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Does Doug Funnie Suffer From A Mental Illness?

11/30/2019

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Disclaimer: This is all my opinion. 

Sometimes it takes one to know one. I used to think that Doug's anxieties and problems were typical of a boy his age. But as an adult, I see so easily now that things run a lot deeper than that. Myself being a victim of manic depression and mild anxiety, I see that Doug suffers from many of the same symptoms but worse. Far worse, actually. I don't let my anxieties run my life. In fact, you wouldn't even know I had manic depression if I hadn't just told you. But Doug, however, almost had a nervous breakdown in each episode, often making a mountain out of a molehill.

Doug is also eager to please others, often looking for their approval and acceptance. I am still this way to a moderate degree, but it was worse when I was little. But even then, I didn't let it control my actions,  and I didn't go out of my way for closure. But that's what Doug does each time. He feels that his very existence depends on the acceptance of others.

If Doug gets the vibe that you don't like him or are upset with him, he will get anxious about it and then go out of his way to change your mind about him. People's perceptions of you shouldn't matter that much.

​As an adult, is Doug going to feel threatened by everyone who gives him a mean look, or doesn't behave the way he expects them to? And will he not be able to function until he gets closure from them? Because that's exactly how he is right now.
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When Doug thought his substitute teacher didn't like him, he tried like hell to get on her good side.


Relationship With Roger


Doug has an unhealthy mind, unhealthy enough to where his bully Roger Klotz is a real, real antagonist. Doug hates Roger to the point where he is the villain in most of his fantasy segments and comic books. Doug is one of Roger's favorite victims, sure. But that is because Roger can see how much his antics bother Doug. After all, bullies like reactions.

But Roger respects Doug as a friend – he trusted Doug to look after his cat Stinky when he left town, he “tattled” to Mr. Bone when Doug was about to get his ass whooped by Percy Femur, and the two had several heart to heart conversations, the most memorable one being in the graduation episode when both were afraid of their uncertain futures. He even threw Doug a surprise party once. Roger does not hate Doug. In fact, occasionally his actions have shown that he actually cares for Doug. I think he just gets a kick out of messing with him for his own amusement.
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Remember also that Roger has his OWN personal problems, stemming from being abandoned by his father and living in a trailer with his mom. Roger is an unhappy and lonely individual, and entertains himself by bullying his peers.


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There were numerous hints that Patti had a crush on Doug, but his anxiety made him oblivious to this fact.


​Relationship With Patti

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Doug, on the other hand, takes Roger's antics personally. Doug is an 11 year-old kid. Roger pulls humiliating pranks, but causes no real harm or threatens Doug's life in any way. Doug can barely handle Roger, which leads me to believe that real life will really kick his ass later.

How will Doug react if a boss fires him from a job? How will he react if a girl he likes rejects him? Will he imagine these people as evil super-villains out to get him? Will he get anxiety around them and have night terrors and horrible daydreams about them? He probably will!! And this will affect him in every possible aspect of his life.

Roger is not the only person taking center stage in Doug's mind. Doug is in love with Mayonnaise. Patti Mayonnaise. Doug goes overboard trying to impress her and this sometimes backfires. What Doug doesn't realize is that Patti likes him just as much. Look at the picture above. Patti has hearts floating around and is giving him true eyes of wonderment. This is not part of Doug's  fantasy sequences. This was an actual real life scene, just after Doug psyched out Roger. (Doug To The Rescue, Season 1 episode 7B)

Unfortunately, Doug is not an observant and self-confident individual, so this information misses him completely.

In different episodes, Patti asks Doug out on a date, reveals that she likes him “best of all” out of all of her friends, defends him from Roger, and is his biggest supporter and admirer. Doug unfortunately is too self-observed with getting HER approval, so he's oblivious to Patti's obvious affection. Sighs. If Doug could overcome his self-doubts and anxieties, all he'd have to do is tell Patti how he feels, and Patti would happily be with him and they'd both be happy.

