OTHER GREAT FIGHTER'S I'VE PERSONALLY KNOWN

Beside Rocky Graziano, I've personally known the greats Carmen Basilio and Rocky Marciano, Billy Graham , Buddy Garcia and the not Great Chief Gordon House

 

By Howie Katz

Carmen Basilio: Determination, Perseverance, guts and lots of heart

One day around 1950 I was sitting in the Manhattan waiting room of  a NY fight promoter.  Sitting across from me also waiting to see the promoter was a craggy faced man.  After I introduced myself, he told me his name was Carmen Basislio and that he was from upstate Canastota.  Although his boxing record at the time of the introduction was rather spotty, he told me,"I'm going to win a world championship, you can bet on it!"  And he did, but not only the World Welterweitht Championship, but also the World Middleweight Championship. 

 

Rocky Marciano: A small man for a heavyweight but a heavy puncher who was the undefeated world heavyweight champion 

 

When I was in NY, I used to go to Stillman's Gymnasium every day to watch the fighters work out.  I used to remain after the gym was closed to the public when the ranking fighters work out.  Usually I was sitting next to a small guy with tree-trunk arms.  We would exchange comments about the fighters working out in the ring.  After a week or so it occurred to me that we had not introduced each other.  I told him my name was Howie Katz, and he replied, I'm Rocky Marciano."  You could have floored me with a sledge hammer.  Never in my wildest dream would I have thought I's be sitting with the undefeated World Heavyweight Champion.   Trainers considered him "Too old, almost 25. He was too short, he was too light. He had no reach. Rough and tough, but no finesse." What a nice and unpretentious guy!  

 

Billy Graham: Welterweight had 126 fights, never knocked off his feet         

 

 Billy Graham disfigures Kid Gavilan's mug.

I knew Billy Graham because he was also managed by Irving Cohen, the manager of Rocky Graziano.   One time Billy and I went to the wake of a family member.  The Irish sure know how to hold wakes.  Can't remember ever having had more fun time.  

Buddy Garcia: Galveston's own and a leading lightweight contender

Buddy Garcia was my best friend when I lived in Galveston.  He got me my first job at Todd Shipyards when I got out of the army in 1945.  We remained close until my wife and I moved to California in 1955.  I remember one time I was with buddy in a Galveston club where he was playing poker  One of the players was City Recorder - now known as municipal judge - Eddie Janek.  Suddenly for some reason Janek burst out with a foul anti-Semitic crack.   Buddy immediately jumped up and in front of everybody threatened to kick the shit out of Janek for making that remark "in front of my Jewish friend, Howie!"  Janek went on to become a County Commissioner and was honored by having a county building renamed after him.  Th me, the bastard will always be remembered as an anti-Semitic piece of shit.

Chief Gordon House: How do you keep an alcoholic fighter sober?

Gordon House was not a great fighter, but he was sure a great drinker.  The Navajo Indian fought many of his lightweight fights in Houston and Galveston.  One day in New York, Rocky Graziano's manager Irving Cohen called me into his office and said he had an important job for me to do,   He was also managing the Chief and was getting him ready to take on World Featherweight Champion Sandy Saddler, one of the hardest punchers in boxing history.  Irving told me "Whatever you do, keep him out of bars.!"  Hah, easier said then done.  Gordon and I were walking past an Irish pub when the Chief tugged at my arm and said "Let's get one beer."  He jerked me inside.  There were 3 or 4 men drinking at the bar.  The moment we walked in, the bartender a huge burly man, took one look at me and shouted,"Get your dirty ass out of here, we don't allow damn Jews in here.!"  In the blink of an eye, Gordon grabs the guy, jerks him over the bar, and proceeds to beat the supreme shit out of him.  Gordon told him, "From now on you'll serve Jews in here!"  I managed to pull Gordon of the busted-up bartender and told him we'd better leave in a hurry before the cops show up.  Gordon went on to fight Saddler and actually knocked him on his ass before the champion decided he'd better put a stop tho it, which he decidedly did.  

EDITOR'S NOTE: Now you've see why I enjoyed my time around fighter so much.  Just thought I'd publish this before my time on earth is up.