BLONDIE ON THE SCENE

Having recently returned from Ike Quartey's training camp in Pensacola, FL,
writer Kathy Cimino offered up some beautiful quotes in a Sunday afternoon
conversation with yours truly.

SHE AIN'T NO BIMBO

"That jab is a killer. It so strong that you can feel it standing
ringside." On Ike's feelings about being able to get a decision against De
La Hoya. "Ike knows he has to win by knockout. He feels he can win every
round and yet they will find a way to give it to Oscar."

HEAD ON A POST?

Ike hasn't been known for having over utilized his head movement. Was his
head on a post?

"No, actually Ike was moving his head real well. I had never seen him slip
blows as he did when I was there. He did it quite smoothly. It wasn't like
he didn't know how, I think he got caught into walking through people with
his jab and forgetting to move his head."

ROY JONES JR.'S TAKE ON OSCAR-IKE

The eldest Roy Jones, Roy Sr. is training Quartey for the rescheduled
February 13, date with De La Hoya. Kathy thinks she has seen a renewed
spark in Ike Quartey who has told many a reporter that he didn't think this
fight would ever come off due to Oscar's reluctance.

"According to Roy, Oscar is a good fighter. But Ike is better. Roy said
this fight won't go the distance and that Ike will stop De La Hoya after
the eighth round. Ike is too strong, and Roy doesn't see Oscar standing at
the end, let alone winning."

CONTROVERSIAL REFEREE/JUDGE TAKES TEN COUNT

Ever since I was a kid (and I'm 40) I used to watch Rudy Ortega working as
both a judge and a referee in Northern California. The former amateur
standout who faced Floyd Patterson in the 1956 U.S. National Championships,
succumbed over the weekend in San Francisco from heart failure.

A GOOD PROSPECT

According to promoter Don Chargin, Rudy was highly touted and was being
pushed from several directions to turn professional. One of the old timers
from the days when Oakland, CA was a fight town, the late Curly Menonga
thought Rudy was a middleweight contender in the making.

CONTROVERSY FOLLOWED RUDY EVERYWHERE

One night in Santa Rosa, Rudy was the third man in a middleweight scrap
between unbeaten Johnny Nava and "Candy Joe" Gonzales, a club fighter with
a decent looking body who was known to have a feint ticker and a soft
beard.

NOT THIS NIGHT...

As Joe realized Nava was a novice who had been fed cream puffs by manager
Bill Rivette, and he stomped on Johnny as if he were a trash can fire. Five
rounds or so into the contest, Nava is a bloody mess that surely cannot
last the 10 round distance.

RIVETTE CONNECTED TO OLD IBC

Bill Rivette was one of those guys that was in tight with that Mob group at
Madison Square Garden known as the IBC, that was run out in the early 60's
by the Justice Department.

CLAIMED HE OWNED COPS ON MY FORCE

Rivette tried to put as many people in his pocket as he could. He told me
before he died that he at one point had half a dozen of my then fellow San
Francisco Policemen working for him.

CAN YOU SEE WHERE I'M LEADING?

Now, I'm not saying Rudy was bought and paid for that night. I'll just lay
it out the way it happened.

TICKET SELLER IN TROUBLE

Nava was looking for a way out. Any way out. So, Johnny began throwing low
blows with the intent on getting disqualified. The blows were low, and they
were getting lower. But Rudy wouldn't disqualify the unbeaten kid who had
brought two bus loads of fans with him. He just made like he didn't see the
fouls.

WRESTLING REF?

In wrestling the referee often doesn't see things occurring right in front
of him. That's because it is part of the script. Rudy was ignoring the
obvious/blatant low blows because he was trying to keep Nava unbeaten and
in the fight.

ENOUGH ALREADY

"Candy Joe" was complaining to Rudy, all the while Nava continued the
fouling. Finally, Joe threw up his hands and left the ring. The crowd,
which had been screaming at Ortega to stop the fight had already turned
into a frenzy.

