 Many writers claim they watched Monday and Friday night fights “with their dads,” but if they did, they better be my age. I recently noted one renowned writer as claiming he grew up watching Friday Night Fights. That’s hogwash. He wasn’t even born.
Back in 1949, we had a pitifully tiny TV set on which my Dad and I (and some of my friends) would watch different programs, but the one that we enjoyed the most were the fights. They were televised from New York or Chicago and names like Madison Square Gardens, St Nicholas Arena or Marigold Gardens were commonplace. Some programs aired boxing matches on Monday. By far the most popular was "Gillette's Cavalcade of Sports," spotlighting the "Friday Night Fights" from Madison Square Garden.. The Cavalcade lasted until 1960, a 14-year period which was the longest continuous run of any boxing program in television history. The show's theme song was the “Look Sharp/Be Sharp March by Mahlon Merrick and we would always chime in with Sharpie the Parrot who would squawk, "Look sharp! Feel sharp! Be Sharp! With Gillette razor blades before the fights were telecast. The bell would sound and Jimmy Powers at ringside would announce, "Friday night fights are on the air!"
These fights meant names like Yama Bahama, Del Flanagan (130 fights), Gaspar Ortega (who fought 176 times and was only stopped twice), Chico Vejar (116 fights), Joey Giardello (134 bouts), Bobby Dykes (149 outings),Ralph “The Ripper” Zannelli (147 bouts), the exciting Johnny “Honey Boy” Bratton, the great inside fighter Eugene “Silent” Hairston, and Johnny Saxton. It also meant watching Tony DeMarco, Virgil Honey Bear” Akins (92), Ralph Dupas (135), Billy Graham (126), Carmen Basilio, the Fullmer’s and the Jordan’s, Spider Webb, Rory Calhoun, Bobo Olson (115), and many others too numerous to cite.
But there was one guy who seemed to be the exemplar for this great period. Oh, he had an alias; namely, “The Cuban Hawk,” but everyone knew him as Kid Gavilan. In 1951, Sugar Ray Robinson moved to middleweight and Johnny Bratton captured the welterweight title. He defended against The Kid in 1951 and was defeated The Kid, who was Cuba‘s loss and America‘s gain, went on to make seven successful title defenses until losing to Johnny Saxton in one of the worst decisions in boxing history.
The synopsis in The International Boxing Hall of Fame (in which The Kid was inducted in 1990) states, in part: “Gavilan is the man credited with inventing the bolo punch. He said the punch, which was half hook and half uppercut, was developed by years spent cutting sugar cane with a machete in his native Cuba.”
While not a fight ender, it produced ooohs and aaahs and impressed judges throughout the world.
He had a record of 107 wins, 30 losses and 6 draws, with one no contest and 27 wins by knockout in a career that spanned 143 professional fights. But the thing that stands out is that The Kid was one of the few high profile boxers in history who was never stopped. Yes, in 143 professional fights, he never lost by stoppage. He also possessed great stamina.
Two of his more notable wins came against college graduate Chuck Davey, 37-0-2 at the time and the darling of the white collar set. Gavilan proceeded to destroy Chuck decking him 4 times before the televised slaughter was stopped. He would later beat Davey’s point counterpoint Chico Vejar, who was a big blue collar favorite back in the 50’s.
If you throw a dart at the list of his opponents, you would come up with such names as ultra rugged Eduardo “Zerdo” Lausse, Garth The Toy Bulldog” Panter, Randy “The Leamington Licker” Turpin, Rocky Castellani, Tony Janiro, Frenchman Robert Villemain, and the great Beau Jack.
The Kid fought in 15 different states and D.C. and in 10 different countries. He was an attraction in just about every great venue in the world. These included Madison Square Garden, Convention Hall in Philadelphia, Olympic Auditorium in LA, The Chicago Stadium, The Boston Garden, The War Memorial Auditorium in Syracuse, and Miami Stadium, As well, he fought numerous times in Luna Park in Buenos Aires, Palais des Sports in Paris, Arena Coliseo in Mexico City, and of course the Palacio de los Deportes in Havana.
He was 26-2 when he fought for the first time in the U.S. in November 1946. He would go on to fight until 1958. During that time, he thrilled boxing fans throughout the world with his stylish skills and ability to go the distance.
These days, when I think of Cuban boxing, I think of Felix Savon and Teófilo Stevenson Teofilo and what could have been. I think of “Kid” Chocolate, “Feo” Rodriguez, ‘Sugar” Ramos and Jose “Mantequiila” Napoles. But most of all I think of Kid Gavilan’s bolo punch and the flash and daring with which he launched it.
There will be only one “Kid.”
Courtesy of www.eastsideboxing.com
An overlooked heavyweight in the talent rich 1970's was New Jersey's Randy Neuman. Born on July 21, 1948 Randy joined the punch for pay ranks in 1969. He reeled off eleven straight wins but in 1971 he was stopped in two by Jimmy Harris. Randy came right back to decision Harris in a return bout.
Randy continued his move up the ladder with two decisions over rugged Argentine Raul Gorosito and a verdict over Brian O'Melia. On December 9, 1971 Randy captured the New Jersey State heavyweight title by outscoring Chuck Wepner. In 1972 Randy followed the Wepner win with a points victory over Jimmy Young at Madison Square Garden. A month later he lost the New Jersey title back to Wepner.
