He was tough as hell, but lacked discipline. He was notorious for training while heavily drinking beer, wine, etc. Not the most refined, but he could hit like a truck.
Was his right hand decent? I can see he had a decent hook. I always expect that from short heavyweights. Just turn your weight over properly and you have a KO punch already. I like to see if they can KO with the right.
Actually had a very good amateur career. One of the best nomme de guerre's ever... The New Jersey Nightstick.
That big belly didn't hide much; he totally lacked skills and tended to get badly exposed at the top level. Having said that, he did rack up the odd win against decent contenders, though mainly on his brawling approach and reasonably power. As for other short fighters, he's no David Tua - put it that way.
He was quite good. I think he was genuinely one of the hardest punchers of that era. He stopped a few people who only Louis or Baer had knocked out aside froim him. He tended to rely on his left hook to win fights and generaly did not win on the cards over longer distances. He could probably have been somewhat better if he had the discipline to submit himself to a strong trainer. His resume is actualy prety respectable with a few name wins on it. I think that he genuinely earned his title shot.
One poster is in denial about it, but he was the David Tua of the era. Short, stocky, Brutal Left Hooks, Steel Chin.
I'm in the middle of a couple comments here. I don't think he was as good as Tua. For whatever amateur accomplishments he had, he didn't carry those particular skills to the pro ranks from what I've seen on film. However, he was a lot better than some are giving him credit before. He had absolutely brutal one-shot power, knew how to corner his opponents and still get them open for the hook they knew was coming. And he was relentless and mean. In general I believe he is under-rated, often thought of as a buffoon or sideshow when in fact he was a damn effective, dare I say elite, heavyweight.
Tua by late stoppage. David was a bit faster and more skilled. Galento was tougher though. He went right after Joe Louis, no fear. Tua looked like a scared chicken vs Lennox.