These men were rated. Schaaf Loughran Levinsky Campolo Uzcudun Lasky Neusel Godfrey Santa. That’s not a bad resume for an average type champion is it? On merit, primo was an average champion comparable to most short span champions like Sharkey, Jimmy Ellis, Leon Spinks, Tommy Burns, Ernie Terrell, John Tate, Buster Douglas, Jimmy Braddock, Ingemar Johansson even if he had two successful title defences. Each of these guys were champion at a time where argument could have been made that they were not necessarily the best in the world whilst champion. On merit Carnera probably was not any worse than them. If there was a worse type champion then it would be the kind of champion who did not deserve the decision that gained him the title in the first place or a champion awarded a title without winning it in the ring. I don’t think Primo was one of those since he knocked out Sharkey to gain the title.
What is missing from the critics is that Carnera was so much bigger than the heavyweight division at the time that he did not have to be technically proficient or to get torque in his punches. He was over 6' 5" and from 260 to well over 270 lbs. in some fights. And whatever, the guy was muscular. And relatively fast for his size. And had good stamina. Would a 200 lb. Carnera have been champion? No. But taking that 260 lbs. and using a calculator to figure how heavy a 180-200 lb. division would be in comparison if Carnera were 200 lbs. and his opposition equally as small, and I get that 180 to 200 lbs. would come to 138 to 152 lbs. How good technically would a 200 lb. man have to be to win a championship against men in the junior welterweight to junior middleweight division? And Carnera got to be champion in a weak heavyweight era. There were other big guys, like Campolo and Impellitierre, but they were just big lugs whose size had also won them fights. Carnera was an athletic freak out of time. We would not see a decent heavyweight of his size again until late in the 20th or early in the 21st century. He reminds me a bit of Bob Kurland, the first 7 footer to make a splash in basketball. Kurland never turned pro, but led Oklahoma A & M to NCAA championships in 1945 and 1946 and as a lifetime amateur led the US gold medal teams of 1948 and 1952. Was he greatly talented like Wilt Chamberlain? No. But as a 7 footer at a time when 6' 7" was a big center, he was a strong player. Today he probably wouldn't make any splash at all in college or the Olympics and would be lucky to even warm a bench in the NBA.
I will never understand the hate for Carnera. The guy was clearly learning on the job and actually became a decent fighter which when combined with his size made him a formidable opponent. He had to contend with a ton of prejudice in this country as well. Basically the last half of his career was an uphill battle and the guy still managed to win a title. There were only two guys in the decade from 1927 to 1937 who successfully defended their title more than once. One of those guys was Gene Tunney and the other guy was Primo Carnera. Anyone who can watch the Loughran fight or the Uzcudan fight and think those were fixed has his head up his ass. Just as anyone who can watch the second Sharkey fight and think Sharkey took a dive. Ive said it before and Ill say it again, watch the entire final round, not just the final sequence. Carnera rocks Sharkey. Sharkey throws a hail mary to try to keep Carnera off him (not exactly the way a guy trying to throw a fight acts) and then gets trapped on the ropes. He bobs right into a Carnera uppercut and if you watch this in 35mm and study it closely you can see that its not Carnera's forearm that connects. Yes, it looks like it but watch how Sharkey weaves to his right as hes bobbing right down onto Carnera's fist. Watch the Baer fight and how dirty Baer was and what he was allowed to get away with both in terms of fouling and just unsportsmanlike behavior in general. Carnera was the made the goat in that fight, fought away from home in front of a hostile crowd, and despite getting dropped and tripped, and thrown down repeatedly. Fouled and treated with a complete lack of respect not only by Baer but the crowd as well he continued to get up, continued to fight, and even wanted to continue when the fight was stopped. He was on his fight and couldnt understand why the fight was stopped. In my opinion the guy deserves a lot of respect and a hell of a lot more credit than hes ever been given by most.
