One might not like Nat Fleischer today, but great tidbits of info in the article. 'MR. BOXING, HIMSELF' For once the cliché is justified. He is Nat Fleischer, and for more than 50 years he has chronicled, with love, hope and 40 million words, the glory and decline of the prize ring. https://www.si.com/vault/1962/08/06/616495/mr-boxing-himself
Thanks for the link to the Nat Fleischer article that appeared in Sports Illustrated. - Chuck Johnston
This was so much fun reading things by and about Nat after so many years since his passing. Nat deservedly has gotten a rap over his elevation of the fighters he saw and knew of in the first two decades of the twentieth, some who look awful on the film available, but there are subtle skills he was aware of that are almost non-existent today, feinting being one he mentioned in this article. Neither was Nat the pushover for all the greats of those days, of Terry McGovern whom he rated as the number 1 bantam ever until his passing and of whom he wrote a book, considering his ko of Joe Gans Nat wrote, Terry was good, he wasn't that good. Nat also had a signed confession from Jack Johnson stating he threw the Williard fight but Nat considered it something Jack did because he was in such need of cash at the time. Nat who said he saw Jack, Jeffries, Fitz etc. live thought of them heads and tails above the heavies who followed and I guess we can give this devoted lover of boxing some space there even though many of us think otherwise. Nat Fleisher, Nat Loubet, Sam Taub, Dan Daniels, they knew of those long gone days!
Interesting article. I'm imagining Fleischer's tale-telling in the voice of Higgins from Magnum P.I. (the original series). But I wonder... what happened to the Ring's archives? Did they get passed from owner to owner? And Ring had its Boxing Hall of Fame long before IBHOF in Canastota. Did Ring's HOF awards get passed to the current IBHOF? It would be a shame if Ring's HOF honors were lost to history.
Liked what he said about wrestlers.....that there some masterful wrestlers and they turned it into a joke, which was too bad.....the ring was great as you could see carneras, dempseys, johnsons, etc cast fists !!!, As well as ring back issues.
