Good and great middleweights 1930 -1950

[McGoorty]

While I am on the subject of Marshall and Lytell, I want the names of 50 of the best from this period, rather than name them all myself I want you guys to throw names in and to talk about them, the good and the bad stuff about them, don't forget there are good ones at this time outside America as well, we are talking champs and contenders there are many that it is hard to separate most of them.

[Humean]

While I am on the subject of Marshall and Lytell, I want the names of 50 of the best from this period, rather than name them all myself I want you guys to throw names in and to talk about them, the good and the bad stuff about them, don't forget there are good ones at this time outside America as well, we are talking champs and contenders there are many that it is hard to separate most of them.

I'll just list a handful for the moment. The three Frenchmen that would be in the list are Cerdan, Thil and Villemain. Cerdan was probably the best of the three although you can say that Thil had the better record and career at middleweight, partly because unlike Cerdan his career wasn't affected by the war and also because Cerdan was a welterweight for half of his career. Thil may have been the best middleweight of the 1930s. Villemain also a welterweight for much of his career and a relatively short career too but fought a lot of the best fighters during his career fighting in the US and Europe.

[Sugar Adam Ali]

steele should get a mention

[rightsideup]

Lamotta
Zale
Rocky
Srr
Conn

[The Old LefHook]

Connie Wills was one of the people claiming the middleweight championship during a disputed period in the 30's. He spent a couple of years with Mike Gibbons in Minnesota, learning that style. Too bad his own surviving relatives do not care enough to get his full record up instead of the paltry sample offered from his career of seventy or eighty fights. He retired in my little hometown, and lived there for over sixty years, passing away at the age of 101. He was a sparring partner in the Dempsey camp for Carpentier.

[McGoorty]

steele should get a mention

absolutely but please tell us what you know about him.

[McGoorty]

Connie Wills was one of the people claiming the middleweight championship during a disputed period in the 30's. He spent a couple of years with Mike Gibbons in Minnesota, learning that style. Too bad his own surviving relatives do not care enough to get his full record up instead of the paltry sample offered from his career of seventy or eighty fights. He retired in my little hometown, and lived there for over sixty years, passing away at the age of 101. He was a sparring partner in the Dempsey camp for Carpentier.

Thanks very much for this mate, I didn't know him at all. what can you tell us about his ring credentials apart from the lovely information you gave so far.

[McGoorty]

I'll just list a handful for the moment. The three Frenchmen that would be in the list are Cerdan, Thil and Villemain. Cerdan was probably the best of the three although you can say that Thil had the better record and career at middleweight, partly because unlike Cerdan his career wasn't affected by the war and also because Cerdan was a welterweight for half of his career. Thil may have been the best middleweight of the 1930s. Villemain also a welterweight for much of his career and a relatively short career too but fought a lot of the best fighters during his career fighting in the US and Europe.

Good post, yes Cerdan I know, what a talent, fast hard puncher and fantastic skills, loved a war. Thil I have never seen but of course I know a bit about him. Didn't Cerdan fight Villemain on film or was it LaMotta ?

[McGoorty]

Good post, yes Cerdan I know, what a talent, fast hard puncher and fantastic skills, loved a war. Thil I have never seen but of course I know a bit about him. Didn't Cerdan fight Villemain on film or was it LaMotta ?

Fighters mentioned so far are :- Lamotta
Zale
Rocky
Srr
Conn, Marshall, Lytell, Connie Wills, Cerdan, Villemain, Thil, Steele. ................................ .... There are many big names yet to come and many very good and good contenders as well. There are at least 80 fighters worthy of our interest.

[The Old LefHook]

Thanks very much for this mate, I didn't know him at all. what can you tell us about his ring credentials apart from the lovely information you gave so far.

Not much more at all, I am afraid. It is the job of his surviving relatives to get his record up. The man kept meticulous records. His own wife kept ongoing scrapbooks of his fights and articles on him. He also fought under several other names, as was the custom. His nickname, at least one used in an article on him I once read on a visit to his house, was the Prarie Cyclone.

In the 1940's & early 50's, he trained amateurs in our area. My dad was on one of his teams in about 1947. He had a successful construction & paving company, but his first love remained boxing for all of his years. He would talk about it anytime. I wish I had talked to him more. I do, however, have a cassette tape of an interview I conducted with him. It is one of those rinky-dink outfits smaller than a pack of cigarettes. Sometime I might buy some batteries for it and dig out the tapes. That one thing was the only purpose I ever used it for.

Having not only known Dempsey, but sparred with him professionally, Connie considered Dempsey the greatest heavyweight ever. He said if Dempsey touched you in the ring it hurt.

At his 100th birthday party a massive amount of boxing paraphernalia was on display from his collection and career. If his relatives are not going to do anything about making his record public, then they should give the records to someone who will. I am a little peeved that nothing has been done, but my own hands are tied.

I will probably remember a little more. One of the guys he trained in the 1960's only because of the kid's special talent, is a great friend of mine. I can ask him some questions.