Joey Maxim couldn't punch?

The GreatA, You are mistaken ,when saying that Jake Lamotta was" down close to 20 times ".As i recall Lamotta was dropped once or TWICE. in his whole career and that was in his waning years against a lightheavyweight, Danny Nardico...Lamotta;s legacy deserves better....Are you mistaken Maxim for Lamotta?

 

true. let alone the fighters he fought in those two fights.
who knows how hard a man can punch against journeymen and such ,
the elite fights is primarily what should be taken into account .

 

"half-punch, half-push"

Do you have the film of this fight? I saw the film years ago and it seems to me it was a big overhand right while LaMotta was backing away. This AP from The Day, Jan 2, 1953 is basically how I remember it:


"A smashing right knocked LaMotta down for the first time in his career early in the seventh and when the round ended, the "Bronx Bull" was hanging helplessly to the ropes, his eyes glazed, as Nardico beat him with merciless rights and lefts.

"Nardico, the agressor all the way, caught LaMotta with the right as he backed away from a flurry. The Bull fell back into the ropes, then went down, almost falling out into the crowd.

"As LaMotta groped his way to his feet, Nardico never gave him a chance to recover. He drove Jake along the ropes to a corner and pounded his punches home furiously. As the round ended, Jake, his face bloody and puffed, staggered uncertainly to his corner.

"A Florida boxing commission doctor was called into the ring and after an examination of LaMotta, his seconds called to Referee Bill Regan, "That's all."


That is the way I remember the film. Jake got hit by a big right and went down. Unlike Maxim, he was unable to recover. He was staggering badly went he went to his corner. Of course, I am quite old and my memory could be playing tricks. I would like to see the film again.

*Note that Nardico was the aggressor and LaMotta got knocked down while backing away.

 

Getting knocked down is not the same thing as getting knocked out, though. Maxim is not the only guy who made quite a few trips to the canvas but was rarely knocked out. The same is true of Robinson. Nardico hit Maxim with a big right and spilled him, but Maxim got up and went on to win with no trouble.

Some guys, on the other hand, are hardly ever knocked down but when they are, it is adios. How many times did Lennox Lewis get up to win? Sonny Liston is another one although his case is clouded by the alleged fix. Max Baer was hard to get off his feet, but certainly he could be stopped.

Chins vary I think. Some are supple and easy to dent but hard to really break, like Maxim's. Some seem like cast iron but once cracked, it is over.

 

Burt

I seem to be all along against the consensus. Sort of up against the wall with everyone in the firing squad taking a shot at me. I think this sort of exchange of ideas is good for an old geezer like me, though. One must exercise the brain and get the blood flowing to keep from rusting away.

 

OLD FOGEY,Old age is relative,,,,But I'm so old that my social security number is in Roman Numerals....B.B.
I still insist that Jake Lamotta ,could take a better punch than any fighter in my lifetime..
Of course if Jake Lamotta, as a 160 pounder fought the likes of Gene Tunney, Tommy Gibbons, Gunboat Smith,Bill Brennan, Billy Miske etc,as my idol Harry Greb did ,time and time again, and survived and prospered, we wouldn't be talking about Jake Lamotta...I will always insist that little old Harry Greb, was the most astounding fighter in history...

 

Mine is in hieroglyphics and the card is made of stone.

 

djanders, I used to be a standup comedian , but I developed flat feet...Now I have to sit down....

 

burt and djanders

At least your social security cheques might have the full faith and credit of the Egyptian and Roman Empires behind them, which soon will probably be worth more than those of our treasury.

 

Old fogey, touche'

 

Well, I found the Nardico-LaMotta fight on youtube. Perhaps a more computer sophisticated person can bring it over here.

No way this was a push. Nardico caught him with a left-right. LaMotta seemed to be hurt badly at this point and tried to clinch. His back is to the camera. He clearly is caught with a big right and goes down hard, taking a full nine count. There is no doubt that LaMotta is in bad shape. He does not throw an effective punch the rest of the round, grabs the rope to hold himself up, sits on the rope, etc. The referee was incompetent. That fight should have been stopped well before the bell. LaMotta was not really defending himself.

I must say that Jake sure shows he can take it.

 

bump--still would like to see someone pull over the Nardico-LaMotta fight, either here or on a fresh thread.