BoxRec

The tagline says it all: "Based on the true story, that was based on a lie", and while the up-and-coming Samuel L. Jackson feature is somewhat about Bob Satterfield, it is a film based on a homeless man who believes himself to be the ex-professional fighter, not the true Bob Satterfield.

But, like with all Hollywood features, this film does raise up an interest in this once fan-favorite competitor whose scarecly mentioned today, whether intentionally or not.

"Just who was Bob Satterfield?," some might ask.

50 wins, 25 losses, 4 draws with 35 knock outs pretty much says it all. From Light Heavweight to Heavyweight, this butcher raised holy hell on his opponents, usually throwing everything he had in the first few rounds, only to tire after the rapid fire series of power punches slowed down to a stand still. But, what people fail to realize is that most of the best HW's and LHW's of his time, were not able to take his viscous, non-stop windmill assaults for the five or so rounds he was at his optimum effectiveness.

What kind of men did Satterfield splatter inside the five rounds he usually disposed his opponents of? Bob Baker, Cleveland Williams, Lee Oma, to name three. Of the men he beat by decision? Harold Johnson, Marty Marshall, Nino Valdes, Johnny Summerlin, Howard King, Tommy Gomez, to name six.

Now for the flip side, the men who knocked him out? Jake LaMotta (who was no longer MW champion), Sam Baroudi, Archie Moore, Henry Hall, Rex Layne, Clarence Henry, Harold Johnson, Ezzard Charles (1954), Marty Marshall, John Holman, Harold Carter, to name eleven.

The men who decisioned him? Bert Whiteburst, Julio Meredos, Harold Johnson, Harold Carter, Joey Maxim, Archie McBride, Joe Lindsay, Charley Williams, Wesbury Bascom, Lee Oma, Holman Williams, Albert Johnson, to name twelve.

While it is true that Satterfield was in the top ten HW contenders for a few years, it was his stamina and weak chin, that held him back from facing Rocky Marciano...so despite the Hollywood feature's title of "Resurrecting The Champ", it's safe to assume if Satterfield couldn't get the title shot in supposedly the weakest era in HW history, he wouldn't have beaten Marciano.*

Satterfield, while never winning a title of any sort other than the 1941 Golden Gloves, was certainly no champ. He might have come close, some could argue, but he lost to the "old" Ezzard Charles by KO in 2 rounds for the #1 contenders slot to go up against Marciano, to which Charles would go 15 rounds with "The Rock" losing by scores of 8-5, 9-5, 8-6.

To me, he reminds me of such guys as Tommy Morrison, blasting guys right, left and center and we all get sucked into the mystifying brutality and don't care whether the guy he just defeated was some bum...and do to that we tend to forget whether or not the guy really can take getting punched back, whether he can pass his first real test as a fighter, and start proclaiming he's the next big thing, the next champion of the world.

Many, like those types, have come and went. Bob Satterfield was one of them.

Thanks for this post, I am one of those people who asked "Just who was Bob Satterfield?" after seeing a post about the movie on the current scene. I checked out his record and assumed he was as you have described. I am still interested in seeing the movie as it sounds like a good story none the less. Any movie that raises interest in the sweet science has to be a good thing...

I don't suppose you have a link to the article the movie is about do you?

Wikipedia gave a somewhat good out-line of the movie, then there's also this link to the actual official movie: http://www.resurrectingthechamp.com/

OR....

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0416185/

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/resurrecting_the_champ/


The last one is a decent movie reviewer site.


The film is based on a true story, yes, I believe TIME magazine published an article that was supposedly about the whereabouts of Bob Satterfield, and this reporter, whose name escapes me, finds a homeless man under a bridge whose drunk out of his mind and keeps telling the man he was Bob Satterfield. The man believes he stumbled upon a gold mine, and writes this elaborate story of Satterfield's rise and fall, through the bum's word of mouth, only to find out the real Bob Satterfield died seven or so years before.

Least I believe that is how the true story went down. In short, I imagine this is boxing's true version of ANASTASIA [remember her story?].

Cheers mate. The authors name was J.R. Moehringer. Apparently it was a 26 odd page article. I think it would be an interesting read if I could find it...

