In This Corner...!

[Ambling Alp II]

"In this corner" by Peter Heller is one of my favorite Boxing books. He basically just let different boxing champions say whatever they wanted. The orignal copyright was 1973; I have an updated version.

Here are the 42 different champions that he interviewed:

1912-1919 Willie Ritchie, Gunboat Smith, Pete Herman, and Jack Dempsey.
1920s- Johnny Wilson, Mickey Walker, Charley Phil Rosenberg, Fidel LaBarba, Mushy Callahan, Tommy Loughran, Jackie Fields, and Battling Battalino
1930s- Jack Sharkey, Jimmy McLarnin, Jim Braddock, Lou Ambers, Joe Louis, Henry Armstrong, and Billy Conn
1940s- Lew Jenkins, Fritzie Zivic, Wille Pep, Beau Jack, Ike Williams, Ray Robinson, Rocky Graziano, Sandy Saddler, and Jake LaMotta
1950s- Archie Moore, Bobo Olsen, Carmen Basilio, Floyd Patterson, Gene Fullmer, Don Jordan, and Carlos Ortiz
1960s- Paul Pender, Emile Griffith, Willie Pastrano, Joey Giardello, and Jose Torres
1970s- Roberto Duran, and Alexis Arguello

They usually talked about their background, their most opponent fights and what they fight about some specific opponents.
For example Carmen Basilio talks about fights with Ike Williams Gavilan, DeMarco, Robinson, Fullmer etc. Sometimes gives opinions of them.

Thought some people would find this interesting.
I would be happy to answer questions that people might have concenring what any of these guys said in their interviews. Just ask away.

[littlepug]

What did ray Robinson think about his career ?

[Ambling Alp II]

Robinson said that he was always calm before a fight because he always thought that he would win.
He was complimentary toward how tough LaMotta was.
Said he a had dream before the Maxim fight that he would die during the fight.
Also had a dream before the Jimmy Doyle fight that Doyle would get killed.
Robinson said that for a long time after the Doyle fight he only hit an opponent as hard as he had to becasue he didn't want to hurt anyone more than necessary.
Mentioned coming out of retirement and winning the title from Bobo Olsen was especially meaningful to him.
He also recalled how exciting it was when he was young and his name was in the newspapers when he was fighting in the Golden Gloves.

[littlepug]

[Seamus]

Jenkins have any comments about Ambers ?

[Caractacus]

I remember reading in the foreward,the author said when he was first preparing it in 1970,
he had scheduled an interview with Sonny Liston for one of the chapters.
Can you imagine how much more we would have known about the Champ ?
But he took it to his grave apparently.

[cfang]

It's great book. I remember getting this when it came out. It was orange - now it's white lol. Some are better than others ofc. Some just a page or so while other boxers offer lots of insight. I recall Gunboat Smith being a good one and Armstrong's too. Someone should do another. Especially get all the low down from the fighters of the 70s and 80s

"In this corner" by Peter Heller is one of my favorite Boxing books. He basically just let different boxing champions say whatever they wanted. The orignal copyright was 1973; I have an updated version.

Here are the 42 different champions that he interviewed:

1912-1919 Willie Ritchie, Gunboat Smith, Pete Herman, and Jack Dempsey.
1920s- Johnny Wilson, Mickey Walker, Charley Phil Rosenberg, Fidel LaBarba, Mushy Callahan, Tommy Loughran, Jackie Fields, and Battling Battalino
1930s- Jack Sharkey, Jimmy McLarnin, Jim Braddock, Lou Ambers, Joe Louis, Henry Armstrong, and Billy Conn
1940s- Lew Jenkins, Fritzie Zivic, Wille Pep, Beau Jack, Ike Williams, Ray Robinson, Rocky Graziano, Sandy Saddler, and Jake LaMotta
1950s- Archie Moore, Bobo Olsen, Carmen Basilio, Floyd Patterson, Gene Fullmer, Don Jordan, and Carlos Ortiz
1960s- Paul Pender, Emile Griffith, Willie Pastrano, Joey Giardello, and Jose Torres
1970s- Roberto Duran, and Alexis Arguello

They usually talked about their background, their most opponent fights and what they fight about some specific opponents.
For example Carmen Basilio talks about fights with Ike Williams Gavilan, DeMarco, Robinson, Fullmer etc. Sometimes gives opinions of them.

Thought some people would find this interesting.
I would be happy to answer questions that people might have concenring what any of these guys said in their interviews. Just ask away.

[Ambling Alp II]

Jenkins have any comments about Ambers ?

Oddly, not much at all. He mentions Ambers, but didn't really say anything about their fights or about Ambers.
He did mention that he was in a car accident right before the second Ambers fight and suffered some cuts. He said that he trained hard for the first Ambers fight until the last week. He went on at some length about how he trained very little during his career.

