Imperial Valley press., 1939-01-31
Bench
By b. Kinne
Post Press
Sports Editor


Southern California champions.
far west champions and now welter-
weight and middleweight champions
of the United States.
That. in short. is the story of
Rigboy and Shorty Hogue, Jacumba
twins. who last Friday added 10000
Detroit fans to their cause when
they annexed the national amateur
titles in Olympia auditorium.
But there is another story. a more
interesting one, behind the triumph
Of the twins. 1t dates back two and
one half years and It is marked by
success and failure, by triumphs
and by diSappointments.
Hogues Enter Ring
Bigboy Hogue was the first CT
the twins TO fight in a ring. He
entered the BraWley arena two and
one half years ago and pounded
out decision over a heavier Harry
Arlington. The following week both
twins fought in Brawley. both Won
For eight months the twins en-
tered the ring regularly and won
with the same regularity. Then
came the first setback. Bigboy was
matched with Joe Garcia of San
Diego Garcia took the decision in
bIawl that fight fans are still
talking about.
Bigboy asked for a rematch, got
1t, and wen. Again the victory
march started. Shorty continued
undefeated but Bigboy dropped de-
cisions to Hal Richards, Cleo Nc
Neil and Tommy Young. For each
OF the losses Bigboy turned in five
victories.
Shorty Loses
Then at the tail end OF the 1897
fight season. as the twins eyed the
Golden Glove tourney. Shorty drop
ped his first fight in 81 starts.
Ulie Harris butted the twin and
opened cut over his eye Harris
was awarded a t.k.o. win.
Shorty came back the following
week and all but kayoed Harris.
The severe beating ended Harris
fight career. He quit boxing the
next month.
Cn successive weeks Shorty deci-
stoned Wilson Mackey and Bigboy,
who didn't train for the bout, drop
ped decision to Mackey.
Bigboy asked for rematch with
received it. He trained
seriously for the bout. He received
promises that the BraWley AC.
would shoulder expenses to the
Golden Glove tournament if he
won.
On the night of the fight the
twins received news that interrupt
ed their fight career for nearly
year. A chap in San Diego reveal
ed the twins age as II years. The
athletic commission set them down
The twins were inactive until last
summer when they again started
fighting in e Centro and Calexico
arenas. Neither lost a decision
through the summer
They entered the Golden Glove
tournament in Los Angeles in the
WelterWeight and middleweight div
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give from six TO eight pounds in
every fight. Shorty gave away 10 10
1S pounds per battle.
Breeze Through
The replican Jacumbans ignored
the hardship, however, and breezed
through the tournament. Next came
the far west, both won. The nation
al tournament was next on the
schedule. You know that story
Thursday the twins will return TO
Jacumba with new robes, medals,
trophies and records to prove that
they are the outstanding amateur
fighters in the United States.
They remembered the hecklers in
the crowd who said they fought set
ups, but maybe all fighters are set
ups for the Hogue twins. They
stepped out of their weight classes
in the Golden Glove tournament
and still spread-eagled the field.
What's that maXimf He who laughs
last