P4P: Burley and/or Johnson?

Johnson was offered £3000 to fight Langford in London at the National Sporting Club, he received $5000 for turning up to waltz 6rds with Jack O Brien to a no dec ,in Philadelphia. Johnson was guaranteed $101,000 to fight Jeffries , in Reno Nevada,plus a cash signing bonus of $10,000 plus a 2/3rds split of the film rights with Jeffries.In 1909 Johnson was on a guarantee of $1,300 a week for appearing in Barney Gerards,"Atlantic Carnival", in New York . Why the Christ, would he want to sail over the Atlantic to take on Sam Langford for relative peanuts?

 

Moore was a late developer for several reasons, but ,in 1944 Moore was 32 years old he had engaged in 73 fights been rated no 4 at middleweight in 1940,no 1 in 42,no 10 in 43.
Burley was conceding 6lbs to Moore yet floored him 4 times ,to take an easy dec.I think it's an excellent win.

Oakland Billy Smith was certainly not a great fighter ,but a month previous to fighting Burley he had kod Lloyd Marshall in 9 rds ,Burley gave him 12 lbs and a hiding ,Smith was the California State Lhvy Champ.

Two years later Smith was good enough to draw with Archie Moore.

 

Okay, as long as you're not implying I disagree with you. I stated that Moore was very good rather than great back when Burley fought him, and that Smith was good, nothing more. Which you seem to agree with.

 

Not 'more equals better' at all. Burley is too often rated above fighters who not only beat more contenders, but more champions and more Hall of Famers, and better Hall of Famers. For such a high rating of top ten you'd expect Burley to have forty odd rated wins like Willie Pep did, not half of that.

Too much based on reputation or what could have been, for me, rather than what actually occurred.

 

Is that the biggest money he was offered to face Langford McV?

 

If you didn't want Mariti to vote on all the polls you should have included the option 'Both are below Monzon' :yep

 

Weren't the Hogue Bro's ranked? Shorty had wins over Archie Moore, Lloyd Marshall, Eddie Booker, Pacho

 

Without getting into an interminable fire fight with Mendoza, let me say that was the most purse money that was a cast iron offer.Newspapers talked about this match happening with quotes from either party and sums being bandied about but NO ONE has shown a concrete offer of any substantial amount .Johnson often reiterated, " two blacks don't draw".
I am not suggesting Johnson shouldn't have fought Langford again, just that the financial incentive was definitely not worth the risk.

 

That's mighty big of you.





[Been back 5 minutes, and causing trouble allready]

 

:huh

Anyway, you've always had a way of quoting me as though you're in opposition to what I've said, only to elaborate on the points I made.

 

You are a fine poster and a valuable asset to this Forum, but I have never intentionally stolen your thunder, methinks you doth protest too much.

 

I think you try too hard.

 

Is Ike your poster boy now?
I remember when you first came over the horizon, it was Hagler ,then Duran.
Not nitpicking,it is good that people change their opinions as they progress

Ike should be ranked above Burley ,because, he is the no 3 Light weight A.O.T. In front of Duran, and Light weight is one of ,if not THE deepest of divisions for talent.
Burley is ranked where at welter ,or middle?

Johnson is clearly on a different level to Burley,because he won the title, and cleaned out the division , before doing so, the fact that Burley did not is probably not his fault but ,was his road any tougher to walk than Johnson's.
There maybe an element of the "James Dean Syndrome "about Burley, if we had more footage of him,would he be ranked so highly?

Was he ,for example that much better than Williams,Marshall,or Cocoa Kid who is perceived as being a level below him?

Also, I find it possible that some of the bouts in the round robin of the "Murderers Row", may have had an element of "lets take it easy tonight" about them,ala Jeanette/McVey/Langford ?

Try too hard ? I don't try at all . You won't see me in any essay comps or elite splinter forums , this is light hearted entertainment,unless I am conversing with one of the numpties,I do it in my sleep ,as my punctuation often shows,my little,precocious one .Nighty night.:hi: