Okay, there is Rock and Roll and then, well, there are things that are not rock and roll, but still have a humble place in our lives.  Boxing, street photography, cats, dogs, and so forth.


First, boxing.  I'm sort of an aficionado of the sport.  Been following it since I was 10 (Sugar Ray Robinson-Ralph Tiger Jones).  I covered fights in the San Francisco Bay Area in the mid seventies for both The Ring and Boxing Illustrated.  I have photos of  Muhammad Ali (in New York), Bobby Chacon, Alexis Arguello, Ron Lyle, Jimmy Young, young George Foreman with a tiger, and (on their own pages) popular Northern California contenders Pete Ranzany and Ray Lunny III.  I  also covered the Golden Gloves (separate page)  and have excellent action photos of the fighters for those fight fans who like wild punches along with lots of heart.  Boxing photos are printed from my original negatives which have been scanned to my Mac, burned to a disk, and printed at a digital lab on regular photographic RC paper.  Photos are $5 for 4x6's, $8 for 5x7's and $15 for 8x10's.  Shipping and handling is additional, normally $5 but higher for larger orders which I ship UPS.  Please email me for volume discounts.

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LINKS
PAT MERRICK'S BOXING VIDEOS--GET YOUR RINGSIDE TICKET TO THE GREATEST FIGHTS OF THE PAST.
SECONDSOUT: WORLDWIDE BOXING COVERAGE.
NEW ENGLAND BOXING NEWS: TOP FLIGHT COVERAGE OF FIGHTS FROM THE ATLANTIC SIDE OF THE CONTINENT.

THIS PAGE CONTAINS:(Please click on link to go directly to subject of interest.)
MUHAMMAD ALI,  GEORGE FOREMAN

ALEXIS ARGUELLO, JIMMY YOUNG, RON LYLE
 
STAN WARD, MIKE WEAVER, MAC FOSTER

GEORGE COOPER, ERWIN WILLIAMS, LONNIE BENNETT
 
HILDO SILVA, JOSE TALAMANTEZ, MANUEL LUJAN
 
BOXING ODDS AND ENDS





1.  Muhammad Ali arrives at
weighin for Ken Norton
heavyweight championship fight.
Date: Sept. 28, 1976
2.  I am the Greatest!

3.  I got the most to say!
4.  I am so Pretty! 
 
5.  Hear me, world.
6.  Perfect weight.

7.  Norton, no slouch himself.
8.  Ali-Norton meet center ring.

9.  Young George Foreman.  Taken at his first
turn as champion before his defeat by Muhammad
Ali.
10.  Foreman always had a fascination
for big cats.  He had them on his ranch.
This tiger is a BIG boy.

11.  Alexis Arguello vs. Rosalio Muro, July 18, 1975.
San Francisco, CA.  Arguello wins by 2nd rd. TKO
12.

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18.  Jimmy Young vs. Ron Lyle on Nov. 6, 1976
in San Francisco, CA.  Young won a decisive
12 round decision.  It was his second win over
Lyle.

19.
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25.  Stan Ward shoots a hard right hand against
one time heavyweight champ Mike Weaver on Jan. 24,
1978 in Sacramento, Ca.  Ward held on to take a close
12 rd. decision.  Weaver ko'd him in their next two
meetings.
26.  Other fighters called Weaver "Hercules".
I can see why.

27. Ward defeats former top contender
Mac Foster by 10 rd. decision on Feb. 26, 1976
in San Jose, Ca.  This was Foster's last fight.
  
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29.
30.


OTHER BAY AREA FIGHTERS/THE UPS AND DOWNS OF BOXING/MY COMMENTARY

31.  George Cooper was a top rated middleweight in the 70's.  Shown here with trophy honoring him as California State Middleweight champion.
32.  Cooper here shown jabbing David Love on
April 11, 1975 in San Jose, Ca.  Cooper won by
9th rd. KO.  A good win, as Love had KO'd Bobby
(Bugaloo) Watts who held a decision win over none-
other than Marvin Hagler.

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34.
 

35.
  
36.  Erwin Williams showed great promise in the
Golden Gloves winning the Bay Area tournament
numerous times.  His career looked bright as a
middleweight.  He began his pro career with six straight wins before consecutive KO losses to George Cooper and Gary Guiden derailed him.  Here he is shown against
Chucho Garcia on June 3, 1977 in San Jose, Ca.  Williams
scored a 4th round KO.

37.
38.
 
39.  Hildo Silva goes against Lonnie Bennett on Nov. 13, 1975.Bennett takes a tough 12 rd. decision.  Silva was a tough fellow in with tough competition from his first fight to his last.  Sometimes managers take the quick money instead of giving their fighters a chance to develop.  Lonnie Bennett was a top contender who put together a good winning streak before failing in his title bid against WBC lightheavyweight champ John Conteh.
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45.  Bennett receives plaque as California
State Champion.
46.  Jose Talamantez, a very classy individual in
person. is another fighter brought along much too
quickly.  Talamantez, a Golden Gloves champ, started
his pro career with a 6 rounder and by his third fight(!)
was fighting 12 rounders.  He won his first 3 but reality
caught up with him in the Vicente Saldivar fight where
he was ko'd in 6.  His career went down hill from there.
Here he goes against Basilio Onate on Feb 9, 76 in San Francisco. Talamantez won a 6 rd. decision.


47.
48.Talamantez taking hard right from Arturo
Leon on March 31, 77 in San Carlos, Ca.
Talamantez won a 12 rd. decision in a war against the aging veteran.


49.
  
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57.  Manuel Lujan, as a pro featherweight started 21-0-1 before
a decision loss and a first round KO turned him from a
prospect to an opponent.  Boxing is cruel that way.  Lujan
was excellent but even that was not good enough.
58. Lujan jabs Joe Guevara on June 17, 76 in
San Carlos en route to a 7th round ko.

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BOXING ODDS AND ENDS

 
65.  I like this shot because there is something going on at every corner of the photo.  It has great balance.  This is a subtle shot so I made it bigger to make it easier to see.  One fighter is ready, one is getting ready, people are climbing out of the ring, Bobby Chacon is being interviewed on the left, even the beer guy on the right is taking a moment to check it out.  It's like a play about to begin.
66.  Boxing crowds in any place but Las Vegas are predominately male and perfectly democratic.  These are the true fans.  They may not overdress but they make up for looks with intensity.  A punch to the nose on tv is not the same as seeing it up close.

67.