Rinty Monaghan and Terry Allen shaking hands. They had a good rivalry as well, they fought three times, each fighter won a bout and their last fight was a draw. Monaghan would retire shortly after their last bout due to chronic bronchitis.
An advertisement for Rinty Monaghan vs Maurice Sandeyron. In April 1949 Monaghan retained his World title, and became European champion, by dispatching Frenchman Maurice Sandeyron by unanimous decision.
Let's look at a few Rinty Monaghan trading cards. This is the 1948 Topps Magic Photos Rinty Monaghan, these little cards are so cool, I own quite a few of them. The Topps 1948 Magic Photos set consists of 252 cards, each measuring approximately a tiny 7/8” x 1-7/16”. The ensemble is unique on several levels, the first being that it is one of Topps earliest trading card productions and contained the company’s first-ever baseball card offering. All of the images were "self-developing" similar to a Polaroid photograph issued with blank fronts that could be developed into sepia-tone photos by exposing the cards to sunlight. A somewhat complex sub-set system was utilized by Topps, dividing the minute offerings into sport and non-sport categories, each with a respective series letter. These cards have two different variations, the number on the side and the number on the bottom, the number on the bottom is much rarer and difficult to locate. This "number on bottom" variant constitutes an estimated 1% to 5% of the total production, making it highly coveted by collectors. This is the number on the side variation, can't find a scan of the Monaghan with the number on the bottom so I'm using and example of another card.
1950 Kiddy's Favourites Popular Boxers Rinty Monaghan. These cards were issued with two different variations, the name of the boxer on the front in black letters and in blue letters, the blue is rarer and more difficult to find. Again, can't find a Monaghan in blue so I'm using another example. These cards were a UK issue.
1996 Phoenix Legends: Open Series Rinty Monaghan. These were a UK issue, very rare, you'll notice they look a lot like the Victory Blend Tough Yanks cards, I'm not sure but I think these were produced by the same people.
This is really cool, this is a custom card from a series titled "cards that never were", it's a 1948 Leaf Boxing Rinty Monaghan. The 48' Leaf Boxing set is one of the best boxing card sets ever made and quite a few boxers including Monaghan weren't included in the set.
1949 Carreras Turf Cigarettes Sports Series Boxing #50 Rinty Monaghan. Turf cigarette cards, issued by the Carreras Tobacco Company of London, were primarily produced from the 1920s through the 1950s. Notable sets include Sherlock Holmes characters (1923), Royal Regalia (1925), personalities (1933-34), and post-war sets such as Film Favourites (1948), Footballers (1948), and Sports (1949). These cards were cut from packs of Turf cigarettes and the backs are blank.
Let's get some photos of Rinty in here. This is a photo of Rinty Monaghan on the Cave Hill at Cave Hill cottage in Belfast, Ireland, drinking goat's milk.
Rinty Monaghan on a 1940-70 Boxing News Photos card, these cards are really cool, I own a few of them. These cards were primarily obtained as a British publication-based set, featuring glossy or non-glossy photo cards. They originated from Boxing News, a UK boxing publication founded in 1909. These cards were available through mail-order, subscription incentives, or as promotional items within the magazine. They can be found with blank backs and postcard backs.
Phenomenal shot of Rinty Monaghan singing to the crowd after a fight. He was famous for singing "When Irish Eyes are Smiling" to the crowd after his fights. He was a charismatic entertainer, he would sometimes sing "Sally" to the crowd but "When Irish Eyes are Smiling" was his signature song. Final thought on Rinty, damn good fighter, he really represents what the Irish are about, tough as nails and liked a good scrap. He was one of the first great boxing personalities and his fights were a guaranteed sell-out every time.
The 10-foot tall bronze statue of Rinty Monaghan is located in Cathedral Gardens on York Street in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Unveiled on August 20, 2015, the sculpture by Alan Beattie Herriot stands near the area where he grew up and famously depicts him singing into a microphone.
Sick photo of Dick Tiger in his locker room after beating Roger Rouse in 1967, love this image with the bandage on his forehead and that famous smile on his face. You can see the marks or scars on his chest, they were burned into his chest with a sharp, hot knife when he was 10 years old, it was an initiation into his tribe, the Igbo tribe in Nigeria, Africa. They appeared as thin, vertical marks forming a horizontal band across his chest, sometimes described as a "stripe".
Funny thing about Dick Tiger, he was famous for that smile and being a really nice guy outside the ring, but when he was inside the ring he was laser focused on your destruction.
Punch-Out!! The 1984 arcade boxing game developed by Nintendo R&D3 and published by Nintendo. It was released for arcades in Japan on February 17, North America in March, and Europe in July. The game was a global commercial success, becoming the top-performing arcade game of 1984 in the United States.
This is a Japanese flyer for the 1984 arcade game Punch-Out!! The final boss, Mr. Sandman, is featured on the front which is really cool because he was always my favorite boss in the later versions on Nintendo, Punch-Out!! and of course Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!
The 1989 Topps Nintendo Punch-Out!! scratch-off cards. As part of the 1989 Topps Nintendo Game Packs series, these, along with sticker cards that featured tips on NES games, were sold to promote NES games. Unscratched or professionally graded versions are highly sought after by collectors. This is the Mr. Sandman #10, unscratched, and a Punch-Out!! sticker card.
This is cool, a list of the most difficult bosses in the entire series of Punch-Out!! games.
Nintendo: 10 Hardest Punch-Out Opponents In The Series, Ranked
By: Renan Fontes
Jan 13, 2020
Nintendo's Punch-Out isn’t a series that’s for everyone, but those who have sunk time into the franchise will tell you that it’s consistently one of the most rewarding Nintendo games out there. Whether you’re playing Punch-Out on the NES, Super Nintendo, or Wii, prospective champs are in for a good time as they propel Little Mac to stardom.
It’s not an easy journey, though, something fans of the series will be very quick to point out. From day 1, Punch-Out has prided itself as one of the hardest series in Nintendo’s roster. Many consider the original NES title to be the toughest of the bunch, but both Super Punch-Out and Punch-Out on the Wii give it a serious run for its money. This is a franchise that wastes no time in beating players into the ground. But hey, that’s part of the appeal.
