VETERAN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA BOXING FIGURE DON FRASER LOOKS BACK AT THE MAKING OF FLOYD PATTERSON VS. ROY HARRIS, THE LAST WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE FIGHT IN LOS ANGELES

12.06 - Press Release - World Boxing Hall of Famer and legendary Southern California fistic figure, Don Fraser, has seen and done it all in his 50-plus years of boxing. He has been a promoter, matchmaker, publicist, writer, TV commentator and CEO of the California State Athletic Commission.

Fraser served as the director of publicity for the world heavyweight title fight between defending champion Floyd Patterson and Roy Harris on Aug. 18, 1958, at the old Wrigley Field in Los Angeles.

"Once the fight was made, we had many politicians and sporting figures pushing to get the fighters to train in their cities," Fraser recalled. "Boxing was really big in those days, and to get a fighter to train in your area was a feather in your cap.''

Patterson trained in Oceanside, which is located approximately 85 miles south of Los Angeles. A local sportswriter, Irv Grossman of the Oceanside Blade Tribune, persuaded the city to give Patterson a place to train and stay, for free. A makeshift gym with a ring was constructed within minutes of the beach at the Community Center.

Harris wound up setting up camp at the Arrowhead Springs Hotel. The hotel, located closer to San Bernardino than Lake Arrowhead, is about 65 miles from Los Angeles.

"The Arrowhead Springs Hotel was rather infamous for being a place where movie stars could take their mistresses,'' Fraser said. "But it served its purpose for this fight, too. The actor, Anthony Quinn, created a lot of attention one day when he showed up to watch Harris train.''

Since boxing was such a huge deal -- remember, in L.A., there was the NFL's Rams, USC and UCLA and not much more (the Dodgers were still in their infancy here), this was a major event and many of the country's top sportswriters headed west to cover the boxers at their camps. The fact they were comped for most everything made it even more enjoyable for them.

Showing that freeloading has no bounds, even in that era, some writers brought along their family to share in the freebie. Others were even more blatant.

There was much intrigue as to who exactly would promote the Patterson-Harris showdown.

"Rocky Marciano's manager, Al Weill, started out as the promoter, but somebody spotted him with the mob guy, Frankie Carbo, so the commission refused to give him a license," Fraser said. "Bill Rosenson and Hollywood Legion Post 43 wound up as the co-promoters of record.''

Among the Southern California columnists and reporters alive today who covered Patterson-Harris were Jack Hawn, the former Los Angeles Times staffer who wrote for the Hollywood Citizen News, Melvin Durslag (Los Angeles Examiner), Bud Furillo (Los Angeles Evening Herald Express), John Hall (Los Angeles Mirror), Stan Hochman (San Bernardino Sun) and TV sportscaster Gil Stratton. Blackie Sherrod came from Texas to cover the fight for the Dallas Morning News.

"Hochman became a featured columnist for the Philadelphia Daily News, but back then he was just a budding reporter for the Sun," Fraser said. "He was a regular at Harris' workouts and wrote nearly every day.''

A friendly, affable sort with an outgoing personality, Harris hailed from Cut 'N Shoot, Tex., a town of about 300. While in Southern California, a local record producer got the idea for Harris to cut a country western song. Hence, "Cut 'N Shoot, Texas'' was recorded.

"Harris was a good guy, but unfortunately for him, he could hit some of the high notes only about as effectively as he hit Patterson on fight night," Fraser, who drove Harris to the Hollywood studio, said. "We spent an entire day making the one song. Roy had to redo it dozens and dozens of times. The record finally got made but only after the producer wound up having to edit the best bits and pieces from each take.''

The fight itself was dominated by Patterson (33-1 going in), who decked the game but outclassed Harris (23-0 going in) four times. Harris was credited with a knockdown, albeit a disputed one, as most felt Patterson was pushed or slipped. Harris could not come out for the 13th round. After 12 completed rounds, judges Tommy Hart and Frankie Van had it 117-98 and 116-102, respectively, while referee Mushy Callahan, the former junior welterweight champion, scored it 117-97. In those days, the ref scored the bout with two judges; today, of course, he has no say in the scoring.

