Category Archives: History

Boxing – New Mexico

David Martinez, History

By David Martinez / Boxing Historian / www.dmboxing.com

As my parents and many family members (uncles, aunts, and cousins) are from New Mexico, I have had people ask me which boxers are my favorites, or the best fighters, from that state.

As I rate them, my top three are Bob Foster, Johnny Tapia, and Art Aragon.

Also, Danny Romero and Austin Trout are the honorable mention picks that round out my top five; and I have certainly been blessed to have met them all.

BOB FOSTER

Ring Record: 56-8-1 / 46 by KO

Known as the Albuquerque, “Deputy Sheriff”, he was one of the greatest light heavyweight champions in boxing history. WBA / WBC world champion from 1968 to 1974.

Inducted into the Ring Boxing Hall of Fame in 1983, the World Boxing Hall of Fame in 1984 and the International Boxing Hall of Fame in the inaugural class of 1990.

Continue reading Boxing – New Mexico →

Remembering Three Icons of Boxing

David Martinez, History, R.I.P.

By David Martinez / Boxing Historian / dmboxing.com

In the past sixty-three years, starting in January 1961 when my taste and passion for boxing was ignited, I have met many boxers and other interesting people.

There were three that intrigued me with their amazing knowledge of the history of the sport, and we became great friends whom I will never forget. They were (R.I.P.) Al Nelson, Don Fraser and Harold Lederman.

AL NELSON

Al was curator of the Jeffries Museum Barn located at Knott’s Berry Farm. I came to know him through my friend, Gary Ballin, in the late 1960’s. Nelson was a living icon and boxing historian from the turn of the 20th Century in the Jim Jeffries, Jack Johnson, and Bob Fitzsimmons era. I would take it upon myself to make many visits, driving the 200 plus round-trip miles from my Santa Barbara home to visit him in Buena Park, California. He was certainly a wealth of boxing history, and I treasured the times with him and the education he gave me from his life experiences.

I remember a few highlights from our talks. He stated that Bob Fitzsimmons was the hardest puncher of his time, that Jim Corbett was a complete master in the ring and, although Jim Jeffries was his favorite, Jack Johnson at his prime was the best of the heavyweights.

Just before he passed away, Al gave me photos and booklets; but the greatest gift, besides his friendship, was an original cigar box cover circa 1900 with the image of undefeated heavyweight champion Jim Jeffries on it.

Continue reading Remembering Three Icons of Boxing →

Jack Dempsey Museum / Memory … REVISITED

David Martinez, Heavyweights, History

Last month on October 9th, I published my article piece regarding the Jack Dempsey Museum – Memory.

I was actually amazed how it attracted many, sharing my wonderful experience traveling to Manassa, Colorado in August of 1975. I would like to take the opportunity to say thank you for those that responded to their liking.

For anyone that have might of missed it, and would like, the complete article and actual photos taken on that such memorable day 48 years ago, it can be viewed by clicking onto either Heavyweights or History in the Categories section on this website.

I’m delighted to also share a few more photos from my personal Jack Dempsey collection!

Respectfully,

David Martinez / Boxing Historian / dmboxing.com

Continue reading Jack Dempsey Museum / Memory … REVISITED →

Jack Dempsey Museum, Manassa, Colorado / MEMORY

David Martinez, Heavyweights, History

By David Martinez / Boxing Historian / dmboxing.com

It was in August 1975, when traveling back to visit my relatives in various locations in the state of New Mexico, I ventured north for an unbelievable experience, a visit the birthplace of Jack Dempsey, Manassa, which is located in the southern part of Colorado, in the “San Luis” Valley.

Upon my arrival, I located a log cabin style house in the middle of town, that was actually moved to this city park location in July 1966, and was refurbished in honor of Jack Dempsey. The interior walls were lined with photos and mementos of Dempsey’s brilliant career.

The Curator there was so wonderfully nice and was amazed at my focus and interest, that he thinking I lived nearby, offered me a job there as a tour guide. Then he did something that was truly amazing, removing the actual gloves from a display case that Dempsey wore in the Luis Angel Firpo fight (September 14, 1923) so I could wear them while posing for a picture.

Unfortunately, I had a misfortune happen regarding these photos. In November 1983, while moving from my old house to my new house, it started to rain that day and the water got into the U-Haul trailer we

were towing and into my nicely framed photos. I cried and was so upset and disappointed beyond belief. The photo of me wearing those gloves was the one most damaged.

Continue reading Jack Dempsey Museum, Manassa, Colorado / MEMORY →

Shorty Padilla – Not To Be Forgotten

David Martinez, FLASHBACK, History

FLASHBACK — On January 12, 2022, exactly twenty months ago, I published this article on a story line from my youth. To date, that piece has attracted many readers. The numbers were amazing with many “likes” and positive responses, so I feel obligated to post it in this ENCORE version for those who may have missed it. It is also my pleasure to share this article for those that remember the first publishing so that they may enjoy it once again.

By David Martinez / Boxing Historian / dmboxing.com

As a young boy back in the early 1960’s, I met an older man who intrigued me. He would come in to get his haircuts at my father’s barber shop – his name was Tim Cobos.

He knew boxing very well from his era which started in the 1920’s. I never forgot that he told me the three greatest boxers he had ever seen (I can’t remember the order) were Benny Leonard, Sugar Ray Robinson, and Joe Louis. Those were his greatest, but his favorite was a local Santa Barbara, California boxer, Albert Lopez Padilla, who was nicknamed Shorty.