10
Super Macho Man (NES)
The second-to last-boss in Punch-Out and as far as most players will get on their path to Mike Tyson, Super Macho Man is basically the real final boss, in the sense that he’s the last real fight where players have something resembling an advantage. Super Macho Man is the tried and true combo of dodging and punching at its most extreme — barring Tyson, obviously.
He still feels like a reasonable boss when all is said and done, but it’s an overwhelming journey getting to that point. By the time players reach Super Macho Man, their thumbs will surely be exhausted. With enough patience, you will get through it, but get ready to sink some real time into taking down the man himself.
9
Donkey Kong (Wii)
Little Mac can handle a Super Macho Man, but can he handle a Kong? And not just any Kong, but the Kong to end all Kongs: Donkey Kong, the master of bananas everywhere. Unlocked as a bonus boss in Punch-Out for the Nintendo Wii, Donkey Kong demands pure mechanical mastery. He’s not the single hardest fight in the game, but he’s the most chaotic by far.
Even surviving a single round against Donkey Kong requires understanding exactly how the game works — how to dodge, when to hit, how to make the most out of every opportunity. It’s an incredibly involved boxing match, and Little Mac isn’t going to win by knocking DK out. It’s just as much a fight against the clock as it is the Kong.
8
Super Macho Man (Wii)
Super Macho Man rears his ugly head yet again, and he’s somehow just as formidable (if not a bit more so.) With the glory of the Nintendo Wii’s motion controls, boxers everywhere can re-experience the joy of getting the living daylights beaten out of them by Super Macho Man. Feel the sweat beam down your forehead as you flail your arms struggling to keep your balance.
Super Macho Man’s Title Defense match is especially vicious, as he’s now much faster and much stronger. A single blow from SMM is enough to bring any player down to their knees and absolutely nothing can be blocked. Dodge or suffer the consequences.
7
Bear Hugger (Wii)
Although Bear Hugger’s not too difficult in his first go around, one could make a very compelling case for Bear Hugger’s Title Defense being the most difficult match in Punch-Out for the Nintendo Wii. His delayed hooks are mean to the point of cruelty, and they’re going to connect more often than not. Nothing really prepares players for how sneaky Bear Hugger’s attacks can be.
This is a fight that allows very little room for error, making it difficult to practice for. It’s a fight that’ll take even the best of players hours to get down, but it’s also one with some obvious, albeit subtle, tells. Figure them out, and Bear Hugger suddenly becomes doable.
6
Mr. Sandman (NES)
Super Macho Man may be Mike Tyson’s gatekeeper, but Mr. Sandman is Punch-Out’s way of welcoming gamers into a world of immeasurable pain. Let him, and Mr. Sandman will knock Little Mac into a flurry of punches. He’s hard to dodge and even harder to hit. Whiff a punch and risk going down hard. Get back up and risk suffering Sandman’s wrath yet again.
Few boss fights in gaming are so overwhelming. Mr. Sandman may not be as difficult as Mike Tyson, but he’s an enormous jump in difficulty from everything that comes before. Players are tasked with essentially mastering the core mechanics when before they could get by with a little bit of luck. From here on out, skills are a must.
5
Bald Bull (Wii)
Nothing in Punch-Out is really random, but Bald Bull’s Title Defense match pushes the limits of RNG as far as the series goes. He attacks chaotically, sporadically, and in seemingly no discernible pattern. Bald Bull will shake things up at any given moment, and he’s a big fan of slightly delayed attacks, making it difficult to dodge or block him properly.
This is a fight that demands consistent Star Punches, but good luck getting any Stars. Pretty much all of Bald Bull’s Star opportunities are blink-and-you-miss-it moments — and you will blink. Like Bear Hugger before him, this is a match that’ll take hours of practice to get down. But unlike Bear Hugger before him, it’s an uphill battle all throughout.
4
Hoy Quarlow (SNES)
“Please, take it easy on a poor old man won’t you?”
Hoy Quarlow deserves nothing but swift death for bringing a cane to a boxing match. He is the hardest opponent in Super Punch-Out, and there’s no shame in just giving up here and calling it quits. Hoy Quarlow does not play fair in any sense of the world — not in the context of boxing and not in the context of gaming. He is fast, sporadic, and just a nasty old man.
Hoy Quarlow defies all logic and he’s not even that fun to fight. He’s overwhelming in all the worst ways.
3
Mike Tyson (NES)
If Mike Tyson could bite off Little Mac’s ear during gameplay, he would. A single punch from Mike Tyson is enough to bring Little Mac’s legendary career to a swift end. He isn’t just the hardest boss in the game; he might very well be the hardest boss on the NES, demanding a level of mastery that’s, frankly, unreasonable.
There is absolutely no shame in calling it quits after defeating Super Macho Man. Mike Tyson was not designed for man to defeat. He is one of those few who have are beyond our understanding, bonafide gods among men, walking the Earth in wait of a true challenge. Fortunately for them, Punch-Out for the Wii exists.
2
Soda Popinski (Wii)
Soda Popinski will beat you to death with a smile on his face and a soda pop in his hand. He’s hard enough as is in his regular match, but his Title Defense rematch is just out of this world. Soda Popinski’s reflexes are downright nasty, with little to no wind-ups. Be ready to dodge at all times, because Soda Popinski likes his sneak attacks.
It’s easy to lose one’s nerves fighting Soda Popinski. His flurries are so hard to dodge that it’s almost expected you’ll lose your composure. This is a fight that requires a lot of patience and a really good eye for details. Either develop the skills or put the Wiimote down and move on.
1
Mr. Sandman (Wii)
Mr. Sandman in Punch-Out for the Wii is basically the antithesis of his NES self. Come in expecting the fight and leave in a bodybag. He hits fast, hits harder, has the trickiest set of tells in the games, and is consistently difficult between his regular match and his Title Defense rematch. Funny enough, the former might be harder.
