Punchers from the Past- Arthur (Art-Golden Boy) Aragon

Name: Arthur (Art-Golden Boy) Aragon

Born: 13 November 1927

Record: 116 fights, 90 wins (62 by KO/TKO), 20 losses (3 by KO/TKO), 6 draws

Career: 1944 to 1960

Division: Lightweight/welterweight

Stance: Orthodox

Titles: None

Major Contests

Scored wins over: Enrique Bolanos (twice), Teddy Davis*, Jimmy Carter(twice) **, Lauro Salas **,Chuck Davey*,Don Jordan(twice)**,Cisco Andrade, Chico Vejar, Rocky Caballero, Pat Lowry,

Lost to: Luther Rawlings, Jimmy Carter, Billy Graham, Ramon Fuentes, Vince Martinez, Joe Miceli (twice), Carmen Basilio **, Alvaro Gutierrez.

Drew with: Tommy Campbell,

**Past/ future holder of a version of a world title

* Unsuccessful challenger for a version of a world title

Art Aragon’s story

Aragon was of Mexican descent. He was born in Belem, New Mexico. His parents had a small cattle ranch and he was the sixth-born of  their thirteen children. Aragon later joked that when they realized they had more children than cattle he was packed off to live with an Aunt and eventually ended up in East Los Angeles. When working in a local store to help pay his way through High School Aragon got into a fight and the owner of the store was so impressed by Aragon that he started to train him. Aragon graduated in 1946 but by then he had already had about a dozen amateur fights and had been fighting professionally since 1944. He used the name Blackie Powell in some of this early bouts (Blackie from a fictional a jewel thief/detective Boston Blackie and Powell from film star Tyrone Powell). His career between 1944 and 1948 saw him be busy and modestly successful but his exciting style make him a big draw. He had a good 1949 winning 14 of his 15 fights. He was already beginning to draw good crowds but his standing as a crowd puller altered dramatically after his fight with Enrique Bolanos at the Los Angeles Olympic in February 1950. Mexican Bolanos had lost a split decision against Ike Williams for the lightweight title and was the idol of the Angelino fans at the Olympic. Aragon had been arrogantly mouthing off about what he would do to Bolanos and he was booed into the ring. Those boos were even louder when he stopped Bolanos in the twelfth rounds. Aragon strutted around the ring gesturing at the fans of Bolanos who were incensed. From then on, whilst Aragon had his fans, for the majority he was the fighter they most wanted to see lose-and he loved it. His habit of wearing gold trunks and a gold dressing gown had led the press to name him The Golden Boy- in reference to the 1939 movie of that name that starred William Holden as a prize fighter. With his flamboyance in and out of the ring and his association with many Hollywood stars, particularly the female ones, Aragon became the biggest draw in the history of the Olympic and in other fights that year beat rated welterweight Tommy Campbell and stopped Bolanos in three rounds. A win over another rated fighter, Johnny Gonsalves, saw Aragon put in with lightweight champion Jimmy Carter in a non-title fight in August 1951. Aragon won the split decision and was matched with Carter for the title in November 1951. It was reportedly the first fight televised live from coast to coast. Aragon had weighed 137 ½ lbs for the first fight and would have fitted into the super lightweight division now. In 1951 you either fought at welterweight or lightweight and Aragon struggled to make 135lbs being floored twice and losing on points. Aragon said over his weight making problems that he had to lose 7lbs in the days before the fight and he was so weak that it was the first time a fighter had to be carried into the ring. That fight drew 22,500 who paid $236,000, a Los Angeles boxing record at the time.

He never tried to fight at lightweight again. He drew another huge crowd at the Olympic in March 1952 when he outpointed former lightweight champion Lauro Salas. This was the continuation of bare-fisted bar room brawl the pair had indulged in. Aragon continued to be busy as he tried to work his way to a shot at the welterweight title. From September 1954 to September 1958, he was 21-1 with two victories over eventual world welterweight champion Don Jordan, a second triumph over Carter (but this time at welterweight) and scoring wins over Chico Vejar and Rocky Caballero but losing to Vince Martinez and Joe Miceli. He unwisely took a fight with Carmen Basilio in September 1958 and took a savage beating before being stopped in the eighth round. Typical of Aragon that when the fight referee Tommy Hart reportedly warned Aragon he was close to stopping the fight Aragon responded, “What are you waiting for?”. After a run of 8-1-1 Aragon lost a wide decision to Reybon Stubbs in December 1959. Six weeks later he lost on a ninth round stoppage against Mexican puncher Alvaro Gutierrez. Again, Aragon was good for a quote saying that “In the first round, I gave Gutierrez my best shot, a right hand right on the chin, and I went down. He beat the hell out of me that night” and indeed Aragon was down three times in the opening round but survived to the ninth.

