One thing that happened is that he left the light-heavyweight division and got crushed in the era before steroids. Unlike Holyfield, he couldn't beef up. Doug Jones was caught in the same situation. So were Bob Foster, Harold Johnson, and Willie Pastrano. They all tried the heavyweight division, but they were smart enough to back off and be satisfied with the light-heavyweight title.
Rouse was one solid fighter. If you were a boxing purist, his economy of motion was a thing of beauty to see.
I've been talking to a guy that was trained by Rouse as an amateur, fascinating memories. Joe Louis, Barney Ross, Henry Armstrong and Tony Galento were ringside for the Persol fight.
No offense meant, but that's a pretty good showing for Anaconda! I've seen Roger's Seattle fights with Eddie Cotton and Larry Buck .
