Book Reviews

Billy C Speaks!

Historical

July 2010

Archie Moore: The Ageless WarriorHe was possibly the greatest light heavyweight of all time, The wily "Old Mongoose" Archie Moore. The man whoscored 140 knockouts in a career that spanned from 1936 to 1963 never lost his crown in the ring. Although heunsuccessfully challenged twice for the heavyweight title, he did campaign successfully among the "Big Boys"throughout his tenure as a professional boxer. His record reads lie "Who's Who" of boxing history. In 228 recordedbouts, Archie was only stopped seven times, a testimony to his courage and uncanny defensive ability.

Born on December 13, 1913, ( or 1916 to Archie) Moore boxed for years without due recognition. He fought all over thecountry. He even traveled to Australia and Argentina in search of fame and fortune. After six years on the circuit, Archiebegan to make his move toward the big time. In 1942, he knocked out Shorty Hogue in two rounds. Hogue haddecisioned Archie no less than three times earlier in his career. He also beat rugged Jack Chase and drew with EdBooker. In 1943, he won two out of three against Chase. In 1944, Moore lost by a knockout to Booker and also droppeda decision to the great Charley Burley. 1945 was a good year for Archie as he lost only two of fourteen fights. He beatClevelander Lloyd Marshall twice. He was stopped by another Clevelander, the outstanding Jimmy Bivins. He lost adecision to Holman Williams but kayoed Holman in a rematch.

By this time Archie was formidable enough to warrant a title shot but it would be seven long years before he wasgranted one. Along the way, Moore would beat Curtis Sheppard twice and Bert Lytell twice. He would beat Bivins fourtimes in rematches. He would defeat Harold Johnson in three put of four contests. He also scored victories over TedLowry, Bob Satterfield, Phil Muscato, Alberto Lovell and Jimmy Slade. The only boxer who could handle Archie wasEzzard Charles. Ezz beat Moore three times. The last time by a spectacular eighth round knockout in Cleveland. Finallyon December 17, 1952, presumably just after his 39th birthday, Archie met yet another Cleveland legend, Joey Maxim.With Maxim's world light heavyweight title on the line Archie won a persuading decision to become a champion at last.

As world champion the legacy of Archie Moore would flourish. He defeated Maxim twice in title rematches. He beatheavyweight Nino Valdes twice, Bob Baker and Bert Whitehurst. He would successfully defend his crown withknockouts over Harold Johnson and Bobo Olson. On September 21, 1955, Archie would get his first crack at theheavyweight crown when he met Rocky Marciano. In the second round, Archie sent Marciano to the canvas. Rocky beatthe count and lasted out the round. However, slowly the tide turned in Marciano's favor. Rocky proved to be too strongfor the gritty Moore who finally succumbed in round nine. He kayoed Yolande Pompey in a title defense and onNovember 30, 1956, he was matched with Floyd Patterson for the heavyweight championship that Marciano hadvacated. Although Archie was given a good chance to win by experts, the youthful Patterson was much too fast andstopped Moore in round five.

Archie went back to defending his light heavyweight crown stopping the highly regarded Tony Anthony in sevenrounds. Moore continued to meet heavyweights in hope of securing one more shot at that title. Archie defeated HowardKing twice, Roger Rischer, Willi Besmanoff and Charley Norkus before putting his title on the line. Moore's 1958 boutwith Canada'sYvon Durelle secured Archie's place in fistic history. Repeatedly knocked down in the early rounds andthen down again in the fifth, Moore refused to surrender. By the middle rounds Durelle began to tire. Archie came on tostop Durelle in the eleventh round to retain his title in a classic thriller. In their 1959 rematch Yvon was a lot lesstroublesome as he exited in round three. Moore did not defend his title at all in 1960 much to the dismay of the NationalBoxing Association who withdrew recognition of Archie as a champion on October 25th. Old foe Harold Johnson beatJesse Bowdry to claim the vacant NBA title. Still recognized be New York State and the European Boxing Union Archiedecisioned Giulio Rinaldi in his final title defense. On February 10, 1692, New York and the EBU stripped Archie of hiscrown. A feat no mere mortal could accomplish in the ring. Finally the ageless wonder began to slow down. Archie stillhad enough left in 1962 to draw the future protege Cassius Clay. Clay had won the light heavyweight Gold Medal at the1960 Olympics and had trained briefly under Archie early in his pro career. The brash upstart overwhelmed the agingwarrior as he had predicted in round four. Archie had no more illusions of becoming heavyweight champion.

Upon his retirement, Archie did some acting and he also became very involved in helping the youth of America. Hestarted a program called "Any Boy Can" and used this as a vehicle to reach young people in a positive manner. Archie'sbook which is aptly titled "Any Boy Can" explains Archie's views on helping youth as well as Archie covering his lifeand boxing career.

Jim Amato

Youngstown great Lenny "Boom Boom" Mancini...

Although he will be best remembered as the father of Ray Mancini, Lenny was a pretty darn goodfighter in his own right.Lenny was born in Youngstown, Ohio on July 12, 1919. The city of Youngstown and the surroundingareas produced such outstanding fistic talent in the 1940's with the likes of Tony Janiro, Tommy Belland Sonny Horne. Lenny was among the talented Y'town exports.

