Good middleweight from Detroit had some nice wins in the 40s and 50s but also never got a shot at the belt.
He beat Carmen Basilio and Kid Gavilan.
Also had wins over Del Flanagan ,Bobby Dykes and Chicagoan Luther Rawlings.
Solid fighter.
Anyone have any info on him or his dq defeat to Johnny Saxton?
Felton was tossed for excessive holding against Saxton who was managed by Blinky Palermo.
Lester Felton
..expug.....saxton's career on the way to the title had more than a few fights which were on ice... the felton one is an example. felton was in there specifically not to win...and holding until disqualified is a genteel way of tanking it.
i remember watching a saxton fight...pre-title, don't remember the opponent's name....not a well known fighter.....on tv at a bar that drew a boxing crowd...and we were all laughing and guessing...no way BETTING....on how long the sparring would continue before this guy went down from a strong breeze. as i recall it was past the fifth round.
saxton had more talent than billy fox so his career wasn't loaded with tank jobs and he won against some good guys on his merits....but the blinky palermo influence, as you seem, correctly, to suspect played a major....let's put that in capitals..MAJOR part in his career.
i remember watching a saxton fight...pre-title, don't remember the opponent's name....not a well known fighter.....on tv at a bar that drew a boxing crowd...and we were all laughing and guessing...no way BETTING....on how long the sparring would continue before this guy went down from a strong breeze. as i recall it was past the fifth round.
saxton had more talent than billy fox so his career wasn't loaded with tank jobs and he won against some good guys on his merits....but the blinky palermo influence, as you seem, correctly, to suspect played a major....let's put that in capitals..MAJOR part in his career.
Re: Lester Felton
Felton was somewhat similar to Saxton. He was involved in a few suspicious fights going both ways.
Felton first found fame (or infamy, depending on how you look at it) in his fight with Kid Gavilan. Before that, he was basically considered just a good clubfighter with a good record (something like 30-2, off the top of my head). He had also been a sparring partner for Gavilan. Gavilan was considered the top welterweight contender at that time. He had just lost a title challenge to Ray Robinson and was campaigning for another shot. He had just beaten Rocky Castellani and Beau Jack, and took the Felton fight basically just to stay active in between big fights (as he was planning on fighting Steve Belloise next).
Felton beat Gavilan on a split decision in Detroit, which was Felton's hometown. It was considered one of the biggest upsets of that year, but it was also enormously controversial. Felton had basically stunk out the fight according to accounts, basically running away, holding, flicking jabs here and there, etc. (probably not too much different than what Johnny Saxton did in his gift win over Gavilan). Gavilan wasn't particularly active either, but he was the aggressor throughout and landed the harder punches. The judge who scored for Gavilan had him winning almost every round. The crowd booed the decision, and I read somewhere that the local commission later suspended the officials and opened an official investigation of the decision.
Felton used the attention he got from this fight (and the "W" on his record) to jumpstart a run as a contender and make a serious bid at a title shot. After this, he had a string of a few more wins (and legitimate ones) to prove that the Gavilan win wasn't just some kind of "fluke" and that he really was a legit contender. He beat Ross Virgo (an unbeaten prospect) and Tuzo Portuguez (a dangerous punching middleweight), among others. He eventually was considered a likely candidate for a title shot, but then he was upset by Ike Williams and that was basically the end of his days as a serious contender, more or less. Williams was thought to be just starting his decline then, but he turned in a surprising performance and dominated Felton. I remember reading an interview with Felton's trainer, who I believe was Eddie Futch (but I don't want to say that for sure), and he said that if they got past Williams they were basically guaranteed a shot at the title. Futch (or whoever it was) said that Felton was preoccupied with his title shot and nerves got the better of him, and he choked against Williams. He was certain that Felton could've beaten Williams if he was on his game, and that he could've been a much better fighter than he ended up being.
As for beating Basilio, Basilio was really just considered a good clubfighter at the time Felton beat him. Basilio lost a number of fights at that stage in his career. It was not until several years later that Basilio would distinguish himself as a standout contender.
Felton first found fame (or infamy, depending on how you look at it) in his fight with Kid Gavilan. Before that, he was basically considered just a good clubfighter with a good record (something like 30-2, off the top of my head). He had also been a sparring partner for Gavilan. Gavilan was considered the top welterweight contender at that time. He had just lost a title challenge to Ray Robinson and was campaigning for another shot. He had just beaten Rocky Castellani and Beau Jack, and took the Felton fight basically just to stay active in between big fights (as he was planning on fighting Steve Belloise next).
Felton beat Gavilan on a split decision in Detroit, which was Felton's hometown. It was considered one of the biggest upsets of that year, but it was also enormously controversial. Felton had basically stunk out the fight according to accounts, basically running away, holding, flicking jabs here and there, etc. (probably not too much different than what Johnny Saxton did in his gift win over Gavilan). Gavilan wasn't particularly active either, but he was the aggressor throughout and landed the harder punches. The judge who scored for Gavilan had him winning almost every round. The crowd booed the decision, and I read somewhere that the local commission later suspended the officials and opened an official investigation of the decision.
Felton used the attention he got from this fight (and the "W" on his record) to jumpstart a run as a contender and make a serious bid at a title shot. After this, he had a string of a few more wins (and legitimate ones) to prove that the Gavilan win wasn't just some kind of "fluke" and that he really was a legit contender. He beat Ross Virgo (an unbeaten prospect) and Tuzo Portuguez (a dangerous punching middleweight), among others. He eventually was considered a likely candidate for a title shot, but then he was upset by Ike Williams and that was basically the end of his days as a serious contender, more or less. Williams was thought to be just starting his decline then, but he turned in a surprising performance and dominated Felton. I remember reading an interview with Felton's trainer, who I believe was Eddie Futch (but I don't want to say that for sure), and he said that if they got past Williams they were basically guaranteed a shot at the title. Futch (or whoever it was) said that Felton was preoccupied with his title shot and nerves got the better of him, and he choked against Williams. He was certain that Felton could've beaten Williams if he was on his game, and that he could've been a much better fighter than he ended up being.
As for beating Basilio, Basilio was really just considered a good clubfighter at the time Felton beat him. Basilio lost a number of fights at that stage in his career. It was not until several years later that Basilio would distinguish himself as a standout contender.
Last edited by My2Sense on 06 Jun 2008, 19:47, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Lester Felton
Del Flanagan vs Lester Felton