was "big, strong, tough", said Holmes in 2003. "He was bigger than me. He was 245 pounds, 6ft 5ins or 6ft 6ins, but I was quicker and punched harder." In fact, Jones was surprisingly fluid for such a big man, with surprising speed and ability, but Holmes is one of the greatest heavyweights of all time and he pounded on Jones as he would pound on Muhammad Ali just a few months later. (Forget those who say Holmes held back against Ali, he didn’t.)
You know, Leroy only ever lost to Holmes in 26 fights, which only exarcebates the way his career came to such a sudden end. His best win was a 12-round decision over Mike Weaver in 1978 in Las Vegas, a year before Weaver took Holmes to the well in a fantastic battle at Madison Square Garden. Jones also scored decent wins over Jody Ballard, Larry Frazier and Harry Terrell.
Nobody seems to know how he lived or even how he died earlier this year at the age of 60. We do know that he boxed between 1973 and 1980 and went all the way to a shot at the world heavyweight title. We also know he joined the masses thinking over and over, 'if only'.
Leroy Jones missed out on the mysterious quality known as a little bit of luck on a cold night 30 years ago. Leroy took a thumb in the eye from Larry Holmes in the eighth round of their Las Vegas encounter in March 1980 and, while he bravely stayed on his feet, he had to be rescued as the spiteful Holmes teed off on him in a corner. That was it; Leroy’s challenge for the world heavyweight title was over, along with the very rest of his boxing career. Jones, at the age of 29, had suffered a detached retina.
Nobody seems to know what the big Denver man did in his post-boxing years. Leroy certainly kept his nose clean, probably raised a family, probably held down a job. You want to think he was happy; you want to think he did good things. He was "big, strong, tough", said Holmes in 2003. "He was bigger than me. He was 245 pounds, 6ft 5ins or 6ft 6ins, but I was quicker and punched harder." In fact, Jones was surprisingly fluid for such a big man, with surprising speed and ability, but Holmes is one of the greatest heavyweights of all time and he pounded on Jones as he would pound on Muhammad Ali just a few months later. (Forget those who say Holmes held back against Ali, he didn’t.)
You know, Leroy only ever lost to Holmes in 26 fights, which only exarcebates the way his career came to such a sudden end. His best win was a 12-round decision over Mike Weaver in 1978 in Las Vegas, a year before Weaver took Holmes to the well in a fantastic battle at Madison Square Garden. Jones also scored decent wins over Jody Ballard, Larry Frazier and Harry Terrell.
Nobody seems to know how he lived or even how he died earlier this year at the age of 60. We do know that he boxed between 1973 and 1980 and went all the way to a shot at the world heavyweight title. We also know he joined the masses thinking over and over, 'if only'.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Johnny and Juana La Loca
In the early '50's a friend of mine, Johnny, got busted with a roach, he went to court and he was ofter a deal, six months in county jail, Johnny asked for time to think it over, judge said okay, he gave Johnny two weeks to think it over.
Johnny's mom wanted Johnny to go see Junana La Loca. Junana La Loca was what we now call a community activist, in other words she knew everybody's business.
Johnny said okay; he would go talk to La Loca. Johnny told Juana what the deal was.
"Don't worry Johnny, I'll go talk to the judge for you, I'll get him to give you a better deal, maybe thirty days, no more then that"
Johnny and Juana La Loca go to court, Juana told the judge that she was there to speak for Johnny, judge told Juana to go ahead and speak.
Juana La Loca talked and talked and talked, when she was done the judge told Johnny to stand up as he was ready to pass sentence, he gave Johnny nine months!
Johnny's mom wanted Johnny to go see Junana La Loca. Junana La Loca was what we now call a community activist, in other words she knew everybody's business.
Johnny said okay; he would go talk to La Loca. Johnny told Juana what the deal was.
"Don't worry Johnny, I'll go talk to the judge for you, I'll get him to give you a better deal, maybe thirty days, no more then that"
Johnny and Juana La Loca go to court, Juana told the judge that she was there to speak for Johnny, judge told Juana to go ahead and speak.
Juana La Loca talked and talked and talked, when she was done the judge told Johnny to stand up as he was ready to pass sentence, he gave Johnny nine months!
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