Who's Your Vote for MOST CONTROVERSIAL FIGHTER EVER?!?!?!

[titoi]

They were both brave men who through personal example changed the world around them. But given the times they were respectively in, I'd have to agree with Brother Blues that Johnson was more controversial in the sense that he faced a very real and constant threat from the violently racist perspective prevalent at the time. Consider that he lived "as a white man" some 50 years before the racist policies enshrined in our laws were to be significantly changed! In contrast, Ali's controversies occurred when there were a number of historic social shifts underway and he was just one story in a time of remarkable changes.

[Kball15]

ALI already had SRR and JOE LOUIS pave his path.

Sure ALI refused to go to war, but so did SRR. HE jumped ship, claiming to have passed out and fallen down a pair of stairs.

THAT was very controversal, and in the papers the next day, the headlines said that SRR had dodged the war, and that his stories were false.

So ROBINSON went through the same public hell as ALI

[niceguy45]

no doubt mike tyson

[Kid Achilles]

The thread is about most controversial fighter, not the most shady career. Guys who, because of their personality and behavior, created an outburst of emotion and outrage from the public.

[Kball15]

The thread is about most controversial fighter, not the most shady career. Guys who, because of their personality and behavior, created an outburst of emotion and outrage from the public.

Carneras career was Shady, which made it extremely controversial. How can you deny that Carnera has one of the most controversial careers in sports?

The crazy fact that he may not have been in a single honest fight until sharkey, is almost funny.

The guy has one of the most interesting and controversial lives ever.

[Guest]

Danny Williams.

[enadeus]

Andrew Golo-ta-ta-ta

[Kid Achilles]

Carneras career was Shady, which made it extremely controversial. How can you deny that Carnera has one of the most controversial careers in sports?

Reread my post. Carnera had a shady career but he himself was not a controversial or reckless or crazy guy. He was pretty mild actually compared to other champions. Sonny Liston alone was much more corrupt and controversial, rumored to have worked as a legbreaker for the mob.

I would say even Jack Dempsey with the wife beating accusations and slacker trial was more controversial than Carnera. Carnera didn't really cause much of a stir, he was never a popular champion and never captured the imagination of the public, for better or for worse.

LaMotta was definitely more controversial than Carnera IMO.

Also I think might be overestimating just how corrupt his career was. A lot of small and mid level fights were fixed but Loughran and several other top opponents were legitimately beaten by Carnera. He wasn't bad skillwise, he wasn't a complete farce.

He was a nice guy who by most accounts was manipulated and used. To call his career controversial and the way he was used would be true, but to call Carnera himself a controversial figure (going by your own description of the word on this thread), I have to disagree.

[Kball15]

Reread my post. Carnera had a shady career but he himself was not a controversial or reckless or crazy guy. He was pretty mild actually compared to other champions. Sonny Liston alone was much more corrupt and controversial, rumored to have worked as a legbreaker for the mob.

I would say even Jack Dempsey with the wife beating accusations and slacker trial was more controversial than Carnera. Carnera didn't really cause much of a stir, he was never a popular champion and never captured the imagination of the public, for better or for worse.

LaMotta was definitely more controversial than Carnera IMO.

Also I think might be overestimating just how corrupt his career was. A lot of small and mid level fights were fixed but Loughran and several other top opponents were legitimately beaten by Carnera. He wasn't bad skillwise, he wasn't a complete farce.

He was a nice guy who by most accounts was manipulated and used. To call his career controversial and the way he was used would be true, but to call Carnera himself a controversial figure (going by your own description of the word on this thread), I have to disagree.

yea exactly. and his sharkey and baer fights were real . And the 2nd sharkey fight was real, with that famous uppercut by Carnera

but why is that not controversal?

[Kid Achilles]

Your first post that starts this thread says your looking for dishonest, reckless outside of the ring etc guys and Carnera doesn't fit that definition for me.