Louie Burke vs Hector Camacho 1985

By Randy De La O

On January 19, 1985 my cousin Louie Burke fought Hector Camacho at the Imperial Ballroom in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Larry Hazzard was the referee. I remember this fight well. It's hard to believe it's been a little over twenty five years. As was typical of the fights back then it was being televised during the afternoon and it was free.

I have never been a fan of Camacho, he's not my type of fighter,in or out of the ring, but there was no question that Louie had his hands full that day and there is no question that he was fighting an exceptional fighter in Camacho. Camacho started quick and it was an uphill battle for Louie and despite getting a golf ball sized mouse and his left eye cut, Louie, ever the warrior, fought a valiant fight and was actually gaining some ground in the last round. Louie, not the type of fighter to fight going backwards continued to press the action during the fight and willingly traded punches with Camacho in the center of the ring.

Due to problems with his left eye the fight was stopped after the fifth round.

Classic Photo: Frankie Baltazar vs Reynaldo Zaragoza - August 11, 1976

Frankie Baltazar (L) vs Reynaldo Zaragoza

"This was, as I remember it, Frankie's third fight, Boxrec says fourth, who knows, anyway, Frankie got robbed so bad that the fans held up the main event for about thirty minutes, fight was in Stockton, California, AKA Fat City" Frank Baltazar Sr.

Mosley-Mora Highlights and Post Fight Interview with Larry Merchant

I was at the fight so I didn't see this interview until this morning. My thoughts on this interview: Mosley is way too humble and Mora is way, way too delusional.

More on Alan Rudkin

Photos and Captions Courtesy of Bennie of Classic American West Coast Boxing

A young Alan goes at a legend. (Fighting Harada)

Alan and his lifelong friend Gerry Marsden of Gerry and the Pacemakers enjoy the magnificent Lonsdale Belt. Gerry led tributes to Alan at the news of his death.

A legend outside a legend

Near the end.

Alan Rudkin has died.

Alan Rudkin
1941-2010

By Bennie (From Classic American West Coast Boxing)

Alan Rudkin, arguably the greatest bantamweight this country has ever produced and very much a forgotten hero, was found dead in a Liverpool street early yesterday morning. He was 68 and his death is not yet explained, and one hopes that the gifted little man, a modest man, was not killed in his beloved home city. Police are awaiting post-mortem results.

Alan did it all in a glittering career that won him British, Commonwealth and European titles and three cracks at the world title in a frightening era for the bantamweight division in the 1960s. Here, he might have won the world title but Alan was forced to travel to challenge Fighting Harada and Lionel Rose, dropping close decisions, and was stopped in two rounds by "Rockabye" Ruben Olivares in Los Angeles in 1969. All three champions were probably unbeatable at the time Rudkin faced them, and Alan was inexperienced when he took Harada the full 15 rounds in Tokyo in 1965.

Fresh-faced and with a mop of sandy hair, Alan looked very much the Beatle in his early career and first caught the eye as an amateur as part of the legendary Great Britain side which whitewashed the USA 10-0 at Wembley in 1961. Unlike Billy Walker, Rudkin was never a big puncher but destroyed many opponents mentally as he took over during the course of a fight, particularly the course of 15-rounders. Rudkin enjoyed 'sussing' his opponent before reacting. He won the British bantamweight title from Belfast great Johnny Caldwell on a rare stoppage in 10 rounds and enjoyed a fierce rivalry with Scottish great Walter McGowan, with whom he shared two 15-round pure boxing classics, and later saw off domestic challengers Evan Armstrong and Johnny Clark (twice). He also cleaned up in Europe.

His last fight with Walworth’s Clark at the Albert Hall in 1972 is arguably the best domestic bantamweight scrap ever seen on these shores, and Rudkin won it to leave the sport on a high and a huge void among the smaller weights in this country.

Sadly, Alan never really found meaning to his life after boxing. He ran pubs but too many idiots wanted to fight him, but he developed an inevitable liking for drink and you wonder why he was out in the early hours of Wednesday, although he was close to his city centre home.

Boxing historian Derek O’Dell saw him on Saturday night at the Shoreditch Town Hall bash, attended by hundreds of fighters who fought at the legendary cockpit arena, including Alan himself, and Alan "seemed a bit quiet" but perked up when he was reunited with Clark. Make no mistake, Alan Rudkin was right out of the boxing textbook, a complete fighter with every shot in the book, good stamina, defence and a brilliant boxing brain.

