Remembering Joe Farina

As a legendary boxing photographer, who has snapped pictures of some of boxing’s very best, Los Angeles-based Chris Farina has (literally) had ringside seats for some of the boxing’s elite, classic battles over the last 25 years. From Ring Magazine to Top Rank Boxing to ESPN, Farina has shot for boxing’s best platforms.

However, before Chris got behind the lens, the Farina name was already a player in the sport through his father Joe, who recently passed at the age of 85. The elder Farina, who took his family from Pittsburgh to Tupelo, Mississippi and then to Las Vegas, had an adventurous and exciting life worth remembering.

During his time in the desert, he hosted “The Boxing Beat”, a sports and entertainment radio show that ran twice daily in Las Vegas. The show featured some great stories and great fighters in a fight town filled with lots of great stories and lots of great fighters. This was a fantastic, and popular, radio show that featured an array of legendary guests from sports and entertainment, hosted by Farina, himself a lifelong boxing fan. During this era, research and preparation were vital as pre-internet radio didn’t allow for any last-minute, Wikipedia catch ups; you had to know the sport, know your facts and know your fighters. Joe Farina, who would immerse himself in the Vegas fight scene, did that and more.

MaxBoxing had a chance to catch up with Chris, from his home in Los Angeles, to chat about his father and remember a legendary era in Las Vegas boxing.

Bill Tibbs: Hi Chris, always good to chat.

Chris Farina: Billy Tibbs, how ya’ doing my man? Always great to catch up.

BT: First off, again, my condolences on the loss of your father.

CF: Thank you Bill, I appreciate that. I know you mentioned him in MaxBoxing after he passed, Fightnews made a point of remembering him, that was very nice. Lots of people have reached out and the family really appreciated it.

BT: Your dad had a deep resume in his working life. Let’s get right into it. How does the Farina clan end up in Vegas?

CF: Well, before we get to Vegas there were some other things going on that were an integral part of my dad’s life. My grandfather was operating a furniture factory in Tupelo, Mississippi and he offered my father a job to come there and help run it. So, it was off to Mississippi.

BT: So, your father was working in the furniture business?

CF: He was, but music was really my father’s life. That was his passion. He taught music all his life. He wrote songs, could play most instruments and our family performed as a band - The Farina Music Machine.

BT: You’re kidding - that’s great! I didn’t know that. This is ‘The Partridge Family’ stuff. Great band name by the way!

CF: Me, my sister, brother, cousins, we all played. We played rotary clubs, state fairs, anywhere and everywhere we could get a gig, we played. We played lots of standards, this was early 70’s era material, lots of pop hits.

BT: What did you play?

CF: I played saxophone, bass, and went on to learn trumpet, piano and guitar.

BT: But, your dad was also teaching music at this time?

CF: My dad taught music his whole life. He was a teacher in the schools, he taught choir, he taught music, spent some time in the recording studio.

BT: Did the Farina Music Machine ever make a record?

CF: We never did but my dad did do a lot of recording in the studio.

BT: How do you end up in Vegas from Tupelo?

CF: Well, music took us there. We packed up 2 station wagons and a couple of U-Hauls, my cousins and my family, and we headed for Vegas. We had no place to stay when we got there but we had a friend in real estate who helped us out and we got set up there.

BT: This is great! Did this life seem a bit strange or unique in some ways? Heading out to Vegas with no safety net to perform as a family of musicians?

CF: Maybe looking back a bit, I guess. But at the time, it was just our life and what we did. It didn’t seem unique at the time; it was our normal life.

BT: So, you get out to Vegas, and this is where your dad’s interest in boxing blooms?

CF: No, he had been a boxing fan his whole life. We used to watch the fights together. He always had “The Ring” magazine in the house so I was all over those growing up, reading all about the fighters and the sport. I remember as a kid listening to Ali-Frazier on the radio, where they would give you the summary at the end of each round. Anyway, when my dad was out there, he decided he wanted to get a radio show on boxing going so he did “The Boxing Beat” radio show. It ran 2 times a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. He used the famous “Rocky” movie theme music at the beginning and at the end of the show. He had a small studio in our house, and he produced and edited the show from there.

BT: Love it! And, the fighters out there at that time would be of a great era in the sport. Was he able to land any big names for the show?

CF: Oh Billy, he had everyone. “Boom Boom” Mancini, Larry Holmes, Ali - you name it. He also had big names like Frank Sinatra on the show. He also had a TV show at one time, a half-hour talk show. He almost got Elvis on; almost, (laughs). Just an array of interesting guests. He interviewed a guy who pitched against “Babe” Ruth. It was a daytime talk show that had a wide variety of people on.

BT: That was a different era for media as well. This is pre-internet so there aren’t 7 million websites or anything like a podcast available to someone who wanted to cover the sport. To get your own radio show was quite something.

CF: It really was, and it was a great show. Like I said he had everyone on. He got to sit down and chat with some of the best fighters of that era and some of the greatest fighters in the history of the sport. For a guy who loved boxing it didn’t get any better than that.

BT: This is great stuff; your dad was a busy guy to say the least (laughs).

CF: We all were. When I was a bit older, I was playing music in Vegas for a long time in various bands. When I started doing photography I was still playing in bands. One night, Tyson was fighting at the Hilton and I was shooting the fight. I did that and then headed to the gig in the Hilton lounge after to perform with a band that I played with who was booked there. I think a few people around the fight game who knew me were like, “Isn’t that Farina?”. (Laughs). My mom and dad operated a supper club and our family band played live music there every night. My dad also had a restaurant, deli and bar.

BT: You’re kidding! That’s fantastic. What was the name of the restaurant?

CF: Farina (laughs).

BT: That’s a good Italian name for an Italian restaurant.

CF: I used to go to school during the day and then head down there at night and perform in the family band. We were the house band.

BT: You were Keith Partridge (laughs). That is amazing. During this time in Vegas, is this where your interest in boxing bloomed?

CF: Well, I always loved boxing but when my dad got to be credentialed media (from his radio show) to some of the local fights, I would tag along. He would go to shows at The Silver Slipper, The Showboat, places like that. I would go with him.

BT: Did your dad encourage you to pursue sports photography or was it something you just gravitated to?

CF: I had been encouraged to follow my interest in photography from my mother, and then my father exposing me to the fight game, and I guess that’s where it started.

BT: Did your dad remain a boxing fan his whole life? And, did your dad ever mention who his favorite fighter was?

CF: Yes, he did. He remained a fan his entire life but obviously got away from it a bit when he was older and out of Vegas and living in Utah. His favorite fighter was Rocky Marciano. My dad loved sports and remained active his whole life. He had been through some heart issues in his 50’s but after that got better and was very active. He played senior league softball into his 80’s.

BT: Your dad seemed like quite a guy. When you think back on him now, what comes to mind - music or boxing?

CF: Two-fold really. Both were a big part of his life. He really nurtured my love of boxing and I have so many great memories of sharing times in boxing with him growing up. But, really, it was our talks. I could sit and talk to him about anything. He gave up so much for his kids and he would do anything for us, he cared about us so much.

BT: Chris, again on behalf of MaxBoxing, our deepest condolences on the loss of your dad. Thank you for taking a minute to chat.

CF: Hey, Billy, anytime at all. Thank you for remembering my dad. God bless.