Standing at 5' 2", Lennny who turned pro in the late 30's slugged his way to a world ranking duringthe glorious 40's.He was an extremely popular attraction in New York as he climbed the ratings lad-der. In December of 1939 he lost an eight rounder to tough Johnny Rinaldi.Lenny bounced back in 1940 fighting a six round draw with future welterweight king Marty Servo.Hekayoed Frankie Terranova and outscored Joey Fontana. He then drew with Jimmy Vaughn andagain outpointed Fontana. Lenny then took a tough decision over Carl "Red" Guggino and closedout the year splitting a pair of eight round verdicts with Irving Eldridge.

In 1941 he lost on points to the highly respected Leo Rodak. He came back to defeat Billy Marquartover ten in New York and then again in a Cleveland rematch.

On May 19,1941 Lenny met National Boxing Association lightweight champion Sammy Angott in anon-title fight at Cleveland's Public Hall. After ten grueling rounds Angott was awarded an unpopularsplit decision. Lenny would never receive a shot at the crown. In his next fight he drew with TerryYoung. In August he lost on points to Pete Lello.Still Lenny and Canadian Dave Castilloux were con-sidered the top two lightweight contenders.On November 11 Lenny went to Montreal and won a con-vincing decision over Castilloux.

Lenny served his country during the war and when he got out he was close to being a heavyweight !He still had the burning desire to be a champion so he returned to training and came back as a wel-terweight. He continued to be a good drawing card in New York but his career never really got backon track. In 1946 he lost to Phil Palmer and later to Harry Hurst on two occasions. He dropped an-other to Johnny Williams.

In 1947 Lenny gave it one last try at middleweight losing to the gifted Rocky Castellani at MadisonSquare Garden and then in a rematch in Scranton.

Lenny had around 70 professional fights among fast company and was NEVER knocked out ! Onecan only wonder if he had not been called off to war, would he have won the crown ? How proud hemust have been when his son Ray captured the W.B.A. version of the title in May of 1982.The career of Ray Mancini has been extensively covered in the past. No sense in re-hashing it here.All that can be said is that he did his father proud, inside and outside of the ring.I had the pleasure of meeting Lenny Mancini at a fight show in Youngstown back in 1994. He wasvery easy to approach and was nice enough to sign a photo I had of him in his fighting stance. I onlywish now I would have had more time to have talked to him.

Jim Amato

Henry Cooper: What British Boxing is all About

By Jim Amato

He came from a fighting family and by the time his boxing career ended in 1971, he was the most beloved Britishboxer of all time. Only once did he challenge for the world's title, but he dominated the British heavyweight scene formore than fifteen years. His popularity soared even more after retirement and the Queen of England knighted him. SirHenry Cooper was more than just a British fighter. He was a fine example of what British boxing is all about. Henry'sprofessional career started in September of 1954 and he won his first nine fights, including an eight round points winover Joe Bygraves. In Henry's tenth bout, against Uber Bacilleri, he lost the first of many bouts due to an eye cut. Hewould later avenge that loss.

The roller coaster career of Henry Cooper had now begun. He would drop a ten-rounder to Joe Erskine and stop Bri-an London in one round, only to lose in five to Peter Bates. 1955 was a rough year for Henry as Bygraves kayoedhim for the British Empire title. Future world champion Ingemar Johansson then bombed him out. Joe Erskine thenoutscored him for the British title.

Henry began to turn things around late in 1958 with a stoppage over Dick Richardson and points win over respectedAmerican Zora Folley. He finally won the British and Empire titles by decision over Brian London in 1959. He halt-ed Gawie de Klerk in an Empire defense and defended both titles by a fifth round stoppage of Joe Erskine. In 1960Henry scored important decision victories of Roy Harris and Alex Mitiff. He again defended his titles by a fifth roundstoppage of Erskine in March of 1961.

On December 5, 1961, Henry suffered a major setback when Folley kayoed him in the second round of their rematch.He came back to again stop Erskine in 1962 and Dick Richardson in 1963, setting the stage for a match with the un-defeated Olympian Cassius Clay. The facts of Cooper's first bout with Clay have been well-documented. His lefthook knocked Clay down at the end of round four. A torn glove gave Clay time to recover. Cassius then came backto cut and stop Henry in round five.Cooper beat Brian London again, winning the vacant European title in the process. Six months later he was strippedof that title due to an injury. Henry would win five of his next seven bouts, setting up a title shot and rematch againstClay (Muhammad Ali).

The rematch was anti-climatic. Henry tried hard but Ali's punches again ripped the tender skin above Cooper's eyeforcing a stoppage. Four months later, ex title holder Floyd Patterson felled Henry. It was again time to rebuild. Hen-ry went back to retaining his British and Empire titles by defeating Jack Bodell and Billy Walker. He then regainedthe European title winning on a disqualification from Karl Mildenberger.In 1969 Henry was to be matched with World Boxing Association champion Jimmy Ellis. The fight fell through be-cause the British Boxing Board refused to recognize it as a world title fight. In a huff, Henry gave up the British andEmpire titles. Later Henry relinquished the European crown due to an injury.Again in 1970 the Amazing E'nry came back to regain the British and Empire titles from Jack Bodell. Later he re-gained the European crown by stopping Jose Urtain.On March 16, 1971, Henry met upcoming Joe Bugner with all three titles at stake. After fifteen well-contestedrounds, Bugner was awarded a very close and controversial decision much to the dismay of Henry. Cooper neverboxed again.

I hope that Sir Henry is slated to be a guest at the Boxing Hall of Fame this year. His popularity has crossed the At-lantic. A tribute to this fine fighter and even finer gentleman.