In 1973 Randy received an opportunity to meet long time top contender Jerry Quarry who was beginning a comeback. Quarry proved to be too much, halting Randy after seven rounds. Neuman attempted to regain the New Jersey title in 1974 but lost in seven to Wepner.
Despite a disqualification loss in the Bahamas to Wendell Joseph, 1975 saw Randy score his biggest career victory as he out boxed Boone Kirkman over ten rounds. The win gave Randy another date at the Garden this time against unbeaten prospect Duane Bobick. The hard hitting Bobick floored Randy three times in the fourth round for an automatic TKO.
Randy had his last fight in 1977 when he taken out in five rounds by Ibar Arrington. In all Neuman had 38 bouts, winning 31 of them. He scored 11 knockouts. Of his seven losses, he was stopped five times. Randy was a smart and smooth boxer but he lacked the big punch. He also had a tendency to cut. He was a game battler though and he always came to fight. Today he is one of the most respected referees in the business.
Jim Amato
Dave Wilcox – Feature Writer – California 
Dave Wilcox was born in Fullerton, California on March 15th,1968. He currently lives in Southern California with his wife Deborah and three children in the fine town of Yorba Linda. His 20 year old daughter is a communications major in her third year at Cal State Fullerton. His oldest boy is a sophomore at Whittier College in Whittier, Ca. and is on the Football and Track teams. He is working on his Math major. The youngest of the Wilcox clan is 11 years old and loves to go to Angel Baseball games with the old man and he lets dad coach his youth teams. Dave was first introduced to Boxing when good old Rich and Linda Wilcox decided to take 8 year old Dave to the Drive In to see a little movie called Rocky in 1976. He was mesmerized by that movie and the love for Boxing grew to obsession in later years. In fact, for his honeymoon, he did the right thing and took the lovely and talented Deborah to Vegas for the Terry Norris-Simon Brown fight. Obviously, Dave is a romantic. As most fanatics of the sweet science are prone to do, Dave dabbled in becoming a pugilist in his younger years. When it became quite obvious that overhand rights and body shots hurt really badly, a writer was born. Dave was a much better spectator than he was a fighter. Growing up with the sport, his favorite fighter of all time was and still is “The Great One,” Marvelous Marvin Hagler. It is reported that Dave still has nightmares of Sugar Ray Leonard and gets sick to his stomach when reminded of that horrible night in April of 1987 when Sugar Ray got the nod over Hagler. Other favorites include Larry Holmes, Ray Mancini and Oscar De La Hoya. Dave has written about Boxing and covered fights in California and Las Vegas since 2003, but has spent a lifetime following the sport he loves. Dave owns a Truck Body and Equipment shop in Fontana, California. Courtesy of www.ringsidereport.com
| | I recently learned that one of Japan's first great boxers, Mitsunori Seki passed away. He was the victim of a brain hemorrhage at the age of 66. Seki was good enough to challenge for a world title no less then five times during the 1960's.
Seki first attempted to win the flyweight title from Thailand's Pone Kingpetch. On this occasion Seki lost a close decision. Seki would move up to bantamweight but he met disaster at the hands of Mexico's Joe Medal who stopped him in five. Seki then entered the featherweight division and eventually earned a shot at champion Sugar Ramos. The talented Ramos proved to be too much for Seki and retained his crown. Ramos would later lose his championship to the great Vincente Saldivar. Seki would get yet another chance as he met Saldivar. It was a tough fight but Saldivar would retain his title. It was close enough to justify a rematch so Saldivar and Seki went at it again. This time Saldivar proved he was the best featherweight in the world.
Saldivar would then relinquish the title after defeating Howard Winstone and the WBC matched Seki with Winstone for the vacated crown. Seki would lose by a controversial stoppage thus failing in his fifth attempt at world honors. Seki would retire with an outstanding 61-11-1 record. He scored 35 knockouts. Seki along with Hiroyuki Ebihara, the great Fighting Harada and others helped follow 1950's flyweight titlist Yoshio Shirai in establishing Japan as a force to be reckoned with in the world of boxing. At the time of his death Seki was a successful and respected trainer. May he rest in peace.
Jim Amato |
Mando Ramos Jim Amato  He was my first boxing idol in the late 1960s. He was only a few years older than me and he was the lightweight champion of the world! This wasn't a version of a split title. This was the undisputed title! In his first title shot as a mere teenager, Ramos lost a close decision to Carlos "Teo" Cruz. Cruz was the man who had dethroned the great Carlos Ortiz. Ramos met Cruz in a return bout and he captured the crown on an eleventh round stoppage. Ramos later lost the title on cuts to Hall Of Famer Ismael Laguna. Ramos bounced back and beat the likes of Raul Rojas and Sugar Ramos. Ramos met Pedro Carrasco for the WBC lightweight title and was blatantly disqualified. Ramos then beat Carrasco in a rematch to claim that title. Ramos also defended successfully against Carrasco in their rubber match. The fast life finally caught up to Ramos and he lost his crown to unheralded Chango Carmona. He was then stopped by Arturo Pineda. After a few ill fated comeback attempts, Ramos retired. Roberto Duran is my favorite fighter of all time. At 135 pounds, Duran may have been the best ever. Still, I would have loved to see Duran in his prime vs. Ramos in his prime. It would have been a very interesting battle.
posted by Kathleen Holland, in Features 
Mightygloves.com wishes to express our sincere thanks to Jim Amato for allowing us to publish many of his great stories and for his support of our site.
