In the early 40's, during the War, boxing was a big sport. Pre-Television, fans would rather around the radio, and hear blow by blow commentary. Visuals were mostly restricted to newspaper photographs the following day. Not unlike the hype for the SuperBowl, the papers would also run photos prior to a big fight. Shown here are photos of contender Abe Simon, who was challenging Joe Louis for the Heavyweight Championship on March 27, 1942, at Madison Square Garden. These AP syndicated photos appeared in newspapers across the country on March 6th. Above, shows Abe and his wife in their kitchen. Below, he squares off with a neighborhood boy.
Simon's Record
These two photos leave a good impression of what a square-jawed giant this Simon guy was.
ReplyDeleteWhat was Simon's height and weight?
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That's a great point about newspapers being the only form of visuals for many sports events at that time.
My mother was a little girl back then; she remembers newspapers and the movies as being her two sources of information.
Truth is, Mom's family never owned a television all through the 50s, either...
R.O.
rolf, simon was 6'4", 250 lbs. I added a link to his record at bottom of post
ReplyDeleteYour a horse's ass, and a pussy.
ReplyDeletei receive a similar comment as above, from the artistic couple, on every post.
ReplyDeleteThe artistic couple suggests this post is a "pusillanimously veiled threat way of saying "I want to FIGHT you Bill! Or, if my cousin Abe was still alive HE'D KICK YOUR ASS Bill!"
ReplyDeleteAltighty.
kinda of narcissistic of them. my first post on abe simon goes back to june of 07. my bully days ended in high school, and i'm not proud of them.
ReplyDelete6'4" 250 lbs would have definitely made ABE SIMON imposing.
ReplyDeleteCLYDE "Bulldog" TURNER was an 8-time all-pro center and linebacker for the Chicago Bears - the famed Monsters of the Midway --- during the 1940s.
At 6'2" 235 lb, Turner was considered big for his day.
Local Bethlehem product and Philadelphia Eagles legendary lineman CHUCK BEDNARIK, a three-time All-American at the University of Pennsylvania in the late 1940s, was 6'3" 233 lbs.
R.O.
Of course, sheer size alone - or the ability to play the line in football - does not a crack pugilist worthy of a title fight make.
ReplyDeleteEd 'Too Tall' Jones was at 6'9" 271 lbs a successful NFL player for the Dallas Cowboys and its Doomsday Defense.
After his first five NFL seasons, Jones quit to pursue dreams of boxing glory. After only a year in the ring, Jones went back to football for another 10 NFL seasons.
R.O.