Has anyone got any information on this bout? also this looks to be a huge win by Berg and could possibly be one of the best ever by a british boxer. Any thoughtsd on this fight?
jp.dawson wrote in the new york times that berg inflicted on canzoneri the worst beating of his career, but the decision was not a ud.that is all i know at the moment. personally i think berg is very underrated
Bergs definitly underrated as far as i can gather Berg outworked Canzoneri but was in abit of trohble at some point in the fight but Berg definitly won in an amzing performance.
Accounts I've read say Berg won by a sizable margin. He reportedly started off tentatively in the first few rounds, then settled into his usual swarming infighting attack, and overwhelmed and outworked Canzoneri for most of the fight afterward. Berg has a very impressive resume, but wasn't really a classy-looking fighter. He won fights mainly with his sheer toughness and relentless swarming attack. He was considered one of the hottest and most feared fighters in boxing for a year or so, but his rematch with Canzoneri appeared to expose his limitations, after which his career (as well as his image as an "unstoppable" force) went sharply downhill. All things considered, I don't believe he rates on the level of the all time top lightweights and jr. welterweights. In some ways, he reminded me a bit of Margarito, not only in terms of style but also somewhat the pattern of his career. The way he was embarrassed in the rematch with Canzoneri reminds me of what Mosley did to Margarito, and the damage it did to his reputation was similar as well.
It's some beating if it's worse than the one McLarnin laid on him in a losing effort. Canzoneri was supposedly never the same again. Something like 30 stitches in his nose. Guy got shellacked.
It's possible Dawson had written his account right after the fight; in which case he meant that it was the worst beating Tony had ever received up to that time.
the third fight with canzoneri went the full 15,i think the 3rd ko loss was just a case of great punch and berg charging forward on to it,berg was a durable fighter and the best brittish light-welterweight of all-time .
thanks, was Berg in trouble early i did hear he was in trouble early? I like your middle paragraph he was a tough swarmer of a fighter who relied on his grit, workrate and strength. He wasnt called the Whitechapel Windmill for nothing. I watched a DVD called the 'The Story of Boxing' and it mentioned him going over to America and becomeing world reknoned and one of the most feared boxers of the era. Definitly a top Lightweight/Jr Welter. I think hes abit better than Margarito (well alot actually) i think hed be more like Henry Armstrong IMO. But i like the career comparison. You couldnt post any the reports if you still ahve them? if that was the winner, id hate to see the loser quite possibly but Canzoneri IMO was the class above Berg so could have easy out classed him for a KO victory with a good shot or combination as Berg wasnt the hardest to hit best british LWW? what about Hatton
Yes, he was reportedly staggered or hurt badly in the first round, but then came back a round or two later and dominated most of the rest of the fight by mauling and swarming all over Canzoneri. It was considered a great action fight, and most people felt he deserved a UD.
thanks. seemed a real good fight from what i have gathered but then again could a Berg fight be boring :think
The 2nd fight is on film in its entirety, and it shows Canzoneri clearly outclassing him from start to finish. The key was that Tony frustrated Berg's efforts to get in close and unleash his whirlwind attack. Whenever Berg would open up, Tony would duck and dodge out of the way in very James Toney-ish fashion, and then score some counterpunches. He showed that while Berg was a great infighter, he was not an effective long range fighter (despite being fairly tall and rangy) and somewhat one-dimensional. Eventually, Berg became increasingly frustrating, and as he came charging in in the 3rd round Tony landed that beautiful right-hand counter that left him lying flat on his face. It was a great win and performance by Canzoneri, who had been written off by some as "washed up" a year or so earlier and was actually the underdog coming into this fight.
He was better than Margo, but I'd say his fundamental style was closer to Margo's than Armstrong's. The reason being Armstrong was also a very skilled technician in addition to being a relentless swarmer, plus a fairly big puncher; whereas Berg was not particularly skilled and was strictly a swarmer.
I just got ahold of a ringside account of the fight. Here's some key points: "For action, excitement and savage, determined fighting the bout has not been excelled here in recent years. Fighting the most important ring struggle of his career, Berg rose to the occasion by giving Canzoneri one of the worst beatings he ever has experienced and winning the decision to the complete satisfaction of the crowd which jammed the Garden." "...The decision, however, should have been unanimous, for Berg clearly established his right to the award by carrying five of the ten rounds against three for Canzoneri. Two sessions were even. Berg, a tornado in action, survived a dangerous first round to come back fighting fearlessly and tirelessly and at a strength-sapping pace, flailing away with both hands in a ceaseless fire to win the second, fifth, seventh, eighth and ninth rounds beyond shadow of a doubt. Tony, meeting his rival's rushes with well directed, solidly placed jarring lefts and rights to the head and jaw, and painful stabs to the body, took the first session, and in rallies against the human windmill he was battling garnered also the fourth and sixth. In the third and in an exciting tenth, Tony held his foe even only by a superhuman effort. Courage and grim determination won for Berg in the final analysis. A light hitting fighter of the mauling type, who swarms all over a rival, driving and delivering punishing but not painful blows from all angles and in an unending stream, Berg simply overwhelmed and overcame the best that Canzoneri had to offer."