Jim is a boxing enthusiast, or you might call him a boxing guru. He is involved in several organizations for the betterment of boxing, including the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA), International Boxing Research Organization (IBRO), American Association For The Improvement Of Boxing (AAIB). He has taken his passion for boxing and in May of 2005 started his own boxing site, Amatoboxing.com. The site is excellent and provides an opportunity for anyone who is interested in boxing to enjoy a wealth of information and images. Check out the site at http://amatoboxingsite.multiply.com/ , and then visit his new site, Amato Boxing Greats at http://boxinggreats.multiply.com/ where you will find stories and images from some of the greatest fighters and fights in history. You can contact Jim at jimsboxing@zoominternet.net
Henry Clark Jim Amato 2007-07-25 -- 10:19:17
There were many who thought he was going to be the next Cassius Clay/Muhammad Ali. He was a tall, smooth boxing heavyweight with a world of potential. His professional career began in 1964 and before long he was mixing it up with some of the best fighters in the world. How's this for starters? After going 1-2-1 in his first four fights, Clark pounded out a ten round verdict over future title challenger Manuel Ramos. The following year, he whipped tough trial horse George "Scrap Iron" Johnson. In 1966, he fought a no decision bout with Amos "Big Train" Lincoln and he lost a decision to highly regarded Zora Folley. In 1967, Henry established himself as a force in the heavyweight division by winning on points over Bill McMurray, Steve Grant on two occasions, Fred Lewis, Eddie Machen, and Roger Rischer. Clark opened 1968 by defeating the clever Leotis Martin. This led Clark into a major bout against ex-heavyweight king Sonny Liston. This was Liston's first major step on his comeback trail and he passed with flying colors. Liston pummeled a game but overmatched Clark in scoring a seventh round stoppage. The year 1969 had mixed results. Clark drew with Brian London and kayoed Bob Stallings. He then lost on points to "Florida" Al Jones and Jeff "Candy Slim" Merritt. In 1970, his best win was a points call over Jimmy "The King" Fletcher to win the California State Heavyweight Title. In 1972, Clark won and lost to Jack "The Giant" O'Halloran. He was then stopped in nine rounds by an up and coming Ken Norton on the Muhammad Ali-Bob Foster undercard. In 1974, Clark blew out the now ranked Jeff Merritt in a rematch in one round. Clark quickly followed with a decision win over faded ex-contender Mac Foster. Clark remained unbeaten through four more fights and was then matched with the dangerous Earnie Shavers in Paris, France. Try as he might for the knockout, Shavers was unable to stop the wily Clark and had to settle for a hard earned points win. They met again six months later on the undercard of Ali-Norton III. This time, Clark was overwhelmed by the murderous punching Shavers in two rounds. Clark attempted to bounce back four months later but was defeated over ten rounds by Howard "Kayo" Smith. Clark did not fight again for over two and a half years. When he did return to the ring, he was defeated in ten rounds by fringe contender Bernardo Mercado. Clark's final tally was 32 wins, 13 losses and 4 draws. He scored ten knockouts and was only stopped on three occasions. Those stoppages were by Liston, Norton, and Shavers. Surely no shame there. Courtesy of Boxingtribune.com
Rafael Herrera, a Fine Champion He was born to humble beginnings on January 7, 1945 in Jalisco, Mexico. He would become a professional boxer at the age of eighteen. For years he fought fellow novices, losing some, but winning more. He was making a name for himself though. In 1966 he climbed up the ladder with a win over rugged Memin Vega. Two fights later he drew with Geraldo Luna. From the Luna bout Rafael’s career took off. He reeled off sixteen straight wins. Herrera was then matched with future world champion Jesus “Chucho” Castillo. Herrera was overwhelmed by Castillo and lost in round three. Rafael was no quitter He drew with Canada’s Billy McGrandle.but two fights later he lost to the highly regarded Raul Cruz. As 1970 rolled around Herrera was considered a top notch boxer, but not championship material. That all changed when he decided that he was good enough to make it to the top. This time Herrera won a decision over Octavio Gomez. This led to a shot against undefeated Rodolfo Martinez for NABF bantamweight title. In a very close and exciting fight, Herrera got the verdict and the title. That was the spring board for Rafael’s career. Next he would halt the highly regarded Cesar Deciga. Two fights later he avenged an earlier loss by outscoring the talented Chucho Castillo. In March of 1972 Rafael challenged the legendary Ruben Olivares for the world’s championship. The proud champion fought his heart out, but Herrera was not to be denied and he won in round eight winning the WBA + WBC titles. Four months later Herrera traveled to Panama to take