He is - and always will be - one of our boxing greats.

Ruben Olivares vs Alan Rudkin

The Forum, Inglewood, California

December 12, 1969

By Rick Farris

Alan Rudkin . . .

I'm truly saddened to learn of his death. I met Rudkin briefly in 1969, when he came to L.A. to challenge the great Ruben Olivares for the World Bantamweight title. We talked, and I told him I had family in England. I was well aware that he was in for a bad night when he faced Olivares, just as Lionel Rose was a few months earlier when Ruben won the title in the same ring.

In the early sixties, when I began following boxing, I prefered the lower weight classes, especially bantam and featherweights. I was always partial to the great Mexican fighters, but my British bloodline led me to keep an eye on boxers from the U.K. and one of them was Alan Rudkin. I remember reading about Alan in Boxing Illustrated, a big feature story that claimed that Rudkin had been a school mate with a couple of the Beatles. He'd given both Fighting Harada and Lionel Rose a good go in his earlier attempts to win the title. I knew Harada was a great bantam, and Rudkin had done himself and Great Britain proud in his attempt to bring home the 118lb. title.

I remember sitting with my dad at the Forum the night he stepped into the ring with Olivares. The Mexican crowd was just as tough on a challenger as the great talent from below the border. Rudkin entered the ring to the sound of boos. More than 18,000 packed the Forum that night, hundreds had made the journey from below the border to cheer on Olivares, many of the same fans that had rioted the previous year when Rose edged Chucho Castillo in the same ring. The only ones in the house rooting for Alan Rudkin were a small group of British who lived in Southern Cal, but their cheers were drown out by the explosive Mexican crowd. Olivares entered the ring to the sound of Mariachi music, firecracker and cherry bomb explosions and a thunderous ovation.

At the time, Alan Rudkin was at the end of his career, this was his last shot, and he faced overwhelming odds when the bell rang.
About half way thru the opening round, Olivares sent the game Brit to the canvas. In round two, Rudkin was floored twice, the last time for good. I didn't expect much different, in my 17-year-old heart I believed that Ruben Olivares was the most dangerous knockout puncher in boxing and his record supported my belief.

At the time, I was living with my Grandmother, who was born in London nearly 70 years previous. She wasn't a boxing fan, but I had told her I was going to see an English bantam challenge for a world title. I had told her about Rudkin after meeting him at the Alexandria Hotel, where he had trained for the fight. The next morning she asked, "How did the boy from Liverpool do last night?" I told her he didn't last long, but few did against Olivares. At least he made a good paycheck for the evening.

Forty-one years have passed since that night at the Forum, and now I learn that this game English battler has now passed himself. I did not know Alan Rudkin, but our paths crossed briefly. When he came to town to fight for the bantam title, I was well aware of who he was. When we spoke, I liked him and was honored to meet a man I'd read about many times as I grew up in boxing.

Ever since reading Bennie's post on my I-Phone today while working, I've thought about Alan Rudkin.
Rest in peace, champ. You are a part of boxing history. God bless your soul.

Mosley - Mora Post Press Conference

Sugar Shane Mosley vs Sergio Mora: It's a (Boring) Draw

Photos courtesy of the Los Angeles Times

By Randy De La O

Daniel Ponce De Leon vs. Antonio Escalante

It was a tough loss for El Paso’s Antonio Escalante Saturday night at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Escalante was stopped in the third round of their scheduled twelve round WBO Title elimination bout. I thought Escalante was holding his own against De Leon before he was stopped.  Going into the fight, trainer Louie Burke had some concern over Escalante having some trouble making weight. That may have been a factor in the fight.  Escalante showed some promise in this fight and one loss, KO or otherwise is not the end of a career. The best remedy for a loss is a little rest and then back to the gym.

De Leon still has some fight in him and is now the mandatory challenger to world featherweight champion Juan Manuel Lopez.

Victor Ortiz vs. Vivian Harris

I have to admit, I didn’t think too much of Victor Ortiz before this fight, and I’m not exactly a fan just yet  but I have to give him some credit  in his effort to redeem himself after quitting against Marcos Maidana. Everyone deserves a second chance. Ortiz handled himself well against the veteran Harris, though to be fair, Harris has seen better days and I don’t think he gave Ortiz the kind of fight that would have answered some questions about Ortiz. In other words this was the perfect fight for Ortiz to shine. To his credit Ortiz took a few good right hands from Harris in the fight and shook them off as he continued to press the fight. Harris was Ko’ed in the third round. The jury is still out.

