Fort Lauderdale, Fla.—If Gerrie Coetzee, the former heavy-weight champion, had a good manager with know-how, he would still be champion today. Coetzee put his title on the line in his home town, South Africa, against Greg Page. Coetzee deserved what he got, but maybe he will get another chance at Page. And if Coetzee does not get another shot, it will not make me cry. Like I said many times, a shoemaker is a shoemaker. ..Randy Cooper, local amateur boxer, is the top man with Planned Cable Systems. His new job is Systems Technician, the best ever. He’s also a good fighter…Frankie Sagilio, former Chicago lightweight, knocked out Tommy Corbett in the 5th round at the Marigold Gardens in Chicago in 1936. His weight that night was 140 pounds. That was his best weight, Sagilio had trouble making 135 pounds and if he was around today, he would be a champion for sure because he could punch with either hand. He had Corbett down three times in that bout. ..A new gym in Davie, Fla., is now open for the boxers around here. Now they don’t have to go to Miami Beach to train anymore, says owner Mr. Berland who calls his gym Berland’s Pugilistic Gym…Jack Kearns, former manager of Jack Dempsey and Mickey Walker, would have been 91 years of age if he was living today. Kearns was a great manager and had a son 3 months old when he ran boxing in Detroit for Jim Norris…A gang of boxing fans were talking about boxing and football last week. They all agreed that Rocky Marciano would have knocked out Larry Holmes early in the fight. I had the same idea, but later in the fight…Tommy Thomas, former Chicago referee, once told me that Jim Jeffries was the best heavyweight of all. I didn’t see Jim J. box, but that was a big order…Chicago fight promoter Cedric Kushner has sued boxing promoter Don King for $15 million, charging that King violated an agreement to share the nut from the proposed Larry Holmes vs. Gerrie Coetzee title bout…How come we here didn’t get to see Jack Dempsey, Max Baer, Primo Carnera, Walter Huston and Merna Loy in the movie called “The Prizefighter and the Lady”? This was seen on TV in a lot of towns…Saw Harry Arroyo, one of the lightweight champions, give Terrance Alli a bad beating and then knock him out in round 11…The Boxing Commission, in 1952, Gov. Stratton named Lou Radzienda, Johnny Behr and Livington Osborne. The boxing secretary then was Jesse Owens who took my friend Gene Meany’s place when he quit…Julio Martinez is not only a top fight promoter as he, also puts up Awnings, Carports, Doors, Windows, Roofs and many other thing. The price is right and the company is called A. & H…Steve Friedman, former New York fight manager, is owner of Biggs Discount Store at University Dr. in Plantation. He is doing such a great job that he hired another fighter to assist him…Pinklon Thomas, who won one of the three heavyweight titles, wants to be the only heavyweight champ. With Angelo Dundee, how can he miss? . .Phila. Promoter Russ Peltzm who’s now working with Sylvester Stallone, will show Gary Hinton against Aaron Pryor on Feb. 9th in Las Vegas. Russ is a good man…Joey Medill, Chicago former lightweight, beat Spug Myers in 10 rounds in 1929 at Mills Stadium and it was a fast fight.
Miami Beach—Benny Leonard, the greatest lightweight champion in history, lost so much money with the Pittsburgh hockey team, real estate, stock market, restaurant he was forced to make a comeback at the age of forty. Benny’s father never wanted his son to fight, so Leonard went over his head and took a fight and won. He came home with a black eye and his dad was mad. “I told you that you shouldn’t have gone into the ring”. Leonard then said “But Pop, I made forty dollars.” “Forty dollars”, yelled his father, “When do you fight again?”…Chicago’s Stan Berg, top boxing referee there, is kept busy. His sidekick, Brian O’Shea, also does a nice job…Gus MacLelland, top boxing promoter in Nova Scotia, Canada, will have his next fight card in July. He’s trying to get heavyweight Trevor Berbick who beat Greg Page in his last outing in Las Vegas. Gus is a fight promoter from the old school and knows his way around…The lightweight that could knock you dead with one punch was Chicago’s Frankie Sagilio. That’s what he did to Pete Nebo in the eighth round in 1934 at the Sparta Stadium. It was the first time that Nebo was on the Canvas…Mike Dokes is looking for a title match, but suffered a fractured kneecap in his tussle with a Las Vegas Policeman…Babe Griffin, Sacramento top fight promoter, is getting a few boxing cards ahead this summer. Griffin wants to go in to a ballpark before the winter season gets here. Babe is on the right track and you can bet that he will do great. He knows how to run a show and not like so many shoemakers that hit and run…Joe Herman, San Francisco fight manager, ate so much Mexican food, he put on three pounds over the week end. Now he’s on a diet again…Marvin Hagler, the middleweight so-called champion had better fight the No. 1 contender Fulgencio Obelmejias of Venezuela, or lose his title…Bobby Chacon, who beat Arturo Leon in 10 rounds for promoter Griffin, drew a gate of 30 grand…Miami Beach fight promoter Felix Zalaba is going with another top fight card in July with Chicago Johnny Lira when he fights Alfredo Escalera which should be a Jim Dandy of a fight…Dave Shimmel, former amateur fighter beat Verne Patterson. Shimmel was a Joliet Golden Glove champion and when he quit his job recently his pals gave him a party. Dave is a great guy and we wish him luck…Mickey “Soldier” Farr is back on his feet after being a sick man. Farr lives in L.A….Mark Conn, former New York fight referee, is now judging boxing shows around these parts…Ramiro Oritiz and Hank Kaplan are both doing great with their fight cards at War Memorial Auditorium once a month. I look for young Ramiro to go places in boxing. This man has what it takes to be as great as Babe Griffin and Chris Dundee…Without a cut man and good seconds working in any fighters corner, fighters won’t go anywhere in boxing. Cheap is just that…Lou Brouillard, former lightheavy champion, is in a rest home in Massachusetts. His wife, Minnie, a good friend of Jack Sharkey gets around in a wheel chair. A shame indeed!...