Briscoe. Very underrated well rounded MW with great ability to use his bodyweight to roll and counter, heavy handed, would get the better inside and outside while matching Lamottas workrate
Was thinking of this the other day and wondering if it was ever done. Well here it is!. I'm taking Bennie and I know the LaMotta supporters will say I'm forgetting about his jab his strength ect ect. Dont matter to me I think Bennie outworks him and its Bennie that for once stays in his kitchen and not the other way around. Briscoe UD
The difference here is that Briscoe is much easier to hit cleanly than LaMotta. LaMotta also has the edge in skills here. Lamotta UD
Bad Bennie can't hurt Jake, then he can't beat Jake. I've seen some films of LaMotta where he did some fine boxing so I think he takes a UD, he's a small level above Bennie
I think Bennie Brisco is both under rated and over rated tbh. Some dismiss him entirely because of his record. Others hail him a great MW who was in the wrong era. The truth will be somewhere in between, as it always is. In his prime he went on a great run though from 70 to 77 he only lost to Griffith, Monzon and Valdes. All 3 are great MWs in their own right. LaMotta had a great run from 43 to 51 only really being mastered by Robinson. Some took decisions from him, but controversially, although he did the same tbf. And the Billy Fox fight doesn't count. Prime for prime, I strongly feel LaMotta was on another level to Briscoe and wins a hard fought but clear decision.
Ahh Lamotta being a class above myth, now aside from him ducking the probable best middlweight of his time in Charles Burley, let's look at his career, because he wasn't a class apart in his own era: Lolyd Marshall - 0-1 - Marshall spoke unfavourably about Lamotta as an opponent Ray Robinson - 1-5 - his sole win being over a 144lb Robinson Cerdan - 1-0. Lamotta fouled Cerdan in the first round throwing Cerdan to the throw dislocating his left shoulder. Cerdan fought on for 10 rounds with 1 functioning arm. Cerdan tragically died in an air disaster before the rematch. You can't fault Lamotta here but the win has a giant asterix next to it. Villemain - 1-1 - except the decision for Lamotta to win was considered such a robbery that the commision investigated whether it should be reversed - he's essentially lost both bouts Dauthuille - 1-1 - Lamotta was on the way to losing the second fight too before pulling off a come from behind KO win Yarosz - 1-0 - except The Ring thought Yarosz won: "Apparently influenced more by his threatening gestures and sporadic rallies than by the steady point-collecting jabs, hooks, uppercuts and straight rights of his opponent, the officials voted a unanimous decision to Jake LaMotta..over Tommy Yarosz." (The Ring, February 1949, page 43.) Bert Lytell - 1-0 - a split decision and Springs Toledo has found sources that not only was Lytell robbed but Lytell schooled Lamotta Zivic - 3-1 but 2 wins were split decisions against a welterweight Ossie Harris - 2-0 - but both split decisions against a journeyman.The first fight was reported to be a robbery in the local press. Basora - 2-1-1 - decent series for Lamotta Holman Williams - another SD, over a great but older member of the Murderer's Row. Holman was in his 177th fight and 34 years old. It still could of gone the other way
I dont think you want to start comparing the guys LaMotta lost to to the guys Briscoe lost to. Briscoe lost to several guys that he should have beaten if he were truly great. Briscoe failed to win a third of his fights, losing to guys like Vinales, Delima, Shaw, etc. He was struggling with guys at every stage of his career including in his prime that he should have beaten.
Lamotta only has a better record because he was a hometown boxer, in a racist pre civil right era where he got shedloads of hometown decisions. Briscoe drew with Monzon, Lamotta hasn't got anything on that level.