01.05.06 – By Lee Hayes: (Questions appear in parenthesis) (From Dylan Schmeyer: “Jack Johnson” – I have never been as fortunate as too see a single fight of this man. I want to know what made him such a high calibre fighter as to have merited inclusion into many heavyweight top 10. Was it his speed? Power? Sheer Skill?)
Hi Dylan,
First, let me thank you for sending in the first question to my new Boxing Mailbag. Also, let me mention that you ask an excellent question. Many people have not had the opportunity to see a lot of footage of Jack Johnson in action due to the quality of film at the time and lack thereof of such footage. What made Jack Johnson such a high calibre fighter had a lot to do with what he was capable of, and the time period that he came along at. Consider this…Johnson was named the “Galveston Giant”, yet he only stood 6’1 and weighted around 195lbs in his prime.
He was hugely muscled and an intimidating presence, not only because of his physical superiority to many men he fought at the time, but also because of his menacing glare and shinny gold tooth (which many old timers said was like a little target that he practically dared his opponents to take a swing at).
What you will undoubtedly read about whenever you come across a book or article on Jack, is his uncanny defensive ability. Now this is not to be confused with the type of defensive aptitude you may see in a Willie Pep, or a more modern defensive wizard such as Pernell Whitaker. Johnson’s defensive ability had more to do with anticipation of punches and having the quick reflexes to parry and block them in mid air. The reason why you will not see many fighters do this as effectively as Johnson was able to do now in the modern days of pugilism, is because in Johnson’s days, fighters mainly threw one or two punches at a time. As Mike Tyson often pointed out when discussing Jack Johnson, he would have had some difficulty fighting the more modern heavyweights, because they were trained to throw five or six punches at a time. And you cannot possibly catch or block that many blows.
Johnson was simply way beyond his years as far as ability and the science of the sport. It wasn’t just his ability to catch punches that made him an all-time great. He also faced an amazing quality of opponents, ranging from Bob Fitzsimmons, Jim J. Jefferies, Joe Choynski, Sam Langford, Stanley Ketchel, Joe Jeannette, Sam McVea, Marvin Hart, Tommy Burns and Philadelphia Jack O’Brien. That plus his speed was far superior to most if not all of his opponents. His chin was excellent, and so was his stamina. He was able to counter punch better than even the great Gentleman Jim Corbett, and he was quicker at jumping in on his opponents with multiple strikes too. He had vicious one punch power, however he often could not display it early in his career. Many Negro boxers from the pre-Johnson era had to hold back their KO ability (this includes great fighters like Sam Langford and Jack Johnson) because if they easily put away their opponents, they knew there was no chance they would be pitted against top caucasians fighters, and that they would probably be left toiling with fights amongst themselves for less pay and something they developed themselves called the “Negro Championship of the World”.
Also, many of the fights back then were decided by newspaper decisions, literally, the local newspaper would print who they believed won a fight the following day in their print. It’s hard to imagine such a practice today, and the Tom Foolery that took place often made the current mess with the alphabet belt organizations look kosher. So Johnson’s KO percentage over his career is in many ways misleading. What is not misleading is the fact that he was able to demonstrate consistent superiority over all of the great fighters of his time, be they black or white or anything in between. There was controversy surrounding his title losing effort against Jess Willard, as Johnson always claimed the photos of him laying on his back with arms crossed over his face was evidence that he was shading his eyes from the hot Havana sun.
I have had ample opportunity to review a fairly excellent copy of that fight, as well as several still frames of the KO and count, and I can say with relative certainty that Johnson was simply old, inactive and fighting under incredibly one sided circumstances. He had tried on several occasions early in the fight to put big Jess away and failed. And eventually, conditioning and Willard’s youthful physical strength over powered him. The final right hand that put Johnson out for the count was a devastating blow, and also happened to be Willard’s best punch. I personally rank Jack quite high on my all-time fighting list, because judging him based on how he would do against modern heavyweights is moot. I’m not so sure many of the modern heavyweights would have even survived in Johnson’s time period, let alone thrived in the world of boxing. Johnson simply dominated his entire competition, and did it with flair and style. He gets points for being the first black heavyweight champion, and for being at least as flamboyant as Muhammad Ali, perhaps even more so in some opinions.
I hope this answers your question, and I will be emailing you a small prize for asking the very first question on the launch of my East Side Boxing Mailbag.
(From BoxingFan:
Given your opinions on both Klitschko brothers, this might be somewhat difficult; however, I would like you to answer honestly and objectively. What would it take for you to finally give Wladimir Klitschko the respect he deserves? If Wladimir is able to unify the titles, would that be enough to finally drop all of the bias and hatred and admit that he is the best active heavyweight? Would you finally admit you were wrong about him?)
Hi BoxingFan,
Thanks for responding to my boxing mailbag.
Well, lets see…I do not hate Wladimir Klitschko. I have never hated him. I’ve said this on numerous occasions, however, people are going to believe whatever it is they want to believe. I believe I have already given Wladimir all the respect he deserves in boxing. Some of my articles regarding Wlad can rightfully be described as “biased” by Klitschko fans. I understand that, however, I have never understood the massive outcry regarding them. I write from a different perspective. Let me give you an example; When I wrote that I was picking Chris Byrd to beat Wladimir Klitschko, immediately I was told I was discriminating against Wlad because he was white, or because I hate Eastern Europeans (neither of which is true, even in the slightest). I was told that I was hating on Klitschko again. I was told this and that, and basically I was told how I thought and why. None of it was true. Had any of the people hurling those comments at me even asked -which they never seem to do, only tell me what I think and why- they would know that I have followed Chris Byrd’s career since his amateur days. That I’ve seen practically every fight he’s ever been in, and that I have always been a fan of what he is capable of bringing to a boxing ring.
I have also followed Wladimir Klitschko’s career. At first only fight by fight, but as his following grew and grew, I acquired fight after fight, amateur and professional until I now have what I believe to be one of the most complete Klitschko fight collections on the planet. I did this because I do the same for any popular fighter, or any fighter I believe has a ton of talent and potential. So my articles leading up to the fight between Chris and Wlad was written from the angle of a Byrd supporter. I felt that was the least I could do, especially considering the massive amount of Klitschko supporters writing articles, or making comments about how Wladimir was going to “kill” or “destroy” Chris, and taking insulting shots at Byrd and even his family. My article was written honestly, and from an alternative view point. I had no idea so many people would object to a different opinion.