Fighting Mr. Sandman for the first time is a lot like in the NES game: a massive jump in quality. The difference here is that he’s the final boss. This is the new Mike Tyson, and he doesn’t play around. Defeating Mr. Sandman’s Wii incarnation is a video game achievement unlike any other.
''I write Iate at night, after the phones stop ringin' and it's quiet and nobody's around - aII great writers do better at night. I take at Ieast one nap during the day, and then I get up at two in the morning and do my thing. You know, I'm a worIdIy man who Iikes peopIe and action and I aIways Iiked cities, but now when I find myseIf in a city, I can't wait to get back to my training camp. Neon signs, traffic, noise and peopIe - aII that can get you crazy. It's funny, because I was supposed to be torturing myseIf by buiIding a training camp out in the middIe of nowhere in northern PennsyIvania, but this is good Iivin,' fresh air, weII water, quiet and country views. I thought I wouIdn't Iike it at aII but that at Ieast I'd work a Iot instead of being in the city, where maybe I wouIdn't train hard enough. WeII, now I Iike it better than being in any city. This is a reaI good setting for writin' poetry and I write aII the time, even when I'm in training.''
Muhammad Ali’s famous training camp, known as "Fighter's Heaven," was located on Sculps Hill Road near Deer Lake, Pennsylvania. Established in 1972, this rural 5-6 acre compound served as his secluded training base for major fights, including the "Rumble in the Jungle" and "Thrilla in Manila". It was built to escape the distractions of big-city training. It included a gym, log cabins, a dining hall, and a small mosque. It has been restored and now operates as a historical landmark and museum.
How a small, mostly white town in Pennsylvania became home for Muhammad Ali
How a small, mostly white town in Pennsylvania became home for Muhammad Ali
The Washington Post
By: Adam Kilgore June 9, 2016
DEER LAKE, Pa. — They have flocked here by the hundreds, on a pilgrimage, drawn by the past and the spirits whistling through the maples and beeches. The sign on one side of Sculps Hill Road reads “Welcome To Muhammad Ali Training Camp.” On the other side are two boulders, painted with the names of Sonny Liston and Jack Dempsey. Sixteen other boulders with the names of Ali’s boxing heroes, painted by Ali’s father as he was dying of cancer, ring the property.
Six bouquets were scattered around the Liston boulder, where Wednesday afternoon Don Gardner and Mike Pocquat, two retired cops from New Jersey, snapped pictures and grinned in awe. “Muhammad leaned up against this rock right here,” Gardner said. They had driven hours to stand there. “Nostalgia,” Pocquat said. “It’s our childhood.”
Ali’s memorial service will take place Friday afternoon in his home town of Louisville. But Ali’s death resonated all over the world, uniquely so here, in the bucolic artists’ community where Ali spent the final stages of his career, the little town that experienced an eight-year brush with The Greatest.
Ali built his training headquarters on a plot of land up Sculps Hill Road and became part of the community. Kids would rise at 5 a.m. so they could jog behind him on Drehersville Road. He showed them magic tricks and invited them over to watch old boxing matches on 16-millimeter film.
When he spotted the place, then just a deer path up a dirt road, he turned to George Dillman, a beloved friend who would come to own the property. “I love the feel,” Ali told him. “There’s lots of energy.”
Dillman, a karate champion who once trained with Ali, has owned the camp since 1997. It remains largely intact, a piece of Deer Lake that somehow both stands apart and blends. Located about an hour northeast of Harrisburg, Deer Lake is busier now, a new highway lined with fast-food restaurants cutting through it. The parts around the lake and the cottages still look the same. At the 2010 census, 667 of 687 residents were white, and none were black. “I think we have the highest per-capita income in Schuylkill County,” Mayor Larry Kozlowski said, “which isn’t a lot.”
Attracted by seclusion
The pugilistic enthusiasm of one man gained Deer Lake an association with boxing. Bernie Pollack, the owner of Pollack’s Mink Farm, made a small fortune selling fur coats. The money allowed him to turn his boxing passion into more than a hobby. He started promoting fighters, from Golden Gloves to tenured pros, and inviting them to train on the mink farm, where he had built an outdoor ring. The seclusion of the place proved attractive.
One of Pollack’s fighters, Ernie Terrell, boxed Ali for the heavyweight championship in 1967 — and lost badly. Pollack used the occasion for an introduction. Shortly thereafter, looking for a respite from bustling, media- choked gyms, Ali started coming to train on Pollack’s farm. He liked the cool, fresh air and how the people in town allowed him to train in peace and blend in.
The outdoor ring quickly proved untenable. When a storm interrupted his training, Ali decided the heavyweight champion required a permanent home. Pollack’s brother owned land a few miles up Route 61, just less than six acres. Ali and his entourage drove Jeeps up the dirt road to inspect it. It was all woods and a small trail, but Ali envisioned his camp.
Ali bought the land and started building. At first, Ali chopped down a tree, hardwood oak and ash, every day with an axe. He eventually constructed 18 buildings — cabins for him and his entourage, a gym for a ring and heavy bags, a chalet, a bunkhouse for sparring partners, a mosque, a kitchen where Lana Shabazz, the daughter of Malcolm X, cooked for him. Inside buildings, oil lamps provided light and heat. The boulders with names were placed around the perimeter — Jack Johnson, Joe Frazier, Rocky Marciano, Ali himself. In a courtyard, he built a brick fireplace and set up three hexagonal picnic tables in front of it. He designed the cabins in a circle, mimicking the look from old Westerns he loved. He frequented the antique store in town and bought an old-fashioned water pump. Ali owned the camp from 1972 to 1980, and it’s all still there.
David Crouse is the Deer Lake borough council president now. He has lived in Deer Lake all his life, and as a boy he would ride his bike to the camp and watch Ali train for hours. They developed a relationship, Ali doting on him. One afternoon, Crouse stayed at the camp so long his father went looking for him. He pulled into the camp as Ali was pulling out.
“Hey, Champ,” Crouse’s father yelled. “Is Dave here?”
