A Partial Eclipse of the Sonny

[professordp]

The Miami Register

August 3. 1957


Marciano-Folley Slated for Convention Center in October

By Ray Harrison

Hans Reuter, president of the Universal Boxing Organizaton (UBO), announced today that former heavyweight king Rocky Marciano will face top-ranked contender Zora Folley on October 20th for a ten round match at the Miami Beach Convention Center.

The announcment ends a month of spectulation concerning UBO rankings within the heavyweight division. In his statement, Reuter stated that the winner will most likely get the next shot at the world title.

Current champion Floyd Patterson will be defending his belt against Britain's Henry Cooper next month at London's Wembley Stadium. The selection of Cooper, who is ranked fifth in the world, for a title match had created considerable controversy within the boxing world with charges that Patterson's manager, Cus D'Amato, was using UBO rules to bypass the division's top contenders.

Presently, Folley holds the top spot and Marciano is ranked third in the UBO standings. Sweden's Ingemar Johansson is in second place, and insiders say that Johansson was intially offered the match with Folley but declined. At twenty-four, Johansson's handlers have him on a time table that leads to a title shot next year and were reluctant to fast-track the still-developing Swede.

According to boxing sources, Reuter was concerned that the heavyweight division was stagnating and decided to shake things up. For most of the year, the top contenders have taken less competitive matches in an effort to keep their high rankings.

Reuter reportedly put several boxers on notice that if they didn't start pairing off, they would face being dropped in the rankings. Under UBO rules, only boxer ranked in the top five have an opportunity to challenge for a world title.

In the event that Cooper takes the crown from Patterson, Reuter's statement that the winner of the Marciano-Folley contest would fight next for the title appears to have cast a cloud over a potential rematch between Cooper and Patterson.

When asked to clarify the matter, Reuter declined to comment specifically.

"At this point, anything I could say would just be speculation. We must wait to see the results of these matches."

[Marciano6]

I'm excited for this match :

[Romdawg88]

Now that is a hell of a match-up and whoever wins will be the legit number one contender. I'm taking Folley by UD in this one.

[kenyan_cheena]

Very exciting. I'm intrigued over whether Marciano can stay undefeated or not. A fantastic couple of months coming up.

[professordp]

Las Vegas Sun-Times

August 5, 1957


Machen Escapes Early Disaster-Takes Controversial Split-Nod From DeJohn

By Jimmy Gardner

Fourth-ranked world heavyweight contender Eddie Machen bounced back from a first round knockdown to earn a highly controversial ten round split-decision over Syracuse slugger Mike DeJohn.

At the opening bell, DeJohn came out aggresively and caught a rather placid Machen with a powerful right cross. As Machen was clearing his head, he was hit with a sharp combo that was followed by a crippling left hook which sent him to the canvas halfway through the round.

After taking a tough eight count, Machen was obviously hurt but was able to weather the storm until the bell ended the round.

When the fighters came out for the second, Machen still appeared a little groggy. Sensing that his opponent was in trouble, DeJohn began to open up on Eddie.

The young slugger was a little too overanxious and left himself open for Machen's precision counters. At the 1:45 mark, DeJohn took a wicked combination and pitched to the mat for a mandatory eight.

Mike bounced up when referee Marty Denkin reached four, but that might have been a mistake. Rather than taking the time to clear his head, DeJohn moved right back into the mix.

Using his speed and snapping jab, Machen worked DeJohn into the corner and with ten seconds remaining in the round, tagged Mike with a hard right which resulted in a second knockdown.

DeJohn apparently was able to shake off the effects of the knockdowns and for the next four rounds seemed to get the upper hand over his more experienced opponent.

Machen had difficutly keeping DeJohn away from him. Although his jabs often found their mark, they seemed to be a minor inconvenience to DeJohn who bulled his way inside to work Eddie's body.

With his jab having limited success, Machen resorted to continued hitting and holding whenever his defenses were breached. Several times he was rocked by DeJohn's blows and near the end of the fourth it looked like he was about to be floored by a nasty overhand right.

While Eddie seemed a little disconcerted at times, he did start to come on strong near the end of each round which may have had some effect on the judges' scoring.