See wasn't rooting for Carnera after he was fired. Carnera and See completely fell out over money and especially after See released his book. Also, the Mob didn't sideline See. Carnera personally fired See. See for the most part was an excellent manager and promoter, but See also had a huge ego, which resulted in See getting on the bad-side of not only all of the athletic commissions in America, but even in Europe, so See could no longer directly serve his role as Carnera's manager, since nobody would license him. See decided to have Carnera buy him out, which Carnera did and then See would serve as an advisor, but See still wanted to receive a full managers cut, which Carnera disagreed with, which resulted in Carnera firing See. Immediately after being fired by Carnera and still for the most part blackballed See was desperate for money and publicity. See being a former journalist and cartoonist did everything in his power to sling mud on Carnera, but many of his stories didn't add up and contradicted many things See himself said under oath many years previously, since he sued almost all of the commissions in America and even sued Madison Square Garden, Inc, who See argued tried to gain control of Canera from him through extortion. That said Besides the Associated Press many journalist and publications didn't take See's allegations or his book on Carnera seriously. Here is a piece written by Carnera himself around the time of his dispute with Leon See. Carnera mentions that he and See indeed did fall out, but Carnera for the most part avoids attacking See. I enlarged the relevant part. Ring Crown Worth It Says Primo Carnera By Primo Carnera Chapter One At last the championship is mine - and by a clean knockout - and my pleasure in that alone makes up for whatever pain and trouble I met with on my exciting journey to the top. Just five years ago I first saw boxing gloves and started learning that style of fighting. I was 21 years old then and had been a wrestler with a small circus ever since I was 16. My first professional fight was at Paris in September, 1928. Since then I have taken part in about 75 formal matches and 100 or more exhibitions. As far back as 1929, my former manager, Leon See, predicted that it would take about five years for me to win the world's championship. We often discussed that goal, even when things looked black. Often Discussed Goal We often discussed that goal, even when things looked black. M. See called me "a generosity of nature" in prophesying that "in five years Primo will be invincible." Many fight fans, and experts especially, laughed at that idea. And I don't blame them when I look back, now realizing how crude I must have appeared to ring wise eyes. But I don't take that championship objective as a joke when so large a part of the sporting world was laughing out loud at me. Believing that I had extraordinary physical assets for fighting-strength, weight, courage, and ambition - I decided to develop them fully and to learn as much of so called ring science as I could. Now there have been many giants in fistic history but few, if any, had much skill at boxing. Most of them were pure sluggers or maulers, knowing little and showing less of what a fencer with the first could, and should do. Now none can become a high class boxer in a day or a month or a year. It takes years - Five of them, at least-to really know one's way when battling skilled opponents. Please bear that idea in mind as you read my own story of how I picked up what I know in the art of boxing. Required Skill Of course, great size, weight and strength might still seem to be my main advantages but, by themselves, they would not be enough to win the championship. In fact, they would be handicaps against good boxers unless I knew how to combine them and put them to effective use when in action. First, I had to develop speed and so I had to take off about 30 pounds of normal weight (I scaled around 290) when I first started boxing back in 1928. Naturally I was slow then on those enormous feet, the fame of which has spread around the world. Of course, the ballyhoo over the foreign giant when I was still a beginner outraged and misled many good judges. So I was stamped definitely as "a freak," a "clown," and later- worst of all - as a "faker," when my American tour got under way. That was conducted under the immediate direction of Mr. William Duffy, supervised by Monsieur See. Now, Mr. Duffy is one of the ablest handlers of boxers in the world. He has trained many of them - notably, Jack Dempsey for that fight in 1927, when he stopped Jack Sharkey. He, as well as Monsieur See knew I was only a novice when I first reached New York. Hand-Picked Opponents Many wanted to see me throughout the country, and I was booked in advance to box in a dozen or more cities. Everywhere we appeared in 1930, and the tour went from cost to coast, capacity crowd jammed all the halls in which I boxed. Naturally Mr. Duffy did not pick first-class opposition for his green prospect, and after a few blows most of my opponents went down and out. That provoked many boos and some serious scandals, which I will comment on later. I clearly recall the past from my boyhood in the village of Sequala, not so far from Venice - early working days as a mosaic and carpentry apprentice - many hungry months as a day laborer when tramping through Southern France - poorly paid years as a combination strong man-wrestler with a mobile circus, and then my ring career, which now is important in the light of the championship. It has often been published that I was really a big imbecile hypnotized by the sharp-eyed, keen minded Monsieur See. Though without education in schools, I have never been considered a half wit, and my former manager, despite our money differences, probably would testify that I am of normal intelligence. I speak, read and write both Italian and French passably well and surely I have made fair progress in English during four years. Some think I must have been foolish to find myself bankrupt after earning so much money in a few years but, on second thought, any fair reader will understand that a boxer, as busy as I have been, has little time to look to his many money affairs. Far