Why people hate Carnera...

That has high knock out percentage is supposedly due to the mob fixing fights for him. That's why boxing historians have such difficulty placing him anywhere. Second to Sonny Liston, Carnera has this sort of aura where people don't know what's real and what isn't.

 

I simply don't understand why ...

oh, wait ...

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'Hate' is a very strong word.
Personally, I've yet to encounter someone who even dislikes him.
I respect him for doing what he did, for the sort of man he was.
I doubt he was dishonourable. Maybe his handlers were, I'm not sure.
I'm glad he went on to have a successful wrestling career after boxing.
By the accounts of him I've read, he was a very pleasant, even charming, man.

As for his skills... well, not everyone is going to be that impressed.

 

I don't hate Primo. I just don't rate him to highly. I will say tho, he did well to get where he did with what he had.

 

Some of these girls were really hot!

 

Us Italians really do pull- women punch me in the face all the time they just can’t help it.

 

True and the same goes for men

 

Apparently ( and I stand to be corrected ) he was a strong man in a circus before he took to boxing. I’ve always wondered what he might have achieved if under different management and training conditions. The guy certainly had a lot of physical tools

 

We, across the pond are catching the US up, definitely.

 

Imagine what someone like Steward could've done with him.

 

He did, he had that strength. But it's a bit like Valuev, a big massive guy who can probably lift a car with one hand but when it comes to punching, not that impressive.
But, he did get to the top so in that respect he had what he needed.

 

Definitely. I hate to say it but the amount of young people we see now that are overweight, and I don't mean just a little, is disgusting. They surely can't be happy looking like that.

 

Primo Carnera likely suffered from Acromegaly- an over production of growth hormone from the pituitary gland. Most people that suffer from it, have increased strength but are often clumsy. Primo imo, was surprisingly nimble for someone with affliction. Now when I say increased strength - that doesn’t translate into punching power. But he was probably a very strong man hence the circus strongman routine.
Several notable wrestlers have had this disease- Andre the Giant, The big show, and Khalil.
Primo’s sheer size differential with most contemporaries of his era, would mask a lot of his deficiencies and enable him to outlast some fighters that were not great athletes.
N. Valuev also suffered the same disease. And again while clumsy and slow his sheer size led him to a somewhat successful career.

 

His size plays a role. He had monstrous size advantages on many of his best wins, Sharkey, Loughran, Levinsky, Uzcudon.
Also It’s hard to prepare for someone like Carnera. Just like it helped Valuev and wilder. There just are not many guys that height to be able to spar with to even get acclimated to the range issues.
Carnera gets undersold, almost every lineal champ is in the hall of fame except him. (Couple of others but not many, maybe Leon isn’t in etc) but yet He defeated Sharkey by ko, and all we have are rumors that Jack took a dive. 0 proof. Sharkey lived to the ripe old age of 94 and never once to anyone ever claim that the fight or knock out was not legit.
the boxing hall of fame has murderers in it, men that fixed fights and were caught doing it, and plenty other nefarious deeds by its participants. It’s not a choir boys gathering for sure. Take Holyfield, I’m a big fan, heart as huge as a mountain. But he clearly abused steroids...from his toes to his gargoyle head. Evander knowingly engaged in fights where he knew he was better than his opponents with out Peds and he used them anyway. He was risking other people’s health with his unfair advantage. Yet Holyfield is revered.
Then we have Primo whom is barred because the media decided to make an example of him as some sort of poster child for the mob. Some controlled doofus. By all accounts he was not in on the fixes, and by all accounts he respected the game. He always came in shape. And fought his heart out. Was he the best. No. Would he make my personal Hall of Fame no. But should he be in the ibhof yes. He was better than Braddock. He compiled a good record, defended the lineal title and fought through an injury when losing it. I say put him in, with the other 30s lineal champs.