Mike Jacobs Was Reluctant To Match Louis With Black Challengers

I want to emphasize I am just asking questions, not disputing anything, as for me these issues aren't that important.

Savold lost on a foul. As an American, this is for me the equivalent of a no contest. No knock on Savold. No credit to Woodcock. The only issue for me is if Savold deliberately fouled out, which would be a mark against him. Seems like the word is the ref was in the tank.

Oma was streaky. A winning streak followed by a losing streak. He was in one of his horrible losing streaks, and as a guy who often didn't train and had a glass jaw, even if Woodcock beat him on the level, it wouldn't mean much.

As for Woodcock, he looked a comer in 1946, but bad losses to second tier guys Mauriello, Baksi, and Savold establish his level.

Oma's comments seem over the top though. The film with Johnny Ralph shows Woodcock a pretty quick guy for a heavy with a fast and accurate right. Oma claims to have bet on his opponent and taken a dive. I might be a cynic, but I think skepticism about anything he says is warranted.

In other words, why accept as truth the word of a guy who throws fights?

Just my opinion and not anything to debate or argue about.

 

My conspiracy theory.

Perhaps Oma had agreed to take a dive in the sixth. The mob was betting the round. Oma didn't train and was playing around. But in the event he couldn't get to the sixth and was honestly KO'd by Woodcock in four. His "confession" was his attempt to excuse his failure to get to the sixth in the hope of convincing the mob not to fit him with cement booties for a swim in the English Channel.

I can believe that under the circumstances Oma left town as soon as he could grab a ticket.

I have no evidence, except circumstantial, but conspiracy theories are fun if one knows they are only theories.

*There is a film on the KO of Franco de Picolli by Wayne Bethea on you tube under
"Sirvizio speciale Incom E adesso povero De Picolli" I mention it because de Picolli's flopping around the ring looks fake. But I think there is little doubt the fight was on the level. de Picolli was an Olympic champion who seemed a comer. Bethea an American trial horse imported to pad his record. Hard to imagine a good reason for Franco to go into the tank. He was just exposed, as his KO loss to British trial horse Joe Bygraves in his next fight shows.