Arne’s Almanac: Goldfield’s First Big Fight, An Argentine Ring God and More

Published

2 years ago

September 14, 2022

Arne's-Almanac-Goldfield's-First-Big-Fight-an-Argentine-Ring-God-and-More

Tomorrow, Sept. 15, marks the 117^th anniversary of the first big fight in Goldfield, Nevada. No, we’re not talking about the first fight between Joe Gans and Battling Nelson, one of the most ballyhooed and hashed-over battles in the history of the ring. Before Gans-Nelson, there was Attell vs. Tenny, a fight-to-the-finish promoted as a flyweight championship tilt.

This was Monte Attell who would become less famous than Abe, his older sibling. But Monte was an outstanding fighter in his own right and his opponent, Harry Tenny, a fellow San Francisco Jew, was among the top fighters in his weight class.

Attell vs. Tenny was a classic “festival fight,” a match designed to add more sparkle to an event with many tendrils. Sept. 15, 1905 was Railroad Day in Goldfield, and the locals built a four-day festival around it. There were trunk lines for moving freight between Goldfield and nearby mining camps, but before 1905 a person visiting Goldfield from a “metropolis” such as Reno or Salt Lake City could not reach his destination without taking a stagecoach for the final leg of his journey. The arrival of passenger trains was seen as a signal to the outside world that a town was major league and the occasion became an informal holiday in many western mining towns.

It’s fun to read about the festival in the old Goldfield News. Marching bands came from as far away as Virginia City. The city was ablaze in decorative bunting. Rock drilling contests, tug-of-wars, pie eating contests, and burro races spiced up the festivities. All contests came with cash prizes and these weren’t penny-ante. Goldfield was awash with money, albeit on the precipice of a deep downturn. The gold mines would shortly peter out, causing a massive exodus. At its peak moment, Goldfield may have harbored as many as 25,000 people. Today the town in sun-parched, desolate Esmeralda County is home to fewer than 300 permanent residents.

By all accounts, Attell vs. Tenny was a fierce battle. According to a report in the San Francisco Examiner, Tenny’s nose was broken in two places and both of his eyes were nearly shut when he drew down the curtain, knocking Attell down for the count in the twenty-fifth round. The dispatch said “at least” 400 women were in attendance which would have caused a scandal in an Eastern precinct.

The bout had a sad postscript. Five months after meeting Attell, Tenny fought Frankie Neil in San Francisco. This was a rematch. Neil was given the decision over Tenny in their first encounter, a lusty 25-round affair.

Neil knocked Tenny out in the fourteenth round and Tenny died from his injuries the next morning. Born Harry Tennebaum, he was only 20 years old.

Horacio Accavallo (1934-2022)

Among boxing historians, there is an understandable prejudice against top Argentine boxers who rarely fight outside Argentina. Their records tend to vastly overstate their aptitude.

Horacio Accavallo, who was the reigning WBA world flyweight champion when he left the sport in 1967, retiring with a record of 75-2-6 (34), was an exception. Accavallo, who passed away yesterday (Sept. 13), one month shy of his 88^th birthday, was really, really good. The noted boxing historian Matt McGrain considers him the most underrated flyweight of all time. “His absence from the IBHOF makes a mockery of that institution,” wrote McGrain in a story that appeared on these pages.

Accavallo, who was a shade over 5-feet tall, was a trapeze artist and tightrope walker for a circus before finding his calling in the prize ring. His first defeat came at the hands of Salvatore Burruni in their second of three meetings. His other defeat came in his final year as a pro in a non-title fight in Tokyo with ex-Olympian Kiyoshi Tanabe, a boxer who would leave the sport undefeated, his career cut short by eye problems.

Between those two setbacks, Accavallo was unbeaten in 49 fights, going 48-0-1.

