A Look At The Careers Of Lee Oma & Tami Mauriello.

Another difference, Mauriello was a puncher and a ticket seller, Oma was a cutie,and a crafty boxer. I dont think the woodcock fight was on the level either.
The Inexcusable losses to: some of those losses could be explained by oma not being in shape and taking those losses cos he didnt train or took those fights seriously or was partying the night before. But the fact is a record doesnt make the fighter, he rose to the occasion when he had to and was at one point highly ranked. Apparently the losses didnt hurt his career, he still earned his ranking.

 

Mauriello was actually a pretty good fighter and probably fun to watch. Tough guy with a decent chin and good punch.

 

I've always figured Mauriello to be a very good fighter.

 

Mauriello injured his leg as a kid, which limited his mobility as a fighter. Also it didnt hurt that he was Italian and from NY in selling tickets, he was a popular fighter at the time. He unlike Oma had a homebase.

 

I appreciate the breakdown Mcvey.

What about a larger sample size? If you pick 10 fighters from the era, how many suffered obscure losses to journeymen? And did those losses come at times of high activity?

Maybe we can join forces on this one.

 

I was adding little factoids to fill out what people might know about Tami, being Italian helped get him fights cos promoters knew he could sell. Of course he had to win the fights that goes without saying. We knew that Oma was a party animal and didnt train diligently. I thought this thread was about Rez's theory. I would like to know more about that. What I thought was an insane schedule was Louis' comeback 9 fights in 11 months, today he would be extremely lucky to get in 2 more then likely only 1. In your analysis there is another factor to consider, Mauriello, was taken care of, got paid better and had a homebase. Oma on the other hand, Oma wasnt, he had to take fights wherever and whenever they were offered cos simply put this is how he earned a living it was his job. I know all fighters are fight nto make a living, but some get taken care and others have to scramble like was apparently the case with Oma.

 

rez, can you flesh out your theory? It would be interesting if there was more proof, some guys can maintain a rough schedule and some cant but its an interesting premise.

 

Regarding Oma. He has two really bad streaks.

In 1941 he went 2-9 and disappears for two years when America enters the War.

In 1947 till summer of 48, he drops 5 straight fights.

I think there is a story behind those two streaks. Possibly he was fighting injured or in poor health or not training for whatever reason.

Take those away he's 64-14-3. That's very respectful and on par with the average modern heavy win% of around 80 percent.

So what the hell happened to Oma in 41 and 47?

When he returns to action in 43-47. He goes 36-8-1. Very respectful.

Starting in June 48, he rebounds and closes his career with a good 18-3-2 record. His three losses to Woodcock, Charles, and Satterfield.

Of those 18 wins...he avenges the Satterfield defeat, beats Beshore x2, Tommy Gomez, Vern Mitchell, Nick Barone, Fitzpatrick, Muscato, Agramonte, and Lowry.

 

mcvey: Oma was based in NY was he not ?
NY is a state, NYC is a city within that state and so is Buffalo NY. Buffalo is upstate, NYC is the big apple. Something like London and some smaller city in England. The Bronx is a section in NYC.

So I guess he would have had a home base too.
Not necessarily Buffalo is way smaller city, Oma was Polish from Buffalo. Here's how you can tell who had a fanbase or not.
In the 23rd fight for both:
Lee oma 10-12-1
Tami Mauriello 23-0

-Mauriello fought 16 fights out of the 23 in the Bronx where he was born and raised, which had a huge Italian population in fact all of NYC had a huge Italian population. He fought 7 fights in Manhattan all 23 fights in NYC.
Italians were huge boxing fan's much like today's Mexicans and Puerto Ricans who support their fighters.

-Oma on the hand fought here, there and everywhere, not once in his hometown, in his first 23 fights.

-plus Mauriello had power and a style that precluded his movement, always on forward awkward in reverse.

He also had the benefit of both Ray Arcel and Manny Seaman as trainers but ,similarly to Eddie Futch with Riddick Bowe they could only do so much ,they can't give you self discipline,that comes from within. Plus he had two healthy legs to stand on.

Trainer or trainers mean nothing in terms of a fanbase, the guy with only one good leg had the advantage cos he fought in NYC and had a built in fanbase, and believe me being Italian helped.

 

The Kentucky Cobra,

Starting in June 48, he rebounds and closes his career with a good 18-3-2 record. His three losses to Woodcock, Charles, and Satterfield.

Very good breakdown. In 41 & 47,who knows but they always said he was a playboy, and a womanizer he might have gotten more then his share lol

Of those 18 wins...he avenges the Satterfield defeat, beats Beshore x2, Tommy Gomez, Vern Mitchell, Nick Barone, Fitzpatrick, Muscato, Agramonte, and Lowry.

Gomez and Satterfield are in just about everybody's top 100 hitters of all time.