It's early 1963 and aging ex-middleweight champ Gene Fullmer, having lost his title to Dick Tiger, wants to prove he's still a force in the division. He's hoping a victory over murderous punching sensation Rubin Carter will earn him a return title shot against Tiger. The Hurricane is coming off a nationally televised one-round kayo of Florentino Fernandez, a fight that has boxing fans buzzing. He's being called a middleweight Liston and no less an authority than Charley Goldman thinks his future is bigger than just the middleweight championship. He thinks Carter will one day fight as a light heavy or even as a heavyweight. He just needs to learn better balance. The bigger question mark is whether Carter can stay out of trouble with the law. He's been to reform school and prison and an Army stint in Europe ended badly. Who wins this one? A shopworn but still punishing Fullmer or the less experienced New Jersey ex-convict with the ferocious Fu Manchu scowl?
Never thought much of Carter. A younger Fullmer's awkward attack would leave Carter with no answers, and Fullmer wins a lopsided decision. Fullmer might with in '63 as it is anyway.
Carter didn't use a jab but he sure could power punch with both hands. I never understood what got into Emile Griffith and Gil Clancy when they agreed to move up a weight class to fight him. That didn't work out too well for them. Carter was a bad guy but he had some great wins. The one-round kayoes of Griffith and Florentino Fernandez and decision wins over George Benton, Jimmy Ellis, Gomeo Brennan, Farid Salim and Holly Mims stand out in his record.
If it's prime Fulmer it's no contest but at this point Gene's got a few too many miles on him even at a relatively young age, tenuous nod to the Hurricane.
I think the Fullmer that boxed his way to a draw over Tiger still had enough left to eek out a dec over Carter.
Interesting - When Gene Fullmer fought someone who wanted to go inside he could make it happen, If you didn’t he’d just maul, wrestle and “beat you up” Ruben working with him might be in his best interest? But I haven’t seen these fellas in a bit.
Fullmer would have beat Carter even though he was getting older. Prime for prime it's no contest. I don't think much of Carter or his bull**** movie. The sequence about the Joey Giardello fight was beyond ridiculous and I'm glad Joey sued over it. Joey clearly won that fight and Carter certainly killed those folks at the bar. He was a piece of **** that hurt people his entire life and never should have been released from prison. Justice was not served.
