Benny Leonard calls Primo Carnera's defense "Marvelous"

Louis was invariably generous to opponents, he was negative about Carnera because he honestly didn't have any regard for him as a fighter. How about when Carnera's own Italian fans turned against him in the Chevalier fight?

"One of Chevalier's seconds, Bob Perry, threw in the towel, although it appeared to all that the boxer was in no worse condition than Carnera. "A bitter demonstration followed. Half a dozen fans attacked Perry, striking and kicking him. In the melee he suffered a cut under the eye. Fellow countrymen of Carnera's stood on chairs and shouted 'fake' and urged the huge Italian be made to fight over again." (AP) The boxing commission started an immediate investigation. Mrs. Chevalier told them her husband had been approached earlier to agree to a "fake fight," but that he had directed all business to his manager, Tim McGrath. McGrath declared he had no knowledge that Perry was going to throw in the towel, and that the towel should not have been thrown in. Carnera's purse was withheld.Attendance 10,000."



What was the excuse for this?

 

For my money if Joe Louis says a champion had nothing , [bearing in mind he actually fought him,]then he didn't!

Who is more of an insider the fighter watching from outside the ring or the one who actually fights the man?

 

For my money if Joe Louis says a champion had nothing , [bearing in mind he actually fought him,]then he didn't!

Who is more of an insider the fighter watching fro

Louis disagreed ,he said he had no trouble moving him around and at one time actually picking him up!

 

He was a, "City Slicker"

 

Yes because he wasn't worried about Carnera's power just his weight leaning all over him.

 

Here i was thinking Cohen.

 

Louis wasn't generous to Baer was he?

"He (max Baer) couldn't hit as hard as I thought he could " "for a while I think he (max Baer) tried to throw the fight. He just wasn't right. I don't know what happened to him (max Baer) that night. I felt he wasn't the fighter I thought he should have been"

But to be absolutely fair to Louis, for his part, the Carnera and Baer fights could not have been easier for him. Both fights went his way. He followed instructions and everything went to plan. Its difficult in that situation to know how good or experience what the other guy has when everything is going his way. If you get it as right as joe did to near perfect performance how is he going to know?

As for the chevalier fight, I accept that. I understand that is the report, I have not seen the fight, this was outside of the time Primo was good enough to be world champion, but if it wasn't - it looks like it was out of his hands. A guy could throw a fight with Joshua now, would it effect Joshua now?

 

Yes he said nobody took it,like Maxie.You wriggle as much as you like.

 

So Louis saying he "thought for a while Max wanted to throw the fight, that he didn't punch as hard as he thought he would, that Max wasn't the fighter he thought he should have been, that he wasn't right" was complementary to Baer?

I personally think Louis was so ahead of the game at that point every fight was so easy. He is not being arrogant, it was his perception. It's like he's asking How come they were not as good? It's an honest representation of a young gifted man suddenly realising he has something special. So this is no more derogatory than What he says about Carnera. Both fights made him realise he could beat anybody.

Beating Carnera so easily made him feel he could beat anybody.

 

*cough* Schmeling *cough*

 

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mcvey, listen to Louis on the jab, watch any vid of Carnera and you will see his jab in action. His jab was his best weapon, he wasnt a great puncher he had no snap which would've given him more power cos of his weight. He did push his right, but so what, he was without a doubt king of the DN's

 

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He was convinced he was going to beat Carnera before the fight!