By Pedro Fernandez

FRISCO FIGHT CROWD SHOWED THE WAY!

 

Somebody showed me a picture of myself the other day taken one Saturday at the now defunct Newman-Herman’s Gym in San Francisco.  The reason why I can say for a fact that this was a Saturday was that the gym was empty and I had the ring to myself.  But as I gazed into the picture, thoughts of an era when San Francisco was a boxing capital of sorts, which was long before my time, came to mind.  This was an era that the old-timers would talk about while I was cutting my teeth in the gym as a railbird.

MARCIANO DEFENDED TITLE, CORBETT, JOHNSON!

San Francisco was at the turn of the 20th century the place where a lot of big fights.  Champions like James J. Corbett, John L. Sullivan, Jack Johnson, they fought in San Francisco or the adjacent city of Colma, CA.  And in the 1950’s, Rocky Marciano successfully defended the World heavyweight championship against Don Cockell in Kezar Stadium.  In the 60’s we got some good scraps, but with each decade since there’s been less and less shows.  Right about the time Pay Per View came around, the fight game in Frisco, already gasping for air, it died!

 

S.F. BAY AREA BOXING NOW IN RUINS!

The fact that there has really been but one real money-making card in San Francisco in the past 20 years is the result of many things.  The first being the attitude of the Promoters.  They expect a San Franciscan to deviate from their normal schedule to fit in a card consisting of “Work” fights from the main event on down.  And while somebody in Casper, WY may find this enticing, fight fans in Frisco simply rebelled.  They walked away in the 1970’s and never came back!  The only bill that made bucks since then was the Bob Arum-Top Rank show of 2001 with Floyd Mayweather on top.

 

FRISCO FEVER HAS SPREAD ACROSS U.S.A.

This same dilemma is taking hold across the country.  Thus, you see why “Club” shows are on the verge of extinction.  Unless there is a local kid that people are willing to watch/nurture, you cannot compel people to pay to watch what amounts to record padding!  A further insult of the boxing fans intellect is to put these cards on a Friday or Saturday night.  I mean if you give somebody the option of staying home with televised champagne on HBO & Showtime, or having to go out and pay additional monies for what figures to be stale beer, is it any wonder why they stay at home?

CLUB SHOWS & PROMOTERS NEED TO SURVIVE!

While the aforementioned headline is of an obvious nature, that the business of boxing desperately needs Club shows, can they survive in the world of Cable TV and the like?  They will if the Promoters get creative and start thinking outside the box.  Start holding your cards on Thursday nights, and instead of starting at 8, try a 7 or 7:30 kickoff time! Keep your program at two and a half hours or so.  Try setting up a trade in fight tickets for advertising!  Most guys have posters and hope for the best.  Go to Yahoo or some place similar and you can have a small website, your own, with an address in cyberspace for a few nickels.  And while gimmicks rarely work with veteran fight fans, they are a dying bunch which means in my book they hardly count anymore! 

 

DON’T JUST PLAY TO THE HARDCORE!

In closing, you as Promoters I’m sure realize the need for new blood.  Even HBO knows that and tried to run with that “Hip-Hop” boxing series that flopped.  And lastly guys and girls, don’t be numbskulls as this is about making money and not morals.  What I’m trying to say is if scantily clad chicks serving drinks can put you in the green, then bring out the broads and increase the cleavage!  No matter what anybody thinks about sizzling ring card girls, this is what drives a lot of guys to go to the fights period!

 

“SUPER MARIO” WAS THAT AND MORE!

 

Having known the late Skip L'Esperance ever since he attended my Uncle’s Barber College in the 1960’s, he was the physical opposite of his elongated offspring.  While Skip was of normal proportions, both his sons Mario and Mark L'Esperance were reed-thin boxers.  Skinny or not, the pair were successful competing in the upper echelon of the amateur ranks by utilizing long spear like jabs that set up their combinations.  Mario, statistically, he was the greatest amateur fighter from Northern California.  In addition to a handful of National titles, Mario was the 1984 Western Olympic Trials champion, who would lose a hotly disputed Decision in the final Trials for the 1984 Games. 