on smooth boxing native Enrique Pinder who out slicks Rafael to take the title. The WBC then strips Pinder of the title for refusing to defend against Rodolfo Martinez. In the meantime Herrera and Olivares hook up in a rematch with Rafael winning a majority ten round decision. In January of 1973 Pinder was halted by hard punching Romeo Anaya to lose the WBA title. In April of 1973 Herrera and Martinez met for the vacant WBC title. In a wild affair Herrera stopped Martinez in round twelve to annex the crown. In August Anaya would again KO Pinder to retain the WBA title. Herrera would finish 1973 with a close decision win over Thailand’s Venice Borkhorsor. The Thai southpaw had once held the flyweight title. He gave Rafael fits early on as Herrera suffered cuts and swelling around the eyes. Herrera gamely battled his way back and after fifteen brutal rounds Rafael was awarded a controversial decision. In November of 1973 South African Arnold Taylor came from behind to bomb out Anaya to capture the WBA ‘s recognition. In May of 1974 Herrera defended against ex-champ Anaya and stopped him in round six. Next up was a third fight with Rodolfo Martinez. This time Martinez turned the tables halting Herrera in the fourth round. Now title less Rafael dropped verdicts to Octavio Gomez and Jose Luis Soto. He then drew with Jose Cervantes and then he retired. He came back ten years later to win a four rounder against Alfredo Meneses then he retired for good. In 61 fights he posted a record of 49-9-3. He scored 19 knockouts and was stopped on two occasions. He was a solid champion who bridged the reigns of Ruben Olivares and Carlos Zarate. Jim Amato Courtesy of KO Corner.com
Ron Lyle Jim Amato Ring Magazine recently came out with their top fifty heavyweights of the glove era. Ranked 40th on that list was a boxer who fought during the talent rich 1970s. He was a mainstream contender for nearly a decade. He fought "The Greatest" for the title and more then held his own until being stopped in round eleven. He had "Big" George Foreman on the canvas twice before succumbing to George's power in probably the best heavyweight fight of the last thirty years. His all action shoot out with Earnie Shavers would be a strong runner-up. His name is Ron Lyle. Lyle started his career late after serving 7½ years in prison. However, it did not take him long to establish himself. Wins over Manuel Ramos, Jack O'Halloran, Vicente Rondon, Buster Mathis, Luis Pires, and Larry Middleton moved him up in the ratings and into a bout with Jerry Quarry. Quarry was on the downside of his career and had recently suffered his second loss to Muhammad Ali. On this night though, Quarry's experience and Lyle's lack of it was clearly evident. Quarry took Lyle to counterpunching school and handed Lyle his first defeat. To Lyle's credit, he quickly went back to the business of re-establishing himself. A win and a draw against Gregorio Peralta and knockouts over Jose Luis Garcia, Jurgen Blin, and Boone Kirkman, and twelve round verdicts over former champion Jimmy Ellis and rugged Oscar Bonevena put Lyle back in the title picture. His only loss during this time was a decision setback against slick boxing Jimmy Young. Lyle finally challenged Muhammad Ali in 1975 for the world heavyweight championship that Ali had regained the year before when he "rope-a-doped" George Foreman. Ali tried to use that same tactic against Lyle, but Lyle would have none of it. Forcing Ali to box at ring center, Lyle was able to trade evenly with Ali in a very slow paced bout. In round eleven, Ali stunned Lyle and trapped him in a corner. Ali's follow up barrage had Lyle out on his feet when the referee intervened. Lyle would never receive another shot at the title. Lyle then fought Shavers in a rock em', sock em' affair. Lyle got off the canvas to outlast Shavers and score a devastating knockout. The brawl with Foreman in 1976 was a classic for the ages. It pitted two of the biggest, strongest men ever to lace on a boxing glove, teeing off on each other with no regard for defense. It was a brutal war of attrition. Although Lyle lost, he probably gained more fans in defeat then in all of his previous victories. Another decision loss to Young in 1976 forced Lyle to rally toward another title shot. Hard fought decision wins over Joe Bugner, Stan Ward, and Scott LeDoux again put Ron in contention, but a surprising second round kayo loss in 1979 to unheralded Lynn Ball dropped Lyle from consideration. In his last significant bout, Gerry Cooney halted Lyle in one round in 1980. Lyle made a brief comeback a decade and a half later in 1995, but it was in the 1970s that Lyle made his mark. Too bad Lyle didn't hook up with Ken Norton during the 70s when both were in their primes. Norton is ranked 22nd in the Ring's top 50 heavyweight, but I believe that Lyle would have taken him out. As far as dream matches, how about Lyle vs. Cleveland Williams or Mike Weaver. Maybe a battle of ex-cons with Lyle facing Sonny Liston. Now those would have been some interesting matchups.
