Rex Layne Highlight Reel!

serious question have you actually seen Layne vs Satterfield? One of the best heavyweight slugfests in history arguably . For you to say Satterfield “lost plenty of times” and not acknowledge the flush shots Layne took that others couldn’t..seems a bit of a super lazy opinion

This content is protected

In case you haven’t seen

 

Cleveland Williams couldn’t cope with such wallops.

 

@swagdelfadeel see, I told choklab is a fan

 

Nat Fleischer writing in Ring scored it 5-5. Jack Hurley scored it 6-4 for Layne. With Dempsey, they make up the three best boxing men at the fight, and none gave it to Charles. Layne seems to have been well ahead going into the 9th round, but Charles rallied.

I don't think it all that surprising that Layne might have come up with a supreme effort before a record crowd of hometown folks. And as he had outpointed Walcott, I think he had it in him to edge Charles on his best night.

Nat Fleischer in Ring--"In my opinion the fight was a draw. I handed Layne five rounds and six points and had the same tally for Charles."

 

Plenty of film on Layne. . He showed an excellent jab and a quick and accurate right. I thought he was surprisingly quick and tended to get off first even against top men. He certainly had a fighting heart. His defense was a real weakness, though. He was easy to hit. Layne was known for a very strong chin in his career prior to the Marciano fight (see the "coconut-like noggin" reference in the May, 1951 RING article) As his career went on, his chin seemed to weaken, a trend not unique to Layne among wide open fighters. The same happened to Tex Cobb (knocked out by Dee Collier in 1). Very few contenders can match wins over Walcott, Charles, Satterfield, and Thompson, even if he did burn out rather fast.


heres what the late Joe Rein had to say about layne

"Throw out the record book on Layne, he was a rugged brawler with a quick, very heavy right. As he got shopworn and discouraged, more and more, he got outworked and beaten down.

But, when he first raged out of Utah -- full of pisss and vinegar -- he'd have been a handful for anybody. He could crack with that right."



"Layne looms as the outstanding prospect west of the
Mississippi. He is a hard hitter... Layne has what it takes to be developed
into the next world heavyweight king. He can hit and has an abundance of
courage." - Nat Fleischer wrote in 1951



THE RIGHT LAYNE
By NAT LOUBET

REX LAYNE, heavyweight challenger, had just added another victim to his collection. Bob Satterfield, Chicagoan, had been raining punches off Rex's cocoanut-like noggin all night. The cherubic-faced Mormon from Lewiston, Utah, fondeled the sore spots. Satterifeld had been laid to rest in 2:56 of the eighth canto when Mark Conn, the arbiter, halted the contest with Bob helples from a short right to the jaw.
The bout had been an even-steven affair up to the knockout, although Layne had received all his punches in one locality- the cephalic, or, as the inmates of Stillman's Gym would have it, the kisser.
It was suggested right after the contest that Rex had youth, strength, could take and give it, had showed improvement in his boxing form since his last two Garden appearances against Jersey Joe Walcott and Cesar Brion, respectively, but that he was still green and needed much seasoning in the technique of boxing.
Marvin Jensen, the mink-raising guardian of Layne's ring fortunes, rushed to the defense. "He can box a lot better than he has shown since coming East. Did you see that boy punch? Ole Rex here sure has what it takes. He's full of fight.
"Yeah," someone said, "but how long will he be full of fight if he doesn't learn how to protect himself better?"
Rex interrupted: "A couple more fights like this and I'll be playing marbles," he quipped.
Regardless of his record, an enviable on of 32 fights with only one loss, that to Dave Whitlock whom he defeated in two other outings, it is clear that Rex will have his greatest trouble with fast men who can move around. He won't lose anything by picking up a little more polish in the finer points of boxing.

REX started his boxing career while a sergeant with the 187th Regiment of the 11th Airborne Division, located in the Asiatic theatre. He had enlisted in September, 1946, and was mustered out in March, 1948. In the interim, he won regimental and divisional titles. He came close to carrying home the bacon in the All-Japan tournaments in 1947 and 1948, and but a lad by the name of Howard Williams kept him fromachieving that end.
It wasn't until 1949 that Layne made the simon-pure "big time." In that year he won the National A.A.U. championship and a few months later turned professional. His amateur record stands at 26 fights, with only four losses.
After Layne's unimpressive win over Cesar Brion we were visited by the mild-mannered, bashful, boyish Rex and his enthusiastic manager, Jensen.
Jensen recounted the thrill in seeing the best of the breed come into its own; how he had thrilled in raising the best mink and now he was seeing "ole Rex" become a serious contender for heavyweight honors.
It was less than two years ago that THE RING picked Layne as a comer, and he has kept faith by making the grade.
A group had gathered and someone said, "Rex has a whale of a right, but why doesn't he use his left more?"
Jensen jumped into the breach. "Ole Rex here has a dandy of a left hand but he injured it in an early fight and only recently has he started to develop it again."
Rex cut in with: "That's right. My left is beginning to shape up again. I feel it in my gym workouts, and I'll be using it more as I go along."
In his fight with Satterfield, Rex showed improvement with that left, and better boxing form, but he is still way off in ring science and unless he learns how to protect himself, how to avoid powerful wallops such as he got in the Satterfield bout, he'll fail to reach his objective. He's too wide open for punishment.

