Charles Laughton

By kiki

Connie and I were watching the 1957 movie ‘Witness For The Prosecution’ starring Tyrone Power and Charles Laughton, et.al. on the TCM channel. And we both said at the same time “remember the night Laughton was sitting behind us at the fights” Man! Talk about an old married couple thinking alike!!...Circa 1957 Connie and I were at the Hollywood Legion Stadium for the Pajarito Moreno/Tommy Bain fight. We were sitting ringside, about 4-5 rows back from the ring for the new Mexican sensation: KO artist Pajarito Moreno's Los Angeles debut. Sitting behind me was “Quasimodo”, Charles Laughton had gain fame playing Quasimodo in the 1939 movie ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’ As the first fight was about to start Quasimodo tap me on my shoulder and ask me “Who do you got” I answer him “The guy in the black corner” “a dollar, I’ll take the guy in the white corner” I am not a gambler, but I wasn’t about to lose a chance to bet with Quasimodo. So we waged the small bet. The rest of the fights we waged a dollar a fight, He bet the white corner and I bet the black corner. I don’t remember who came out a dollar or two ahead…I might have gotten old, but I would never trade my boxing era for any other.

Louis or Ali?

Fantasy Fights

By kiki

I wrote this on a Facebook boxing group I belong to. The members are always setting up fantasy fight between fighters from different eras, which I think is wrong.

Comparing fighters from the ‘40’s-‘50’s to later era fighters is not fair because fighters, and people in general, in later years grew so much bigger. So when we are talking about fantasy fights I like to go with the “very thing been equal” concept. I know you are going to tell me “but that’s not reality” and I’ll tell you “of course it's not reality, it is after all about fantasy fights” There is no reality when you’re fantasizing!!!

But that been said I think the better question when comparing fighter from different eras is to ask “who was the better fighter, who had the greatest repertoire of punches, who had the biggest artillery, who had the biggest heart, who could take a punch better”…In the case of Louis and Ali there is no question who had a better repertoire and heavier artillery, Louis did… Louis could fight on the inside and outside, Ali could not, Louis had a great left hook and right hand, Ali did have a great right hand, but not much of a left hook, Louis could work the body, Ali could not, Louis could knock an opponent out with a jab, Ali could not, Ali’s jab was a flicking jab at best, sometimes thrown with an open glove. Chin? Both of them got dropped by some not so great fighters…Heart? Both had the heart of a Lion!!!...I submit that Louis was the better fighter of the two.

“What The ‘expletive’ Were You Waiting For? The Setup”

By kiki

In 1973 as director of the Los Angeles Golden Gloves, I ran some eliminating bouts at that great dame of Los Angeles boxing, The Olympic Auditorium. And so it was on a pro/am card where trainer Frankie Muche had a fighter fighting with the hopes of moving up in the tournament. While down in the catacombs of that fame arena I watched Muche’s fighter warmed up, he looked like the real thing. He also looked good shadow boxing down the aisle to the ring. But once the first bell rang the kid froze, the number of punches he threw in three rounds you could count in two hand. He lost, no surprise there. But the kid, while Frankie Muche from behind him was yelling at him, was shadow boxing up the aisle on his way back to the catacombs looking like a champ. Once in the catacombs Frankie lost his cool and yelled at the kid “what the ‘expletive’ were you waiting for!?’ The kid throwing beautiful combs while still shadow boxing answered without losing a beat “for the setup”….Some things in life you just can’t make up!!

"Little Beaver’s ex-Old lady"

Little Beaver

                                                    By kiki

                                      Beware XXX Language

Circa early 1980’s we were in an Arizona boxing training camp getting some fighters ready for their upcoming bouts. Hanging around the camp like a barfly was a Native American lady, who I learned was the ex-wife of midget wrestler Little Beaver. The lady was known to turn a trick now and then….One time I was having a drink with her at the camp’s bar. I asked her about Little Beaver who I had seen wrestle back in the ‘50’s, she laughed out loud and said “he was a fag”

