The Truth of Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter
Posted: 15 Jan 2008, 17:44
Despite the mythologies surrounding him, from his self penned autobiography 'The 16th Round' to the well known anthom 'Hurricane' by folk singer Bob Dylan, and later being portrayed by Denzel Washington; this thread isn't about the man or his problems outside the ring.
I personally do not care about his trials or the murder convictions, though I will comment now that the debacle was similar to the O.J. Simpson trial, getting off his sentence by using the racist wild card, though in the end still hadn't proven to anyone that he didn't commit the crimes, as all evidence pointed in his direction.
As the song goes:
"The number one contender for the middleweight crown, had no idea what kinda shit was about to go down..."
"Here comes the story of the Hurricane, the man the authorities came to blame, for something that he never done, put in a prison cell, but one time he could have been the champion of the world..."
And the truth is, it's misleading, and way off the mark. Despite Don King and others who would later give Carter the WBC 'championship emeritus' for being 'robbed' of his prime, just to make themselves look good in the public eye because the movie was on the rise...
Here's the real truth of Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter's boxing career, especially before his conviction. But before I do continue on, I want the readers to know, this thread isn't in any way, shape, or form out to slam The Hurricane or to be detrimental to his character. While this subject has been pressed in the past, when noobie posters come on the scene and proclaim that Carter could have been something more, it's always ended up going into a direction away from his career and into more provocative issues.
Not this thread. This will be a blow-by-blow break down of the career of a man who rised from poverty and violence, who unfortunately ended back onto that very same path, accomplishing nothing more than being a flash in the pan, a shooting star that burned out as quick as he came.
Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter: 27-12-1 (19)
Greatest Win: Emile Griffith, KO 1st [1963]
Other Mentionable High Profile Wins:
Jimmy Ellis, W10 [later Ellis would turn Heavyweight; 1964]
Holly Mims, W10 [1962]
Florentino Fernandez, KO 1st [1962]
Well Known Losses:
Joey Archer, LSD10 [1963]
Luis Manuel Rodriguez, LUD10 [1965]
Dick Tiger, LUD10 [1965; Carter knocked down three times]
Luis Manuel Rodriguez, LUD10 [1965]
Lone Title Shot: Joey Giardello, WBC/WBA, LUD10, 72-66, 71-66, 70-67
Based on those figures alone, it can be determined that Carter was at his absoloute best in the time frame of October of 1962 to December of 1964, from his win over Florentino Fernandez to his loss to Joey Giardello. Despite what the film said about the Giardello fight, while it is true that Giardello was busted up pretty good, the simple fact of the matter is Carter simply got tired and burned out in the later rounds against a more craftier boxer, and while it was somewhat close, it was rightfully Giardello's decision.
What Dylan and others suggested is that when Carter fought in South America [Argentina] he was still ranked the #1 contender for the title. The truth of the matter, is that in 1966 [when in Argentina], Carter had picked up 7 losses, 7 wins and his only draw when he fought the unheralded Juan Carlos Rivera, after losing to Giardello back in 1964.
Truth is, Carter was actually ranked #9 at that time, which if anything was generous, considering that the only opponents he was able to beat were nowhere near the leaugue of others who were suitable for the top ten ranks. In February of that same year, Carter had been #7, just behind Stan Harrington, Don Fullmer, Joey Giardello, Gomeo Brennan, Joey Archer and Nino Benvenuti, the champion at the time was Dick Tiger.
In May of 1965 he had been #3, by November he dropped down to 6th and in March of 1966 he was #9.
From his debut to his peak against Giardello, Rubin Carter had compiled a respectable 20-4 record. By the time he had fought Giardello he was exactly twenty seven years old, an age near enough for most fighters of the bruising/brawling/swarming type to begin to break down. For Dempsey it was when he was 32, for Marciano it was when he was 33, for Jeffries it was when he was 29.
For being a man who came up from nothing, who basically beat up on tomato cans and nobodies for the first year and a half of his career, he made an awesome leap from fighting that level of opposition to knocking out guys like Florentino Fernandez and decisioning tough luck veterans like Holly Mims.
To be honest, though, I believe Rubin Carter's best attribute, what he had best going for him was, he was a very great PROSPECT, and was a very entertaining one at that...but he wasn't in the league of Archer, Tiger, Giardello, or any of the top men of his time, let alone of all time.
Sure he flattened Emile Griffith in just 2:13 of the first round, but on the flip side, Emile Griffith by that time had done been a Welterweight champion, done had the wars with Benny Kid Paret and was still making a transition from 147 to middleweight, which is a huge jump no matter how you wish to look at it, and it wouldn't be until 1966 that he himself would become a contender enough to fight for the Middleweight title and win it.
But hell, thats more than some can say in boxing, that they beat a man who would later become one of the best middleweight champions in history, much like in the same way Ted Lowry is a piece of boxing history because he gave Marciano hell when he was on the way up.