That would be an interesting find indeed, though nothing more than the ravings of a lunatics mind; myself I would love to know more of the follow up to the story, the crack down and the expositition of the truth and who the homeless guys true identity was.

Marlin wrote:Thanks for this post, I am one of those people who asked "Just who was Bob Satterfield?" after seeing a post about the movie on the current scene. I checked out his record and assumed he was as you have described. I am still interested in seeing the movie as it sounds like a good story none the less. Any movie that raises interest in the sweet science has to be a good thing...

I don't suppose you have a link to the article the movie is about do you?

The article is posted @ Cyberboxingzone.com "Old Timers"
"Bob Satterfield thread"

HomicideHenry wrote:That would be an interesting find indeed, though nothing more than the ravings of a lunatics mind; myself I would love to know more of the follow up to the story, the crack down and the expositition of the truth and who the homeless guys true identity was.

The homeless guy is ex-fighter Tommy Harrison



Tommy Harrison

Bob Satterfield vs Bob Baker

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

http://youtube.com/watch?v=WG8kmOgjSPY

http://www.boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?hu ... &cat=boxer

^^^Tommy Harrison's professional record


On a side note, while watching the trailor on YouTube, I found it somewhat misleading as the "reporter" says that Satterfield fought LaMotta (true) and Patterson (which is the lie). Satterfield NEVER put on the gloves against Patterson, but...Tommy Harrison did, the homeless man.

http://www.cyberboxingzone.com/cbzforum ... php?t=1100


^^^The "story" behind 'Resurrecting The Champ'

I find it amazing, to say the least, that a man could be so consumed with another human being that he literally believes himself to be, and in a sense, becomes the person he/she idolises. According to Tommy Harrison, his managers made him fight as Bob Satterfield as it was a better name than Tommy Harrison, because he was often somehow confused with Tommy Jackson.

But the truth was somewhat more extravegant as Harrison's managers did have Harrison billed as Satterfield from time to time, so to draw in huge money.

Whats even more amazing is that Satterfield and Harrison was at one time to fight one another...it would have been, in a sense, the real version of Don Quioxte [the chapter about the mirror]...where 'man of la mancha' realized he was just an old man and not a knight of old....it is possible that Harrison would have lost to Satterfield and realized this himself that he was no Bob Satterfield.

Unfortunately this never happened, and Harrison continued to live out a lie. He could have been the result of a medical phenomenon where people start to have memories that were created out of thin air, or told so many lies, tall tales, etc that it actually does become a 'reality' in their minds.

kikibalt wrote:

Marlin wrote:Thanks for this post, I am one of those people who asked "Just who was Bob Satterfield?" after seeing a post about the movie on the current scene. I checked out his record and assumed he was as you have described. I am still interested in seeing the movie as it sounds like a good story none the less. Any movie that raises interest in the sweet science has to be a good thing...

I don't suppose you have a link to the article the movie is about do you?

The article is posted @ Cyberboxingzone.com "Old Timers"
"Bob Satterfield thread"

Thanks mate I really appreciate that

What Tommy Harrison claimed in the article was that Satterfield (in this case 'himself') had fought not only an exhibition bout, but also sparred with HW champion Rocky Marciano and the exhibition/sparring sessions were called off because Satterfield (Harrison) landed so many punches to The Rock's nose that it bled terribly; supposedly this occurence(s) was the reason why Satterfield (Harrison) never got a shot at Marciano.

Problem is, there is no evidence to ever show Marciano ever had an exhibition bout with the real Bob Satterfield, let alone Tommy Harrison, and the only sparring partners Marciano used were guys like Tommy "Hurricane" Jackson---who ironically Harrison mentioned because he claims there was a bit of confusion between the two men, hence why his managers dubbed him "Bob Satterfield".

In fact, the only exhibition bout that was ever recorded to have ever happened was against former foe Keene Simmons in 1955, and the only other talk of exhibitions associated with Marciano was a proposed bout with then LHW Floyd Patterson which consisted of 2 two minute rounds, but Wednesday Night Fights didn't show any interest in buying the fights and no venue wanted to show case it, so therefore it was scrapped.