One time we had a fighter fighting the main event in Tucson (he lost by decision but came out with a clean face). After the fight, we were at the hotel’s bar having drinks and our fighter after a few drinks made a deal with the lady, $20.00 for a blowjob. They soon disappeared into the darkness. Some minutes later they came back into the bar arguing as they walked in. Somebody asked the lady what was wrong “the sonofabitch don’t wanna pay me for the blowjob!” she answered. Somebody told the fighter in Spanish “paque a la señora para su servicio” (pay the lady for her service) the fighter replied in broken English “no, she no give good blow job, she bites my dickie” At that the lady cooks up her left arm and pointing with her right hand to her bulging bicep asked the fighter “see this?” the fighter moved in close to get a good look at her bicep, and as he did so the lady whipped a textbook left hook and our fighter was out cold before he hit the bar’s floor. Our fighter who had a clean face after going ten tough rounds against a top ten fighter was knocked out cold over a blow job…

The Golden Boy Loved The Booing

                                                     By kiki

Art “Golden Boy” Aragon played the bad guy with the Mexican fans with much success.  He would go TV/radio and say he wasn’t Mexican-American, he would say he was Italian or Spanish. The Mexican fans would pack the Olympic Auditorium to the rafters (10,400 fans) to see him get his ass kicked. They would boo him as he would enter the ring and all during the fight, they would boo the loudest when his hand was raised after KOing one of their heroes. Before walking out of the ring he would parade around the ring thumbing his nose at the booing crowd. A “hot” beer would sometimes be thrown at him. But he knew what he was doing all the time, he knew they would be back and pack the arena for his next fight hoping to see him get his ass kicked, and since he fought on a percentage of the gate he needed those pissed off Mexican to come to his fights. He loved to say that they could boo him all they wanted as long as they bought a ticket, that he would cry all the way to the bank the day after the fight….The loudest I heard him been booed was when he fought Lauro Salas. Art and Salas fought at the Olympic after getting into a bar fight because Art called a Salas a “fucking Mexican” Sure miss those day!!

Stiverne VS Wilder.

The fight was an okay fight, not great by any means, but better than any of the K bro’s fights. Wild showed he can fight a bit, but he also showed his inexperience when he tried to close the show. The times when he had Stiv in trouble and he went for the KO he looked like an amateur in the way he would flail away with arm punches, no snap or turning of the wrist, nor did he placed his punches when he needed to..The one good thing for Wild was going the 12 rounds without getting winded. He has a good right hand, but he needs to learn how feint with the left to set up the right hand…I hope he hold the title for a bit….As for Stiv, I think it’s time for him to hang up the gloves, he is a slow 36 years old fighter, and he can’t expect to get any better, but I expect that he will hang in there for a few more paydays, like maybe a K fight.

One Round or Ten Rounds, What’s the Difference?

                                               By KiKi

In the early 1980’s Jimmy Montoya had a fighter fighting the main event as an “opponent” at the Olympic Auditorium in The City of Angels. The fighter whom name is long forgotten was fighting for a guaranteed purse of $2,500.00 for the ten round fight.

The bell sounded for the first round and a few blows were thrown in the first minute and a half. Around the second minute mark Jimmy’s fighter took a decent punch to the chin, but it was no knockdown punch, but nevertheless Jimmy’s fighter hit the canvas.

With his fighter lying on the canvas Jimmy started yelling at him to get up, but all Jimmy got from the fighter was a wink and a nod. When the referee reached the count of ten the-fighter jumped to his feet.

Once they were down in the catacombs, as the Olympic Auditorium dressing rooms were known, Jimmy asked his fighter “Why didn’t you get up?” The fighter replied with a question to Jimmy whom he called Pappy “how much am I getting paid for the fight, Pappy?”  “You know you’re getting twenty five hundred dollars” Jimmy answered him. “Right, twenty five hundred if I go one round or ten rounds, right? So what’s the difference other than taking less of a beating if I go one or ten round? None!?” “You got a point there son, let’s go to the box office and cash your check so I can get my one third”

1973: Ensenada, Baja California

                                                 By kiki

 

In late spring of 1973 I received a phone call from a representative of the I.Y.B.C. The International Youth Boxing Club located in Montebello, CA. was a youth organization headed by Southern California boxing figures such as Rudy Jordan and Mando Muniz.

