Fighters who lived and passed still clearheaded.

I never met him, I wish I had the chance to. As I said, he was a big hero to us in our state. He was from Chandler, Az. Zora was a devout family man, he was very disciplined in his training. He was not a braggart but a humble individual who finally got a shot at the title at age 34 on March 22 1967, in Muhammad Ali's last title defense before his legal issues relating to the Selective Service, Ali even said that Folley was very respectful and polite to him, that he could not find a way to get mad at him. When Ali stopped Zora in the 7 th round, Ali went over to Folley's son to console him, telling him that his father was a very brave man, Ali even called Mrs. Folley in Chandler, Az, to tell her that her husband would be fine. Zora owns a victory over Oscar Bonavena on points in 1965.

 

you know Richard, I've had a similar experience...

in 1982 I was in Sacramento, I was young and Boxing didn't mean as much too me then as it would just a few short years later. Anyway, had I known then, what I later came to discover, at length, first hand and qualified through Thousands of Reports on my Grandfather's Career, I could have taken the opportunity to 'Interview' Lloyd Marshall, whom I understand lived there.

anyway, after Marshall KO'd Mills, my Old Grandad, through his Manager Tommy Gilmour challenged Marshall, but in typical Gilroy treatment Jack Solomon's and Co. would have None of it!

the same is true when Gilroy was put forward as a Sparring Partner for Big Joe Baksi, they didn't want Bert anywhere near the Yanks Press or Management teams, and likewise too in 49, when Dave Sands showed up on British shores, King Solomon and Co kept British Boxing exactly where they're Invested Want, needed it to be.

I would have loved to have talked to Lloyd Marshall, I also missed talking to Vince Hawkins & Frank Butler the Reporter, a few years back, I had thought they were both dead years previous. Anyway, that's the way life goes.

Yeah, Zora Folley was a class fighter for sure, a tragic ending too. GOD rest his Soul.

 

Thanks for that very fine post my friend, similar experiences that could have been super special, that is for sure.

 

Harada Isn't fine. ChrisJS told me this:

"George, so Harada’s dementia is getting really bad. It’s sad to hear. I don’t think he’ll make it out here in October. My friend in Japan, who’s been a dear friend of Harada for years, said now Harada doesn’t trust him, doesn’t know who’s on the other line when he calls. Harada doesn’t even trust his wife (who he’s not got on with for years) or his children, he’s going completely senile. I guess we’ll know more in the next two months but he’s gotten way worse these last two months. They say his speech is progressively getting worse. It’s really sad."

 

So how was Dempsey's Wake. I read some were it was a some what small event.

 

As celebrity funerals go, it probably was a small event. It was held in the Frank Campbell Funeral Home (?) in Manhattan on June 2, 1983, two days after his passing. I took a personal day from work and took a train into New York City. We had to wait outside the funeral home for a while, so I was in line maybe 15 minutes before they opened. Some of the people in line around me had worked in his restaurant and were talking about working there. They said that Jack Dempsey was a good boss. He told them that if the patrons wanted more potatoes, give them more potatoes. Inside the funeral home, I would estimate about 100 to 150 people in the room, although people were coming and going throughout the afternoon hours. In life I had unfortunately missed a couple opportunities to meet Jack Dempsey, although he sent me an autograph through the mail. My hard luck at meeting him continued, as the casket was closed and covered with an American flag because of his WW2 service. I did kneel and pray in front of the casket. I gave my condolences to his widow, and saw his two daughters from an earlier marriage. I also saw former light-heavy champion Jose Torres, and NY Daily News cartoonist Bill Gallo, who I sat beside and chatted about Jack Dempsey and I thanked him for the boxer addresses he had given me on several occasions when I wrote him. (There are books available with celebrity addresses for those interested in contacting them.) There were floral displays, but not a great amount. One that stands out in my memory was a large display of brown flowers arranged in the shape of a large boxing glove. I did not see any name on it - my father speculated that it may have come from the then-champion Larry Holmes, but I can't say for sure. The burial was private, at a cemetery in Long Island, attended only by family and specially invited guests. I stayed about two hours at the funeral home. So yes, for a celebrity of Jack Dempsey's stature, I would say it was a relatively small event but only because he had lived so long and there weren't so many still around who knew who he was. Sad, in a way, but serves to show that fame, like life itself, is fleeting.

 

Thanks for sharing this great post, it is true that we should live our lives like it is our last day on earth, enjoying our time with people that we love and make us happy, as well as enjoying happy times, life is fleeting..