Alexis Arguello commits suicide

Thanks Teeto and Fists. Like anything, I probably didn't appreciate what he was, while he was here. He was my father after all, and like all kids I had a tendency to take him for granted. It wasn't until recent years, once I was in the throes of raising my own kids that I began to appreciate him for the father that he was, for the man that he was.

These guys, let's face it, all these guys, are tough, gutsy, "warriors", as you say, T, in the truest sense, and my father, handicapped by a steel plate in his right arm had an additional cross to bear, a right elbow that only bent six inches and nearly rendered him a one-armed fighter. The old man had a good sense of humor, again like a lot of these guys, he was a character, and he used to say, "If I had two hands, I'd have run Sugar Ray Robinson out of that ring." He was joking, but like any true competitor, there was a glint in his eye that wondered, if it was possible, if he had been a two hand fighter might he have been in the upper echelon, up in the ATG category with friends and mentors like Billy Conn and Fritzie Zivic? There was a bigger question, one that begins with the principle of necessity as the mother of invention, that not much happens in this life that doesn't have to, and though the old man showed boundless heart in other pursuits, I do have to wonder whether he would have fought with all of that heart in the ring if he were a more gifted fighter naturally, a fighter with two hands, if nothing more. I have a lot of write-ups from his career, and in so many of them they mention a, "renowned fighting heart," or, "another typical gallant comeback".

As proud as I've always been of him, I was never the kid that bragged or got leverage out of his accomplishments. If anything I played it down, not to rub peoples' noses in it, offended when people saw me only as in how I compared to him, I wanted to be known for my own accomplishments. In a neighborhood way, that was never a problem. Out here in the big real world it has proved itself to be a little more complicated. But the older I get, and the longer he is gone, the more I am willing to point at the old man, to point at his phenomenal accomplishments given his handicap, and say, "From everything I've seen in men, of all things considered, this was an admirable man, a remarkable spirit."

 

Glad you rightly appreciate the gift you had and always will have in your father.

 

Thanks Prime. So many yesterdays in this life anymore, so many endings. I do have memories, you're right, but I do wish I still had him.

 

your father must a been some guy

 

He was, thanks. Had Dauthuille beat for nine and got ko'd when he tried to knock him out with guess what, his bum right hand, in the elimination bout that led to a title shot with LaMotta. I'm sure you know the story from there. Dauthuille, who'd beaten Jake once before, had his number in this fight too, had him all but beat into the 15th round, then got suckered by Jake's possum act and got ko'd...

I've watched snippets of that fight recently and LaMotta as we know had a bit of a roundhouse punch, and Dauthuille was a sharp and short punching inside fighter, a bad match up for Jake.

 

**** i just mis-read your post and thought you meant you finally got some footage of your old man. Thanks for the good posts Chinx.

 

As far as I know, there might be one guy that may have some footage, the guy I linked in the "Great fighters that were never champs thread", Lee Sala. That's my old man about 30 sec's in, again about 1:45 in, in the white trunks. The reason why I don't pursue it, or haven't up to this point is it is the last fight of his I want to watch. The biggest disappointment in his career, a local showdown for top MW in town, and one where the old man gets taken out, brutally, in a 2nd round tko...

 

Edit.

 

Yeah, damn little. I think I'm gonna take a deep breath, a shot or two of Jack Daniels and contact Mr. Sala to see if he's got the whole fight. Like to get him on this board, like to get some other old timers like Sala and Vinnie Rossano and Herbie Kronowitz to name a few, to come on and give us their first hand accounts of these things.

 

Good luck mate, Jackie D, oooof, go for it Chinxkid.

By the way, remember when i used to moan about not being from a fight town and envied you, i've found out recently that my city was basically a 'fight town' as well, elated!

 

Yeah, a town as tough as Liverpool had to be. With that and The Mersey beat you've got it all...

 

Haha, yeah i'm living the dream mate!

 

wow thats pretty good. Your dad had a billy conn moment though

I can moan Aberdeen aint a fight town

 

Take a stand and change that then mate!

Remember i'm front row when you turn pro

 

Hopefully, maybe i can be a two weight world champion like our current best Lee McAllister.

James Ancliff is from Aberdeen and hes no half bad.

A guy from the club i boxed from was pro Colin Brown unfortunatly i never met him and he died recently.