“Is he a white boy?” Ali joked. “Then yeah, he’s in there.”
By choosing Deer Lake, a world-famous, brazen and polarizing black man dropped into a tiny, homogeneous community. He didn’t remain secluded in his cabins, instead becoming enmeshed in the town. Mostly, but not entirely, they welcomed him.
“I’m sure there were people out there who didn’t like him,” Crouse said. “It wasn’t like a town divided or anything.”
There were grumblings about his stance on Vietnam and his race. “There was a lot of prejudice at first,” Dillman said. “I know it.” Ali used his intellect and his charisma to deflect even the vilest.
Rosemary Modesto, now Kozlowski’s wife, worked as a waitress at the Deer Lake Inn in her mid-20s, for years waiting on Ali. He would come in with Bundini Brown and an entourage, sometimes seven or eight deep, sometimes with “two beautiful, tall black women,” Modesto said.
Ali spoke softly and ordered broiled fish, trying to eat healthy. The group tipped well — “you do remember things like that,” Modesto said. Modesto once mentioned she wanted to buy a Corvette, and Brown recommended a place in New Jersey where she could fetch a good deal.
“When they came into the restaurant, they made it so they were just customers coming in,” Modesto said. “Although it seemed like it should have been a big deal, it just wasn’t.”
One morning, Crouse rode his bike to the compound, expecting a standard day, and instead he saw a parking lot jammed with cars and TV trucks. Brown led him in through the back door and whispered to be quiet because there would be filming. Crouse watched a man in a gorilla costume emerge, and Ali shouted from the ring, “There’s Joe Frazier!” The cruel taunts that defined a rivalry were made at a promotional shoot in Deer Lake.
“We realized, this is history here,” Crouse said. “We didn’t realize at the time.”
Like Modesto, Crouse remembers Ali speaking softly in most circumstances, revealing his bravado only for celebrities and cameras. He realized Ali lowered his voice to control conversations, forcing people to lean close and listen, really listen.
Celebrities traveled to visit Ali — Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Sammy Davis Jr., Mike Douglas. Dizzy Gillespie played trumpet while standing in the ring.
Ali always made time for kids. They would sit by him in his dressing room during post-sparring rub-downs. Many times, after a workout, Ali would call out to the kids, “You boys come back tonight at 7, we’ll watch some boxing films.” Many nights, the boys would watch Ali study reel-to-reels of Jack Johnson, the boxer Ali borrowed from most to create his incomparable style.
One night in 1974, in preparation for the Rumble in the Jungle, Ali cued film of his opponent, George Foreman. “He’s a hard hitter, you know,” Ali told them. “But he’s slow. You know when it’s coming.”
Ali further explained that he planned to negotiate loose ropes into the fight contract because they would better absorb the energy from Foreman’s punches when he leaned on them. That’s how a 17-year-old David Crouse and a few of his buddies were among the first people on Earth to discover the Rope-A-Dope, the secret to Ali retaining the heavyweight title and the most famous gambit in boxing history.
On the map
Ali visited the camp less after his career ended, but still he returned. When he learned of his Parkinson’s diagnosis, Ali retreated to Deer Lake. He drove up and down the road and told neighbors of his fate, pleading with them not to tell anybody. He stayed for six months, collecting his thoughts. “He just wanted to be alone,” Dillman said.
In 1990, Ali returned to Deer Lake to reopen the camp as a sanctuary for unwed mothers. Crouse had kids of his own by then, and he drove behind Ali’s bus. When Ali walked down the steps, Crouse greeted him. “Hey, Champ,” Crouse said. “Remember me?” Ali’s eyes lit up. He picked up Crouse’s 3-year-old son, Brian, and kissed him on a cheek. Crouse handed Ali a promotional booklet he had signed in 1973. He signed it again, his hand trembling from Parkinson’s.
“He always said, ‘I’m going to put Deer Lake on the map,’ ” Crouse said. “And he did.”
Against his desires, Dillman is selling the camp. He once trained karate students in the gym, and his attempt to convert the camp into a bed and breakfast failed. He wants to keep it, to pass it to his son, but he needs the money to settle a divorce. Since Ali died, buyers have “come out of the woodwork,” Dillman said. He will sell only to someone who promises not to change the camp too much, he said, and two
financially viable buyers have emerged.
Ali returned to Deer Lake for the last time in 2001 or so, Dillman said, making a detour during an appearance in Philadelphia. He rode through the property in a limousine, too weakened from Parkinson’s to leave the car.
Even as his body withered, Ali’s love for the place remained, undiminished by disease or age. The last time Dillman and Ali spoke over the phone, Ali brought up the camp. “Are my boulders still there?” he asked. “I love those boulders.”
Ali and Dillman hadn’t spoken for years, Ali ravaged by his disease, their lives sliding in different directions. Not long ago, though, a photographer Dillman knew from the ’70s visited Ali and showed him old pictures. The photographer called Dillman and recounted what
had happened.
“He was told, blink once if you like, and blink twice if you don’t like it,” Dillman said. “Every time, he blinked once.”
Comments
Rinty Monaghan and Terry Allen shaking hands. They had a good rivalry as well, they fought three times, each fighter won a bout and their last fight was a draw. Monaghan would retire shortly after their last bout due to chronic bronchitis.
An advertisement for Rinty Monaghan vs Maurice Sandeyron. In April 1949 Monaghan retained his World title, and became European champion, by dispatching Frenchman Maurice Sandeyron by unanimous decision.
Let's look at a few Rinty Monaghan trading cards. This is the 1948 Topps Magic Photos Rinty Monaghan, these little cards are so cool, I own quite a few of them. The Topps 1948 Magic Photos set consists of 252 cards, each measuring approximately a tiny 7/8” x 1-7/16”. The ensemble is unique on several levels, the first being that it is one of Topps earliest trading card productions and contained the company’s first-ever baseball card offering. All of the images were "self-developing" similar to a Polaroid photograph issued with blank fronts that could be developed into sepia-tone photos by exposing the cards to sunlight. A somewhat complex sub-set system was utilized by Topps, dividing the minute offerings into sport and non-sport categories, each with a respective series letter. These cards have two different variations, the number on the side and the number on the bottom, the number on the bottom is much rarer and difficult to locate. This "number on bottom" variant constitutes an estimated 1% to 5% of the total production, making it highly coveted by collectors. This is the number on the side variation, can't find a scan of the Monaghan with the number on the bottom so I'm using and example of another card.