I had liked a lot of what I had seen in Wladimir Klitschko when viewing his early career. I was not impressed by seeing him beat up on an ancient Ray Mercer, however I was very impressed with the kinds of combinations Wlad was able to pull off, particularly for a man his size. I actually believe then that he probably could give Lewis a rumble, however as I reviewed his list of opponents, and acquired more and more film footage, I realized the guy had actually never really been tested by a good puncher, and had basically always had his way, in what his own trainer Emanuel Steward described as “very controlled conditions” in Germany. I watched his fight with Ross Puritty several times, and I realized that he was just as flawed as anyone else, and nowhere near the sure fire champion he had been made out to be. Still, I had to respect his offensive game. It was, probably second to none at the time. I picked Wladimir to beat Corrie Sanders. I had been bragging about what he was capable of doing offensively to my wife for nearly an hour before the fight began.
Then I saw what you saw, and what all of the rest of us saw. One of the most devastating knock outs in heavyweight boxing history. Seeing a man Wlad’s size hit the canvas with a massive thud four times, in such a short period of time was a sight indeed. One that left a lasting impression on my mind. I was impressed with his post fight interview with Larry Merchant, where he stated he demanded a rematch and that a rematch with Sanders was his “right”. I fully expected Wlad to fight a tune up and go right after Corrie. Sanders had never really impressed me much, outside of his slug out with Hasim Rahman. Then, when it became apparent that Wlad had absolutely no intentions of rematching Corrie, I became extremely disappointed. Hearing Klitschko fans still go on about how great he was also disappointed me.
I’ve had to listen to some outrageous comments about the Klitschko’s and how they are better than Joe Louis, Muhammad Ali, George Foreman and Lennox Lewis. I find all of that talk incredibly insulting. The facts are that the best opponents that either Klitschko have ever faced were Chris Byrd, and Lennox Lewis. Byrd went 1-1(1) against them when they were both in their primes, and Byrd and Lennox combined far past their primes went 1-1, and that is just not impressive to me. They never fought the likes of Ike Ibeabuchi, David Tua, Andrew Golota, as well as about another dozen top heavyweights that fought while they had already accumulated 30 or so wins each. And listening to the way Klitschko fans disrespect Lewis in retirement and Chris Byrd over the last several years just helps add fuel to the fire.
Lennox Lewis is an all-time great fighter, and he fought Vitali near the age of 40. He looked worse than in any other fight he’s ever been in, yet he managed to gut it out and stop Vitali while he was in his absolute prime. He deserved to be respected for what he did in that fight, and Vitali deserved to be respected for putting up a pretty good scrap against an aging great. That’s not what happened, and Vitali himself disrespected Lewis after he decided to retire, constantly calling him out. (He’s STILL calling him out for Pete’s sake!) I can’t help but wonder how Vitali would feel if Hasim Rahman constantly called him out after he decided to retire. It’s absurd, and I took offense to it. I also take offense to Klitschko fanatics constantly insulting Chris Byrd, but then bragging about what a great win Wladimir had against him. Before their rematch, they were saying Byrd was “sh*t”, and that he hit like a girl, or featherweight. Those were the polite comments, which were rare to say the least.
Then, after Wladimir beat him, they act as if he just knocked out Muhammad Ali. That disgusts me. My problem has always been with the Klitshko fanatics, and if you’ve been reading my articles and comments as long as you claim, then you probably already should know this. I think they are WAY too overboard with their praise, and comparisons. They’ve gone as far as to pretend that neither Klitschko has ever even lost! I’m not even going to go in to how far some of the lesser intelligent contingent of their more maniacal fan base have steeped, but lets just say they have formed a possie of numbskulls that have spent far too much time concerned with my opinions, and not nearly enough on going to school or reading a book.
My assessment of the Klitschko’s is thus: Vitali was sturdy. He had a pretty good chin. He had a very nice straight right hand, and a fairly accurate jab. He cut too easily, and that would have shown more in his early career, had he not always insisted on fighting opponents that had little or no chance of even catching him with a good punch. He was able to knock out fighters that had never been knocked out before, and I give him props for that. He also showed heart against Lennox Lewis, although I have no doubts that Lewis was pouring it on and on the verge of stopping Vitali had their fight continued. I think he quit in his fight with Chris Byrd, and although he probably did get a tear in his shoulder during the fight, I believe he quit because he felt he was going to lose the way Wlad did against Puritty had he not surrendered. I believe he became a much better fighter during the last 2 years of his career. When things were going his way in the ring, he was a very good fighter, and a vicious puncher.
I do not give him much respect for the opponents he got away with fighting after Lennox Lewis, and I was extremely disappointed that he continually pulled out of his fights with Rahman, because I had been wishing for that fight long before it was ever announced that they might clash. Wladimir is one of the best offensive heavyweights I’ve seen since Mike Tyson was young. I do not think he is even close to being a complete fighter, although he showed some nice strides in his fight with Samuel Peter. I think his stamina is still shaky, when he fights with reckless abandon for the amount of punches he throws, but then again a lot of offensive power punches gas out. It’s not like Wlad is the first, or will be the last.
I think his chin is questionable, but I do not think it is as bad as it looked against Sanders, nor do I think it is as good as it looked against Peter. Probably somewhere in between. I like watching him fight because I think his fights are exciting. I’m glad he’s fighting better opposition, and I think Peter and Byrd were good quality opposition. I hope he continues fighting top quality opponents, and that is how he can gain my respect. I’d like to see him try unify the belts, but more importantly I’d like to see him fight top 15 fighters on a regular basis.
Again, thanks for the question
(From Ray Gordon Reid:
HI LEE RAY NUMBER 1 ACELINO OR RAHEEMY 2 OSCAR OR RICARDI MAYORGA 3 CHRISY BYRDY FIGHT OR RETIRE RGR 6245 BELL SOUTH RAY GORDON WAYCROSS GEORGIA JAN 11 1955 REID SENTON RUBY TUESDAY APRIL 25 AT 6.25 P.M)
Hi Ray,
I’m not sure I even had to print your name at the beginning of your letter, as your infamous elocution speaks for itself and I’m sure most of the readers of this mailbag recognized your style of writing anyway. Since this mailbag will be printed on Monday, May 1st, 2006, I’m not sure it would be fair to print my prediction on Acelino Freitas vs Zahir Raheem, however I had already made my pick clear before the bout, and that was Freitas by unanimous decision. He got a hard earned split majority decision instead. Zahir is an incredibly dirty fighter, and is very awkward. I’m glad Acelino won, because I always liked his style and punching power.
