Publicist is famous for Ali’s “Broken Jaw” bout
“Ali’s Revenge–The Battle of the Broken Jaw” declared the poster heralding the rematch between Muhammad Ali and Ken Norton that was held on September 10, 1973 at the Forum in Inglewood, California. The man behind this famous bout is promoter Don Fraser, who happens to be celebrating his birthday today.
And what better way to celebrate your birthday than with a room full of friends and associates who are all consumed by the same passion for boxing? That’s exactly what took place at a luncheon in Hollywood, California that was hosted by Larry Montalvo, President of the Golden State Boxers’ Association (GSBA) and his wife, Elsa.
“Dandy Don” was the public relations director at the Olympic Auditorium and the Hollywood Legion Stadium, and the director of boxing at the fabulous Forum. During his tenure, he promoted fights involving Sugar Ray Robinson, George Foreman, Jose Napoles, Carlos Zarate, Salvador Sanchez, Ruben Olivares and numerous other boxers and champions during this “Golden Era” of boxing in Los Angeles.
With his keen eye for knowing what gets people’s attention, Fraser had a stellar career that included all facets of the sweet science: Promoter, matchmaker, publicist, writer, and Executive Officer of the California Athletic Commission are among the many titles listed on his lengthy boxing résumé. He is still active in the community and is currently the President of the California Boxing Hall of Fame.
Through the years, the revered promoter and publicist has received various awards and accolades and has also been inducted into several Hall of Fames for his outstanding contributions to boxing. The spirited Fraser received birthday wishes from his counterparts in boxing–a group of loyal friends made up of fighters, referees, judges, publicists, writers and trainers.
A special guest speaker in attendance was former boxer Rick Farris, who received a personal invitation from Fraser to join the group for this afternoon party. Farris trained at the historic Main Street Gym, has sparred with 12 world champions, and fought at both the Olympic and the Forum. He brought along his father, Bill, and the two received a warm welcome by the boxing bunch that gathered at the party.
During the luncheon, Don greeted everyone by saying, “I want to thank everyone for coming out for my birthday. And thank you to Rick Farris, who had a pretty good record but left boxing and got into the film business–where he has a great career.” Farris fought for Fraser once at the Olympic.
Now working as a chief lighting technician for film and TV, it was Farris’ first time with the GSBA but he immediately hit it off everyone. While introducing himself and chatting about his experiences in boxing, the former bantamweight soon discovered he was connected in many ways to the other guests. Through shared acquaintances of fighters that others also knew, same gyms frequented or TV shows that he had worked on, Farris had a lot in common with the GSBA members.
One such connection was with GSBA V.P. Bill Dempsey Young, whose father, famed referee Dick “Tiger” Young was the third man in the ring for both the “Broken Jaw” bout and Rick Farris’ very first pro fight. Young and Farris then discovered they had both worked on the popular “Little House on the Prairie” series as they reminisced about adventures on the set and of Michael Landon’s generosity with the cast and crew.
Farris, who was recently a member of the “Desperate Housewives” crew and worked on “Eli Stone,” is on the Board of Directors of the World Boxing Hall of Fame and also writes for the Classic American West Coast Boxing forum. “I quit boxing when I was 24, but have stayed interested and today I write about boxers,” he says. Dwight Hawkins, Roberto Duran and Ruben Olivares are three he lists as his favorite fighters. He entertained the crowd with his memory of sparring with Duran at the Main Street Gym in 1973, “He introduced me to the canvas in the very first round!”
The Los Angeles native also spoke of attending his first fight at the Olympic with his father and getting hooked on the fight game, “It’s all still so vivid. I remember my blue program, I remember the referee was Lee Grossman and I remember seeing a great main event, Danny Valdez and Pete Gonzalez.”
Former fighter Danny Valdez just happened to be at this luncheon along with other familiar faces in the room: Frank Baltazar Sr. (father of fighters Frankie, Tony and Bobby), judge and former boxer Vince Delgado, Ray Ramos (father of Mando Ramos), judge Gwen Adair, World Boxing Hall of Fame Treasurer Josie Arrey-Mejia, trainer Stacy White, former WBHF President Norm Cote, Trudie Latka (wife of George Latka), David Villegas were among the attendees who joined the celebration.
During the party toasts were made and jokes were told, but somehow the talk always returned to the favorite subject of the group–boxing! And I’m sure Don Fraser–a member of “L.A.’s boxing royalty”–wouldn’t want it any other way.
Happy Birthday, Don!
Photos by Michele Chong/ Fight poster courtesy of Don Fraser