It looked like a very ugly bout based on the brief highlights that I've seen. The two men still embraced after the match was over and Galento looked surprisingly fresh after 14 rounds of action, calling out Louis after the match. Coming in at a relatively light weight of 224 pounds seemed to do him good. Galento was not an easy match for most heavyweights with a lenient referee willing to overlook his blatant fouling. Nova found it out in the worst way and a lot of wind was taken out of his sails by that 14 round brawl. He looked to be a bright prospect and a threat to Louis's title until then.
People focus on the fact that this bout was a foul fest, but I think that Galento did find Nova's number in this match. He seems to have had a lot of success countering Nova.
I was very impressed with Nova when I saw film of him against max baer. Going by the gate he drew against Joe Louis only time can have since erased how seriously Nova must have been taken going into that title fight. Lou took many bombs from Baer and toughed it out. I have read that even though Nova fell out with Ray Arcel when asked Ray still said something like "Lou Nova was a great fighter who would have given any heavyweight in history trouble."
Many of the newspaper reports seemed to be very impressed by Galento's performance. He was expected to lose and obviously came to fight in decent shape this time. It was the last time he was ever any good though. I think Joe Jacobs, his manager, died soon after, and it was all downhill from there.
Well, ....basically Galento just beat the **** out of Nova. Even Nova's "cosmetic punch" (thank you Joe Louis) couldn't help him.
lmao never heard that one. i remember reading he tried marketing his own soda and when interviewed about it and was asked 'what is your favourite drink?' instead of saying his new drink, louis answered 'coca cola'
Yep...my Dad never tired of telling me about that one..he heard it way back then on the radio...it was the "Joe Louis Punch",....and they asked Joe, as you said "what's your favorite drink?" and Joe said "Co-cola"...my Dad just loved that...he'd imitate Joe saying "co-cola"..
I read a piece by Ray Arcel in an old Ring Magazine. He made Nova sound like a guy who was very, very high strung and one that didn't have the natural disposition to be a figher. He claimed Nova nearly fainted when he touched gloves to start the Louis bout (I think I would have too) and that he was always fantastically conditioned but that he was also a threat to constantly run out of gas from being so tense in the ring. It was an interesting piece. he also wrote about how Bob Olin's mortal fear of JH Lewis helped Olin give the fight of his life even in losing.
