BoxRec

More like "Blackpool Blowhard" or "British Beagle", take your choice.

That was a nice article summing up that long ago heavyweight scene by the very excellent Jim Murray.

Why are you guys out to diminish brian's career...? He fought everyone that came along...was forced into boxing more or less by his father and got by on what skill he had and a hard fitness regimen.
Is this a round about way of putting Ali down again and augmenting Thad Spencers achievements?
Getting a bit long in the tooth now isn't it?
Im sure Brian was a lot braver than you are...im sure he's a better boxer also....

evrenb wrote:Why are you guys out to diminish brian's career...? He fought everyone that came along...was forced into boxing more or less by his father and got by on what skill he had and a hard fitness regimen.
Is this a round about way of putting Ali down again and augmenting Thad Spencers achievements?
Getting a bit long in the tooth now isn't it?
Im sure Brian was a lot braver than you are...im sure he's a better boxer also....

It's a vast conspiracy, evrenb.

This goes to an extremely high level.

I will say the JFK hit, Marilyn's death, and Watergate tie in heavily with what is going on here. (this info via the mind of Senor Pipi)

Beyond that, I'm not at liberty to say.

Sorry.

Its pretty silly. Its like clockwork. Every day a new thread pops up about one of Ali's opponents or some fantasy Ali match, or some proposed Ali fight that didnt go through. Brian London was not a great fighter. Big deal. Neither was Thad Spencer. Neither was Chuck Leslie, or Bill McMurray, or Amos Lincoln, or Terry Daniels, or Dave Zyglewicz, or Manuel Ramos. You can harp on the least impressive defense of Ali's first career but the fact remains that outside of London everyone he defended against was in the upper tier of the top ten when he fought them. Is he the first to take a gimme? Im a much bigger fan of Frazier than of Ali but you cant tell me Frazier didnt have his share of gimmes, or Patterson, or Bowe, or Lennox Lewis, or Jack Dempsey, or Joe Louis. So big deal if Ali made one defense against a guy who was outside of the top ten. The guy was just coming off what was trumpeted as his best performance in years and regardless of the shit being heeped on by Duce he had a respectable career for a guy who fought pretty much exclusively on conditioning. Had his fight with Johansson been scheduled for 15 rounds as it was originally supposed to be instead of 12 he would have won and had more impressive name on his record than most heavyweights of that era can boast. But if frogs had wings right? Well why not? Thats the sum total of Duce's fatuous arguments. "If Ali hadnt defended against London, and if he had defended against Spencer, if Spencer hadnt lost to litany of nobody's, then Spencer MIGHT have gone the distance with Ali BUT would have lost a decision.." Whatever, get over it.

Il Duce wrote:November 13, 1967

'BRIAN LONDON SCORES EASY WIN OVER ZORA FOLLEY'

33 1/2 year-old Brian London dominated #9 Ranked Zora Folley and won all
but 1-Round in cruising to a one-sided 10-Round Decision over the 36 year-old
American Heavyweight.

The 'Blackpool Rock' {198 lbs.} controlled the first 4-Rounds with solid counters over the
slower American's leads.

In Round 5, Brian opened up with a flurry of punches, and backed Zora up with
flurry of left jabs taking the visiting American out of his fight game.

Folley {212 lbs.} only had one good Round, as in the 7th he was able able to
rattle the British Fighter with a series of hard punches.

But the home-country Bulldog took the last 3-Rounds by out-strengthening
his fading opponent as The Stadium crowd cheered for their fighter.

Brian London improves to 37-15-0, and is asking for a bout with American
Joe Frazier.

Zora Folley, who only 8-Months earlier fought for the World Championship looked
shopworn and nothing like the fighter he once was 5-Years ago.

Another veiled attack on Ali's level of opposition.

klompton wrote:Its pretty silly. Its like clockwork. Every day a new thread pops up about one of Ali's opponents or some fantasy Ali match, or some proposed Ali fight that didnt go through. Brian London was not a great fighter. Big deal. Neither was Thad Spencer. Neither was Chuck Leslie, or Bill McMurray, or Amos Lincoln, or Terry Daniels, or Dave Zyglewicz, or Manuel Ramos. You can harp on the least impressive defense of Ali's first career but the fact remains that outside of London everyone he defended against was in the upper tier of the top ten when he fought them. Is he the first to take a gimme? Im a much bigger fan of Frazier than of Ali but you cant tell me Frazier didnt have his share of gimmes, or Patterson, or Bowe, or Lennox Lewis, or Jack Dempsey, or Joe Louis. So big deal if Ali made one defense against a guy who was outside of the top ten. The guy was just coming off what was trumpeted as his best performance in years and regardless of the poo being heeped on by Duce he had a respectable career for a guy who fought pretty much exclusively on conditioning. Had his fight with Johansson been scheduled for 15 rounds as it was originally supposed to be instead of 12 he would have won and had more impressive name on his record than most heavyweights of that era can boast. But if frogs had wings right? Well why not? Thats the sum total of Duce's fatuous arguments. "If Ali hadnt defended against London, and if he had defended against Spencer, if Spencer hadnt lost to litany of nobody's, then Spencer MIGHT have gone the distance with Ali BUT would have lost a decision.." Whatever, get over it.

Well said!

Woller

Mr. Benito

If you think so - I can live with it!!

After all Brian London is a nice guy and a signed photo of him is hanging on my wall.

Woller

I suppose talent-wise he was the equivilant of Scott Welsh.

Il Duce wrote:March 29, 1968

"THE QUEST FOR A THIRD TITLE TRY MAY HAVE ENDED"

The popular Brian London may have seen his last chance for another Heavyweight
Championship Bout go down the drain, as he was stopped by a TKO 6 to Peruvian
Heavyweight - Roberto Davila.

In a bout at The Stadium in Liverpool, the 33 year-old veteran British Heavyweight
was expected to win easily over the 25 year-old rugged South American, a fighter
who had lost 4-Straight coming into this bout.

But the Blackpudlian who showed up last night, was not the same fighter who showed
up a little over 4-Months ago in November 1967 when he won easily over #9 World-Ranked
American - Zora Folley.

"A quest for a third title try"???

Really?

After that joke of a "title try" on his second go round in '66? He clearly had no business even having a second "title try", let alone third.

It is fricking amazing to me that anybody in boxing at that time would be so off the charts insane as to think London should ever be remotely considered for a "third title try".

Maybe someone was trying to pull off another $112,000 caper.

What a joke.