"Two Ton" Tony Galento

[Terry A]

I always read a lot but even more so for the past month. Just finished a great book by Joesph Monniger entitled "Two Ton...One Fight, One Night" which is the story of Tony Galento vs Joe Louis.

I've heard about Galento since I was a kid but to be honest, I never thought much of him. What a character this guy was! He said & did some really funny stuff, including agreeing to fight an octopus in a giant aquarium. The author gives the varied accounts of what happened next...either Tony bit the octopus, or the octopus bit Tony, but it ended up where Tony "strangeled it by mistake." Some of the other thing Galento did & said were just as funny. Or odd.

As a fighter, it's apparent I never gave him the amount of respect he deserved. This book enlightened me as to just how tough & rugged Galento really was. It also does justice to Joe Louis & gives some insights that I was not aware of. And I have read oodles of Joe Louis books & magazine articles.

Surprisingly, it turned out to be one of the better boxing books I've read.

Tony Galento is one of those footnotes in boxing history that most of us will forever associate with him knocking down the great Joe Louis. But when you read as well a researched biography as this one, you come to regard him as more then a "one hit wonder".

Any of you fellas have any thoughts on Tony Galento that you would like to share? I'd be interested in what some of my buddies think about him.

[JAB5239]

I always read a lot but even more so for the past month. Just finished a great book by Joesph Monniger entitled "Two Ton...One Fight, One Night" which is the story of Tony Galento vs Joe Louis.

I've heard about Galento since I was a kid but to be honest, I never thought much of him. What a character this guy was! He said & did some really funny stuff, including agreeing to fight an octopus in a giant aquarium. The author gives the varied accounts of what happened next...either Tony bit the octopus, or the octopus bit Tony, but it ended up where Tony "strangeled it by mistake." Some of the other thing Galento did & said were just as funny. Or odd.

As a fighter, it's apparent I never gave him the amount of respect he deserved. This book enlightened me as to just how tough & rugged Galento really was. It also does justice to Joe Louis & gives some insights that I was not aware of. And I have read oodles of Joe Louis books & magazine articles.

Surprisingly, it turned out to be one of the better boxing books I've read.

Tony Galento is one of those footnotes in boxing history that most of us will forever associate with him knocking down the great Joe Louis. But when you read as well a researched biography as this one, you come to regard him as more then a "one hit wonder".

Any of you fellas have any thoughts on Tony Galento that you would like to share? I'd be interested in what some of my buddies think about him.

So funny you brought this book up. I was just looking at it on amazon.com last night and contemplating if it was worth getting. I think you just sold me on it!

I know going into the fight Louis had a serious dislike for Galento. That was unusual because Louis respected most of his opponents.

[The Surgeon]

I love Galento or the Walking Beer Barrell! What a Character, i once read he ate over 50 HotDogs for a bet before he fought Abe Attel and had to have his trunks waist band slit he was so bloated! And when asked what he thought of Shakespeare he replied "Shakespeare!? Never heard of him, he must be one of them European Heavyweights. I'll moider da Bum!" lol

[Terry A]

So funny you brought this book up. I was just looking at it on amazon.com last night and contemplating if it was worth getting. I think you just sold me on it!

I know going into the fight Louis had a serious dislike for Galento. That was unusual because Louis respected most of his opponents.

The book touched on that. It said that Galento was the only opponant that Joe Louis actually ever hated. Part of that feeling came from Galento calling Joe Louis on the telephone late at night leading up to their fight & basically giving Louis obscene phone calls. After first letting Joe Louis know who it was that was calling!

[Terry A]

I love Galento or the Walking Beer Barrell! What a Character, i once read he ate over 50 HotDogs for a bet before he fought Abe Attel and had to have his trunks waist band slit he was so bloated! And when asked what he thought of Shakespeare he replied "Shakespeare!? Never heard of him, he must be one of them European Heavyweights. I'll moider da Bum!" lol

His second most popular nick-name was "The New Jersey Nightstick"! He was a funny guy!

[JAB5239]

"The entertainer Jackie Gleason used to tell this story from his stand-up comedy days. It seems he was playing a joint in Newark, N.J., called the Miami Club, where he was being unmercifully heckled by a fat, cigar-smoking, beer guzzling, middle aged, bald man. Finally, Gleason had had enough. He invited the obnoxious patron to step outside. Gleason swore he never saw anyone rise from his seat so fast. The two went out into the street and Gleason next remembered coming to on the floor of the club's cellar, next to the furnace, with a doctor looking down at him. Gleason had two questions: "What happened?", and "Who was that guy?". What happened was that he was knocked out cold. The guy that did it was Tony Galento, who at the time had retired from boxing."

[The Surgeon]

His second most popular nick-name was "The New Jersey Nightstick"! He was a funny guy!

Total Character, boxing is better for having guys like Tony Galento and Ricardo Mayorga... Another one i remember is when he fought Baer, that day he was in his bar pissed up on beer and wine, stuffed full of spaghetti and meatballs and ended up brawling with his own brother who smashed his beer glass over Tonys face meaning he needed stitches - the Baer fight went ahead. Can u imagine that happening now!? Calzaghe pulled out of fights for having a shaving nick or a broken nail!

[GJC]

Certainly a film in Galento. Strangely I read the book a while back and was a touch disappointed. Don't get me wrong you'll get your money's worth but didn't grab me as much as I thought. I always read them again so it might grab me 2nd time round as can happen.

[Forza]

Theres a story that a young george foreman was in the same gym as tony and they were both trying to see who could hit the heavybag the hardest, and most agreed tony hit the bag harder

[Scott9945]

"The entertainer Jackie Gleason used to tell this story from his stand-up comedy days. It seems he was playing a joint in Newark, N.J., called the Miami Club, where he was being unmercifully heckled by a fat, cigar-smoking, beer guzzling, middle aged, bald man. Finally, Gleason had had enough. He invited the obnoxious patron to step outside. Gleason swore he never saw anyone rise from his seat so fast. The two went out into the street and Gleason next remembered coming to on the floor of the club's cellar, next to the furnace, with a doctor looking down at him. Gleason had two questions: "What happened?", and "Who was that guy?". What happened was that he was knocked out cold. The guy that did it was Tony Galento, who at the time had retired from boxing."

Good story. Gleason had a rep for being a tough street fighter too.