Better All-Around Fighter: Primo Carnera or Riddick Bowe?

with the super heavyweight giants you can dissect which of the two has the better individual jab, which has the stronger punch, the better chin...and then you can throw it all out of the window. Because with this class of fighter it all comes down to who is harder to beat rather than who is actually good. It won't matter.

Being hard to beat doesn't mean just being big. It means being effective despite what you look like.

Without the success and acceptance of modern white giants like the Klitschko brothers, Valuev and Tyson Fury, Primo would not be getting this renaissance. But I for one am glad he is. Being hard to beat goes a very long way. And it always has.

There is a lot of artistic license and libertys taken with Carneras story to discredit him. Perhaps that started with the affair he had with Damon Runyons wife. Damon was credited with coining the "Ambling Alp" slogan.

In truth, Primo was no more mobbed up than ANY world champion. Every champion had mismatch learning fights only Carreras are scrutinised as set ups. George Foreman fought the matches just like them in 1972 but it no more proves that Foreman was a hoax any more than Carnera was in my eyes.

Primo had to develop actual point scoring boxing skill and use his reach to neutralise the work rate, skill and speed of smaller men added to the extra danger from the increased accuracy of the smaller gloves that used to give smaller guys a fighting chance against bigger men. Primo could box, and he had to.

Put Kovalev into a ring with Tyson Fury wearing Old fashioned 6oz gloves and Fury might get carried out on a stretcher before he even gets going.

 

This is what you do to justify the absurd, play six degrees of separation .. ? If you're being serious it's pathetic.

 

If you are just going to respond with insults, then there is little point in debating with you further.

 

You have no interest in legitimate debate as the points you throw out there prove.

 

Because you disagree with them?

At least I am throwing out points, as opposed to resorting to insults.

 

Bowe has a lot of holes you can poke in his resumee and i was never a fan of his(Or any fighter who gets hit that much) but just the eye test tells me all i need to know about who was the better fighter. And that is Bowe

 

Bottom line, I ask myself where do I rank Bowe ? Top 20? Probably.Top30 ? Certainly. Carnera? Not anywhere near the top 50 !

 

OMG .Another Foreman was built up on bums reference!

In72 Foreman was the number 2 contender for Frazier's title Ali was number 1. Frazier wasn't going anywhere near Ali ,so the Foreman camp knew they were next in line for a title shot.
Accordingly they took 4 keep busy fights 2 of whom, against Gullick and Paez were respectable matches.
Foreman had already beaten,Chuvalo,Wepner,Kirkman, and Peraltax2

Which other champions beside Carnera fought opponents who had their licences withdrawn? Their purses withheld?
Any other champions have Public Enemy Number one as their manager?

 

wepner and kirckman were not rated. Certainly not Wepner. And Foreman did not fight either of them in 1972 anyway.

The 1970 win over Chuvalo was the one decent opponent Foreman had fought as a pro.

Poor 35 year old Peralta was a light heavyweight fringe journeyman 20lb lighter having his first fight in America. Talk about odds stacked.

Please name a good win at heavyweight that Peralta had. Just one.

The 1972 Gordwin, Boone and Sorrell fights were appalling mismatches. Dangerous. One of them had been knocked out 14 times from 15 fights!

At least Carnera had to beat contenders to get a title shot within a year of getting a title shot.

 

Good to see that most voting here are in touch with reality.

 

No he had fought them years earlier which is my point! 72 was marking time for the title shot!

Peralta was rated in the top ten! He had 19 more fights losing only 2. He was stopped just 3 times in 116 fights! , once on a cut eye .
Ron Lyle fought a 2 years older Peralta twice and couldn't turn the trick!
Jose Urtain ranked no 8!
Peralta has just 7 losses in116 fights. When he fought Foreman he had been fighting at heavyweight for 7 years! You are talking out of your a*se!

 

I am no in no way suggesting Foreman was not a great champ. He was. I am saying if he got his shot at Frazier in 1973 wasn't it based on George 1972 form?

there is no way anyone can sneer at Carnera if we investigate George Foremans route to the title. Let's be fair to all the champions here. Let's compare title routes.

I asked for the one win against a name heavyweight for 35 year old 20lb lighter Peralta and there isn't one.

How can it be fine for Foreman to fight these dangerous 1972 mismatches that you excuse as "marking time fights" to maintain a #1 rating from two years previous?

For one who has been rather severe with Carnera there is nobody on Foremans pre title run that Primo could lose to. Yet that's fine with you?

 

Peralta beat Urtain who was rated number 8 .He also drew with Bonavena and Lyle.
Primo could very well lose to Peralta he lost to Stribling and Gains and you keep mentioning the 20lbs Foreman had on Peralta.Canera had 88lbs on Stribling and 68lbs on Gains yet he lost to both of them!

Any chance of getting back to the thread and off your Foreman soapbox ? It's incredibly boring and we have all heard it many times before.

 

How has this thread gone on this long?

 

"We shall never surrender. " lol