Jimmy Cannon Talks To Louis After The 1st Walcott Fight

Yes. This was regularly done back then. Was done even in the 70s.

 

Reading about HW's worrying about a few pounds is so absurd. Why does it matter whether you weigh 211 or 214?

The smaller guys abstaining from water, yeah, that's just part of the game. But the big guys don't have to do that ****.

 

Ironically two of his worst performances during his championship reign, so yeah he probably was lying. Louis weighed 3 more pounds in the first Conn fight than he did in his previous fight against Buddy Baer, and he weighed the exact same against Walcott as he did in his previous fight against Mauriello. Seems like Louis is just making excuses to me.

 

I'm sure Joe believed it.

 

Thats a lie.

 

lol .... busted

 

but that was against other opponents

Joe is much shiftier and Louis hadnt ever come across. before that, it was an assortment of stiffs and fringe contenders still handing around; Sharkey, Carnera, etc. etc

 

Back in the 1960s I purchased Nat Fleischer's "How to Box" and "Training For Boxers" and these books recommend drying out at least the day before the fight. Supposedly it increased endurance, although that is very hard to believe. Although I obtained the books in the '60s, they had been originally written in the early 30s with a couple updates over the years. Evidently it was an accepted training technique in spite of the dangers of dehydration.

 

Yes many just did not know the basic facts of optimal performance, they were physio-illogical.
It was no excuse, just dumb practice, & apparently against Conn his trainer was angry he came in light so as to not look like a bully.
It is likely he wins handily if he was not handicapped during the whole fight by idiotic dehydration.

 

Immediately after the fight Louis was claiming a broken hand (it turned out to be just bruised). Seems like it took him a few days to come up with the drying out excuse.

 

its not, Louis gave a bad performance, Walcott didn't and Walcott was robbed.

 

ah geez my fault guys, i didn't mean to claim to see the entire fight. meant to say i had seen all the film of it there was. thats my fault lmao i have not seen all the rounds of Walcott v Louis 1

 

I seem to remember that Djanders said that, too. If I remember correctly, he was at the fight.