Two-Ton Tony Galento vs Eric "Butterbean" Esch

• "One of the most disgraceful fights staged since the days of the barroom brawls. Referee George Blake . . . would have retained his reputation as a great referee had he disqualified Galento." (The Ring, December 1939, page 16)
• "Tony used everything but a blunt instrument on his dazed and bloody opponent. He heeled, thumbed, elbowed and back-handed the bewildered Nova as he lumbered to victory." -The Washington Evening Star

It was also ranked as the third dirtiest fight of all time.

On top of the eye gouging, elbowing, thumbing, etc he also kneed, headbutted him, and rabbit punched, Nova.

"But the spectacle of a barroom bruiser thumbing an opponent’s eyes rubbing the heel of his glove against gaping wounds butting elbowing and wrestling him to the mat isn’t a very edifying one particularly when the opponent is fighting cleanly Galento got away with every infraction the late Marquis of Queensberry wrote about and some of his own invention that hadn't even been thought of in the Marquis’ day."

https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-oakland-post-enquirer/159698083/

Sorry if I don't put much stock in Galento's "win", who should've been disqualified ten times over.

 

I didn’t watch Baer-Galento before I saw your comment so I decided to check it out, and I was honestly pretty surprised. Baer made it seem like they were a class apart and didn’t belong in the same ring skill wise, effortlessly and consistently ducking whatever Tony threw at him as well as checking his left hook with his right shoulder from time to time.

It was probably the most complimentary defensive performances I’ve seen from Baer, though it was still very much a Max Baer performance with his usual disregard for fundamental punching and overall erratic behaviour. Regardless, it does seem like Max could’ve utilized more skill but made a choice to fight the way he did for whatever reason.

 

You raise some good points Pat, I think we’ll always probably disagree on this but I’m glad you see what I mean. I think TG may have had an ugly style but that’s not really anything to me when he’s so proven, I’m not caught up in his beer belly either lol - technically I’d say TG was… “something” but he must’ve had a barbaric sort of cunning to win so many fights (and drop Louis) intelligence overcomes a lot and to do what he did, for as long as he did it must’ve required something between the ears… he was a thinking human getting hit wasn’t something he wanted to do, he was pretty good at smothering guys, sticking his head in the right place inside and wailing away high or low.
I think he must’ve had some pretty good timing to land such an ugly wide hook don’t you? Regardless he was VERY brave/combative which accounts for quite a bit at times.
You’re the trainer, I’m just a zany internet quarterback but I think over 100 professional fights(as a fighter trying to win with his style) however he did it puts him far above people like Rose or Butterbean, I couldn’t see either of those guys doing anything with TG weird to imagine but TG might outbox them in his own weird way.

EDIT: To be clear I don’t think he’s some unheralded awesome fighter who gets too much fleck, I’m just giving him his due as a contender far above Butterbean as a fighter IMO HOWEVER I don’t believe he does well overall against a majority of people who were ever ranked lol.