Luis "King Kong" Ortiz v. Primo Carnera

Carnera just didn't have a lot of athletic ability. He was large and clumsy which accounts for some of his poor technique. He does try though and people try to make him out to be some sort of bum. His size alone makes him a tough matchup for that era.
Today I think the bigger more athletic heavies would make short work of him. But I don't dislike Dapreem I think he gets undersold a little

 

Like which? I see very very few moments where he is not punching cleanly, pushing off his back foot.

His jabs are obviously good strong jabs, because he's pushing off the back foot with good form.

Some of those straight punches are definitely making Joes job a bit harder though. They seemingly have little effect on Louis because Louis is young, durable, and energetic. Look at the way Louis punches. Look how his punches effect Carnera. They shake his body to the bone. When your body is primed for finesse hard hitting, like Louis, your mentality in regards to toughness, and the power you can withstand increases.

Think about Tyson at his best, his very best. If he gets jabbed by a SHW, it's not going to stop him. Its right snap his head back a little, like Carnera snaps Louis head back. But as soon as that happens, Louis/Tyson is thinking about their next aggressive attack.

Louis also parries and blocks many of the jabs coming his way.

 

He seemed like an incredible athlete to me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hl4rABHECOI&spfreload=1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7n5e7ig52ek

 

I think if there was one trait to improve Carnera on, it would be his defense.

 

Random clip I found. Look at him being mobbed in Italy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRI51eWDhLs

Crazy scenes

 

Here's some clear footage of Carnera sparring

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_cheuzqozE

I see good jab form, lateral movement, and strong punches. He holds his left a bit low for comfort, although this seems to be a common problem with many SHWs

At times he leans too much on his front foot for the jab, which is acceptable for modern boxing technique, but not something I personally like. In his fight films, he shows a much more dynamic range of different jabs he can throw, such as pushing off the back leg and lifting the front foot (a la Lewis) in the Louis fight.

 

To me, he has by far the best physique of any SHW in history.

Big legs. Huge chest. Massive arms, natural size, even proportions.

 

Klitschko lift his back leg when he punches too. Like Carnera, he doesn't do it all the time. I've seen Lewis do it a lot as well.

I would dispute that his jabs do little impact. The way his opponents heads snap from his jabs tell me they are doing their job.

I have a feeling that your admiration for some modern heavies blinds you from their moments of imperfection.

Every boxer has their imperfections. But when you call out all the flaws that your own same guys do, something is wrong...

 

I think you've just exposed yourself with this terrible comparison.

 

I love the Klitschkos. Those guys are legends, and some of the best boxers of all time.

But they're not on some different level than Carnera, who was an undisputed HW champion of boxing.

Some people here describe the Klitschkos with certain traits, you'd think they were as sharp as Muhammad Ali. And in the same breath, they'll say Carnera had no skill, and couldn't punch!

It's like you're insulting your own intelligence, when we have readily available footage of the fighters.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WL3cOBGjrbY


You're gonna sit here and tell me that Primo Carnera was a level below this guy in terms of skill and punching??

Then I feel bad for you. It means there's a lot of work to be done to separate your emotions of who you grew up watching, with some objective reality.

 

Really? You're picking a beaten down 41 year old Vitali to make the comparison.

Your bias is just unabated by logic.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_cheuzqozE

Look at Carneras footwork. He's keeping perfect balance jumping in and out, dancing on his toes, jumping into different angles. Gets no credit from the haters for it, even though it's incredibly impressive for a large SHW.

https://streamable.com/dw2e

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mXzrK14TlU

 

I knew someone would interpet it like that so look at my latest post.

Don't worry we can look at a younger Vitali too.

At least I don't call Vitali devoid of skill just because he doesn't have Muhammad Ali footwork. And you call me biased? Look at the posts in this thread lmao