Gene Fullmer vs Jake Lamotta Prime 4 Prime

[jedijojo]

Who would win?

[surf-bat]

Who would win?

Watch out! You ask a question like that and the LaMotta-Loonies will come out en masse, claiming Jake would KO Fullmer and just about every other middleweight not in the top 5.

You are warned!

BTW...in a series I think this one is split right down the middle. Both have light hands, iron chins and average speed. Neither gent could ever get the upper hand on the other on a consistent basis. Call it the Jack Britton/Ted Kid Lewis series revisited.

[HomicideHenry]

This would be like...Marciano vs Dempsey in the Heavyweight division. Only in the sense both men were tough and fought without fear.

Fullmer didnt have that great of skills, he more or less tried to out-muscle his opponents with his sheer brute strength and toughness, as while LaMotta had skill and was very tough too, abd had a very good punch.

I don't know if LaMotta could have knocked out Fullmer, but seeing as an older Ray Robinson put out Fullmer for the count---could be very possible.

LaMotta himself was only stopped in his later years, by "Irish" Bob Murphy, one of the hardest punching Light Heavyweights ever and Ray Robinson, and of course by Danny Nardico in 52'. (I dont count the Fox fight).

That's 3 stoppages in 106 fights. Fullmer in all 64 of his fights was stopped twice. So this would be a very hard fight, but I wouldnt bet on any knockouts, both these guys were tough.

But I'd say LaMotta would edge a decision over Fullmer.

[Ezzard]

Fullmer was a good champion, probably very good, but I don't see him being able to beat La Motta who was a class above him IMO.

[Ezzard]

Who would win?

Watch out! You ask a question like that and the LaMotta-Loonies will come out en masse, claiming Jake would KO Fullmer and just about every other middleweight not in the top 5.

You are warned!

BTW...in a series I think this one is split right down the middle. Both have light hands, iron chins and average speed. Neither gent could ever get the upper hand on the other on a consistent basis. Call it the Jack Britton/Ted Kid Lewis series revisited.

Nero, you put up some very sound and educated arguments in the Cerdan-La Motta debate. I think you got it about right mainly because people underrate Cerdan IMO. La Motta might eb a tad overrated due to the exposure he now gets, but I do think he was a great fighter. Do you rate La Motta at all?

[theone]

Fullmer was a good champion, probably very good, but I don't see him being able to beat La Motta who was a class above him IMO.

I totally agree Ezzard. Lamotta wins a decision every time. Fullmer was fortunate to fight a pretty faded Robinson. I couldnt imagine Fullmer being competitve with the Robinson Lamotta had to contend with.

[surf-bat]

Who would win?

Watch out! You ask a question like that and the LaMotta-Loonies will come out en masse, claiming Jake would KO Fullmer and just about every other middleweight not in the top 5.

You are warned!

BTW...in a series I think this one is split right down the middle. Both have light hands, iron chins and average speed. Neither gent could ever get the upper hand on the other on a consistent basis. Call it the Jack Britton/Ted Kid Lewis series revisited.

Nero, you put up some very sound and educated arguments in the Cerdan-La Motta debate. I think you got it about right mainly because people underrate Cerdan IMO. La Motta might eb a tad overrated due to the exposure he now gets, but I do think he was a great fighter. Do you rate La Motta at all?

He was great, but not in the elite class, IMO. Top 10? No. That division had too many great fighters that far outstripped him. He wasn't even the greatest middleweight of his day, let alone one of the top 10 of all time.

[surf-bat]

This would be like...Marciano vs Dempsey in the Heavyweight division. Only in the sense both men were tough and fought without fear.

Fullmer didnt have that great of skills, he more or less tried to out-muscle his opponents with his sheer brute strength and toughness, as while LaMotta had skill and was very tough too, abd had a very good punch.

I don't know if LaMotta could have knocked out Fullmer, but seeing as an older Ray Robinson put out Fullmer for the count---could be very possible.

