Tag: jersey joe walcott

Jersey Joe Walcott’s hometown to honor him with statue

A statue of Jersey Joe Walcott, the heavyweight champion, is being sculpted and will soon be placed in Wiggins Park in Camden, New Jersey.

South Jersey will soon honor one of its own.

An 8-foot-tall statue of Jersey Joe Walcott, the late heavyweight champion, is being sculpted and will soon be placed in Wiggins Park in Camden, New Jersey, where Walcott became Sheriff and served in other leadership positions after his boxing career.

Sculptor Carl LeVotch has released an image of a clay rendering he will use to create a bronze statue. It is expected to be finished by the fall of next year.

Walcott, who died in 1994, was heavyweight champ in 1951 and 1952. He is known in part for being on the wrong end of a disputed decision against Joe Louis in 1947 before losing to Louis by knockout the following year.

The statue depicts the moment he put Louis down one of two times in the first fight.

“There’s that moment where, ‘Wow. Look what I did’ of accomplishment. That’s what I’m going to try to capture,” LeVotch told KFW Newsradio.

Local officials commissioned the statue of Walcott, whose name at birth was Arnold Cream. The future location of the artwork has special meaning for Vincent Cream, the fighter’s grandson.

“The slaves that came in on the ships in Camden and docked in Camden are still looking over our shoulder,” he said. “And they’re going to be looking at Camden raising a statue of a Black man on the waterfront. And he’s a champion.”

On this date: An iconic image of a historic championship fight

Neil Leifer’s famous photograph of Muhammad Ali standing over a fallen Sonny Liston in their rematch was taken on this date 55 years ago.

The arguments over the greatest fighters and fights go on and on. Strong cases can almost always be made for a number of candidates. And passionate boxing fans don’t hesitate to make them.

One thing that generally isn’t debated? The most iconic photo in the history of the sport.

That distinction goes to Sports Illustrated photographer Neil Leifer’s image of a young Muhammad Ali standing over a beaten Sonny Liston in their rematch on this date — May 25 — in 1965 at the Central Maine Youth Center in Lewiston, Maine.

Liston, who had lost the heavyweight title to Ali 15 months earlier, went down from the mysterious “phantom punch,” a hard-to-see right to the jaw only 1 minute, 42 seconds into the fight that spawned the unproven notion that Liston took a dive.

Ali, only 23 at the time, looked down at Liston and yelled, “Get up and fight, sucker!”

Leifer snapped his shot at that moment in what might be described as a perfect photographic storm: great photographer in the exact right place at the exact right time. The result is arguably the greatest sports photo ever.

Liston did get up amid confusion over the count, which referee and former champ Jersey Joe Walcott had bungled. However, after the timekeeper and The Ring Magazine Editor Nat Fleischer waved their arms to signal that the count had reached 10, Walcott declared Ali the winner.

The fight lasted all of 2 minutes, 12 seconds, but it was enough time to produce one of Ali’s most important victories, conspiracy theories that persist to this day and an image that is seared in our minds.

 

Rocky Marciano retired at 49-0 on this date 64 years ago

Rocky Marciano announced his retirement on this date in 1956. One of the most remarkable aspects of his career is that he never returned.

Rocky Marciano announced his retirement on this date 64 years ago. One of the most remarkable aspects of his remarkable career is that he never returned.

Marciano was heavyweight champion and only 32 when he walked away from the sport at the height of his earning power. Why did he do it? He said he wanted to spend more time with his family but then traveled extensively. Maybe it was his ire over the percentage of his purses claimed by manager Al Weill. Or maybe he simply wanted to preserve what he had built.

“I thought it was a mistake when Joe Louis tried a comeback,” Marciano said. “No man can say what he will do in the future. But, barring poverty, the ring has seen the last of me,” Marciano said, according to The New York Times.

“I am comfortably fixed, and I am not afraid of the future. Barring a complete and dire emergency, you will never see Rocky Marciano make a comeback.”

