BoxRec

I listed this in the fights the should have been made but were not topic. So who would win this slugfest. No matter who wins it would be freakin great. I'd pick Lamotta by mid-round KO. Now let's hear some inteligent oppinions please.

Yeah, this would have been a cracker!... it's strange that there were so many simularities in the lives of Graziano and Lamotta... though Rocky seems to have been a more happy-go-lucky guy out of the ring.
If they fought I'm pretty sure that Jake would have won, probably by a late stoppage.... Rocky was a great puncher but Jake had one of the best chins ever and despite what many seem to think was actually a very skilled boxer and hard to hit cleanly.... he took a lot of shots on his arms, forehead etc and would tuck his chin away in his chest.

If Jake La Motta could take bombs from the Earnie Shavers of his time in Bob Satterfield before KO'ing him in the 7th then i don't see Graziano's right hand being a problem for Jake.I think Rocky would've been TKO'ed sometime after the middle rounds by Jakes relentless body attack and it would have been a great action fight while it lasted.They were supposed to fight actually but Rocky injured his hand so Jake fought Laurent Dauthuille instead and in what turned out to be one of the greatest comebacks in ring history Jake while trailing on all the cards came back to stop Dauthuille with only 13 seconds to go in the final round.Does anyone have any La Motta stories to share,my grandfather had the privilige of seeing him fight and he really was a tremendous fighter who sadly today is considered overrated by many because a movie was made based on his life .Any stories about him would be great to read.

Lamotta would have stomped a mudhole in Graziano and Graziano knew it. They signed a contract to fight for LaMotta's title and Graziano punched a tree breaking his hand so he wouldnt have to go through with it. That says it all.

Klompton,you are quite a knowledgable fellow and you most definately know your old school boxing,are there any interesting stories you can share with us about Jake.And do you think he is overrated or underrated as a fighter,i have read many people say he is vastly overrated just because a movie was made based on his life.And out of curiosity how do think Hopkins would've done in a fifteen round fight for the middleweight crown in their respective primes,who do you see coming out on top.I would be glad to read your thoughts on this.

Hello Folks!!!


LaMotta the winner for me in any way (KO or decision). More stamina, better techniques, more heart I think and better chin.

I posted a reply on this forum a while back with several old stories I'd heard about LaMotta. A search under my name or LaMottas would probably bring it up.

LaMotta-Hopkins would be an interesting fight. The thing to remember is that there is almost no film of LaMotta in his prime. There is a very short clip of his fight with Tommy Bell which is about as close as you get. So its really hard to judge. Based on his accompishments I'd say hed give Bernard a hell of a fight win, lose, or draw. Especially with his style of getting in close and staying there. Hopkins doesnt have the power to keep LaMotta hurt (not many did), but he is a huge middleweight, hes tough, and he has well rounded skills, so on that note he'd probably give LaMotta a rough time as well. I have a lot of respect for both fighters so Id say if you matched them ten times theyd probably fight several close fights without either being able to really dominate the other.

Do I think LaMotta is overrated or underrated? Ill put it this way: The guys who think LaMotta was invincible based on his biopic Raging Bull, have overrated him. He could be beat and was. However the people who think he was a crude one dimensional slugger who took a zillion punches to land one, vastly underrate him. He was tricky with underrated boxing skills, a good jab for such short arms, a tremendous body puncher (one of the best ever) and very good defensively. The war, the mob, and the champions who ducked him robbed him of his prime and it wasnt until he was about over the hill that he actually got a shot at Marcel Cerdan. In fact those who think Cerdan would have beaten Jake probably overrate Cerdan based on films of him against European stiffs and ancient americans like Zale. Cerdan was great but he was never going to beat LaMotta, bad style match up for Cerdan.

klompton wrote:I posted a reply on this forum a while back with several old stories I'd heard about LaMotta. A search under my name or LaMottas would probably bring it up.