Saul Alvarez Ko's Carlos Baldomir

Saul “Canelo” Alvarez vs. Carlos Baldomir

I couldn’t help mentioning to my pal Ed Hernandez Saturday night, as we watched Alvarez make his ring walk and ring entrance, that we  were looking at a very special fighter, someone poised for greatness. His fight with Carlos Baldomir seemed to put a stamp on it. Alvarez is a well trained fighter and shows skills far beyond his twenty years. There is an old school aura that seems to permeate the air around him.

Former fighter and current boxing historian and writer, Rick Farris,  had this to say about Alvarez: “I know this kid is getting a lot of publicity and I think it's a good thing. I've only seen him in his match with Cotto's brother but I was impressed. The great thing about Alvarez is that he is not a product of amateur boxing. There was a time when the amateurs was a great start to a pro career. As they tried to make amateur boxing "safe", they came up with rules that has taken the fight out of boxing. Basically, today's amateur boxing is ruining the sport. I can understand why the younger generation is gravitating to MMA. People want to see something that suggests a fight, not a game of tag. Alvarez is a solid body puncher, and can come back after being rocked to KO his opponent. He comes to fight. ‘ I couldn’t agree more.


Baldomir seemed angry as he entered the ring, scowling and pushing aside one of his handlers arm. He should have saved some of that anger for Alvarez. Baldomir seemed to break down round by round and had no real answers for Alvarez, who was consistently landing right hands against Baldomir.  It was a right hand by Alvarez and a quickly followed up left hook that finished Baldomir in the sixth round. Saul Alvarez was the main event of the evening.

Sugar Shane Mosley, Sergio Mora and Referee Pat Russell

Sugar Shane Mosley vs. Sergio Mora

There were rumors of a fight between Mosley and Mora Saturday night. We were mislead. Instead of a fight we got an early audition for “Dancing with the Stars”.  I don’t know how else to put it.

Mosley, once an elite, top of the game fighter, is aging quickly now but even with that I thought he beat Mora, in what has to be 2010’s Snoozefest” of the year. Mora is lucky he was facing an aging warrior in Mosley. Mora never has been, and absolutely never will be, in Mosley’s league, not even the same ballpark. I couldn't help but yell for Mosley to knockout Mora and end the fight. It's hard not to root for a guy like Sugar Shane.

To his credit, Mosley at least tried to make a fight of it but his punches no longer have the sting they used to and the hands no longer have that quick fluid motion that scored so many victories. The legs are gone too. Still, he was more than enough for Mora, who did nothing to deserve a gifted draw.

By the way, did anyone else notice the head clash between Bernard Hopkins ans Sugar Shane Mosley just before the introductions? Wouldn't have been something? The fight stopped on cuts caused by an accidental head butt before the fight even started!

A Mini Reunion and a Night at the Fights

Los Primos

(The Cousins)

Rocky Burke, Randy De La O and Louie Burke

Photo Courtesy of
newmexicoboxing.com

Daniel Pnce De leon
and Antonio Escalante

By Randy De La O

My cousins Louie and Rocky Burke, from Las Cruces, New Mexico,  are in town for this weekends fight at the Staples Center in Downtown Los Angeles. Rocky is New Mexico's number one referee and one of the best in the country.  Louie is the trainer of Antonio Escalante, of El Paso, Texas, who will be facing Daniel Ponce De Leon in a WBO title elimination bout on the undercard of the Sugar Shane Mosley vs Sergio Mora fight. According to Louie, Antonio is in "great shape and confident".  De Leon the former WBO Super Bantamweight Champ is looking to restake his claim as the best in his division, Escalante, on a ten fight winning streak has plans of his own. Since blood is thicker than water, I'll be rooting for Escalante.

The Fight between Mosley and Mora should be a good one.  Mosley suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of Floyd Mayweather Jr. in his last fight and has been somewhat inconsistent and shown signs of old age. Still his experience and huge heart make him a dangerous fighter at any time. Mora on the other hand, a former  "Contender" Champion and WBC Light Middleweight Champion, has never quite reached the level enjoyed by Mosley. Mora won and lost the title from the late Vernon Forrest in 2008 and Forrest has two big wins over Mosley. Make of that what you will.

