Sunday, June 14, 2009
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Roger Esty and Mando Muniz
I'm happy to say that my friend, San Diego artist Roger Esty will be showcasing his paintings at the World Boxing Hall of Fame this year. His art work will also be gracing the cover of the WBHF's 2009 program cover. Congratulations Rog! Kudos to Rick Farris for his hard work in making it happen.
The World Boxing Hall of Fame is very lucky to have Roger on it's team.
When you think of all the postive energy that flows thru a person when they experience the gratification of artistic recognition, well, it's a gift.
Lot's of people have receieved that gift thru Roger.
Now, the special fighters we respect will experience that feeling.
It may not be unique to them, but something they hadn't felt in ages.
It will rub off on fans, that energy. I've seen it happen.
All this from one man's hands & eyes.
We are all imperfect, but most of us have something that is perfect, if only the world could see it.
Something that defines our spirit.
You can see it in all of Roger's paintings. The fighters spirit, and the artists spirit.
Together they are a powerful force, that's what I see and feel.
Personally, I can't wait to see the cover of this year's World Boxing Hall of Fame banquet program.
That publication will be permanently kept at:
The United States Capitol Historical Society
200 Maryland Ave. Washington D.C. 20505
Los angeles County Museum of Natural History
900 Exposition Bvd. Los Angeles, Calif. 90007
Bancroft Library, University of California
Berkley, Calif. 94720
This is going to be the first historically correct program with regard to our "honor roll" in years.
If it's not, look in my direction because I'm responsible.
The first thing that people will notice is the cover. It has to be special.
We can rest easy on that one. This year we have Roger.
-Rick Farris
Photo by Rick Farris
"Roger Esty and Armando Muniz review photos of Roger's paintings at WBHOF Director's meeting today." Rick Farris
"El Pintor De Los Campeones"
The World Boxing Hall of Fame is very lucky to have Roger on it's team.
When you think of all the postive energy that flows thru a person when they experience the gratification of artistic recognition, well, it's a gift.
Lot's of people have receieved that gift thru Roger.
Now, the special fighters we respect will experience that feeling.
It may not be unique to them, but something they hadn't felt in ages.
It will rub off on fans, that energy. I've seen it happen.
All this from one man's hands & eyes.
We are all imperfect, but most of us have something that is perfect, if only the world could see it.
Something that defines our spirit.
You can see it in all of Roger's paintings. The fighters spirit, and the artists spirit.
Together they are a powerful force, that's what I see and feel.
Personally, I can't wait to see the cover of this year's World Boxing Hall of Fame banquet program.
That publication will be permanently kept at:
The United States Capitol Historical Society
200 Maryland Ave. Washington D.C. 20505
Los angeles County Museum of Natural History
900 Exposition Bvd. Los Angeles, Calif. 90007
Bancroft Library, University of California
Berkley, Calif. 94720
This is going to be the first historically correct program with regard to our "honor roll" in years.
If it's not, look in my direction because I'm responsible.
The first thing that people will notice is the cover. It has to be special.
We can rest easy on that one. This year we have Roger.
-Rick Farris
Thursday, June 11, 2009
The Gil Cadilli Story - By Gil Cadilli Jr.
Courtesy of Frank Baltazar Sr
A great video and a fine tribute to his father Gil Cadilli by Gil Cadilli Jr. This is a good follow up to the previous post by Frank. There is also some good footage of Gil Cadilli vs Keeny Teran at the Hollywood Legion Stadium, June 22, 1951.
A great video and a fine tribute to his father Gil Cadilli by Gil Cadilli Jr. This is a good follow up to the previous post by Frank. There is also some good footage of Gil Cadilli vs Keeny Teran at the Hollywood Legion Stadium, June 22, 1951.
Keeny Teran Bares Facts on Fight With Kid H.
Paul V. Coates -- Confidential File, June 10, 1959
Keeny Teran's back home.
The former boy wonder of boxing who went sour on narcotics is, at the age of 28, going to give life another try.
This week, he finished a three-year stretch at Soledad State Prison. The crime that sent him there -- peddling heroin -- was just one of the hundreds of stories that kept Keeny in the headlines here for a decade.
