Tony Galento -vs- Jackie Gleason

Tony Galento -vs- Jackie Gleason
As told to Rocky Marciano 
Main Event 
Television Series 1961
16mm Sound Film Transfer 

Rocky’s Talk Show 

In 1960, former heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano was contracted to host a boxing and interview program called Main Event.  Each of the 30 episodes included studio interviews between Rocky and a contemporary celebrity, actor or sports star.  The interviews lasted only a few minutes each, and were followed by the feature presentation being a recent or classic boxing match.  Some shows were better than others, but all the interviews were interesting, and the best ones were classic.

Here is the Jackie Gleason’s famous episode with Rocky Marciano, where Gleason describes his famous altercation with Tony “Two-Ton” Galento outside a nightclub.  

I also really enjoyed their refreshing and genuine conversation.

Willie Pastrano -vs- Terry Downes

Willie Pastrano vs Terry Downes

Light Heavyweight Championship

King's Hall, Belle Vue, Manchester, Lancashire, UK

November 30, 1964

Thanks to a fellow collector for requesting this rare footage featuring the great Light Heavyweight Champion (1963-65) Willie Pastrano.  Trained by Angelo Dundee, at his best Pastrano resembled both Muhammad Ali and Willie Pep.  He was a glamorous, fast, resourceful and defensive boxer, who made up for his lack of KO power with constant movement.  Here is the original BBC broadcast of Pastrano’s title defense against former Commonwealth (British Empire) middleweight champion, Terry Downes.

Jake LaMotta Touches The Earth

Jake LaMotta vs Danny Nardico,

Coral Gables, Florida, December 31, 1952

16mm Sound Film Transfer

12 Minutes

The Fight and The Knockdown

Nearly two years after the great Jake LaMotta lost his middleweight title to Sugar Ray Robinson in their final epic battle, LaMotta was still fighting on.  In this match against light heavyweight Danny Nardico, Jake is still savvy and tough, but with each passing round, he falls further behind.  What makes this bout notable is that Jake’s once granite chin fails him, and LaMotta is suddenly and dramatically knocked down for the first time in his long career.

The Film

The film is in great condition.  The ring photography is very good and the action is clear.  Despite the pounding that LaMotta takes after the seventh round knockdown, Jake fights with characteristic disdain, holding the rope for support with one hand and punching with the other even as Nardico’s punches wail in.

Collector's Note: 190 16mm Boxing Films Added to Archive

Collector's Note:

I have recently acquired a collection of nearly 200 16mm classic boxing films.  Most are in excellent condition.  I am happy to say that among the many reels of film are rare and/or rarely seen fight films.  As the material is cataloged and archived, I will be showing some of this material on this blog, including brilliant quality upgrades of copies that have previously been traded among collectors, or currently seen in low quality on Youtube.

Max Baer | Rare Training Footage 1934

Max Baer | Rare Training Footage

King Levinsky Exhibition prefight 1934

16mm Sound Transfer

The New Champion

Max Baer was one of the most colorful and exciting of the heavyweight Champions.  The fact that he did not hold the title very long, and lost it out of recklessness to Jim Braddock in 1935 did not darken his legacy as a boxer and personality.  Much has been written about Baer’s lack of training, particularly after he lost the title, but I question this notion.  It’s certainly true that Baer was a gifted athlete, and his discipline only went so far, but for Max boxing was a means to an end.  A fighter with no training discipline would not have won the fights he did again fellow contenders like Tommy Farr, Tony Galento, Pat Comisky, Ben Foord and others until he retired in 1941.