[Lee]

I will do 1 or 2 of these while I sim through each game year to keep the thread active. The spotlights will include the Fighters universe record and then some comparisons between their RL careers and their universe careers. Plus it will give a little bit of background on a few of the fighters for those that may not be big historical buffs.




As it was (Real Life)
George Godfrey was born in Prince Edward Island, Canada in 1853 and threw his lot into the prize ring in 1879. (The same year of his debut in the CCBF) Along with men like Charles Hadley and Peter Jackson, Godfrey was one of the premier black fighters of the latter part of the 19th century. As with the others he was never given the chance to fight for the sports greatest prize due to the color of his skin. During his career he fought all comers and avoided nobody, making his pro debut against Hadley in a 6 round draw. He fought later that year, knocking out 3 men in one day to claim the top prize in a Heavyweight competition in Boston. He would not enter the ring again until September of 1881, at which time he was scheduled to fight then 23 year old John L Sullivan. Both men were stripped and in the ring ready to fight when, depending on who you believe, either Sullivan refused to fight or Police intervened and prevented the bout from starting. A second Sullivan/Godfrey match was proposed in May of 1888 for Sullivan’s World title. Sullivan refused the challenge, saying he was not prepared at the time, but would at a later date. Sullivan never addressed the issue again and Godfrey's best hope was gone, as Sullivans successor, James Corbett was allegedly even more racist than Sullivan. (See accounts of the Johnson/Jeffiries fight for more insight into this commentary) Godfrey did hold the “Colored Heavyweight Championship” for five years during his career, beating Charles Hadley in six rounds, then eventually losing it to Peter Jackson. He also holds wins over Joe Lannon, Patsy Cardiff and Denver Ed Smith. He was beaten by the likes of Jake Kilrain, Peter Jackson, Peter Maher and Joe Choynski.


As it now (CCBF)
Godfrey served notice early on when he defeated Jem Mace in just his second fight in Liverpool. The resulting hoopla resulted in a match with then unbeaten bruiser John C Heenan. Godfrey was woefully unprepared for the task and was battered, before being stopped in the 9th. An 18 bout win streak ensued with John P Clow and Morris Grant his biggest wins. Entering 1885 he was ranked #2 in the world among Heavyweights and entered the Chilton Cup as a favorite to win the honor of Worlds Champion. After John L Sullivan dispatched top seeded Charles Hadley in the Quarterfinals it seemed inevitable that Godfrey’s longtime real life protagonist would at last be forced to face old Chocolate in the ring. Something Sullivan managed to avoid on at least two occasions in real life. Sure enough both men survive solid semi-final challenges and meet for the biggest prize in boxing. Sullivan’s razor close unanimous decision could easily have gone to Godfrey if he had only managed to stay on his feet the entire 15 rounds as Sullivan’s 3-1 edge in knockdowns proved the deciding factor. We now stand in April of 1885 and while the Chilton Cup Champion travels the country indulging in the perks of his fame, Godfrey never left the Gym. Back in the ring in February, Godfrey looked like a man determined to exact revenge in next years Cup, belting out Captain James Dalton 19-11-2 (7) in the first round. Sitting now with a record of 24-2-0 (10) Godfrey will be taking a well deserved break, before beginning training for his June fight for the vacant CABO Heavyweight Title against John J Dwyer 27-5-5 (6). T he two men have never met and with both being Canadians there is no doubt the great white north will show up for this one in droves.


Fun Fact
Despite avoiding him in the Ring for his entire career in real life, John L Sullivan actually referred two of Godfrey’s bigger bouts. These included his Title winning effort against Charles Hadley and a 15 round draw against Joe Lannon in 1889, who he knocked out in 4 rounds in a rematch three years later.