Luther McCarty

Certainly a big what if of heavyweight history. I consider him on a par with Ibeabuchi as a might have been.

 

Here is what McCarthy's manager said of him-

"Luther McCarty was a natural born fighter. He had only two years of ring experience. Never had seen a boxing bout until he was forced in as a substitute at a show he attended with some cowboy friends. Fate prevented him from proving what I claim for him, that he was the greatest heavyweight fighter of all time. He was a combination of speed, cleverness, gameness and hitting ability. Immune to punishment, loving the lust of battle, gifted with every physical requirement."

 

I wonder how much of McCarty was hype? Remember this was the white hope era of boxing and any white heavyweight who had a chance to defeat Johnson might have been over rated in the eyes of the press. McCarty was not undefeated before his fatal ring fight. GunBoat Smith beat more impressive fighters while Johnson was champion. Smith was White too, but he never got a shot.

How good was McCarty? Good. If he was very good Johnson could have avoided him too.

 

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If anyone is at all curious, here's an extensive writeup on McCarty's last fight (and plenty of other info on him too) as reported by The Calgary Herald on May 26th, 1913;

http://www.ourfutureourpast.ca/newspapr/np_page2.asp?code=n2op0462.jpg

That links you to page seven of the actual newspaper, but as you would expect, that unfortunate occurance also made the front page of the paper, as well, and you can find further reading there.

 

Janitor,

Smith was a definite white hope. The cyber boxing zone reports:

“Smith was lean, quick and crafty - and a sizzling hitter; He was a very good boxer who moved well and hit sharply with both hands; Slightly larger than a light heavyweight, he hit like a heavyweight

Smith was a White Hope of the teens who fought all-comers; From March 23, 1912 when he knocked out "Battling" Jack Brooks until he lost to Jim Coffey on November 29, 1915, he was a "hot item" in the heavyweight division; His list of opponents reads like a "Who's Who of the Teens"

Among those he defeated during his career were Jess Willard, Sam Langford, Battling Levinsky, Carl Morris, Frank Moran, "Fireman" Jim Flynn, "Bombardier" Billy Wells, Jim Stewart, Jim Savage, Tony Ross and George "Boer" Rodel

He won the White Heavyweight Championship in 1914 when he knocked out Arthur Pelkey; Six months later he lost the title to Georges Carpentier on an "ill-called" foul “


There you have it. While I agree that Johnson shrewdly picked and choose his “ white hopes “ , you have to admit that Smith was too good for Johnson to risk. If it were Moran, Ross, Willard, or Flynn who beat Smith, then Johnson might have given Gunboat Smith a title shot. As it was it was Smith who defeat these “ white hopes “. Johnson picked the losers that Smith beat. The history is there for us to read.

In addition to good size, and ability, Smith also had a good chin in his prime years. There is a reason Johnson never selected either Smith or McCarty. They were the best of the white hopes. Over time the meaning of words can change. White Hope meant a fighter was white and could not fight. Smith was only white. He was not a “ White Hope “. Smith could fight.

I gather you a big Johnson fan. Johnson’s body of work stands on its own.

 

The contrast in Pelkeys career before and after the McCarty fight is amazing.

http://www.boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=010593&cat=boxer

 

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Johnson did not draw well vs Flynn at all. A mere 9,000 or so saw the match. If Johnson had signed to fight GunBoat Smith in his adopted home town of Chicago, he’d fill Wrigley field. If Johnson had signed to fight Langford, Jeanette, or McVey in England or France, he would have a huge purse too. Langford. My point here is Johnson made his own fights as champion. The fact that he picked softer touches and left the more qualified fighters out in the cold says Johnson did more than draw a color line. He drew an ability line.