By the seventh, DeJohn seemed to tire slightly and was less aggressive. At that point, the impact of Eddie's persistent jabs began to show in Mike's face in the form of a swelling about the right eye.

For the remainder of the match, Machen used this to his advantage. DeJohn became increasingly winded and suffered from impaire vision thus allowing Machen to dictate the pace of the final three rounds.

When the judges' cards were read, their finding, a split-decison in Machen's favor, was greeted with boos and catcalls from the capcity crowd at the Rivera Hotel and Casino.

Joe Ware scored it 94-93 in Machen's favor while Mike Prestoni had a similar tally that gave DeJohn the nod. Judge Billy Campanella's score of 96-93 for Machen seemed to be far from reality and was the source of considerable controversy when it was announced.

Granted it was a tought fight to score, and while I gave the edge to DeJohn, it could have gone the other way without any argument from me. Nevertheless, let's hope that Campanella is forced to have an eye exam before he judges any more fights.

DeJohn and his cornermen were extremely upset by the outcome, and there were threats that the Nevada Boxing Commission would be called upon to review the contest.

After scoring an upset knockout of Willie Pastrano earlier this year, DeJohn seemed to be on his way. Unfortunately, he was matched against Archie Moore in May and was taken out in seven rounds.

He hits hard and appears to have potential. Still, his conditioning is suspect as he's prone to tire in later rounds. In addition, he tends to get overanxious when he has a hurt opponent and takes too many risks.

Machen was fortunate that he had an inexperienced foe in the ring. A more savy boxer might have had the patience to take him out after that first round knockdown.

For boxing fans, Eddie remains somewhat of an enigma. He certainly has the skills, but seems indifferent at times when he's in the ring. Early this year, his attitude most likely cost him a title shot against Floyd Patterson when he took Hal Carter too lightly and dropped a decision.

While the outcome will be maked as a "W" for Machen, you have to wonder what impact his performance will have upon his world ranking. If he's to remain among the top contenders, he needs an impressive win against a quality fighter.

[kenyan_cheena]

Eddie hasn't done himself any favours with that performance. I can't see a world title shot in his short-term future. There's no way the UBO would sanction such a fight based on his most recent efforts.

[Romdawg88]

Man, Eddie has looked like crap but unless the UBO drops him out of the top 5 they couldn't stop him from getting a title shot. Course, I don't think Cus would be down for that since if Eddie came in at his best he would be a legit threat and he just isn't a draw. Too much risk and too little of a reward for Patterson there.

[PWillisTheMan]

I thought he might pick Eddie instead of Cooper. I honestly think Henry is more dangerous for Floyd. But the gate in London makes for a nicer payday.

[Piggy Lid]

Originally Posted by PWillisTheMan

I thought he might pick Eddie instead of Cooper. I honestly think Henry is more dangerous for Floyd. But the gate in London makes for a nicer payday.

You can make a decent profit just from the program sales.

[Romdawg88]

Originally Posted by PWillisTheMan

I thought he might pick Eddie instead of Cooper. I honestly think Henry is more dangerous for Floyd. But the gate in London makes for a nicer payday.

They both bring similar power but Henry has a weaker chin and is a massive bleeder as well. Even with the fact that Eddie has a habit of showing up out of shape I think Henry has bigger weaknesses plus he is a far bigger draw.

[PWillisTheMan]

Originally Posted by Romdawg88

They both bring similar power but Henry has a weaker chin and is a massive bleeder as well. Even with the fact that Eddie has a habit of showing up out of shape I think Henry has bigger weaknesses plus he is a far bigger draw.

Agreed on the weaknesses. Machen was a better fighter. Disagree on the power. Cooper could really bang while Machen was more of a boxer. i just look at it like Patterson's weakness was his chin. Cooper can stop him with one hook. While Machen is a good fighter. But it's a every thing he does Patterson does better scenario.

[Romdawg88]

Originally Posted by PWillisTheMan

Agreed on the weaknesses. Machen was a better fighter. Disagree on the power. Cooper could really bang while Machen was more of a boxer. i just look at it like Patterson's weakness was his chin. Cooper can stop him with one hook. While Machen is a good fighter. But it's a every thing he does Patterson does better scenario.

