By Rick Farris
In the 1960's-70's, there was a well known boat dealership in Hawthorne, California.
"Shaw's Boat & Marine" was located on Rosecrans Ave. just east of the (405) Fwy.
Shaw was one of the South Bay's most successful businessmen. He was also a boxing manager.
One of Shaw's boat mechanics had been his best fighter, lightweight Jimmy Robertson.
Robertson was one of those tough, raw boned warriors who had an unorthodox style, a big punch and strong chin.
He would be the first lightweight contender to challenge the great Roberto Duran for the World title.
I didn't meet Jimmy Robertson until after he and I had both quit boxing, although he fought my stablemate, Ruben Navarro, twice.
In 1976, I was living in Manahatten Beach and a friend of mine wanted to try boxing as an amateur.
Manhatten Beach was right next to Hawthorne, and I remembered that Shaw had a boxing gym behind his boat store.
I located the gym for my friend and we drove down to check it out.
Shaw's Marine was easy to find and after parking we went around back and found the entrance to the gym.
When I stepped thru the door of the small gym, I see a good sized ring, a couple of heavy bags hanging, two speed bags, a double-end bag, room to jump rope or shadow box in front of mirrors on the walls.
The gym had a good feel to it. It was the real deal. Posters on the walls, many featuring the bouts of Shaw's greatest boxer, Robertson.
It was swept clean and maintained, but still had that "sweat on the walls" atmosphere.
I liked it, and I liked Shaw's chief amateur trainer, a guy named Jim Walsh.
This would be a good place for my friend to learn, and if he wanted to have a couple amateur bouts, he could do so thru this club.
I knew that his career would be a short one, so no use taking him to the Main Street Gym. No use breaking his heart on day one.
After setting my friend up with Jim Walsh, I looked around the gym and saw a sign painted on the wall in big letters:
"MR. SHAW WILL PROVIDE EVERYTHING BUT THE GUTS & THE GAS"
Yeah, this was a boxing gym.
I see a guy step in thru the back door wearing a mechanics uniform, I recognized him immediatly.
It was "Irish" Jimmy Robertson.
i walk over to the former lightweight contender and introduce myself. "I remember you", he tells me.
We fought on a couple Olympic cards together a few years back.
Jimmy and I talk awhile, and I introduce him to my friend, who was working as a bouncer in a Manhatten Beach Bar.
A couple weeks later, my friend and Jimmy have struck up a friendship.
My friend gets Robertson a job working as a bouncer at "Brennan's Pub", which happened to be my watering hole of the day.
This gives me a chance to visit with Jimmy Robertson, who shares a great story about his title fight with the great Duran in Panama.
Robertson said he felt anything but welcome when he was in Panama.
His memores of the title fight are simple . . .
"In the second round, Duran and I exchange rights. His lands, mine doesn't."
"The last thing I remember is laying in a hospital bed with my front teeth knocked out."
Jimmy then said, "look at this . . ."
He pulled his two flase front teeth out of his mouth and suddenly looked like a vampire with fangs.
"That's what Duran did. 'Hands of Stone' is no joke. Nobody hits like Roberto Duran."
I shared my experience with Duran at the Main Street Gym.
After all that, it was time for a drink. We toasted Roberto Duran.
-Rick Farris
No comments:
Post a Comment