Jose Luis Garcia Jim Amato There may have never been a more talent rich period in the heavyweight division than from 1968 to 1978. With Muhammad Ali (a.k.a. Cassius Clay) on the sidelines due to his draft case, other big men emerged. They would compete with each other on an almost equal basis for the next decade. Joe Frazier had risen to the top of the heap, but the level below him would remain as mainstays in the ratings for years to come. Jimmy Ellis, Jerry Quarry, Oscar Bonevena, Floyd Patterson, George Chuvalo, and Henry Cooper would eventually give way to Ron Lyle, Joe Bugner, Ken Norton, Earnie Shavers, and Jimmy Young. All time great champions like George Foreman and Larry Holmes also made their mark and Ali re-emerged to reclaim his throne. Lost among the giants of that time period was a fine heavyweight from Venezuela named Jose Luis Garcia. Although Garcia never challenged for the world championship, he did meet three who did. He also met three world champions in a career that never seemed to reach its full potential. Jose turned pro in his native country in 1968. He would go undefeated in his first nine bouts before losing a decision to future light heavyweight champion Vicente Rondon. Garcia then won three straight fights before he was stopped by Allen Thomas in his first U.S. appearance. The lean Garcia was beginning to grow into a full-fledged heavyweight. On July 2, 1970, Garcia scored the biggest victory of his career. As a heavy underdog, Garcia met unbeaten and upcoming future heavyweight champion Ken Norton. Garcia's superior hand speed and deceptive power sent Norton crashing in round eight. The huge upset of Norton landed Garcia smack in the middle of the heavyweight picture. Three months later, Garcia halted used up ex-contender Thad Spencer. By now, Garcia was gaining substantial weight. He was, by today's standards, a cruiserweight when he beat Norton. Now, he was ballooning to over 200 plus pounds. In 1971, he moved up in the ratings with wins over veterans Charlie Polite, James J. Woody, Johnny Griffin, and Santiago Alberto Lovell. Garcia opened 1972 with victories over Robie Harris, Al Jones, and John Hudgins. It all came crashing down on October 23rd, 1972 when ex-WBA champion Ernie Terrell came to Caracas, Venezuela. Terrell had been written off after losses in 1967 to Thad Spencer and Manuel Ramos. Against Garcia though, he looked the part of a rejuvenated former champ as he pounded Garcia into submission in the sixth round. In Garcia's comeback bout seven months later, Joe Alexander destroyed Garcia in one round. Next came a crushing kayo loss to Ron Lyle in the third round. Garcia put together four consecutive wins, but then lost a decision to Jimmy Young. In his next bout, Joe Bugner stopped him in two. Finally, on August 14, 1975, Garcia got a rematch with Ken Norton. During this time, Norton was the top heavyweight contender and was looking to avenge his first professional loss to Garcia. Norton took all Garcia could throw at him and eventually wore Garcia down in the fifth round of a tough fight. Even in defeat, Garcia proved he was still world class. Courtesy of BoxingTribune.com
For a decade (1952-1962), Joey Giambra was a mainstay among the middleweight elite. However, he never received a shot at the middleweight title. In fact, he received his only title shot at the tail end of his career when he battled for the newly created junior middleweight title. He lost in that title bout by unanimous decision, but he was as good as any middleweight contender in the world when he was in his prime. Joey turned pro in 1949 and went undefeated in his first seventeen fights. His first loss was to tough veteran Johnny Cesario in 1951. He then reeled off ten straight victories before losing a 1952 decision to the great Joey Giardello. Giambra would come right back to beat Giardello in a rematch. Giambra then won nine more fights before losing to the clever Bobby Dykes in 1954. Joey had five more wins before dropping a verdict to Carl "Bobo" Olson in 1955. Giambra then went unbeaten in his next eleven bouts which included two wins over the rugged Rocky Castellani and a victory over Philadelphia's tough Gil Turner. In 1957, Giambra had a draw and a loss by decision against rough Rory Calhoun. Giambra would not be denied and he would rally to win eleven straight which included victories over Calhoun and Giardello in the third fights of those trilogies and a win over Ralph "Tiger" Jones. In 1961, he was outpointed by Yama Bahama. In 1962, he lost by decision to Farid Salim. Giambra would then bounce back again to score a knockout over the dangerous Florentino Fernandez. That led to a bout with Denny Moyer for the vacant and newly created WBA junior middleweight title. The cagey Moyer won the title by unanimous decision in a fifteen round bout, but two of the three judges had Moyer winning only narrowly by two points with scores of 148-146 and 146-144. In 1963, Joey reached the end of the line when he lost decisions to Luis Rodriguez and Joe DeNucci. In all, he had 77 fights and he walked away a winner 65 times with 31 of those victories by way of knockout. Considering the quality of the competition he faced, it was remarkable that Giambra was never stopped. He was truly an "uncrowned champion." Courtesy of BoxingTribune.com
Oscar Bonavena Jim Amato Who was the greatest fighter to come out of Argentina? Well, pound for pound, you may say Carlos Monzon or possibly Pascual Perez. You could make a strong case for Nicolino Locche too. Who was the biggest and baddest of all Argentinian fighters? Many would say Luis Angel Firpo. I'll go with Oscar "Ringo" Bonavena. When Oscar started his career in 1964, he met tough opponents like Tom McNeeley and Dick Wipperman. In 1965, he was overmatched and defeated by veteran contender Zora Folley by unanimous decision. Oscar left New York and returned to Argentina. He defeated his very capable countryman Gregorio Peralta and American import Billy Daniels. When he returned to New York in 1966, he outpointed the equally rugged George Chuvalo. In 1966, Oscar was then matched with 1964 Olympic Gold Medalist Joe Frazier. The fight was a classic. Oscar had Joe down twice in the second round, but Frazier came back to win a close decision. In 1967, Oscar was entered into the World Boxing Association's eight man tourney to determine the defrocked Muhammad Ali's successor. Oscar traveled to Germany and trounced southpaw Karl Mildenberger. However, in his next match, he was floored twice and soundly beaten by eventual tourney winner Jimmy Ellis. Oscar regrouped in 1968 by beating Folley in a rematch and also the respected Leotis Martin. He was matched again with Joe Frazier with the New York version of the heavyweight crown at stake. Oscar fell behind early, but he came back strong only to drop the verdict. Bonavena would remain a mainstay in the talent rich rankings until the end of his career. Two years after his loss to Frazier, Oscar would face Muhammad Ali who was making a comeback after his forced exile from boxing due to his refusal to serve in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. It would be one of the most grueling fights of Ali's career. "The Greatest" came out on top, stopping a game but exhausted Oscar in round fifteen. In 1971, Oscar won by disqualification over Alvin "Blue" Lewis. In 1972, he met former heavyweight champion Floyd Patterson. Even with a damaged hand, Oscar lost a very debatable decision. Two years later, he was defeated by Ron Lyle. This loss pretty much pushed Oscar out of the title picture. Bonavena was still a rated fighter when on May 22, 1976, he was shot and killed at a brothel in Las Vegas, Nevada. Bonavena's professional boxing record was 58-9-1, 44 KOs. Courtesy of BoxingTribune.com
Kid Chocolate: Cuban Great Jim Amato  He was born Eligio Sardinias Montalbo on January 6, 1910 in Cerro, Havana, Cuba. He launched his professional boxing career in 1927 and would participate in over 150 bouts in a career that ended in 1938. He was nicknamed the "Cuban Bon Bon." During the 1930s, he was one of the best drawing cards in New York. His flashy personality and even flashier style in the ring made him a real crowd pleaser.