Their power is the same in the game, both are at a 6 so regardless of whether that was true in real life for the purposes of this uni they have similar power unless the professor changed the ratings.

[professordp]

Originally Posted by Piggy Lid

You can make a decent profit just from the program sales.

Hey Piggy! That's pretty cool---I'm gonna press you into service for future programs in this un!

[professordp]

Originally Posted by Romdawg88

Their power is the same in the game, both are at a 6 so regardless of whether that was true in real life for the purposes of this uni they have similar power unless the professor changed the ratings.

Just for clarification, I changed the ratings as per Dean's revisions in his "Ratings of the Day Council" thread. In fact I've replaced all of the standard ratings that come from the TBCB data bank with those he posted. If you haven't gotten an opportunity yet, take a look at them. There was very little debate over his revisions when they appeard during the tail end of the year. So he's not coming out of leftfield, and what he's come up with makes sense to me.

What I like about them for this uni is that there's a greater degree of parity between Patterson and the rest of the primary contenders (excluding Liston, of course). So when I sim a match, you're not too certain how things are going to turn out. And that's the general thrust of my uni. What would have happened if Sonny was out of the picture between 1957 and 1962? Could Floyd have defended his title successfully against the remaining contenders? None of these guys (Machen, Folley, Cooper, Williams, etc.) got a crack at his title. Personally, I think that these guys were either on an equal plane or just a little below Floyd. By using Dean's ratings here, that's sort of what I'm getting.

Thus far, I'm pretty satisfied with his efforts. They seem to be working well for what I'm trying to do with this uni.

In any event, thanks for your comments and interest in what I'm attempting to do with this wacky, what-if uni of mine.

Please keep contributing--I value your views and input.

[PWillisTheMan]

Originally Posted by Romdawg88

Their power is the same in the game, both are at a 6 so regardless of whether that was true in real life for the purposes of this uni they have similar power unless the professor changed the ratings.

I was speaking in terms of real life. I gnore the game when reading other uni's.

[Infinity]

Originally Posted by professordp

Just for clarification, I changed the ratings as per Dean's revisions in his "Ratings of the Day Council" thread. In fact I've replaced all of the standard ratings that come from the TBCB data bank with those he posted. If you haven't gotten an opportunity yet, take a look at them. There was very little debate over his revisions when they appeard during the tail end of the year. So he's not coming out of leftfield, and what he's come up with makes sense to me.

What I like about them for this uni is that there's a greater degree of parity between Patterson and the rest of the primary contenders (excluding Liston, of course). So when I sim a match, you're not too certain how things are going to turn out. And that's the general thrust of my uni. What would have happened if Sonny was out of the picture between 1957 and 1962? Could Floyd have defended his title successfully against the remaining contenders? None of these guys (Machen, Folley, Cooper, Williams, etc.) got a crack at his title. Personally, I think that these guys were either on an equal plane or just a little below Floyd. By using Dean's ratings here, that's sort of what I'm getting.

Thus far, I'm pretty satisfied with his efforts. They seem to be working well for what I'm trying to do with this uni.

In any event, thanks for your comments and interest in what I'm attempting to do with this wacky, what-if uni of mine.

Please keep contributing--I value your views and input.

Personally, I wish they'd incorporate Dean's ratings into the official database, as his changes are based on sound logic!

[Romdawg88]

Originally Posted by PWillisTheMan

I was speaking in terms of real life. I gnore the game when reading other uni's.

And I go by the game when speaking about other Uni's since the default data and real life don't alway jive completely so going by real life might not give you the most accurate picture of how they'll perform in-game.

Just for clarification, I changed the ratings as per Dean's revisions in his "Ratings of the Day Council" thread. In fact I've replaced all of the standard ratings that come from the TBCB data bank with those he posted. If you haven't gotten an opportunity yet, take a look at them. There was very little debate over his revisions when they appeard during the tail end of the year. So he's not coming out of leftfield, and what he's come up with makes sense to me.

What I like about them for this uni is that there's a greater degree of parity between Patterson and the rest of the primary contenders (excluding Liston, of course). So when I sim a match, you're not too certain how things are going to turn out. And that's the general thrust of my uni. What would have happened if Sonny was out of the picture between 1957 and 1962? Could Floyd have defended his title successfully against the remaining contenders? None of these guys (Machen, Folley, Cooper, Williams, etc.) got a crack at his title. Personally, I think that these guys were either on an equal plane or just a little below Floyd. By using Dean's ratings here, that's sort of what I'm getting.

