Melio Bettina Forgotten Today

Also the AP and ringside reporter consensus favored Conn slightly in the draw affair.

 

Conn??

Whom did you mean?

 

Couldn't spell Bivins!

 

Back to Melino in the the 1940's, he has to be behind Louis, Walcott, Charles, Conn and Bivins. But the rest, Ray, Maxim, Mauriello, Baksi, Murray, Buddy Baer, Savold etc?

 

I find it hard to believe Tiger was at full strength. In the early hours of December 6, 1938, Fox was stabbed below the heart by a ten-inch razor blade by Edna Boyd after returning from a party. Fox was told initially that he would never fight again, however he returned two months later to face Melio Bettina in his unsuccessful bid for the title.

 

What I would notice about that list is that Bettina didn't fight any of them except for Conn and Bivins.

Nor did he fight Thompson, Pastor, Oma, or Woodcock.

Makes it hard to figure out where he rates. And his win over Bivins? Bivins was on a 4 losses in 7 fight run, losing to Franklin, Musto, and Pastor as well as Bettina.

 

They usually converted them back then. Most of the higher weights were converted, even up to Joe Frazier, they converted him and Cooney

 

Here's ultra rare footage of Bettina against Tony Zale in the amateurs:
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I agree, Bettina is an underrated/forgotten fighter. He was an awkward, even clumsy-looking fighter, but he was unquestionably tough, gutty, and could crack, and he knew how to use his southpaw stance to his advantage. He was a leading contender at both LHW and HW in the late '30s through mid '40s, and was considered a legitimate potential challenger for Joe Louis' title (and likely would've gotten a shot had it not been for the war). To put his status in perspective, he was often rated on par with his great arch rival Jimmy Bivins at both weights, and of course he ended up coming off even with him in their three-fight series. He also had two great action wars with another underrated HOFer in Fred Apostoli. They were important crossroads fights for both men, as both had recently been shorn of their respective titles, and Apostoli was looking for a big win to break him into the LHW class. In the first fight, Apostoli reportedly hit Bettina so hard that he did a somersault on the canvas. :shock: Bettina got back up and lasted the distance, losing on a close decision. In the rematch, Bettina reportedly battered Apostoli down the stretch and effectively ended his days as a top tier competitor.

I wouldn't argue with someone who rated Bettina in the all time top 20 or 25 of LHWs.