In Accavallo’s final fight, he successfully defended his flyweight title with 15-round majority decision over Hiroyuki Ebihara who was 55-3-1 heading in. Accavallo had a terrible time making weight for that fight and rather than move up into a higher division, he simply quit. “If I lose I will stop being a champion,” he reportedly said. “If I retire, I will be a champion forever.”

Born in one of the worst slums in Buenos Aires, Accavallo was the son of an Italian father and a Spanish mother, both reportedly illiterate. Historically, most fighters who grow up in poverty squander their ring earnings, but Accavallo was an exception. As noted by the noted Argentine boxing writer Diego Morilla, he used his earnings to build a chain of successful sporting goods stores.

Accavallo, who answered the bell as a pro for 732 rounds, developed Alzheimer’s and spent most of the last decade of his life in nursing homes. May he rest in peace.

Celebrity Fights

There’s good news for old-school boxing fans who are distressed to find social media influencers clogging up the fight calendar. By all indications, last Saturday’s show at LA’s Bank of America Stadium headlined by the exhibition between YouTube stars Austin McBroom and AnEsonGib was a big money-loser.

There were nine bouts in all, five on the pay-per-view card. According to various sources, the total purse money for the 18 participants amounted to about $600,000. Yes, that’s chump change considering what Eddie Hearn will pay Canelo Alvarez and Gennadiy Golovkin, but it’s a big nut for a promoter when factoring in other expenses – e.g., arena rental, ring rental and set-up, travel and lodging, insurance, ring officials (referees, judges, inspectors), and a laundry list of incidentals.

The event was available on multiple pay-per-view platforms for $40 ($39.99 for you nitpickers). Ticket prices for those attending the show ranged from $35 to $2,200.

Granted, sponsorship deals may compensate for disappointing returns from PPV and on-site sales, but yet it says something that there weren’t more than a few thousand people in the arena, many of whom were undoubtedly comped.

“Like it or not, the era of YouTuber’s boxing is not going away anytime soon,” says Daniel Yanofsky, the Combat Sports editor for The Sporting News. Perhaps not, but perhaps the light I see at the end of the tunnel isn’t merely wishful thinking.

To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE

Arne K. Lang’s latest book, titled “George Dixon, Terry McGovern and the Culture of Boxing in America, 1890-1910,” has rolled off the press. Published by McFarland, the book can be ordered directly from the publisher (https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/clash-of-the-little-giants) or via Amazon.

Post Views: 0

Share The Sweet Science experience!

Arne K. Lang

Up Next

Avila Perspective, Chap. 203: Canelo-GGG 3 and More

Don't Miss

Elite Trainer Jesse Reid Has Schooled Some of Boxing’s Most Mercurial Champions

L.A.’s Rudy Hernandez is the 2024 TSS Trainer of the Year

Published

2 days ago

December 16, 2024

Arne K. Lang

L.A.’s Rudy Hernandez is the 2024 TSS Trainer of the Year

If asked to name a prominent boxing trainer who operates out of a gym in Los Angeles, the name Freddie Roach would jump immediately to mind. Best known for his work with Manny Pacquaio, Roach has been named the Trainer of the Year by the Boxing Writers Association of America a record seven times.

A mere seven miles from Roach’s iconic Wild Card Gym is the gym that Rudy Hernandez now calls home. Situated in the Little Tokyo neighborhood in downtown Los Angeles, the L.A. Boxing Gym – a relatively new addition to the SoCal boxing landscape — is as nondescript as its name. From the outside, one would not guess that two reigning world champions, Junto Nakatani and Anthony Olascuaga, were forged there.

As Freddie Roach will be forever linked with Manny Pacquiao, so will Rudy Hernandez be linked with Nakatani. The Japanese boxer was only 15 years old when his parents packed him off to the United States to be tutored by Hernandez. With Hernandez in his corner, the lanky southpaw won titles at 112 and 115 and currently holds the WBO bantamweight (118) belt. In his last start, he knocked out his Thai opponent, a 77-fight veteran who had never been stopped, advancing his record to 29-0 (22 KOs).