While not an artistic success, Patterson-Harris did well at the box office.

"A crowd of 21,680 at Wrigley Field paid to watch," Fraser said. "The gate was $234,183.25. Patterson's purse was just a little more than $200,000. He earned $101,382.41 from the live gate and picked up an additional $100,000 from TV rights.'' Harris, who was managed by Lou Viscusi, who also handled the career of the great featherweight champion, Willie Pep, and light heavyweight champion, Bob Foster, got a $100,000 flat guarantee.

To rent Wrigley, the promoters paid $10,138.24 "which is what fans pay to park at most sporting events these days," Fraser joked. Tickets were $30, $20 and $10. Parking was $2.

Western Union was busy the night of Patterson-Harris, reporting the largest number of working machines ever for a sporting event in Los Angeles.

In the only other major heavyweight title fight in Los Angeles in modern history, Joe Louis knocked out Jack Roper on April 17, 1938, at Wrigley. The attendance: 21,675. The gate: $87,679. Joe Louis was paid $34,413 for less than a round's work against Roper, a journeyman boxer who was employed as an electrician at Warner Brothers when he got the call to fight.

When the true heavyweight champion, Lennox Lewis, defends against Vitali Klitschko on June 21 at STAPLES Center, it will mark the first time a world heavyweight title fight has been staged in Los Angeles since 1958. Will it be 45 years before the next one?

Forty Five Years Ago The Prices Were Right

Since the last true world heavyweight title fight in Los Angeles - 44 years, 10 months and 13 days ago (as of June 21) for those counting - roughly 4,940 fight cards have taken place in California. If each show averaged five-plus bouts, that would make it approximately 25,000 fights between the time Floyd Patterson retained his crown with a 13th-round TKO over Roy Harris on Aug. 18, 1958, at Wrigley Field, and Lennox Lewis defends his world heavyweight belts against Vitali Klitschko on June 21 at STAPLES Center.

The way it was in 1958, the last time a true heavyweight champion of the world defended his title in Los Angeles:

" Dwight Eisenhower was the President of the United States.

" Norris Poulson was the L.A. Mayor.

" William H. Parker was halfway through a tenure in which he would become the longest serving police chief in L.A. City history (1950-1966).

" The city's population was approximately 2,400,000 (it is now more than 3,750,000); the annual consumer price index was 28.9 (compared to 181.1 in 2002).

" Earl Sheib would paint any car for $29.99; four premium whitewall tires went for $100; a half-pound of barbecue chicken or ribs sold for $1.10.

" The Rams, who sent quarterback Norm Van Brocklin to the Eagles during the preseason, dominated the local pro sports scene; USC and UCLA the colleges.

" A ticket to a Rams-Redskins preseason game sold for $3.90 (reserved), $2.50 (general admission)

" A Haspel wash 'n wear suit sold for $39.75, a 100 percent silk coat jacket for $29.95, Gaberdine slacks for $9.95.

" The Dodgers were in the fifth month of their first year in L.A.

" The Angels were still minor-league; there were no NBA or NHL teams in L.A.

" The Sports Arena was exactly 11 months away from hosting its first event.

" Popular L.A. places to visit included the Coca-Cola Building (1334 S. Central Ave.), Helms Hall (8760 Venice Blvd.) and Holiday Bowl (3730 Crenshaw Ave.).

" The remnants of the Pacific Electric Railway (including the Red Cars) were placed under the control of the newly created Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority.

" KTLA introduced the first TV news helicopter in the nation.

" The average price for a gallon of gas was about $.20; it cost around $.50 to go to a movie; a set of five golf irons went for $31.95.

" Elvis got inducted into the Army

" "The Bridge On the River Kwai'' took the Oscar for Best Picture.

" There were no less than four L.A. daily newspapers.

" Bob Hope was 55