Raheem is going to find it even more difficult to find opponents now, because he’s talented, cagey, and I can’t imagine why anybody would put their fighter in with him after seeing the rough house tactics he used against Freitas during their fight this past Saturday. Oscar or Ricardo? Hmmm…I think logic says that Oscar should easily out point Mayorga. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if the fight was stopped because of a long flurry of punches by the Golden Boy. Oscar’s layoff could pose a problem, but Mayorga’s main two weapons are his punching power and his intimidation of his opponents. Neither should be a factor against De LaHoya. Oscar’s chin has always been excellent, and he has way too much experience to be intimidated by the wild swinging Nicaraguan. Oscar by unanimous decision or late stoppage.
(From “T-Bone”:
Hey raven aka lee hayes right. I always read and post on ESB my name is TYSON aka t-bone.Ive been fighting my whole life. I live in CANADA ont my amatuer record is 18-0 Im 19 years old and I fight at 150 pounds just wanted to say you’re a good writer and a much faster typer than me. I was curious have you ever boxed or been involved with the sweet science ? whos your favorite fighter?)
Hey T-Bone,
Thanks for the mailbag question. I was introduced to boxing at around the age of 5 or 6 by my grandfather. He boxed in the Canadian Navy, and was quite successful at it. I get my heigh from him, as he was around six foot six, however our body types couldn’t have been different. At his height, he fought anywhere between 165 and 185lbs. His arm span was fantastic. He had his nose smashed crooked by a former Canadian and world heavyweight champion, who was far past his prime, and happened to be visiting my grandfathers boat during an impromptu “exhibition”. He told me that even back then, he knew he was good as a Navy boxer, but that he had nowhere near the talent to make it as a world class professional. Probably a good choice, his nose really was a sight to see. My grandfather trained me from about that age of six.
He had a very extensive fight film collection. He had ancient film strips of all of the old time fighters, Jack Johnson, Jack Dempsey, Henry Armstrong, Rocky Maricano, Joe Louis, Jersey Joe Walcott. You name it. I was fortunate enough to inherit his collection. For the first year or even more, all he would teach me was balance and defence. I didn’t really care for it, I wanted to punch! But, I realized later they were necessary lessons, and I treasure them looking back. Anyway, eventually I competed as an amateur and was fairly successful against relatively easy opposition. I had a huge size advantage over everyone I fought. I won my first 11 amateur fights straight, and then I lost two in a row.
Both to men that were barely even heavyweights. I found that a guy around 5’11 and 200 lbs with a lot of guts and a really good beard, could get inside of my long reach and power and pressure me. I didn’t like guys that stood right in my chest clinching, because it was difficult to throw my best punches. After those two fights, I was very disheartened and I realized much like my grandfather many decades before that I could choose to be a mediocre boxer, and take a lot of lumps, but never be a world class pugilist, or, I could just enjoy the sport and follow it, but not pursue a pro career. I think I made the right decision. I ended up getting involved in martial arts at a very young age as well. I’ve since become a fairly knowledgeable boxing historian, and a fairly accomplished martial artist. I’ve studied several styles of Kung Fu, Muay Thai Kickboxing and Brazilian Jujitsu. Boxing is still my number one sport, and the skills I’ve acquired have helped me through out my mixed martial arts training.
Do you have any footage of any of your fights? I wouldn’t mind checking you out if you do.
Ha ha. Yeah, I type over 90 words a minute, so yeah…not many people can keep up.
I first came to East Side Boxing when I was doing research on Wilfredo Gomez, the great Puerto Rican power puncher, and I was unable to find the answer to one of my questions. I did several websearches, until finally I came across ESB. I was not only happy to find the answer I was looking for, but I found the layout of the site very…”cozy” and homey, lets say. After taking the information I gathered, I decided to browse the rest of the articles, and started using the comment options. I was very pleasantly surprised by all of the knowledgeable persons posting, and the debates that were taking place. I ummm…jumped right in, and…the rest is history. I’ve been to all of the other major boxing websites on the net, I’ve had memberships with a lot of them, however, none of them interest me as much as ESB has. I still think it is # 1. Also, I am friends with and familiar with many writers from other websites, and some that write for popular magazines. All of them have made it very clear to me that the editors of their sites not only have the right to dice and slice their work -taking out paragraphs and sentences where they see fit- but that they also have no problem with inserting their own words under the name of said writer without even asking for permission or offering a dialogue. I’ve always been free to speak my mind and opinions on ESB, and any time the administration of the site gets a complaint, or personally feels that something I’ve said should not be printed, we have a dialogue and work it out. For the most part, that never happens. To me, that is worth far more than a couple of dollars. If I didn’t have freedom to speak my mind, I’d be like any other hack you could read anywhere else on the net. Writing about how Tyson ruined his chance at being an all-time great, or how Rocky Marciano was too short and small to compete with modern heavyweights. I’ve never been interested in writing something you as a reader could pick up in any boxing publication, in the discount section of your local book store. Thanks again for your questions. p.s. – If you really feel strongly that I should be paid, feel free to take up a collection and email it to me through PayPal at leezraven@yahoo.com *laughs*
(From aka “lacyfan”/bertofan:
Dear Raven,
I would guess that your knowledge of the history of boxing extends into the business side of the sport. What things could potentially help boxing reach a broader audience? I would say if boxing could convert the casual fans or young fans into diehards, boxing could rise once again. Any ideas for the promoters, other than simply getting bigger match ups for PPVs? Thanks for your time. BertoFan)
Hey LF/BF,
Thanks for the question. There are the obvious things that would definitely help bring boxing to a broader audience. Things you read about or know, such as having a lot more free fights on cable TV. Never mind ABC, NBC and CBS broadcasting in the 70’s and 80’s, imagine what a treat it was in the 40’s and 50’s to have Gillette boxing on regularly as well as the other nationally broadcast boxing shows. Just think, Jersey Joe Walcott vs Rocky Marciano I was live, and free on TV for anybody interested to watch! I can’t imagine how exciting it would have been to sit down with my buddies and check out Sugar Ray Robinson battling whatever top middleweight opponent he was facing off against every other month, or watching all of Joe Louis’s matches live. Pay Per Views have single handedly ruined the ability for the sport to reach out to a wider audience range. How do you convince a couple of casual boxing fans, or potential new boxing fans to check out Oscar De La Hoya vs Ricardo Mayorga, when it’s going to cost them $50-$60 to see it in their homes?
Another facet of the problem is that Olympic boxing is not hyped like it once was. Everybody used to know who the gold medalists were coming out of the Olympics. Some say that the problem began when wearing headgear became mandatory, and they will point to the way Sugar Ray Leonard became a super star before he even turned pro, because his face was showcased nationally over and over again. Where as current fighters have no chance. It’s nearly impossible to make out who’s fighting, and that takes away the personable part of the sport. The lack of interest in the amateurs has also left no real reason for youth to pursue the pain game, because it has no instant gratification. It’s not like college basketball or football.
