Was Lou Nova the Most Interesting Man in the World?

Boxing fans know that Nova fought Joe Louis for the heavyweight championship in a failed effort and took a horrific beating from Tony Galento in a foul-filled fight where he almost lost an eye from being thumbed (and was subsequently diagnosed with sepsis/blood poisoning).

He also beat Max Baer a couple of times and Tommy Farr.

Born in Los Angeles and later fighting out of Oakland, California, there was a lot more to Nova than that.

He played football and baseball in high school and also set a record in javelin throwing.

Nova was a national AAU boxing champ as an amateur and some bios (including Wikipedia, but without footnote) say he won a world amateur title.

His first fight with Baer is credited as the first televised heavyweight prizefight, a bout carried by a station in New York.

After boxing, he compiled nearly 50 combined TV and film credits and appeared in such hit shows as Bonanza, Get Smart and Colombo.

Out of the ring, he was a vegetarian and practiced yoga, making him about 100 years before his time. His yogi was a character who went by Oom the Magnificent, who is widely credited with introducing yoga to America.

For that time period, it would be hard to find a more interesting and eclectic personality. Today, he’d probably be just another Scientologist or something of the sort.

 

Training under the yogi, Nova claimed to have discovered/invented the Cosmic Punch (probably a promotional tactic). Joe Louis was asked about it after the fight and he said Nova only hit him with earth punches, haha.