1970s boxing fans ...

I have done a lot of research on Boxing from the mid 1930's thru the mid 1940's

Joe Louis was an amazing fighter to watch. He could punch with a precision that very few fighters could even come close to.

My uncle came really close to getting a title shot against Louis. He was a finalest in 2 elimination tournaments where the winner got a title shot. This was during the time of the "Bum of the month club" fights, but it would have been cool if he would have made it. Those guys were far from being bums. Like mc5aw said earlier, Billy Conn probably would have won if he wouldn't have tried to knock Louis out.

I could go on and on.

Wingmaster
 
I had a couple of friends who trained with Emile Griffith, though they never went anywhere professionally. He used to train often in a gym in the Bronx, around 149th Street.
Later on Griffith helped train middleweight Wilfred Benitez there. Vito Antuofermo may have trained there also.

Couldn't remember the name. Gleason's Gym. Even Clay trained there.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=14&ved=0CHoQFjAN&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gleasonsgym.net%2Fhistoryframe.html&ei=HZaGU_fgI4_voASWjIH4AQ&usg=AFQjCNGlxMUE4itemxwBCrwR5ySSA3fjxw&bvm=bv.67720277,d.cGU&cad=rja

I remember when Gleasons was down around the corner from MSG for years, before it moved to Brooklyn and became trendy with all the hipsters looking for a workout. Met some genuine tough guys at Gleasons years back, mostly '80s fighters. You never realize how big a welterweight champion is until you stand next to him. ;) Best Gleasons story I ever heard (and there were plenty of them) was when Pipino Cuevas was training for a championship go round (maybe mid-70s). Until Tommy Hearns flattened him later, Cuevas was known for his devastating left hook. Well, the story went that he was working the speed bag, left hooked it, and sent it off it's swivel across the gym. That's a big left hook.

BTW ... Jimmy Ellis passed away two weeks ago. A great fighter unlucky enough to live in Ali's shadow.
 
One of the funniest memories I have of boxing is Muhammad and Jerry Quarie doing a mock interview with Jerry as Muhammad, and Muhammad as Howard Cosell, asking the questions. If I had closed my eyes, I would not known the difference, but that wouldn't have been any fun!
 
Guys- I would like to thank you for a wonderful stroll down memory lane.
 
I saw closed circuit at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit Hearns vs Hagler. The most intense 3 rounds of boxing I've ever seen. I was sure Hearns was going to put Hagler down. Bomb after bomb after bomb landed on Hagler's head and face. Then in the third.....BOOM!!!. Hagler hit Hearns so hard that Hearns was still standing but literally out on his feet. Two punches later, Hearns was down and the fight was over. If it's on YouTube, you should check it out. Devastating.
 
Also was lucky enough to see Frazier vs Buster Mathis for Ali's vacated crown closed circuit at the Forum when I was about 10. It was in black and white, and the Forum usherettes wore togas.

The undercard was Nino Benvenutti vs Emille Griffith for the middleweight crown. Great memories that I wouldn't trade.
 
You wouldn't be talking about Ron Lipton would you?

Just wondering

Wingmaster

No, I don't know the name. Around what time was he at Gleason's?

It's all much a blurr nowadays, that was a long time ago.

Edit: Just Googled him, THAT Ron Lipton. Quite the career, and fighting the Hurricane amongst others, in and out of the ring.
 
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Old Tex Mex, tell us your view, as a Duran fan, of the "No Mas" fight with Sugar Ray Leonard. I thought it.... heart breaking?
Sure.
His condition had gone. Having gone up in weight must have,over the long run,took its toll. We're all doomed physically, age does it, I had honestly expected him to lose that match. He should have quit after he won that split decision against Leonard.

He'd gone for so long,his struggle to return to weight pre fight...
I was sad, watching him confront the inevitable. He was physically and psychologically outmatched by Ray Leonard in that bout and I felt if Leonard fought the way Ali fought (rather than try to go toe to toe against the hands of stone), Duran was doomed in New Orleans.