So, in my opinion, the first thing that has to happen is more free fights being showcased. ESPN has improved its lineup with their new budget for making bigger fights, but it would help if other programs didn’t require special cable packages such as Showtime or HBO. Not everybody has access to them, and this only hinders the international exposure. It also wouldn’t hurt if more fighters started making the rounds on talk shows and other media outlets. In the old days, legends from previous generations would come out and do a little publicity for a new young guy, and you just rarely if ever see that today. It’s great to see a familiar face putting their sign of approval on a new prospect, and it helps gather interest in the sport.
In regards to your comment about the promoters involvement, I would say that they need to quit out pricing their boxers, and insisting that every guy they signed with an outrageous signing bonus is a Pay Per View head liner. If you are going to insist on making somebody who is not marketable, such as Winky Wright a head liner for a Pay Per View, then you have to make the under cards all like multiple main events. As much as I disagree with a lot of Don Kings more questionable decisions in boxing, he’s always filled his cards (often over filled them) with several interesting fights. I just finished paying $30.00 Can. to see Wladimir Klitschko vs Chris Byrd and HBO didn’t even play a single other fight. I didn’t even get the post fight preview of Oscar De La Hoya vs Ricardo Mayorga. To me, if I’m shelling out that kind of cash, I want more than a single fight! Promoters should already know this.
Thanks again for the questions. Hope that helps.
(From Jon Johnson:
hey, I just wanted your opinion on the PPV events coming up. Is it worth $44.95 or so to get the mayorga-DLH? And on June 10th which PPV event will be more entertaining the Hopkins-Tarver or Malignaggi-Cotto)
Hey Jon,
Thanks for the questions. Is Oscar vs Ricardo worth $44.95? Maybe asking my wife is a better way to gauge it. I buy every single boxing and mixed martial arts pay per view my cable provider offers. Always have. I think it’s an interesting fight, and Mayorga isn’t the type to just fold or get KO’d easily, so it will be entertaining. Do you like either Oscar or Ricardo as a fighter? If you like either of them, or both, I’d say it’s probably worth it. A lot depends on your budget. If you know there are going to be several pay per views with in a month, and your choice is between a decent fight and a can’t fail blockbuster, the choice is a little easier.
Come June 10th, I expect to see a much more entertaining version of Bernard Hopkins than we’ve seen in his last several bouts. The reason is because Antonio Tarver is going to try to knock him out. He considers himself the “legend killer” or some nonsense like that, and I think he is really only interested in fighting the more risky opponents now that he knows they are far past their primes. Although Tarver himself is no spring chicken, in regards to ring wear, he definitely is. I think Hopkins is not going to have the pleasure of coasting through the first half of the fight, as he has over recent years, and I think it’s going to force B-Hop to fight a much more aggressive fight. I would be surprised if that fight goes the distance, despite both men having very good chins. If Tarver catches Bernard clean, at this stage in his career, he can stop him. If the fight goes past the mid rounds, I think Hopkins has superior stamina in the late rounds and it will be interesting.
My pick is Tarver, in an surprisingly exciting fight. I think Cotto vs Malignaggi will also be a very good fight, but if I recall that will be shown free (at least by my local sports channel provider). Malignaggi is a live opponent, and his foot movement and hand speed could fluster Miguel. He could upset him by simply staying on his toes for the entire fight. It’s a longshot, but stranger things have happened. More likely, however, the flashy Malignaggi will find Cotto’s pressure too much, and will eventually succumb to the Puerto Rican’s body shots and pressure. I’m not sure Paulie has the kind of power to keep Cotto off of him, but I am sure that Miguel has the punching power and heart to gut it out in the fight, and eventually wear Malignaggi down for a late stoppage or unanimous decision. My choice is Cotto to win. I can’t really say which is more exciting, because I find all boxing exciting unless it contains Derrick “Smoke” Gainer on the card. I’ll be watching one and recording the other, and that’s what I would recommend, if you have the facilities.
Thanks for the questions.
(From Easy:
Raven dude,
Who would beat Calzaghe from this list:
Taylor
Winky
Kessler
Johnson
Jones
Tarver
And why (why not) if you got time. :-)
Cheers my man.
Easy)
Hey Easy,
That’s a pretty tough question to answer. Calzaghe is very good, and he’s just coming off of the best win of his career. He’s even said himself that he’s never felt better in a fight, or more “on”. If he’s just hitting his peak now, then it seems that the only way he’s bound to lose, is if he moves up too far in weight and just ends up losing to another good fighter who happens to be bigger than himself. I think in all honesty that Roy Jones Jr. would have beaten him quite handedly when RJ was in his prime, and that is with no disrespect to Calzaghe. At this stage in their careers however, I can’t see any way Jones could win a fight with Joe. He would almost surely be stopped.
Winky Wright would make an interesting fight, but since Wright’s been a natural jr. Middleweight for almost his entire career, I think it would be asking a bit much of him to move up to the super middleweight division. I know Wright has been coming in heavier and heavier to all of his fights, but, lets face it, that 170lbs walk in weight for his bout with Sam Solimon did nothing to make anyone think Wright looks better the heavier he is. Middleweight should be his limit. If he insists on moving up to Super Middleweight to fight Calzaghe, I would have to make Joe a favorite to get a unanimous decision. I don’t think Winky is fast enough with all of that extra weight, to counter with Joe’s combinations.
Mikkel Kessler vs Joe Calzaghe is probably the fight to be made at Super Middleweight, and I think it would be wrong to completely count the undefeated Dane out. Mikkel doesn’t have anywhere near the pro experience to just straight out say he could defeat Joe, and my feeling is that Calzaghe would probably win a fairly unanimous decision should they fight. I’m not sure this fight will ever come off, but it’s definitely an interesting one, and another battle of undefeated super middleweights.
Glencoffe Johnson, well, this could be one of those fights where Calzaghe may find himself up against too big of an opponent. Sure, Joe would have a pretty decent skill advantage, and the speed advantage would be embarrassing, however, Roy Jones, even at the advanced stage of his career, had both of those advantages in spades against Glen, and none of it meant a thing because of Johnson’s refusal to quit or let up in a fight. He’s more skilled and ring smart than Jeff Lacy, and he’s not the kind of guy that only wings wide shots, as Lacy did. He could give Calzaghe one hell of a fight, and even though it’s hard to pick Johnson as a solid winner considering his inconsistent win/loss ratio over his career, I can’t help but feel if Joe moved up to light heavyweight, that Glencoffe would be a mistake to take as an opponent. Their styles just don’t match up well for Joe. Also, Johnson isn’t worth the risk for the payday.