Mora has good boxing skills and if he can utilize his jab and reach and not be suckered into a "fight" by Mosley, he might have a chance to win. The timing of the fight and Mosley's age are on his side. Still, for me, this is a toss up. As always, let the best man win.

Ring Announcers

Jimmy Lennon Sr.

By Bill O'Neill

The performance of a good ring announcer (the guy who stands in the ring and introduces the contestants) can add greatly to a fan’s enjoyment of an evening at the fights.  (NOTE: We’re talking BOXING here; not wrestling or “mixed martial arts.”)

Most boxers have a bit of ham in them, and enjoy hearing their names called out, loudly and correctly pronounced, to the assemblage in an arena.  Those who have nicknames or who are especially proud of their ethnic heritage or where they come from, relish hearing that, too.  It’s a tradition that goes back to boxing’s earliest days, when announcers shouted their introductions through cupped hands, or, to larger audiences, through a bullhorn.

Ring announcers vary as greatly in shape, size, and technique as the warriors they present.  But the best ones deliver their introductions with a sense of style.

The first announcer I remember hearing was the very proper, sophisticated-sounding New Yorker, Harry Balough, on the Friday night radio broadcasts from New York in the 1940s and 1950s.  Harry was sometimes given to more than a little hyperbole, especially in the big fights.  At a Joe Louis title defense he once bellowed, “…And may the more worthy participant emerge triumphantly!”

Balough was followed in New York by dapper little Johnny Addie, who carried on in much the same style, with a fine New York accent.

Meanwhile, here in California, we were graced with the golden-voiced tenor who became the smoothest, classiest, and most articulate ring announcer of them all:  the late Jimmy Lennon, Sr.  Jimmy earned a good living with his voice—not only as a ring announcer, but as a singer, movie actor, voice teacher, and master of ceremonies.  He reigned as “The Voice of the Olympic” and at outdoor shows as well, for perhaps forty years, before yielding to his virtual clone:  Jimmy Lennon, Jr., who carries on the family tradition most capably.

There are some who give high marks to the Top Rank guy, Michael “Let’s get ready to rumble!” Buffer.  Others are partial to Ed Darien, Jose Martinez, or glamorous Amy Hayes.  But for purists—and for Californians, especially, the Lennons are unequaled.

Jimmy Sr. was the protégé of gruff-voiced old Dan Tobey, who manned the microphone right on into his eighties.  Fans at the old Hollywood Legion Stadium loved it when the genial senior citizen would wrap up his announcement of coming attractions by bellowing, “Yess—we have RASSLING here, every Monday night!”  That would always elicit a loud chorus of good-natured boos from the boxing crowd.

My favorite ring announcer story goes back to New York and an affable Irish-American named Joe Humphreys—who, a hundred years ago, was regarded as the best in the business.  When Jack Dempsey defended his heavyweight title against “The Wild Bull of the Pampas,” Luis Angel Firpo, in New York’s Polo Grounds on the evening of Sept. 14, 1923, Joe Humphreys was primed for what promised to be the crowning moment of his career—introducing those two great warriors to an historic gathering of 80,000 fans.

Latin names were not as common in this country in 1923 as they are today, and Humphreys sought the advice of a Spanish teacher to make sure he got the pronunciation of Firpo’s name just right.  On the days leading up to the fight, he practiced over and over:  “Lou-EECE… Ahn-HAIL… FEER-po!”

But on the big night, on the big stage, poor Joe reverted to pure Brooklynese.  He introduced the giant South American as:  “Lou-ISS… Ain-JELL…FOI-po!”

Classic Photos: Charley Norkus vs Charlie Powell

Charley Norkus vs Charlie Powell

October 6, 1954

Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, California

Norkus by 7th Round KO.

A reporter asked what he thinks the outcome will be with the undefeated Powell. My father said that" Lefty ODoul would be wise to advertise on the bottom of Powells shoes". The fight was on National Television."      Charles Norkus Jr.

MANDO RAMOS: Still Punchin’, After All These Years!

(an article written by my friend, retired sports writer Bill O'Niell, in 2004. Mando died on July 6, 2008.)

MANDO RAMOS:
Still Punchin’, After All These Years!