from being stupidly ignorant, I have been kept acquainted with important news and comments, especially about boxing through M. See, Mr. Soresi and others associated with me. Will Explain Myths Later on in this sketch of my life, I will relate some more of the Carnera myths that amused, and sometimes, annoyed me. You will read, for example some strange stories of how my nose was broken - how I was reputed to have tried to carry a baby elephant as part of the day's work - how I was said to have been substituting for a brick-carrying mule the first time I was asked to take up boxing - and other weird yarns that have attached to the so-called "Ambling Alp" in his travels by land and sea and air. When in England a few years ago, I saw a pictoral book of "Gulliver Travels." That story was filled with giants and little people. Dr. Gulliver, M. See explained, was a little man among giants and, in turn, a giant to little people. He traveled much and saw some wonderful sights. Now a peasant and a pugilist can hardly be as observing as a learned Gulliver. But, I, too, have traveled much and have had many strange experiences. Of these you shall read in this story later on, if you care to do so. https://imgur.com/78lJnDz
Here is a piece showing how vicious See's attacks on Carnera were once Carnera fired him. Also, this is a mild piece. Monsieur See then explained that, far form being a stowaway, he had merely strayed into the snail shell while pursuing his favorite tidbit, un escargot magnifique! "How about Carnera?" Someone asked. "No d'un cochon!' exclaimed Citoyen See. "Why do you lower the standard of the conversation by bringing in the name of a mere bruiser? I am interested in the more substantial things of life - such as the gold standard, the NRA, the repeal situation and..." "And les escargots!" volunteered Jimmy Lanehart. "Mais oui! Avec beurre s'il vous plait," explained Leon, lifting his eyes heavenward, kissing his finger tips and allowing a beautific smile to overspread his face, as he stoftly murmured "Oo, la la!" When news spread that Leon See, Primo's former manager, had arrived in town, managers of heavyweights immediately put the chains on their bruisers and locked them up in the hurricane cellars. Chefs, meantime, sent out for additional supplies of snails. After Citoyen See had had time to stow a few hundred snails under his belt and was reeking pleasantly of garlic, he was in a more talkative mood and explained the object of his visit. It seems he is back in the newspaper business again as a special correspondent of the Paris that See, through his fight game connections, had met all the bootleggers in America, the Soh sent him over here with particular reference to how it will affect the large supply of bubbling, golden fluid stored in the wine caves of the Champagne district of his native land. It cannot be said that See covered his assignment at a snail's pace for hardly had he picked the last fragments of snail shell out of his bicuspids with the gold toothpic given to him by George Finley, long his social secretary in this country, when he was off for Chicago by plane. "Tell my public I am only a shell of my former self," said the snail hound. I am writing a book on Carnera's career. I tank I go now." Someone asked Leon about an honest fight Primo took part in. "What fight?" snapped See belligerently. "What honest fight?" No one dared carry the embarrassing matter any further and it was dropped like Big Boy Peterson is by the breeze form a wild left hook. The illustrations for Leon's book are being prepared by the people who drew the plans for the biggest tank in Atlantic City. The front piece will show Bombo Chevalier's seconds rubbing capsicum caseline in his eye to improve his sight sufficiently so that he can see his way clear to go into the tank. On the back cover will be shown Monsieur See being pursued in a horrible nightmare by a nail with dragon's teeth. Leon will not blow the whistle too much on Primo. Indeed, he has a soft spot in his heart for the Menace from Venice. With deft touch (something he developed while handling Primo's finances) Leon will trace Carnera's development from the time he lifted him out of a nice, cool sewer in Paris to the afternoon last month in Rome when menacing cries of "Managgi Carnera!" rent the warm air of Rome as Fascists without number expressed their disgust with da Preem for being unable to knock out Paulino. Asked if he would devote a chapter to the investments he made for da Prem in the McKetrick dRY erl Wells out in Texas, Leon wheeled about, stepped into the plane and with Flourish of his fedora cried: "Name of a pig! Name of three elderly goats! Name of a name." And with that, he was off for a way down south Chicago. https://imgur.com/W847KbO
He did beat Carnera but to Primo's credit he took big shots and fought back. Baer as we al know pummeled the hell out of him but Carnera kept getting up ... the only time he was done willingly was against Louis which shows just what a monster puncher Louis was in his own prime .. This content is protected . 10:00 mark ..
You can check the next day reports and see Carnera won the decision fairly, and by a decent margin. Tommy Loughran also claimed to have battered Jack Dempsey in sparring.
Just on Carnera being bankrupt. He claimed bankruptcy in the USA but had extensive holdings in Italy. His real manager after 1932 was Louis Soresi who was a prominent international financier. Soresi knew how to skirt the law and hide money. Carnera was fighting several law suits in the US, including a breach of promise suit, and being "bankrupt" was in his interest. Soresi seems to have put a little money into bad investments in the US to give Carnera cover. I think under modern law the plaintiffs' lawyers would go after those Italian investments, but I don't think they could back then, or even perhaps know about them.
I've brought you into nothing .you chose to make posts on this thread.You have one opinion I another. Nobody has questioned Carnera's character or his love of his family and they are both irrelevant to a discussion about his abilities as a fighter.Nor does how many film stars his kids met have any bearing here, its just a lot of dross.