I think both Antonio Tarver would have to be favored to beat Joe should Calzaghe move up to light heavyweight to face him. Tarver has deceptively fast hands for a light heavyweight and he throws his punches very straight and on the button. The absolute opposite of Lacy. It would be a competitive fight, and it’s possible that Joe guts it out for a decision, but I don’t think it’s likely. Calzaghe should remain a super middleweight in my opinion. I think he could probably finish off his career undefeated, still teaching lessons to the young talented men in the super middleweight division, and retiring an all-time great fighter. He would only be risking all of that for money if he ventured up, and I think because of his style, he would be at a pretty big disadvantage against the likes of Antonio and Johnson. I wouldn’t even be shocked to see Tarver stop him, and I don’t think it’s at all necessary to his legacy to take that risk. There are plenty of young fighters in the super middleweight division for Calzaghe to feast on that will pad his wallet and satisfy boxing purists for at least a few more years.
Finally, Jermaine Taylor. This is an interesting proposition, because Taylor would be moving up in weight (since Joe cannot make middleweight by my understanding) and due to Jermaine’s immense size as a middleweight, it almost seems a given this will eventually happen. The odd thing about the potential mega fight, is that I think Taylor would probably have the size advantage come fight night. Their styles are very contrasting, and unlike the style match ups I see with Calzaghe vs Tarver or Johnson, I think Joe is more competitive in this fight. It’s a “pick em” fight. I’d say even odds as to who would win. I think Taylor’s style is set to upset Calzaghe, with his jab on the outside and physical strength, but at the same time, Joe is a much better and craftier inside boxer. Dare I say “draw”!? It could happen.
Thanks for the questions.
(From Greg l:
I have cooled off after a couple of days from reading your article and in my opinion severely biased article on klitschko/byrd……..you did yourself a horrid dis-service with this article and your lack of respect,understanding,and knowledge of wlad klitschko as a premier heavyweight shone brightly.
I usually read negative articles about any fighter w/ the proper “grain of salt”
yet everything that you have written on wlad has a negative spin attached to it……..is it just a race thing or do you really just dislike wlad that much?
greg l.)
Hey Greg,
first, before I dignify this undignified letter with a response, let me start by saying I write for me. My views and opinions are mine. Not East Side Boxings, and not anyone else in anyway associated with me. I have always written my honest opinions, and I always will. Now…my reply.
I have no idea what your problem is, but frankly, if you need a couple of days to “cool off” after reading my opinions on the Wladimir Klitschko vs Chris Byrd bout that took place two Saturday’s ago, then you might want to consider getting some serious mental therapy. In your email, you have no problems telling me what you feel about my writing and me as a person as an “opinion” -which by the way, is an extremely biased one, not that you would have enough introspect to admit something like that. I really have no interest in pleasing you personally when I write an article, as I have no idea who you even are, and I write MY opinions, not yours.
I get sick of hearing how biased I am all the time. Most of the people that would call me that have only read a VERY select few of my articles, and read what they want to read in them. I tell everything how I honestly feel, whether or not we have the same opinion was never really up for debate. I speak my mind and will continue to. I highly recommend you find different interests in life, should you really need a “couple of days” away from one of the pieces I submit. Perhaps…and this is a fairly obvious suggestion…you should try reading the tons of one sided, completely biased articles that are for the Klitschko’s. There are enough of them on East Side Boxing, and funny enough, I’ve yet to see you, or anyone else for that matter, post a comment about how biased the writer is/are. None of this has anything to do with bias. I’ll give you and the others that continually badger me about how biased I am a few excerpts from the article you were referring to, that caused you to go in to this manic cocoon for half a week;
“I defended Wladimir’s excessive holding in his fight against Samuel Peter, but that was because Wlad was using it as a survival tactic to get his head cleared, and he was throwing offense on his way out of the clinches.”
“What Wladimir did was simply start giving Byrd what he was asking for. It seemed to make him angry and impassioned his game. Byrd should have realized it because every single time he made a comment at Wlad, he received a severe beating.”
“Once Wladimir realized that he had an immobile target standing before him that was barely even throwing punches, he became brave and started tattooing Byrd with some of the hardest punches I’ve seen a heavyweight absorb since George Foreman assaulted Joe Fraizer nearly three decades ago.”
“Wlad for his part, did extremely well once Byrd stopped responding. He was scary when he was angry and taking out Byrd’s words on him. I already knew he was a very talented offensive fighter, if nothing else, but, much like Roy Jones Jr’s alter ego “RJ”, once Chris had really pissed Wlad off, the fight was practically a forgone conclusion.”
“The knock down that Wladimir scored in the 5th round was the results of an absolutely perfect one-two left jab right hand. It landed with such ferocious force that it probably would have knocked out half of the heavyweight currently in the top twenty rankings by any organization.”
“Round six was more of the same one sided beating, Byrd never recovered.”
“Unfortunately, there would be no late rally for Chris. He was done after that first knockdown, and as he said very humbly after the fight, he was never in it.”
“The final flurry that Wladimir landed on Chris’s face was one of the most destructive combinations I’ve seen in a very long time.”
“For the fighters part, both were polite and complimentary to each other. Both showed class.”
“Congratulations to those who picked Wladimir to win for picking the correct fighter in Saturday’s sporting event.”
And these are not even all of the quotes I could have used. I challenge you to go on any blatant pro-Klitschko article written on this website over the past year and find as many compliments to one of their opponents. Neither you, or any of the other “Klitschkonians” (as I have dubbed the rabid love puppy contingent of the Klitschko’s fan base which have no interest in the sport of boxing, and only interest in the Klitschko’s themselves) have ever been so generous to any of their opponents before, during or after a fight. The fact that you needed to take a few days to become sane again after reading an article that contained all of those comments, just because it also had an equal amount of pro-Byrd comments in it, is VERY, VERY sad. You are an extremely biased person, who only wants to hear cheerleading for his favorite fighters. Not honest assessments of performance. You, as well as the other nutbars that continually stalk my articles, reading only what you wish to read in to them, and continually emailing the websites admin.
complaining about me really need to get a life. I write honestly, from my perspective. Not yours (thankfully). I am a lot more unbiased than you will ever be. I also know a hell of a lot more about the sport of boxing than someone like you ever will. If you don’t like what I say about the Klitschko’s, then perhaps avoiding my articles would be in the best interest of your mental health. Not everybody is obsessed with Wladimir. I know that comes as a major shock to you and the rest of the Klitmaniacs. But frankly…I couldn’t care less. By all means, continue to follow me around like some maniac commenting on every single thing I say or think. Go ruin your personal life in anger because you can’t believe someone has a different opinion than yours. While you’re doing all of that, I’ll be out having a great time with my wonderful family. Enjoying the sport of boxing, writing about it and I’ll still be the same. None of this nonsense will ever change the way I write or think. If this response to your ignorant comment is not enough to sway you to read elsewhere, then I have no choice but to assume you are just an ill person, with nothing better to do with their life.
