that Black fighters couldn't take body shots. Was the notion based on a particular fighter or did it have zero merit what so ever?
They all gave the same response when asked about it. I don’t think anybody likes taking a shot to the body. I have encountered it in the black dynamite era a few times, including from some people who did not necessarily disrespect black fighters personally.
i read once that they said it about Peter jackson and he laughed and instructed his sparring partner to unload freely with body shots.
Probably goes back to the racist white supremacy myths of the 19th century/early 20th century about black athletes being "yellow"
There was a lot of stereotype about black athletes over the years. I recall in high school someone asking the hockey coach (who was also a science teacher) of why there are no black hockey players (we all heard the stereotype story that they had weak ankles). The coach said it straight. Because it was one of the most expensive sports to gear out for. Totally straight. An inner city kid - no matter his color - isn't going to be going out for a sport that he has to buy skates, gloves, shin pads, sticks, etc. As for boxing, it wasn't so much they were weak in the stomach, the body was the alternate. It was a very racist and very stereotyped answer we heard in the gyms. 'Because it was no use hitting them in the head.' Not very pleasant hearing that today. I didn't even like writing it. But that was the age-old myth.
das wus up. I think the inference was the blacks had nothing going on upstairs so you had to go to the body... Aren't we a lovely species?
In the '60's it was said that blacks couldn't take it to the body and that they lacked b alls, that blacks didn't like it in the trenches, on the opposite end it was said white guys couldn't punch, and couldn't fight. This was coming from old timers at the time. As everyone here knows it's all bs. All stereotypes are steeped in manure. Another myth which today is funny was that Mexicans couldn't punch and couldn't take it to the body. What a difference vid's make since that time to dispel all those dumb stereotypes.
Tony Zale's old sparring partner Leon Thompson swore up and down to me that you were wasting your time punching Mexicans in the head. He truly believed that their heads were harder than anyone else and that hitting them in the head produced no results and only damaged your hands. I thought his assertion was funny but totally ridiculous and didnt try to argue the point.
No one has provided any printed source in this thread yet, never mind the first one. If I'm honest, I've read the notion "blacks can't take body punches" almost exclusively on this forum rather than when I've been reading old newspaper articles. Although I probably did see it once or twice in contemporary newspaper sources.
Ali could take body shots all day. Sure dispelled that myth. Meanwhile he never resorted to body punching others.