Frazier - Quarry I: 41 Years Since This Heavyweight ClassicBy Jim Amato

June 23, 1969 at New York's Madison Square Garden, Joe Frazier met the popular Irish fighter, Jerry Quarry, for theNew York State recognized heavyweight title. Back in the day, the New York State Boxing Commission wielded quitea bit of power. Commissioner Edwin Dooley wasted little time stripping Muhammad Ali of his heavyweight title whenAli refused induction into the Armed Forces. The World Boxing Association did the same and they set up a tournamentto determine a new champion. Eight top contenders were selected, with unbeaten Joe Frazier being one of them. Frazi-er's management declined the invitation, however. The eventual winner of the tourney was Jimmy Ellis, who defeatedJerry Quarry in the finals.

The N.Y.S.A.C. offered Frazier a chance to fight Buster Mathis, who like Frazier, was undefeated. Mathis had defeatedFrazier twice in the amateur ranks. The winner would be the champion in New York and a few other states. Well, Fra-zier met Big Buster and took him out in the eleventh to gain revenge and also win a piece of the heavyweight title.

Although the talented Jimmy Ellis held the more recognized WBA tilte, Frazier was considered by most as the best ac-tive heavyweight. They would eventually meet to settle their differences.

The bout with Quarry would be considered as a measuring stick between Frazier and Ellis. Frazier had labored throughtwo decision wins over rugged Oscar Bonavena. In their first ten rounder, Bonavena had Frazier down twice but Frazi-er rallied to get the verdict. Their second bout saw Frazier and Bonavena slug it out for fifteen tough rounds, with Fra-zier again getting the decision. In between the two Frazier-Bonavena battles, Bonavena met Jimmy Ellis. In one ofEllis' best career performances, he floored the granite jawed Bonavena twice to win a convincing decision. Based onthose bouts, Ellis seemed to have an edge on Frazier. In the Quarry bout, Frazier needed to make a statement.

Jerry Quarry was no pushover, however. He was ranked as one of the five best heavyweights in the world. He did anumber on Mathis just three months before meeting Frazier winning a lopsided twelve rounder. Not surprizingly, therewere a lot of people who thought Quarry had a real chance of winning.

The bout itself was non stop action, a real heavyweight slugfest. To his credit, Quarry always came to fight and younever had to look for Joe Frazier. Early in the first round, it was toe to toe action. Knowing that both boxers couldbang, the fans were really enjoying this. Each fighter was rocked a bit but were still standing at the end of a terrificround.

The next two rounds were more of the same, as they slugged it out on the inside. By round four, it was becoming ap-parent the Quarry was fighting Frazier's fight. Frazier began breaking down Quarry who gamely fought back. As thebout wore on, Quarry was cut and he was getting staggered by Frazier's famous left hook.

It ended in seven. Quarry had a severe cut and at this point Frazier had taken command. It was a gruelling fight,though, and even in losing, Quarry won a ton of respect from this courageous performance.

Jerry Quarry is no longer with us and he was recently joined by his brother Mike Quarry, who was a fine boxer in hisown right. This was one of my favorite heavyweight battles. It is hard for me to believe it took place forty one yearsago.

CURTIS COKES

He may have been the best fighter in the welterweight division during the decade but he never had a chance to prove itagainst Emile Griffith. Instead he labored in the back round, fighting and beating all comers. Only after Griffith movedup to middleweight and allowed him to capture the vacated title did Curtis Cokes gain some long over due recognition.Curtis who never had an amateur fight began his professional career in Midland, Texas on March 24, 1958 outscoringManuel Gonzalez over six rounds. Curtis and Manuel would get to know each other a lot better in years to come. Cur-tis was born on June 15, 1937 in Dallas, Texas. He would go on to win his next ten fights including an eight rounderover Gonzalez. Finally in April of 1959, one year after turning pro Curtis suffered his first career loss to none otherthen Manuel Gonzalez. A no contest in a match with the talented Rip Randall set up a rematch. Curtis took out Randallin the first round. Later in the year Curtis would drop a six round duke to Frankie Davis.

Cokes won four fights in 1960. In 1961 he moved up the ladder with big wins over Joe Miceli and Charley † Tomb-stone † Smith. Cokes then dropped a decision in Mexico to Hilario Morales. He then fought a draw with the cleverKenny Lane in Dallas. Back in Dallas two months later Curtis scored a huge win with a split decision over the highlyrespected Luis Rodriguez. Cokes would then meet and again decision Manny Gonzalez but would lose points call toRodriguez in a return match.

Curtis would bounce back in 1962 with five straight wins including knockouts over Hilario Morales and the ruggedRudolph Bent. Another trip to Mexico cost him another defeat. This times a decision to Manuel Sixto Alvarez. Fourmore wins led to a 1963 clash at the Sunnyside Garden in New York against contender Jose Stable. Curtis lost a veryclose decision. Cokes would then outpoint the very tough Stan Harrington. On May 1, 1964 Curtis travelled to theBlue Horizon in Philadelphia to meet the dangerous Stan † Kitten † Hayward. He would suffer a major set backas Hayward stopped Cokes in round four.

It was back to the drawing board for Curtis. Two decision wins over Al Andrews got him back on track but he droppeda ten rounder to the slick Eddie Pace. On December 13, 1965 Curtis won the Southern Welterweight title with a twelveround decision over Billy Collins. On July 6, 1966 Cokes stopped Luis Rodriguez one minute in to the fifteenth andfinal round of an eliminination bout for the welterweight title vacated by Emile Griffith.

