Can't think of anything better to demonstrate the human condition than this incident, S89 (the name's left out): In the early '50s, there was a stylish, stand-up boxer who trained at Stillman's. He was starting to get noticed, piling up a bunch of wins in clubs all over New York. He was movie-star handsome -- a Cary Grant . He looked like he'd be more at home at a yacht club than Stillman's...until he spoke. There was no mistaking the mean streets of Queens. One day, after winning a main-go, he raged into the gym: "Read this!" he shouted, shaking the sports page. When he was asked why he was so angry, he read aloud: "Last night, anglo-saxon looking welterweight --- ---- scored his biggest victory...." Pausing, he railed: "Who the **** is Angelo Saxon? I'll break his ass!"
...............This pales in comparison to John's stories, but I'll chime in anyway. I live in Greg Haugen's hometown of Auburn, Washington, and was born and raised here. While boxing is pointedly ignored here, his success allowed him for a time to become something of a local "B" level celebrity. Guest spots on radio programs, stuff like that. Nothing major. Greg was a bit rough around the edges and terribly vulgar, so he wasn't exactly the type you'd want to be on your TV commercials. One time, though, he was asked to take part in a radio show's charity golf tournament. Things were okay for a time, at least until the drinks started to flow. He became beligerent, swearing ferociously, throwing clubs, you name it. The people playing around him became a bit offended and complained to the course's management. They approached a bit warily and politely asked if he could tone down his behavior for the sake of the rest of the guests. Greg went after them, weilding his club. "You wanna piece of me??!! YOU WANNA PIECE OF ME???!!!" The adio station was not asked back for the tounament the next year, to say the least. That was Haugen for ya. Total loose cannon. ON this same radio station he had a weekly spot as, of all things, a movie reviewer (it wasn't a sports station, this was a comedy morning drive-time radio show). The hosts, Robin & Maynard, would assign him a film to see, and he'd come back on air to talk about it on Monday. Every other wod had to be "bleeped" because he simply could NOT stop himself from swearing. It was hysterically funny in its way. I don't know where Greg is now; I think he has lived in Vegas for some time, and I know at least for a while he trained fighters. His sister works at a place I drive by every day coming home from work. I went to school with her.
That's funny, human stuff, s -- just what I love to read about. These antics single Haugen out as a character I won't forget.
Can't say I know who Nicky Piper is, D, but I read Bobby Chez is a Mensa member, too. Be interesting to find out how many other pro boxers are?
....and introducing.... This content is protected I won't give his name out of respect, since JG didn't, but he coulda been a movie star. He fought Joey Archer's brother Jimmy.
Nicky piper was a good UK (welsh.) lt heavy who fought nigel benn and lost for the 168 belt. He also twice challenged unsucessfully for the lt heavy title. He was articulate and a good commentator.
Now I know what it feels like to be outed, S89. Here's another nugget ya couldn't make up: I had a bomb-throwing 16-year-old grade school dropout on my amateur boxing team in the early '80s. He made it to the 147-pound finals of the NY Golden Gloves Gloves. He was mobbed in the dressing room by reporters before the bout. His opponent was a 26-year-old Hungarian Freedom Fighter. They kept shouting: "Howya gonna beat a Hungarian Freedom Fighter; he stood up to Russian tanks!? "No Nazi can beat me!"
I always liked Haugen, and rooted for him every time he fought. Remember him dismissing Chavez's record as full of "Tijuana cab drivers?" Then after the KO , if my memory serves me well, Chavez brought up that comment and Greg says, "well, those Tijuana cab drivers must have been tough." That fight utterly convinced me again that Chavez was great, because he embarrassed Haugen who was a solid fighter, good enough to beat Camacho and a decent technician in my opinion. Haugen was not stopped before Chavez and I think that he was in those tough man contests before boxing...
After the 16-year-old won the NY GG title, he flew to Sweden for an international competition. He asked trainer Tommy Gallagher on the plane: "What part of the United States is Sweden?"
jOHN GARFIELD, WHAT CAN YOU TELL ME ABOUT STEVE BELLOISE & CHARLEY BURLEY??? WOULD EITHER OF THESE FIGHTERS HAVE WHIPPED GRAZIANO??? I SAY THAT EITHER ONE OF THEM WOULD HAVE KOED HIM!!! GREBFAN9 WWW.FIRSTROUNDBOXING.COM
Now that we're all on boxing stories in the gyms and how the different fighters are, I will tell a few of my own. Well, about 2 years ago a random guy came into Larry's gym. About 20 years before he was a very good lightheavy with plenty of talent and ability to make it to be a contender...until he got into the drugs. Obviously that screwed him all up, but he still could fight at a high level he was just basically a loud mouth cocky could've been has been. He came in running his mouth and Larry came into the gym in a foul mood (he had to fire 2 guys) and he wasn't in the mood to listen to crap. Well, the other guy was in the mood to give it. Larry hates to have his workouts interupted, and this guy started pestering him and even challenged him into the ring. After a while Larry told him to shut up. The guy said "You wanna take this into the ring old man?!" Larry responded "Why should I crawl into that ring *points to the ring* over there with you, when I can knock your ass out right here?!" The guy backed down and didn't come back for a while. But poor little old me was just jumping rope about 10 feet away while these two big men were ready to rumble.
From Larry's reaction to Berbick's running his mouth in the parking lot after their fight -- leaping from the hood of a car on top of him -- this doesn't surprise me, B