Tony Zale was a great fighter, very humble and great friend of Davey Day. They were stablemates in 1930's 40's, and spent many times together having lunch at the Oak Lawn Restaurant. Davey coined the phrase, " If anybody bothers you, tell them that you will get Tony Zale after them, the toughest Pollock in the World." Upon, leaving the restaurant one day, Davey, turned to Tony, and said, " Tony, if anybody bothers you tell them that you 'll get yourself after them." They both were part of the Chicago Park District, teaching kids boxing. Two of greatest guys you'd ever want to meet.
Something to ponder... But is Graziano any worse than Mugabi or Caveman Lee? Sometimes physicality can carry one far. But then look at Gans or Leonard or Canzoneri... Skills existed. And athletes have always existed.
Yeah, all of those things caught my eye too. I've mentioned this before but I'm always surprised by how much even some of the most well-regarded boxers from that era led with lunges and naked hooks, and how sparingly they utilized their jabs. But they got away with it, in part because their opponents often used similar tactics. I actually wonder more about the base of training they received on form and fundamentals while they were still developing as fighters. Today's boxers get most of that stuff trained out of them while they're still children. These guys obviously received a lot of training, and from men who were well-respected in their time. I wonder why their form and technique is so different from what we see in modern boxing that even several Hall of Famers regularly did so many things that are just considered fundamentally wrong today. And not "wrong" in the sense of Ali/Roy Jones relying on speed and reflexes to back away from punches in a straight line with their hands low...