LaMotta-Hopkins would be an interesting fight. The thing to remember is that there is almost no film of LaMotta in his prime. There is a very short clip of his fight with Tommy Bell which is about as close as you get. So its really hard to judge. Based on his accompishments I'd say hed give Bernard a hell of a fight win, lose, or draw. Especially with his style of getting in close and staying there. Hopkins doesnt have the power to keep LaMotta hurt (not many did), but he is a huge middleweight, hes tough, and he has well rounded skills, so on that note he'd probably give LaMotta a rough time as well. I have a lot of respect for both fighters so Id say if you matched them ten times theyd probably fight several close fights without either being able to really dominate the other.

Do I think LaMotta is overrated or underrated? Ill put it this way: The guys who think LaMotta was invincible based on his biopic Raging Bull, have overrated him. He could be beat and was. However the people who think he was a crude one dimensional slugger who took a zillion punches to land one, vastly underrate him. He was tricky with underrated boxing skills, a good jab for such short arms, a tremendous body puncher (one of the best ever) and very good defensively. The war, the mob, and the champions who ducked him robbed him of his prime and it wasnt until he was about over the hill that he actually got a shot at Marcel Cerdan. In fact those who think Cerdan would have beaten Jake probably overrate Cerdan based on films of him against European stiffs and ancient americans like Zale. Cerdan was great but he was never going to beat LaMotta, bad style match up for Cerdan.

Thank you for your thoughts Klompton,i was the one who started the earlier thread to which you replied a few months ago.I enjoyed reading your opinions on Jake and this fantasy matchup,you are indeed a very knowledgable chap and thanks once again for your input.Do you know by any chance whether or not Jake is still alive and if so is he in good health,you never hear about him nowadays anymore.Last i heard his son died in a plane crash and he was planning to start his own tomato sauce line called "Tomatta La Motta" but that was several years ago.

The Raging B(_)LL wrote:If Jake La Motta could take bombs from the Earnie Shavers of his time in Bob Satterfield before KO'ing him in the 7th then i don't see Graziano's right hand being a problem for Jake.I think Rocky would've been TKO'ed sometime after the middle rounds by Jakes relentless body attack and it would have been a great action fight while it lasted.They were supposed to fight actually but Rocky injured his hand so Jake fought Laurent Dauthuille instead and in what turned out to be one of the greatest comebacks in ring history Jake while trailing on all the cards came back to stop Dauthuille with only 13 seconds to go in the final round.Does anyone have any La Motta stories to share,my grandfather had the privilige of seeing him fight and he really was a tremendous fighter who sadly today is considered overrated by many because a movie was made based on his life .Any stories about him would be great to read.

"If Jake La Motta could take bombs from the Earnie Shavers of his time in Bob Satterfield before KO'ing him in the 7th then i don't see Graziano's right hand being a problem for Jake."
And Satterfield was a great light heavyweight and heavyweight puncher!

I think LaMotta wins a decision. Graziano's right was extremely powerful, but LaMotta's chin was unbelieveably strong and would serve him well in this match. LaMotta was a better boxer and I think he'd win the later rounds and take the decision.

LaMotta is still alive and kicking. Hes in as a good a shape as you could expect for a guy who is over eighty, especially considering he was a boxer (most boxers dont end up too well later in life).

When his son died he sued the airline although I cant remember if he won or not.

The sauce he created with his son Joey (who died on the flight) is still on sale:

http://www.rocketscientists.com/sites/LaMotta.htm

not much to add here. rocky was a smallish middleweight and jake was a light heavy stuffed into a middleweights body. what punches rocky would land would bounce off jake's chin and head with no damage done...none at all.....graziano was most dangerous against welterweights...his savage middleweight reputation is based mosly on the three zale fights...two of which he lost.

i said "what punches rocky would land" because, as others who really know lamotta's style have written here that he was more clever at rolling with punches than given credit for.

his left jab.....when he defended his title against the italian champion tibero mitri, he won it almost entirely with his left jab and won widely. i forget who the new york boxing commsioner was at the time of the fight..probab ly eagan or christen berry...but he made a point of congratulation jake after the fight on his use of boxing skill.

vitually no film of lamotta at his peak....but take a look at the final robinson fight....the weight weakend jake is right on top of the sugar man and in the early rounds actually meeting him jab for jab..and sometimes even outjabbing him.....phenomenal considering the height and reach difference and it was against a master left jabber himself.

very very tough and good fighter and a match for any middleweight in history.