Seven weeks after his win over Rodriguez, Cokes met old rival Manuel Gonzalez for the WBA version of the welter-weight title. The battle took place in New Orleans. Curtis floored Gonzalez on his way to a lopsided decision and aworld’s championship. In November Cokes outclassed Frenchman Jean Josselin to win universal recognition aswelterweight champion. Still many felt that Cokes was the champ only because Griffith had vacated the division. Cur-tis would go on to prove himself a worthy champion.

In early 1967 Curtis would have three non-title affairs. First he drew with Francious Pavilla. He knocked out TedWhitfield but then the wily Gypsy Joe Harris outpointed Curtis. Finally Cokes defended his title halting Pavilla in areturn bout. Next came a very impressive stoppage of sharp contender Charlie Shipes. Two non-title wins in early1968 over Josselin and Jimmy Lester led to a defense in Dallas against South African contender Willie Ludick. An in-spired Cokes flattened Ludick in the fifth round. Three non-title knockouts in South Africa followed including a repeatperformance over Ludick. Then came a one-sided title-retaining verdict over Ramon La Cruz.

Jose Napoles, a Cuban who had migrated to Mexico years before had long been considered one of the best fighters inthe business. Still he had never received a shot at a world title. Curtis Cokes was a proud man and a proud champion.He felt he was the best welterweight in the world. He also knew that Napoles was a very worthy contender and that hedeserved a shot at the title. They met at the Forum in Inglewood, California on April 18, 1969. On that day Napolesproved to the world that he was a special fighter. Jose out fought and battered the game Cokes throughout using a re-markable jab and bone jarring combinations. Hopelessly behind on points Curtis did not answer the bell for round

fourteen and his belt was awarded to Napoles.Maybe it was just a bad night but Curtis had to know so he went down to Mexico two months later to attempt to re-claim his championship. Again Napoles proved to be too much for the game Cokes and the bout was ended after tenrounds. Curtis would return seven months later as a full-fledged middleweight. Cokes had hoped that old rival LuisRodriguez would defeat middleweight king Nino Benvenuti when they met on November 22, 1969. Curtis was confi-dent that Rodriguez would give him a crack at the middleweight title. After ten rounds Rodriguez had Benvenutibleeding and bewildered and it looked like Luis was going to take the crown and then just like that, it was over. Acrashing left hook put Rodriguez flat on his back for the count as the bleeding Benvenuti retained his crown.

With little hope of a title shot Curtis still campaigned as a middleweight. He won four bouts but then drew withAkron’s Fate Davis, a fighter he defeated seven months earlier. Cokes then lost decisions to Rafael Gutierrez andCarlos Salinas on the West Coast. Then he lost to Elijah Makathini in South Africa. By now it was 1972 and CarlosMonzon was firmly entrenched as middleweight king. There would be little interest in a bout between the great Mon-zon and the aging Cokes. Curtis returned to South Africa and won decisions over Joseph Hali and Ezra Mzinyane andthen retired.

In 80 bouts Curtis put together a fine 62-14-3 record with one no contest. He won thirty fights by knockout. He wasstopped only three times. He met the best welterweights of his era other then Emile Griffith.Curtis was inducted intothe International Boxing Hall Of Fame in 2003 with the help of mutual friend Steve Canton, I was able to reach Mr.Cokes and have a very nice conversation with him. I contacted him at his gym where he trains boxers. Curtis oncetrained highly regarded heavyweights Ike Ibeabuchi and Kirk Johnson. He also guided Quincy Taylor to the middle-weight title. He also appeared in the boxing movie classic Fat City .

Curtis was extremely courteous and giving with his time. He said even though he and Manny Gonzalez met in the ringnumerous times, they were very good friends. Curtis had a tremendous amount of respect for Luis Rodriguez and de-spite their battles they always maintained a friendly relationship. I asked him if he regretted never meeting Emile Grif-fith in the ring. Curtis more or less said that he had no control on Emile’s decision to move up in weight. Did he feelhe could have defeated Emile? In his low key, respectful manner Mr.Cokes just stated he felt that he was capable ofbeating any welterweight in the world during his prime but he had a great respect for Emile’s talent and that they arefriends. He said the knockout loss to Stan Hayward in 1964 took him by surprise but he just put it behind him andmoved on. He called Napoles a great fighter who he was just unable to overcome. Curtis really felt that if Rodriguezhad defeated Benvenuti, they would have met again. This time for the middleweight championship of the world.I would like to thank Curtis Cokes for taking the time to speak to me one on one. I also like to thank promoter, trainer,gym owner and jack-of-all-trades Steve Canton for helping me to contact Curtis.

Jim Amato

COMETOGETHER

Closet Classic: Bob Foster vs Andy KendallNot too long ago one of my favorite writers, Ted Sares asked me if I could come up with some bouts as he describedthem as “closet classics† . I came up with a few for Ted. Here recently I was making a tape for a friend. One of thebouts was the 1969 light heavyweight title fight between Bob Foster and Andy Kendall. I have a mint copy of this fightand what a war it was while it lasted.

This was Foster at the peak of his great career. What a fighter he was. Most people remember his devastating power butwhat they tend to forget is that Bob had a terrific jab. He jabbed on even terms with Muhammad Ali when they met. Heeven cut the “Greatest― .Andy Kendall was no slouch. He was a rough and rugged customer who met Don Fullmer, Bobo Olson, Eddie Cotton,Roger Rouse and Eddie “Bossman† Jones on his way to this title shot. The ABC broadcast had Howard Coselland the late Willie Pep at ringside calling the action.

