Primo Carnera vs. Tommy Loughran

The most interesting thing about the fight, was Loughran's own take on it:

My manager and I had talked the thing over. He said, "What's going to be your biggest problem?" I said. "you know, Joe, it's throwing his weight on me in the clinches. We've got to get something together there to get him away from me. You think up something". Well he did and, jezz, it was very clever. After we weighed in he went out and bought a jar of the most sickingly sweet-smelling hair grease he could get. After we got our instructions in the center of the ring and we went back to the corner, he had taken this stuff out and put a big slab of it on the crown of my head. As soon as we'd go into a clinch, I'd put my head right up under Carnera's nose, and I still have pictures of Carnera, in sheer disgust, trying to shove me off.... from Peter Heller's "In This Corner", 1973.

After that, Loughran went on to bang the champ around, and had him on the verge of a knockout in both the 4th and 10th round... but when he failed to get the stoppage, he was robbed of the win, as he had agreed beforehand, that the crown could only change hands on a knockout. All according to Loughran himself, of course!

 

I've read Carnera stamped on Tommy's foot and broke his big toe and after that Loughran had it all to do lasting the distance.
The fact that Carnera with that huge weight advantage could not really make an impression with his punches is telling imo.
Acording to Loughran he never really lost a fight.
I'm sure Klompy would weigh in here with some inside nuggets of info ,but he appears to have gone the way of all flesh,why I know not.
"And then there were"-----

 

Yeah, I don't think, I've ever seen a boxer make up so many excuses, as he did in the Heller interview!

 

Klompy is no longer with us,he is no longer with anyone.He and Gallo Negro have both bitten the dust in the last 2 days.Is no one safe?lol

 

I would like to see more of this fight.

What we see is Carnera simply being too big and strong and cuffing Loughran around. While the announcer comments that Loughran out-boxed Carnera in the early rounds, the official scores had Loughran winning a total of five rounds on the three cards.

Loughran came into the fight as arguably one of the top two contenders with Baer, and had beaten Baer, Sharkey, and Levinsky. Off this film Carnera looks sloppy, but sheer size won him the fight.

Loughran knocking out Carnera seems more than a long shot. For all the talk about his weak chin, I don't think Carnera ever took the full count against anyone. He finished on his feet against Baer and Louis.

Too short to draw many conclusions, but thanks for posting.

 

Deontay Wilder wants a word, mate.

 

Imagine being permabanned for this...

 

I had a look at the reports in the Miami Herald and Miami Daily News. Both gave Loughran a lot of credit for his early success and lasting the distance with such a weight difference, but said Carnera won clearly.

He had some issues with Carnera's reach and tired in the second half. There was a decision rendered by the ref and two judges.

Loughran doesn't strike me as the most reliable, I remember he claimed he battered Dempsey in sparring which wasn't supported at all in the reports of them sparring.

 

Yes, I remember that too... and after reading the Heller Interview, I take everything coming from him with a pinch of salt.

Like I would with everything uttered by Don Jordan, by the way... his interview in the same book, must be just about the weirdest thing I've ever read!

 

?????

 

George Chuvalo raises you that.