But I do say Harrison had to have been some sort of great fighter in his own right, in his first pro fight he beat a guy who was 12-8-0 and by his 18th fight was 13-4-0 and went the distance against Bobo Olsen, and had defeated the likes of Jimmy Bivins, Charley Norkus, Earl Walls, and drew Jimmy Slade by the time his career was over in 1958 having a career record of 22-13-2 with 5 KO's....

And that's really the nail on the lid of the coffin for me, considering Harrison had such a low KO percentage, while Satterfield was one of the greatest punchers in history, although him and Satterfield had one thing in common, both had weak chins, as Harrison lost by KO to Patterson, Walls, Charles, Abel Fernandez, Frankie Crane, Bob Butcher, Matt Jackson and Monroe Ratliff.

I seen all three fights Harrison had with Abel Fernandez live, I don't remember to much about the fights just that Harrison was the better boxer and Fernandez was the better puncher.

..fascinating story....i remember harrison fights on tv....he wasn't a bad fighter. ezzard charles stopped him in 1953....when ezzard was fighting about once a month.....after the final "loss" to walcott and before his shot at marciano.

....which gets me to charles and satterfield.....about a year later....charles was doing okay in round one...and then satterfield landed one of his bombs...and ezzard had to hang on and use every defensive skill he had to make it to the end of the round. as i felt ezzard's getting hit harder than he did i was reelong too. round two...ezzard clocks satterfield with a beauty and scores a one punch kayo. years later when i asked him about satterfield he said something to the effect that it was like being hit by a truck...or a safe falllng on you....i have the exact words around here somewhere, but you get the idea.

MOVIE REVIEW
Acting lifts 'Resurrecting the Champ'

By Kevin Crust, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer


The drama "Resurrecting the Champ" opens with an analogy between writing and boxing. Both activities require you to put your talent forward and stand alone.

It's good connective tissue for a movie about an old forgotten boxer and a struggling young sportswriter who develop a strangely symbiotic relationship. Directed by Rod Lurie ("The Contender"), "Resurrecting" delivers a heckuva story marred by some credibility problems but lands the majority of its punches via subtly powerful performances and a moving undercard of paternal connection.

Josh Hartnett stars as a Denver Post scribe named Erik Kernan Jr. whose father was a legendary boxing announcer on the radio. Though still in his 20s, he's reached critical points in both his personal and professional lives and is beginning to give off a whiff of desperation.

He's separated from his wife, Joyce (Kathryn Morris), a more successful journalist who also works at the newspaper, and is struggling to maintain a relationship with his 6-year-old son, Teddy (Dakota Goyo). His exacting, old-school editor, Metz (Alan Alda), is unimpressed with Erik's reporting, which he describes as "a lot of typing, not much writing," routinely buries his stories and isn't about to let him off the boxing beat any time soon to cover the more glamorous pro football Broncos or pro basketball Nuggets.

Just as Erik seems out of gambits, he stumbles across a homeless man in an alley being beaten by some young jerks. Erik chases the kids off and learns that the man calls himself Champ and claims to be a former boxer named Battlin' Bob Satterfield, who came within a fight or two of the world championship in the 1950s.

As the pugilist, Samuel L. Jackson chisels an impressively detailed performance from a character that might have easily fallen into caricature. Jackson instills the grizzled ex-fighter with a grace and pride that transcend the rags he wears. Charming and heart-rending, Champ drinks and suffers from a career of blows to the head but is surprisingly lucid, able to recall his bouts with startling clarity.

Erik smells not just a story but a career-maker. He steps up to the material with previously unseen zeal and in the process develops a complex relationship with Champ that knocks loose some of his own baggage.

Screenwriters Michael Bortman and Allison Burnett were inspired by a similar 1997 article by former Los Angeles Times reporter J.R. Moehringer. Bortman and Burnett deploy a fairly significant what-if scenario in dramatizing the nonfiction article and amp up the parallels between the reporter and the pugilist mostly for the good, but some of their choices hinder the movie.

There's too much reliance on coincidence as a means of speeding up the story, and the depiction of Erik's journalism skills leaves a lot to be desired. The manner in which his story comes together is not altogether believable, and the eventual moral struggle is stretched to the brink.

What's more interesting is the way the filmmakers reveal Erik's personal flaws, his motivation to pursue a career in the shadow of a daunting, unknowable father. Erik has the habit of telling those around him, including his son, what he thinks they want to hear, making him hard to root for.

