I've only seen the incomplete version, anyone seen the whole thing? From what I saw JJW looked dominant, until the last few rounds. Thoughts? BTW - I had a conversation with Walcott's wife Mary once a long time ago, who was very sweet. She said they all believed Jersey Joe won it.
The theater version is the most complete version. The entire fight does not exist. Correct me if I'm wrong, fellas!
The story goes that after the decision was announced...Louis went over to JJW...and said, "I'm sorry Joe"...then left the ring with his head down...
It's always tricky with disputed fights. Would love for more defined versions to b available at the least if not already I'll keep checking. More Jack Johnson n Dempsey fights too tho thats gradually happening.
Especially when you go past the first rounds and KDs, then realize that Walcott run away from Louis in the later rounds.
Not to deflect from the subject but is the full Louis vs Conn 1 available with all rounds? That’s another fight, based on the available rounds I’ve seen, in which Louis appears to be doing better than often described. Notably, on a number of occasions when in close, Louis was landing terrific body shots but showing curious disdain for the head - and Conn was there to be hit. Possibly a hint of “carry” on Joe’s part? I dunno.
By all accounts of this fight that I've seen from newspapers and knowledgeable people who saw it Walcott was the clear winner. And as Rocky Jim stated , Louis knew who won too.
The thing I do not understand is that theater fights in the 20's and back where COMPLETE. There were no edits with say Dempsey vs Gibbons or the Tunney fights. You got all 15 rounds full complete, or in Tunney 2, ten rounds (Fight 1 got damage, so you have 8 rounds) But then we hit the Joe Louis era and most of his fights that where not blow outs where chop up to bits. What happened?
Things got commercial. It was easier to sell an abbreviated version with the boring parts cut out. A typical comedy two-reel short lasted 20 minutes. A one-reel short like a newsreel or a swing-band short last 10-12. Sports shorts had to fit into that type of a marketing package. In many (most?) cases, the film that was edited was the only copy. I think that in some cases, the editing was even done with the original negative. Typically, the excess film was swept up by a janitor and thrown away. In the case of Joe Louis' fights and other Twentieth Century Sporting Club promotions, Mike Jacobs likely exercised executive control over the production. He only cared about the marketability of the film, not historical preservation. Then later on, the films were cut down even more to fit into TV time slots by organizations marketing fights under the banner of Tel-Ra, Famous Fights, Main Event, Knockout, The Big Fight, and Greatest Fights of the Century. Even Jim Jacobs, who is heralded as the great savior of boxing films, had films cut up for marketing without bothering to put them back together.
