Book Review: Latino Boxing in Southern California

Latino Boxing in Southern California

Author: Gene Aguilera

Publisher: Arcadia Publishing

Carlos Palomino vs Wilfredo Rivera
Olympic Auditorium 1998

By Randy De La O

"The other night I had a dream I fought Rafeal Herrera. And you know what? He knocked me out again. Not even in my dreams can I beat this guy."  -Ruben Olivares

Author Gene Aguilera's latest book on boxing: Latino Boxing in Southern California (Arcadia Publishing) is another fistic hit. Following on the heels of his previous book, "Mexican American Boxing in Los Angeles", Aguilera has positioned himself as one of the premiere chroniclers of boxing in the Southland and specifically the boxing world as seen through the eyes of the Latino boxing community.

This book, like so many of the fighters he writes about, has heart. I can appreciate that. Growing up in the Los Angeles area and having a father who was a boxer in the U.S. Army and a lifelong fan of boxing, it was hard not to become a fan and for a brief time; a boxer. I am familiar with many of the names mentioned in the book. It brings the past alive for me. Names like Roberto Duran, Art Aragon, Ruben Olivares, Bobby Chacon, Alexis Arguello, Lauro Salas, Julio Cesar Chavez, Salvador Sanchez and so many more fill the pages of his book, as well as such venues as; the Olympic Auditorium, the Fabulous Forum, the Los Angeles Sports Arena and the Main Street Gym. All familiar names to West Coast boxing fans.

He takes us on a chronological journey through time beginning with the early years of boxing in Southern California in the 1900's and the ensuing decades. That Mexicans, Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans and Latinos in general have become a dominate force in boxing is beyond dispute. They were exciting times and Southern California was the center of it all. He chronicles that rise in his book.

The book has something for boxing fans at any level and is filled with plenty of photos; fight posters, programs  and magazine covers, as well as personal photos of the author in his younger days.

Mr. Aguilera uses his personal experience and his own encyclopediac sense of boxing history to produce another fine book on Los Angeles and Southern California's proper place in boxing's storied history. It is a good read and what's more, it is a book my father would have loved. Do yourself a favor and get a copy.

A Trifecta of Boxing Books by Author Jerry Fitch

By Randy De La O

I hit the trifecta when I ordered these three books recently from my friend, boxing historian and author, Jerry Fitch. All three books were personally autographed to me by Jerry. That was appreciated.

I have finished reading "Cleveland's Greatest Fighters of All Time". If I was not aware of Cleveland's place in boxing history before, I am now. Jerry's research, knowledge and personal history is evident throughout the book. Beginning with Johnny Kilbane, each chapter gives us an intimate insight into the fighters life, inside and outside the ring.

Next up for me is "James Louis Bivens - The Man Who Would be Champion". The last book in the trio is "Fifty Years of Fights, Fighters and Friendships". You can order the books through Amazon.com or you can order the books directly through Jerry Fitch.

Despite having read only one of the three books I am going to recommend all three on the strength of "Cleveland's Greatest Fighters of All Time". If anything changes I will let you know.

You can order Jerry's books on Amazon.com or directly from Jerry at JerryFitch@aol.com

Book Review: Mexican American Boxing in Los Angeles by Gene Aguilera

By Randy De La O

“To a boxing fan, it is the greatest sport in the world. A boxer is an isolated gladiator in the ring, no teammates to help out, only your opponent stands in front of you. Promoter George Parnassus said “In boxing it is one man by himself, against one man, all alone. That is what it comes down to, does it not, to know which man is the best?” An understated irony is that one minute you are at war and the next minute you are hugging like best of friends, like turning off a light switch” - Gene Aguilera


Mexican American Boxing in Los Angeles by Gene Aguilara is a like a walk down memory lane for me  and it is long overdue. Los Angeles fighters, and West Coast fighters in general have become synonymous with courage and  heart. The rich history of boxing in Los Angeles is on par with any city in America. Gene Aguilera brings that history to the forefront for boxing fans.

Aguilera's book is a pictorial history of Mexican Americans boxers in Los Angeles but it is much more than than that; with stories, bios and notations with every photo, he covers the gamut of boxing in L.A., from the early 1900 to the present day, from Aurelio Herrera, Mexican Joe Rivers and Whittier's own, Bert Colima to mid century fighters like; Manuel Ortiz, Enrique Bolanos and Art Aragon, and beyond. It stands as a definitive reference book.