After racking up a series of victories in his native Cuba, "The Kid" invaded the U.S. in 1928 knocking out Eddie Enos in three rounds in Mineola, New York. He would go on to fight at all the popular New York spots like Ridgewood Grove and the St. Nicolas Arena. On November 30, 1928 at Madison Square Garden, The Kid drew with rugged Joey Scalfaro. In 1929, he beat Bushy Graham and Vic Burrone. Then, on May 22, 1929, The Kid outscored the great Fidel LaBarba. Kid Chocolate continued to win fights and among his victims were Gregorio Vidal, Al Singer, and Dominick Petrone. The year 1930 saw The Kid enter the ring for a match with Jack "Kid" Berg. The energetic and quick Kid Chocolate was hard pressed to last against his aggressive adversary. Berg won a split decision. Three fights later, The Kid was outhustled by Fidel LaBarba. So what happens? Kid Chocolate is matched with Batttling Battalino for the featherweight title. On December 12, 1930 at Madison Square Garden, Battalino got the verdict in a bout that many felt could have gone to Kid Chocolate. Finally, on July 15, 1931, The Kid finally won a world title. At Baker Field in Philadelphia, The Kid halted the rugged Benny Bass in seven rounds to win recognition as the world junior lightweight champion. In November, he moved up in weight to take on the lightweight champion Tony Canzoneri. It was a great fight witnessed by over 19,000 fans at Madison Square Garden. This time, The Kid came up on the short end of a split decision. Chocolate would win nine straight after his setback to Canzoneri against some tough guys like Davey Abad, Lew Feldman, and Johnny Farr. On July 18, 1932, Kid Chocolate would meet Kid Berg in a return match. Again, Berg was able to pull off a close decision at the Garden. The Kid again put together an impressive win streak including a fifteen round win over Fidel LaBarba that gained him the New York State Athletic Commission featherweight title. On November 24, 1933, Kid Chocolate suffered a severe career setback when he was blasted out in the second round by Tony Canzoneri. One month later, The Kid lost his junior lightweight title to Frankie Klick. His career was on the decline, but he was still winning more then he lost. There was a draw with tough Tommy Paul in 1934. Later that year, he was clearly outpointed by Petey Hayes. In 1935, he lost a decision in Caracas, Venezuela to Simon Chavez. In December of 1936, The Kid would drop a points call to Phil Baker. He would then win over twenty fights through 1938. He was held to a draw by Bernie Friedkin and Orville Drouillard, but managed a degree of vengeance when he was awarded a well deserved decision over Phil Baker in Cuba in 1938. After 1938, the ever popular Kid Chocolate retired. He had met some of the best of his day. He was "Mantequilla" which means "Smooth as butter" long before the great Jose Napoles was given that nickname. In comparing Kid Chocolate's style to more contemporary boxers, I would say the smooth boxing Ismael Laguna and the extremely clever Wilfred Benitez fit the bill. Kid Chocolate was grace personified. He was surely in a class by himself.
