Eddie Machen
BOXING CAN BE A BEAUTIFUL THING
San Francisco, CA– Having watched boxing matches on four continents, I feel the need to take you back to my boxing roots. When former heavyweight contender, the late Eddie Machen first taught me the sport of boxing, it truly was a beautiful thing. Regardless of the titles I would win after Machen died, I think the most beautiful time in my boxing life was when I knew nothing about the politics, the corruption, or the business of boxing.
I RESISTED EDDIE’S INTERVENTION
When Eddie Machen (50-11-3, 29 KOs) pulled me off of Guy Lambert, this as we were involved in a street fight outside of our neighborhood hangout, Jim’s Donuts, he was grabbing hold of an undisciplined pit bull. Machen, who fought Sonny Liston, Ingemar Johansson, in addition to being the first man to ever beat Jerry Quarry, dragged me into a saloon, the “3300 Club” and bought me a soda. As owner Jack Keen, and ex-boxer and bartender Hank Berrera stood and watched, Machen took an ice cube and smoothed out a bruise that I had under my eye. It was the 1970 version of today’s “End Swell.”
“FEAR IS THE GREATEST MOTIVATOR”
The fight was started when Lambert took my 25 cents off of a pinball machine in the donut shop and put it in his pocket. As we were walking outside, I was shaking inside as Guy was considered a ruffian of sorts. Standing some four or five inches smaller and maybe 30-40 lbs. less than my soon to be opponent, I’ll admit it, I was scared to death!
AWAITING THE POLICE THAT NEVER CAME!
Having previously read some of the writings of legendary NFL coach Vince Lombardi, I realized that being scared was probably the best thing for me. That being said, the feeling of victory was overshadowed as Machen told me that somebody had called the police. With the battered Lambert screaming that he was going to get me, Machen ended up walking me the two blocks to my house.
MACHEN TRIED RUNNING ME INTO THE GROUND!
In the ensuing days, Machen would take me up to Bernal Heights, a mountain that had a one mile circumference. With a six pack of Country Club malt liquor under his arm, Machen would have me run three times around the mountain. Eddie would then put this 85 lb., 12 year old through a series of exercises that included push ups, sit ups, pulls ups. And just when I thought we were done, Eddie would put me through some more drills to the point where I couldn’t do anymore.
EDDIE TOLD MY MOTHER THAT I’D QUIT!
When I would come home after Eddie’s workouts, quietly eat my dinner before going straight to bed sans any TV, my mother confronted Machen and asked him what was the purpose of his driving, or rather running me into the ground? Eddie told her that he thought that I would quit, that I would never have a boxing match or the 50+ street fights that followed that 1970 altercation. Instead, I would show up early at Machen’s apartment on Mission St., the same place where Eddie was either pushed or fell over the balcony to his death in 1972.
NEVER LOST A FIGHT WITH EDDIE UNTIL I FOUGHT EDDIE!
Machen used to put ten ounce gloves on me and had me throw punches for three minutes at a time in his front room. Standing on his knees, Eddie would hurl insults at me when I got winded, slapped me on occasion with a gloved hand, but most importantly he and boxing took me off the streets per se as I would show up to workout after selling newspapers after school. I fought seven times in less than a year with Machen in the corner, stopping five of the seven foes I faced, all at smokers put forth by the San Francisco Boy’s Club.
AFTER MACHEN DIED, I RETURNED TO “STREET FIGHTING”
With the knowledge Eddie instilled in me, I kept running and working out some after his death. In 1974, as cocky as one could be, having never lost a fight, I was matched at the South San Francisco Boy’s Club against the more experienced Eddie Smith. To my astonishment, Eddie beat me on a unanimous decision after three-90-second rounds. Humiliated, I went back to something I was better at, at least I thought, street fighting.
SAW EDDIE SMITH 35 YEARS LATER AT 7-11
I’m not going to boast or list my in the ring accomplishments, even though I did garner seven amateur titles. Long after I had retired, I was still running hard at night. My reward, besides a beautiful girlfriend, was drinking flavored mineral water afterwards. One night I walked into a 7-11 store in South San Francisco, where just about everybody knew who I was, I encountered a down and out Eddie Smith. He had spent hard time in prison for Mayhem and was in line to buy a single can of beer.
THE EXPERIENCE GAVE US BOTH A LIFT!
When I saw Smith, looking down and weathered, I hollered at the 7-11 clerk, “You see this guy, this is Eddie Smith, the first guy that ever beat me in a boxing match.” Eddie looking discombobulated, it took him a few seconds to realize what was transpiring. Finally, Eddie smiled, I hugged him and haven’t seen him since. It is instances like this, along with my days with Eddie Machen that clearly illustrate the beauty of boxing!
Pedro Fernandez