Thus far, I'm pretty satisfied with his efforts. They seem to be working well for what I'm trying to do with this uni.

In any event, thanks for your comments and interest in what I'm attempting to do with this wacky, what-if uni of mine.

Please keep contributing--I value your views and input.

I've seen Dean's thread before but I had never added his ratings into my game. I think I'm going to go and start using his ratings so that my database accurately reflects what your guys look like.

[professordp]

I've not discarded any of the default data base ratings---just in case I want to use them, but Dean's revisions and his justifications for same just make sense to me.

[PWillisTheMan]

Originally Posted by Romdawg88

And I go by the game when speaking about other Uni's since the default data and real life don't alway jive completely so going by real life might not give you the most accurate picture of how they'll perform in-game.



I've seen Dean's thread before but I had never added his ratings into my game. I think I'm going to go and start using his ratings so that my database accurately reflects what your guys look like.

Whatever brings you the most enjoyment.

[professordp]

Detroit Express

August 6, 1957


Canadian Prospect Invades America

Chuvalo Scores Impressive 5th Round TKO in First U.S. Fight

By Mark Wilson

Nineteen year old Canadian heavyweight phenom, George Chuvalo, put on a spectacular display of power and pure brute force in his first bout on American soil by demolishing veteran Oscar "Syria" Pharo for a five round TKO victory.

Pharo had been sent to the canvas four times before referee Billy Clark finally halted the action with fifteen seconds remaining in the fifth frame of a scheduled ten round contest.

Somewhat of an itinerant journeyman, Pharo came into the fight with a record of 27 wins against only four losses. He hit the tough Canadian youngster with a few hard shots early on, but his blows didn't appear to faze Chuvalo who just continued to plow forward and punish Oscar with hard, smashing blows to the body.

For the first two rounds, the powerful Chuvalo moved Pharo around the ring with his bullish tactics, and far too often, Oscar found himself trapped in the corner with the Canadian flailing away at his body.

In the third round, Chuvalo began to shift his attack from the body to the head, but this offered Pharo no real respite. A devastating hook put Pharo on the mat at the 1:42 mark.

Although Oscar was up when Clark counted four, he really wasn't clear-headed For the last minute of the round, Chuvalo just pounded away without an resistence from Pharo. A good case could have been made for ending the fight right there. Nevertheless, Clark allowed the one-sided slaughter to continue for two more rounds.

In the next round, Chuvalo decked Pharo two more times. For whatever reason, Clark was intent on letting the fight go on. With the referee not taking any action to save their man, Oscar's cornermen should have pitched the towel into the ring. But they didn't!

Seeming much more patient than your typical nineteen year old, in the fifth round Chuvalo settled down and began to measure his opponent. With a minute reamining, George fired a sharp uppercut to the jaw of the battle-weary Pharo who fell to the canvas for the fourth and final time.

Although Pharo did get to his feet by the time Clark reached eight, he was in terrible shape. Finally, Clark did the right thing and stopped the match.

Chuvalo, who turns twenty next month, has been fighting for two years and is quite a sensation in Canada. His countrymen believe that he will ultimately become the second Canadian to wear the world heavyweight crown.

Fifty-one years ago, Canada's Tommy Burns gained recognition as the division's king when he defeated Marvin Hart. Since then there's been little excitement in the country's heavyweight ranks until Chuvalo came along.

Chuvalo's record now stands at 12-1. His only loss was to veteran Howard King who earned a ten round decision against the promising youngster last year.

George's manager, Irving Ungerman, says that the King fight was a mistake.

"George has a great career ahead of him," said Ungerman. "And putting him in against an experienced fighter like King was a mistake. But we learned from our error. We plan to develop George at a more moderate pace.

"He has many years to go before he'll reach his potential, and there's no need to rush him along."

After watching Chuvalo take Pharo apart last night, I'm certain that Canada's current top heavyweight, James J. Parker, hopes that young George takes it nice and slow.