Ex-World Champ Frankie Klick
FIVE BLOCK CITY WITHIN THE CITY ITSELF
San Francisco, CA– Cortland Ave. is in the Bernal Heights neighborhood of the City. In the 60s, it was a hodgepodge of blacks, whites, with lots of Italians and Irish. We had a grocery store and meat market, pharmacy, the quite frequented public library where I did my initial JFK research and realized we (as a country) had been had. The playground, a variety store, dry cleaners, two taverns, bakery, St. Kevin’s Catholic Church, and then there was the Capri Theater where I spent a lot of time.
EXAMPLE OF PUG WHO FOUGHT TOO LONG!
Living here, there, and everywhere, Frankie Klick then in his late 50s circa 1965, Klick would often get so drunk that he’d be laying in a doorway. passed out. Fascinated with boxing after watching the Gillette Friday Night Fights with my dad, Klick was the worst example for anybody thinking about getting into boxing. In addition to being a boozer, Frankie was a little punch drunk.
“I BEAT KID CHOCOLATE FOR WORLD TITLE”
When Frankie was in a somewhat coherent state one day in front of the library, he told me a story I didn’t believe. “I used to be the world boxing champion. I beat ‘Kid’ Chocolate for the world title.” I saw the scar tissue over both eyes, a flattened nose, Klick was a pugilistic mess. I ran home and told my dad that I met a world champ named Frankie Klick. Dad said that Klick was more out of his mind than drunk.
UNCLE RAY TAKES ME TO THE BAR & INTRODUCES ME
Klick, who was sitting on a stool at the Cherokee bar, evidently my uncle, after my asking him about Klick for weeks decided to set up a meeting. Frankie had a picture of himself with the world title belt that he showed me. A little punchy and a little drunk, Klick admitted that the title win was a fluke. “I wasn’t supposed to win.”
RAILED AGAINST MY WANTING TO BOX
Unbeknownst to me, Klick was told by my uncle Ray Nyreneng, to say enough that I would drop this dream of someday becoming a boxer. He showed me his scars, talked about how boxing would not be a good choice. “Just look at me,” he said.
TOLD MY DAD THE STORY
Dad wasn’t against me boxing when I got older, so he started taking me down to Newman’s Gym, where one Friday afternoon I watched Sonny Liston work out. Ali was at his peak and not getting hit. “That’s the key,” my dad said. “Don’t ket them hit you or you’ll end like Frankie.”
FOR THE RECORD ON KLICK & WORLD TITLE
Klick beat ‘Kid Chocolate,’ a Cuban national on December 25, 1933 in Philadelphia. To show you he had no business in the ring with Chocolate or a fighter of that level seeing he was on a three-fight losing streak going in. His next fight on January 22, 1934 against Frankie Wallace was a UD 10 loss for the reigning world champ in Cleveland. On March 5, Klick gets a gift Draw in San Francisco over Barney Ross. Three and a half months later, Tony Canzoneri stopped Klick in nine and took away the undeserved World 140 lb, title.
Pedro Fernandez