Felipe 'The Flash' Torres ~ 'A Good West-Coast Kid'

[Bill Paxtom]

Felipe 'The Flash' Torres

'A Good West-Coast Kid'

Interview from 1976

> Did the loss to Jimmy Robertson set you back >

I guess it did. But I got a good fight purse {$5500} for the bout. That
was my largest pay-day.
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> Where did you go from there >

My Managers {Larry and Memo Soto} hooked me up with Fight Manager -
Harry Kabakoff. He got me into sparring with Jesus Pimental.

Then he got me on a Fight Card in Honolulu, Hawaii - on the undercard bout
of a Main Event featuring Jesus Pimental set for June 22, 1971 at the
International Center Arena.

I got a decent fight purse {$3000}, plus a trip to Hawaii.
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> How did the bout in Hawaii go >

I was brought in to 'test' Masataka Takayama. He was another one of those
Japanese Lightweights who was making some noise. He was ranked as the
#12 WBA Lightweight.

He was a 'tough-cookie' with a record of 13-1-1 with {2 KO's}. He was not a
big puncher, but he was tough and very fast.

We went at it 'tooth-and-nail' for 10-Rounds. It was close all the way. I almost
got him in the 10th-Round. But he edged me out and earned the close 10-Round
Decision.