I suppose, like most fight fans, I look at the era that I grew up with as the most meaningful and personal and that would be from the 1960's and up. All the familiar names are there; Mando Ramos, Rodolfo “El Gato” Gonzalez, Bobby Chacon, Danny “Little Red” Lopez, Herman Montes (Herman is on the cover of the book), John Montes, Frankie Baltazar Jr. and Tony Baltazar. Some were champs, some were contenders but they all fought their hearts out for their fans. The great fight venues are also covered in this book; The Forum, The Hollywood Legion Stadium, the Olympic Auditorium and more. The author gives us an up close and personal view of the fight town that is Los Angeles.

I enjoyed this book and I understand the author's passion. I recommend Mexican American Boxing in Los Angeles to any and all boxing aficionados,. You do not have to be Mexican American to enjoy this book. Do yourself a favor and get a copy.

Mr. Aguilera wiil be signing his book, along with his special guest, Herman Montes and other  boxers from  Los Angeles' past, Saturday, May 3 at 3:00pm - 5:00pm, at Chevalier's Books, located at 126 N Larchmont Blvd, West Hollywood, California 90004

The Good Son: The Life of Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini By Mark Kriegel

The Good Son

The Life of Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini

By Mark Kriegel

By Randy De La O

Kudos to Mark Kriegel for his brutally honest telling of the life of Ray Mancini, former lightweight champion and one of the more popular and beloved fighters of the 1980's, arguably one of boxing's greatest era. Kudos to Ray Mancini as well, for his willingness to share his story, character flaws and all.  Kriegel and Mancini do not sugar coat his life and Mancini, to his credit, makes no excuses. I saw every one of Mancini's nationally televised fights back in the day. I saw all the ups and downs. I'm familiar with his career as a fighter and with the type of fighter that he was.  Mancini's style can only be described as “All Heart”, and it was his big heart that took him beyond his own physical abilities. Ray Mancini is what we like to call. an honest fighter It is this type of fighter to which I am almost always invariably drawn to.

It's no secret to anyone that has followed Ray Mancini's career, or boxing for that matter, that his story begins with his father; Lenny “Boom Boom” Mancini. It was the basis for his own motivation to fight and it was his belief that but for WWII and the injuries that his father incurred, he might have been a champion. Lenny's own story would make for one hell of a movie. It was Ray Mancini's soul driven quest to win a title for his father.

Kriegal begins his story with Ray's grandfather, Nicola “Nick” Mancino (Mancino is the original spelling). It was Nick who left Sicily in 1913 to come to America and ultimately settled in Youngstown, Ohio, a once thriving steel town. This was the genesis for the Mancini's in this country. Lenny's own story though proves to be every bit as compelling as Ray's, maybe even more so. Kriegel does his homework on Lenny and paints a picture of a tough hard fighting young man, who knew only one way to live and to fight, and that was forward, just keep moving forward. It was that “Forward “gene that was passed on to his sons, Lenny Jr and Ray, especially Ray.

I don't want to spoil the book for anyone that has yet to read it so I'm not going to go into every little detail but I do want try and capture the essence of this book which I believe to be a well constructed story of a man's life. While most of us know the story of Ray Mancini the boxer, we don't really know Ray Mancini the man. Mark Kriegel introduces us to Ray Mancini the son, brother, husband , father and friend.

Kriegel takes us chronologically through Ray's fights , including his heartbreaking knockout loss to Alexis Arguello in 1981 and to his title winning effort on May 8, 1982 when he stopped lightweight champ Art Frias and captured the WBA Lightweight title. Frias was stopped in the first round of a short but exciting back and forth fight.

Mancini lands a right uppercut on Duk Koo Kim

The cornerstone of this book and the pivotal point in Ray's life was Ray's fight on November 13, 1982 with the unknown and seemingly over matched fighter from Korea, Duk Koo Kim. After a hellacious fight that caught everyone off guard, including Mancini. Mancini, as was his way, fought moving forward and throwing everything he had but in Kim, Mancini had met his match. At least until the 14th round when Kim was felled by a Mancini right hand. Kim made a valiant effort to rise but the fight was immediately stopped by referee Richard Green. Seconds later Kim fell into a coma and died a few days later as a result of injuries sustained during the fight. For Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini, Lightweight champion of the world, life would never be the same again. Three months later Kim's mother would commit suicide and sometime later so would referee Richard Green.

Kriegal painstakingly takes us through Duk Koo Kim's life and the circumstances leading up to his fight with Mancini. He does the same for Bobby Chacon and for most of the detailed characters in his book. It is that detail that gives life to the Good Son and makes it such a good read.

The death of his brother Lenny, the death of Kim, the suicides of Kim's mother and Richard Green, the eventual loss of his lightweight title to Livingstone Bramble and his failure to recapture the title all led to Mancini's feeling of being overwhelmed by life and circumstances. Who wouldn't be? We can all relate and it is in this part of the book that Kriegel  really excels and shows us an unseen side of Ray Mancini the man.

