What is your favorite boxing friendship?

Discussion in 'Classic Boxing Forum' started by FreshPrince, Jul 26, 2015.


  1. FreshPrince

    FreshPrince Member Full Member

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    Not your favorite rivalry (another potential thread?), though some rivalries have not only become friendships but have become great friendships because, at least partially, of their respective rivalries.

    My favorite friendship has to be Schmeling-Louis. Everyone, by now, should know that Schmeling was far from the emblem of Nazism that Nazi Germany (and the American press) wrongfully made him out to be. He was always good to Louis, helped him with his money problems and even helped pay for his funeral. Such a stark contrast to the dramatic buildup and conclusion to their second fight.

    Here's a link to a picture of Louis and Schmeling together, after their boxing careers (sorry, don't know how to post pics): https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/94/Louis-schmeling-1971.jpg

    I also heard that Robinson and LaMotta were apparently buddies, as weird as that sounds. Patterson and Johansson were apparently friendly after their retirements.

    However, Such friendships seem to uncharacteristic in boxing. There seems to be many more bitter boxing rivalries and feuds instead.

    Anyone know of any more friendships?
     
  2. latineg

    latineg user of dude wipes Full Member

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    my dad and I are friends,

    my dad and I were both boxers and he used to kick the **** out of me when I was little, does that count?

    yes lets stick with Schmeling-Louis then :good
     
  3. janitor

    janitor VIP Member Full Member

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    I could thrown in Bob Fitzsimmons and Jim Jeffries.
     
  4. Rafaman

    Rafaman Active Member Full Member

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    Arguello and Pryor. They were real close friends.

    From the Dayton daily news article 2010- "Pryor truly misses his old friend and you saw that three weeks ago at the hall-of-fame banquet. In front of a convention center crowd in Syracuse, the beloved Pryor was called to the podium as the big screen behind the stage showed him stopping Antonio Cervantes to win the junior welterweight crown in 1980.
    “Yes, that’s good, but I would like to remember my friend Alexis Arguello tonight,” Pryor said before his voice faltered and he returned to his seat, wiping tears from his eyes."
     
  5. OvidsExile

    OvidsExile At a minimum, a huckleberry over your persimmon. Full Member

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    I imagine Norton and Frazier holding hands, skipping through a field of flowers.
     
  6. janitor

    janitor VIP Member Full Member

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    Although they hated each others guts when they were active, Sam Langford and Joe Walcott were reconciled later in life, and had a long running friendship.
     
  7. mcvey

    mcvey VIP Member Full Member

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    Jeffries and Tom Sharkey.
     
  8. Webbiano

    Webbiano Boxing Junkie Full Member

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    Daniel Mendoza and Sam McVea
     
  9. Unforgiven

    Unforgiven VIP Member banned Full Member

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    [yt]z1WWL8Sjqng[/yt]
     
  10. FreshPrince

    FreshPrince Member Full Member

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    LOL! you guys are hilarious.

    I didn't know about some of these other friendships though.
     
  11. SuzieQ49

    SuzieQ49 The Manager Full Member

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    Rocky Marciano Muhammad Ali

    "I became closer to Marciano than any white man I ever knew"- Ali
     
  12. albinored

    albinored Active Member Full Member

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    gatti and ward....
     
  13. Vince Voltage

    Vince Voltage Boxing Addict Full Member

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    Ali and Foreman eventually became friends.
     
  14. turpinr

    turpinr Boxing Junkie Full Member

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    Louis and Schmeling, Louis and Conn or even Louis and Liston
     
  15. Doco

    Doco Member Full Member

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    As said already gatti-ward. The had utmost respect for each other out of the ring and got on well, I'l hunt for the documentary on the trilog/afterwards and post it here, good watch.