Young Stribling and The KO Kings

[The Old LefHook]

I had thought Robinson was second to Moore on the all time KO list, until a friend had me read about Young Stribling.

Stribling had something like 289 fights by the time he died from a motorcycle accident at 29 years of age. He recorded about 125 KO's in his career.

It seems Stribling could do everything a boxer should know. A genius defender with a dynamite punch. The young barnstormer got a wealth of varied experience while young, recording either 55 or 75 fights while still in highschool. On his ledger are many HOF names that he trounced.

[The Old LefHook]

Some famous and semi-famous names beaten at least once by Young Stribling:

1 Maxie Rosenbloom
2 Tommy Loughran
3 Jimmy Slattery
4 Battling Levinsky
5 Mike McTigue
6 Chuck Wiggins
7 Primo Carnera
8 Battling Budd
9 Jimmy Delaney

Lost to and never avenged:

1 Jack Sharkey
2 Max Schmeling.

[Elroy The Great]

most, if not all, of his ko's were against ''questionable'' opponents. thats the blemish that era has. way too many bums fighting to pay off their bar tab.

[The Old LefHook]

most, if not all, of his ko's were against ''questionable'' opponents. thats the blemish that era has. way too many bums fighting to pay off their bar tab.

Into that account must be included that there is little doubt when you fight as often as he did that sometimes you are fighting injured. We do not know which times, but there can be little doubt the oldtimers we not always healthy going into battle.

Because we read the name of a contender from 100 years ago and do not know enough about him to realize he, too, was a vastly experienced prizefighter, we tend to write them off.

Now, to be sure, many of Striblings fights were of the barnstorming variety--that is why they do not occur every six months like today, but every six hours in some cases.

Because his parents were along to record everything, every bout against a farm boy got recorded as a professional bout, since they were all for money.

We cannot hold this against Stribling. He was merely doing what he had to do during a depressed economy.

The same phenomenon is true of the bouts of most of the great oldtimers. On Greb's record are many a nonentity to today's fans. They look at the record without realizing how tough and proficient men like the Hogue brothers were.

It is probably true that many of his KO's were recorded in barnstorming sessions where he had to get it over with quickly to avoid injury or accidental loss, whereas he earned decisions against most of the recognizable names. Nothing wrong with a decision against the likes of Tommy Loughran, Maxie Rosenbloom and Jimmy Slattery.

I believe these "black holes," in the record come with the territory of all old fighters' records. It just so happens that Stribling was fighting a lot even for the old days. He was the fightingest boxer in the history of the sport. How would it be surprising that every opponent was not a top quality contender?

When he faced names we recognize he did quite well. The man was no heavyweight, either. If he were fighting today he would probably make super middleweight.

[The Old LefHook]

My deceased friend Connie Wills (sometimes known as Connie Will) was an authentic old time boxer who finished his apprenticeship with the Gibbons brothers in Minnesota, completing their extensive, ten stage program. After his boxing career he retired to my small California town a few years before I was even born. Boxing never left his blood, and he continued to train local amateur fighters for many years.

He had barnstormed during the 20's himself. He was traveling with his trainer/manager on a tour once, when they met up with Young Stribling, and the trainer had a bout with him. According to Connie, Stribling beat him easily, which amazed Connie, because his trainer had studied with the Gibbons, too, I believe, and was very good. He said Stribling was the best boxer he ever saw. This from a man who knew the Gibbons brothers up close and personal in the ring. Connie had also been a member of Dempsey's sparring stable for the Carpentier fight, which he had pictures to prove.

Connie never told me this, he told a friend of mine who had trained in the Gibbons system with him for several years as a teenager. I never trained with Connie. I did not even know about him as a pre-teenager. My parents, seeing how crazy I was about boxing, made it a point never to tell me about him. Even my dad had trained under him! So I went ignorantly and happily about my childhood doing better things, my parents figured, than boxing.

I do not know Connie's trainer's name. My friend does not remember it either. Connie has a son in his early nineties who is still alive and sharp. If we can get that name, and it is on Stribling's record, that would be a point of interest to the forum. Since most (or at least many) of Stribling's barnstorming bouts do seem to have been recorded, there would seem to be a decent chance that the name would be there.

[The Old LefHook]

Young Stribling, then, as far as I know, at 127 lullabies, is surpassed only by Archie Moore in the number of KOs recorded. This makes Robinson third at 105--again, as far as I know.