So what legacy did Marciano preserve? Depends who you talk to.

He’ll forever been known for his final record, 49-0 (43 KOs). No other heavyweight – and few fighters in any division – have retired with a perfect ledger.

He also is remembered for his unusual punching power for a man his size, 5-foot-10½ and around 185 to 190 pounds. His percentage of victories that came by knockout is almost exactly the same as that of legendary puncher Mike Tyson.

And those who followed him closely marveled at his work ethic and resulting stamina and durability. Rocky was a rock.

At the same time, he has critics. They cite his relatively crude skill set even though he was able to overcome every challenge. They point out close calls – a controversial decision over Roland LaStarza comes to mind – even though all great fighters have benefited from questionable decisions.

And, of course, they say his opposition was so-so at best even though foes Jersey Joe Walcott, Ezzard Charles and Archie Moore (his final opponent) were still formidable when he fought them and all are Hall of Famers.

Was Marciano the greatest heavyweight of all time? No. That distinction usually goes to Muhammad Ali or Joe Louis. Was he a special heavyweight who deserves our respect? Absolutely.

“His streak doesn’t make him a greater fighter,” TV analyst Larry Merchant told ESPN, “but a larger figure.”

A figure that still looms over the heavyweight division.

Tiny but mighty: Shortest heavyweight champions ever

Boxing Junkie presents in the special feature the shortest heavyweight champions of all time.

Boxing Junkie recently presented a list of the tallest heavyweight champions of all time, with the 7-foot skyscraper Nikolai Valuev at the top of the angular heap.

Now it’s the little guys’ turn. In this special feature, we give you the shortest men to hold one world heavyweight title or another since John L. Sullivan opened the modern era when he was recognized as champion in the mid-1880s.

Only eight men under 6 feet have won the sport’s greatest prize in 135 years and no one has done it since the 5-11 Roy Jones Jr. beat John Ruiz in 2003.

Note: The heights used for this feature come from BoxRec.com, the official record keeper for professional boxing.

Here is the list (by height, or lack thereof).

 

NO. 1 TOMMY BURNS

Height: 5-7
Active: 1902-20
Record: 47-4-8 (35 KOs)
Reign(s): 1906-08
Background: What Burns lacked in height he made up for with quickness and pluck. The French-Canadian, whose real name was Noah Brusso, defeated bigger men by moving inside to inflict damage and then getting out quickly to avoid it. That’s how he beat the sub-6-foot, but heavier Marvin Hart to win the heavyweight title by decision in 1906 in Los Angeles. Burns made several defenses and then took his championship belt on a successful world tour, finishing his title run with eight consecutive knockouts. Disaster loomed, though. Following him on much of that tour was Jack Johnson, whose goal was to lure Burns into the ring. Johnson finally convinced Burns to fight him on Dec. 26, 1908 in Sydney. A $30,000 payday for Burns, the most ever earned by a boxer to that point, made it impossible to say no. Police halted Johnson’s slaughter of Burns, who officially lost a decision. He still has the distinction of being the shortest heavyweight champion.

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Special feature: 10 unforgettable heavyweight rematches

Will the rematch between Andy Ruiz Jr. and Anthony Joshua join the most-memorable sequels in history? That’s no easy task.

The rematch between Andy Ruiz Jr. and Anthony Joshua on Saturday is as compelling as it gets because of their first fight.

Ruiz, a replacement opponent known as much for his paunch as his ability, pulled off one of the great upsets by putting Joshua down four times and stopping him in Round 7 on June 1 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Can Ruiz do it again in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, the site of the rematch? Or will Joshua have made the necessary adjustments and avenge his career-changing setback?

Of course, we can only imagine whether Ruiz-Joshua II will live up to the original. Some sequels are as good or better than the first fight, some fall short.

Here are 10 heavyweight rematches – or third fights – that remain in our consciousness for reasons unique to each of the fights.

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