This content is protected , a series about Bert Lytell of Murderers' Row will be published any day now. It's in 10 parts, including the introduction and epilogue, and it's bigger than Just Watch Mah Smoke. More myths are scheduled to explode. We'll see Bert for who he was --where he was from, what happened in the navy, how he became a fighter, what happened after he retired. There's also plenty about what he was -that is, a great fighter, a natural fighter, a multi-dimensional fighter. Here's a guy who was only 5'8 and a natural middleweight at best, who could fight something like Archie Moore on even terms. There's a great cast of supporting characters -Moore, LaMotta, Robinson, Cocoa Kid, Holman Williams, Burley, Sammy Aaronson, Tiny Patterson, and darker figures like Frankie Carbo. Stay tuned.
EXCELLENT - Great Fighters should be remembered as such. rather than yet another regurgitated piece on the Champions or media darlings. can't wait either.
I have been waiting for over a decade for this! Did you finally get in touch with the family? Any new picts? BTW, FINALLY got in touch with Al Gainer's family. Stay tuned....
S, looking forward to your story of the unheralded [til now] Bert Lytell. His name was not a household name in the 1940s, but his name was known to most astute boxing fans along with Eddie Booker, Charley Burley,Holman Williams etc. I envision Lytell to be a modern day version of Tiger Flowers, with less opportunity...
You're good, Burt. Bert was indeed compared to Tiger Flowers twice -in New Orleans and in California. He was also called a black Harry Greb, if you can believe it.
I know there is footage out there of Lytell sparring. I haven't seen it but it would be interesting to compare what we see to what we've read about Flower's and Greb's styles.
I look forward to this! Below,a brief account of his debatable loss to Lamotta. http://news.google.com/newspapers?i...AJ&pg=4539,4203565&dq=bert+lytell+boxer&hl=en
John Garfield's article Stillman's gym was a masterpiece. He was there. Looking forward to reading Stonehands take.
"Stillman's Gym: The Center of the Boxing Universe" is one of my all-time favorites by anyone. It's a masterpiece. Here it is: http://home.earthlink.net/~joerein/stillmans.html