By Bill O'Neill

It is highly unlikely that The Mando Ramos Story will be made into a movie.  Reason:  It has already been done—a hundred times or more.  The script is just too, too familiar, to anyone who has ever sat through a Hollywood “B” movie dealing with boxing.  Check it out, to see if even one cliché is missing:

Poor Latino kid, tired of being pushed around by neighborhood bullies, lashes out and flattens one.  Then another, and another.  He has magic in his fists.  His father takes him to the neighborhood boxing gym, where a grizzled old trainer recognizes his talent and refines it, over the course of several years, until the kid, at age 16, is whacking the daylights out of main-event professionals in gym sparring sessions.

The kid breaks away from the old trainer, and hooks up with a hot-shot manager who has “connections.”  He lies about his age, gets a pro license, and starts whipping everything in sight. The promoter loves him, and so do the fans.  He goes straight to the top—becoming the youngest man ever to win the world lightweight title.  The money rolls in, and it is widely predicted that he will be champion for as long as he wishes to be.  He marries a beautiful and virtuous girl from a good family, buys a home, and settles down—for about fifteen minutes.

Along the way, he has picked up a lot of new friends—a few of them good people, who will stick by him—but a lot of them bad people, with bad habits, who are only too eager to help the young champ spend his money.   From that point on, his fortunes take a downward turn.  A hidden alcohol-abuse problem that began when the kid was a pre-teen is suddenly an unmanageable thing—complicated by frequent use of marijuana and various pills—uppers, downers, and in-betweeners.   His marriage falls apart, but he goes on fighting at a world-class level, hiding his substance-abuse problem from the press, the public, and even his management team.

All too soon, the destructive lifestyle does him in.  He becomes the youngest man ever to LOSE the world lightweight title; and he loses other fights, to guys he should handle easily.  He begins shooting heroin, with his brother—and wakes up one morning to find his brother foaming at the mouth, dead from an overdose.   He hits absolute rock-bottom when he is starched in two rounds in Las Vegas, by a complete bum.  Still in his mid-twenties, he is finished as a boxer and, to all appearances, as a human being.  His fair-weather friends, many of whom owe him money, have all disappeared.                                                          

And then, miraculously, an angel enters the picture.  She is a lovely blonde, named Sylvia.  She finds him sleeping in an abandoned car, covered in filth, babbling incoherently when he tries to talk.   And slowly, with a rare combination of patience, understanding, and tough love, she nurses him back to physical and mental health.  She guides him into Alcoholics Anonymous, and he soon finds himself helping others deal with their addictions.

So you see why the story would never work as a screenplay.  It has been done too many times.  But the twist is that this time, the story is completely true.  Armando Ramos, the kid who had everything and lost it all, has come back—all the way to respectability, and much more.  He is now a retired longshoreman, living with Sylvia, his wife of 30 years, in a beautiful home on a hill overlooking San Pedro, California.   In spite of a chronic problem with his back that necessitated recent surgery, he is still a battler.  The big thing in his life today—aside from Sylvia, and his son Mando, Jr. and his four grandchildren—is the organization that he founded, called BAAD (Boxing  Against Alcohol and Drugs).

No longer a lightweight, but still looking good at a not-so-svelte 250 pounds, the champ carries his message to kids in schools and churches and youth groups whenever and wherever invited, speaking out against substance abuse in all its forms.  He would like to see boxing reinstated as an interscholastic sport.  And, above all, he is pushing to have sanctioning bodies everywhere (WBA, WBC, WBO, IBF, etc., and all state athletic commissions) require of boxers that before they are licensed to box professionally, they must enter some kind of vocational training program to prepare them for life after their ring career has run its course.

“Too many guys,” says the former champ, “spend ten or fifteen years in the ring, and walk away with nothing, and no skill to fall back on.  If they knew how to work construction, or drive a truck, or be a mechanic or a plumber or something like that, it would make all the difference in the world.  A guy can’t go on fighting forever; and the reason a lot of them stay in the ring too long is because they don’t know how to do anything else.”

The BAAD Harbor Boxing Club is located at 1505 Pacific Avenue, in San Pedro.  It is open from approximately 12 noon til 7 p.m., Monday thru Friday, with Mando’s partner, Alex Martinez, sharing the management and physical instruction duties.  A fund-raiser, featuring amateur boxers from the Harbor Area, will be held at the club on Saturday, July 3.

By Bill O’Neill
Retired Boxing Journalist
Riverside, CA
June 27, 2004