In his glorious, notorious life, boxing's most publicized bad boy was jailed for burglary and dope, crowned as California's and NorthAmerican's bantam weight champion, and credited, in 1952, for the most courageous comeback in the history of the ring.
Yesterday, Keeny Teran sat down with me only hours after he walked through the prison gates, to discuss the next chapter in his life.
And he admitted that it might be a pretty dull one, so far as newspaper headlines are concerned.
"I'm going to try to do things right," he told me. "When I was at Soledad, I didn't serve time. I made it serve me. I read everything I could get my hands on."
"What kind of books?" I asked.
"Well, like one on the life of Teddy Roosevelt. I really picked up on him."
In prison Keeny became editor of the paper. He also went to school for three and a half hours a days until he made up enough credits to get his high school diploma.
"On the outside I was always too busy with boxing," he explained, adding softly, "and other things."
"Other things" included a taste for marijuana at the age of 11 and a side career as an addict which started with his first fix of heroin the day before his 15th birthday.
With no trace of false pride or tough guy in his voice, Keeny talked about those days.
"Nobody forced me. Nobody offered it to me. I just took it," he said. "Dope is its own agent. I just thought it won't happen to me. I'mKeeny."
Just about all through my boxing career I was hooked," he added. "That's something most people don't realize."
In June of 1952, after 17 straight wins, the kid lost to Tommy Umeda. "Before that, I was just using mildly," he said. "But when I lost that fight, it broke my heart. I figured I was indestructible. I couldn't lose.
"After that is when I stated using heavy."
By the end of that year Keeny was back on top of the world. He'd reversed the Umeda decision and for five weeks "beaten" the habit long enough to have everybody in Hollywood begging to do his life story.
"I had everything to live for," he said. But his habit was bigger than he was. He fought some more, won some good fights, lost a few -- and all the time he was fooling the State Athletic Commission doctors.
"Say we'd weigh in at 12 o'clock. I'd take my fix at 1 o'clock. then I'd wait until after 8 o'clock examination at the arena to fix again. I'd spread them around all over my body. No tracks that way."
I asked Keeny if some more boxing might be in his future.
"Right now," he said, "I just don't know. I feel fine. I worked out all the time up there. I've never been in better shape.
"But who knows what the boxing commission is thinking of me now?"
Today's Today and That's for Me
"What I'd like to do," Keeny added, "is get a job in an office. I'd like to be sports writer, but I know I'm not ready. I learned a lot up there, but I still sweat blood getting one little column done.
"Another thing," the grown-up kid went on, "I'm no crusader. I'm not going to go around telling what a bad guy I was and how wrong I was. Right now I'm going to take each day one by one, and make it my job to take care ofKeeny."
I hope he does a helluva good job.
Keeny Teran's back home.
The former boy wonder of boxing who went sour on narcotics is, at the age of 28, going to give life another try.
This week, he finished a three-year stretch at Soledad State Prison. The crime that sent him there -- peddling heroin -- was just one of the hundreds of stories that kept Keeny in the headlines here for a decade.
In his glorious, notorious life, boxing's most publicized bad boy was jailed for burglary and dope, crowned as California's and NorthAmerican's bantam weight champion, and credited, in 1952, for the most courageous comeback in the history of the ring.
Yesterday, Keeny Teran sat down with me only hours after he walked through the prison gates, to discuss the next chapter in his life.
And he admitted that it might be a pretty dull one, so far as newspaper headlines are concerned.
"I'm going to try to do things right," he told me. "When I was at Soledad, I didn't serve time. I made it serve me. I read everything I could get my hands on."
"What kind of books?" I asked.
"Well, like one on the life of Teddy Roosevelt. I really picked up on him."
In prison Keeny became editor of the paper. He also went to school for three and a half hours a days until he made up enough credits to get his high school diploma.
"On the outside I was always too busy with boxing," he explained, adding softly, "and other things."
"Other things" included a taste for marijuana at the age of 11 and a side career as an addict which started with his first fix of heroin the day before his 15th birthday.
With no trace of false pride or tough guy in his voice, Keeny talked about those days.
"Nobody forced me. Nobody offered it to me. I just took it," he said. "Dope is its own agent. I just thought it won't happen to me. I'mKeeny."
