Yeah, I was always very impressed with Richie, both on film and his achievements. He was a great technician and counterpuncher who could've matched skills with anyone in any era. I rated him among the top 10 all time LWs.
Britton gets lots of criticism in proquest Afro American for saying no thanks to Panama Joe Gans. Did he ever fight a black opponent?
Slakka, Why inject race in evaluating Jack Britton's place in Welterweight history...Fighters like all of us are products of our times, and so was Jack Britton...We should not judge Jack Britton, because he said "no" to a bout with Panama Joe Gans...If at all true...Well I no for a fact that Sugar Ray Robinson said "no", to a fight with Charley Burley, because I remember reading scuttlebut, saying Ray Robinson should fight Charley Burley, because Burley deserved a shot, which of course he never got..Why does Robinson get off the hook? Brittons memory deserves better, I believe...
Please don't shoot the messenger Bert, I love Britton and of course he was forever immortalized in Hemingways 50 Grand but im huge on Panama Joe who I consider the new Burley in a matter of speaking. After defeating the Bayonne Globetrotter Jeff Smith, an outstanding middleweight in A.C. N.J. 1919 little welterweight "Panny" basically dammed his own career and had to be Dempseys sparing partner, he was so hard up. When Robinson began cutting an o mighty swath- early mid 40s The Ring Magazine ran a feature article quoting none other than Dumb Dan Morgan recollecting "ya know some years ago there was a fighter Panama Joe Gans who nobody talks much about any more and im not so sure this Robinson could take his measure.
Yeah, most people think of him as a middleweight. Personally, I rate him higher at welterweight. But in both Top10s.
SLAKKA, did'nt mean to shoot the messenger,,Besides my aim is poor...Panama Joe Gans, was the Charley Burley of his time,AVOIDED...Incidentally, when I was a kid, my father took me to a Coney Island beer hall [ Cant remember the name] for a hot dog..I was introduced to a short , tough looking ex fighter,who's name was Italian Joe Gans...He fought Panama Joe Gans, in the 1920s...Small world it is....Tough, tough era, the 1920s, fight or don't eat...keep punching...
He had? How do we know this? We're dealing with someone, who fought 100 years ago, that no one here has seen even a glimpse of - and we are to believe, he would outbox SRL? Doesn't make much sense to me!
