Mickey Walker VS Freddie Steele

Remember Steele historically was never rated as an ATG middleweight. Walker yes, SRR yes, Greb yes....Steele no. This truth should not prevent you from hypothesizing a winner between these two. Just understand this is the history.

 

Hold on here man. I just went and reread the thread from the beginning and Houdini says his opinion and the guys jump on him calling him a fool unedicated and so forth in a completely condescending manner and he fights back. Is he supposed to just take insults and cower away. The insults and gang mentallity brought me into it to defend Houdini. C'mon Philly don't tell me you warrant the bully snobbery that began the arguement. You're no ****in' kid.

 

You have to be kidding me.

 

Boxing history 101.

 

Steele looks better to me on film than Walker, but not vastly so. And those are VERY short clips with which to judge such big resumes. It's hard enough doing modern head to heads with ample footage nevermind with fragments of a life, like those are.

 

I was just trying to bring it back to the thread. No problem if anyone thinks Steele beats Walker.

I see this as a highly competitive fight. Personally, I pick Walker. I think the combination of his iron jaw, non-stop pressure and an ability to hang with guys much bigger than him would mean he wouldn't be fazed by Steele, despite the physical advantages. I think Steele has the skill and the power to do some damage but I think over the course of 15 Walker's pressure would tell. No-one gets stopped in this one. Walker by close decision in a belter.

 

This is true, and part of the reason I am not getting baited by Houdini...as well as yourself whom I have come to respect as a poster even if I frequently disagree with some of your assessments. I would still love to share a cup of coffee with you someday and discuss some of our shared memories.

On the other side Houdini frequently makes assertions (Tyson vs Ali by markant) and when called on it...he runs away and does not respond...until he meets a teenager or someone he thinks he can bully. I am still waiting 2 weeks later for a response from his unfounded or at least unexplained post. @George Crowcroft @roughdiamond @The Undefeated Lachbuster are all quality posters irrespective of their youth. They remind me of Gpater from 10 years ago on here.

Anyway I wish you a speedy recovery from your night....I don’t drink but I do understand slow recovery times. Cheers

 

Walker

 

When you are ascribing credence to the rankings of people who have Bob Fitzsimmons over Sonny Liston in their heavyweight ledger, you really are grasping at straws.

 

Steele was never rated anywhere near Walker. There is a variety of reasons for this. Walker was a universal top 5-6 for many decades. Steele generally not mentioned in the same breath.

1. He was at his best between 1935 and 1937, but few top fighters had shorter stints at the top. Ring ratings show he appears at #9 in 1934, moves to the top in 1935, 36, 37, and is gone by 1938. Very poor longevity.

2. There is no doubt that at his peak Steele defeated a lot of top men in a very short time. He also fought a whole bunch of tomato-cans during his career. He rose from the Pacific NW a location void of much boxing talent. When he finally hit the big time fighting in NY at that time the Mecca of boxing he was destroyed.

3). Was Steele an excellent puncher of his time and weight? Certainly, but Al Hostak has a better ko percentage (42 of 84 against 60 of 142) despite fighting to a much older age. Hostak also ko'd Babe Risko and Solly Kreiger, each of whom went the distance with Steele and Steele himself in one round.

4). How does Steele's record compare to his contemporaries? Well, he certainly doesn't blow them away. Welterweight champion Young Corbett III lost only 4 fights from 1928 to the end of his career in 1940, all to champions, McLarnin, Broulliard, Conn, and Apostoli, while defeating Young Jack Thompson, Jackie Fields, Ceferino Garcia, Mickey Walker, Gus Lesnevich, Billy Conn, and Fred Apostoli. He defeated Apostoli shortly after Apostoli destroyed Steele. He endured longer and his very best wins are over better men.
Teddy Yarosz also endured longer and beat more good men than Steele. Yarosz fought 11 world champions and defeated 10 of them.

5). Steele's run at the top came to an fast end in 1938 with the Apostoli fight, followed a few months later by the crushing ko loss to Hostak. It is said that he broke his sternum against Apostoli. A broken sternum would make it difficult to even breathe let alone throw hard punches and take them. Steele was washed up at 25.

6). At best, Steele had great potential and was great for a short while, but it all came apart pretty quick. He didn't stay up there long enough to justify a top 10 or even top 15 ranking all time. Guess what? Historically that’s pretty much what occurred.

 

https://tss.ib.tv/boxing/featured-b...est-middleweights-of-all-time-part-four-20-11

 

That's embarrassing. And he is yr expert? Why? Because his article was posted? I can see him fooling these children because it (the article) was run but not an experienced adult like you Philly. The list is terrible. Flies in the face of history and those from those times that saw the fighters fight. And what the fighters themselves say. When McGrain is considered an "EXPERT" maybe it is time to take up other autumn interests.

 

So an "EXPERT" is someone who ranks Corbett and Fitzsimmons over Louis, Liston and Clay?

Cool story, brah!

 

He poleaxed Ceferino Garcia in 1932, drew with the much more experience Gorilla Jones in 1934, KO'd Apostoli and Dundee in 35 as well as beating Jones, and continued at the top until 1938... That's 6 years in my book, longer than Marciano's run at the top,. and if you take out the slacker's years of inactivity, about as long as Dempsey's.

 

Best lists going.