Nakatani’s name now appears on several pound-for-pound lists. A match with Japanese superstar Naoya Inoue is brewing. When that match comes to fruition, it will be the grandest domestic showdown in Japanese boxing history.

“Junto Nakatani is the greatest fighter I’ve ever trained. It’s easy to work with him because even when he came to me at age 15, his focus was only on boxing. It was to be a champion one day and nothing interfered with that dream,” Hernandez told sports journalist Manouk Akopyan writing for Boxing Scene.

Akin to Nakatani, Rudy Hernandez built Anthony Olascuaga from scratch. The LA native was rucked out of obscurity in April of 2023 when Jonathan Gonzalez contracted pneumonia and was forced to withdraw from his date in Tokyo with lineal light flyweight champion Kenshiro Teraji. Olascuaga, with only five pro fights under his belt, filled the breach on 10 days’ notice and although he lost (TKO by 9), he earned kudos for his gritty performance against the man recognized as the best fighter in his weight class.

Two fights later, back in Tokyo, Olascuaga copped the WBO world flyweight title with a third-round stoppage of Riku Kano. His first defense came in October, again in Japan, and Olascuaga retained his belt with a first-round stoppage of the aforementioned Gonzalez. (This bout was originally ruled a no-contest as it ended after Gonzalez suffered a cut from an accidental clash of heads. But the referee ruled that Gonzalez was fit to continue before the Puerto Rican said “no mas,” alleging his vision was impaired, and the WBO upheld a protest from the Olascuaga camp and changed the result to a TKO. Regardless, Rudy Hernandez’s fighter would have kept his title.)

Hernandez, 62, is the brother of the late Genaro “Chicanito” Hernandez. A two-time world title-holder at 130 pounds who fought the likes of Azumah Nelson, Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather Jr., Chicanito passed away in 2011, a cancer victim at age 45.

Genaro “Chicanito” Hernandez was one of the most popular fighters in the Hispanic communities of Southern California. Rudy Hernandez, a late bloomer of sorts – at least in terms of public recognition — has kept his brother’s flame alive with own achievements. He is a worthy honoree for the 2024 Trainer of the Year.

Note: This is the first in our series of annual awards. The others will arrive sporadically over the next two weeks.

Photo credit: Steve Kim

To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE

Post Views: 0

Share The Sweet Science experience!

A Shocker in Tijuana: Bruno Surace KOs Jaime Munguia !!

Published

3 days ago

December 15, 2024

Arne K. Lang

A-Shocker-in-Tijuana-Bruno-Sarace-KOs-Jaime-Munguia

It was a chilly night in Tijuana when Jaime Munguia entered the ring for his homecoming fight with Bruno Surace. The main event of a Zanfer/Top Rank co-promotion, Munguia vs. Surace was staged in the city’s 30,000-seat soccer stadium a stone’s throw from the U.S. border in the San Diego metroplex.

Surace, a Frenchman, brought a 25-0-2 record and a 22-fight winning streak, but a quick glance at his record showed that he had scant chance of holding his own with the house fighter. Only four of Surace’s 25 wins had come by stoppage and only eight of his wins had come against opponents with winning records. Munguia was making the first start in the city of his birth since February 2022. Surace had never fought outside Europe.

But hold the phone!

After losing every round heading into the sixth, Surace scored the Upset of the Year, ending the contest with a one-punch knockout.

It looked like a short and easy night for Munguia when he knocked Surace down with a left hook in the second stanza. From that point on, the Frenchman fought off his back foot, often with back to the ropes, throwing punches only in spurts. Munguia worked the body well and was seemingly on the way to wearing him down when he was struck by lightning in the form of an overhand right.

Down went Munguia, landing on his back. He struggled to get to his feet, but the referee waived it off a nano-second before reaching “10.” The official time was 2:36 of round six.