LaMotta himself was only stopped in his later years, by "Irish" Bob Murphy, one of the hardest punching Light Heavyweights ever and Ray Robinson, and of course by Danny Nardico in 52'. (I dont count the Fox fight).

That's 3 stoppages in 106 fights. Fullmer in all 64 of his fights was stopped twice. So this would be a very hard fight, but I wouldnt bet on any knockouts, both these guys were tough.

But I'd say LaMotta would edge a decision over Fullmer.

LaMotta had "a very good punch"? He had 30 kos in 106 fights. Not very good power at all.

Skills? Well, Fullmer showed in the Basilio bout that he had some skills, himself. Did a bit of boxing and countering in that fight.

[surf-bat]

Fullmer was a good champion, probably very good, but I don't see him being able to beat La Motta who was a class above him IMO.

I totally agree Ezzard. Lamotta wins a decision every time. Fullmer was fortunate to fight a pretty faded Robinson. I couldnt imagine Fullmer being competitve with the Robinson Lamotta had to contend with.

Why not? Robinson caught hell from every good middleweight he fought.

Why was LaMotta "in a class above him"? I've seen both men fight numerous times and I don't see where LaMotta was so much more skilled than Gene. Not by a long shot. In fact both were very similar in that they were maulers with light-to-average punching power at best.

The only place Jake undeniably has him is quality of opposition. Durability he has him by a little, but not much. Gene was tough as nails.

[surf-bat]

Do you folks all see? Those last two comments are shining examples of how the LaMotta myth has grown throughout the years. Check his record, guys. Look at some of the very ordinary fighters who beat him and then tell me that he "beats Fullmer every time". Garbage.

[Ezzard]

Watch out! You ask a question like that and the LaMotta-Loonies will come out en masse, claiming Jake would KO Fullmer and just about every other middleweight not in the top 5.

You are warned!

BTW...in a series I think this one is split right down the middle. Both have light hands, iron chins and average speed. Neither gent could ever get the upper hand on the other on a consistent basis. Call it the Jack Britton/Ted Kid Lewis series revisited.

Nero, you put up some very sound and educated arguments in the Cerdan-La Motta debate. I think you got it about right mainly because people underrate Cerdan IMO. La Motta might eb a tad overrated due to the exposure he now gets, but I do think he was a great fighter. Do you rate La Motta at all?

He was great, but not in the elite class, IMO. Top 10? No. That division had too many great fighters that far outstripped him. He wasn't even the greatest middleweight of his day, let alone one of the top 10 of all time.

I agree that he probably doesn't make the top 10. La Motta's revival seemed to start in the early 1980s after the film came out. Up until then he seemed to have been underrated. I say this because I remember him being voted into The Ring's HOF and reading a lot of articles about how he had become underrated due to writers not liking the fact that he went in the tank. Like most things, the pendulum swings too far one way and then over-compensates for itself.

Nero you seem to be an expert on MWs.

[surf-bat]

Nero, you put up some very sound and educated arguments in the Cerdan-La Motta debate. I think you got it about right mainly because people underrate Cerdan IMO. La Motta might eb a tad overrated due to the exposure he now gets, but I do think he was a great fighter. Do you rate La Motta at all?

He was great, but not in the elite class, IMO. Top 10? No. That division had too many great fighters that far outstripped him. He wasn't even the greatest middleweight of his day, let alone one of the top 10 of all time.

I agree that he probably doesn't make the top 10. La Motta's revival seemed to start in the early 1980s after the film came out. Up until then he seemed to have been underrated. I say this because I remember him being voted into The Ring's HOF and reading a lot of articles about how he had become underrated due to writers not liking the fact that he went in the tank. Like most things, the pendulum swings too far one way and then over-compensates for itself.

Nero you seem to be an expert on MWs.

Well, thanks for saying so. I do tend to favor the midleweights and if there were only one division I could follow for the rest of my days, the 160 lb would be winner hands down. That division has it all. I guess cuz I also was in the 160 pound range for most of my youth(I'm 185 now).

I agree with you on Jake, BTW. Right on the money.