GREGORIO "GOYO" PERALTA 
By Jim Amato Sometimes it isn't just talent that makes someone successful inside the ropes. A generous dash of luck usually helps. Also being in the right place at the right time doesn't hurt. Unfortunately for Gregorio Peralta of Argentina on this occasion two out of three isn't good. He had talent and lots of it but he lacked luck and the ability to be in the right place. Peralta was a throw back to the cagey old veteran boxers of decades before. He campaigned successfully in two weight divisions through out the sixties and early seventies. As a light heavyweight, he carried a pretty solid wallop to go along with his uncanny ring generalship. He defeated champion Willie Pastrano in a non-title bout to qualify for a 1964 title shot. Pastrano fought maybe the best fight of his career, but Peralta stayed right with him until a cut forced a stoppage in Willie's favor. Gregorio would never receive another attempt at a championship. Gregorio at this time held the Argentine heavyweight title. He decided to campaign strictly as a heavyweight. He out-pointed Roberto Davila retaining the South American heavyweight championship only three months after losing to Pastrano. He lost a twelve round decision to fellow countryman Oscar Bonevena in September of 1965 prompting a twenty month layoff. Returning in 1967, Gregorio won 26 of 29 fights with only draws against Chuck Leslie, Vittorio Saraudi, and Bonevena marring the streak. In 1969 plans were being made for Peralta to challenge W.B.A. heavyweight champion Jimmy Ellis in Buenos Aries. Ellis was on a collision course with Joe Frazier and he wanted to make a defense of his title before his showdown with "Smokin' Joe". For whatever reasons the proposed Ellis-Peralta bout fell through. Ellis went on the fight and lost to Frazier. On the under-card of Frazier-Ellis, Peralta met 1968 Olympic Gold Medalist George Foreman. This was probably Greg's shining moment. Taking everything a still green but powerful Foreman could offer, Peralta stayed in the bout with an exhibition of guile and guts. Greg lost a tough decision to George, but he won over the Madison Square Garden crowd with his performance. In 1971, Foreman finally caught up to Greg in the tenth round of their rematch to score a knockout. Greg then went on a successful tour of Europe, in which he scored an important kayo victory over Jose Urtain. On August 1, 1972, in Barcelona, Spain, Greg met Muhammad Ali in an eight round exhibition bout giving a good account of himself. In 1973, Greg twice fought the dangerous Ron Lyle losing a decision in Denver and then holding Lyle to a draw in Frankfurt, Germany. Eventually Greg faded into retirement. I wonder how Greg would have made out if he would have met Ellis in front of thousands of cheering countrymen? Whenever anyone mentions great heavyweights from Argentina you're sure to hear Luis Firpo and Bonevena. Please don't forget a fine fighting machine named Gregorio Peralta. Here are some key bouts on Peralta's ledger:
6-15-1960 Mauro Mina KO by 8 Lima Peru
8-4-1962 Jose Giorgetti W-12 MarDelPlata, Argentina
(Argentine Heavyweight Title)
9-20-1963 Willie Pastrano W-10 Miami Beach
11-15-1963 Wayne Thorton W-10 New York
1-24-1964 Wayne Thorton W-10 New York
4-10-1964 Willie Pastrano KO by 6 New Orleans
(World Light Heavyweight Title)
7-18-1964 Roberto Davila W-15 Buenos Aries
(South American Heavyweight Title)
9-19-1964 Mauro Mina W-10 Buenos Aries
9-4-1965 Oscar Bonevena L-12 Buenos Aries
7-15-1967 Andreas Selps W-10 Buenos Aries
8-8-1969 Oscar Bonevena D-10 Montevideo, Argentina
2-16-1970 George Foreman L-10 New York
5-10-1971 George Foreman KO by 10 Oakland
(North American Heavyweight Title)
10-8-1971 Jose Urtain KO-8 Madrid, Spain
6-9-1972 Ray Anderson L-10 Madrid, Spain
8-1-1972 Muhammad Ali EXH-8 Barcelona, Spain
5-12-1973 Ron Lyle L-10 Denver
10-26-1973 John Griffin KO-5 Cologne, Germany
11-17-1973 Ron Lyle D-10 Frankfurt, Germany
Vicente Saldivar: A Mexican Legend Jim Amato The 1960s spawned many great fighters: Dick Tiger, Jose Torres, Emile Griffith, Luis Rodriguez, and Carlos Ortiz just to name a few. One of the best of this era was a 5'3" southpaw from Mexico City named Vicente Saldivar. He ruled the featherweight division for three years and then retired. He decided to come back and two and a half years after he gave up his crown, he reclaimed it. This boxing legend was born on March 5, 1943. He started his professional career in 1961 and quickly showed that he was a budding star. Saldivar won his first sixteen fights and scored thirteen knockouts. He suffered his first loss in December of 1962 when he was disqualified in a bout against Baby Luis. In 1963, Saldivar made great strides in the rankings. He halted the respected Dwight Hawkins in five rounds. He avenged his loss by stopping Baby Luis in eight rounds. There was also an impressive one round win over Eloy Sanchez. On February 8, 1964, Saldivar captured the Mexican featherweight title by knocking out Juan Ramirez in two rounds. He defended the title with a twelve round points win over tough Eduardo "Lalo" Guerrero. Then on June 1st, Vicente won a very important bout against future lightweight champion Ismael Laguna. Saldivar outscored the clever Laguna in ten rounds. On September 26, 1964, Vicente Saldivar won the featherweight championship of the world. He battered the great champion Sugar Ramos and the bout ended in the twelfth round with a new champion being crowned. Saldivar was about to begin a campaign that eliminated all opposition to his throne. He started in 1965 by wearing down and finally stopping his game challenger Raul Rojas in the final round. In his next defense, Vicente turned back the fierce challenge of Welshman Howard Winstone in fifteen rounds. These two would get to know each other very well over the next few years. Saldivar opened 1966 with a