Originally posted by JAB5239
View Post
On Social Impact:
1. Jack Dempsey - the million dollar gate becomes the norm
2. Muhammad Ali - made prize fighting and American culture inseparable (Your point about hated to loved is so true.)
3. Jack Johnson - made everyone have an opinion about prize fighting, even if it wasn't about prize fights
4. Joe Louis - first accepted Black HW champion
5. John L. Sullivan - first American (non-military) national hero
6. James J. Corbett - 'boxing' becomes a sport
7. Harry Wills - the 'color line' in your face whether you want it or not
8. Primo Carnera - now prize fighters could be created and deliberately marketed
9. George Foreman II - Baby Boomers rejoiced; the 'old man' made it cool to be middle aged
10. Rocky Marciano - white people could fight too; made Black domination of the HW division OK with white people, so long as they could "pull Rocky Marciano, out their asses" every once in a while
I believe Tyson could have been on this list as a rival to Dempsey and Ali, but in the end he was just reality TV; he was watched, but never embraced.
Comment