Getting ready to watch Jose Torres vs Di ck Tiger II and was reminded of the riot following the decision. It says there had been 3 fights in 21 months with riots involving PR fighters. Does anyone know what the other 2 were? From boxrec 11 people suffered cuts from the riot and were treated at nearby hospitals. No one was seriously injured. The riot, being the 3rd in the previous 21 months involving a Puerto Rican fighter, led Madison Square Garden to suspend use of any Puerto Rican fighters from boxing a main event for an indefinite cooling off period.
Off hand, with the date involved it could be a couple of Frankie Narvaez fights. I'm thinking fights with Flash Elorde and Ismael Laguna, but I may be off on the timeline. Frankie had a huge PR following.
The Flash Elorde fight could fit the bill...looking up Laguna next... 1965-08-04 : Flash Elorde135½ lbs beat Frankie Narvaez136¼ lbs by SD in round 10 of 10 Location: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, USA Referee: Johnny LoBianco 5-4 Judge: Bill Recht 2-7 Judge: Tony Castellano 5-4 "Flash Elorde of the Philippines took a split decision Wednesday night over Frankie Narvaez of Puerto Rico in a bout so close that angered Narvaez fans rioted, causing five injuries and five arrests and more than $10,000 damage to MSG. Although he got off to a slow start against the younger Narvaez, Elorde used his 15 years experience to fight his way back. Narvaez dominated the first five rounds, but after that Elorde boxed carefully, counter-punched effectively and finally opened a bad cut beside Narvaez' right eye in the 7th round. Elorde himself had suffered a slight cut beside the right eye in the 5th round but it didn't seem to bother him. Narvaez' cut, however, bled profusely and he repeatedly shook his head trying to clear the blood away. Narvaez tried hard for a knockout in the last two rounds, fearing the doctor might stop the fight, but Elorde covered effectively and counter-punched at the cut eye." -United Press International Unofficial UPI scorecard - 4-3-3 Narvaez Unofficial AP scorecard - 5-5 Draw Ringside poll of 26 sportswriters had 13 scoring for Narvaez, 9 scoring for Elorde and 4 scoring it a draw. Attendance - 6,618 Gate - $22,622 Purses - Narvaez: $4,500, Elorde: $10,000 plus app. $3,500 for travel for he and his manager. Post fight comment "I thought I was way ahead until the 7th when I got cut. Then I started to move to my left to protect the cut and I guess I lost points. I guess the cut and the blood affected the judges voting more than it did my fighting." -Frankie Narvaez
Thanks for the quick reply! It looks like these could be the 2 refered to 1967-03-10 : Ismael Laguna134¼ lbs beat Frankie Narvaez135½ lbs by UD in round 12 of 12 Location: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, USA Referee: Jimmy Devlin 7-5 Judge: Jack Gordon 8-3 Judge: Artie Aidala 9-1 "A senseless bottle-throwing riot Friday night at MSG did little to discredit the fact that Panamanian Ismael Laguna's slashing fists earned him an exciting 12 round decision over Frankie Narvaez of Puerto Rico and another shot at Carlos Ortiz' lightweight title. The enthusiasm that had been building from the time both fighters left their dressing rooms wound up in a melee that left 12 people injured. Narvaez, the 2nd ranked contender, gamely tried to stick with the shifty Laguna but he proved to be no match. After brief lapses in the 4th and 5th rounds when he was momentarily stalled by barrages of Narvaez punches, Laguna took charge. In the 8th, he opened a small nick over Narvaez' right eye, and the bout was never in doubt after that point as Laguna continually beat the Puerto Rican to the punch. Despite the one-sided licking he took, the stocky Narvaez contended that he won." -United Press International William Verigan, the UPI writer covering this bout, was himself one of the 12 people injured. Verigan had a bottle hit him in the face and required five stitches on his right eye. And still turned in his report on the fight. NY boxing commissioner Edwin Dooley, sensing the turmoil in the crowd, left the arena during the 10th round. This was the second MSG riot involving a Frankie Narvaez bout. The first was his loss to Flash Elorde on Aug. 4, 1965 over 10 rounds. Unofficial UPI scorecard - 9-2-1 Laguna Unofficial AP scorecard - 9-3 Laguna Post fight comments "I wasn't scared going into the ring, but I was mighty scared coming out." -Ismael Laguna "How can they blame my people for this? I have a big following but who can tell who made all the trouble." -Frankie Narvaez "This was nothing compared to what happened at the Carlos Ortiz-Sugar Ramos fight in Mexico City. That was a real riot. This was a social tea party compared to the Mexican affair." -Hector Valdes, Jr., Laguna's manager
Yeah I am familiar with that (and a few others) I believe @mcvey was actually present during this. I was just curious as I had never heard of a ban on Puerto Rican fighters, and a move of that magnitude would be frowned upon today. I was curious about the 3 riots and how long the Puerto Rican fighter ban lasted at MSG.
Wow, great content in this thread, I learned a lot! I knew about the Torres-TIger riot but little about the others.
Another classic riot. The Lionel Rose v Chucho Castillo bantamweight championship contest. 1968-12-06 : Lionel Rose 118 lbs beat Chucho Castillo 117 lbs by SD in round 15 of 15 Location: Forum, Inglewood, California, USA Referee: Dick Young 7-9 Judge: Lee Grossman 7-6 Judge: John Thomas 7-6 WBC bantamweight title WBA bantamweight title The decision sparked a major riot. Fires were set, debris thrown into the ring, and cars overturned in the parking lot. Rose was knocked down in the 10th round. "Australian Lionel Rose built up an early lead and survived a 10th round knockdown Friday night to successfully defend his world bantamweight title with a split decision over Mexico's Chucho Castillo in 15 rounds. Making his second defense of the title he won from Fighting Harada last February, Rose used a counter-punching style while Castillo appeared the aggressor most of the way. In the 10th, Rose went down from a solid right to the jaw and a left to the body. He was up after a short count but had to take the mandatory eight. Castillo came out fast in the 11th but by that time Rose was fully recovered. The little champion from Down Under probably kept his crown with a rally in the 14th. Castillo was unmarked. Rose suffered a bruise under his left eye in the 4th and blood trickled but gave Rose no trouble in his second defense. When the result was announced, the big crowd with a huge contingent of Castillo's countrymen vented their rage. Rose's manager Jack Rennie suffered cuts on his leg and arm, Referee Dick Young had scalp lacerations and several policeman were cut by the flying glass. Although double the normal number of police were on duty, they were unable to maintain order as a score of fires were set in the seats." - Associated Press The next bout on the card between Richie Sue and Jose Jimenez was aborted in the 3rd round after bottles continued to bombard the ring. The rest of the card was then scrapped. Purses: Rose - $75,000, Castillo - $20,000 Unofficial scorecards AP - 8-5 Castillo Pasadena Star-News - 7-6 Rose Long Beach Press-Telegram - 9-4 Castillo Pomona Progress-Bulletin - 7-6 Castillo Post fight comment "I've seen worse in Canada after a hockey game." - Jack Kent Cooke, Forum owner, on the damage after the riot.
I heard the Mexican fans really tore up the Olympic Auditorium after the first Hiroyuki Ebihara v Efren Torres fight in the mid-60s and after the first Frankie Duarte v Famosito Gomez fight in the mid-70s. Guess it needed remodeling every 10 years or so.
