BoxRec

I have been reading this board for several months and finally decided to register. To me, one of the more interesting heavyweight champions of all-time was Primo Carnera. Yes, I am familiar with his background: that many of his fights were supposedly fixed and that he was probably among the bottom five men to ever be heavyweight champion.

But I read something a few months back that aroused my interest about Carnera. Supposedly, his name became synonymous among the general public as a strongman or giant in the 1930s. I had always assumed that since the general perception of Carnera was that he couldn't fight, the public at large would have little if any knowledge of him.

So was Carnera well-known outside the boxing ring? How did the general public view him?

he played a part in a big movie.. "the prizefighter and the lady".. i beleive??.. it stared him and max baer... funny cause it was in the months before the baer fight that they shot this movie.. in the movie baer beats carnera good, so im sure that gave him much plublicity.. i think the public probly mostly thought of him as a big loaf... a joke really..his life was a sad one, he was a mob toy.

Rory McCloskey wrote:he played a part in a big movie.. "the prizefighter and the lady".. i beleive??.. it stared him and max baer... funny cause it was in the months before the baer fight that they shot this movie.. in the movie baer beats carnera good, so im sure that gave him much plublicity.. i think the public probly mostly thought of him as a big loaf... a joke really..his life was a sad one, he was a mob toy.

Actually, I just saw this movie on TCM a few weeks ago. It was actually made a few months before Carnera fought Sharkey. From what I read, Baer said that the sparring he did for the movie helped him greatly in prepping for the title fight. Not much of a movie, but a must see for any real fan of HW boxing.

Carnera was a heck of a physical specimen. Certainly none of the big zombies walking around today have anything on the Ambling Alp physically, except perhaps Valuev.

..in the movie carnera and baer fought to a draw.

when carnera was active, there were two big professional sports....baseball and boxing...and even the most casual follower knew who the heavyweight champion of the world was. easier then, because there was only one of them and the press covered boxing thoroughly. i don't know if carnera was highly regarded, but he WAS known. his fight with ernie schaff, in which schaff died was a big story...and gave him more legitimacy than he had before....and gave the impetus to his challenge of sharkey for the title.

He was a big shot in the Italian-American communities.

wusbuff...righto.....i recall reading in one biography of marciano that rocky and his italian family and friends looked up da preem as a hero.


in the prizefighter and the lady there is a quick scene during the fight with baer showing a group of african/americans cheering wildly for baer. this was as the time that italy was invading and bombarding ethiopia.

in real life...during the pre-fight introductions the announcer says a few words abiourt fair play...the american way and so forth...an obvious reference to the anti-mussolini feeling at the time....in an attempt to keep peace in the crowd.

in some book...maybe liebling's sweet science...a black cabdriver is quoted as saying louis' camp "poisoned his mind " in going into that fight ...to get the bomber charged up.

of course, carnera never,as far as i know, ever played into that situation o ne way or the other.....much like schmeling, i think in his being made into a hero by hitler.

I think he was viewed as a big mean guy when truly he was a nice guy.

Carnera is an interesting champion Like an Edsel is an interesting car.

But from all I gather a very good guy.