The Greatest Robbery In Boxing History

[Willie Pep 229]

For me it was Walcott/Louis 1. Louis got the hell beat out of him, was knocked down three times, and won anyway.

Here is a really long rebuttal. You can ignore it if you like. It is from an earlier post I am reposting. It is a passion complaint of mine.

Why the Judges did the right thing by Louis that night. (Walcott-Louis I)

‐------------- repost ---------------

Louis was coerced into the first Walcott fight by the NYSAC directly and the NBA indirectly.

He was not physically and more importantly mentally not prepared for the fight.

The judges did the right thing by refusing to give Walcott the title by decision. In fact I hope they conspired to protect Louis from the wrong.

Louis in 1947 was barnstorming and was to finish up his exhibitions in MSG. The NYSAC pulled the same crap they pulled with the absurd Johnny Davis exhibition/defense fight back in '44, they changed the rules of the engagement.

Louis was, at first, to fight a four round exhibition in sumner '47 (likely against the unranked Walcott) but NYSAC once again announced that New York would allow NO exhibition fights when involving the HW Champion. I.e. Johnny Davis mess all over again.

A compromise was then reached where Louis would meet Walcott in a 10 round ND (no decision) fight in the fall, with the title only at risk if Louis lost by KO.

Louis accepted the deal and began to prepare for that fight.

Louis was to end his barnstorming exhibitions and prepare for a 10 round ND fight.

Meanwhile, back in April Walcott's people petitioned the NBA to gain knowledgment and the NBA saw fit to include him (Walcott) in their list of worthy challengers. (The NBA at this time did not use a 1 to 10 ranking system.) This inclusion was a fair decision IMO, but they would corrupt themselves shortly.

After the NYSAC announced their plans for the 10 round ND fight the NBA then suddenly saw fit to call out the NYSAC by moving Walcott up on their list to the poistion of most worthy challenger.This moves seems purely political. See below.***

The NYSAC took the bait and two weeks before the scheduled 10 round fight they pulled the plug and announced they were moving the fight to a 15 round, with decision, full defense of the title, fight.

Louis was left to eat dirt and go along with the new deal or lose the payday, (and we know the IRS had Louis' back to the wall at the time.)

Louis was given an extra four weeks to prepare.

On hearing of the change Louis bolted from camp, disappearing into the ether. His camp claimed that they closed the camp down because Louis was going to stop training/sparing and would only be doing road work to get his legs ready.

This of course, was no reason to bar the press from the training camp, but they did. Which makes me believe Louis actually bolted out of camp. (It should be noted that Chappy Backburn had died back in '42 and wasn't there to mentor Louis.)

Louis reappeared in camp less than two weeks before the fight (at least that's when they let the press back in,) and had to face up to the 15 round defense, (for which I repeat he was neither physically nor mentally prepared to fight.)

In the end I believe the right thing was done.

Walcott couldn't stop Louis over the distance and the judges wouldn't give him the title by decision. Then, (as I said the right thing was done,) Walcott was given an immediate rematch.

*** Also when the NBA moved Walcott to the poistion of MOST worthy challenger his only previous victory of note was a 10 round SD over Joey Maxim back in July. It is for this reason I believe that the NBA upped Walcott on their list from worthy to 'most' worthy challenger for the sole purpose of discredting the NYSAC's proposed 10 round ND fight. As I stated above, NYSAC took the bait and changed the agreement of the fight when they shouldn't have.

P.S. if I didn't t make my complaint clear. I believe you don't jerk around the HW champion of the World. Certainly not a scantioning commission. He has a right, a respect due to him, to be allowed to know what is facing him.

Over that six month period the fight was changed from a four round exhibition, to a ten round, ND, to a full 15 round defense. Not a way to treat a champion. F the scantioning bodies involved, I truly hope the judges conspired to protect Louis from the disrepect. As I said, Walcott got his immediate rematch. Fair enough!

[max baer]

Here is a really long rebuttal. You can ignore it if you like. It is from an earlier post I am reposting. It is a passion complaint of mine.

Why the Judges did the right thing by Louis that night. (Walcott-Louis I)

‐------------- repost ---------------

Louis was coerced into the first Walcott fight by the NYSAC directly and the NBA indirectly.

He was not physically and more importantly mentally not prepared for the fight.

The judges did the right thing by refusing to give Walcott the title by decision. In fact I hope they conspired to protect Louis from the wrong.

Louis in 1947 was barnstorming and was to finish up his exhibitions in MSG. The NYSAC pulled the same crap they pulled with the absurd Johnny Davis exhibition/defense fight back in '44, they changed the rules of the engagement.

Louis was, at first, to fight a four round exhibition in sumner '47 (likely against the unranked Walcott) but NYSAC once again announced that New York would allow NO exhibition fights when involving the HW Champion. I.e. Johnny Davis mess all over again.

A compromise was then reached where Louis would meet Walcott in a 10 round ND (no decision) fight in the fall, with the title only at risk if Louis lost by KO.

Louis accepted the deal and began to prepare for that fight.

Louis was to end his barnstorming exhibitions and prepare for a 10 round ND fight.

