Packy’s World: Oscar De La Hoya – Mike Tyson Comebacks, Alexis Arguello, John Garfield, My Pal Al & Gil Clancy Awarded The Chutzpah Award

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By Packy “Boom Boom” Goldstein

Oy Vay are you going to hear it today… The weather here on Key Biscayne has been so nice lately that I can sit out on my deck and type away on my laptop with a nice cold iced tea by my side. Sadie is still breaking bagels because she is sweating this inspection tomorrow of the kitchen, but if I know her, she will be just fine, once the walk through is done. I want to thank the many RSR readers who send me emails. At my age, it still amazes me not to get letters like the old days especially when I was in the Korean War. We lived for those letters and care packages from home.

Oscar De La Hoya – Mike Tyson… Both made headlines this week about comebacks with De La Hoya saying he wanted to fight Gennady “GGG” Golovkin and Tyson was going to take on James Toney. I knew it was utter bullshit when I read both stories. First of all, let’s be honest here, you cannot understand every second word Toney says, so you cannot take him at face value. With Oscar, I think there were underlining motives with Golden Boy not in the shape it once was, and he wants Canelo to face Cotto in the very near future. So his pitch about a comeback is nonsense in my book.

Alexis Arguello… I listened to a Podcast on RSR that Bradley did with Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini and I agree with both of them when they basically said, “no way, no how did Alexis ever kill himself.” I met him a few times over the years and he was one of the nicest most generous fighters I have ever met. I can remember when he faced Mancini in a fight back in 81 which was close, but Arguello would stop Mancini in the 14th round. The class he showed a then young “Boom Boom” and respect towards his father Lenny, moved me after the fight when he offered any help to Ray that he could. When you look up the word “Champion” in the dictionary, a picture of Alexis is right there.

John Garfield…. His real name was Jacob Julius Garfinkle. Would you believe he used to pal around with Alvin’s Uncle Louie Finger who was a prominent doctor in New York City years ago? In my book, he was a fantastic and underrated actor who made the greatest of all boxing movies, the 1947 film classic, Body and Soul. If you have not seen it, check it out on DVD.

My Pal Al (‘Bad” Brad’s Father)… It’s the early 1960’s. Al and I are at that time living on Miami Beach. I get a call to meet him at a gas station over on Harding Ave. When I show up, there is a young black man there who towered over Al and he was selling his car. Al was kidding around with him and they both were laughing. I had no clue who he was at the time, and Al turns to me and said, “Packy, this is Cassius Clay and he is selling his Studebaker. He just turned professional a few years back and is under the guidance of Angelo Dundee.” Little did I know, he would become “The Greatest”, but I can tell you this, to keep up with Al in the back and forth you had to be quick. Clay certainly was. So a few years later, it was no shocker that he would go on to be larger than life through the many things he said, both good and bad.

The Chutzpah Award… The Chutzpah Award goes to the late trainer and CBS Boxing Analyst Gil Clancy. Gil was an amazing man both in and out of the ring. He cared so much about the sport and the fighters he trained. He was a true oldschool guy who was not going to take any crap from anyone and always told it like it was when I was around him.

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