JENSEN has been the butt of a great deal of criticism from New York scribes for the manner in which he has brought Layne along. His critics claim that his boy was too green for the likes of a Walcott; should never have been in with an awkward spoiler like Brion, and that Satterfield was too strong a puncher for the Utah youngster.
"He's being fed to the lions," has been the cry. But Layne has defeated all three, and by so doing, he is now in a spot to demand recognition as a top challenger. After all, success is what counts, and Layne has come through with victories. His T.N.T. sock and courage have done that for him.
Critics assert that Jensen has not had the experience in the pro league. Yes, he's developed a bevy of amateurs, but the manager of a big-time professional is different, has been the butt of the criticism.
Well, Jensen had to take more chances than other managers or else not get any matches at all for Layne. He was up against it and has won out. The choices that he accepted have all worked out well for Layne, despite the fact that the opposition was exceedingly tough.
Some claim that Layne must receive expert tutoring in boxing technique, tutorin that an old-timer must give. Well, Jensen has one of the best old-time managers in his corner in Joe Woodeman, former manager of Sam Langford, who should be able to advis properly.
We recall a conversation with Jensen prior to Layne's fight with Walcott in which he stated that he wasn't advancing the easy way. "I'm sure Walcott can be beaten by Rex. I've studied the movies of his previous fights and I know what I'm doing. He continued: "There's too much picking of opponents today. If a man wants to be champ he must prove that right by fighting the best."
Results talk, and Layne is up there, but we would like to see him taught more of the finer points. Continuing to take two to land one is likely to end as Layne himself stated: "A couple more fights like this and I'll be playing marbles."
We were shooting the bull a few days prior to the Satterfield affair. Someone made a crack about how Layne looked too young to be of age.
Joe Woodman said: "He'll be 23 in June." He turned to Layne, who was present. "Right?"
Rex said: "I was born June 7, 1928."
"What time?" someone joshed.
Someone else cut in: "Did you ever do anything else but fight for a living?"
"Sure," laughed Rex. "My father owns a farm in Lewiston and I worked on it until I went into the army."
"Say, Rex," interrupted a bystander, "you're not married, are yuh?"
--------- This goes into a lot of talk about Layne's family and whatever else, so I'll just cut to the end-------
We asked Joe Woodman, who has been close to the youngster, what kind of boy he is.
"A grand lad," said Joe. "He lives a clean life, trains hard and is a good family man-and don't forget... a darn good fighter."
The last time we saw Layne was the day after his fight with Satterfield, when he was in THE RING office with Jensen.
"What's you ambition?" Rex was asked.
"What a question to ask a fighter," he countered. I want to be a champ and some day have a restaurant of my own like Jack Dempsey."
Both Dempsey and Gene Tunney had seen Layne in his fight with Satterfield and were high on him. "Polish up his defense and you have a prospectivechamp," was their chorus.

 

These things are always tough to judge and while not disagreeing totally, there is another way to look at it. Thompson came out of 1949 rated the #3 heavyweight in the world. He lost a majority decision to John Holman in early 1950 and then lost a tight split decision to Frank Buford. Holman had knocked out Elmer Ray the previous year and Buford was good enough to defeat Clarence Henry rather easily a few months later. Layne then defeated Thompson in a unanimous decision. Henry later in the year also defeated Thompson in a unanimous decision and Thompson more or less retired. He would come back later and suffer another defeat. I don't know the exact ratings the month Layne fought Thompson, but Turkey certainly might have still been in the top ten. How far gone was he? It is really rather hard to say as he had only lost very close fights to two pretty tough fighters before losing more decisively to Layne. He never lost to any but pretty good or very good fighters.

 

Youve quoted two opinions and one of those was working for Charles for this fight... "highly dubious"/"robbery" potatoe/potato we both know what your point was. Get back to me when you can actually comment on the fight from experience.

 

Best breakdown of Layne I’ve seen

 

I said highly dubious and that was the press consensus.You inserted the word robbery.
So you have the fight, well bully for you ! You talk as though you were ringside alongside Jimmy Cannon and Red Smith, it does make me laugh at times .
I've never known you to make a post without injecting your own unique signature brand of sneering condescension to it.And that''s why,people can't stand you,its a shame because you have a lot to offer any forum.If you could just drop that, I know everything, you are privileged I deign to post here ,air of smug superiority you wear like a badge of honour. you might make a tolerable human being.
Why would I want to get back to you Mr Arrogant?

 

Yes I ve watched it and tonight I watched highlights of Charles v Layne 1 Layne looked slow to me and wide open and he was sold out after 9 rds.Nothing too wrong with Layne's chin his weakness was his flabby belly or so Charley Goldman said ,I guess he comes under the heading of good boxing people.Nat Loubet presided over the Ring during the US Championships scandal apart, from being Fleischer's son in law what other credentials did he have?

 

But Smith was a strong candidate for least skilled champion in boxing during his brief reign as the worst of several champions at 175.

 

Rex was a strong contender. No question about it.

Back then, if you didn’t win a title, and you were highly rated, you just carried on fighting other contenders until it basically ground you down.

And that’s what happened to Layne. He was good. But after losing to Rocky, Layne was continually matched as the gate keeper of the division.. and it’s hard to maintain a good record after that. Could happen to anyone.

 

And the relevance of the fact that a 20 years old ,late sub Williams was stopped by Satterfield is?

 

This content is protected

 

The press consensus? You mean the two accounts you had to read because you couldnt see the fight yourself? Sorry if you get butt hurt and think its condescending to talk down to you because you pontificate on a fight youve never seen and can only quote two accounts, one of which was from an employee of the loser of the fight. The confidence you place in your version of events deserves condescension.