" Call me out?" What, from behind a computer screen? Seamus is a guy who likes to be provocative ,that's why he comes on Classic and tells us the old guys are ****, what would **** him off the most is to be ignored. He's as harmless as you are charmless. You originally came on here, acting like the "Elder Statesman " telling us about all the historians you engage with , swiftly got denigrated to tyro fan boy ,and have never recovered the exalted position you , in reality, only held in your own mind. Mendacity and his daily bone, Jack Johnson.
I don't play "internet tough guy"... And I hate the old guys so much I put Sam Langford and Harry Greb in my top 5 all-time LB4LB list.
You're allright Seamus, we all need a poke in the eye with a sharp stick occasionally.This forum would be dead if we all sat around heartily agreeing with each other.:good Langford Greb? That would be an interesting match up, at around 170lbs.
Prince Peter Jackson preceed Johnson. Jackson fought James Corbett because the reigning John L. Sullivan wouldn't fight him because he was black. The match went 61 rounds before it was declared no contest because both boxers were too exhausted to continue History states that when Johnson won the title he visited Jackson's grave, his head stone reads "this was a man" Jackson was the best of his day.
I read a good bit about Jackson last night. There is no doubt that if use the testimony from piers method, he ranks as high as anyone. Quite ironic really, when you think about the times he lived in. Bob Fitzsimmons considered him his master, as did all the great Australian fighters. I have always been puzzled by the Goddard draw and thought that hurt his standings. I read last night, that Jackson was notable to train at all for the fight, as it was scheduled onshort notice and he had speaking and other engagements. Pretty brave just to take the fight. I have always read that Jackson bore no ill will towards Sullivan at all, and his beef was with Corbett. While i am not totally convinced that Jackson beats Sullivan prime for prime, i did read an interesting account of their meeting which seemed to indicate that on the occassion when Jackson and Sullivan did meet up, when Jackson was handling all comers in theUSA, John L Sullivan was no different to anyone else. I am not sure if that meant he won a sparring session, a barroom Brawl or if it was just a bit of controversial writings, but it is interesting. I tend to think that Jackson was probably the greatest fighter never to win the world title which is a pretty big statement. Although, he is a little like Dempsey, in that it is the statement of Contemporaries more than anything else that lifts his rating.
So was Tyson when he fought Berbick. The bottom line is that the hype behind McVea was huge at this point. He was "the only man who had a chance of beating Jeffries".
Thanks. A lot of times I play devil's advocate so we don't get involved in a great mutual appreciation society. Take a guy like Dempsey, I grew up thinking he was Godzilla. I still can't shake that perception of him. I average one book a year about him, often a re-read. But I still have doubts and questions as to how great he was or would be today.
Hollywood and, or at least Cable TV, needs to go ahead with two film projects of "Johnson" and "Dempsey." Let HBO handle one project and have Showtime do the other, but I know damn well that's asking way too much in 2010........ I have Jones in "The Great White Hope" and Treat Williams in "Dempsey" on tape, but them film efforts have gone old and stale..... MR.BILL I also want to do a fresh version of "Frankenstein" with Vitali Klitschko in the role as The Monster..... All in the respectful manner of Jack Pierce's make-up work that he did on Karloff back in '31....
I hear what you are saying, but neither of them dude's (Greb & Lang) are popular enough to catch the interest of the average ******* who likes movies, thus, no films being made there.... The hell is up with 3-D coming back? I saw "Jaws 3-D" and "Friday the 13th part # 3" in 3-D back in the early 80s....... It was kool at the time.... MR.BILL:bbb