Sincerely,
Lee Hayes/aka East Side Boxing’s Raven
(From John:
Hey Raven, I have a couple of questions:
1) What do you think of James Toney’s chances of becoming heavyweight champ? He’s my idol and I think the same Toney that showed up for the Holyfield fight would crush anybody. I say Rahman avenges Maskaev and gets outworked by a better-shaped Toney, and Toney outboxes everyone until he gets old and retires.
2) I think Mayweather would destroy Hatton and Margarito. Margarito will be like the Corrales fight and Hatton would be like the Gatti fight. They’ll be tougher to kill than their predecessors, but the result would be the same: PrettyBoy Floyd TKO. What do you think?
3) Shannon Briggs vs. Wlad Klitschko, I say Briggs wins, assuming he catches Wladimir.
4) Do you agree with me that had Ike Ibeabuchi not been in jail, he’d be Lennox Lewis’ successor? He probably would’ve knocked Lewis out into retirement if you ask me.
5) Would you agree that Jean-Marc Mormeck or O’Neil Bell would make great heavyweights? Bell could probably be the next Jamaican champ after Lennox Lewis.
6) Everyone thought that Vitali Klitschko was unbeatable at his time. I thought he was overrated. What do you think of these fighters chances at beating him?
-Ike Ibeabuchi (the same guy that beat Tua AND Byrd)
-Oliver McCall (Even at 40, the dudes a beast, 1st dude to knock out Lennox, and hes never been knocked down)
-Hasim Rahman (I felt Vitali would have eaten all the punches that missed Toney)
-David Tua
-James Toney
These guys are all power punchers (with the exception of Toney) with great chins. If you have a chin and you can land punches, I feel both Klitschko’s can say goodbye to their titles.
My name is John and I’d like to hear input from a fellow boxing fan.
Thanks)
Hey John,
Thanks for the questions you emailed me. Unfortunately, you sent about 20, when they were all broken down and I’m running short on time to respond to them all, so I have taken out a few that would require a more extensive response. I will add them to my next mail bag. Here are the answers to the seven or so I have included.
1) I think Rahman definitely beat James Toney. I agree with you that a better conditioned Toney probably could have pulled that fight out, however depending on a better conditioned James Toney is just not a reliable enough to hope for. Like you, James Toney is one of my favorite fighters of all time. The guy can do things I’ve never seen any other fighter pull off. He’s just a natural and his chin is one of the best the sport has ever seen. Ever! The problem here is that James will only ever be competitive with the top large heavyweights as long as he continues to p*ss away his training. It’s a terrible sight to see someone so talented be so damn lazy. He could be dominating the cruiserweights with easy right now. He could beat most of the smaller heavyweights with ease too, if he just kept himself in decent shape between rounds. Looking at photos of Toney back when he was a middleweight to now is just ridiculous. He looks like he’s eaten every opponent he’s faced since fighting Iran Barkley. What it remarkable is that he has been able to beat and or stay with a lot of the last decades top heavyweights, even out of shape. I agree, the James Toney that beat Evander Holyfield would beat a lot of the current heavyweights. Not all in my opinion. There is a certain point where some of the extremely large heavyweights are just too damn big. They’ll just lean on James and shove him off. If the James Toney you saw beat Evander Holyfield were to return, all beats would be off and he would definitely win a title belt of some sort. But I just don’t think we’re ever going to see that James again. He’s convinced himself that he can come in to the ring as a fat slob and still beat all of his opponents, and Rahman proved that…it’s just not a fact. Here’s to hoping I’m wrong and we see the sleek version of Toney again.
2) I have Mayweather as my number one pound for pound fighter in the world. I’d have to favor him to beat Antonio, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he had to come up bigger than he ever has had to before in order to stop Tony on cuts. I’m not so certain about Hatton. Obviously you believe that almost nothing can stop Floyd, and in a sense I agree, however…any fighter eventually meets someone with a counter style that makes them look bad. Jose Luis Castillo already proved that Floyd can be met with smart aggression. I think Hatton, if anyone out there has a chance to beat Floyd. Muhammad Ali was faster and more talented than Joe Frazier when they fought their first bout, but none of that meant a thing once Joe kept “smokin'” and I think Hatton has that same quality of tenacity and will that I’ve seen in Frazier. It could be fight of the decade, we don’t know. Ricky wings his hooks awfully fast, and they usually come in at about the range of where Floyd likes to duck his head. Hatton would have no issues with pounding Floyd anywhere he could hit him, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he beat his arms up bad enough to throw Floyd off. A knock down would also not be out of the question, for either fighter. This fight, much like the Antonio fight could come down to cuts. It would be disappointing to say the least, but I would be negligent if I didn’t point out that Mayweathers quick slashing blows are perfect for opening up the scar tissue that both Margarito and Hatton both have.
3) I’ve always like Shannon Briggs. He’s not a great boxer, but a good one. A decent guy too. When he was young and undefeated, I remember being impressed by him. The problem with a potential fight with Wladimir is which Briggs would show up. The guy who rumbled with Lewis might have a chance to stop Klitschko. It’s certainly not out of the question. The problem I see, is that the more modern version of Briggs that we’ve been subjected to looks more like the guy who completely shelled against Jameel McCline. Briggs seems uncomfortable fighting men that are larger than him, and it turns him very apprehensive and defensive. I see him probably fighting the same way against Klitschko, and probably getting discouraged after taking some of Wladimir’s harder shots. The only way I see Shannon beating Wlad is if he came out head hunting in the first two rounds and had Klitschko running around the ring looking to hold on. Other than that, he’d probably lose by a long, thorough beating by late TKO.
4) I agree with you 100%. Ike was the man to beat. Read here for my opinions on Ike from an article I submitted in 2004 ( http://www.boxing247.com/news.php?p=1300&more=1) . I don’t know if he would have beaten Lewis outright, I’d say 50/50, because Lewis does have some wins on his record where he had to go to war and gut it out (see Lewis vs Ray Mercer in what was one of Mercer’s best performances).
