Busted With My Hand in the Halloween Candy Jar

By kiki

Last night as Connie and I were sitting up in bed watching the tube I reached over to my nightstand and got a small bag of M&M candies, and as I was opening the bag of sweets Connie asked me “are you stealing the Halloween candies?” and without losing a beat she said, “you oughtta be ashamed stealing from the little goblins!” I replied to her “steal? No babe, I found this bag of M&M” (I did steal one bag of M&M, okay, I stole three bags) – She said “found them? Look me in the eyes and tell me that” She knows when I am lying because I always crack a smile when I am doing so. So I looked at her and before I could open my mouth to lie to her I smiled “you’re smiling, you stole the candies!” she kinda yelled at me. With that, she started to get off the bed “where are you going?” I asked, “to hide the candies” she answered. Damn! I should have stolen more than three bags!! 

Daydreams of Ghosts that Roam the Olympic Auditorium

Daydreams of Ghosts that Roam the Olympic Auditorium

By kiki

Sometimes I daydream of the boxers, trainers, managers, referees, judges, announcers, and promoters that have left us (most of the fighters I watched fight live or on TV). 

I wanted to list some of the fighters who fought and those who played different roles on fight nite at the Los Angeles' Grand Dame of boxing, The Olympic Auditorium. 

The list is made up from memory; I apologize if I have left some out. Some fighters on this list were top rank fighters who fought for world titles and became champions, some who fought for titles but never became champs, and some, because of the politics in boxing, who never got a title shot. And some on the list never got out of the prelims but fought their hearts out as their dreams of fighting at the famed arena became a reality….In my dreams, I see the ghosts of these fighters sitting around the section unofficially reserved for the boxing community as they josh with each other. I also see ghosts and their ghost ladies shadowboxing down the aisles as they reach their ringside seats.

The list:

Louie Jauregui, Johnnie Flores, Jake Horn, Lou Bernal, Fabela Chavez, Bernard and Maxie Docusen, Lauro Salas, Rudy Jordan, Rudy Garcia, Gil Cadilli, Cisco Andrade, Dave Contreras, Carlos and Al Chavez, Keeny Teran, Ray Luna, Baby Casanova, Enrique Bolanos, Art "Golden Boy" Aragon, Raton Macias, Ricardo "Pajarito" Moreno, Battling Torres, Mando Ramos, Indian (Ernie) Red Lopez, Genero Hernandez, Fidel LaBarba, Jackie Fields, Joe Salas, Jimmy McLarnin, Gig Rooney, George Hansford, Henry Armstrong, Turkey Thompson, Fitzie Fitzpatrick, Chalky Wright, Cal and Aileen Eaton, George Parnassus, Vic "Kid" Ponce, Floyd Patterson, Manuel Ortiz, Babe McCoy, Clarence Henry, Irish Bob Murphy, Jimmy Lennon, Howie Steindler, Don Jordan, Ramon and Jesse Fuentes, Jose Luis and Armando Cotero, Billy Peacock, Duke Holloway, Canto and Joe Robleto, Kid Gavilan, Irvin Berman, Raul Rojas, Frankie Crawford, Jackie McCoy, Jake Shugrue, Norm Lockwood, Harry Kabakoff, Ralph Gambina, Eddie Futch, Frankie and Juan Luis Campos, Dan Tobey, Willie Bean, Chuck Bodak, John Cabrera, Don and Lorraine Chargin, Rudy Cruz, Lou Filippo, Ruth Fraser, Jimmy Harryman, Dynamite Jackson, Georgie Latka, Jimmy McDaniels, Archie Moore, L.C. Morgan, Sammy Sanders, Benny Conyers, Freddie Merino, Petey Servin, Al Silvani, Bill Slayton, Allen Syers, John Thomas, Dick Young, Charlie Powell, Davey Gallardo, Javier "Baby Face" Gutierrez, Kid Rayo, Tony and Bob Fuentes, Jim Jeffries, Bert Lewis, Bobby Pacho, Johnny Forbes, Eddie Chavez, Oscar Reyes, Pappy Zazker, Manuel Dros, Dr. Al Stolper, Jackie Leonard, George Parnassus, Sparky Rudolph, Paddy Quaid, Johnny and Nick Villaflor, Joe Kelly, Baby Moe Mario, Rudy Rosenberg, Harry Gordon. Irish Jimmy Quinn, Bob Bremwood, Cecil Schoonmaker, Earl Bebee, Johnny Ortega, Tote Martinez, Mario Trigo, Sid Flaherty, Chu Chu Jimenez, Phil "Wildcat" Kim, Young Jack Johnson, Tony Moreno, Baby Ike, Jimmy Carter, Willie Ketchum, Jimmy Roche, Johnny Gonsalves, Ernie Serfas, Henry Blouin, Hoyt Porter, Jimmy Bivins, Jerry Moore, and Ike Chestnut….I remember many more people, but I am unsure whether they are ghosts or are still with us.

X-Ray Eyes

By kiki

Last week I went to see my eye doctor. As I walked into the office, the girl working at the front desk asked me, "what are you doing here? your appointment is not until tomorrow" she then said, "but that's okay, the doctor can see you today" Within a few minutes, the doctor called me in and sat me down to check my eyes out, and as he was doing so I told him "doc, you sold me a bill of goods" he retorted "what're you talking about? "you told me that with the new lens you were putting in my eye I was going to have an X-ray eye and that I was going to be able to see all the ladies naked, even if they were dress in leather, so what happened to my x-ray eye?" He laughed and said, "man, you're one crazy dude, and if that was possible I would have two x-ray eyes"...After he was done checking my eyes he walked me back to the honey behind the desk, and he said to her "don't listen to this dude because he is crazy" the honey replied, "I like crazy dudes"...A nice fun way to start the day!!... Btw my eyes are doing great!