It was a war from the opening bell. The shorter Kendall tried to be aggressive and on working his way in he butted Bobon a few occasions. In the ring Foster had little sense of humor and he hit Andy on the break drawing a warning fromthe referee. Bob had a ten inch reach advantage and he wasted little time establishing his fine jab. Bob also launchedseveral punishing rights to Kendall’s head. Andy was game to the core as he absorbed the punishment and keptmoving forward.

Although Andy lost the first two rounds, he made a statement in round three. His aggression was beginning to pay offand he finally got to Bob in round three. He rocked Foster on a couple of occasions and the fans loved it. Now it was afight!

Bob must have sensed this as round four began as he came out and took charge. There was a brutal exchange but Andygot the worst of it and staggered into the ropes. Foster was right on him pouring in punch after punch. The courageousKendall tried to fight back but Foster was a great finisher. Finally Kendall sank to the canvas. His inner toughnessforced him to rise before the ten count but the referee had seen enough and waved the fight over. Foster had retained histitle but he knew he had been in a fight. You could see it in his eyes that he admired the stubborn courage of Andy Ken-dall.Foster would fight on and forge his legend. Kendall would fight on too. He would meet men like Dick Tiger, LarryBuck, Mike Quarry, Pat O’Conner, Jorge Ahumada and Yaqui Lopez and will always be considered one of the bestlight heavyweight contenders of the Bob Foster era.

Jim Amato

N e w s , V i e w s

What Should Have Been But Never Was : Cuevas-vs- Palomino.By Jim Amato

Pipino Cuevas has been inducted into the International Boxing Hall Of Fame. I struggled with this for a while.Did he really deserve to get in ? There are so many deserving former boxers that you can make a strong casefor.

After wrestling with the matter of Pipino's induction I was able to come to terms with it. Why ? Because duringhis tenure as champion he was a Holy Terror !!! That is why !He did not just win fights. He broke bones. He was a devastating puncher with a wrecking ball left hook. Heleft a trail of fractured jaws, etc... In a word, he was awesome !Then Tommy Hearns exposed his chin and Roberto Duran followed suit. Herman Montes ended the legend butgive Pipino his due. During his prime he was feared !He crushed legit opposition like Harold Weston Jr., Clyde Gray, Angel Espada and Pete Ranzany. He came tofight and he had the classic kill or be killed mentality.

While Pipino was recognized as the W.B.A. titleholder, another popular West Coast boxer emerged to win theW.B.C. version. He was Carlos Palomino and he won the crown with a spectacular KO of John H. Stracey. Hedefended the crown with pride turning back the challenges of rugged Armando Muniz and the highly toutedDave "Boy" Green.

Why did these two never meet ? This could have been a West Coast bonanza ! Who would have won if theydecided to trade hooks ? As mentioned, Pipino lost his crown to Hearns. Palomino was outfoxed by a wizardnamed Wilfred Benitez and reliquished his title claim. Carlos was then outspeeded by a highly motivated Rob-erto Duran. Carlos retired but returned. The saga ended years later in an ill fated comeback that accomplishedlittle.

Carlos Palomino has been inducted to the I.B.H.O.F . Did he deserve to get in ? YES !!! He was a class act whowas good for the sport. So was Cuevas. It's to bad that they ushered in the Golden Era of the 147 lb. division.They had to make way for the Leonard, Hearns, Duran, Benitez era.What a shame. Two world class champions who may only serve as footnotes.

Only time and history will tell us how Pipino and Carlos will be remembered. Being enshrined in theI.B.H.O.F. is a wonderful start.If there were no Sugar, Tommy, Roberto and Wilfred. Carlos and Pipino would have faced off. Who wouldhave won this "should have taken place" Super Bout ?Give me two guys with heart, punch and talent and I say the "chin" will win. My choice is Carlos.

It's all about the beard !

Interview with Torsten KanzmeierTorsten Kanzmeier is the founder of his own style Lei Gong Nei Quan. He was a closestudent to the legendary Helmut Barthel for 16 years. From what he learned in histraining years he extrapolated his own style. He was interviewed in november of 2008in Holland by Guido Sleddens.

You where studying with Helmut Barthel, the founder of Tan TienTschuean, and you also taught there. Can you talk a little bit abouthim and your martial arts carreer

When I met Helmut Barthel for the first time when I was seventeen, it wasquite an occasion for me. Because he asked me if I wanted to study Kung fu, Isaid yes and then he put his right hand softly on my chest and at the samemoment it seemed as if I was being kicked by a horse. It was so intense that Ifell on the floor gasping for air. Then he pulled me up, put his hand on my chestagain and took the pain away. With tears in my eyes I looked into his clear eyesand he asked me again..”Do you still want to learn Kung fu?” and I said yes…In this way I started learning with him. We were only a small group there.About 6 or 7 people. On my first training I was very surprised because it wascompletely different from how I had imagined it to be. I was a big fan of BruceLee and all I knew about martial arts I had learned from magazines and movies.When I heard of this teacher, I had to wait for about 6 months before I couldstart training in his school. I had to ask over and over again before he let me in.I thought Kung Fu was about learning forms and sequences of movement buthere it was always about dissolving ones own resistances and pressure and tomove from there. It was not like a traditional school. At that time Helmut wasalways training himself. The style was still being developed.

After a while I started to understand how Helmut was practicing; he wanted tobecome more free and more alive, without reacting to his opponent andwithout using any muscle power, weight or swinging motions.Helmut himself was always training with some senior students.He was always exploring to find a way of movement that would be the mosteffective with the use of least effort or movement. He would kick for example,and then asked them if they could see it coming, and then try again and againuntil his kick became unstoppable for them. Or he would practise throws withthe very least of effort possible.

Was it a hard training?