 

The caller explain to me that the I.Y.B.C. was hosting a boxing meet between an Ensenada, Baja California based team and a team made up of local amateur boxers. The caller asked me if I would allow Frankie to fight in the 125 pound class. Frankie at age 15 had just come back from a two year lay-off to fight in the Junior Golden Gloves, which he won against Francisco Flores. After been told that the event would take place in ten days at the I.Y.B.C. Gym I ok’d Frankie’s partaking in the event.

 

I don’t remember much about any of the fights as I was just focus on Frankie’s fight. Frankie’s opponent was a dead-ringer of a young Mando Ramos, in facial looks and boxing style. Frankie won an exciting hard fought three round fight by UD…After the bouts were all fought and as we enjoyed a beer or two with our Baja California counterparts they invited us to Ensenada to do it all over again. They made it a point about Frankie fighting the Mando Ramos lookalike again, we accepted the challenge.

                                     

                                     Ensenada, Baja California

 

We were told that since the event was going to be during mid-summer we were going to be put-up at a private Ensenada Beach campground. Owning a motorhome at the time it was something we were looking forward to.

 

With my boxing partner John Martinez, his wife Bea, Frankie, our daughter Linda and Connie and me behind the wheel of our motorhome we left La Puente on Thursday afternoon (fights were schedule for Saturday night) we arrived in Tijuana two and half hours later. After doing a little shopping and having dinner we left Tijuana on the Tijuana/Ensenada toll road, and a toll road it was, it seem like every five miles we had to pay a toll. We arrived at the gated beach campground around midnight. Standing in front of the gate was an armed sentry. With rife across his chest he stopped us at the gate, I rolled my window down to tell him we were with the boxing club, and to my surprise I found the young sentry to be mentally challenged. I was thinking, why is this fella allowed to walk around with a loaded rife? Well we later founded out that he was the owner’s son. As I was parking the motorhome on the beach I told everybody to make sure they stayed out of his way, and not to forget that we were in Mexico and that we had to obey their laws. We spent Friday taking in the sights, eating and drinking a Mexican beer (Bohemia) here and there. By Friday afternoon the rest of the team had arrived, I don’t remember who else was on our team, I remember that the Montes’s were there, not sure if both Herman and John fought. I do remember that Eddie “Animal” Lopez was there, not sure if he fought though, he might had been a pro by that time was just along for the ride. Friday night we a had a big beach fire going, we sat around the fire telling fishing lies and drinking a beer or two.

 
Weigh-ins for the fights were early Saturday morning. Frankie and the Mando Ramos lookalike weighted in the low 120’s. After the weight-ins we had a Mexican breakfast at a local restaurant. Frankie had a mid-afternoon dinner of seafood. It was soon time for us to make our way to the arena. Fights were fought in front of a packed arena, but been focus on Frankie’s fight I can’t tell you who fought them. Fight time! We enter the ring first, a few minutes later Frankie’s opponent enter the ring, but it was not the Mando Ramos lookalike! I looked at the guy and told the referee that that was not our opponent, and that the guy had to had being in his mid-20’s. I looked around the arena and I spotted Mando Ramos’s twin gloved and leaning against a back wall. I told the referee as I pointed to the guy “that’s the guy we are fighting or we won’t fight. The “old” guy walked out of the ring as the twin walked in. They were trying put a ringer in with Frankie!..The fight was give and take for the first two rounds, but Frankie pulled it out by scoring a knockdown in the third and final round of a-great amateur fight. After the fights it was party time at the beach fire. As we were bullshitting around the fire we spotted two horses with riders making their way in the dark toward the fire. The horsemen were Frankie and Eddie “Animal” Lopez. First thing I said to them was “what the hell are you two doing, don’t you know that they still hang horse thieves in Mexico?” They jumped of the horses faster than you can say “thieves” and gave the horses a slap on the ass. Good thing the “Rife man” wasn’t around to see our horse “thieves” otherwise we would had had to attend a hanging…Sunday as we drove back home I notice Frankie rubbing his neck, he told me “don’t stop in Tijuana” We arrived home alive and well.