LaMotta and the mob

Fixed? Its plausible but Ive never heard anything about it. Part of LaMottas problem was he was so stubborn (he didnt want to pay a manager or trainer) and so independant. He wasnt really connected with anyone and wouldnt pay to have the "representation" needed to get the breaks. It was so bad the he actually started promoting his own shows himself. So nobody was doing him any favors. If any of his fights were fixed before he finally went to "the boys" cap in hand id guess it was without his knowledge and done for betting purposes or to further the career of the opponent by robbing him. In those loses he had i think most of those can be chalked up to the ridiculous struggles he had making weight. Not all of them of course, im not making excuses for him, sometimes you just meet a better fighter. I think by the time he got the title shot etc he was willing to do business with the mob because he was jaded, burned out, and knew with his style his days were rapidly fading. The Cerdan fight was sort of equivelant to the fotc for Frazier. Frazier chased an Ali fight for years and when finally climbed that mountain and accomplished that goal it was like the air was let out of that balloon. The edge was gone. I think you see hints of that with LaMotta prior to the title. I think the Cerdan fight, injury or no, was the last time LaMotta really put everything into his training and preparation. I think he made weight the right way and was in tip top shape. Strong, mean, aggressive, and lots of stamina. Once he won that title and climbed that mountain he was done. Thats my take. He certainly looks like a different fighter after the title than before. Hes slower, less aggressive, throws less punches, etc.

 

Its funny if you read the kefauver transcripts and/or watch the film they ask LaMotta if he purposely left the supposed spleen injury open for Fox to hit. LaMotta says something to the effect of "I didnt leave it open it was just there for him to hit but he never took advantage of it. He kept hitting to the head but that didnt hurt." The panel asked "It wasnt hurting when he hit you in the head" LaMotta said "well, i guess it wasnt pleasant. I had 175 pound slab of meat hitting me in the face, but no, it didnt bother me much." Lol! So he basically just stopped even pretending to fight back so the ref would step in.

 

I had no reason not to believe what Jake said here and Jake didn't need you, me or any other ham and eggers to believe anything one way or the other. He told things the way they were for himself.

 

Yep, thats how I've always seen it too, a clearly thrown fight against someone Jake found totally inept.

 

Lets just all admit it, this fight was fixed... Fox was a nobody and if a nobody beats a prime great you just have to raise your eyebrows and sigh that something was happening that stinks.... like fights in Chechnya (wonder if they will give Chagaev the loser his belt back, yep something real fishy about these Chechnyan's, watch out for your school kids Russia)

 

He told things the way he imagined them in his mind, like many other fighters do after fights they didn't win. Next-day reports don't confirm LaMotta's words. Fox wasn't master boxer, but he could hit very hard with his right.

 

Lol, you mean all the next day reports that said it was a fix? Jesus, talk about reaching to further your agenda. Even Fox admitted that the fight was probably fixed without his knowledge.

 

i think...unless someone can prove me wrong....billy fox is still alive today.

 

this is a scan from one of my magazines...

http://classicboxingsociety.blogspot.ie/2015/02/blog-post_56.html?spref=fb

 

I believe LaMotta said that Fox died in a home for the mentally ill years ago.

 

The story goes that the mob approached Robinson before the first Graziano fight. The plan was for Ray to let Rocky win the first fight, for Ray to win the second, the third fight was on the level. Ray said no thank you. The mob thought this would be a multi million dollar series in major ballparks. I cannot verify if it is true, can't remember who told me or where I read it. I think it was Malcolm Flash Gordon.

 

That story came from Dave Anderson's bio of Robinson and sounds an awful lot like what happened with Zale-Graziano. Where they had two back and forth wars and then suddenly in the third fight the older, shopworn Zale easily obliterates Graziano.

 

You're saying that Rocky threw the third Zale fight?

 

No Im saying its not impossible that Zale threw the second fight to Graziano and made Gaziano look better in the first fight than he had to given how easily he beat Rocky in the third fight and how Graziano struggled with top welterweights and rarely ever faced top middleweights. The guys entire legacy is based around two fights that were back and forth wars with an aging fighter well past his best and then suddenly in their third fight that aging, past it fighter just easily crushes Graziano. Not saying the series was fixed but in light of Mr. Grey's proposal to Robinson you can see it playing out that way.