Eddie Futch clearly had racial bias; Fleischer's opinions were strange. I don't actually believe Fleischer knew what he was talking about; if you can see both Johnson and Marciano, and still put Johnson higher, then you don't know what you're seeing.
I've never seen boxer from that era say they're not in the best shape of their life. Burns actually tried to get the fight rescheduled, but was unable to due to the amount of people who had bought tickets.
This is the last time I shall respond to you,Burns made no attempt to get the fight rescheduled and he was not only the champion ,but a close personal friend of the promoter and referee Hugh McIntosh,he never at any time used illness as an excuse for his defeat.
Aw. I was so looking forward to seeing whether a case could be made for Burns over Johnson, in the face of knowledgeable opposition. Ah, well.
Doesn't matter if he used it as an excuse or not. The men sitting in the front row thought Burns looked ill because he had a yellowish look to him. Don't forget he was under his usual weight, which was probably because of his illness.