 

NO MORE “GATORADE GUM” & LOSING WEIGHT!

Once fighting at 106 lbs., the father of two who celebrated his 18th wedding anniversary in October, “Super Mario” as he was known back in the day, the Vallejo, CA native has filled out a bit!  Having retired from working at a local Budweiser brewery, Mario has turned his attentions back to the amateurs.  “The amateurs, they did a lot for me.  A lot more than the pros ever did.  And I’m just happy to be able to give something back,” said L'Esperance Tuesday. 

 

TOP OF THE FOOD CHAIN TRAINER NOW!

Recently given a “Level 4” clearance as a Trainer, this qualifies Mario to Coach in the Olympics, something he wants badly.  “My goal is to Coach, to work with an Olympic team.”  A month ago, Mario took a U.S. team to England that did well, although they were on the short side of 5-4, & 4-3 team scores.  “It’s a young team.  But we’ve got almost four years to work together, to mature.  2008, it’s really not that far away,” says L'Esperance.

 

LARKIN & SHOWTIME ROLL OUT “THE BEST OF ‘04”

Executive Producer Jay Larkin should smile a bit after Showtime completed a banner year for them that concluded in December with IBF 168 lb. guy Jeff Lacy-Omar Sheika.  The Showtime #1 broadcast of the year in my mind was their August match between Diego Corrales & Acelino Freitas.  On January 8th, Senor Larkin and crew roll out the “Best of 2004 Showtime Championship Boxing.  Check your local listings.

 

CHICK FIGHT HAS ALBUQUERQUE JUMPING!

After pulling out of a town in which I’ve worked a show, I try and always check the newspapers in the following days.  Anyway since I pulled out of Albuquerque. NM a fortnight ago, the town is buzzing over localite Holly “Double H” Holmes meeting Mia “The Name” St. John.  The once-beaten Holly and Mia have enjoyed considerably more newspaper play than fights involving high-profile males.  Which is good for the Fresquez Productions card that should be announced for March in the coming weeks!

 

MIA & HER “SEE THROUGH” WEIGH IN GARMENTS!

Speaking of Ms. St. John, I’ve now seen her in three different cities in as many weeks.  A winner under Glenn Johnson-Antonio Tarver Saturday night, Mia has one date prior to the New Mexican gig.  Anyway, she weighed in Friday in what my Cameraman Favio Flores tells me were see through garments!  That being the case, I think we’ll have some good clean fun with that footage in the near future! 

 

ST. JOHN NOT SUCH A HIT WITH THE FEMS!

Oh, the chicks hate her like some guys despise Oscar De La Hoya.  I wondered why until a guy in L.A. answered it like this over the weekend.  “You don’t look at Christy Martin in the same vain you do Mia?  Who would you rather be stranded on an island with?”  That depends, if there were wild natives on the island, it’d be Christy, simply because she can be intimidating.  If it were stuck in paradise, need I even answer?

 

PEDRO WRONG ON MOSLEY & STEROIDS!

Yep!  I admit it!  Read the entire story and take notice by hitting this link. http://www.ringtalk.com/news/view_article.asp?id=112&cat=4

LISTEN TO “RING TALK RADIO” RIGHT NOW!

The longest running talk show in boxing history, “Ring Talk Radio” can be listened to right now.  On this past Sunday nights two-hour program my guests included Glenn Johnson, Antonio Tarver, Andre Ward (And his Mom Madeline), James Toney, & Brian Viloria.  Promoter Don King, his two “Cameo” appearances are complete with warnings issued to potential opponents.  You can listen to this all-star cast now http://www.universaltalknetwork.com/arch_ringtalk.html

Pedro Fernandez

Note: Mr. Fernandez is not your average boxing writer. A four-time Golden Gloves champion who spent eight honorable years with the San Francisco Police Dept., Pedro Fernandez is a schooled Journalist who has had a byline for better than three decades!  He can be reached with your comments at Pedro@RingTalk.com