Number on side:
Number on bottom:
1950 Kiddy's Favourites Popular Boxers Rinty Monaghan. These cards were issued with two different variations, the name of the boxer on the front in black letters and in blue letters, the blue is rarer and more difficult to find. Again, can't find a Monaghan in blue so I'm using another example. These cards were a UK issue.
1996 Phoenix Legends: Open Series Rinty Monaghan. These were a UK issue, very rare, you'll notice they look a lot like the Victory Blend Tough Yanks cards, I'm not sure but I think these were produced by the same people.
This is really cool, this is a custom card from a series titled "cards that never were", it's a 1948 Leaf Boxing Rinty Monaghan. The 48' Leaf Boxing set is one of the best boxing card sets ever made and quite a few boxers including Monaghan weren't included in the set.
This is the photo of Rinty Monaghan that was used on his 1948 Topps Magic Photos and the 48' Leaf custom card.
1949 Carreras Turf Cigarettes Sports Series Boxing #50 Rinty Monaghan. Turf cigarette cards, issued by the Carreras Tobacco Company of London, were primarily produced from the 1920s through the 1950s. Notable sets include Sherlock Holmes characters (1923), Royal Regalia (1925), personalities (1933-34), and post-war sets such as Film Favourites (1948), Footballers (1948), and Sports (1949). These cards were cut from packs of Turf cigarettes and the backs are blank.
1953 A & J Donaldson Rinty Monaghan.
Let's get some photos of Rinty in here. This is a photo of Rinty Monaghan on the Cave Hill at Cave Hill cottage in Belfast, Ireland, drinking goat's milk.
Rinty Monaghan doing sit-ups during training.
Rinty Monaghan out on a drive.
Rinty Monaghan in the bow tie with a group of youngsters at Mallow Boxing Club. Not sure what year this photo was taken.
Rinty wearing his world flyweight title belt.
This is one of my favorite photos of Rinty Monaghan with boxers Mike and Paddy Casey, lighting a cigar for Paddy. This photo was taken in 1958.
Rinty Monaghan on the front of an exhibit card singing for the crowd after a fight.
Rinty Monaghan in his later years points to a photo of himself as world flyweight champion in his fighting days.
I need a music break, one of the greatest songs ever made by one of the greatest bands of all-time.
Rinty Monaghan on a 1940-70 Boxing News Photos card, these cards are really cool, I own a few of them. These cards were primarily obtained as a British publication-based set, featuring glossy or non-glossy photo cards. They originated from Boxing News, a UK boxing publication founded in 1909. These cards were available through mail-order, subscription incentives, or as promotional items within the magazine. They can be found with blank backs and postcard backs.
A couple of photos of Rinty Monaghan in his later years.
Awesome shot of Rinty Monaghan wearing his flyweights title belt.
Cool photos of Rinty Monaghan, I know he's posing with a man named Frankie Vaughan in the top photo, not sure who he's with in the bottom photo.
Another great shot of Rinty Monaghan in his later years.
Great shot of Rinty Monaghan in his prime.
Phenomenal shot of Rinty Monaghan singing to the crowd after a fight. He was famous for singing "When Irish Eyes are Smiling" to the crowd after his fights. He was a charismatic entertainer, he would sometimes sing "Sally" to the crowd but "When Irish Eyes are Smiling" was his signature song. Final thought on Rinty, damn good fighter, he really represents what the Irish are about, tough as nails and liked a good scrap. He was one of the first great boxing personalities and his fights were a guaranteed sell-out every time.
The 10-foot tall bronze statue of Rinty Monaghan is located in Cathedral Gardens on York Street in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Unveiled on August 20, 2015, the sculpture by Alan Beattie Herriot stands near the area where he grew up and famously depicts him singing into a microphone.
Rinty Monaghan, "The Singing Irishman."
Great book about the legendary Rinty Monaghan.
Sick photo of Dick Tiger in his locker room after beating Roger Rouse in 1967, love this image with the bandage on his forehead and that famous smile on his face. You can see the marks or scars on his chest, they were burned into his chest with a sharp, hot knife when he was 10 years old, it was an initiation into his tribe, the Igbo tribe in Nigeria, Africa. They appeared as thin, vertical marks forming a horizontal band across his chest, sometimes described as a "stripe".
Here's a photo of Dick Tiger and you can really see the tribal scars on his chest clearly.
Funny thing about Dick Tiger, he was famous for that smile and being a really nice guy outside the ring, but when he was inside the ring he was laser focused on your destruction.
Punch-Out!! The 1984 arcade boxing game developed by Nintendo R&D3 and published by Nintendo. It was released for arcades in Japan on February 17, North America in March, and Europe in July. The game was a global commercial success, becoming the top-performing arcade game of 1984 in the United States.
A flyer advertisement for the 1984 arcade game Punch-Out!!
This is a Japanese flyer for the 1984 arcade game Punch-Out!! The final boss, Mr. Sandman, is featured on the front which is really cool because he was always my favorite boss in the later versions on Nintendo, Punch-Out!! and of course Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!
The 1989 Topps Nintendo Punch-Out!! scratch-off cards. As part of the 1989 Topps Nintendo Game Packs series, these, along with sticker cards that featured tips on NES games, were sold to promote NES games. Unscratched or professionally graded versions are highly sought after by collectors. This is the Mr. Sandman #10, unscratched, and a Punch-Out!! sticker card.
This is cool, a list of the most difficult bosses in the entire series of Punch-Out!! games.
