A bit of a change in topic but here's another recent Q & A I did with Marcel Jofre, who is the son of all-time great, Eder Jofre. Jofre is the oldest modern day boxer member of the Hall of Fame who's still alive.
Questions in bold.
I heard in 1973 for his fight with Legra, President Medici wanted to keep the two gloves of that fight. What happened to that?
It is true. It was a time of the military regime here in Brazil, and there was some pressure for my father to give the pair of gloves to the president. As my father had promised, if he became champion he would put the gloves in my grandmother's grave. It was a rather embarrassing situation and they proposed that he give up only one glove. So it was done, the other was covered in bronze and placed in the grave of my grandmother.
Why did the Jose Legra fight happen in Brasilia and the Vicente Saldivar fight happen in Salvador? Most of the major fights in Brazil happened in São Paulo?
These two fights occurred outside of São Paulo because there was a possibility of extra money with the TV broadcast, besides the commercial part that made extra money. I have heard from my father that he liked to fight outside of São Paulo as well, because he believed that the environment was a bit heavy (in São Paulo).
What was the best celebration in Brazil? The bantamweight championship with victory over Eloy Sanchez in 1960 or the featherweight championship victory over Legra in 1973?
Certainly the greatest was the first title, when he won the bantamweight title. It was really fantastic the welcome of the Brazilian people on my father's return from the USA.
Is it true that your father was on television frequently in Brazil after he retired?
After he stopped fighting, the schedule of appointments remained busy, with plenty of TV and newspapers, as well as commercials. He even participated in a TV show on Globo TV, the largest in Brazil, with questions and answers where the theme was Muhammad Ali.
Is it true that there was negotiation to fight in England? I heard there was negotiation for him to face Walter McGowan and Alan Rudkin?I think he would have been popular with the fans there.
Surely if he had fought in Europe, it would have been a success, but in the bantamweight class at the time, the majority of the opponents were Mexican and Japanese. At that time, Europe was sort of out of the loop. Maybe he had some negotiation for the fights against Rudkin and McGowan but I do not know.
I heard that it was discussed for him to rise and fight against the Sugar Ramos for featherweight championship in 1963 or 1964. Was that close to happening?
Again I'm not sure if there was contact for this fight, especially in regards to a weight class above. Maybe some conversation might have happened because my father was having problems getting down to the bantamweight limit.
What was his favorite foreign location where he had a fight? What was his favorite venue in Brazil?
I remember my father speaking fondly of having fought in the USA, in the Olympic Auditorium, which is now a church. My cousin Raphael Zumbano, who lives in Las Vegas the other day sent me pictures. Here in Brazil, São Paulo, more precisely Ginãsio do Ibirapuera was the place where he fought the most. He had good experiences in Porto Alegre, Salvador, and Brasilia also.
Is there any arena or city that he would have liked to have had the chance to fight, but the opportunity did not present itself?
I don’t believe he had frustration at not fighting elsewhere. I particularly wish he had fought at Madison Square Garden in New York
Does he still enjoy watching his old fights on youtube and dvd?
Whenever he has the opportunity, he likes to watch his fights and other fighters as well. That's for sure in his DNA. The passion for boxing is very much alive in him.
Do you often watch his fights on youtube or on DVD?
Whenever I can see yes, I also have the boxing virus in the veins. (laughs)
He fought many times and was always in great condition. Was he training all year long when he was an active fighter?
My father was always very responsible with his training and condition because he was aware that was the instrument for his fights. He always did his running in the morning and in the afternoon the technical part with my grandfather in the academy of São Paulo Futebol Clube. There were no magic tricks. My father was always an athlete very aware of his ability and no adversary put any fear in him. My father respected everyone equally, but always with the certainty of his mental condition focused to win.
Has he met some of his favorite boxers and famous fighters like Muhammad Ali, Joe Louis, Mike Tyson, Sugar Ray Robinson?
I know he met Ali, when he was here in Brazil doing a performance at Ibirapuera in the 70's. At the meeting they exchanged compliments and the meeting was cool. He did not know Joe Louis personally but has a chain with a gold medal of St. Benedict that belonged to Louis. This medal was given to him by a famous Brazilian artist named Hebe Camargo who said she had an affair with Louis. He also met Sugar Ray Robinson at the time he fought for the bantamweight title in 1960. He never got to meet with Tyson.
I know he was a top politician in Sao Paulo. In what other ventures did he enter after his boxing career?
My father was a councilman for the city of São Paulo for 4 opportunities, for approximately 12 years. Before that he had a clothing company in the 1960’s and 1970’s.
What part of Argentina was your grandfather “Kid Jofre from?
My grandfather was from the Province of Central Rosario.
How many of his fights did you attend and which ones? What are your best memories of these fights?
Since I was 8, 9 years I have been following my father's fights very closely. Each fight was a sensational event for a child who had father that was a hero to many people. The best memories were being around relatives, especially my grandfather. Being close to the big boxing shows was a spectacular experience.
Have you ever tried to follow his footsteps and pursue boxing?
Honestly, I've never been much stimulated by him to pursue a boxing career. I think that because of so many difficulties he did not want the same for me.
Were you a big fan of Acelino Freitas? What other fighters were you a fan of?
Honestly and sincerely I was a fan of my father. The other fighters I had a certain appreciation for but none that glittered in my eyes. I wanted them to win because they were Brazilian.
Which of his fights are you most proud of?
I'm proud of all them (laughs). I think the fight that made him world champion at featherweight against Legrá. I was 10 years old and had more understanding of it which made it special. It was thrilling to see my champion father and also my grandfather's happiness.
How did you feel about the recent movie "10 segundos para vencer"? Did you like to enjoy the movie?
The film was a long project of about 10 years until it materialized. Here in Brazil, in sports all that matters is football (soccer) and making a movie about boxing was difficult. But it worked, and it was a great emotion to see the story of my family on the screen. This film later became a mini-series that appeared on TV Globo in 4 chapters.