[Elroy The Great]

Into that account must be included that there is little doubt when you fight as often as he did that sometimes you are fighting injured. We do not know which times, but there can be little doubt the oldtimers we not always healthy going into battle.

Because we read the name of a contender from 100 years ago and do not know enough about him to realize he, too, was a vastly experienced prizefighter, we tend to write them off.

Now, to be sure, many of Striblings fights were of the barnstorming variety--that is why they do not occur every six months like today, but every six hours in some cases.

Because his parents were along to record everything, every bout against a farm boy got recorded as a professional bout, since they were all for money.

We cannot hold this against Stribling. He was merely doing what he had to do during a depressed economy.

The same phenomenon is true of the bouts of most of the great oldtimers. On Greb's record are many a nonentity to today's fans. They look at the record without realizing how tough and proficient men like the Hogue brothers were.

It is probably true that many of his KO's were recorded in barnstorming sessions where he had to get it over with quickly to avoid injury or accidental loss, whereas he earned decisions against most of the recognizable names. Nothing wrong with a decision against the likes of Tommy Loughran, Maxie Rosenbloom and Jimmy Slattery.

I believe these "black holes," in the record come with the territory of all old fighters' records. It just so happens that Stribling was fighting a lot even for the old days. He was the fightingest boxer in the history of the sport. How would it be surprising that every opponent was not a top quality contender?

When he faced names we recognize he did quite well. The man was no heavyweight, either. If he were fighting today he would probably make super middleweight.

i agree with the above BUT when a person says a guy cannot be blamed for his lack of competition, why is that same guy lauded for having the record he has ?!?!!?

on the flip side, we criticize our present fighters for picking no hopers. its safe to say that a guy with 100 fights in the tank should not be fighting someone with a 3-7 record. but yet those wins are ''acceptable'' or explained away. imagine the uproar if wlad was fighting some 6-14 guy ?!?!?!?

many members try to ''insult'' me when my pov is ''our'' guys would have crushed ''those'' guys (on average). nostalgia gets the better of them. as if i spat in their loved ones face.

and when those nostalgialists (?) mention all of the stories that were written about them.....well shlt, how else are they going to write it up ?!?!? thats all they knew. they had nothing to compare it to.

sports fans/experts of today have a huge advantage over those from yesteryear. we can compare.

[Bundana]

Young Stribling, then, as far as I know, at 127 lullabies, is surpassed only by Archie Moore in the number of KOs recorded. This makes Robinson third at 105--again, as far as I know.

When it comes to ko wins, the Top-10, as far as I know, looks like this:

1. Billy Bird... 138
2. Archie Moore... 132
3. Young Stribling... 129
4. Sam Langford... 128
5. Buck Smith... 121
6. George Odwell... 111
7. Alabama Kid... 110
8. Sugar Ray Robinson... 108
9. Peter Maher... 105
10. Sandy Saddler... 104

[The Old LefHook]

A wonderful little list there, Bundana.

[The Old LefHook]

i agree with the above BUT when a person says a guy cannot be blamed for his lack of competition, why is that same guy lauded for having the record he has ?!?!!?

on the flip side, we criticize our present fighters for picking no hopers. its safe to say that a guy with 100 fights in the tank should not be fighting someone with a 3-7 record. but yet those wins are ''acceptable'' or explained away. imagine the uproar if wlad was fighting some 6-14 guy ?!?!?!?

many members try to ''insult'' me when my pov is ''our'' guys would have crushed ''those'' guys (on average). nostalgia gets the better of them. as if i spat in their loved ones face.

and when those nostalgialists (?) mention all of the stories that were written about them.....well shlt, how else are they going to write it up ?!?!? thats all they knew. they had nothing to compare it to.

sports fans/experts of today have a huge advantage over those from yesteryear. we can compare.

I don't want to insult you. The points you bring up are all reasonable.

People mainly often criticize the opposition of modern fighters because they are fighting for $10,000,000, instead of $10. For that kind of conch, they feel the boxers should up their competition levels a bit more consistently. Hey! What do they think they are on, a barnstorming tour?

A good writer can do wonderous things with words. They can make a man a myth, make him a legend who outlives his own body. There has to be a seed of truth for the myth to sprout, however. Battling Budd said that Greb was the greatest he ever faced, and he faced a list with many known names. Writers have gone wild with the Greb myth. But for a reason. You look at what was said about Greb by meaningful people, those with boxing acumen who saw him fight. The anecdotes are pretty consistent.