Nintendo: 10 Hardest Punch-Out Opponents In The Series, Ranked
By: Renan Fontes
Jan 13, 2020
Nintendo's Punch-Out isn’t a series that’s for everyone, but those who have sunk time into the franchise will tell you that it’s consistently one of the most rewarding Nintendo games out there. Whether you’re playing Punch-Out on the NES, Super Nintendo, or Wii, prospective champs are in for a good time as they propel Little Mac to stardom.
It’s not an easy journey, though, something fans of the series will be very quick to point out. From day 1, Punch-Out has prided itself as one of the hardest series in Nintendo’s roster. Many consider the original NES title to be the toughest of the bunch, but both Super Punch-Out and Punch-Out on the Wii give it a serious run for its money. This is a franchise that wastes no time in beating players into the ground. But hey, that’s part of the appeal.
10
Super Macho Man (NES)
The second-to last-boss in Punch-Out and as far as most players will get on their path to Mike Tyson, Super Macho Man is basically the real final boss, in the sense that he’s the last real fight where players have something resembling an advantage. Super Macho Man is the tried and true combo of dodging and punching at its most extreme — barring Tyson, obviously.
He still feels like a reasonable boss when all is said and done, but it’s an overwhelming journey getting to that point. By the time players reach Super Macho Man, their thumbs will surely be exhausted. With enough patience, you will get through it, but get ready to sink some real time into taking down the man himself.
9
Donkey Kong (Wii)
Little Mac can handle a Super Macho Man, but can he handle a Kong? And not just any Kong, but the Kong to end all Kongs: Donkey Kong, the master of bananas everywhere. Unlocked as a bonus boss in Punch-Out for the Nintendo Wii, Donkey Kong demands pure mechanical mastery. He’s not the single hardest fight in the game, but he’s the most chaotic by far.
Even surviving a single round against Donkey Kong requires understanding exactly how the game works — how to dodge, when to hit, how to make the most out of every opportunity. It’s an incredibly involved boxing match, and Little Mac isn’t going to win by knocking DK out. It’s just as much a fight against the clock as it is the Kong.
8
Super Macho Man (Wii)
Super Macho Man rears his ugly head yet again, and he’s somehow just as formidable (if not a bit more so.) With the glory of the Nintendo Wii’s motion controls, boxers everywhere can re-experience the joy of getting the living daylights beaten out of them by Super Macho Man. Feel the sweat beam down your forehead as you flail your arms struggling to keep your balance.
Super Macho Man’s Title Defense match is especially vicious, as he’s now much faster and much stronger. A single blow from SMM is enough to bring any player down to their knees and absolutely nothing can be blocked. Dodge or suffer the consequences.
7
Bear Hugger (Wii)
Although Bear Hugger’s not too difficult in his first go around, one could make a very compelling case for Bear Hugger’s Title Defense being the most difficult match in Punch-Out for the Nintendo Wii. His delayed hooks are mean to the point of cruelty, and they’re going to connect more often than not. Nothing really prepares players for how sneaky Bear Hugger’s attacks can be.
This is a fight that allows very little room for error, making it difficult to practice for. It’s a fight that’ll take even the best of players hours to get down, but it’s also one with some obvious, albeit subtle, tells. Figure them out, and Bear Hugger suddenly becomes doable.
6
Mr. Sandman (NES)
Super Macho Man may be Mike Tyson’s gatekeeper, but Mr. Sandman is Punch-Out’s way of welcoming gamers into a world of immeasurable pain. Let him, and Mr. Sandman will knock Little Mac into a flurry of punches. He’s hard to dodge and even harder to hit. Whiff a punch and risk going down hard. Get back up and risk suffering Sandman’s wrath yet again.
Few boss fights in gaming are so overwhelming. Mr. Sandman may not be as difficult as Mike Tyson, but he’s an enormous jump in difficulty from everything that comes before. Players are tasked with essentially mastering the core mechanics when before they could get by with a little bit of luck. From here on out, skills are a must.
5
Bald Bull (Wii)
Nothing in Punch-Out is really random, but Bald Bull’s Title Defense match pushes the limits of RNG as far as the series goes. He attacks chaotically, sporadically, and in seemingly no discernible pattern. Bald Bull will shake things up at any given moment, and he’s a big fan of slightly delayed attacks, making it difficult to dodge or block him properly.
This is a fight that demands consistent Star Punches, but good luck getting any Stars. Pretty much all of Bald Bull’s Star opportunities are blink-and-you-miss-it moments — and you will blink. Like Bear Hugger before him, this is a match that’ll take hours of practice to get down. But unlike Bear Hugger before him, it’s an uphill battle all throughout.
4
Hoy Quarlow (SNES)
“Please, take it easy on a poor old man won’t you?”
Hoy Quarlow deserves nothing but swift death for bringing a cane to a boxing match. He is the hardest opponent in Super Punch-Out, and there’s no shame in just giving up here and calling it quits. Hoy Quarlow does not play fair in any sense of the world — not in the context of boxing and not in the context of gaming. He is fast, sporadic, and just a nasty old man.
Hoy Quarlow defies all logic and he’s not even that fun to fight. He’s overwhelming in all the worst ways.
3
Mike Tyson (NES)
If Mike Tyson could bite off Little Mac’s ear during gameplay, he would. A single punch from Mike Tyson is enough to bring Little Mac’s legendary career to a swift end. He isn’t just the hardest boss in the game; he might very well be the hardest boss on the NES, demanding a level of mastery that’s, frankly, unreasonable.
There is absolutely no shame in calling it quits after defeating Super Macho Man. Mike Tyson was not designed for man to defeat. He is one of those few who have are beyond our understanding, bonafide gods among men, walking the Earth in wait of a true challenge. Fortunately for them, Punch-Out for the Wii exists.
2
Soda Popinski (Wii)
Soda Popinski will beat you to death with a smile on his face and a soda pop in his hand. He’s hard enough as is in his regular match, but his Title Defense rematch is just out of this world. Soda Popinski’s reflexes are downright nasty, with little to no wind-ups. Be ready to dodge at all times, because Soda Popinski likes his sneak attacks.
