By Fiona Manning
Success has
not come easily to California-born 140 pound
slugger Raul Franco. He is however, the
perfect example of what happens when you
keep the pedal to the metal and refuse to
give up: on Friday night, he faces durable
Johnny Casas for the Fecarbox championship
title in a bout to be held at the Gold
Country Casino in Oroville, California.
Franco has
become something of a fighter’s fighter
during his personal path to boxing glory. A
one time hot welter prospect, he sparred the
likes of Vernon Forrest earning a fearsome
reputation as a serious puncher.
To watch
the good-looking, personable Franco in the
gym is like watching an excited kid,. it’s
not until you are up close and very personal
that you see minor scar tissue near his eye.
Nothing else marks him as a fighter.
Then you see him fight and he’s entranced by
the sweet science. Yeah, he’s a fighter all
right.
Paired
badly in his own early pro bouts by his
former managers, a discouraged Franco walked
away from the business for a year before
returning to the ring under the new
management of LA criminal defense attorney
Norman Kaplan and businessman Mike Jacoby.
Franco has
since dropped down to the 140 division from
147, racked up a steady record, 21-4, 14 K0s
and is still giving those sparring partners
strife.
“Man he
hits hard,” said IBF 130 pound champ Carlos
“Famoso” Hernandez who has ben working with
Franco during training for his first title
defense on October 4. “He gives new meaning
to the experession ‘he packs a whallop.’ “
“This is a
fighter’s gym,” he said. “It’s very
motivating to work here and everybody’s very
supportive.”
His
managers are as supportive as the fighters.
Jacoby and Kaplan can be seen frequently
popping in for sparring sessions, juggling
English-language and Spanish newspapers
during down times.
Part of
that team for Franco is new trainer Al Lira,
who worked previously with Franco during
fights as a cut man. Franco feels
comfortable with Lira and teammate, 130
pounder Yoni Vargas prepping him for the big
night.
Rounding
out the tight-knit crew will be Pepper
Roach, brother to trainer Freddy Roach. Pep
helps out everybody in the gym but has a
special place in his heart for Franco.
“He loves
the game,” said Pepper who loves it too,
despite the fact it pretty much tore up his
body and he walks with a limp.
Lira was
drafted to training duty when Franco and
Vargas’ former trainer Manuel “Chato” Robles
failed to show up to the gym in the final
days of Vargas’ training camp for the
biggest fight os his career: he faced South
Africa’s Phillip Ndou in the main undercard
event of Lennox Lewis vs Vitali Klitscko.
Franco
worked Vargas’ corner as he did when Vargas
fought Joel Casamayor.Even at the 11th hour,
neither man believed that Robles would do
the unthinkable. But he did: he never even
showed up for the fight. Nor has he since
contacted either Franco or Vargas, with whom
he had cemented close relationships.
“He’s dead
to me now,” said Franco, his normally warm
brown eyes turning into little charcoal
briquettes. “There’s nothing he can say to
me now but there’s plenty I might have to
say to him I ever see his face again.”
Franco has
hunkered down with Lira, a mild-mannered,
quietly authoritive type who doesn’t miss a
trick in the gym. It’s a testament to Lira,
Franco and Vargas’ dedication to their sport
that all three men drive from three very
far-flung locations each day and meet off
the 60 Freeway to journey together to the
gym.
The
fighter, coming off four showy KO wins over
Miguel Angel Ruiz, Carlos Barragan, Pedro
Garcia and Eduardo Lalo Perez, shouldn’t
have too much trouble with Casas - but he is
not expecting an easy victory.
Life, like
success doesn’t come easy to most fighters.
Life has handed a few brick bats to Franco
who lost most of his family members in a
relatively short time span. He therefore
felt the loss and defection of Robles very
deeply.
“I think
boxing is like life,” said Franco. “You
don’t know who to trust but ultimately, just
as you are in the ring alone, you have to be
prepared to deal with things in life alone.
I wish my dadcould be here to see me fight
and my dad - he was my biggest fan. But I
like to think he’s up there somewhere, and
he’s rooting for me all the way.”
Original
Article from La Presna San Diego 8/23/03