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Rocco Del Sesto · 02-11-2017, 02:16 PM

Some comments on what I mentioned in my first post about the conditions in the heavyweight landscape as we approached 1960...

Some interesting reading in the January 1959 issue of Ring included a discussion on how over the past months, American heavyweights were losing against international competition which was helping that foreign competition to move up in the world rankings. Heinz Neuhaus and Mino Bozzano had turned in triumphs over Joey Maxim while George Chuvalo and Willi Besmanoff defeated Howard King and Pat McMurtry respectively. Nino Valdes had triumphs over Wayne Bethea and Mike DeJohn.

Later wins by Archie Moore, Harold Carter, Sonny Liston and Willie Pastrano over Besmanoff, Julio Mederos and Franco Cavicchi showed some signs of prestige resurrection for the Americans but then the roof sort of fell in so to speak. Valdez stopped Harold Carter in the ninth round in a match in July with Carter seemingly on his way to victory. Later Valdez beat Mike DeJohn and Pat McMurtry in matchups. The next three month period then saw the demise of the American “big three” heavyweights at the time, first Ingemar Johansson’s knocked out previous undefeated Eddie Machen, then Brian London recorded a 5th round KO over Willi Pastrano with the referee stopping the fight due to a cut over Pastrano’s eye, a cut much debated at the time to not be that serious to warrant stopping the fight. Then finally the other top British heavyweight at the time Henry Cooper upset Zora Folley in another disputed decision. Cooper was actually floored in the fight early on and if you seen pictures of Cooper after that fight you have to wonder how did Cooper get that decision??

All examples that Ring Magazine was writing on in this article about the upheaval going on in the heavyweight division as time turned into the next decade of the 1960s. The January 1960 Ring ratings had 4 international heavyweights in the top 10 rankings behind then champion Floyd Patterson. The LHW’s were even a bigger mix 6 of the top 10 under champion Moore, from outside the US. Don’t get me wrong, I think in a way this was great. Many of you probably know my love for the international heavyweights.

02-11-2017, 02:16 PM	#1671
Rocco Del Sesto Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Watkinsville, Georgia Posts: 2,200	January 1959 Some comments on what I mentioned in my first post about the conditions in the heavyweight landscape as we approached 1960... Some interesting reading in the January 1959 issue of Ring included a discussion on how over the past months, American heavyweights were losing against international competition which was helping that foreign competition to move up in the world rankings. Heinz Neuhaus and Mino Bozzano had turned in triumphs over Joey Maxim while George Chuvalo and Willi Besmanoff defeated Howard King and Pat McMurtry respectively. Nino Valdes had triumphs over Wayne Bethea and Mike DeJohn. Later wins by Archie Moore, Harold Carter, Sonny Liston and Willie Pastrano over Besmanoff, Julio Mederos and Franco Cavicchi showed some signs of prestige resurrection for the Americans but then the roof sort of fell in so to speak. Valdez stopped Harold Carter in the ninth round in a match in July with Carter seemingly on his way to victory. Later Valdez beat Mike DeJohn and Pat McMurtry in matchups. The next three month period then saw the demise of the American “big three” heavyweights at the time, first Ingemar Johansson’s knocked out previous undefeated Eddie Machen, then Brian London recorded a 5th round KO over Willi Pastrano with the referee stopping the fight due to a cut over Pastrano’s eye, a cut much debated at the time to not be that serious to warrant stopping the fight. Then finally the other top British heavyweight at the time Henry Cooper upset Zora Folley in another disputed decision. Cooper was actually floored in the fight early on and if you seen pictures of Cooper after that fight you have to wonder how did Cooper get that decision?? All examples that Ring Magazine was writing on in this article about the upheaval going on in the heavyweight division as time turned into the next decade of the 1960s. The January 1960 Ring ratings had 4 international heavyweights in the top 10 rankings behind then champion Floyd Patterson. The LHW’s were even a bigger mix 6 of the top 10 under champion Moore, from outside the US. Don’t get me wrong, I think in a way this was great. Many of you probably know my love for the international heavyweights.