BOXING CAN BE A
BEAUTIFUL THING
San Francisco, CA- Having
watched boxing matches
on four continents, I feel
the need to take you back
to my boxing roots. When
former
heavyweight
contender, the late Eddie
Machen taught me the
sport of boxing, it truly
was a beautiful thing.
Regardless of the titles I
would win after Machen
died, I think the most
beautiful time in my
boxing life was when I
knew nothing about the
politics, the corruption,
or the business of boxing.
RESISTED INTERVENTION OF HEAVYWEIGHT CONTENDER
When Eddie Machen (50-11-3, 29 KOs) pulled me off of Guy
Lambert, this as we were involved in a street fight outside of
our neighborhood hangout, Jim’s Donuts, he was grabbing
hold of an undisciplined pit bull. Machen, who fought Sonny
Liston, Ingemar Johansson, in addition to being the first
man to ever beat Jerry Quarry, dragged me into a saloon,
the “3300 Club.” As owner Jack Keen, and ex-boxer and
bartender Hank Berrera watched, Machen used an ice cube
to smooth out a bruise that I had under my eye. It was the
1970 version of today’s “End Swell.”
“FEAR IS THE GREATEST MOTIVATOR”
The fight was started when Lambert took my 25 cents off of
a pinball machine in the donut shop and put it in his pocket.
As we were walking outside, I was shaking inside as Guy
was considered a ruffian of sorts. Standing some four or five
inches smaller and maybe 30-40 lbs. less than my soon to be
opponent, I’ll admit it, I was scared!
THE POLICE THAT NEVER CAME!
Having previously read some of the writings of legendary
NFL coach Vince Lombardi, I realized that being scared was
probably the best thing for me. That being said, the feeling of
victory was overshadowed as Machen told me that somebody
had called the police. With the battered Lambert screaming
that he was going to get me, Machen ended up walking me
the two blocks home.
MACHEN RAN ME INTO THE GROUND!
In the ensuing days, Machen would take me up to Bernal
Heights, a mountain that had a one mile circumference.
With a six pack of Country Club malt liquor under his
arm, Machen would have me run three times around the
mountain. Eddie would then put this 85 lb., 12 year old
through a series of exercises that included push-ups, situps, pull-ups. And just when I thought we were done, Eddie
would put me through some more drills to the point where I
couldn’t do anymore.
“EDDIE TOLD MOM “HE WILL QUIT”
When I would come home after Eddie’s workouts, quietly
eat my dinner before going straight to bed sans any TV,
my mother confronted Machen and asked him what was
the purpose of his driving, or rather running me into the
groun