After his career Aragon had his own successful bail bond business and he was inducted into the Californian

Boxing Hall of Fame. Boxing publicist Bill Caplan said Aragon would be remembered as “the top drawing card in L.A. boxing history. He was so colourful. He was a kill-or-be- killed type of guy”

Between 1950 and 1953, Aragon fought 23 times at the Olympic Auditorium and his bouts drew $626,442. No one knows how many times his fights sold out the old arena, but he was the acknowledged record-holder.

It would be wrong to tell the story of The Golden Boy without mentioning the allegations of fixed fights. In 1950 lightweight Carlos Chavez claimed that a first round knockout loss against Aragon was prearranged. It was the first inside the distance loss Chavez had suffered in 49 fights but he lost his next five fights, two of those by KO/TKO including another first round loss. When testifying in 1956 against matchmaker Babe McCoy welterweight Tommy Campbell alleged he had thrown a fight against Aragon in May 1950 losing on a third round kayo. Campbell’s and Aragon’s purses had been withheld by the Californian State Athletic Commission at the time amid rumors of a fix but the result stood. McCoy was subsequently suspended for life by the State Commission for arranging fixed fights over a ten year period. There were rumors surrounding the first fight with Jimmy Carter who was owned by gangster Frankie Carbo. In 1956 Aragon  was convicted of offering a $500 bribe to welterweight Dick Goldstein to take a dive in a Texas fight. After a trial Aragon was sentenced to five years in prison. Later, on appeal, the sentenced was overturned and all charges dismissed. Hank Davis was floored twice and stopped in the fifth round by Aragon in a fight in Tucson on June 1959 Davis alleged he had taken a dive but the matter weas never pursued.

A handsome, charismatic character Aragon was a newsman’s dream even out of the ring. He was romantically linked to Hollywood actress Mamie Van Doren and reportedly dated Marylin Monroe, Sophia Loren and Jayne Mansfield. He played golf with Bob Hope and his other friends included singer Sammy Davis Jr. and actors Robert Mitchum and William Holden. He appeared in a number of small movies and was a close pal of the actor and genuine war hero Audie Murphy (the most decorated US soldier in the Second World War) and appeared in the film” To Hell and Back” about Murphy’s war experience. He named one of his children Audie.

Aragon was married four times and engaged a fifth time and had six acknowledged children. Three of his ex-wives attended his 80^th birthday party. He began to suffer from dementia and accepted it was coming saying “Let me tell you something, I did more damage to myself my last two years in boxing than I did in the previous 14 years combined. The fighter is always the last guy to figure out when it’s time to quit.” He suffered a stroke on 15 March 2008 and was removed from the life support machine at his family’s request on 25 March. He converted to Judaism later in life and is buried in a Jewish cemetery in Los Angeles.

Aragon-isms

Whether about boxing or his life with the ladies Aragon was always good for a quote:

“My first wife divorced me and named 15 women. My second wife divorced me and named 9 women. My third wife divorced me and named 2 guys.”

-In his 60th year Aragon won a paternity suit. In court, Aragon’s attorney had a doctor on the stand, who said to the judge: “Your honour, it is not possible for Mr. Aragon to have been the father of this woman’s child.” Aragon stood up and said: “Your honour, I want a second opinion.”

-After the Alvaro Gutierrez fight as Aragon lay bleeding on his dressing room table, surrounded by trainers and sportswriters, a sheriff’s deputy came in and dropped a summons on Aragon’s chest. Aragon lifted his head, looked at the blue document, and dropped his head back. “That’s Art Aragon, for you,” he said. “116 fights and 116 summons.”

Aragon and the boos:

“Walking into the ring at the Olympic, wearing that gold robe,  10,000 people there, hearing all those boos, yeah I miss that,”. “You ever get booed by 10,000 people? It’s exciting.