Sock it To Me! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Both fighters wore boxing gloves.

Corbett TKO'd Sullivan, "The Boston Strong Boy", in the 21st round of a grueling match. It was the highlight of Corbett's career, as he himself lost the heavyweight crown to Bob Fitzsimmons in the 14th round of a bout held in Nevada on March 17, 1897. Despite many requests for a rematch, Fitzsimmons would never agree to fight Corbett again. A movie about the life and times of the champ, "Gentleman Jim" (1942) starred Errol Flynn in the title role.
Jim Corbett died February 18, 1933.

Note: The first airplane was still a decade away, hence no need for a carrier in S.F. Bay or anywhere else :-)

Interesting fact: The last fight of the "bare knuckled era" took place when Sullivan stopped Jake Kilrain on a TKO after, get ready for this, 75 rounds of a scheduled 80 round bout, on July 8, 1889.

Answer: Jim Braddock

"The Brown Bomber" KO'd "The Cinderella Man" in the eighth round. At the time of their fight, Louis' record stood at 31-1, while the more experienced Braddock was 50-26. Braddock had taken the crown two years earlier when he won a unanimous decision over Max Baer. Louis would go on to defend his title an astounding 25 times before finally losing a 15 round decision to Ezzard Charles on September 27, 1950 at Yankee Stadium. Joe Louis' final fight came on October 26, 1951, when he was stopped in the eighth round by Rocky Marciano.

For his 17 year career, Louis compiled a record of 68 wins against only 3 losses, while KO'ing 57 opponents. Braddock, whose career lasted for 25 years wound up with 51 wins, 26 losses and registered 26 KOs.

A 2005 movie, "Cinderella Man", starred Russell Crowe as Braddock. Boxer-actor Coley Wallace portrayed "The Brown Bomber" in "The Joe Louis Story" (1953).

Interesting fact: Joe Louis would avenge his defeat to Schmeling two years after the German handed him his first loss, by pummeling him to defeat in a stunning first round KO at Yankee Stadium in N.Y. on June 22, 1938. The "bible" of the boxing world, "Ring" magazine, named that bout The Fight of the Decade.

Answer: Arnold Cream

No wonder he changed it! The fight in question ended when Rocky, known as the "Brockton Bomber" sent Walcott to the canvas, KO'ing him in the 13th round. A rematch the following year was over quickly as the, now champion, Marciano, disposed of Jersey Joe with a first round KO. "Ring" magazine called their first battle "The Fight of the Year". Marciano defended his title six times before becoming the first heavyweight champion to retire with a perfect record (49-0). His last fight was February 9, 1955 when he KO'd Archie Moore in nine rounds. He died in a plane crash a day before his 46th birthday on August 31, 1969.

Walcott had won the title by KO'ing Ezzard Charles in round seven on July 3, 1951. The first round KO by Marciano in their rematch was his last fight. Walcott finished his career with a record of 57-18.

BY the way, Walker Smith, Jr. is better known as Sugar Ray Robinson, whom many believe to be the best pound-for-pound boxer in the history of "The Sweet Science". LaStarza and Jackson were both heavyweights, who fought primarily in the 1950s.

Answer: The Old Mongoose

Despite Durelle's 12 year youth advantage, the 41 year old Moore was installed as a 4-1 favorite. Durelle was unimpressed, knocking Moore down thrice in the opening round. He continued his assault, dropping Moore once again in round five, but the gallant old warrior once again beat the bell and the fight continued. Moore was a great tactician as well as puncher, and he adopted a turtle-like defensive position, letting the Canadian pound away at his arms and gloves while he regained his strength. By round seven the tide had turned as Moore floored Durelle, who gamely got up only to be knocked down again in round 10. In the 11th round Durelle hit the canvas once again, and got up only to have Moore deliver the coup-de-gras with a final KO punch. By the time the carnage ended, each man had floored the other four times and Moore was still the light-heavyweight champion. To the surprise of no one who saw it, the fight was voted Sporting Event of the Year by the Canadian sportswriters.

When Archie Moore retired, he had scored more KO's (131) than any fighter in history. His lifetime record was 185 wins against only 23 losses. Durelle finished his career 87-24, with 48 knockouts.

By the way, The Manassa Mauler was the sobriquet of the great Jack Dempsey.

Answer: Sweden

The first time these two met was June 26, 1959 when Patterson tried to defend his title against the big Swede at Yankee Stadium in N.Y. Johansson turned Patterson into a jack-in-the-box, flooring him seven times in the first round, only to see the champ pop back up each time. Finally, after the final knockdown, referee Ruby Goldstein mercifully stepped in and halted the proceedings. Ingemar Johansson had taken Patterson's title!

In their penultimate fight, Patterson was installed as a 3-1 favorite despite the pummeling he had taken in their initial encounter. In front of a huge crowd at the Polo Grounds in N.Y. on June 22, 1959, Floyd Patterson became the first heavyweight champion ever to regain his title, KO'ing Johansson in the 5th round.

