R.I.P. Malcolm "Flash" Gordon?

I didnt know "Flash" had died, jeez that old crew is dying off, Johnny Bos, "Ko-Jo" Jack Obermyer, Flash, I guess Majeski, and me are the only one's left who regularly contributed to Flash's newsletter. I supplied Flash with all the Mexican results and news. I wish he had gotten on the internet, what an impact he would have had.
Flash's TBP, was a much anticipated weekly newsletter and program, everybody who was anybody in boxing read it. I hope someone has the whole set or some at least and puts it online. RIP Flash, wish you were still around. Guys who have read it will remember "Marsa Bob and his plantation", lol, Flash told it like it was and wasnt afraid to say it.

 

R.I.P. Malcolm. Truly sad indeed. Absolutely loved the "Flash" newsletter. The internet may bring us information faster, but, there was just something special about "Flash." I can still remember the anticipation I would feel waiting for every issue to arrive. I have posted several responses praising "Flash" in earlier posts on this forum. I actually have a framed copy of the April 20, 1990 issue of Flash (With Tommy Hearns on the front) hung up on the wall in my office.

 

I know what you mean, Chuck. I subscribed for a couple of years and loved his acerbic wit and the way he would grill someone that he either didn't like or felt was bad for boxing. He would state upcoming fights but if he thought fighter A was fighting a bum he would insert the name 'Willie B. Standing' or 'Izzy Dead' and of course there was the ever favorite 'Dung King' whom he hated or Ben Greene whom he also hated. I recall Harold Lederman telling me once that once he was coming home from Philly after a show and noticed the traffic on the highway slowing up with gapers block. When he slowed up by what was getting everyone's attention he saw Flash and Ben Greene squaring off along the shoulder of the highway. Too funny.

 

Chuck, I also remember how he would take a stand against something, such as the Chavez-Juan LaPorte jr. lightweight title fight, which he felt LaPorte deserved and began ranking him as the jr lightweight champion in spite of the verdict going the other way. He also - in vain - tried to take a stand against 12 rounders, stating as we would all wish - that world titles were contested over 15. But what I would always laugh at was the way he would light into someone he had no time for or just rubbed him the wrong way. Case in point, do you recall George Kanter? He was a booking agent for French fighters for years. He was always managing title shots for Bouttier, Tonna, Langlois, etc. Anyways, Kanter was always photographed with dark sunglasses. I didn't know the reason why, but apparently - according to Flash - the dude was either blind or legally blind or maybe he was just sensitive to light. I really don't know. But Flash posted a picture of Kanter posing with some fighters and he wasn't wearing the sunglasses. Well, Flash lights into him for whatever reason saying he would lose the glasses for a posed picture because he was a vain j**off. Man, I almost fell off my chair when I read that. Flash didn't pull any punches and you didn't want to get on his bad side.

 

A one of a kind boxing writer who gave the public the scope behind the scenes. I wonder if his work can be put together in a book like format?

 

Chuck, Scar the counterpoint to Flash was Johnny Bos. What a pair they were. It's funny how Flash, Majeski, Bos and me stayed in boxing all these years. It all began at the Garden Forum. The best was after the fights cos we would talk boxing til the wee hours, great times, who knew all these yrs later that little clic would grow into boxing mainstream. We were just fan's it took Flash to get us all together to make something out of it. I still talk to Majeski on occasion, but the two main guys Flash and Bos are now gone but not forgotten. RIP to both they were great when they were here.

 

Yes, RIP to the man who brought us "Dusty Trunks" and all the other TBD opponents. When a Korean fought a to-be-announced soft touch, I think his go-to opponent name was Pea Suh Sh_t.

He collected results from everywhere, had the best schedule of upcoming fights from around the world (keep in mind this was before you could log onto the 'net and find such things) and went on wonderfully entertaining rants against corruption in the sport. He was boxing's original citizen journalist.

I subscribed for a couple of years and recall going to the mailbox after school each day hoping to get a new issue.

I started at least one thread on this forum wondering what every happened to. He seemed to just vanish.

Thank you, Malcolm. I've missed you for a long time, but more today after hearing this sad news.

RIP to a friend I never met.

 

I remember him. That's sad news. Terrible he didn't have any family.

 

It's funny how you form a mental picture of someone off of what you read. So many times people have referred to him as sort of a Woody Allen-like guy with rumpled rain coat. So whenever he was mentioned over the years that is how I envisioned him. Dempsey1234 appears to have know him personally, so your thoughts on his appearance would be helpful. Amazing how there are no photos of this much-talked about individual in any magazines or over the net.