Ray Mancini was a blue collar fighter if ever there was one. He fought not only for his father but for the people of Youngstown, Ohio and Italian Americans everywhere. This was his strength and his burden.  He was also a man in perpetual need of adoration and he didn't always handle that so well. In this book we learn that ultimately Ray Mancini is just a man trying to do what the rest of us are doing, and that is survive the best way we know how, one foot in front of the other, always moving forward. This is the lesson that Ray has learned as his quest evolved from seeking a title for his father to seeking peace of mind and contentment for himself. In the ring or out, you can't help but root for Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini to win.

JIM MURRAY ; The Last Of The Best

By Jim Amato

I've had the great opportunity to read many books. Most of which were related to boxing, baseball and football. One of my favorite books is Jimmy Cannon's "Nobody Asked Me, But...". Although less then half the book is devoted to my three sports, the 90 or so pages that were are to me, priceless. I still have the worn paperback edition and it will not leave my collection until I find a nice hard back copy somewhere. They didn't make writers like Jimmy Cannon any more, or so I thought.

Over the years the name of sportswriter Jim Murray kept coming to my attention. He was basically a west coast writer so I was very unfamiliar with his work. Then I saw his book "The Last Of The Best" and decided to take a chance. Realizing that Mr. Murray had passed away I found this book to be a compilation of his articles and essays. Guess what I found out ? They did still make writers like that up until Murray's death. Again I read only the subjects that interested me.

Jim Murray was old school. He traveled with the players. He played golf with owners . He had a terrific understanding of what he was writing about. He had a great gift of putting his words together like painting a picture. He made you feel like you were right there with him as he covered an event. He enlightened and educated his readers and he had a knack for humoring them too.

Since I grew up in Cleveland, Ohio I was not really aware of Jim Murray's work. I am now and I'm a much more knowledgeable person for reading it. Jimmy Cannon and Jim Murray. I tip my hat to two of the best writers that ever lived.

Charley Burley: The Life and Hard Times of an Uncrowned Champion by Allen S. Rosenfeld

This book is not so easily defined. It is a biography but it is so much more than that. It is more akin to a documentary. It covers a period of time in boxing that is almost past the memory of fans of the Sweet Science. To some degree, It is also a primer on race relations in America, in a time when racial prejudice was widely accepted as the norm, both in sports and society as a whole. This book could also be used as a textbook for a course on boxing history at any level. It not only covers the middleweight division but the welterweights and light heavyweight divisions as well, albeit to a lesser degree.

Charley Burley, The Life and Hard Times of an Uncrowned Champion, is author Allen S. Rosenfeld’s opus. That his blood, sweat and tears went into this book is obvious from the onset. What sets this book apart from most books is his inclusion of historic articles from the various sports writers and newspapers across the country, as opposed to an occasional quote. No stone was left unturned in the telling of Charley Burley’s story.

The following paragraph’s from page 173 of the book says a lot about Burley’s character, especially considering the times in which he lived and fought.

With all the action swirling around Pittsburgh, Burley got involved. He signed to take a turn with tough Kenny LaSalle. The Pittsburgh Press acknowledged Charley had been underrated. But it warned that if LaSalle hit Burley as often as he had Zivic he might kayo Burley. And Burley made one of his rare pronouncements:

“I beat Zivic twice-and even if he should beat Angott, I should be the one in there with Armstrong. And if Zivic is at ringside tonight, I’ll show him how to knock out the fellow who beat him here two weeks ago but failed to get the decision”. Quite a pronouncement!

The book does not sugar coat Burley’s career and gives us an honest snapshot at what some sports writers thought of him as shown by these two opposing views written by Regis M. Walsh, sports writer for The Pittsburgh Press: Following Burley’s win over the Cocoa Kid, Welsh wrote: “Move over - John Henry Lewis - move over and make room for another negro “champion” who calls the Hill District his home. Not a bona-fide, genuine titleholder like you are, but a vigorous, willing lad, today the possessor of a rather synthetic crown labeled “Colored Welterweight Champion”

A year later after his fight with Jimmy Leto, Welsh writes: “Burley’s retrogression in form is more or less pitiable. His win over Leto in ten boo-producing rounds was his third successive bad performance. He beat Fritzie Zivic in one of them, lost to Leto earlier in another-and last night’s was no better. The crowd was not bashful in venting venom in this one. Both leto and burley, 149, had better stay away from Henry Armstrong or who ever is welter champion” Pretty strong words.