Munguia, who was 44-1 heading in with 35 KOs, was as high as a 35/1 favorite. In his only defeat, he had gone the distance with Canelo Alvarez. This was the biggest upset by a French fighter since Rene Jacquot outpointed Donald Curry in 1989 and Jacquot had the advantage of fighting in his homeland.

Co-Main

Mexico City’s Alan Picasso, ranked #1 by the WBC at 122 pounds, scored a third-round stoppage of last-minute sub Yehison Cuello in a scheduled 10-rounder contested at featherweight. Picaso (31-0-1, 17 KOs) is a solid technician. He ended the bout with a left to the rib cage, a punch that weaved around Cuello’s elbow and didn’t appear to be especially hard. The referee stopped his count at “nine” and waived the fight off.

A 29-year-old Colombian who reportedly had been training in Tijuana, the overmatched Cuello slumped to 13-3-1.

Other Bouts of Note

In a ho-hum affair, junior middleweight Jorge Garcia advanced to 32-4 (26) with a 10-round unanimous decision over Uzbekistan’s Kudratillo Abudukakhorov (20-4). The judges had it 97-92 and 99-90 twice. There were no knockdowns, but Garcia had a point deducted in round eight for low blows.

Garcia displayed none of the power that he showed in his most recent fight three months ago in Arizona and when he knocked out his German opponent in 46 seconds. Abudukakhorov, who has competed mostly as a welterweight, came in at 158 1/4 pounds and didn’t look in the best of shape. The Uzbek was purportedly 170-10 as an amateur (4-5 per boxrec).

Super bantamweight Sebastian Hernandez improved to 18-0 (17 KOs) with a seventh-round stoppage of Argentine import Sergio Martin (14-5). The end came at the 2:39 mark of round seven when Martin’s corner threw in the towel. Earlier in the round, Martin lost his mouthpiece and had a point deducted for holding.

Hernandez wasn’t all that impressive considering the high expectations born of his high knockout ratio, but appeared to have injured his right hand during the sixth round.

Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank

To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE

Post Views: 0

Share The Sweet Science experience!

Ringside in Ontario where Alexis Rocha and Raul Curiel Battled to a Spirited Draw

Published

3 days ago

December 14, 2024

David A. Avila

Ringside in Ontario where Alexis Rocha and Raul Curiel Battled to a Spirited Draw

ONTARIO, CA -Two SoCal welterweights battled to a majority draw and Ohio’s Charles Conwell wowed the crowd with precision and power in his victory.

In the main event Alexis Rocha sought to prove his loss a year ago was a fluke and Raul Curiel sought to prove he belongs with the contenders.

Both got their wish.

After 12 rounds of back-and-forth exchanges, Rocha (25-2-1, 16 KOs) and Curiel (15-0-1, 13 KOs) battled to a stalemate in front of more than 5,000 fans at Toyota Arena. No oner seemed surprised by the majority decision draw.

“We got one for the people It was a Rocha landed impressive blows while Curiel just could not seem to get the motor running.

Things turned around in seventh round.

During the first half of the fight, it looked like Rocha’s experience in big events would be too much for Curiel to handle. Rocha landed impressive blows while Curiel just could not seem to get the motor running.

Things turned around in seventh round.

Maybe trainer Freddie Roach’s words got to Curiel. The Mexican Olympian who now lives in the Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, suddenly planted his feet and ripped off five- and six-punch combinations. It was do or die.

The change of tactics forced Rocha to make changes too especially after absorbing several ripping uppercuts from Curiel.

Back and forth the welterweights exchanged and neither fighter could take charge. And neither fighter was knocked down though each both connected with sweat-tossing blows.

The two fighters battled until the final seconds of the fight. After 12 blistering rounds, one judge saw Rocha the winner 116-112, while the two other judges scored it 114-114 for a majority draw.

“I respect this guy. It was 12 rounds of war,” said Santa Ana’s Rocha.