RUDY DQ'S JOE FOR EXIT

The disqualification win announced for Nava was met by a near riot. Most of
those who had purchased a seat (and myself too) were of the opinion that in
essence the referee had just fixed a fight by not disqualifying Nava for
the umpteen fouls.

RUDY HEADS FOR THE SHOWERS

The cops get Rudy to the dressing room and it's relative calm. But some
hardcore fans are screaming obscenities and seem on the verge of a full
scale riot as they leave the high school gym that served as the arena. Some
of the hooligans waited outside in hopes that they could pelt Ortega's car
with debris as he left.

COPS PROVIDE ESCORT

The Santa Rosa cops then had to escort the referee to Highway 101, out of
fear for his safety.

BEING SOMEWHERE AROUND...

68 years old when he died Friday, Rudy had to be put in check by this
writer when he went after retired Chronicle columnist Jack Fisk on August
28, 1989. Fiske had lambasted Ortega in a recent column and as I was
getting a Pepsi, I see him bumping up against Fiske at a San Francisco
fight card.

A POLITICIAN

A couple of years later, Ken Gray steps down as the head of the California
Commission. The man the Governor wants for the job is the man who got it,
Richard De Cuir.

Knowing both the power and the money involved, Rudy senses he can stage a
coup by having the boxing people rally for him against De Cuir by calling
Governor Pete Wilson's office and bombarding  him with pro-Rudy faxes.

IN NEXT ROOM

While promoter Don Chargin was throwing a show in Sacramento, I walked into
a two room Chargin suite and saw Rudy politicking. Not wanting any part, I
fled to the bedroom. Laying across the bed, Rudy knocks and asks if we can
talk.

Nodding the affirmative he entered the room. I was expecting him to start
off with an apology for his body bumping Jack Fiske, a man 15 years his
senior, and for the scene that followed.

Instead he began an attack on De Cuir and how we needed him in the position
of boxing boss. He then asked,"So, will you throw your support behind me in
print and on the radio?"

"Can't do it Rudy," I replied. "Why, cause your an asshole." We would never
speak again in depth other than to greet each other when and only if we had
to.

A DIABETIC...

With a heart condition, Rudy fell apart health wise when his son Todd was
found in their home in a comatose state last June. Todd would die shortly
thereafter. And then, before you know it, Rudy suffered a major heart
attack that he never fully recovered from.

THE LAST YEAR...

Was hellish as Rudy was kept alive by an assortment of medications and
apparatus.

HE'S A BROTHER, LIKE HIM PERSONALLY OR NOT

And boxing lost another family member with the passing of Rudy Ortega.

SO LONG, NEWT

To me, Ortega was my Newt Gingrich so to speak. A guy that was almost
guaranteed to say or do something dumb in times of crisis.

SERVICES TO BE HELD

He is survived by his wife Joan, herself a boxing judge, and two grown
children. Funeral services are expected in San Francisco later this week.

GOOSSEN AND TINLEY SNATCH CUBAN PAIR FROM DUVAS

The best fighter on the Team Freedom squad is thought to be unbeaten Joel
Casamayor. 13-0, with nine stops, Joel is currently the top ranked
challenger for IBF 130 lb. titlist Robert Garcia.

Ramon Garbey, on the other hand is cruiserweight who has rolled to 11-0,
with nine whacks. Although he is not in the league of the multi faceted
Casamayor, he's a pretty decent fighter considering his propensity to hang
out in Miami Beach clubs until it's time to do roadwork.

Both have recently signed with the Denver based AMERICA PRESENTS, whose COO
Dan Goossen appeared on the Sunday night edition of Ring Talk.

GOOSSEN MAKING INCREDIBLE MOVES

Dan Goossen has signed Mike Tyson to a two fight deal in recent days, as
well as the aforementioned Cuban coup. I never thought AMERICA PRESENTS
would become such a huge player in the boxing game.

BIG LEAP, SHORT TIME

It's really significant when you realize that AMERICA PRESENTS hasn't
celebrated it's second birthday yet!

The writer has his own site at www.fighters.com and can be reached at
flash@inow.com