Tell us a novel thought about boxing history that we haven't heard before

Not sure if this is ‘novel’ enough, but: I think it’s entirely possible that Jake LaMotta’s win over Ray Robinson was fixed.

It was in Detroit, where Jake had mob ties. Ray was 40-0 and had a win over Jake already so there would be money to be made betting against Ray as the favorite.

The mob controlled boxing. Jake, according to Jake, had to throw a fight to get a title shot, so … (1) we know Jake did business with the mob (even if he claims it was reluctant), and (2) why wouldn’t Ray have to do the same to not get frozen out?

I’m not saying it’s a certainty. I am saying it defies logic to think Jake only had one fixed fight in his entire career. Who’s to say he didn’t feel indebted to the mob for doing him the favor some years before vs. Ray (making his career) so was more agreeable when it was his time to lay down? And the scoring in that win over Robinson sure was one-sided, considering Ray won in equally one-sided fashion like a few weeks later and beat Jake handily in their other meetings.

It’s a head-scratcher at best.

 

Correct.

 

I'm just going by the good old "Studies have shown" factual analysis.

Don't stab the messenger, killer!

 

Sometimes, Pat, the slab of meat jumps up and kills the butcher! Of course it was fixed.

 

Trying to avoid dipping into my own massive archives of posts and PMs to do this.

Before Jerry Quarry fully lapsed into full blown pugilistica dementia, he expressed that he and Mike simply weren't old enough to consent to what their father was making them do in order to fulfill his own fantasies. (Jerry died at 53, Mike at 55, while their parents, Jack and Arwanda lived to be 83 and 84 respectively.) With no boxing in his life, JQ might have become a world class scientist or barrister, an aspiration Robert "Rocket Scientist" Quarry reflected in his own nickname. (Jerry very definitely had the brains and powers of recall to do this, and the world might be a far better place for it.)

Guys like Larry Holmes, George Foreman, Marv Hagler and Tex Cobb retained their marbles in large part because they took up boxing as mature athletes. This was also true for the likes of Lyle and others in various weight divisions like Marciano and others who took up boxing in the military.

With Emile Griffith, this was also true, and Gil Clancy started by teaching him, "not how to box, but how to move."

In other social and legal contexts, there are specific ages of consent. This should also be done with boxing. No blows to the head before a certain age, either 18, or maybe 21, when the brain has finished developing.

Very few physical conditioning and training methodologies are superior to a boxing regimen, but hold off on repeated blows to the head until after a certain age has been reached for evading brain damage. As Billy Conn repeatedly said on early ESPN's Top Rank Boxing, "You're NOT supposed to get hit!" There are plenty of methods for conditioning young kids to never blink, flinch and keep their heads able to move for evading and minimizing the impact of head shots (as Antuofermo, Chuvalo and LaMotta so subtly did).

Pugilistica dementia would be sharply curtailed, and this might save boxing. Also, bring back the Championship Distance for enhancing physical conditioning, and with the lighter weights, encourage proper hydration for cushioning the brain with protective fluid. Might it also be possible among the lower weights to assure that a competitor cannot commence training until they're below the weight they'll be competing at like SRL always did when he opened his camps? (Of course it's always good and lucrative for somebody to always be in shape as a last minute substitute. This paid off mightily for Michael Spinks when he was able to substitute for Mike Rossman against Ramon Ranquello in the best jabbing display of the Jinx's career.)

On Duran, I've often wondered how he'd have done if always required to commence training like SRL, UNDER the weight limit El Cholo would be competing at.

 

most of the bare-knuckle era was dominated by aristocrats and nobles pursuing the science of self defense. it was an outlet for rich people to practice a sort of more common barbarianism that they weren't afforded in their lifestyle. controlled violence. wild to see how many bareknuckle era fighters were patron of and trained the elite.

 

The baddest man on the planet ever- I think is most likely Alexander Karelin (spelling?) it always bothered me that something so soft looking like grappling is the real “way of the warrior” so to speak and that Prime Mike Tyson is at the mercy of some teenage high school wrestlers in a street fight.

 

Those high school wrestlers don’t want none of Tokyo Douglas though.

 

George-Foreman-With-A-Parrot-On-His-Shoulder <<<<<<<< George-Foreman-With-A-Whole-Freaking-Live-Cow-Over-His-Shoulders.

And you didn’t even mention Montreal Duran. You’re still rusty from your hiatus.

 

Montreal Cross_Trainer >>>> Tokyo Cross_Trainer

 

It’s a state of mind.

I’m glad you’re back my friend. This forum is a far better and more interesting place with your particularly odd topics to spice things up.