[GIF] Primo Carnera uses his size jab, but then Max Baer turns into a savage (HD)

It's absolutely a known a often used boxing technique/strategy. Tunney stated he found it very difficult to hit Dempsey with a solid blow to the chin. He stated that Jack not only kept his head moving via bobbing, weaving and slipping but at the same time his chin was tucked low and behind his shoulder. Only Dempseys forehead was any target at all.

 

Great film quality... Really helps appreciate the skills

 

This, too often Baer is dismissed as being defensively inept but the way he rolls with the shots and gets himself into position is clearly world class.

He's certainly no Pernell Whitaker but he's not quite the caveman people assume.

 

I was being sarcastic. The second clip posted in the thread showed Baer walking in with his hands low and his face open, with virtually no head movement or attempt to block any of the stiff punches Primo was throwing his way.

 

He did win this fight though so ultimately his punches did more damage than Primo's.

Being slick is not the be all and end all its about combining your physical attributes with your technical abilities and doing everything you can to win the fight.

 

I absolutely love watching the old clips. Yes, certain techniques have slightly changed since years gone by but it's still fascinating to watch guys like this. Ran than read about them, we can actually see the names of yesteryear in action.

 

The problem is that you posted the second clip to try to highlight Carnera's supposed talent because you apparently don't appreciate boxing technique well enough to recognize that the clip really just calls attention to Baer's (well known) tactical and technical shortcomings. Context might shed some light on just how awful Baer's technique was in the clip that you posted, but it still won't support the revisionism you're trying to engage in here.

And it's hard for me to believe that you are being sincere but, for the record, I certainly did not base my assessment of Baer's defensive acumen on a single streamable.

 

All of this is of course true. And we can discuss it without trying to recast Baer as something that he obviously was not...a defensively sound fighter.

 

Depends what you mean by defensively sound.

Was Primo able to consistently mount an effective offence against Baer? Not imo.

Obviously he isn't on the level of say Jersey Joe or Wladimir Klitschko who both had excellent defence. But compare his defence to say Riddick Bowe or Sonny Liston and it isn't left too far wanting.

 

Right...he couldn't be and fight his way to the top and win the heavyweight title. No, he wasn't a Whitaker, but he didn't need to be. He did what he did best...clobber opponents with that right hand...and employing simple but effective defensive techniques to protect his already sturdy as hell chin. He dedicated himself to what he did best instead of fearfully retreating and letting the given opponent assert his will and take the play away from him. Baer bided his time for periods vs Carnera and then unleashed his spectacular and deadly and effective offense in savage spurts. He did this quite well...and had Carnera himself actually call it a day before he got killed.

 

Anyone can look like Whitaker against the right opponent. Baer did what worked for him and he did it very well.

 

What makes Carnera "good" technically exactly? I see a tall guy with no sense of range, with awful reflexes and little accuracy. Adding insult to injury, Carnera had one of the worst chins in HW history. His own manager disclosed that Primo regularly got knocked down in sparring by guys 50 lbs lighter than him by "lightly tapping Primo on the chin".

 

So Carnera's inability to mount a better offense indicates that Baer was defensively sound? I think this depends on our appraisal of Carnera (and I suspect that mine is far less generous than yours) and whether we accept certain fundamental principles of boxing technique (as rules of thumb that can be deviated from when there are compelling reasons).

The thing is, Riddick Bowe is widely criticized for his lack of defensive acumen and ring smarts, and I still think he's miles beyond Baer on both fronts. But most modern fans are fine criticizing Bowe, unlike certain rose-colored lens wearing Classicists who choose to ignore the most basic principles of boxing in order to avoid criticizing their beloved heroes (Kentucky Cobra even went so far as to praise the defensive technique Baer used in marching in on Carnera like that).