Born and raised in Stockton, Johnny Miller attended
local schools. While in the U.S. Army during World War II, he was an amateur. He
defeated good, seasoned, professional boxer, Ernie Reyes. He also defeated Eddie
Prince, who was a Michigan lightweight champion from Battle Creek; Aaron Joshua,
featherweight champion or India and Burma; and Eric Largner, lightweight
champion of India. Miller subsequently won the All India Lightweight title in
1944 by defeating the British Lightweight Champion. He won it again in 1945.
Another win for Miller was against Roy Anchra, featherweight champion of West
Africa; and later became the British Empire Featherweight Champion. Miller's
amateur and service record was 38 wins, 2 draws and 2 losses. He turned
professional in 1946, starting as a 10-round main event. He had three fights in
the Pacific Northwest and won all three; one against Harold Lacey, Pacific
Northwest Featherweight Champion. In his fourth professional fight, he fought to
a decision with Pittsburgh's Jackie Wellson, former NBA World Featherweight
Champion. He won 17 straight fights, before losing to Maxie Docusen, who had
been undefeated in 55 straight fights, and had been ranked as one of the best
lightweights in the world. Miller's professional record was 20 wins, 6 losses, 3
draws. In his last professional fight, he fought a draw with Nick Maran, Mexican
Welterweight Champion. He later became a police officer in Modesto for 20 years;
and was inducted into the Stockton Hall of Fame in 1984.
Herman Marquez was born in Mexico and had only a 6th
grade education when he started boxing. He started up the ladder of success and
won the Diamond Belt Championships in 1955, in Stockton, and followed that up by
winning the Golden Gloves Amateur Championship in 1957, in San Francisco, and
the AAU Amateur Championship in 1957, in Boston. He turned professional and
amassed a total of 49 fights, 41 wins, 7 losses and 1 draw. He won the Northern
American Boxing Bantamweight Championship in 1959, and the California
Bantamweight Championship in 1960. In 1961 he won the Max Bay Memorial Award, as
the best boxer in Northern California. 1962 proved to be another winning year as
he won the right to fight Eder Josre of Brazil, for the Bantamweight
Championship of the World, by defeating world-class opponents in an elimination
tournament. In a World Title fight in San Francisco, records indicate that after
bombing and chasing Eddie Joffrey for nine rounds in an exciting show of boxing,
power and skill, Marquez was a knockout victim in the 10th round of a 15-round
fight. He was dropped to one knee two times, and the referee stopped the fight.
Fans at ringside felt that the fight was stopped prematurely. At the end of nine
rounds, Marquez was ahead on all the judge's cards: one judge had him ahead 9-0;
one judge had him ahead 8-1; United Press International had him ahead 7-2;
Stockton Record had him 8-1. The dream of the world championship was shattered,
following the disappointment, Herman fought one more fight and retired in 1962.
He served as California Referee and Judge during the late 1960's and was
inducted into the Stockton Hall of Fame in 1995.