Just about all through my boxing career I was hooked," he added. "That's something most people don't realize."
In June of 1952, after 17 straight wins, the kid lost to Tommy Umeda. "Before that, I was just using mildly," he said. "But when I lost that fight, it broke my heart. I figured I was indestructible. I couldn't lose.
"After that is when I stated using heavy."
By the end of that year Keeny was back on top of the world. He'd reversed the Umeda decision and for five weeks "beaten" the habit long enough to have everybody in Hollywood begging to do his life story.
"I had everything to live for," he said. But his habit was bigger than he was. He fought some more, won some good fights, lost a few -- and all the time he was fooling the State Athletic Commission doctors.
"Say we'd weigh in at 12 o'clock. I'd take my fix at 1 o'clock. then I'd wait until after 8 o'clock examination at the arena to fix again. I'd spread them around all over my body. No tracks that way."
I asked Keeny if some more boxing might be in his future.
"Right now," he said, "I just don't know. I feel fine. I worked out all the time up there. I've never been in better shape.
"But who knows what the boxing commission is thinking of me now?"
Today's Today and That's for Me
"What I'd like to do," Keeny added, "is get a job in an office. I'd like to be sports writer, but I know I'm not ready. I learned a lot up there, but I still sweat blood getting one little column done.
"Another thing," the grown-up kid went on, "I'm no crusader. I'm not going to go around telling what a bad guy I was and how wrong I was. Right now I'm going to take each day one by one, and make it my job to take care ofKeeny."
I hope he does a helluva good job.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Friday, June 5, 2009
1969 Southern Pacific A.A.U. Champions, El Monte Legion Stadium
Photo courtesy of Rick Farris
1969 Southern Pacific A.A.U. Champions, El Monte Legion Stadium
(top row) Pete Despart, ?, ?, Mike Quarry, ?, ?, James Dick, Jake Horn, "Kit" Boursse', Manny Diaz, Memo Soto.
(bottom row) Ernie DeFrance, Pete Vital Sr, Pete Vital Jr., Florentino Ramirez, Rudy "Porky" Acuna, Rick Farris, Tommy Coulson, Henry Verastique.
"As this photo was taken, the Quarry family, and the family of Mike Quarry's opponent, James Dick, were involved in a little disagreement at ringside. It was settled by the riot squad of the El Monte Police Dept". ....Rick Farris
When Irish Eyes Are Smiling . . .
I can be seen in the photo with the rest of our AAU Team for 1969, however, Frank was also there.
As the photographer snapped photos, the team and Frank Baltazar (off camera) enjoyed the safety of the ring.
There was big trouble brewing at ringside.
A Quarry won the last bout. Mike got the nod over a Hillbilly, and the Clampett family wasn't happy.
Lots of things being thrown at ringside- punches, purses, cups of beer, men rolling around the ground in head locks.
A woman's wig suddenly flys thru the air like a platinum pigeon, a cherry bomb explodes.
The majority of the battle is being waged by the women, lots of biting, scratching and kicking. Somebody gets stabbed.
Ma Quarry is brought in to settle the mess, she's wearing high-heels for the first time ever and she ain't happy.
Hard enough to walk in the damn things, now she's gotta fight in them.
A moment later the two old broads are on the ground, Ma Quarry vs. Granny Clampett.
The Riot Squad bursts in, pulls the men apart and cuffs them.
Elly May is maced before she can level Wilma Quarry with a fold-up chair.
The riot squad sees that it's best to deal with the men first, and are slow to approach Ma Quarry as she pounds Granny.
Ma suddenly pins Granny Clampett and jumps to her feet.
A policeman attempts to cuff the mother of the world's #2 ranked heavyweight.
"Get your friggin hands off of me. Can't you see I am a lady?"
Without blinking an eye, the policeman replies, "Yes Mam."
He then moved away to deal with another suspect, brother Jimmy. The Quarry men aren't as dangerous as the women.
Just a typical Saturday evening at the El Monte Legion Stadium.
Irish eyes were smiling.
-Rick Farris
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Classic Fights: Tony Baltazar vs Roger Mayweather
Courtesy of Frank Baltazar Sr.
Tony Baltazar vs Roger Mayweather
July 8, 1984
Country Club, Reseda, California, United States
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