If George Godfrey had been allowed to take part in the elimination tournament of 1929?

SuzieQ49 · Apr 10, 2018

edward morbius said: ↑

I just watched the you tube version of this fight three times.

On Godfrey, I don't see much to get excited about. He was big and strong. Fast? Carnera was certainly faster on his feet and appeared to be faster with his hands. Skilled? I didn't see much. Godfrey carried his hands low and plodded forward. His punches seemed mostly one at a time. Even Carnera showed better combinations. I noticed in the 3rd and 4th rounds Carnera was stepping back quickly and throwing left-right-left punches for which Godfrey didn't seem to have much of an answer. Jab? I didn't see one very often from Godfrey. Carnera had the jab and it seemed to get more effective as the fight dragged on. Inside fighting? Carnera appeared to get the best of the inside work.

Wearing cuffs? On what can we base a judgment as we don't have any other films of Godfrey? He certainly appeared to be throwing overhand rights and left hooks with serious intent. So what we are seeing might well be all there is. I have no way of discerning if Godfrey looks this ordinary because he is tanking the fight, or if this is the best he can do.

There are no films (that I know of) or victories out there to prove Godfrey clearly better than this.

The film on you tube is limited in that much of it from a long ways away, while the fighters occasionally move outside of the camera range. It is often hard to tell whether a punch lands effectively or not. To my eyes Godfrey was never hurt, nor was Carnera until the final low blow.

It is okay therefore to question Carnera's power, but Godfrey doesn't show KO power in this film either, unless one counts that last low blow.

Now with the caveats that I mentioned about the limitations of the film, I had it even after four, but Carnera seemed to me to be coming on. Godfrey was getting slower and less active.
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Godfrey did show up at a very overweight 255lb compared to his prime weight of 225lb in 1926

edward morbius · Apr 10, 2018

SuzieQ49 said: ↑

Godfrey did show up at a very overweight 255lb compared to his prime weight of 225lb in 1926
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One thing I would say about Godfrey. If he was utterly cynical about boxing and his place in it, who can blame him? The color line was not going away. No matter how much he worked and sweated, or how many dues he paid, in the end he was going to get screwed out of a title shot like Wills was. Tunney had been clear about never giving him a chance. You can hardly blame the guy if he didn't train much nor work all that hard on improving his technique.

The truth was, the better he made himself, the less his chances of ever getting a shot at the champion, if he in fact ever had any chance at all.

he grant · Apr 11, 2018

edward morbius said: ↑

"unlike Carnera he had over seventy KO's"

For his career Godfrey had 81 KO's in 126 fights for a 64.3%

Carnera had 71 KO's in 102 fights for a 69.6%

Few think, though, that Carnera was all that big a puncher at the top level. So my bottom line is Godfrey is another of these guys like Ratzleff, Comiskey, Gomez, etc. with impressive stats mainly against second-tier or worse competition. That he could knock out top men consistently is, I think, unproven.

"I sense he was just putting it out there . . . to me he looks like a guy coasting . . . just my take."

It can't be proven one way or another, but your hidden premise (he could have upped his performance) supplies your conclusion. I just doubt that premise and consider it total guesswork.
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I disagree.

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If George Godfrey had been allowed to take part in the elimination tournament of 1929?

SuzieQ49 The Manager Full Member

edward morbius Boxing Addict Full Member

he grant Historian/Film Maker

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If George Godfrey had been allowed to take part in the elimination tournament of 1929?

SuzieQ49 The Manager Full Member

edward morbius Boxing Addict Full Member

he grant Historian/Film Maker