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CHEGUI…
By Anthony | January 29, 2009
Greetings,
Amidst the euphoria and myriad of emotional celebrations some 400 years in the making last week there was another moment stopping event – albeit sad.
On January 19, 2009 Jose “Chegui” Torres left us.
For those not aware Mr. Torres was a true renaissance man.
As a boxer he became the first Latin American to win the Light Heavyweight title in 1965 with a momentously honorable victory over the then champion Willie Paestrano.
The way in which the Ponce, Puerto Rico native captured the title was indeed impressive – a ninth round knockout – but the manner in which he handled that night at the second Madison Square Garden was more powerful than any punch he ever threw.
Back then Latin boxers, or any pugilists of color not from the states, weren’t known to make such demands on the venues or of the managers for the cards they fought on, however on March 30,1965 Jose Torres demanded that his native Puerto Rican national anthem La Borinquena be played before the title bout.
In fact, it had reached a point where there was a possibility that the fight may not go on as the large contingent of Puerto Rican, and various other Latin followers, were all set to raise hell if those in control did not acquiesce to their simple request.
Common sense and simple human respect won that evening, as there was a large roar when the first words of the anthem were heard, and then an even louder call that registered into El Barrio and countless other Latin communities throughout the world for what took place inside the Garden.
Now if that were the only thing Jose Torres would be remembered for that would certainly be laudable, but Chegui’s impact did not stop there.
This is a man who seamlessly walked away from a Hall of Fame boxing career to become a writer – he authored books on Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson, as well as a columnist for the largest and oldest Spanish-language daily newspaper El Diario in New York City where his columns ranged from politics and art/culture.
Torres was a close friend to Robert F. Kennedy and Mario Cuomo as well as noted writers Pete Hamill and the late Norman Mailer.
Yet even amongst these accomplished individuals Chegui never forgot about his people and his relation to them.
He became a friend and ardent supporter of the Young Lords Party that fought for fairness and justice in the city’s Latin areas.
Long after his boxing skills were just a memory the youth of his spirit continued to resonate loudly in opposition to the United States Navy’s military exercises on the island of Vieques. He was arrested for disorderly conduct at the United Nations to bring attention to these bombing practices that were destroying the land mass and killing its inhabitants.
As a young kid he struggled, as many have, with the lack of images of people who looked liked him that were in powerful positions and wondered why – an irony not lost by me in the timing of his death and the historic inauguration one day later.
On a much more personal note I had the pleasure of spending some time with Chegui about five years ago while working on a documentary about him.
It was a pleasure to hang with him and just see how easy going, at peace with himself and funny he could be. I still remember the sound of the coqui (a small frog common to Puerto Rico) he had on his answering service.
His wife Ramona epitomized the perfect partner who he clearly loved, respected and was lifelong friends with.
I enjoyed the time with Jose so much that after we finished the project the crew that I worked with along with Chegui and a few others had a big lunch together to just let him know how much we all cherished the time. This was something I had never done before with a subject, but felt compelled to do so.
It’s funny as I got to know Jose I realized that there are many other people from all walks of life who feel like I do about him.
I’m appreciative that I got to know Chegui, and thank him for the honor in which he lived.
NOTE – Please go to the videos tab to view clips from Jose Torres documentary.
Topics: Videos |
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