Canceled Call

[Dynamite76]

it would have also been a nice gesture to have called holmes. not very cool to play favorites when youre a man of power. always loved him as pres tho. he had us on the up and up at the time

I loved how Doonesbury clowned him in the papers at the time.Also Richard Pryor.But he was an intriguing figure in the 80's.

[BattlingNelson]

I was so hoping someone would say this...

He won the cold war though. Something we in western Europe will forever cherish.



Topic: i remember the story, but not really the details. It was an odd move only wanting to phone one of the fighters though. It's odd if he didn't get trashed for it in the press.

[StarshipTrooper]

He won the cold war though. Something we in western Europe will forever cherish.



Topic: i remember the story, but not really the details. It was an odd move only wanting to phone one of the fighters though. It's odd if he didn't get trashed for it in the press.

People forget how much Holmes was despised back then.

[BattlingNelson]

People forget how much Holmes was despised back then.

I dont. Still it was odd for the President of the whole USA to show favoritsm towards one participant in a sporting event over another.

[StarshipTrooper]

I dont. Still it was odd for the President of the whole USA to show favoritsm towards one participant in a sporting event over another.

Not really odd when you think of it in terms of "face" vs "heel" like in wrestling. At the time there were a lot of parallels between the two (other than the obvious scripted nature of wrestling). You can see that kind of thinking in the Rocky movies which were very influential then: The "face" (Rocky) is always put against a "heel" (Creed, Lang, Drago). Hell, they even had a heel (Creed) do a "face turn" just like in wrestling.

[BattlingNelson]

Not really odd when you think of it in terms of "face" vs "heel" like in wrestling. At the time there were a lot of parallels between the two (other than the obvious scripted nature of wrestling). You can see that kind of thinking in the Rocky movies which were very influential then: The "face" (Rocky) is always put against a "heel" (Creed, Lang, Drago). Hell, they even had a heel (Creed) do a "face turn" just like in wrestling.

I'm afraid I dont get that 'face' 'heel' analogy. Language barrier. Sorry.

[StarshipTrooper]

I'm afraid I dont get that 'face' 'heel' analogy. Language barrier. Sorry.

Are you familiar at all with pro wrestling ie WWE ect? A "face" (short for 'baby face') is a "good guy" while a heel is a "bad guy". Heroes and villains. White hats and black hats. An over-the-top world that's in a constant war of "good vs evil". Yes it's scripted and fake as hell, but the perceptions and thinking that runs through it had a lot of spill over into boxing with the Rocky movies just being a manifestation of that thinking. The parallels between boxing and wrestling ran back decades (hell, Ring magazine used to cover wrestling too) to the 1920s and '30s.

If you think about it, those same parallels still exist. Look at Floyd Mayweather's over-the-top "heel" act that he milks for all it's worth.

[BattlingNelson]

Are you familiar at all with pro wrestling ie WWE ect? A "face" (short for 'baby face') is a "good guy" while a heel is a "bad guy". Heroes and villains. White hats and black hats. An over-the-top world that's in a constant war of "good vs evil". Yes it's scripted and fake as hell, but the perceptions and thinking that runs through it had a lot of spill over into boxing with the Rocky movies just being a manifestation of that thinking. The parallels between boxing and wrestling ran back decades (hell, Ring magazine used to cover wrestling too) to the 1920s and '30s.

If you think about it, those same parallels still exist. Look at Floyd Mayweather's over-the-top "heel" act that he milks for all it's worth.

Thanks for explaining. I have only little knowledge of WWE and wrestling so thanks for clarifying. Let me add something, which I'm sure you know, that Cassius Clay modelled his bragging act after wrestler Gorgeus George.

Still it seems odd that the President played into this.

[StarshipTrooper]

Thanks for explaining. I have only little knowledge of WWE and wrestling so thanks for clarifying. Let me add something, which I'm sure you know, that Cassius Clay modelled his bragging act after wrestler Gorgeus George.

Still it seems odd that the President played into this.

Ali played the bragging "heel" role to the T......until he did his own "face turn" in the '70s.

Most Presidents pretty much ignored sports outside of tossing out the first pitch on opening day of the baseball season. I may be wrong about this but I think Reagan was the first president to call and congratulate the winners of the Super Bowl. If someone knows better please update my info

[Anthony342]

Was he also the first President to have a title winning team visit the White House? And what years did The Ring cover wrestling?