Gibbons, Yarosz, or Steele?

You think that Yarosz fought in a weak era? Even considering the names I listed (and others I didn't)? Any era that has Yarosz, Conn, Moore, Marshall, Overlin, Brouillard etc cannot be considered weak. Seriously, take a look at the fighters who were crossing mitts during the Yarosz era. It was probably one of the toughest in middleweight history(though Gibbons's era undoubtedly rates higher).

 

The 30's and 40's transitional period was one of the deepest and most competitive in Middleweight history. I don't see how it could be perceived as weak, even if you believe the quality at the top was not quite as strong as it would be in other eras (namrly the Gibbons/Greb/O'Dowd era).

 

How clever was Teddy Yarosz as a boxer? I"'ll tell you how clever," Ray Arcel answered. He was that clever I thought he beat Billy Conn three times, not once as the books say and to me Billy Conn was the greatest light heavy of all time and rates right up there with the best fighters in history.


Al Abrams .
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Google News Archive - Jul 3, 1974

 

He caught Marshall, Moore and Conn while they were young though. He taught them boxing lessons, but I don't think he was ever quite on the level of a Billy Conn or Archie Moore and on film he isn't as impressive.

 

I agree. Steele was a terrific fighter. He was never the same after his manager died.

 

I guess we will have to differ here. Moore was just beginning to learn his craft during this era of the division, Broulliard was garbage as far as Im concerned. I dont know why some hold him so highly today. He was strong and awkward but thats about it. I also dont consider Marshall great. Good to very good yes but not great, as were many of these fighters. I definately think the division from about 1929 thru 1949 took a dip. It had its peaks and valleys the highs being the Hostak/Steele/Zale period with other guys like Krieger, Overlin etc rounding out a talented class but I think the LaMotta/Robinson era and Greb/Walker era's were tougher. You can even argue that Walker's era was the beginning of the dip. Guys like Broulliard, Jones, and those guys were pretty weak as far as im concerned. I think Thil was the best of the bunch and his rep was slaughtered by the biased American press. Then in the mid late thirties you had a sort of brief resurgance but that momentum was killed by the war. A lot of those guys never really reached their full potential, fought hot and cold, and just really werent consistent in general. I dont know, Im just not a huge fan of it.

 

Don't tell that to Ken Overlin!

 

You bet!!
http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=RIgSAAAAIBAJ&sjid=GvUDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4953,3139401&dq=steele&hl=en

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[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]After firing two crushing left hooks in quick succession to finish Overlin in the fourth Steele broke down before the nearcapacity crowd of close to 9000 ... [/SIZE]
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What a great foursome of middleweight power at one time-
Freddie Steele
Al Hostak [a far superior Kelly Pavlik]..
Fred Apostoli [to see him is to be impressed]
Tony Zale [pre World War 2 ]
There was also the forgotten Solly Kreiger,gave everyone hell !

 

1. Thil--It isn't the biased American press which posted the fights with Brouillard on youtube. Brouillard seems to be more than holding his own in what is shown of all three fights. The second and third ended with Thil on the canvas grabbing his groin, whimpering "foul". The film of the third fight shows the supposed low blow clearly and even in stop motion it seems above the belt to me. Thil starting walking away, took a few steps, and then suddenly grabbed his groin and went into an "I'm dying" act.

2. "Brouillard was garbage." "I don't know why some hold him so highly."

The 1976 Ring Record Book listed the multiple champions up to publication.

Triple champions--Bob Fitzsimmons, Henry Armstrong

Double champions--George Dixon, Terry McGovern, Tommy Ryan, Tony Canzoneri, Lou Brouillard, Barney Ross, Mickey Walker, Harry Jaffa, Sugar Ray Robinson, Carmen Basilio, Fighting Harada, Emile Griffith, Dick Tiger.

Possibly he was held to be better than "garbage" because he was member of this exclusive club.

And he had some solid wins. As a welterweight fighting under the welterweight limit, he defeated Jimmy McLarnin in 1932, shortly before McLarnin won the welterweight title--McLarnin fought 14 world champions-Fidel LaBarba, Pancho Villa, Bud Taylor, Jackie Fields, Louis (kid) Kaplan, Sammy Mandell, Young Jack Thompson, Al Singer, Benny Leonard, Young Corbett III, Barney Ross, Tony Canzoneri, and Lou Ambers. The only one he never defeated was Brouillard.

In 1933, Brouillard moved up to the middleweight class and defeated Mickey Walker, giving away nine pounds. Neither of these were his title winning efforts. Those came via victories over Young Jack Thompson and Ben Jeby. He also defeated the tough Young Corbett III, and defeated Bob Olin twice early in 1934. Olin won the lightheavyweight title from Maxie Rosenbloom later that year. Brouillard also beat European lightheavy title claimants Gustav Roth and Adolph Heuser, and longtime top lightheavy contender Al Gainer. Frankly, this guy came fairly close to being a triple champion.

I remember Ted Carroll writing in Ring in the 1960's that Brouillard was one of the most underrated fighters. I agree with Carroll.

 

I agree:good