Could John L Sulivan lick Francis Ngannou?

Sullivan's race policy, seems to be directly related, to the condition of his humerus!

He tried twice to make a fight with George Godfrey, and on one occasion , the police had to break it up.

He said that he would fight Peter Jackson, for a fair price.

Then he breaks his arm in the Patsy Cardiff fight, narrowly survives it, and suddenly becomes very interested in the color bar!

 

You're talking about "actual pro fights" during LPRR?

Also, how would you know the difference between LPRR's most professionally handled fight and a fair champion if you're scanning Boxrec?

For example if you look up HW champ John Morrissey on Boxrec they will redirect to CBZ for any information. If you follow the link to his record and take a look you'll see this sort of record keeping:

1853
Oct 12 Yankee Sullivan Boston Corners, NY (53:00) W 37
-Heavyweight Championship of America;
Sullivan beat Morrissey badly but left
the ring and ignored the call of "time";
The referee gave bout to Morrissey

That seems like a professional enough right? HW championship match and all. Bit of an odd ending though right? Let me give you some context. Yanks wasn't allowed to win, outside the ring John had his gang in attendance who as the fight went on let Sullivan know if he does beat Morrissey they were going to shoot him dead. Yankee still knocked Morrissey out but forced the ref to DQ him before the ref had time to count Morrissey out.

Boxrec, scanning like you do without follow up, would have you believe John Morrissey was a professional a champion as any other.

CBZ will give you a vague hint to ****ery, but really is Sullivan leaving the ring the most unprofessional and causial thing in that story? Shouldn't the note read something to the effect of Morrissey had a gun toting gang ringside to ensure his victory?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying you've done bad research, just that before you think a resource like Boxrec or CBZ offers any perspective at all try picking up a book.

Another issue I have with Boxrec scanning for historical fact is you get these anecdotal bits of trivia that get twisted into historical fact. For example, even one of my favorite history authors likes to claim Figg was not a boxer. What? Have you read Boxiana? Of course Figg was a boxer, there is a **** load of allusion to Figg having boxed. What there isn't is a record of Figg fighting a specific pugilistic contest. So, are we to believe there was some sort of misinformation conspiracy where everyone who had anything to do with boxing spoke about how fine a boxer Figg was in order to confuse future generations or is the fact that there is no record of a specific Figg boxing match a bit of anecdotal trivia about a man who is glorified by the same sources we use to "prove" everything in that period of boxing for his boxing?

 

Did Polynesians like the term when they were called coloured?

So being called and persecuted all their life for being black ******* (or similar) and openly billed in the media as a "half cast". Presumably half White and half Green? He is no longer considered a black fighter. Are Melanesians considered black?

White "American" Heavyweight champ.

He never fought the best Australian fighters either. Bill Farnan, Peter Jackson, Tom Lees arguably had claims equally as good or better. In Jackson's case, despite what is said, he was the recognised World Champion in Australia and some parts of England. He also held the World Colored Championship. I think he had a better claim than Corbett but like a true champion he did not consider himself the world champion because he had not proved he could beat the american champion.

John L has phenomenal record, for a period of time was undoubtedly the best fighter in the world. But he faded towards the end as age and alcohol caught him. It is only because he was so great that he lasted so long and managed to prolong the inevitable for so long.