Is Ray Arcel the most credible boxing expert of the 20th century?

Not true. I've often heard fighters, Haye being one, say "I'd never heard of him." about fighters we all know. For example, Haye the other day discussing Joshua-Martin was talking about Martin winning the title and said he'd never heard of Glazkhov but looked him up and he apparently quite good.

And it's not difficult to know a lot about these fighters, or to know what they know, or to hang around "the scene". It's not a secretive world. I talk to active fighters all the time, that doesn't give me instant credibility.
Credibility can only be measured by whether what I (or you or anyone) says, is in line with the verifiable FACTS.

 

Fair enough.

Boxing expertise is probably what the most scientific, skilled and successful boxers have. ie. what they know about actual boxing. Demonstrated in a ring.

 

When it came to knowing fighters, how to train them , what worked and didn't work then yes. He was probably among the most knowledgeable.. If we're talking boxing trivia meaning facts, statistics, historical tidbits? Then that could be any number of people.

 

No, Scott Gilfoid is.

 

Certainly up there in many respects. However, what he possessed in first hand knowledge he lacked in objectivity. It is a time proven axiom in any study of history.

 

I always enjoyed listening to Ray Arcel talk about boxing. A lot of people don't know he tried to be a boxing promoter in the early days of television, but when Blinky Palermo and the IBC felt he was trying to cut in on them they had a mob guy crack Arcel in the head with a lead pipe and he left boxing for many years. They effectively ran him off.

I always wondered what Arcel was thinking in the 70s, when Arcel was kind of enjoying his time as an elder statesman and one of the top trainers in the sport, and Blinky Palermo reemerged from prison, muscled in on Jimmy Young and tried to get back in the game.

 

As someone who trained and watched a slew of great fighters over a period of 50 years, Arcel was always someone worth listening to. As with any expert in any field, their opinions shouldn't always be accepted uncritically. Experts have their biases just like the rest of us and get it wrong all the time. Even Arcel made some strange calls like Graziano would beat Hagler and Freddie Steele was not a great fighter.

 

I always was curious on how many Dempsey he watched. I know his opinion on the guy but I think he didn't watch Dempsey that much tbh.

 

He watched Dempsey train many times. Based on his comments he knew Dempsey well. He was present at Dempseys second bout with Tunney at the very least. As a trainer living breathing and working all through those times he should be considered an expert of those times. Arcel never spoke about subjects he did not know of....no BS with Arcel ever.

 

Arcel never worked with the prime Benny Leonard , by the time he worked his corner Leonard was a broke, chubby ,welterweight trying to get a pension plan out of a comeback.

 

The only experts out there are the Bookmaker's.....

 

They are the most non-nostalgic and ones that generally have to prove their prognostication abilities continually in order to stay employed. The bed of laurels they are allowed to make is not very comfortable.

 

Actually Ray Arcel wasn`t involved with boxing at that time. He walked away from the game after being struck in the head with a lead pipe. Arcel had been promoting small club fights but somebody felt he was stepping on their toes

He was gone from boxing by the time Liston came on the scene until Peppermint Frazier came along. Then eventually he met Duran.

He may have still watched fights but he wasn`t working in boxing.

 

:good