It’s easy to lose one’s nerves fighting Soda Popinski. His flurries are so hard to dodge that it’s almost expected you’ll lose your composure. This is a fight that requires a lot of patience and a really good eye for details. Either develop the skills or put the Wiimote down and move on.
1
Mr. Sandman (Wii)
Mr. Sandman in Punch-Out for the Wii is basically the antithesis of his NES self. Come in expecting the fight and leave in a bodybag. He hits fast, hits harder, has the trickiest set of tells in the games, and is consistently difficult between his regular match and his Title Defense rematch. Funny enough, the former might be harder.
Fighting Mr. Sandman for the first time is a lot like in the NES game: a massive jump in quality. The difference here is that he’s the final boss. This is the new Mike Tyson, and he doesn’t play around. Defeating Mr. Sandman’s Wii incarnation is a video game achievement unlike any other.
I'll tell you what, the final boss in Fight Night Champion on PlayStation 3 and XBOX 360, Isaac Frost, was a nightmare to beat.
Back in the day, people were legit complaining on video game forums about how difficult it was to beat Isaac Frost.
''I write Iate at night, after the phones stop ringin' and it's quiet and nobody's around - aII great writers do better at night. I take at Ieast one nap during the day, and then I get up at two in the morning and do my thing. You know, I'm a worIdIy man who Iikes peopIe and action and I aIways Iiked cities, but now when I find myseIf in a city, I can't wait to get back to my training camp. Neon signs, traffic, noise and peopIe - aII that can get you crazy. It's funny, because I was supposed to be torturing myseIf by buiIding a training camp out in the middIe of nowhere in northern PennsyIvania, but this is good Iivin,' fresh air, weII water, quiet and country views. I thought I wouIdn't Iike it at aII but that at Ieast I'd work a Iot instead of being in the city, where maybe I wouIdn't train hard enough. WeII, now I Iike it better than being in any city. This is a reaI good setting for writin' poetry and I write aII the time, even when I'm in training.''
Muhammad Ali’s famous training camp, known as "Fighter's Heaven," was located on Sculps Hill Road near Deer Lake, Pennsylvania. Established in 1972, this rural 5-6 acre compound served as his secluded training base for major fights, including the "Rumble in the Jungle" and "Thrilla in Manila". It was built to escape the distractions of big-city training. It included a gym, log cabins, a dining hall, and a small mosque. It has been restored and now operates as a historical landmark and museum.
How a small, mostly white town in Pennsylvania became home for Muhammad Ali
How a small, mostly white town in Pennsylvania became home for Muhammad Ali
The Washington Post
By: Adam Kilgore June 9, 2016
DEER LAKE, Pa. — They have flocked here by the hundreds, on a pilgrimage, drawn by the past and the spirits whistling through the maples and beeches. The sign on one side of Sculps Hill Road reads “Welcome To Muhammad Ali Training Camp.” On the other side are two boulders, painted with the names of Sonny Liston and Jack Dempsey. Sixteen other boulders with the names of Ali’s boxing heroes, painted by Ali’s father as he was dying of cancer, ring the property.
Six bouquets were scattered around the Liston boulder, where Wednesday afternoon Don Gardner and Mike Pocquat, two retired cops from New Jersey, snapped pictures and grinned in awe. “Muhammad leaned up against this rock right here,” Gardner said. They had driven hours to stand there. “Nostalgia,” Pocquat said. “It’s our childhood.”
Ali’s memorial service will take place Friday afternoon in his home town of Louisville. But Ali’s death resonated all over the world, uniquely so here, in the bucolic artists’ community where Ali spent the final stages of his career, the little town that experienced an eight-year brush with The Greatest.
Ali built his training headquarters on a plot of land up Sculps Hill Road and became part of the community. Kids would rise at 5 a.m. so they could jog behind him on Drehersville Road. He showed them magic tricks and invited them over to watch old boxing matches on 16-millimeter film.
When he spotted the place, then just a deer path up a dirt road, he turned to George Dillman, a beloved friend who would come to own the property. “I love the feel,” Ali told him. “There’s lots of energy.”
Dillman, a karate champion who once trained with Ali, has owned the camp since 1997. It remains largely intact, a piece of Deer Lake that somehow both stands apart and blends. Located about an hour northeast of Harrisburg, Deer Lake is busier now, a new highway lined with fast-food restaurants cutting through it. The parts around the lake and the cottages still look the same. At the 2010 census, 667 of 687 residents were white, and none were black. “I think we have the highest per-capita income in Schuylkill County,” Mayor Larry Kozlowski said, “which isn’t a lot.”
Attracted by seclusion
The pugilistic enthusiasm of one man gained Deer Lake an association with boxing. Bernie Pollack, the owner of Pollack’s Mink Farm, made a small fortune selling fur coats. The money allowed him to turn his boxing passion into more than a hobby. He started promoting fighters, from Golden Gloves to tenured pros, and inviting them to train on the mink farm, where he had built an outdoor ring. The seclusion of the place proved attractive.
One of Pollack’s fighters, Ernie Terrell, boxed Ali for the heavyweight championship in 1967 — and lost badly. Pollack used the occasion for an introduction. Shortly thereafter, looking for a respite from bustling, media- choked gyms, Ali started coming to train on Pollack’s farm. He liked the cool, fresh air and how the people in town allowed him to train in peace and blend in.
The outdoor ring quickly proved untenable. When a storm interrupted his training, Ali decided the heavyweight champion required a permanent home. Pollack’s brother owned land a few miles up Route 61, just less than six acres. Ali and his entourage drove Jeeps up the dirt road to inspect it. It was all woods and a small trail, but Ali envisioned his camp.
Ali bought the land and started building. At first, Ali chopped down a tree, hardwood oak and ash, every day with an axe. He eventually constructed 18 buildings — cabins for him and his entourage, a gym for a ring and heavy bags, a chalet, a bunkhouse for sparring partners, a mosque, a kitchen where Lana Shabazz, the daughter of Malcolm X, cooked for him. Inside buildings, oil lamps provided light and heat. The boulders with names were placed around the perimeter — Jack Johnson, Joe Frazier, Rocky Marciano, Ali himself. In a courtyard, he built a brick fireplace and set up three hexagonal picnic tables in front of it. He designed the cabins in a circle, mimicking the look from old Westerns he loved. He frequented the antique store in town and bought an old-fashioned water pump. Ali owned the camp from 1972 to 1980, and it’s all still there.