In one interview in Panama, Duran said he was beaten by the most deadly clown in history of the world.

He could not deal with Sugar Ray, because Sugar Ray wasn't intimidated. That's saying something, to not be intimidated by Roberto Duran!
 
i like silver coins and yes i do believe they an be used in trading when thing go sour. paper can be used for one thing and im not going to say it here. if someone thinks there going to take my silver coins from me good luck u will never find them. another thing that silver could be good for is when u run out of lead u can make silver bullets hope it dont come to that but it dont hurt to be some what prepared
 
The gym I trained in Hawai'i (was never much of a boxer) had a young fighter, Eiichi Jumawan. He was a Golden Glove champ and missed being on the '76 olympic team by a decision. He had a no decision on his first fight, his opponent and himself eliminated all contestants, and fought again which he lost by a decision. Sugar Ray Leonard, Leon & Micheal Spinks were all on that dream team. He went professional after he missed out winning the next 9 or 10 fights before he got sick. He now runs a gym.

I moved to Washington State in my senior year of high school. I found out Greg Hagen graduated from the same school. The year I graduated he turned pro.

As for Mavelous Marvin Hagler vs. Tommy Hitman Hearns, I thought Hagler had better form; besides all his ducking. Hearns relied on his reach and jabbed a lot of his points.

Roberto Duran had one of most devastating uppercuts. He would hit, as coach would say, the 'second rib', then his fist would travel to the chin.
 
The fight that Duran won against Leonard had the former bullying the latter, and outhustling him. Duran still had his aura then. The "No Mas" fight saw Duran realize that he couldn't bully or intimidate Leonard again, and he quit out of frustration.
 
Dundee has brought the greatness to boxing thru the years but if Cuss Demato didn't pass away Mike Tyson would of been the greatest boxer of all time. If he only stayed with Kevin Rooney. He got caught up with the greedy people. Then is was down hill for what could of been the greatest fighter of all time.
I had trained a dirt bike rider to be very competitive he was on his way to stardom. But a skirt came along and took the heart out of my son. Just like Mike a skirt can ruin it too. They just didn't keep there eye on the prize or the goals in life. The kid was the fastest I've ever seen. Even to this day when he wicks it up no one can catch him.
 
Dundee has brought the greatness to boxing thru the years but if Cuss Demato didn't pass away Mike Tyson would of been the greatest boxer of all time. If he only stayed with Kevin Rooney. He got caught up with the greedy people. Then is was down hill for what could of been the greatest fighter of all time.
I had trained a dirt bike rider to be very competitive he was on his way to stardom. But a skirt came along and took the heart out of my son. Just like Mike a skirt can ruin it too. They just didn't keep there eye on the prize or the goals in life. The kid was the fastest I've ever seen. Even to this day when he wicks it up no one can catch him.

I disagree on that one, Bill. Ali in his prime would have outclassed Tyson like he did everyone from Liston forward. Another guy in his prime who I think would have taken Tyson in his prime was Larry Holmes. I saw Holmes beat Norton for the title, and fight everyone put in front of him. Some big hitters too ... Earnie Shavers, Renaldo Snipes. Holmes had a jab like a pile driver, and he had guts. He never got the credit he desearved because he followed directly after the Ali era, but Holmes was a heck of a heavyweight. Watch the Tyson fights where he didn't intimidate his opponent ... Bonecrusher Smith, Mitch Green, Razor Ruddock, etc. Holmes was far superior to any of those guys, and they hung with Tyson. Early 1980s Holmes would have taken early 1990s Tyson apart.
 
The guys I miss are Carmen Basilio, Sugar Ray Robinson, Ingmar Johannsen, they were punchers who didn't ever know the word quit. At one time in my life I had 3 or 4 Carmen autographs, Sugar Ray, after his 2nd fight with Carmen, and while in a restaurant in NYC for that fight my father got Johanssen's autograph. Back to the Fabulous '50's.
 
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