which itialian takes the interesting fight? i love jake but i think nino has too much for him in the boxing side of the fight while lamotta keeps going to the body then trying for the head. with minimal damage.
What would be an interesting fight. LaMotta is bigger and more busy and would bring on the pressure. Nino is the better boxer, more skilled and a better puncher. I don´t think we see a knockout here though. It depends who can dictate the pace and who establish himself as the ring general. If Benvenuti can keep it a boxing match, keep the distance and boxes Jake he wins. If LaMotta can get close and brawl him he wins. I think the latter happens more often.
Nino, ONLY if he came in at his very best, would box his way to a narrow decision..any other version of Nino would lose somewhat like he did to Dick Tiger..by decision. Benvenuti was better than a lot of posters give him credit for being..his only problem was being a bit erratic at times. At the near end of his career, just before getting clobbered by Monzon, ironically..he was rediscovering some power and seemed to be resurging as a fighter. When he was "on" and prepared, he usually redeemed himself in rematches vs guys who either beat him or came close to beating him..Griffith, Baird, Bethea, ...he flashed dramatic power vs Rodriguez and ko'ed the previously mentioned Baird and Bethea quite well...almost making you wonder if he was the same fighter who drew with and lost by tko two these two respectively. He had too many distractions at times in liking the good life and thus didn't always come in prepared in some of his fights, but again, when 100% he usually accounted very well for himself.
Benvenuti was a classy, intelligent guy as well as a great fighter. It's not mentioned very much anymore about how he revitalized boxing with his win over Griffith in '67. He was a colorful, glamorous, high class sort of guy who took up the slack for the sport when Ali was in exile.
lamotta was too strong and aggressive for benvenuti, the bronx bull would pressure during all the fight, nino might not do well his tactic of boxing. i can see lamotta winning once for sure. lamotta did beat robinson once and every fight was very close. robinson was faster, harder puncher and better than benvenuti in every department, lamotta might well beat him
Yeah, it would depend on which Nino showed up..it could very well be that Jake would beat him..wouldn't surprise me...but then Nino could very well avenge the loss in a rematch.
yes i agree they both would have chance, i go with lamotta 60/40 basing on his fights with robinson,and he was possibly the Physically strongest mw ever, his iron chin, his heart, his style of pressure. and he was very aggressive. of course benvenuti was more skilled but lamotta did beat robinson who was by far better than benvenuti..
There's truth in all you've said, but at the same time, don't make the latter day mistake of underrating and writing off the erratic but at times brilliant Benvenuti....especially in a rematch.
I think they'd probably split a series, it is a hard call and I think they'd be close bull-metador type fights