5) I used to think Mormeck would be a terror at heavyweight, but he needs to get himself back in order and probably win another cruiserweight title before that happens. I think he could beat Bell in a rematch. As far as Bell goes, he looked great against Mormeck! Much better than I expected. He needs to rematch “Cowboy” Dale Brown (from their first fight, which was a massively bad decision in O’Neil’s favor) before I’ll have any interest in seeing him take in bigger better things. We know he lost, the boxing commentators at ESPN knew he lost, he knows he lost…O’Neil needs to do the right thing. If he manages that and maybe beats Braithwaite, I can’t see why he couldn’t move up to heavyweight and compete. He’s big enough framed and talented enough.
6) a) Ike beats Vitali 10 out of 10 fights. No doubt in my mind. b) McCall has a punchers chance against anybody he fights. Always has, always will, but most likely he’d receive a ferocious beating against Vitali and either the ref would stop the fight or it would go to a decision (since I can’t see Oliver being stopped by KO) c) even before the potential match up between Vitali Klitschko and Hasim Rahman was proposed, I was saying that I thought the Rock had the style and power to KO the elder Klitschko, and I still believe that to this day. Regardless of his on again off again injuries, I believe that Vitali purposely avoided fighting Rahman at any costs. I’d pick Rahman in that fight. d) I don’t think based on the fights that I’ve seen David Tua in, that he would stand a chance against Vitali Klitschko. He did show some late round KO power early in his career, however we’re talking about a 67 inch reach up against about an 80 inch reach, and both guys hitting with a lot of power. Tua never faced anyone nearly as big as Vitali, and if Chris Byrd hit him with hard enough shots to keep him at bey, I can’t see any chance Tua would stand in this fight. e) James Toney…hmmmm…I’m guessing you are talking about the Toney that faced Holfyfield up against the Vitali that faced Lennox. I think in this fight the size advantage might just be too much. I think Toney could beat Wladimir Klitschko if he was in that condition, because I think some of those head shots he heat Guinn, Holyfield, Rahman and Ruiz with would have put Wlad down. Not the case with Vitali. I think he could take those shots and I think with his straight pin point right hand, he’d give James a lot of trouble. Can’t see him stopping Toney though. That of course is not a case of one fighter winning because he’s a better boxer. James Toney is an all-time great, Vitali Klitschko is just a side note in the list of heavyweight champions, because of the caliber of oppositions in his victories, both as a contender and as a champion. Still, styles make fights and that’s my honest opinion.
Thanks for the questions (and the carpel tunnel syndrome *laugh*)
(From TonyTitan:
Hi Lee,
So Wlad looked alright in beating up the feather fisted little guy Chris Byrd again. Do you think he will have the nuts to call out and fight Lamon Brewster so he can go for revenge for his embarrassing KO loss to the puncher? I personally doubt that.
As for Vitali, the division is better off without his calling out of retired fighters and supposed ‘injuries’. What is your take?
Regards
Toney Titan)
Hey TT,
Yeah, once he started pouring it on, Wladimir looked good against an oddly stationary Chris Byrd. If Lamon had beaten Liachovich, I have no doubt that Wlad would have avoided him just as much as he avoided Ross Puritty and Corrie Sanders. Rematching opponents he’s lost to is not his thing. He has only two rematches on his record and they were both against opponents he had beaten quite one sidedly the first time. However, I think there is an exception now. If you asked me this question right after Brewster destroyed Golota, there would be no chance on earth of a rematch. But after seeing Lamon basically take a beating against Sergei, I’m not so sure. Wlad was beating Lamon up pretty badly in their first fight, and he may believe he’s an easy win. Guys who absorb punishment like Lamon can only do so for so long. Also, because of Brewsters recent eye injury, Wlad may finally feel confident enough to challenge him. But…with Brewster having no title, I can’t see Wlad taking the risk. There’s always that chance that the LB that cold cocked Golota shows up, and it would end Wlad’s career if he lost in the same fashion for the second time. My bet is, there is no rematch unless Lamon wins his title back in a rematch with the “White Wolf”.
Vitali Klitschko has been stalking Lennox Lewis since the moment their fight ended. Trying to trick him in to agreeing to a rematch right in the emotional finish to their first fight, on camera. Disrespecting Lewis’s decision to retire, by constantly calling him out over and over again at the end of all of his fights and in most of his boxing magazine interviews. I said it then, and I’ll say it now, since I’ve heard Vitali say both that he a) still has too bad of an injury on his knee to unretire and b) that he would come out of retirement to fight Lennox ….Vitali…show some class.
Here’s a note from me to Vitali (since many of the fanatics over at klitschko.com post my articles and words over there anyway)
You were lucky to catch Lennox at the end of his career and still escape without bleeding to death in that fight. I realize that your greatest night in boxing was in your losing effort to Lennox and that you won over a lot of new fans for your efforts, however, making your career off of one ancient all time great after he has respectfully bowed out is sad. You had every opportunity to forge your own legacy after Lewis retired by facing the best heavyweights in the division, and instead you fought Kirk Johnson, Corrie Sanders, and Danny Williams. Leave Lennox alone. If you are healthy enough to make any comeback, then say so, you can’t be only healthy enough to face Lewis. So, if you can make a comeback, have the balls to come back and face the man you avoided five times. The current WBC heavyweight champion, Hasim “The Rock” Rahman. He also fought Lewis, twice, and managed to KO him with one punch when he first got the chance. You said you beat the man who beat Tyson when you torched Danny Williams, well…here’s your chance to live vicariously through the eyes of Rahman. Until that happens, stay retired and enjoy your money. Leave Lennox alone. It’s classless.
Sincerely,
Lee Hayes (aka East Side Boxing’s “Raven”)
(From Nopporn:
Hi Raven,
Hope that you can remember me. I’m Nopporn from Bangkok, Thailand. I post my comments on ESB regularly. Thanks for your contributions to ESB people.
When did Ali beat Foreman? 1972 or 1974? I remembered watching this great fight when I was about 12 years old. There were not so many cars on the streets of Bangkok at that time because people just stayed in their work places or homes to watch this live fight. What I saw on this great fight and they impressed me a lot were a tactic ” rope a dope” and “a great combination” that sent Foreman to the canvas in round 8. However, one day (many years later) I had a chance to watch the tape between George Foreman and Greg Peralta on T.V. at home. I found out that the tactic “Rope a Dope” that Ali used it to beat Foreman did not come out totally from Ali’s head. Ali created this style of fighting by watching the tape of the said fight. He then prepared himself to use this tactic with Foreman by having a big assistance from his trainer Dundee. I thought that you probably knew this fact as well. But if you didn’t, then get the tape of that fight and watch it. Greg Peralta was the man who unintentionally contributed a lot to Ali for his victory over Foreman.
