Another new addition to my Youtube channel: [yt]3NMQF6ghSYQ[/yt] This footage is notable in not only is it one of the very few clips out there of a prime Zale, but it also shows a very underrated/overlooked fighter in Soose. At this time, Zale had recently skyrocketed out of semi-obscurity to the top of the boxing world by twice beating the highly regarded NBA champ Al Hostak, first in a non-title fight and then for his title. He was currently one of the hottest fighters in the sport. In his first fight since winning the title, he fought Soose in a non-title match. Soose was an unusual fighter with a very strange career. For starters, he was a college graduate. He was very tall (about 6' or 6'1") and lanky, yet was very gritty and durable, and in fact would never be stopped in his career. He had a relatively short but very successful career. From the very beginning, he was basically thrown to the wolves, fighting both ex-champ Babe Risko (who he KO'd) and leading contender Charley Burley (who he dropped a decision to) in just his first year as a pro. At this time, the MW title was split between Zale and Ken Overlin. Soose fought both of them in non-title fights back to back, and beat them both. Against Zale, he reportedly took some big bombs through the first couple of rounds, but then (as you see in the video above) used his boxing and defensive skills to blunt Zale's attack and pile up points with his jab to win a clear UD in Zale's hometown of Chicago. Soose now found himself in the very unusual situation of having beaten both claimants to a fractured title, but still not being rated himself as the top fighter in the division. It was inevitable that he would get a shot at one of the champion's titles, and he got it against Overlin, who he beat on points. Afterward, the boxing world was now eagerly awaiting a unification rematch between Zale and Soose, which would finally bring a single champion to the division for the first time in nearly a decade; and Soose would likely have been favored to win. However, the remainder of Soose's career was very disappointinga and anti-climactic. He fought a few non-title bouts, dropping a lopsided decision to Georgie Abrams (the third time in his career he had lost to him) and engaging in a strange and controversial fight with a supposedly washed up Ceferino Garcia, in which the referee stopped the fight after Soose suffered an eye injury and declared it a draw. With the megafight with Zale still looming, Soose shocked the boxing world by announcing that he could no longer make MW and vacated his share of the title without having defended it. Zale was then matched with Soose's conqueror Abrams for the vacant world title, and beat him to become unified champ. Soose only fought twice more after this. He moved up to LHW, and his debut was a smashing success as he outpointed Jimmy Reeves to put himself atop the LHW rankings. However, in his next fight he was upset by Jimmy Bivins, and after that he went into the military and never fought again. IMO, Soose looks a bit like a MW version of Michael Spinks, or perhaps a precursor to Monzon. He wasn't flashy or fancy, but very methodical and effective. He had a great jab, a solid right hand, and was a very good all-around technician. To back it up, he was tough and resilient. He seems like he had the potential to do so much more, but it seems like his dedication to the sport waned after winning the title. It's interesting to think how history might've been different had Soose been able to stay at MW and fight Zale for the title instead of Abrams. Is it possible the era of Tony Zale might never have begun?? :conf
BTW, I believe it was Soose who was quoted as saying every time Zale hit him in the body, it felt like someone was sticking a hot poker into him.
Thanks a lot My2Sense, i mean that. I agree with the Mike Sinks comparison by the way. I'd really like to see Ken Overlin as well, ever since i read Burley's book i was interested in both fighters.
Soose was one of those unsung quality performers of the past. I just havent ever dwelt too much on him, and maybe that should be corrected.
Cheers...Thx for the footage you've been putting up lately...It's great to finally see some of the clips I've wondered about.
I seen it before last year about. Because well I have this highlights. Pretty neat for a home video thing. IE Marciano Vingo I belive.