In a career that spanned from 1936 to 1950, Burley’s career is marked as much by those he did not fight as much as it was by those he did. He beat Archie Moore but lost to Ezzard Charles twice. He had a fierce rivalry with Frtitzie Zivic that is well covered in the book. He never fought Rocky Graziano, Jake LaMotta , and most notably Sugar Ray Robinson. With 83 wins and 50 knockouts, 12 losses and 2 draws, Burley’s record is not perfect but it is a damned good one.

There is a section in the book entitled: Remembering a Friend by Frank E. Bolden. Bolden says this about Robinson and Burley: "Some of the local and national sportswriters said that Burley was afraid to fight Robinson. This is not true. In fact just the opposite is the case. When I was working in Detroit in 1946, Sugar Ray was there to fight Cecil Hudson. One evening at dinner Sugar Ray in answer to my question said he would never fight Charley because "I have seen him fight and I don't think I can beat him at this time". Ultimately, you will have to draw your own conclusions.

There are a few historic photos scattered throughout the book, and they are appreciated. Some are not as clear as I might have liked but it takes nothing away from the book.

I recommend Charley Burley: The Life and Hard Times of an Uncrowned Champion to anyone that loves boxing, it’s history and it’s rich collection of characters, and to any one that enjoys a good read. Rosenfeld’s heartfelt book brings them back into our consciousness.

Charley Burley's Career record at BoxRec.com

Charley Burley: The Life and Hard Times of an Uncrowned Champion @ Amazon.Com

Book Review: Mi Vida Loca, The Crazy life of Johnny Tapia

If you think you’ve had a tough life, read this book and then count your blessings!. "Mi Vida Loca" by Johnny Tapia and Bettina Gilois, is a tough book to put down, once you start reading. Johnny takes us with him on his tortured journey though his childhood, his young manhood and his boxing career. He asks us several times throughout the book, if he is lucky or unlucky. A lot of both would be my guess. Johnny’s mother was murdered when he was eight, where he went to live with his grandparents , aunts and uncles. He suffered a lot of abuse from his family, but none more hurtful then the scorn and anger heaped upon him by his grandfather, whom he worshipped. Throughout his life it remained a difficult situation.

It takes us through the beginning of his boxing career with trainer/manager Paul Chavez, his drug addiction, his wife Teresa, whom ultimately became his manager and his five world titles.. The book is an easy read and is told in a pretty straightforward manner. You can almost hear Tapia’s voice as you read. If there is a problem with the book, it is in the editing . There are a few areas that I had to read through several times because of a missing word, a word that didn’t belong in the sentence, or a repeated paragraph. But the story it self was very compelling and I recommend it to anyone that loves boxing, and even if you don’t, it still makes great reading.

Tapia won five professional titles in three weight divisions; the WBO and IBF Junior Bantamweight titles, WBA and WBO Bantamweight titles, and IBF Featherweight title. As an amateur he won two National Golden Gloves titles. The biggest win of his life though remains his victory of drug addiction and depression.

Johnny Tapia's Career Record at BoxRec.com

Teddy Atlas From The Streets To The Ring: A Son's Struggle To Become A Man

By Teddy Atlas and Peter Alson

This is one of the better boxing books that I have read in quite a while. This is not just the story of a man’s journey through the boxing world, but of a man’s journey through life, that happens to take place in the world of boxing. You don’t have to be a fan of boxing to enjoy this book, but it probably helps to know the characters Atlas is writing about. Teddy Atlas was born into an established but dysfunctional family, headed by a father that was unable to give him (at least on the surface) the love and approval he needed.

Atlas wisely does not over dwell on his association with Mike Tyson, but gives a matter of fact and honest account of his time with Tyson, and with Cus D’Amato, his mentor and surrogate father. The most compelling areas of the book are when Atlas reveals his own dark side, particularly when describing how he was planning Donny Lalonde’s murder, which fortunately for both Atlas and Lalonde, never happened. Also intriguing is Atlas' take on the pychological aspect of boxing, which plays a large part in his coaching and method style.

Atlas is my favorite boxing trainer, simply because he puts loyalty, honor and truth above money and fame. He’s an old school trainer, and as a motivator he has no equal (with the possible exception of Angelo Dundee).The best moments of the book are saved for the last half of the book, focusing on his years with former heavyweight Champion Michael Moorer, and reaching the pinnacle of his profession and establishing himself as one of the top trainers in the world. After a career that had many ups and downs Teddy Atlas is living the life he worked hard for. He is a top color commentator for ESPN’s Friday Night Boxing, works with the poor and needy through The Dr. Theodore A. Atlas Foundation, founded in his father’s name, and is spending time with his family,and deservedly so. This book doesn’t just go the distance, it’s a knockout! (a cliché, I know, but true)