It was not too hard for me at that time. Helmut did a lot of fighting with hisSeniors.

They should attack him in whatever way they wanted; his goal was not to reactto it, but to stay completely relaxed and awake and to respond directly andwithout any compromise with his own movement.

He always got very, very irritated when he noticed any muscle movement inhimself that came about from the attack of the other. Because that wouldcreate a reference point or a striking point for the other. He always becamemad with himself when he did not control his own reflexes.His movements where fast or slow but it was always incredibly effective.He was always practising the same things over and over again; he was really sointo it and he let others attack him over and over until he had dissolved all hisown reflexes completely; he was and still is a perfectionist.How did his way of training affect you?

I was very intrigued with his way; it was of course very unusual. I started torealize that it is possible to fight and to win without needing force, mass orbodysize. And it made me train in this way too. It was difficult for me but veryInteresting.

In the beginning of the 80ties when I was 20 years old, Helmut Barthel starteda school in Heide where about 20 people came who where also doing otherkind of martial arts. From then on I trained twice a week And then my teacherstarted to work with me personally where I also had to attack him.

How did his technique work on you?

I got very scared because I was not able to do anything against him whatever Idid; he always had me completely under control. He hit me harder and threwme harder so that I would get accustomed how to deal with pain.We also learned some kind of Taiji set that was used as an instrument toexplore movement. How we could deal with our own pressure and resistancein our own movement. Again we learned how to dissolve pressure.We learned how to feel our body and to feel into our feet. I was mostly feelingpain because it was so strange and impossible to do it.

How did you deal with the fact that you did not understand much?

Of course I asked how he did things and why he was so effective. But he alwaysresponded by doing it to me again, and it was very painful so I started askingthe senior students. Because when I asked him how he hit, he always hit me!The seniors told me “One cannot use any musclepower to hit, but you have tolet your weight sink from the feet and then move yourself from the hand”. Themovement should not be build on pressure and muscle but by controlledfalling of the limbs. Dropping the elbow will set the hand free so it can speedForwards.

The sticking hands training drill was a favourite one; in that drill it became veryclear when one is using muscle or pressure. As soon as I create some pressurewith my hand the other can feel my whole body and I cannot detach myselffrom him. When my teacher did it I could only feel his very light hand, andnothing else. When that hand hit me, it came from nowhere and weighed athousand tons… His hands felt always completely unattached from the rest ofhis body. At the same time they where connected to his body. So it waseffective and controlled at the same time. As if a bullit was shot from a barrelbut at the same time still controlled by it. It’s hard to explain.

Could you compare it to other Martial Arts?

There were always karate and judo people who came to visit who wanted totest it out. It was mostly to hard and to direct form them. Mostly they landedon the ground without knowing what had happened to them. They had no ideawhat was going on.

In 1984 the school went to another location and he had bought himself an oldInn with a ballroom where more and more people went to receive his training.For the training there were 40 or 50 people waiting until Helmut turned upand he told them what to do. He was walking around, it was very relaxed andpeople had fun. People really enjoyed the training and the exploration. Andmore and more people from the whole of Germany came to see what wasgoing on. By that time he lived there with 12 or 13 people. It was like aCommune.

People got more interested in exploring Kung fu in this way because it becameclear one could integrate it in ones life.

He started to ask me when I was going to come and live with him in the group.How did you react to him asking?

First I did not want to. I had a house and a girlfriend, I did not see the reasonto go and live there. I was quite pleased with my development during training, itwas a very fun period. He asked me during one year over and over again whenI would come and live with him. And then at a certain point when my life wasnot going very well, I decided to move in. It was spring 1985. I understood thatit was just about learning Kung fu; I never thought about work or the future oranything. When I moved in I shared a room with 4 others. It was like enteringa Kung Fun monestary, and I endured all the inconveniences to be able to learn

this art; I really wanted to know.

At that time Helmut he had 6 people who came there at the same time tolearn and live there. And it became my job to teach that group. And that iswhat I did every day for 12 hours.

What and how did you teach?

My teacher told me what to do with them and for how long. And then he cameby and corrected them how to do things. And that is were my real learningstarted; it was again completely different from how I had imagined it to be.I saw everday again and again over and over hours at end how the others did itwrong. How they created pressure in themselves, how they used force. Fromobserving this the result was amazing; in myself during practice the resistancebecame less. What I did was to feel Helmut’s movements more and more andthen I tried to recreated this feeling during my own training. And then thingsstarted to work for me that did not work in the others.

At some point during the night Helmut took me out of my bed and I trainedtogether with him and a few others. It was the beginning of a new kind oftraining. And this was just about fighting. It was just us, a small group. Wealways had to attack him over and over. By any way we wanted. By ourselvesor together with one or two. In this way he integrated his principles insidehimself. This training was very hard for us and very painful. It was always veryserious and focussed. It were fierce fighting bouts that always took place in themiddle of the night.

How do you explain that he was able to always win ?

He was harder, faster and without any compromises; every technique he usedhad incredible impact and we could not see it coming. But he could seeeverything we did. It was like as if you were not fighting a human being becauseit was impossible to influence him as you would influence a human being. Tome he felt like a grizzly bear with whom one was locked in a room. Hecompletely transformed into a being that could not be beaten in any way. It wasa very special training, that went on for years every night. We had bruises,black eyes and so on, but we did not break anything. We all changed from thistraining, phychologicaly.

After a while I could be without any compromise myself and I could switch offears and worries that would block me during a fight. I became much more incontrol over myself to switch this “fighter identity” on and off.