Rubin Carter, hurricane in the ring, sure...but it was only for two years that he was anywhere remotely near the force that Dylan and Hollywood tried to make him out to be.
Rufus Homicide Henry Defibaugh
I personally do not care about his trials or the murder convictions, though I will comment now that the debacle was similar to the O.J. Simpson trial, getting off his sentence by using the racist wild card, though in the end still hadn't proven to anyone that he didn't commit the crimes, as all evidence pointed in his direction.
As the song goes:
"The number one contender for the middleweight crown, had no idea what kinda shit was about to go down..."
"Here comes the story of the Hurricane, the man the authorities came to blame, for something that he never done, put in a prison cell, but one time he could have been the champion of the world..."
And the truth is, it's misleading, and way off the mark. Despite Don King and others who would later give Carter the WBC 'championship emeritus' for being 'robbed' of his prime, just to make themselves look good in the public eye because the movie was on the rise...
Here's the real truth of Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter's boxing career, especially before his conviction. But before I do continue on, I want the readers to know, this thread isn't in any way, shape, or form out to slam The Hurricane or to be detrimental to his character. While this subject has been pressed in the past, when noobie posters come on the scene and proclaim that Carter could have been something more, it's always ended up going into a direction away from his career and into more provocative issues.
Not this thread. This will be a blow-by-blow break down of the career of a man who rised from poverty and violence, who unfortunately ended back onto that very same path, accomplishing nothing more than being a flash in the pan, a shooting star that burned out as quick as he came.
Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter: 27-12-1 (19)
Greatest Win: Emile Griffith, KO 1st [1963]
Other Mentionable High Profile Wins:
Jimmy Ellis, W10 [later Ellis would turn Heavyweight; 1964]
Holly Mims, W10 [1962]
Florentino Fernandez, KO 1st [1962]
Well Known Losses:
Joey Archer, LSD10 [1963]
Luis Manuel Rodriguez, LUD10 [1965]
Dick Tiger, LUD10 [1965; Carter knocked down three times]
Luis Manuel Rodriguez, LUD10 [1965]
Lone Title Shot: Joey Giardello, WBC/WBA, LUD10, 72-66, 71-66, 70-67
Based on those figures alone, it can be determined that Carter was at his absoloute best in the time frame of October of 1962 to December of 1964, from his win over Florentino Fernandez to his loss to Joey Giardello. Despite what the film said about the Giardello fight, while it is true that Giardello was busted up pretty good, the simple fact of the matter is Carter simply got tired and burned out in the later rounds against a more craftier boxer, and while it was somewhat close, it was rightfully Giardello's decision.
What Dylan and others suggested is that when Carter fought in South America [Argentina] he was still ranked the #1 contender for the title. The truth of the matter, is that in 1966 [when in Argentina], Carter had picked up 7 losses, 7 wins and his only draw when he fought the unheralded Juan Carlos Rivera, after losing to Giardello back in 1964.
Truth is, Carter was actually ranked #9 at that time, which if anything was generous, considering that the only opponents he was able to beat were nowhere near the leaugue of others who were suitable for the top ten ranks. In February of that same year, Carter had been #7, just behind Stan Harrington, Don Fullmer, Joey Giardello, Gomeo Brennan, Joey Archer and Nino Benvenuti, the champion at the time was Dick Tiger.
In May of 1965 he had been #3, by November he dropped down to 6th and in March of 1966 he was #9.
From his debut to his peak against Giardello, Rubin Carter had compiled a respectable 20-4 record. By the time he had fought Giardello he was exactly twenty seven years old, an age near enough for most fighters of the bruising/brawling/swarming type to begin to break down. For Dempsey it was when he was 32, for Marciano it was when he was 33, for Jeffries it was when he was 29.
For being a man who came up from nothing, who basically beat up on tomato cans and nobodies for the first year and a half of his career, he made an awesome leap from fighting that level of opposition to knocking out guys like Florentino Fernandez and decisioning tough luck veterans like Holly Mims.
To be honest, though, I believe Rubin Carter's best attribute, what he had best going for him was, he was a very great PROSPECT, and was a very entertaining one at that...but he wasn't in the league of Archer, Tiger, Giardello, or any of the top men of his time, let alone of all time.
Sure he flattened Emile Griffith in just 2:13 of the first round, but on the flip side, Emile Griffith by that time had done been a Welterweight champion, done had the wars with Benny Kid Paret and was still making a transition from 147 to middleweight, which is a huge jump no matter how you wish to look at it, and it wouldn't be until 1966 that he himself would become a contender enough to fight for the Middleweight title and win it.
But hell, thats more than some can say in boxing, that they beat a man who would later become one of the best middleweight champions in history, much like in the same way Ted Lowry is a piece of boxing history because he gave Marciano hell when he was on the way up.
Rubin Carter, hurricane in the ring, sure...but it was only for two years that he was anywhere remotely near the force that Dylan and Hollywood tried to make him out to be.
Rufus Homicide Henry Defibaugh