He talked more about this fights with Fritzie Zivic, Ike Williams, and Carmen Basilio.

[Rexob]

Robinson said that he was always calm before a fight because he always thought that he would win.
He was complimentary toward how tough LaMotta was.
Said he a had dream before the Maxim fight that he would die during the fight.
Also had a dream before the Jimmy Doyle fight that Doyle would get killed.
Robinson said that for a long time after the Doyle fight he only hit an opponent as hard as he had to becasue he didn't want to hurt anyone more than necessary.
Mentioned coming out of retirement and winning the title from Bobo Olsen was especially meaningful to him.
He also recalled how exciting it was when he was young and his name was in the newspapers when he was fighting in the Golden Gloves.

Good that cheers.

[Tuan_Jim]

Amazed every boxing fan reading this forum doesn't own this book. An absolute classic.

What strikes you again and again is how eloquent boxers once were.

[Tomasino]

"In this corner" by Peter Heller is one of my favorite Boxing books. He basically just let different boxing champions say whatever they wanted. The orignal copyright was 1973; I have an updated version.

Here are the 42 different champions that he interviewed:

1912-1919 Willie Ritchie, Gunboat Smith, Pete Herman, and Jack Dempsey.
1920s- Johnny Wilson, Mickey Walker, Charley Phil Rosenberg, Fidel LaBarba, Mushy Callahan, Tommy Loughran, Jackie Fields, and Battling Battalino
1930s- Jack Sharkey, Jimmy McLarnin, Jim Braddock, Lou Ambers, Joe Louis, Henry Armstrong, and Billy Conn
1940s- Lew Jenkins, Fritzie Zivic, Wille Pep, Beau Jack, Ike Williams, Ray Robinson, Rocky Graziano, Sandy Saddler, and Jake LaMotta
1950s- Archie Moore, Bobo Olsen, Carmen Basilio, Floyd Patterson, Gene Fullmer, Don Jordan, and Carlos Ortiz
1960s- Paul Pender, Emile Griffith, Willie Pastrano, Joey Giardello, and Jose Torres
1970s- Roberto Duran, and Alexis Arguello

They usually talked about their background, their most opponent fights and what they fight about some specific opponents.
For example Carmen Basilio talks about fights with Ike Williams Gavilan, DeMarco, Robinson, Fullmer etc. Sometimes gives opinions of them.

Thought some people would find this interesting.
I would be happy to answer questions that people might have concenring what any of these guys said in their interviews. Just ask away.

Alp, who does Gunboat Smith rate as his best opponent?

[cfang]

"In this corner" by Peter Heller is one of my favorite Boxing books. He basically just let different boxing champions say whatever they wanted. The orignal copyright was 1973; I have an updated version.

Here are the 42 different champions that he interviewed:

1912-1919 Willie Ritchie, Gunboat Smith, Pete Herman, and Jack Dempsey.
1920s- Johnny Wilson, Mickey Walker, Charley Phil Rosenberg, Fidel LaBarba, Mushy Callahan, Tommy Loughran, Jackie Fields, and Battling Battalino
1930s- Jack Sharkey, Jimmy McLarnin, Jim Braddock, Lou Ambers, Joe Louis, Henry Armstrong, and Billy Conn
1940s- Lew Jenkins, Fritzie Zivic, Wille Pep, Beau Jack, Ike Williams, Ray Robinson, Rocky Graziano, Sandy Saddler, and Jake LaMotta
1950s- Archie Moore, Bobo Olsen, Carmen Basilio, Floyd Patterson, Gene Fullmer, Don Jordan, and Carlos Ortiz
1960s- Paul Pender, Emile Griffith, Willie Pastrano, Joey Giardello, and Jose Torres
1970s- Roberto Duran, and Alexis Arguello

They usually talked about their background, their most opponent fights and what they fight about some specific opponents.
For example Carmen Basilio talks about fights with Ike Williams Gavilan, DeMarco, Robinson, Fullmer etc. Sometimes gives opinions of them.

Thought some people would find this interesting.
I would be happy to answer questions that people might have concenring what any of these guys said in their interviews. Just ask away.

Alp, who does Gunboat Smith rate as his best opponent?

I had a look at Smiths chapter in ITC after putting my post on here about his record and it's really good but he more talks about other fighters of the time - he doesn't really compare. He does say he wouldnt know who would win out of langford and johnson and he said schmeling hit like a bastard (he reffed sharkey vs max). His final line is great though - he said something about staying at lt heavy if he did it all again - rather than fighting those bums who weighed 2 pounds less than a horse lol

[Caractacus]

I remember reading in the interview were he had said something like he had hit Jess Willard with his best Sunday punch
right on the chin
and all it did was make Big Jess's hair wiggle.
I think he also said Willard hit the hardest with a right uppercut
and broke some of Gunboat Smith's ribs.
The best Smith could do was a punch later in the fight that teared off part of Willard's ear.

