Any information on Lem Franklin

I explained why. Jack Hurley was afraid he would have to give up a percentage to Jacobs so he waited hoping to get more publicity grabbing wins under Franklin's belt in order to leverage a better deal. It just so happened that this next big win he was going for was Pastor and it completely upset the apple cart.

 

I think all of the above and the fact that for the most part African Americans were employed in the war industry here at home and as such could continue their careers. Take Ernie Vigh for example. He was the #4 rated middleweight contender when he joined the war effort. He entered the coast guard and as far as I know didn't go abroad but it entirely halted his career as a contender, both because he could hardly get time to fight or train and also because the guys he needed to fight to advance were frozen as well. When he got out of the service he complained that the champions all had their positions frozen but he was dumped from the ratings. He was never able to get his mojo back after his long layoff and the rest is history. A guy working in the factory didn't have that.

 

By the way this has been one of the most informative threads in a long time at esb

Great work everybody

I hope every poster is reading this thread

 

John Ochs' tremendous three-volume Jack Hurley biography has quite a bit of information about Lem Franklin. While Franklin was a very exciting fighter with tremendous punching power, it became very apparent that he lacked boxing skills, stamina and durability.

By the time that Franklin became a contender, Joe Louis was preparing to enlist into the U.S. Army. Keeping that in mind, Hurley, Franklin's manager, felt that there was only a short window to build up his charge as a big enough gate attraction to get a shot at Louis's world heavyweight title. It appeared that the plan was working with Franklin's bout with Bob Pastor drawing a terrific gate for a non-championship bout of about $50,000. Unfortunately, Franklin was stopped by the light-punching Pastor. Afterwards, Franklin continued to have such a dismal run that he never came close to being a contender again.

- Chuck Johnston

 

I should have added that to accuse Joe Louis of ducking Lem Franklin is absolutely absurd. By the way, it appears that even before Franklin became a contender for a short time, Mike Jacobs said that Joe Louis didn't face other top black heavyweights of the day because such bouts wouldn't draw flies.

- Chuck Johnston

 

"Louis did not perform well against black opponents"

All of whom were champions.

"Buddy Baer. Who did he beat."

Besides Galento, Nathan Mann, Abe Simon, and Lee Savold among others.

"Galento was 1-2 in his last three fights."

With a win over Nova, and the two losses to Joe Louis and Max Baer. Looks to me like Tony was fighting the best.

"Martin had a glass jaw and body"

And Franklin didn't?

My point about Martin was that he fell apart like Franklin did. The difference is he beat better men before the collapse.

"I don't think Buddy Baer was very good."

Well, he wasn't great, but he was 54-7 with 50 KO's and was stopped only twice. I think he did more than Franklin ever did. He also certainly was more durable.

"Nova was decent, but a non-threatening type. Franklin, in my opinion, had a better chance of beating Louis than Nova did."

Nova had relatively short odds against Louis. He was looked upon as a serious contender. Two stoppages of Max Baer impressed. Franklin never beat anyone as good as Baer, nor Tommy Farr. Nova drew with Pastor, who stopped Franklin. Anyone can predict anything in a fantasy fight, but Franklin wasn't the fighter overall that Nova was.

 

"Louis did not perform well against black opponents"

I don’t know about that

According to ring record book, he knocks out Roscoe Toles in a real pro fight. Toles went on to become / great contender in the 30s and 40s

He knocked out hall of fame John Henry Lewis in 1 round

At age 34, he knocked out a prime walcottt

At age 37, He beat Jimmy Bivins rather easily

At age 36, he beat top 10 one omelio agramonte twice

 

"it was offficially billed as an exhibition"

The old Ring Record Book listed it as a real fight in Louis' record. The guys who compiled it were alive and following boxing closely. I take their word.

"due to being under contract to not engage in any contest prior to the Carnera fight."

But Louis was a very well known fighter. Everyone was following him at a time his lesser fights were on the front page of the sports section and his major fights on the front page of the newspaper.

I can't see why getting beaten in an "exhibition" would be less damaging to the gate, so this seems a distinction w/o a difference.

My guess is that under the various state laws terms like "exhibitions" weren't precisely defined and that is where the confusion to modern researchers comes from.

The New York State Athletic Commission listed the 1944 Johnny Davis fight as an exhibition, but somehow boxrec lists this scheduled four round affair as a real title defense.

 

The Johnny Davis thing is the same as the Dempsey-Jimmy Darcy thing. Both fights were exhibitions, promoted as such, etc. but shortly before the echibition an announcement came out saying that exhibitions by champions werent allowed in New York so it would have to be considered a real bout with the title on the line. Some overzealous record keeper at boxrec decided he wanted his fifteen minutes of fame for “finding a lost championship bout” and entered them in. However, the entire premise is absolute bull****. New York had no such rule and I can point to numerous exhibitions in the state that both Dempsey and Louis took part in as champion at this time. Furthermore, in the case of Dempsey-Darcy bog oversized gloves were used (not regulation gloves), short rounds were obsererved (not the regulation 3 mins), dempsey appeared in his training outfit, etc. the local paper even spoke of the event as a real bout tongue in cheek. Neither of these should be in Louis or Dempseys official record but at boxrec you have too many agendas and too many cooks in the kitchen with weak policing and so they often either stay in or wind back up in the record after someone with some sense removes them.

 

Personally, think Lem could have a good shot of beating Joe, but, the Pastor thing gave Jacobs an excuse not to fight him.

 

Good info!

 

How much have you seen of Franklin to conclude this?

 

Yeah Id like to know what, beyond beating a couple of Louis’ leftovers, would make one think that Franklin could beat Louis based on what we know about both fighters?? Louis was easily a class or two above Franklin. And Im still waiting for someone to show me where Louis or Jacobs avoided a fight with Franklin when contemporary articles suggest it was Jack Hurley who was slow walking Franklin in hopes Louis would retire or Franklin would raise hos bargaining power.

 

Off topic but what rare 1940-1950s film do you have of heavyweight contenders/ champions?

 

Hurley was one cute cookie!