Who's The Oldest Fighter, You Admire?

Would add I have read a lot of books on the era over the years. It is the best I have read it covers a lot of the fighters of the day not just Richmond and you will certainly learn a few new snippets about the fighters of the day. I enjoyed reading about the testimonials of the day where money was raised for retired fighters and the exhibition fights that helped gave them a financial send off.

Yes I'm probably biased but it's a real shame a series hasn't been made about the fighters of the day be it Netflix, HBO or even the dear old BBC so much social history good and bad. Bill Richmond's story should be more widely known I really think it's a shame it isn't it's a story of rags to riches when so much film content is manufactured alongside Cribb you have true stories forgotten, not lost.

Dare I suggest it's a book you should request for your xmas stocking Mr Benson?

 

I'm unsure if this meets your criteria, but the fighter who was born longest ago that I feel I have a good enough understanding of to rank in my ATG p4p list, is Bob Fitzsimmons

 

I’m going with Bob Fitzsimmons. He was boxing’s first three division champion. Willing to fight everyone. A disciplined fighter who never neglected training. He also worked as a black smith while his boxing career was in progress. A true working man.

 

I suppose it's Greb for me, don't think I've ever seen him in a stinker.

 

The Baer/Galento/Nova series of fights was proof positive that if A beats B and B beats C then A will beat C.
Pretty gory too and I agree Baer vs Galento would've been worth listening too

 

No he never did look like a killer puncher.
Skinny and knock kneed, he looked anything but scary.

 

Other old time fighters who i admire, Jack Johnson, Owen Moran, Jem Driscoll, Stanley Ketchel, Kid McCoy, Ted kid Lewis, Georges Carpentier, Battling Nelson, Sam Langford, Jimmy Wilde among others

 

No, especially that solar plexus punch.

 

Mrs Fitzimmons watching Bob against Jim Corbett "Hit him in the slats,Bob!" Even thinking about it causes me pain!

 

Wasn't her name Rosie ? Apparently the boxing gloves were like driving mitts so next to no padding.
Getting hit with a good body shot is an awful awful feeling uggghhh

 

Yeah,Rosie. Barry McGuigan was a pretty tasty body puncher,was n't he?

 

I was never a big fan of either Jack Johnson or Jack Dempsey but watching unforgivable blackness on CBS America changed my mind for me on Johnson.
I already knew that the British home secretary, Winston Churchill was lobbied by the Archbishop of Canterbury and Lord Lonsdale to stop Johnson from defending his title in the UK vs Bombardier Billy Wells.
They feared the effect of seeing a black boxer standing over a fallen white boxer by the rest of the British Empire

 

Dutch Sam, probably.