2015 California Boxing Hall of Fame

By kiki

A few words about the 2015 California Boxing Hall of Fame luncheon: The event ran a lot smoother this year than it has had in past years. For the most part, the inductees stuck to the few minutes allotted to make their speeches; one or two went on too long. I noticed CBHOF President Don Fraser tugging on the suit coat of one of the inductees, but to no avail, as the inductee kept going on and on…We that log on to social media sites have made many new friends and I dare say, some enemies too. Some of those friends we will never get to meet in person (I don't care to meet the enemies), but having said that, I had the pleasure of meeting some Facebook friends face-to-face for the first time at this year's CBHOF event. Four that I met at the event for the first time were two beautiful ladies, Becky Cotero Moreno and Yolanda Valdez-Esparaza, inductee Jeff Bumpus, and the infamous Saul Saucedo. The day before the event, I had the great pleasure of meeting, along with his son Paul, Phil Rice. Phil and Paul made the trek west for Jeff Bumpus's induction. Phil and I had had an internet friendship for several years, but we had never met face to face. We had talked at times about him coming out to the Left Coast for some real home-cooked Mexican food; this weekend it all came to fruition, but, unfortunately, his time on the coast was too short for him to taste Connie's home-cooked chili Verde. How I would have loved to have seen Phil eat chili Verde Mexican style, with just tortillas and no fork, that would have been quite a sight…It was also nice seeing some old friends, too many mention…

Last but not least: One thing that I was really disappointed at was seeing the name of Advertising Director Ray Maynez name been omitted from the staff credits on the official program; it was probably an oversight on the printer side, but that's no excuse, and for that, I think the CBHOF owns Ray an apology and been part of the CBHOF I offer Ray our sincere apology. I understand that Ray will not be with us next year, so I want to wish him the best of luck in whatever future endeavors he participates in….I hope to see you all at next year's event.

Frankie and the Las Vegas Golden Gloves

By kiki

Paul Caruso, seen here with Art "Golden Boy" Aragon, once did some fixin' for us.

Having gone to Golden Gloves National in 1975 with the L.A. team, Frankie could not fight in the 1976 L.A tourney because of a broken ankle. We had figured that by the time Las Vegas held their tournament (Vegas had their tourney a few weeks after L.A.'s), Frankie's ankle would be healed, and he could fight there. So I called Bill Miller, L.V. tournament director, and told him I was taking Frankie to fight on the L.V tourney; he told me not to bother, that Frankie would not be allowed to fight because he had fought on the Olympic Auditorium's pro/am-cards against AAU rules. A few days later, I was in Aileen Eaton's office. I told her what Miller had said, she told me, "go see my attorney Paul Caruso, and he'll fix it for you with one phone call; tell him I sent you" Frankie and I went to see Caruso in his Beverly Hills office, when we were ushered into his office I said to him, "Aileen Eaton said to talk to you and that you could fix our problem with one phone call" He smiled and said "Aileen gives me too much credit" I then explain our situation to him "Las Vegas, huh?" he mutter, more to himself than us. He picked up the phone and dialed a number, and after a conversation that lasted less than three minutes, he hung up and told Frankie, "it's fixed; you're fighting in the Vegas Golden Gloves. I think the dude was connected!!

Frankie lost his first fight in the Vegas tourney. But that's not important; what does matter is that we got there.

Little Beaver’s ex-Old lady

By kiki

Beware XXX Language

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

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

Gun Violence

By kiki

We've just had another tragic mass shooting, this time at an Oregon State community college (10-1-2015). These shootings at theaters, schools, churches etc. are becoming so routine that we have become numb to them, they have become the everyday norm. Some on the right argue that that’s the price we must be willing to pay to be able to keep our guns. Really?? I say, BULLSHIT!!. Are the lives of 20+ innocent kids at Sandy Hook worth less than gun rights? I say no!! But having said that I don’t propose disarming law abiding citizens, what I do propose is that we close all the loopholes on gun show and private gun sales.  Have every gun buyer go through a mental health evaluation, especially the anti-government conspiracy theorist, we must find a way to keep guns away from the haters and the mentally ill. That along with common sense NATIONAL gun control laws will go a long way in keeping us safer as we go through our daily lives.

 I also think that handguns and rifles should be registered to its owners, but the paranoid Right cries the same old song of death that they do after every mass shooting “no way, that’s the first step of the government taking our guns away” Again I say BULLSHIT!! And for the good of the masses the paranoid should get mental help. But don’t hold your breath because nothing will be done as long as our politicians are in the back pocket of the National Rifle Association (NRA) The NRA that used to be a great organization for hunters, et al. has become nothing more than a political hack for the crazy right. The NRA now has the blood of the innocent on its hands.

Some of us, not all, will again grief for the dead and shed a tear or two for the ones that lost loved ones, but within a few weeks this massacre will be forgotten, that is until the next one happens, and believe me, they will keep happening as long as nothing is done to control the flow of guns that are so easy to get.