It was physically and mentally a hard learning period. And I felt very privilegedto take part in it. Some others who wanted to join this group came to watch,but then got so scared from what they saw that they almost shit their pants.Helmut was able to do the things that where written in the Taiji classics. Hecould move people from a distance, trow them against the wall, push themwithout touching them physically. To me it felt like he took the control overmy body, my movements as if he was directing and controlling me with animpuls that came from him. And although I did not want this, he managed to

overrule our will and make us do things we had not decided with our own will.On a psychological level the night training was very intense. What cametowards us was an animal like controled uncompromising power of control.

What I learned from this is that our defenses that we use for ourselves, likepulling back and trying to escape is in reality a trap. It is a trap because myinstinct to defend my life is being limited by me trying to escape theconfrontation. In an extreme situation where our life is threatened the onlyway to act is to confront it head on. In this learning period I realized thatHelmut had us more under his control than we had ourselves under control.We never studied any sequences of moves instead we learned how torecognize our own limits and to cross those limits. That was the way webecame more proficient. It was always connected to dissolving our ownResistances.

Another thing I learned from this is that I know the way how to teach othersto become mentally stronger. At the same time my movements became softerand softer, and had more joy in life. I became more alive. It is strange when Ithink about it but my Ego went down; I did not need to be strong all the time.And I learned more about the principles of not using force. I saw theimportance of using focussed kinetic energy that was applicable in all directionsin any given moment; my teacher did not have any contradicting movements, itwas real unbroken movement so to speak. The same amount of control he hadover himself, he had over us and his obsessed exploration of these principlesmade him unusually skilful.

What else did you learn from this time that you use now?

Well something I use in my work now is that I know that when you studysomething and stay with it long enough one can learn things you would havenever believed possible. This intense time has really brought me to myself. Icame to experience and feel myself on a deep level. This has become to key towhat I am doing today. It is about being self-conciousness. And that is the keyto success; it has became for me much deeper than I understood then orbelieved to be at that time.

As if some light has gone on and I have began to see.

The usual understanding of being self-concious is something very different fromwhat I mean with this experience. I am talking about becoming more self awarethrough feeling. By working with this feeling awareness, my movementsbecome much more effective. When people train something they hope to gaina feeling for the movements. And that works well to a certain extend. But Idiscovered a way to come into ones feeling immediately and to then fill themovements with feeling. In that way a completely new effectiveness and qualityof movement comes into existence.

What are you doing now, what kind of training do you give?

I am not so much interested in training certain patterns of movement, or form;I rather work with the forms and patterns that people already know. I am

interested in making their particular art more effective. For this I use a speciallydesigned trainings program around unbroken movement where the individualbecomes more effective in the techniques they are already using.

Let me give you an example. When people are successful in their particularsport we say they have a certain talent for it. A talent they always had. Whenthe trainer discovered this talent in someone they started to encourage theperson more. They did this by giving the individual more attention in anempowering way. By being approved in this way, the individual became better.

My way is slightly different.

Now first of all, what is a talent? It is a special feeling one has for a certainsport or motion in this case.

What I do is making people aware of the feeling that is the determining factorfor the talent. Then I bring them straight into the feeling so that their talentincreases. I do this by starting to use movement sequences that are fully alignedwith gravity, where they start to surrender to the force of gravity. As a resultthe people I work with get more in touch with themselves, with their originaltalent and they became more independent in bringing this talent or this passionout into their practice. So through my work people get into a higher vibration,they start to feel the joy of life more, and their movement becomes unbroken,free and very effective. It is all about dissolving resistance, stress and pressure.

When we are talking about fighting arts how does this apply?

So what you see a lot in the martial arts is that people look angry or have anaggressive seriousness about them. I understood that al this heaviness isactually limiting the effectiveness or impact of their techniques. When you lookat Mike Tyson for example you could see in the beginning time when he wasenjoying his boxing more he was much more powerful and effective. There aremany examples like this. So by getting my people more into feel, there is awhole transformation starting. Sometimes people tell me that they thoughtfeeling was something soft and weak, now they understand it is the source ofPower.

By working in this way I can increase the impact of a boxers punch for 40 to50%. Some trainers tell me that a 10% increase is the highest possible in theirexperience! Also the idea of reacting to the aggressor as an impulse for thetechnique is not part of my system. In my opinion, it should never be aboutreacting to what the other does…it should all be about your own unbrokenMovement.

That is something I learned from my teacher.

It is a very misunderstood concept in martial arts. People think like: “…if hedoes this..I will do that.. They consider all kinds of possible scenario’s but theyforget to have control over their own movement, their own thinking. Peopletend to look outside for answers, to feel safe. It is easier when some ‘authority’

tells you if you are doing it right. It is something to deeply contemplate. Whodares to really look inside. You have to be a little crazy to do this (laughing). Tofind your own reference points.

The whole area where we look at the impact our movements have on otherpeople is one of the main things I focus on. Using “feeling awareness” we areactually working a lot with unconscious impulses that control your muscles. Itis also a way to help people to drop their resistances and fear and find theirown power.

With what kind of martial Artists do you work?

I work both with professionals and hobbyists from different styles andbackgrounds. I worked with Sascha Dimitrenko, Zolt Erdei, Sebastian Zbick,Khoren Gevor all upcoming World and und European Boxing champignons .I introduced Fred Royers and his kick boxers to my work and they were quiteimpressed. For them this way of thinking and moving is challenging. They haveto start looking at all the adrenaline based tension of the actual fightingsituation. What they need, is they need to feel confident and believe that mykind of effortless power is available, in any situation.