Meanwhile, back in April Walcott's people petitioned the NBA to gain knowledgment and the NBA saw fit to include him (Walcott) in their list of worthy challengers. (The NBA at this time did not use a 1 to 10 ranking system.) This inclusion was a fair decision IMO, but they would corrupt themselves shortly.

After the NYSAC announced their plans for the 10 round ND fight the NBA then suddenly saw fit to call out the NYSAC by moving Walcott up on their list to the poistion of most worthy challenger.This moves seems purely political. See below.***

The NYSAC took the bait and two weeks before the scheduled 10 round fight they pulled the plug and announced they were moving the fight to a 15 round, with decision, full defense of the title, fight.

Louis was left to eat dirt and go along with the new deal or lose the payday, (and we know the IRS had Louis' back to the wall at the time.)

Louis was given an extra four weeks to prepare.

On hearing of the change Louis bolted from camp, disappearing into the ether. His camp claimed that they closed the camp down because Louis was going to stop training/sparing and would only be doing road work to get his legs ready.

This of course, was no reason to bar the press from the training camp, but they did. Which makes me believe Louis actually bolted out of camp. (It should be noted that Chappy Backburn had died back in '42 and wasn't there to mentor Louis.)

Louis reappeared in camp less than two weeks before the fight (at least that's when they let the press back in,) and had to face up to the 15 round defense, (for which I repeat he was neither physically nor mentally prepared to fight.)

In the end I believe the right thing was done.

Walcott couldn't stop Louis over the distance and the judges wouldn't give him the title by decision. Then, (as I said the right thing was done,) Walcott was given an immediate rematch.

*** Also when the NBA moved Walcott to the poistion of MOST worthy challenger his only previous victory of note was a 10 round SD over Joey Maxim back in July. It is for this reason I believe that the NBA upped Walcott on their list from worthy to 'most' worthy challenger for the sole purpose of discredting the NYSAC's proposed 10 round ND fight. As I stated above, NYSAC took the bait and changed the agreement of the fight when they shouldn't have.

P.S. if I didn't t make my complaint clear. I believe you don't jerk around the HW champion of the World. Certainly not a scantioning commission. He has a right, a respect due to him, to be allowed to know what is facing him.

Over that six month period the fight was changed from a four round exhibition, to a ten round, ND, to a full 15 round defense. Not a way to treat a champion. F the scantioning bodies involved, I truly hope the judges conspired to protect Louis from the disrepect. As I said, Walcott got his immediate rematch. Fair enough!

willie there are many people on here who are very clued up on boxing history. but noone has the depth of knowledge that you appear to have.
i enjoy learning from you.

[max baer]

could anyone maybe agree that shavers and ken norton were robbed against ali?
some say it was the universal love of ali that carried him through these fights
i recall norton saying he lost faith in the powers that be in boxing after the fight.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uhF1LyLXQI

[max baer]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obsxZWfOWe4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J303Y0HpH6Q

here are some videos about fighters being robbed i hope you all enjoy if you have't seen before.

[Willie Pep 229]

willie there are many people on here who are very clued up on boxing history. but noone has the depth of knowledge that you appear to have.
i enjoy learning from you.

Thank you. -- Only on certain topics. There are guys on here that have both depth and a better handle of the big picture.

[IronDanHamza]

You could understand him?

I didn't get a word of it. No shit, either could CC.

I see it as horrible scoring but I can't call it a 'great robbery' because Tiberi lost so little.

He didn't even want a career after it was over. A fighter who garners that much public sympathy can easily position himself back with TV. They were waiting for him. He would have gotten a second chance somewhere. But instead he chose to play victim and ended his career.

Just can't see it as 'a great robbery' he just didn't lose much. Really bad scoring though.

You say Tiberi didn't lose much but he lost his right to be the Middleweight Champion of the world.

He was an unranked bum essentially, and he won the fight clearly. I don't blame him for giving up on Boxing after that.

So if anything he lost the most.

But the aftermath is irrelevant regardless, a robbery is a robbery and that is hands down one of the worst in history. He was robbed of his chance to win the fight and more importantly robbed of becoming the Middleweight champion.

[Willie Pep 229]

You say Tiberi didn't lose much but he lost his right to be the Middleweight Champion of the world.

He was an unranked bum essentially, and he won the fight clearly. I don't blame him for giving up on Boxing after that.

So if anything he lost the most.

But the aftermath is irrelevant regardless, a robbery is a robbery and that is hands down one of the worst in history. He was robbed of his chance to win the fight and more importantly robbed of becoming the Middleweight champion.

OK I can't argue much because there is no doubt it was one of the worst decisions rendered.

I have made it a matter of semantics. I.e. not important.

Why did he quit? I have a hard time buying into the belief that he was so emotionally devastated by the loss that he gave up on boxing.

I don't buy that. This is prize fighting, and prize ($$$) is the key word here.

I suspect you would agree that the public outcry against the decision gets him at least one more HBO fight. Even if it isn't a title shot it still would have been a good payday.

You can't convince me the bad decision and the public reaction afterwards didn't buy him one more fight.

So why didn't he take at least one more payday? I just can't buy the "I'm so disillusioned" claim.

Something else was at play.

BTW I don't actually remember the complete title situation. Would he have become a strap titlist or an undisputed MW Champion?