The Similarities Between Anthony Joshua and Primo Carnera

Discussion in 'Classic Boxing Forum' started by The Undefeated Lachbuster, Dec 26, 2018.



  1. The Undefeated Lachbuster

    The Undefeated Lachbuster I check this every now and then Full Member

    4,513
    7,028
    Jul 18, 2018
    Been thinking about this, the more i watch them, the more I notice the similarities


    1. Extremely muscular for their 6'6" frame. (Joshua around 240-250lbs, and Carnera 250-260lbs)

    2. A basic, functioning jab (nothing like Holmes' meterstick or Liston's sledgehammer)

    3. A good right cross that carries power

    4. A sneaky, rarely used but effective right uppercut

    5. A generally more defensive style until their opponent is hurt, switches to flurries

    6. Good power, not the hardest hitter in their generation but still can knock a man out

    7. Mediocre chin and stamina

    8. Corrupt owners, protected on their way to the top

    9. Would get absolutely destroyed by Joe Louis

    If anything, I'd say Carnera is a tad more athletic (some of his flexibility feats still freak me out), and Joshua is a bit better at the technical side of boxing.
     
  2. The Undefeated Lachbuster

    The Undefeated Lachbuster I check this every now and then Full Member

    4,513
    7,028
    Jul 18, 2018
    My favorite heavyweight rn is Big Baby Miller, actually. Tyson Fury is fun though

    Believe it or not, this post is more giving respect to Carnera (whos vastly underrated and overhated) rather than bashing joshua.

    I couldnt resist throwing in #9
     
  3. The Undefeated Lachbuster

    The Undefeated Lachbuster I check this every now and then Full Member

    4,513
    7,028
    Jul 18, 2018
    I think him vs Uysk would be a good fight as is. Usyk may need a tune up, however
     
    Colonel Sanders likes this.
  4. he grant

    he grant Historian/Film Maker Full Member

    24,225
    7,563
    Jul 15, 2008
    Come on .. not even Spesh ( Shout Out Gateway on FB ) would make such a comparison ... Joshua is a legit force while Carnera was a courageous but severely limited fighter.
     
  5. The Undefeated Lachbuster

    The Undefeated Lachbuster I check this every now and then Full Member

    4,513
    7,028
    Jul 18, 2018
    Carnera had to contend with Baer and Louis, two fighters I rank higher h2h than any current heavyweight. Not only that, but Carnera's management was more poor, with AJ having a successful amateur career and Carnera being dragged out of a circus and forced to learn as he went along.

    I'm not saying Carnera is Joshua's equivalent, I'm just pointing out the similarities that exist
     
    Balder likes this.
  6. he grant

    he grant Historian/Film Maker Full Member

    24,225
    7,563
    Jul 15, 2008
    You're over stating them.
     
    mrkoolkevin and PhillyPhan69 like this.
  7. Sting like a bean

    Sting like a bean Well-Known Member banned Full Member

    2,047
    1,581
    Apr 9, 2017
    Carnera was even bigger than Joshua by about twenty pounds - he weighed 268 in the photo below with Ray Impellittiere - but I think the similarities pretty much end with their size.

    [url]https://hunterboxing.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/carnera-v-impellittiere.jpg[/url]

    I will say Carnera is much faster and more agile than he's usually given credit for. He wasn't slow and he wasn't clumsy. At all. His actual faults were he couldn't take a punch that well and didn't have power commensurate to his massive size.
     
  8. Sting like a bean

    Sting like a bean Well-Known Member banned Full Member

    2,047
    1,581
    Apr 9, 2017
    What
    What's ironic to me is 212 pound Wilder hits harder than either but is much sloppier and less skilled than either. Joshua would starch Wilder or Carnera, I'm confident.
     
  9. The Undefeated Lachbuster

    The Undefeated Lachbuster I check this every now and then Full Member

    4,513
    7,028
    Jul 18, 2018
    Imo size doesnt mean anything past 180 so i think his power was alright

    [url]https://ibb.co/VNpMm4n[/url]

    [url]http://soloscacchi.altervista.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Primo-Carnera-09.jpg[/url]

    ^ Carnera looking absolutely shredded, around the 250s.

    I've seen carnera pull incredibly well executed philly shell counters due to reznick's brush ups. There was even a call for a "Juggernaut" division after he killed Earnie Schaaf
     
    Balder likes this.
  10. The Undefeated Lachbuster

    The Undefeated Lachbuster I check this every now and then Full Member

    4,513
    7,028
    Jul 18, 2018
    Whats ironic? The best HW punchers have always been in the 185-220 lbs range (Foreman, Shavers, Baer, Louis, Marciano, Dempsey, Williams, Morrison, etc)
     
  11. Sting like a bean

    Sting like a bean Well-Known Member banned Full Member

    2,047
    1,581
    Apr 9, 2017
    I think the lowest weight I recall seeing on boxrec was like just under 260. His size is often actually understated somewhat because he usually weighed significantly more than 260, and was was quite shredded against Impellittiere at just under 270.

    I remember reading somewhere that as a circus strongman he could lift a 265 pound dumbbell above his head with one hand, but that has to be an exaggeration. Nonetheless, it's pretty amazing the guy looked like that with no roids and presumably no weight training.
     
    Last edited: Dec 27, 2018
  12. Entaowed

    Entaowed Boxing Addict banned Full Member

    6,844
    4,106
    Dec 16, 2012
    Carnera was a pituitary giant, his bones & muscularity were all natural & even out of proportion to his 6'.5 1/2" height.
    Think about this; WHO even today when some of the biggest guys are on drugs-possibly most of them-was 268 of lean muscle.
    Imagine if he was on PEDs. And if he ate better & trained more systematically...

    But I see above he is described as both very flexible & underrated.
    How was he very flexible, what did he do?

    So what about all the fights that were allegedly fixed? It was more than a few, maybe a lot of them.
    Here is one view of them. He was tragically exploited, & believed his bouts were on the level.
    [url]http://fightland.vice.com/blog/the-hollywood-gangster-the-fix-and-the-man-mountain[/url]
     
  13. mrkoolkevin

    mrkoolkevin Never wrestle with pigs or argue with fools Full Member

    18,440
    9,487
    Jan 30, 2014
    I think Joshua has much better defensive technique, punching mechanics, and all-around skills than Carnera. And he hits significantly harder. More agile footwork too. And better defensive reflexes. But other than that, I can kind of see the resemblance.
     
  14. mrkoolkevin

    mrkoolkevin Never wrestle with pigs or argue with fools Full Member

    18,440
    9,487
    Jan 30, 2014
    How is Wilder less skilled or much sloppier than Carnera?
     
  15. escudo

    escudo Boxing Addict Full Member

    4,298
    4,597
    May 13, 2014
    Tyson Fury would box the ears off Baer, Aj would knock him out, Wilder would stop him on his feet. Baer was similar to Wilder, but lacked any way to bridge the range gap. Baer is not better than any of the current 3. He's Wilder with out the massive reach.