When was LaMotta’s prime?

Discussion in 'Classic Boxing Forum' started by Melankomas, Oct 23, 2025 at 11:09 AM.


  1. Melankomas

    Melankomas Prime Jeffries would demolish a grizzly in 2 Full Member

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    I’ve seen some say we have no footage of a peak LaMotta (Outside of the DeJohn fight which was taken off of YouTube) cuz by the time he actually got his shot at the title he was on the decline. Is this true?
     
  2. robert ungurean

    robert ungurean Богдан Philadelphia Full Member

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  3. Mike Cannon

    Mike Cannon Boxing Addict Full Member

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    Hi Melankomas.
    I have myself have not seen that in print, or discussed at any stage during my time following boxing, not to say it isn't so, there are dozens of very knowledgeable posters that can answer that with the utmost alacrity, the two who I would say have a better take than most imo, would be @mcvey and @Greg Price99 their combined wealth of fights and fighters is insurmountable, and I find myself rarely disagreeing with pretty much all they write, imposters they are most certainly not.
    stay safe buddy, chat soon.
    Mike.
     
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  4. Fogger

    Fogger Father, grandfather and big sports fan. Full Member

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    I certainly do not have the knowledge of many so I am going by what I see in BoxRec. I would say that LaMotta may have been at his best during the 16 fights between the infamous Billy Fox fight in 1947 and his 1951 loss to Ray Robinson.

    LaMotta was 14-2 in those 16 fights which included winning the middleweight belt and defending it a couple of times. LaMotta had just 30 knockouts in 106 career bouts but nine of them came during this 16 fight span.
     
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  5. Melankomas

    Melankomas Prime Jeffries would demolish a grizzly in 2 Full Member

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    But his competition was better during the war, when he beat Robinson, Bell, Williams, Zivic.
     
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  6. Greg Price99

    Greg Price99 Boxing Addict Full Member

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    I appreciate the kind words, Mike.

    I don't consider myself an authority on LaMotta's career, but for what it's worth, I think he was still prime when he beat Cerdan. He may have been past his absolute peak by the time he lost it to SRR and almost certainly was after.
     
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  7. ETM

    ETM I thought I did enough to win. Full Member

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    Did the extreme weight fluctuations cut his prime short?
     
  8. Mike Cannon

    Mike Cannon Boxing Addict Full Member

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    Hi Greg.
    Your more than welcome, I tell it like it is, and I am in full agreement with your thought process.
    stay safe buddy, chat soon.
    Mike.
     
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  9. Greg Price99

    Greg Price99 Boxing Addict Full Member

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    I genuinely don't think we can know for certain, but it's worth bearing in mind his weight fluctuations from one fight to the next, aren't as extreme as some fighters from one day to the next in the day before fight weigh in era.
     
  10. JackSilver

    JackSilver Boxing Addict Full Member

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    When raging bull came out. He was never more famous or as more highly thought off as a boxer as when that came out