Charley Burley: Analyzing Genius

[marbleheadmaui]

Two Robinson fights at 147? How many Burley fights are there on film?

I'm sure they are great fighters, but compared to todays standards, where you can easily analyse a fighters entire career, which readily shows up his worst moments as well as his best, you are clearly repeating the views of fossils that experienced those eras.

Maybe they are right, but with so little to go on you are putting a lot of faith in the old grey beards opinion. And a lot of those stories must be fantasy. Just saying like....

I've got five Burley fights on film. I also know he beat Archie Moore (I have around 20 of his fights on film) lost to Ezzard Charles (20 or so of his fights) etc. We also have the views of men like HOF Trainer Ray Arcel who saw every important fighter from Benny Leonard through Sugar Ray Leonard as well as Nat Fleischer who saw every important fighter from 1910 through 1970 or so. We also have the works of current historians like Mike Silver who have done detailed work into examining film footage of men as far back as 1900. Believe me I can keep reciting source material like interviews with referees at the time, interviews with trainers at the time and on and on. The variety of opinion is wonderful! You really can have fun digging to form your own.

The idea we "have little to go on" is simply wrong. It's like arguing we can't have views on the Civil War because we don't know what exactly happened to the Hundley or we don't know much about Julius Cesar because we never got Vercingetorix point of view.

We have a TON to go on if you're willing to do the work.