Tim knew Shorty personally and attended many of his fights from 1946 to 1949. Shorty fought at such Southern California venues as the historic Los Angeles Olympic Auditorium, Santa Monica Ocean Park Arena, San Diego Coliseum, San Bernardino Arena, Whittier Arena / Pico Rivera, and the Mission Arena in Santa Barbara.

Shorty was born in Pueblo, Colorado, on May 19, 1925, the youngest of four brothers and one sister. His family migrated from city to city to earn a living. They settled in Brawley for a time and in 1928 made their home in Goleta, California, a small community north of Santa Barbara.

Continue reading Shorty Padilla – Not To Be Forgotten →

Jose Manuel Urtain vs. Jurgen Blin / Fight and Memory

David Martinez, Heavyweights, History

By David Martinez / Boxing Historian / dmboxing.com

Back in the mid-seventies, I met a wonderful older man, Emil DeLoreto, who at the time had been following my boxing articles when I was a boxing beat writer for my local newspaper, the Santa Barbara News Press. Emil was much older than I, born in 1910, and he witnessed some of the great boxers in his days and would tell me about many of the fights that he attended.

One fight in particular was on June 20, 1970, in Barcelona, Spain, between Jose Manuel Urtain and Jurgen Blin.

The bout was a scheduled 15 round European Boxing Union (EBU) heavyweight championship fight, with Urtain defending his title that he won in April 1970 by knocking out West Germany’s Peter Weiland.  Coming into the fight, Urtain was undefeated with 28 straight wins and all 28 by knockout. Blin, however, would certainly be Urtain’s toughest opponent.

As Emil described the fight, Urtain started fast and took the early lead with a constant barrage of hard punches. Blin came into his own having a huge round 8, hurting Urtain and nearly knocking him out, as the German was looking strong.

Round 10 was exciting, as both fighters went down for counts of eight. Urtain went down first by a smashing right hand punch to the jaw. Then it was Blin that dropped to the canvas as Urtain delivered a left and then a right cross to the head.

They both fought hard, with blood streaming down their faces as the bout ended, going the full 15 round distance.

Continue reading Jose Manuel Urtain vs. Jurgen Blin / Fight and Memory →

First World Title Bouts Held in Different Countries of the World

David Martinez, History

By David Martinez / Boxing Historian / dmboxing.com

ARGENTINA – Pascual Perez vs. Leo Espinosa, Buenos Aires, January 11, 1956

AUSTRALIA – Tommy Burns vs. Bill Squires, Sydney, August 24, 1908

BRAZIL – Eder Jofre vs. Piero Rollo, Rio De Janeiro, March 25, 1962

CANADA – Jim Ferns vs. Matty Mathews, Toronto, May 24, 1901

CUBA – Jess Willard vs. Jack Johnson, Havana, April 5, 1915

ENGLAND – George Dixon vs. Nune Wallace, London, June 27, 1890

FRANCE – Tommy Burns vs. Jewey Smith, Paris, April 18, 1908

FINLAND – Davey Moore vs. Ollie Maeki, Helsinki, August 17, 1962

GERMANY – Harold Johnson vs. Gustav Scholz, Berlin, June 23, 1962

GHANA – Sugar Ramos vs. Floyd Robertson, Accra, May 8, 1964

IRELAND – Tommy Burns vs. Jem Roche, Dublin, March 17, 1908

ITALY – Al Brown vs. Dom Bernasconi, Milan, March 17, 1933

Continue reading First World Title Bouts Held in Different Countries of the World →

Marco Antonio Barrera / Training Camp

David Martinez, History

By David Martinez / Boxing Historian / dmboxing.com

A month prior to the June 22, 2002 Marco Barrera vs. Erik Morales WBC Featherweight Championship, held at the MGM Grand Arena, Las Vegas, I spent a grand weekend at Barrera’s training camp in Big Bear, California.

I covered the weigh-in and the fight itself in Las Vegas, but it was actually the training camp that I was simply delighted to attend as an in-house guest.

Barrera won a unanimous decision, which was the second bout of a trilogy between these two great Mexican warriors.

In their first bout, Barrera lost a split decision on February 19, 2000; and in their third bout, Barrera won a majority decision on November 27, 2004. Ironically, each fight was at a different weight class, with their first at super bantamweight (122), their second at featherweight (126), and their third at super featherweight (130).

Continue reading Marco Antonio Barrera / Training Camp →

The Greatest Boxers From Mexico and the United Kingdom

David Martinez, History, Rankings

By David Martinez / Boxing Historian / dmboxing.com

Throughout my many years of research, I have developed a deep interest in ranking boxers on the greatness of their respective careers.

I rank the fighters, from different eras, at their height, peak, prime, and pinnacle of their careers, and not necessarily by who can beat whom or who fought whom, and regardless of their ring records.

Here’s my “pound for pound” top dozen (12) retired boxers from two of the most popular boxing parts of the world, with professional ring records listed.

Continue reading The Greatest Boxers From Mexico and the United Kingdom →

Boxers Never Knocked Out

David Martinez, History, Rankings

By David Martinez / Boxing Historian / dmboxing.com

There have been many boxers who were never knocked out in their respective careers in the ring.

Here’s my assessment and ranking (in order) of the top thirty-five retired fighters “pound for pound” who never suffered a “KO”, including (in parenthesis) the total number of bouts each fought in their professional careers.

1 – Eder Jofre (78)

2 – Carlos Monzon (99)

3 – Barney Ross (79)

4 – Rocky Marciano (49)

5 – Marvin Hagler (67)

6 – Gene Tunney (67)

7 – Pancho Villa (105)

8 – Floyd Mayweather Jr. (50)

9 – Salvador Sanchez (46)

10 – Ricardo Lopez (52)

Continue reading Boxers Never Knocked Out →