I’ll email to talk or ask something about boxing with you again soon. Thanks.)
Nopporn,
Yes! Of course I remember you my friend! Thank you for your contributions over the years as well.
Muhammad Ali faced Big George Foreman on October 30th, 1974. The fight took place in Zaire, Africa.
I am very glad you sent in this observation, and I find it incredibly interesting to hear about the fight from the perspective or a 12 year old boy living in Bangkok at the time. Man…how boxing was such a world event whenever Ali fought…incredible!
You are absolutely right about the way Greg Peralta fought George Foreman. Greg was an under rated fighter, who gave George some fits the first time they fought in 1970, when all Foreman could muster up was a unanimous decision against the far more experienced Peralta. In their rematch, about a year later, there were definitely some signs of the “rope a dope” type defense, however, to be honest with you, I think it was more of a matter of survival on Peralta’s part. Foreman was angry that he didn’t knock out Greg in their first fight and he came better prepared for the rematch, and he was hitting him with some pretty fierce shots. I think being the dope on the rope, so to speak, was the only option available. That doesn’t mean that Ali didn’t take from that and use it. Ali was known for borrowing techniques and phrases that he liked. I should note however that Ali had already been using the “rope a dope” before his epic battle with Foreman in Africa. I think it became an unfortunate necessity for Ali in his second career, because he no longer possessed the extraordinary youthful legs he had during his first reign. He could still “float like a butterfly” during his fights, but rarely for 12 or 15 rounds, and he ended up relying far too much on his great chin and ability to absorb enormous punishment to win fights.
I think your point is valid, and I would not be shocked in the slightest if Ali did in fact borrow that tactic from Peralta in order to beat George. He sure didn’t share it with his team if he did though, because Angelo Dundee was livid at Ali for taking so many punches during that fight. He really thought Muhammad would have been able to dance the entire fight, and it just wasn’t the case.
Thanks for the email my friend. Great question/comment.
I’ll see you around on East Side.
(From Neil (PomieGit):
Lee, I’m just starting some research for an article ….. I just wanted your perspective on Jack Dempsey. I have heard he was accused of rape and that he refused to fight black boxers. What do you think of him and do people look back and view him through rose tinted glasses. Also, do you think a fighter like Dempsey would have any success against the boxers of today? Neil (pomie git) )
Hey Neil,
Thanks for the note.
Let me start by saying I am a huge Jack Dempsey fan. Always have been, always will be. He was a great fighter. As far as the “rape” accusations towards Jack Dempsey, there has never to my knowledge been a person that has accused Jack Dempsey of raping them. I assume the comments you are making are directed towards the allegations that one Dr. Ferdie Pachecho made in his 2001 book titled “The 12 Greatest Rounds Of Boxing of The Century”. In the book, Pachecho claims that he has knowledge that Jack Dempsey, during his times as a homeless hobo, looking to do anything to make a buck, worked as a person who’s job it was to “break in” virgins for local brothels. He was also accused of being the business manager (read “pimp”) of his first wife, who was in fact historically noted as a “working woman” previous to their marriage. Do I know this for a fact? Well, my only source is Ferdie Pachecho, however, I’ve never known the “fight doctor” to be intentionally dishonest, and you’d have to take in to consideration that Pachecho and his father were HUGE fans of Dempsey. That Pachecho still considers Dempsey one of his favorite fighters of all times.
I don’t think he was being dishonest and based on what I do know for certain about Dempsey and the life he had to live, I wouldn’t doubt it. When I read about the hard times of a Mike Tyson or a Riddick Bowe growing up in the New York ghetto’s I feel like scoffing, after reading about the way Jack Dempsey had to live and what he must have done to survive. He was homeless, a hobo. It’s actually a miracle that he even survived. None of us can imagine what it must have been like, only decades after the so called “Wild West” for a young man with no education, money or prospects to travel the country without food or shelter. Working in mines for chicken scratch, and fighting full adult men at the mining camps and local saloons, for spare change. Dempsey was a hard man. His later life was nothing like that of his youth, when he was developing in to the animal that devoured Jess Willard in one of the most animalistic, savage beating ever administered in the ring. Read as many books on Dempsey as you can get your hands on. Consider Pachecho’s offering. I personally believe that it is more likely to be correct than not.
Also consider the times that Dempsey grew up in and that he was no angel early in his life, but there were a lot worse back then!! As a young boy, traveling the trains, he had to scramble for the smallest amounts of sustenance, just to stay alive, and probably had to fight off molesters and murderers on a regular basis on those trains and at those mining camps. People will do some crazy things when their survival is on the line.
As far as Dempsey refusing to fight black fighters, I don’t think that ever had anything to do with Jack. John L. Sullivan sure. Same with Corbett. They made it clear that they were not interested in fighting black fighters and had no problems with making racist statements that were norm at the time. But Dempsey never seemed to have any racist side to him. He just liked fighting. A lot of his sparring partners were black. The gyms he worked out in were very multi racial. He spoke glowingly of fighters like Joe Louis, Joe Gans, Sam Langford and Jack Johnson (I have footage of him naming all of those fighters in his personal top 10 all-time). That was Jack Kerns and the rest of the racists that were in charge of Dempsey’s career. They claimed that any fights against black fighters held the possible riots afterwards, that often ended in several black persons arrests, and even murders.
It’s incredible to think, but after Jack Johnson would beat some of his opponents, KKK would lynch blacks randomly in a sick, cowardly act of criminal behavior. Were they admitting that Dempsey could lose to fighters such as Harry Wills back then by saying that a riot could ensue? (it’s hard to imagine a riot taking place if Dempsey walked over Wills, right?) Possibly. There were very talented black fighters at the time Dempsey boxed, but that would just be Jack’s management team. I don’t think Jack was afraid of anybody, of any color. He was just born to fight. In fact, I think he would have beaten all of those top fighters, however they would have been great fights non-the-less.
Good luck with your project, and also I highly recommend Perchecho’s book “The 12 Greatest Rounds Of Boxing of The Century” to anybody who hasn’t had the chance to read it. There are tons of side stories that most of you have never heard regarding fights like Rocky Maricano and Sugar Ray Robinson, Thomas Hearns, Marvin Hagler, as well as Ali (of course).