Fortunately, Hartnett is extremely likable, and he more than holds his own with Jackson. As the film progresses, Hartnett helps the character evolve even when the script dangles him excessively over an emotional edge. Lurie also gets strong supporting performances from Alda, David Paymer (as another editor) and an unrecognizable Peter Coyote as a boxing old-timer.

Boxing scenes, shown in flashback, are used sparingly but efficiently, evoking the Champ's era when he fought the likes of Ezzard Charles and sparred with Rocky Marciano. The film sacrifices some of Moehringer's aesthetic appreciation for the sport but sticks to his main themes.

Most affecting of which is the strong hold fathers and sons have over one another even from the grave. The intertwined search for one's male identity as both a father and a son gets its hooks into us in ways we overlook or would like to ignore. What's particularly fascinating is how the mutual yearning for approval stretches in both directions. "Resurrecting the Champ," despite its shortcomings, evocatively projects these feelings.

[email protected]

MPAA rating: PG-13 for some violence and brief language. Running time: 1 hour, 51 minutes. In general release.

This is a movie I want to see. I have some film on Satterfield. He was a very exciting fighter. A promoter's dream. Bob would either knock you out, or get stopped himself. He had in the boxing adiom, " a puncher's chance", every time he stepped in the ring. Tommy Harrison, former L.H. who fought Patterson, down on his luck, thinks he's Satterfield? Strange set of circumstances for a Hollywood film, but boxing themed movies always do well. This was a great era for boxing. You knew all the contenders. Now a days, you don't even know the champ. Er sorry... champs.

..i haven't seen the movie yet, but i vaguely recall a little about the origin of the story.... and if i remember right, the reporter certainly was a bad one, as it would have taken about half an hour to find out if the boxer was telling the truth. or..maybe he knew it all along, and was doing as the reporter did in billy wilder's "ace in the hole." but...if so..where were the fact checkers?

or..as is extremely remotely possible...is my memory all coo coo on this?

Jaclem wrote:..i haven't seen the movie yet, but i vaguely recall a little about the origin of the story.... and if i remember right, the reporter certainly was a bad one, as it would have taken about half an hour to find out if the boxer was telling the truth. or..maybe he knew it all along, and was doing as the reporter did in billy wilder's "ace in the hole." but...if so..where were the fact checkers?

or..as is extremely remotely possible...is my memory all coo coo on this?

I'm guessing your memory has gone coo coo...based on your age and all.......but that's just me

Bob Satterfield getting ko by Ezzard Charles..1954

Btw, how old is Jaclem?

..ah yes, buzzy...it IS only you....

Jaclem is over 326 years old in dog years.

46? 326 divided by 7 [dog years] = 46

HomicideHenry wrote:46? 326 divided by 7 [dog years] = 46

If he is 46 he is a young puppy.

HomicideHenry wrote:Wikipedia gave a somewhat good out-line of the movie, then there's also this link to the actual official movie: http://www.resurrectingthechamp.com/

OR....

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0416185/

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/resurrecting_the_champ/


The last one is a decent movie reviewer site.


The film is based on a true story, yes, I believe TIME magazine published an article that was supposedly about the whereabouts of Bob Satterfield, and this reporter, whose name escapes me, finds a homeless man under a bridge whose drunk out of his mind and keeps telling the man he was Bob Satterfield. The man believes he stumbled upon a gold mine, and writes this elaborate story of Satterfield's rise and fall, through the bum's word of mouth, only to find out the real Bob Satterfield died seven or so years before.

Least I believe that is how the true story went down. In short, I imagine this is boxing's true version of ANASTASIA [remember her story?].

Now you're pimping Hollywood movies?

Anyone who follows boxing knows well who Bob Satterfield was.

Someone who has to ask who he was

is someone who is clueless on the subject.

By the way, this Hollywood piece of crap is bombing at the box office.

..i can see how a reporter wouldn't know who bob satterfield was....but i can NOT see how any reporter wouldn't have checked to find out...it would be so easy to do....if this guy's claiming to be him was telling the truth.

kikibalt wrote:

HomicideHenry wrote:46? 326 divided by 7 [dog years] = 46

If he is 46 he is a young pub.

I meant 1,326