Most underrated British fighter.

thistle · Dec 28, 2022

KasimirKid said: ↑

Too often Don is remembered for his losses to Jimmy Slade and Randy Turpin as a light-heavy, for his pudgy physique as a heavyweight, and for his kayo losses to Marciano and in his two bouts afterward.

Cockell was most impressive during his 10-fight winning streak leading up to the Marciano fight. This was the period after his doctor told him his physique was naturally bulky and he should give up trying to make the light-heavy limit and let nature take its course. At this point, his career took off and he was able to concentrate on improving his craft instead of worrying about making weight.

After winning the British heavyweight title from Johnny Williams in May 1952, Don began to seek out world-class heavyweights. Of these fights, the three bouts with Harry Matthews and the one against Roland LaStarza stand out. The British Archive has an eight-minute version of the LaStarza match and the complete Cockell-Matthews II bout in London. The first and third Cockell-Matthews fights in Seattle were not filmed. Both LaStarza and Matthews were good boxers and Don won all four contests.

In their first fight on August 7, 1953 in Seattle, Matthews outboxed Cockell for eight rounds and was on his way to a decisive victory until the ninth when Don sent Harry to the canvas three times. Matthews rebounded to win the 10th, but Cockell was awarded a disputed split decision by the officials. Regardless of the controversy, Don was astute enough to study Harry’s style in the first eight rounds and capitalize on what he learned when the opportunity came after Matthews tired late in the bout.

Cockell fought LaStarza in London on March 30, 1954. By all accounts, it was a close fight. Not surprisingly, British journalists favored Don while the two New York reporters present (Barney Nagler and W. C. Heinz) favored LaStarza. Ring Magazine correspondent Johnny Sharpe and the AP and UP scribes each supported the referee’s decision in favor of Cockell. Since the film is incomplete, it is difficult to second guess these opinions, but a few things stand out about Cockell, namely his surprising mobility, hand speed and judgment of distance. Several times the camera caught Don deftly slipping LaStarza’s best right-hand bombs by a quick step back or shifting of the head and upper body.

Asked later by a correspondent his opinion of American fighters, Cockell said, “Matthews is the best fighter I have ever met. I fought one other American fighter of note, Roland LaStarza, and there’s no comparison. Matthews would kill LaStarza. Matthews is a much finer boxer, and I told our English pressmen after the LaStarza fight that Matthews was far superior. No question about it.”

Don’s admiration of Harry was borne out during their return bout in London on June 1, 1954. In the film, Cockell adopts the same mannerisms as Matthews, almost to the point where they seem to be facing mirror images of themselves. Both are wary, and there is not much to choose between them. Only in the fifth and 10th rounds did either fighter come to the fore. Don cornered Matthews in the fifth with a sustained attack that wobbled his knees. In the final round, Harry drove forward with a vicious attack to the body, shook Cockell up with a right to the jaw, and continued to stalk him until the end of the round. As it turned out, the slight superiority of Don’s offensive outburst compared with that of Matthews determined the fight’s outcome. An informal poll showed that a majority of newsmen had Cockell winning the fight by a fraction of a point, the closest possible margin under the British system.

Matthews’ comments prior to his third fight with Cockell in Seattle on August 7, 1954, provide additional evidence that Don’s experience with Harry was a major reason for the Brit’s improvement: "He looks awkward and slow, but actually he's as fast and shifty a big man as I ever fought. It's almost impossible to hit him with the three or four good successive punches that you need to dump him. I might add that he is no donkey, either. In the fight in London, I found him coming back at me with some of the same counters I had used against him (in our first fight) in Seattle."

In the third fight, Cockell showed continued improvement to the point where he took charge of the bout almost from the beginning. Matthews claimed to have strained his back in the third round, but even at that point, Don had already demonstrated that the night was going to be his by taking charge in the second and third rounds. Matthews hung on until the eighth round when he was unable to continue because of a partial paralysis in his leg apparently due to a nerve irritation in his back.

Cockell likely never could have defeated Marciano under the best of circumstances, but in San Francisco he was dealing with a stacked deck. In addition to enduring ridicule daily in the press about his weight and overall suitability as a challenger, the promoters refused to honor promises about his training quarters, the size of the ring, and the weight of the gloves. Once the fight began, the referee failed to issue warnings to Rocky for butting, punching below the belt, hitting after the bell, and striking Don while he was down. Writing on the bout’s eve as a special correspondent for the Seattle Times, Jack Hurley wrote that Don “has put on a bold front, but his defeatist attitude shows behind his false mask. As he surveys his surroundings, he certainly knows that almost nothing is in his favor.”

I personally discount the importance of Cockell’s two defeats after the Marciano fight in assessing Don’s abilities as a fighter. Undoubtedly, his disappointment carried over and affected his performance in those two fights. When he fought Valdes he weighed 13 pounds more than he did against Marciano. He obviously had given his all against Rocky and was in no frame of mind to start over.

My only point is this: if people want to judge Cockell’s ability as a fighter, they should judge him on the basis of his accomplishments during the prime years of his career and not the years before and after.
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Absolutely - they should judge him on the basis of his accomplishments during the prime years of his career and not the years before and after.

and it should be NO Other Way, and for ALL Fighters...

choklab · Dec 28, 2022

mcvey said: ↑

Cockell had 76 fights when he fought 48 fight Marciano how much more was there for him to learn about the game?
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That many rounds against a technician like Mathews would be beneficial to any fighter at just about any stage of their career.

As you know, providing the level of opposition improves, the more styles of opponents a fighter can overcome the more he learns. Kid Mathews had an advanced skill set. With Prolific experience.

Freddy Benson. · Dec 28, 2022

Glad to see others mentioned them

Steve Robinson
Dennis Andries.

mcvey · Dec 29, 2022

choklab said: ↑

That many rounds against a technician like Mathews would be beneficial to any fighter at just about any stage of their career.

As you know, providing the level of opposition improves, the more styles of opponents a fighter can overcome the more he learns. Kid Mathews had an advanced skill set. With Prolific experience.
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By my reckoning Mathews beat 3 ranked fighters,a washed up Charles no 10 God knows why
2 months later Charles was slung out against Dick Richardson for persistent holding for what was described as ,"the flop of the year".

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A face first Bob Murphy,no 3 at Lhvy,and Nardico no 3.

Wins over 3 ranked fighters in104 fights.

Cockell beat 2. Lastarza no4 , and Williams no 6.

2 ranked fighters in81 fights.
Cockell had 30lbs on Mathews for their 3 fights.

Mod-Mania · Dec 29, 2022

John Conteh and Duke McKenzie

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Most underrated British fighter.

thistle Boxing Junkie

choklab cocoon of horror Full Member

Freddy Benson. Active Member Full Member

mcvey VIP Member

Mod-Mania Boxing Addict Full Member