Curiel felt the same.

“I respect Rocha. He is a good southpaw,” Curiel repeated. “Let’s do it again.”

Battle of Undefeated Super Welterweights

Few knew what to expect with undefeated Charles Conwell (21-0, 16 KOs) facing undefeated Argentine Gerardo Vergara (20-1, 13 KOs). You never what to expect with Argentine fighters.

Conwell, a U.S. Olympian, showed why many consider him the best kept secret in boxing with a steady attack behind impressive defense. He needed it against Vergara, a very strong southpaw.

Vergara seemed a little puzzled by Conwell’s constant pressure. He might have expected a hit-and-run kind of fighter instead of a steamroller like the Ohio warrior.

Once the two fighters got heated up in the cold arena, the blows began to come more often and more powerfully. Conwell in particular stood right in front of the Argentine and bobbed and weaved through the South American fighter’s attack. And suddenly unleashed rocket rights and left hooks off Vergara’s chin.

Nothing happened expect blood from his nose for several rounds.

For six rounds Conwell blasted away at Vergara’s chin and jaw and nothing seemed to faze the Argentine. Then, Conwell targeted the body and suddenly things opened up. Vergara was caught trying to decide what to protect when a left hook jolted the Argentine. Suddenly Conwell erupted with a stream of left hooks and rights with almost everything connecting with power.

Referee Thomas Taylor jumped in to stop the fight at 2:51 of the seventh round. Conwell finally chopped down the Argentine tree for the knockout win. The fans gasped at the suddenness of the victory.

“We broke him down,” Conwell said.

It was impressive.

Other Bouts

Popular John “Scrappy” Ramirez (14-1, 9 KOs) started slowly against Texas left-hander Ephraim Bui (10-1, 8 KOs) but gained momentum behind accurate right uppercuts to swing the momentum and win a regional super flyweight title by unanimous decision after 10 rounds

Bui opened the fight behind some accurate lead lefts, but once Ramirez found the solution he took the fight inside and repeatedly jolted the taller Texas fighter with that blow.

Ramirez, who is based in Los Angeles, gained momentum and confidence and kept control with movements left and right that kept Bui unable to regain the advantage. No knockdowns were scored as all three judges scored the fight 97-93 for Ramirez.

A battle between former flyweight world champions saw Marlen Esparza (15-2, 1 KO) pull away after several early contentious rounds against Mexico’s Arely Mucino (32-5-2, 11 KOs). Left hooks staggered Esparza early in the fight.

Esparza always could take a punch and after figuring out what not to do, she began rolling up points behind pinpoint punching and pot shots. Soon, it was evident she could hit and move and took over the last three rounds of the fight.

Mucino never stopped attacking and was successful with long left hooks and shots to the body, but once Esparza began launching impressive pot shots, the Mexican fighter never could figure out a solution.

After 10 rounds two judges scored it 98-92 and a third judge saw it 97-93 all for Esparza.

Victor Morales (20-0-1, 10 KOs) won by technical knockout over Mexico’s Juan Guardado (16-3-1, 6 KOs) due to a bad cut above the right eye. It was a learning experience for Morales who hails from Washington.

Left hooks were the problem for Morales who could not avoid a left hook throughout the super featherweight fight. Guardado staggered Morales at least three times with counter left hooks. But Morales turned things around by controlling the last three rounds behind a jolting left jab that controlled the distance.

At one second of the eighth round, referee Ray Corona stopped the fight to allow the ringside physician to examine the swelling and cut. It was decided that the fight should stop. Morales was awarded the win by technical knockout.

A super bantamweight fight saw Jorge Chavez (13-0, 8 KOs) score two knockdowns on way to a unanimous decision over Uruguay’s Ruben Casero (12-4, 4 KOs) after eight rounds. Chavez fights out of Tijuana, Mexico.

Photo credit: Al Applerose

To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE

Post Views: 0

Share The Sweet Science experience!