By Jim Jenkins, Courtesy of The Sacramento Bee
Paco Damian, 30ish-plus and Woodland (CA) based understudy to Don Chargin, says their Saturday (Oct. 6) card will go on as scheduled at the nearby Cache Creek Casino and Resort in Brooks.
“It’s how Don wanted it,” Damian said following the passing of the Hall-of-Fame promoter on Friday ( Sept. 28). “Long ago, as partners, he told me, ‘If I go first, I want you to continue.’ I thought about it, how long he’s been promoting despite his age, and told him, ‘I will, if you promise to go on if I go first.’ And so he did. It is my hope, if the family approves, that I can continue promoting under the name of Don Chargin Productions and Paco Presents.
“He taught me so much about the business. When I first came to the United States with my brother from Mexico, I don’t know that I even had a dollar in my pocket. As time went on and I got jobs (including cleaning windows of skyscrapers in New York) I worked my way to California. I met Don and Lorraine and told them I wanted to learn the business. They graciously took me under their wing.”
When Damian learned of Chargin’s death, he was planning to pick up his 90-year-old mentor at his ocean-front home in Cambria and drive him to Los Angeles for the West Coast Boxing Hall of Fame ceremonies. A phone call told him of the sad news from a San Luis Obispo hospital.
According to the family, the cancer he was battling had spread quickly.
Damian was interviewed as he was heading home. “It is not easy to talk about this now. I am driving and there are tears. He taught me so much. I owe him everything. I wouldn’t be doing this if not for him. ”
And so, it will be the ceremonial 10-count for Don Chargin this week in lieu of his presence at a card he helped put together. There will more tears and plenty of tributes, Damian said.
There could be tweaks to the program, but scheduled feature bouts were to include Ryan Bourland (15-2) of Vacaville vs. Joe Hernandez (19-4-1) of Lancaster, light heavyweights; and Joel Diaz Jr. (23-1) of Palmdale vs. Miguel Angel Hernandez (20-15-1) of Mexico, lightweights.