I was top boxer/seldom lost dec.in 150 fights

Tiger Flowers?

 

good one but the weak chin makes me wonder. save for his knockout from langford i don't think he qualifies (and no shame in that loss)

 

thanks burt! hmmm...i'm gonna try this one without my books (and a few beers in me)

 

Hmmm...

 

i wanna say holman williams but he wasn't chinny dammit!

 

Tippy Larkin?

Perhaps it is unfair for an old croak like me to answer this sort of question.

 

not unfair at all, we need your knowledge here!

 

i bow to your knowledge...both you and old fogey (aptly named). so much to learn:-(

 

Burt, where would you rate Tippy's skills? Of all the old timers you saw, was he right up there? I remember Ray Arcel saying in the 70's if Tippy had a chin he'd still be champ today!

Also, in fairness to Graham, he probably did win a round or two

 

Tippy Larkin was a very good friend of mind. I took him to all the boxing functions around, in his last 10 years of his life. When he passed away, I gave the eulogy. I would have answered this question right off the bat BUT I just got back from the NJ Golden Gloves and I was asked to introduce Gerry Cooney. It was the 4th time since January that I have done so. Now, if I am not ring announcing, he tells the people that he wants me to introduce him. This past Tuesday, I went to Newark and met & talked to Larry Holmes, Joe Frazier, Buster Douglas and Michael Spinks. It's not every day that you can talk to 4 former World Heavyweight Champions.

 

The only tape I found on Tippy was with Graham. It was shot from the balcony but it does show the boxing skill Tippy had. I asked Ike Williams once, who was the best pure boxer he fought. He said without a doubt, Tippy Larkin. I said, you stopped him in the 4th round, he said, yes but he gave me a boxing lesson until I caught him. I also asked Ike who was the 1st boxer he fought as a Pro and he said it was Carmine Fatta. I told him that it wasn't, it was a guy by the name of Carmen Fotti. He said the record books say it was Fatta. I told him that it will be changed to Fotti because I also knew Fatta very well and I did my research and found out that it was Fotti. If you look at the Ring Record Book up to 1984, it does say Fatta, the last one 1986-87 says Fotti. We put up monuments in Garfield of Tippy and Trenton of Ike. They were both great guys as well as great boxers.