WBC Legends Induction

By Roy & Marlene Marquez

On Saturday, October 11, 2008 the WBC Legends of Boxing Museum presented lifetime achievement awards to five icons of the sport of boxing. Lightweight boxer John Montes Jr.; coach and cut man Chuck Bodak; trainer and cut man Tony Rivera; trainer Freddie Roach and blow-by-blow announcer Carlos Avilas were honored for their countless contributions to the sport of boxing.

John Montes Jr., a devastating body puncher who won the WBC Intercontinental Jr. Welterweight Championship in 1987, was inducted into the museum’s boxer category. During a career that spanned three decades Montes compiled a record of 43-6 with 31 knockouts. Montes faced a number of future and former world champions including Pernell Whitaker, Hector Camacho and Cornelius Boza Edwards. The biggest win of his career may have come via 10th round stoppage of “Fearless” Freddie Pendleton at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood. In accepting the award, Montes shared that cut man and fellow inductee, Chuck Bodak, kept him in the fight long enough to deck Pendleton twice in the 10th to claim the victory.

Chuck Bodak is one of the most recognizable men in boxing. After all, he has worked the corner of the biggest names in the sport: Marciano, Ali, Chavez, Holyfield, and De La Hoya. And though flashy head wear made him recognizable, it is his decade’s long commitment to boxing that has left a lasting impression. Bodak began teaching boxing following WWII in his native Gary, Indiana. (Bodak is a boxing teacher, not a trainer. “You train animals, not boxers”, he explained to friend and induction presenter Steve Harpst. ) Over the years he would serve as head boxing coach for the Pan Am Games; lead a delegate of coaches hosting boxing clinics in nine African nations; and work with a young amateur from Louisville, Kentucky named Cassius Clay. In 1979, Bodak authored a book, Boxing Basics, to pass his knowledge of the sport on to future generations of boxing teachers.

Tony Rivera works with assassins and warriors. Decades earlier he worked with explosives and stone. The man who will travel to China in November with Marco Antonio Barrera (the Baby Faced Assassin) worked his first mega bout in 1978 in the corner of Roberto Duran (Hands of Stone). In between he worked with a litany of greats including Alexis Arguello (El Flaco Explosivo), Pipino Cuevas, Nestor Garza, Ruben Castillo and others. Besides his work with Barrera, Rivera is once again training two division champion Joan Guzman (the Sycuan Warrior). Rivera dedicated his award to his mother and recognized the late Norm Lockwood and fellow inductee Chuck Bodak for their inspiration to the craft.

Freddie Roach is widely regarded as one of the best trainers in boxing. But the man nicknamed “The Choir Boy” was also one tough fighter in his day. Roach, the boxer, won his first tournament at the age of eight. At 18 he became a professional. In compiling a 39-13 record, the lightweight from Dedham, MA mixed it up with Hector Camacho, Bobby Chacon, and Greg Haugen. After retiring in 1986, Roach returned to the ring as a trainer. In 1987 he led Virgil Hill to the WBA Light Heavyweight title. Roach has trained 16 additional champions, including Mike Tyson, James Toney and current lightweight king Manny Pacquiao. (Roach was not on hand to accept his award.)

Carlos Avilas broadcast his fight in 1976. Since then he has called the action on over 20,000 rounds of boxing. “This dream is 30 years in the making”, explained an appreciative Avilas following his induction. Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Avilas saw his first prize fight at the age of nine and a dream was born. He realized his dream in the United States where he worked on Spanish language televisions stations in Los Angeles. The “man with the golden voice” has gone on to broadcast fights on numerous networks, including HBO, Showtime, and Galavision. He can now be seen on Fox Sports en Espanol, broadcasting fights in the United States, Puerto Rico, Mexico and South and Central America.

Special thanks to Steve Harpst Bronzes & Fine Art.

Reprint courtesy of the WBC Legends of Boxing Museum