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Boxing game circa 1965

Posted: 11 Apr 2018, 10:59
by APerno
Boxing game 1960s.

There was a boxing game that was sold at the back of one of the boxing magazines; as a kid I never had the disposable income to buy the game and always looked on it with envy.

I have no clue what the game was called.

From best I could tell (from looking at the advert) the game was similar to the 1960s game called Challenge the Yankees. A dice rolling game where the baseball players were assigned attributes based on their prowess.

E.g. with most of the players, say as with Bobby Richardson, you had to roll a 12 (boxcars) to hit a HR; with other lesser hitters the HR number would be a 2 (snake eyes), but with Micky Mantle you could gain a HR with either a 3 or an 11 (needless to say The Mick could hit the ball.) Of course Mantle also had many opportunities to strike-out, far more chances to K than the other players. It was a reasonable logic.

This boxing game seemed to be based on similar logic, but I never got to play it. Does anyone remember the game? Did anyone ever own/play it? It was sold in the back of the magazines for a few years.

The fight geek in me wants to see the evaluation numbers they used for the fighters; I want to see who got the 11 HR like Mantle.

P.S. I think the only other player in the game Challenge the Yankees, to have two HR opportunities at 3 and 11, was Willie Mays. (I think). Back then "Who was better Mantle or Mays?" was an argument every 12 year old boy had an opinion to.

Re: Boxing game circa 1965

Posted: 11 Apr 2018, 20:32
by Ambling Alp II
I had not heard of this but it does sound interesting. I remember Thomas Hearns was promoting some boxing game on the Tonight Show (this was in the 1980s) but I don't remember if that was tabletop or video.

My older brother had a baseball game called Gil Hodges Pennant Race or something like that from the 1960s. Some friends of mine invented a game called dice baseball which we used with baseball cards in the 1970s. I also have Statis Pro Baseball.

Those games can be fun.

Re: Boxing game circa 1965

Posted: 12 Apr 2018, 01:14
by Kalan
I love Chess as a game... and Poker... Scrabble... Monopoly... and Pool... But I hate all the Boxing board games I've tried.

Boxing itself is a very fascinating game - but I often wonder about the person who first thought up the game...

"How does this new game of yours work Fred???" ..... "Well.....you need 2 players see... and you both stand on a platform and face each other with your hands up and fists clenched like this see" ..... "Uh huh" .... "And then you kind of circle each other like this... and you haul off and punch the other guy right in the face.".... "WOW!! Why would you do something like that Fred?" .... "Well that's the game you see... You punch and punch the opposing player anywhere above the belt as much as you can.. You beat the living Hell out of him and knock him unconscious... That's how you win the game."

"I'm thinking there's a problem with your new game Fred... Do you think a civilized society will allow such a brutal game to be played???" .... "Hmmm...well that's a good question....I hadn't thought of that... But I guess we'll find out won't we?"

Re: Boxing game circa 1965

Posted: 12 Apr 2018, 16:23
by Caractacus
I think it goes back to the Trojan War days of ancient Greece (at least).
Maybe Homers great-grandad invented it.