The third and final meeting of the two took place on March 13, 1961 at the Miami Beach Convention Center in Florida. In the first round Johansson floored the champ twice with his famous "Hammer of Thor" overhand rights. Patterson shook them off and promptly connected with a big left-hand hook which stunned and decked Johansson. The finish came in round six when Patterson floored Johansson, who just failed to get up in time before being counted out. Patterson had retained his title.

Floyd Patterson compiled a 20 year career record of 55 wins, 8 losses with 40 KOs. The big Swede wound up 26-2, with 17 KOs.

Interesting fact: Floyd Patterson was a Gold Medal winner at the 1952 Olympics, held in Helsinki, Finland.

Answer: Paret died of his injuries sufferered in the bout.

Bernie "The Kid" Paret lay in a coma, and died ten days after the fight, having never regained consciousness. The Cuban born Paret had a career record of 35-12, with 11 KOs. Emille Griffith finished his career with a slate of 85-24, while registering 23 KOs. "Ring" magazine named Emille Griffith Fighter of the Year in 1964.

Interesting fact: So shaken was the veteran referee, Ruby Goldstein, that he never again refereed another fight.

Answer: Clay won by knockout.

The 22-year-old Clay was awarded a TKO victory when Liston was unable to answer the bell for the eighth round. One week after the bout, Cassius Clay, having embraced the Muslim faith, changed his name to Muhammad Ali. Fifteen months later they would meet in a rematch in Lewiston, ME. Through the end of the 20th century it was the only heavyweight bout ever staged in Maine. This time Ali, also known as "The Louisville Lip", made short work of Liston, "The Big Bear", by KO'ing him just slightly after the National Anthem ended and round one began. Given its location, there were only slightly more than 2,400 fans on hand to witness Ali defend his title and up his record to 21-0.

Interesting fact: In 1960 the teen-aged Clay won a Gold Medal in the 1960 Olympic games held in Rome, Italy.

Answer: The Thrilla in Manila.

"The Thrilla in Manila" was fought in Quezon City, in the Philippines, where Ali entered the ring sporting a record of 48-2 with 25 KOs, and Frazier's slate stood at 32-2, with 27 KOs. Everyone present expected to see a "forget the rule book" brawl, and they weren't disappointed. With temperatures in the ring estimated to be 120 degrees with the combination of the Manila heat coupled with the additional TV lights, both men went toe-to-toe, over 14 brutal rounds. Finally, when the 14th round ended, Frazier was almost completely blinded with both eyes swollen shut. His long time manager/trainer Eddie Futch tossed in the towel and referee Carlos Padilla stopped it, and declared Ali the winner on a 14th round TKO.

By the way, "The Rumble in the Jungle", pitted Ali and George Foreman fighting in Zaire (1974). "The Drama in the Bahamas" was a dreadful affair between Ali and Trevor Berbick (Ali's last fight- a loss) in 1981. "The War at the Shore" was the 1991 Ryder Cup golf match at Kiowah Island, S.C. in which the U.S. edged Europe 14 1/2-13 1/2.

Interesting fact: Joe Frazier, a warrior from the first day he laced on a pair of boxing gloves, won the 1964 Olympic Heavyweight Gold Medal. In the championship match, held in Tokyo, he defeated German Hans Gruber, despite the fact that Joe was fighting with a broken left thumb.

Answer: James "Buster" Douglas

When James "Buster" Douglas stepped into the ring at The Tokyo Dome in Japan, he carried with him a record of 29-4, having beaten and lost to fighters of equal anonymity. Tyson came out noticeably sluggish during the early part of the match. For seven rounds they swapped blows, and then, in the waning seconds of round eight, Tyson scored with a right uppercut, decking the challenger. Douglas rallied in the ninth, punishing the champ with a barrage of blows.

The end would come at 1:12 of the tenth round, when Tyson was hit by punch after punch until he collapsed to the mat and was counted out. Mike Tyson's days as heavyweight champion had come to an end. Douglas only managed to hold the title for a little over eight months, before Evander ("The Real Deal") Holyfield won it from him with a booming right in round three on October 25, 1990.

Answer: Foreman became the oldest ever heavyweight champion.

As he climbed into the ring, the undefeated Moorer's record was 35-0. Foreman, the challenger, sported a slate of 72-4. He had been knocked out only once, by Muhammad Ali in the famous, "Rumble in the Jungle", held in Zaire on October 30, 1974. Moorer pretty much had his way with the 45 year old warrior through the first nine rounds. He was leading on the scorecards of all three judges before walking into a thunderous Foreman right hand punch in round 10, which knocked Moorer to the canvas as though he had been shot. Moorer no longer had his perfect record or heavyweight title. George Foreman had shocked the boxing world with one perfect blow, becoming the oldest fighter to ever wear the heavyweight crown. Foreman, who won Olympic Gold in 1968 at Mexico City, would end a 28 year career (1969-1997) 76-5 with 68 KOs. Moorer who fought from 1988-2008 wound up 52-4 and scoring 40 KOs. After "Big George" finished his ring career he became a spokesman for the "George Foreman Grill". He must have been pretty convincing, as more than 100 million were sold world-wide over a 15 year period.

Interesting fact: George Foreman is the proud father of 12 children. Seven of them are girls of varying names. His five boys are all named George. (I kid you not).