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Just got back pal. My first time to hear about walker. I say that guy got the bisggest balls of them all. Will research on him in the net and find out his life story. Agan, thanks buddy.
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Hi buddy!
Here's a li'l trivia to help get you started on Walker, pal:
There's a story that went the rounds about the time Harry Greb and Mickey Walker fought. The contest was reportedly such a thrilling affair that fans were divided over who really won. After the fight, Greb entered a bar and found Walker there. They first struck a friendly conversation but soon argued about who really won. The argument became so heated that they stepped out of the bar and resumed fighting out on the street!
The bar's patrons followed them carrying chairs and watched the free entertainment.
Walker did two things best: delivering a left hook and drinking.
Sportswriters usually talk about fighters staggering out of the ring; Walker often staggered INTO the ring. Facing the 6'3 Paul Swiderski who weighed some 220 lbs., the 5'7 and middleweight Walker, could have been arrested as a common drunk!
In the first round of that fight Walker hit the floor so often, the ref did not bother rising from a kneeling position for most of the round. He knew Walker will be visiting the canvass again...
In one of the times that Walker was floored, his manager, Doc Kearns, pulled the plug and sent the venue into darkness. When the lights went back on, Walker was already sober. It was not too long afterwards that Swiderski was out of there.
But the most remarkable story I have heard about the Toy Bulldog was about one time, Walker raised a fist to punch the mobster Al Capone. A friend stepped between them and took Walker for a walk.
Walker told the friend, " You just saved his puss."
The friend replied, "I just saved your life."
Walker spent the sum of US$500,000.00 in the course of one trip to Paris. The amount is huge now, it was even bigger then.
Walker stopped drinking cold turkey as WWII broke out, and then took up painting.Last edited by grayfist; 01-17-2007, 09:10 AM.Comment
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Fast and fluid in his movements, regardless of what you think about his style. However he may look to you in that clip, he beat a ****load of all time greats, many of them bigger than himself. In my opinion, his resume is right up there with Armstrong, Robinson, and Pep.Comment
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Thanks for the information grayfist. I've heard about the streetfight between Walker and Greb of course, but the Al Capone story was new to me.Comment
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Walker was also an avid Golfer said to Drag Doc Kearns to courses around the Country. He became an accomplished painter after his career having work on display in museums in New York and London. To realize how go Walker was he started at Welterweight before later fighting Heavyweights. Imagine Quartey of someone taking on Heavyweights.Walker also would have been a Light Heavy champ had his win over Maxie Rosenbloom not been a non title fight. Walker suffered from Parkinsons disease much like Ali finally dying from it in 1981.Comment
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Hi Kid...!
The little I know of Walker is basically what I read from a book on his life titled "The Toy Bulldog and His Times" some years ago. I can't remember the author.
Anyway, I recall also reading that Walker married 7 times (Liz Taylor, eat your heart! And, J-Lo, too!), and was thrown out of so many hotels throughout the world.
He palled around with Charlie Chaplain and Douglas Fairbanks-- the young ones here may not recognize those names but those were marque names out of Hollywood, and Chaplain was and is still often referred to as a genius. He was "The Tramp" in those silent movies. He wrote that lovely song, "Smile" (ie., "Smile...though your heart is aching; Smile, even though it's breaking. When there are clouds in the sky, you'll get by; If you smile through your fears and sorrows...)
I don't know when Walker and Capone became friends. I think it was after the incident described. Capone may have appreciated Walker's guts.
Walker took up painting after taking in a film about Guaguin. His work was displayed by many galleries and was featured in special shows but many art critics were not convinced of his talent. One said, Walker should have taken off his gloves before he painted.
Although he was a lot smaller than Schmeling and gave up 25 pounds, there were many who thought he could have defeated the German had he spent more time in the gym than in the golf course. He carried his own clubs while his caddy lugged around the bottles. In his worst holes, he was said to have downed three bottles.
It seems they kept score on the bottles consumed, and not on the game. I can't say I blame them. Those are the more interesting statistics.
They just don't build 'em like the used to anymore, pal.
Last edited by grayfist; 01-18-2007, 07:30 AM.Comment
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