David Crouse is the Deer Lake borough council president now. He has lived in Deer Lake all his life, and as a boy he would ride his bike to the camp and watch Ali train for hours. They developed a relationship, Ali doting on him. One afternoon, Crouse stayed at the camp so long his father went looking for him. He pulled into the camp as Ali was pulling out.
“Hey, Champ,” Crouse’s father yelled. “Is Dave here?”
“Is he a white boy?” Ali joked. “Then yeah, he’s in there.”
By choosing Deer Lake, a world-famous, brazen and polarizing black man dropped into a tiny, homogeneous community. He didn’t remain secluded in his cabins, instead becoming enmeshed in the town. Mostly, but not entirely, they welcomed him.
“I’m sure there were people out there who didn’t like him,” Crouse said. “It wasn’t like a town divided or anything.”
There were grumblings about his stance on Vietnam and his race. “There was a lot of prejudice at first,” Dillman said. “I know it.” Ali used his intellect and his charisma to deflect even the vilest.
Rosemary Modesto, now Kozlowski’s wife, worked as a waitress at the Deer Lake Inn in her mid-20s, for years waiting on Ali. He would come in with Bundini Brown and an entourage, sometimes seven or eight deep, sometimes with “two beautiful, tall black women,” Modesto said.
Ali spoke softly and ordered broiled fish, trying to eat healthy. The group tipped well — “you do remember things like that,” Modesto said. Modesto once mentioned she wanted to buy a Corvette, and Brown recommended a place in New Jersey where she could fetch a good deal.
“When they came into the restaurant, they made it so they were just customers coming in,” Modesto said. “Although it seemed like it should have been a big deal, it just wasn’t.”
One morning, Crouse rode his bike to the compound, expecting a standard day, and instead he saw a parking lot jammed with cars and TV trucks. Brown led him in through the back door and whispered to be quiet because there would be filming. Crouse watched a man in a gorilla costume emerge, and Ali shouted from the ring, “There’s Joe Frazier!” The cruel taunts that defined a rivalry were made at a promotional shoot in Deer Lake.
“We realized, this is history here,” Crouse said. “We didn’t realize at the time.”
Like Modesto, Crouse remembers Ali speaking softly in most circumstances, revealing his bravado only for celebrities and cameras. He realized Ali lowered his voice to control conversations, forcing people to lean close and listen, really listen.
Celebrities traveled to visit Ali — Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Sammy Davis Jr., Mike Douglas. Dizzy Gillespie played trumpet while standing in the ring.
Ali always made time for kids. They would sit by him in his dressing room during post-sparring rub-downs. Many times, after a workout, Ali would call out to the kids, “You boys come back tonight at 7, we’ll watch some boxing films.” Many nights, the boys would watch Ali study reel-to-reels of Jack Johnson, the boxer Ali borrowed from most to create his incomparable style.
One night in 1974, in preparation for the Rumble in the Jungle, Ali cued film of his opponent, George Foreman. “He’s a hard hitter, you know,” Ali told them. “But he’s slow. You know when it’s coming.”
Ali further explained that he planned to negotiate loose ropes into the fight contract because they would better absorb the energy from Foreman’s punches when he leaned on them. That’s how a 17-year-old David Crouse and a few of his buddies were among the first people on Earth to discover the Rope-A-Dope, the secret to Ali retaining the heavyweight title and the most famous gambit in boxing history.
On the map
Ali visited the camp less after his career ended, but still he returned. When he learned of his Parkinson’s diagnosis, Ali retreated to Deer Lake. He drove up and down the road and told neighbors of his fate, pleading with them not to tell anybody. He stayed for six months, collecting his thoughts. “He just wanted to be alone,” Dillman said.
In 1990, Ali returned to Deer Lake to reopen the camp as a sanctuary for unwed mothers. Crouse had kids of his own by then, and he drove behind Ali’s bus. When Ali walked down the steps, Crouse greeted him. “Hey, Champ,” Crouse said. “Remember me?” Ali’s eyes lit up. He picked up Crouse’s 3-year-old son, Brian, and kissed him on a cheek. Crouse handed Ali a promotional booklet he had signed in 1973. He signed it again, his hand trembling from Parkinson’s.
“He always said, ‘I’m going to put Deer Lake on the map,’ ” Crouse said. “And he did.”
Against his desires, Dillman is selling the camp. He once trained karate students in the gym, and his attempt to convert the camp into a bed and breakfast failed. He wants to keep it, to pass it to his son, but he needs the money to settle a divorce. Since Ali died, buyers have “come out of the woodwork,” Dillman said. He will sell only to someone who promises not to change the camp too much, he said, and two
financially viable buyers have emerged.
Ali returned to Deer Lake for the last time in 2001 or so, Dillman said, making a detour during an appearance in Philadelphia. He rode through the property in a limousine, too weakened from Parkinson’s to leave the car.
Even as his body withered, Ali’s love for the place remained, undiminished by disease or age. The last time Dillman and Ali spoke over the phone, Ali brought up the camp. “Are my boulders still there?” he asked. “I love those boulders.”
Ali and Dillman hadn’t spoken for years, Ali ravaged by his disease, their lives sliding in different directions. Not long ago, though, a photographer Dillman knew from the ’70s visited Ali and showed him old pictures. The photographer called Dillman and recounted what
had happened.
“He was told, blink once if you like, and blink twice if you don’t like it,” Dillman said. “Every time, he blinked once.”
Ali's training camp at Deer Lake was a beautiful place to train, really a stroke of genius.
Ali had these huge boulders at Deer Lake, with the names of fighters painted on them. Cool stuff. Floyd Patterson.
Jack Johnson.
Joe Louis.
Jack Dempsey.
Rocky Marciano.
Sonny Liston.