Jersey Joe Walcott - An Alternative View.

Several of the rounds availailable are just highlights.How can anyone who hasn't see the full fight, say it was a robbery?
You would have to have a serious agenda to say so.

Louis on national TV, sitting next to Walcott said he had no doubt that he won,and he said the same thing in his autobiography.

Referee: Ruby Goldstein 6-7

• Judge: Frank Forbes 8-6

• Judge: Marty Monroe 9-6

 

Well, knockdowns are more memorable than often "lazy" action. Most casuals didn't probably even score this fight, they just remembered KDs at the end.

Which shows that this fight was close.

I am not that convinced, overall probably yes but Walcott was weak at the end of fight. He was run away from Louis.
Overall it looks quite close to me, although KDs are definitely important.

As mcvey said, Louis thought he won this fight. Besides, looking at fighter reaction just after long and tough fight means nothing. Many boxers thought they won and it wasn't close.

 

I think it would move him up some more but wouldn’t take away his chinyness.

 

Walcott surrendering in the 2nd Marciano fight keeps him down, imo.

 

Think that’s unfair to say he surrendered when he never did that in his career. After the KO he suffered his chin could have only been far worse Id imagine. Although the optics admittedly look bad even if it was just incompetence.

 

Eighteen minutes of a 45 minute fight is not, "a lot of film".

 

Walcott was beat before he entered the ring.His corner said they couldn't get a word out of him the day of the fight his trainer tried to discuss tactics with him, but he said just froze up,he was a zombie.
Walcott didn't protest until he heard the cacophony of boos, then he stamped his feet and pantomimed outrage.
If he had quit after the first fight,where he had put up such a courageous fight ,his rep would have stayed solid imo.

 

No it's not but IMO those 18 min JJ is having his way with Louis. Louis is always a step behind through in the knock downs and it looks like all JJW. But again that's what I'm assuming.

 

Whose to say that for the other 27 minutes Louis didn't look equally as dominant?
I'm not going to call a fight a robbery on the basis of 18m minutes of edited highlights.
Even the sole official who voted for Walcott ,Goldstein the referee, only gave it to him by one round!
A fight that close is never a robbery imo, Hagler v Leonard .GGG v Alvarez for two examples.
imo The underdog doing unexpectedly well against the heavy favourite may well have prompted the way the result was received by the crowd.

 

Walcott also said Louis apologised to him and admitted he lost to Walcott. I believe JJW here and I don't believe Louis because:

The main highlights of the fight we see Walcott dominate Louis.

The crowd boo

2/3 of the press had Walcott winning when Louis is the Golden Boy

It's beyond obvious Louis got a gift in the first fight

 

???

Two knockdowns is not lazy action.

Walcott dominated the highlights.

A ringside poll of 32 boxing writers ( not casual fans ) who saw it live at ringside had 21 scoring the bout for Walcott, ten scoring it for Louis and one calling it a draw. 21-10 is not close.

Louis did not look like the winner., "Louis was so disgusted by his performance that he attempted to leave the ring as soon as the fight ended, but he was restrained by his handlers. " This doesn't sound like a person who felt he won the fight. What Mcvey is saying means little, which winner have you ever heard on bad decision says I felt I lost? Zero. Supposedly Louis said you won it to Walcott

 

You get it.

Walcott also said Louis apologized to him and admitted he lost to Walcott. I believe JJW here. Yes, that was the quote I was looking for.

 

Given the 18:45 of film, which was spread over many rounds, maybe Louis won 3:00 minutes of it. Add in two knockdowns, and the press at hand voting 21-10-1 in favor of Walcott and what leg is left to stand on?

Walcott probably looked the better in the more tame parts for the fight. Louis was not winning the ring generalship in the show footage.

Louis was a 10-1 favorite. His manager was mob connected for numbers, and they fought in a building Louis was familiar with. Might this matter?

 

Budd Schulberg referred to this in relation to the Hagler-Leonard fight, where people thought the underdog was doing better than he was simply because he wasn't being obliterated, as everyone had expected.

If you look at the press scorecards, a lot of them were basically a one round swing from being a draw or Louis win, so hardly robbery of the century.