[wsbuf]

I wonder if Heller has some interviews that he didn't add in book. I know a one he did that didn't make it. Would be great if he had enough for a second book.

[Caractacus]

yeah, he writes in the forward that he had Sonny Liston signed up for an interview and some others that had passed
since he started researching the book in 1969.

[Caractacus]

I remember reading in the interview were he had said something like he had hit Jess Willard with his best Sunday punch
right on the chin
and all it did was make Big Jess's hair wiggle.
I think he also said Willard hit the hardest with a right uppercut
and broke some of Gunboat Smith's ribs.
The best Smith could do was a punch later in the fight that teared off part of Willard's ear.

Gunboat Smith won the fight of course with a 20 round dscision.
Possibly the turning point was the 10th round when he tore Willard's ear with a right hand
and continued hitting it for the rest of the fight when Willard was trying not to let him hit it again.

[Cutman Scabbers]

My favorite boxing book and one of my favorite books of all time.

[Giancarlo]

It's a great little book.

I seem to recall Don Jordan had some strange 'stories' in his chapter.

[Ambling Alp II]

"In this corner" by Peter Heller is one of my favorite Boxing books. He basically just let different boxing champions say whatever they wanted. The orignal copyright was 1973; I have an updated version.

Here are the 42 different champions that he interviewed:

1912-1919 Willie Ritchie, Gunboat Smith, Pete Herman, and Jack Dempsey.
1920s- Johnny Wilson, Mickey Walker, Charley Phil Rosenberg, Fidel LaBarba, Mushy Callahan, Tommy Loughran, Jackie Fields, and Battling Battalino
1930s- Jack Sharkey, Jimmy McLarnin, Jim Braddock, Lou Ambers, Joe Louis, Henry Armstrong, and Billy Conn
1940s- Lew Jenkins, Fritzie Zivic, Wille Pep, Beau Jack, Ike Williams, Ray Robinson, Rocky Graziano, Sandy Saddler, and Jake LaMotta
1950s- Archie Moore, Bobo Olsen, Carmen Basilio, Floyd Patterson, Gene Fullmer, Don Jordan, and Carlos Ortiz
1960s- Paul Pender, Emile Griffith, Willie Pastrano, Joey Giardello, and Jose Torres
1970s- Roberto Duran, and Alexis Arguello

They usually talked about their background, their most opponent fights and what they fight about some specific opponents.
For example Carmen Basilio talks about fights with Ike Williams Gavilan, DeMarco, Robinson, Fullmer etc. Sometimes gives opinions of them.

Thought some people would find this interesting.
I would be happy to answer questions that people might have concenring what any of these guys said in their interviews. Just ask away.

Alp, who does Gunboat Smith rate as his best opponent?

Other people have responded to this but thought I would add:
Bombardier Billy Wells broke his nose. He seemed particularly hppy to have won this fight because the crowd seemed to be against him. James J. Corbett had picked Wells to win.
He parred with both Kethcel and Johnson the same day while they were training for thier fight against each other.
He was complimentary towards Georges Carpentier but did not think he should have been disqualified against him.

[palooka]

Amazed every boxing fan reading this forum doesn't own this book. An absolute classic.

What strikes you again and again is how eloquent boxers once were.

it is a brilliant book, another is The Corner Men by Ronald K Fried.

[Caractacus]

I wonder if Heller has some interviews that he didn't add in book. I know a one he did that didn't make it. Would be great if he had enough for a second book.

Peter Heller was also scheduled to interview Dick Tiger for it,but he passed away before the interview.

[Caractacus]

Amazed every boxing fan reading this forum doesn't own this book. An absolute classic.

What strikes you again and again is how eloquent boxers once were.

it is a brilliant book, another is The Corner Men by Ronald K Fried.

Who were the corner men that he interviewed ?
Were there any famous olde tyme corner men still alive when he was writing it but did not get to interview ?

[palooka]

Angelo Dundee and his mentors - Stillman's Gym - Ray Arcel - Jack Blackburn - Charley Goldman - Whitey Bimstein - Mannie Seamon - Freddie Brown -AL Silvani - Eddie Futch.

I have had this book since '91 and can honestly commend it to people who enjoy boxing history and characters, it's really insightful and not expensive. If you get a copy I'm sure you'll enjoy it and find it informative.

[Tuan_Jim]

Amazed every boxing fan reading this forum doesn't own this book. An absolute classic.

What strikes you again and again is how eloquent boxers once were.

it is a brilliant book, another is The Corner Men by Ronald K Fried.

'Corner Men' is outstanding - Dave Anderson's 1991 'In The Corner' is the perfect companion.