I also work with many Taiji people and other styles, Krav Maga and Systema,judo , jiujitsu and so on.

As I said, many martial artists look outside themselves for the way to becomebetter or do something the way “it should be done”.

My work is to help people tap into their own power. It is not a good idea totry to be someone else. Unbroken movement and having deep impact can bedone by anyone. You just have to look in the right place. For everyone I havesomething that is bringing them a step further in their development. That’swhat I like about this work.

Thank you for the interview.

Historical BOXING JEOPARDYBY STEVE MAGUIRE

If you’ve ever watched a game of Jeopardy, you might agree with the notionthat the category of sports, let alone boxing, doesn’t appear often among the bluetiled questions.

If boxing “does” make its way on to the blinking board, you can almost besure that the answer will be Sugar Ray Leonard, Muhammad Ali or anotherglobally known fighter. The idea of an; “All Boxing” Jeopardy is fun, sohere it comes…be sure to answer in form of a question…

This fighter from Cuba, fought from 1928-1938 and held titles atFeatherweight and Junior Lightweight. When his career was over, hereturned to his country to open a gym and was awarded a governmentpension for his outstanding representation…

There were 12,000 present in Tokyo to see him win the World FlyweightChampionship. His “windmill” type offense helped him register 55 winsand earned him a spot in the International Boxing Hall of Fame…

After finally securing a shot at the Light Heavyweight title, this fighter wasvictorious, however, he only walked away with $800 for his effort…he washoping to get “more”…

A unification fight between these two Lightweight Champions was on thenegotiating table at one time, yet it never materialized. It could havehappened in 1984, and Youngstown, Ohio, would have been a ideal place tohost the event…

He defended the WBA Featherweight title 19 times, and later became apolitical member in Panama…

He was disqualified two times in a row against the same opponent, however,still makes it near tops on most All Time, 154 pound lists…

He became Kyrgyzstan’s first world champion when he won the WBALightweight title…as a big punching southpaw, he encountered visiondifficulties near the end of his career.

In 1994, he became the first former Heavyweight Champion to get defeatedby a fighter who was making his debut…

After winning the WBA Junior Middleweight title against Julio CesarVazquez, he immediately vacated the belt at the post-press conference andcontinued his reign as the WBC, 147 pound champ…

It was during this year in which the “Frawley Law” legalized boxing inNew York…

Final JeopardySadly, at 72 years old, this former Flyweight Champion was attacked byseveral vagrants at a Cardiff railway station. He lived for four more years,not knowing who he was or what he accomplished.

A HOTEL, A STABLE ANDA FIGHT TO REMEMBER

By Steve Maguire

The Atlantic hotel clerk, Tom McKay, quietly asked the two guests who were standing atthe desk, several specific questions. When McKay was satisfied with the answers hewas given, he directed the guests to a specific location within the hotel, then went backto the desk. Two more people arrived and they were asked the same questions. Theytoo, were taken to the same location by McKay. The process continued; groups of twoarrived at the inn over a period of four hours and if they were up to par, according toMcKay, they were admitted to the same place…to wait. They weren’t waiting for aroom or a dinner table; they were waiting to be taken to a prize fight.

On November 16, 1887, a small stable in Revere, Massachusetts had beenprepared to host a World Lightweight title fight between Ireland’s JackMcAuliffe and England’s, Jem Carney. However, the fight would need totake place in secret, or there would be no fight at all. The local police werewell informed that the bout was indeed going to take place, however, theauthorities were having difficulty in finding out when and where. Theprecautions taken by those who set up the fight were effective. The 126pound McAuliffe, sported a record of 19-0-0 (KO 10). Most of his priorfights had taken place in New York and in 1886, with a win over BillyFrazier, McAuliffe was seen as the World Lightweight Champion.Carney’s numbers, going into the fight, were 11-3-2 (KO 2). At 131pounds, he was regarded by many as the British Lightweight Titlist.Although the people continuing to arrive at the hotel werebeing screened without problems, there was still more to do in order to getthe fight underway.

The clock was approaching midnight when McKay suddenly lit a lanternand motioned for the crowd inside to follow him. The group eagerly wentout the back entrance and began a short walk toward a stable, nearby. Oncethey arrived at the barn, they noticed a small Salvation Army band playingat the entrance; a clever move by those in the know, to keep the police offtrack. Once the audience was settled inside the shack, the fight was finallyon.

McAuliffe took control of the contest for the first six rounds, however,Carney scored a knockdown in seven. The fight was an active one asMcAuliffe, after cutting Carney in round 10, was emerging as the victor byround 20, yet the Irishman began to tire as the bout moved towards round30. Incredibly, the two combatants fought on until round 40 and at thearrival of an astonishing round 70, the fighters were still willing to battle.During that round, Carney floored McAuliffe, however the incident wastainted by McAuliffe’s seconds rushing in to aid their fighter. After a smallmelee, the bout moved on. McAuliffe was dropped once again, in round74, and this time, after an additional interference, McKay, fearful of thepolice, urged the referee to consider stopping the bout. The request wasgranted and the final result rendered was a draw.

The site was now London, 27 years later. Old rivals McAuliffe and Carneystood across from each other in a ring, ready to re-enact their epic battlewhich had taken place inside a small stable years earlier. Wearingoversized gloves, the fighters portrayed what occurred in 1887 very well, tothe appeasement of those in attendance. Both McAuliffe and Carney arenow in the International Boxing Hall of Fame… if only more could havewitnessed their wonderful battle behind the Atlantic Hotel.

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