Let's talk about George Godfrey

solid fighter and you offered a good summary. I don't know nearly as much as many but it's interesting that he may have made several fixed or shady fights, notably the inexplicable DQ to Carnera where, despite apparently dominating, he just drilled him in the balls Golota-style

 

Above all, he is an enigma.

One of those contenders who contemporary observers rave about, but when you look at his resume you just don't see it.

Larry Gains said that he was better than Jack Dempsey.

Dempsey himself said that he was the best contender in the world after Gene Tunney retired and also that he was more dangerous than Harry Wills.

It is obvious that he often wore the cuffs, and was held back from acheiving his full potential, due to the circumstances of his career. Beyond that it is hard to be sure how good he realy was, or how far he could have gone. Most of the top contenders wanted nothing to do with him, and the fact that he was not being managed to reach his maximum potential, meant that they always had a valid excuse for not facing him.

 

Yes he was one of the sparring partners for Dempsey,along with Bill Tate. Dempsey dropped him in training a couple of times.

 

A young Godfrey sparring with a mid 40's Johnson.

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He was big and powerful but also lazy. Based on his record you'd have to call him one of the dirtiest fighters of all time but it is possible that atleast some were fixes. "Playing ball" never helped out the big man as he never received a title shot.

Godfrey was good enough to beat solid professionals like Paulino Uzcudun, Larry Gains, Jim Maloney, Jack Roper, Tiger Jack Fox, Jack Renault so the man was no joke, even if not as good as he is said to have been.

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The loss to Risko ended arguably his best and most consistent run.

 

Training Godfrey may have been why Blackburn was so reluctant to be Joe Louis's trainer, as he felt no black heavyweight would ever be given a title shot after Jack Johnson's reign.

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With Dempsey.

 

TGA, is there any action footage of Godfrey that you're aware of aside from his match with Carnera?

 

If there is, I don't have it. But there's a lot I don't have. A couple of other posters may know better.

 

he think he was a guy with hand cuffs on for a lot of career

had the potental to be atg maybe
its hard to say

 

He was trained by Langford and Blackburn at different stages of his career. That wasn't the problem.

The problem is that he was managed by some serious sheisters, who were more interest in employing him in fixed fights than developing him as a contender. Like Primo Carnera, he never saw most of the money he was owed.

It didn't help that he was barely litterate so he could not keep tabs on what was happening. Despite this, he comes across as a much more inteligent man than given credit for.

 

Heard he was a massive puncher. Don't know how true that is.

 

"Godfrey was the best of them all. I've sparred with Dempsey and fought just about every good heavyweight out there and I will tell you, George Godfrey was the best. I was afraid of only two men in my life, My Father and George Godfrey."- Larry Gains