The great HW men who wouldn't quit.

[Willie Pep 229]

I don't think he deliberately fouled out. I think he was half starved and holding on for dear life. This was also only Johnsons fourth fight. I think that's hardly indicative of the fighter he would become.

OK! There are so many ways to view it. I agree, he got in over his head and was surviving. You know better than most of us, when someone is trying to rip off your head it's crisis time.

Reminds me of the quote, 'everybody has a plan until they get hit.' It must seriously s uck to get into a fight and realize your outclassed and in danger.

SRL made a comment about the Camacho fight. After the first round he realized he made a big mistake and panicked inside.

Everyone in the beginning (back then) gets moved up too fast and outclassed, e.g. Dempsey against John Lester Johnson, Benny Leonard lost in his first fight, got stopped.

I don't know about the half starved thing. Maybe, but American blacks were living on the same edge as the Ellis Island peoples. Hunger wasn't ubiquitous, comfort and luxury were absent, ... so I believe. Maybe!

[Willie Pep 229]

No one has surfaced the possibility that JJ went cross and got paid to tank. Then he was just bad at it.

Considered it surfaced. After all it is a color line trope, so maybe it's true.