two round kayo over Floyd Robertson. Next, Vicente faced the stern challenge of Japan's Mitsunori Seki. For the Japanese tiger, it would be his third shot at a world title. He failed in a 1961 bid to dethrone flyweight champion Pone Kingpetch. In 1964, he was beaten in six rounds by featherweight king Sugar Ramos. Seki gave Saldivar all he could handle, but Vincente pounded out a decision victory in fifteen rounds. Seki and Saldivar would meet again in 1967. This time, Vicente left no doubt to his claim to the title, ending Seki's challenge in the seventh round. Next was some unfinished business with Mr. Winstone. Again, the spry and crafty Welshman traveled the fifteen round distance. However, in the end he fell short. The two bouts between Saldivar and Winstone were close enough to justify a third meeting. This time, Saldivar ruled supreme, ending Winstone's dream in the twelfth round. With really no one left to seriously challenge Vicente, he decided to retire. Quickly, the World Boxing Council matched Saldivar's two toughest challengers Howard Winstone and Mitsunori Seki for the vacant title. On January 23, 1968, Howard Winstone finally got his championship by beating Seki in nine rounds. Howard's stay at the top was short lived as he lost the title to Spain's Jose Legra in five rounds. Finally, there was some new blood in the division. Legra in turn would lose his crown by decision to Australia's Johnny Famechon. Saldivar still felt he was the best featherweight in the world, so he embarked on a comeback. To prove he was worthy of a title shot, he outfought Legra to win a ten round verdict. Then on May 9, 1970 in Rome, Italy, Vicente met the champion Famechon. The Aussie was a very good fighter who had just sent the great Fighting Harada into retirement with a brutal fourteenth round kayo. Against Saldivar, he was outboxed and outfought, but gamely went the distance. The great Saldivar was king again. It all came crashing down in his next fight. Vicente took on Japan's Kuniaki Shibata. It seemed like Vicente grew old overnight. At times, he boxed well and punched sharply, but at other times he seemed overwhelmed by the force of Shibata's attacks. The Japanese fighter was very strong. Try as he might, Vicente was unable to hold him off. Finally, it was over. It ended in the thirteenth round. The reign of Saldivar was over. Maybe Vicente was not yet convinced he was through or maybe he wanted to go out a winner. Saldivar returned to the ring seven months later and outpointed the always tough Frankie Crawford. Two years later, Saldivar again emerged to attempt to regain his throne. Former bantamweight champion Eder Jofre of Brazil had won recognition by the WBC as featherweight champion by winning a majority decision over Jose Legra in May of 1973. Vicente would meet Jofre on October 21, 1973 in Brazil. What looked to be a great matchup on paper turned out to be a bitter disappointment. Saldivar had nothing left. His great skills had eroded. Jofre was too strong and too powerful for the shell of this once great fighting machine. It ended in the fourth round and so did Saldivar's career. There would be no more comebacks. Vicente only had forty fights in his career. He won thirty seven of them. He was a knockout winner on twenty-six occasions. He was the whole package in his prime. Pound for pound, he was one of the best fighters in the 1960s. Saldivar was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1999. Courtesy of BoxingTribune.com
SPORTS...When I was young you lived it everyday. Baseball in the Spring, football in the fall. Basketball was something that held your brief interest in between.
Then there was boxing. The most electric date I remember in sports is March 8, 1971. "The Fight", Joe Frazier-vs-Muhammad Ali. In my lifetime it was the EVENT ! Oh my, I can remember just waiting to hear the result on the radio.
Another magic moment was Super Bowl III. Joe Willie Namath, another hero of my youth pulled off the impossible upset by defeating the mighty Baltimore Colts. It was more then a game. It was the changing of the guard. It was accepting equality. It was a mirror of the turbulent 60's and damn it was fun too. The NFL and the AFL would soon merge and create the corporate giant we have today. The Super Bowl is no longer just a game...It is an EVENT !
Baseball, what can I say. I grew up catching the tail end of the great Yankee era. As the 60's moved on, so did Mantle, Maris, Berra, Ford and company. I lived through some less the shining years as a fan of my hometown Cleveland Indians. I did grow up with the honor and pleasure of watching some all time great players. Hank Aaron, Willie Mays ,Ernie Banks, Mantle, Carl Yastremzski, Harmon Killebrew, Frank Robinson and the great Roberto Clemente.
Some of the best pitchers who graced the mound. Men like Bob Gibson, Juan Marichal, Jim Maloney, Denny McLain, Mickey Lolich, Don Drysdale, Clevelander's Luis Tiant and "Sudden Sam" McDowell. Then there was possibly the greatest pitcher in modern baseball. From 1962 through 1966, a five year period he put up unimaginable numbers. He was the one and only Sandy Koufax !
Who was my favorite baseball player ? Tony Oliva. Too bad a knee injury hobbled his journey to the Hall Of Fame. As a native Clevelander during the baseball season you believed in God and Rocky Colavito. During football season God's sidekick was the best pure running back that ever played the game,Jim Brown. Right after God and Jim Brown was Paul Warfield, the magic man with the magic hands.
I was able to grow up in a time filled with some tremendous athletes, especially in boxing. Ali, Frazier, Foreman, Quarry, Bob Foster, Dick Tiger, Carlos Monzon, Emile Griffith, Jose Napoles, Antonio Cervantes, Roberto Duran,Carlos Ortiz, Mando Ramos, Vincente Saldivar, Ruben Olivares, Eder Jofre and Fighting Harada. So many, many more...
| |