I get the feeling that in a few years when puberty kicks in and Patti drops hints to Doug about exploring their relationship sexually, her hints will go completely over his head and Patti will wind up being with someone else, then Doug will get jealous of that guy. Patti will get fed up with Doug's insecurities, and Doug will doubt himself even more, which will hurt his future romantic relationships. This is a theory and opinion, yes. But I just don't see it going any other way.
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Doug's date with Patti was awkward. You'd expect him to "man up" and make a move.


​Doug's Manic Creativity


​Manic Depression means you have cycles of mania, which is when your confidence and creativity soars like an eagle, but you also have cycles when you're super unhappy without reason. Have you noticed that Doug is generally either  really creative and energetic OR really frustrated? He's either one or the other. That's how manic depression works. You're either on top of the world, or feel crushed by the world. There's not a real in-between, and the people who suffer from it are generally highly creative when they're feeling manic.
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​Sweaty, STANKY Anxiety


Doug's insecurity is noticeably higher than most. When Skeeter's two year-old brother Dale calls Doug “big nose,” Doug gets butthurt about it and is severely hurt by the words of a TWO YEAR-OLD. He let an infant's words control how he felt about himself. For the rest of the episode, Doug was sensitive about his nose, all because a baby told him it was big.

​Doug often imagines the absolute worst-case scenario in almost every situation. On his way to the Honker-Burger in the first episode, he suddenly imagines not fitting in and the entire city (including the mayor) calling him a loser. Why the hell would he feel this would happen? It doesn't make any sense, but that's how people with anxiety and/or depression typically think.

Doug also assumed that Judy's performance at his school would be horrible and humiliating, but his peers absolutely loved it. Again, predicting the worst.

This can make for a humorous cartoon at times though, like when he broke Mr. Dink's grill and imagined him turning into a nasty werewolf.  But unfortunately this is a sign of true anxiety. 

Like other people suffering from anxiety, Doug is a "mind reader." He assumes that people people may not like him or something he's done, even if there's no evidence of this. 

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An example of this is  in the episode when Doug was caught drawing a (terrible) portrait of his teacher, Ms. Wingo. Doug assumed she'd despise him for it, but she loved it and added it to her book of pictures drawn by past students.

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​Unhealthy Escapes From Reality


Doug does not appear depressed, but he often escapes from the real world, which is what depressed people do.

While he feels that he doesn't quite belong in the real world, Doug often imagines that he is a super-hero in his fantasies. In this world, he does nothing but good and comes to everyone's rescue. He is needed and admired. He is special and charismatic. He gets the approval he so desperately craves in real life. And, the horrible villains in his fantasies are the very same people who cause him minor problems in real life.

When he wants to feel suave and charming, he channels Smash Adams (Secret Agent). If he wants to feel brave, he becomes

Everyone needs to escape to get away from your worries and woes. Everyone escapes in their own way, but the way things are so heightened in Doug's fantasies is not normal in my opinion. In reality, Roger Klotz is a lonely teenager who bullies his friends to feel self-worth. He is not out to kill Doug or destroy him. But in Doug's imagination that's what Roger is often portrayed as.

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Writing in his journal helps Doug re-evaluate his problems. By the end of each episode he realizes that things weren't so bad after all.


​What Doug Does Right
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​I know most of what I've said has been negative so far, but I'm merely stating how Doug's mental problems affect his life and relationships overall. But there are some things that Doug does right.

For starters, he keeps a journal. That's something else I have in common with Doug. Journal-writing keeps your writing skills sharp, and helps you to honestly evaluate everything going on around you. 

Doug is also vocal about his problems. Instead of bottling things up like a future serial killer, he doesn't mind venting. Generally, he confides in his father, The Dinks, his best friend Skeeter and sometimes Patti. Occasionally, he'll even go to his flamboyant sister Judy for advice. When his journal went missing, he opened up to Ms. Wingo, who understood his plight, but informed him that a lot of great authors had their journals published to give insight into their genius. This was great advice that Doug briefly considered. 

Talking out your problems is healthy and helps you to process things. You'll often discover that sometimes things may not be as bad as you think.

Doug is not a bad person and has a moral code, like the time he returned the money that he found. He often finds the courage to do the right thing when he messes up, like returning the stolen comic book he bought, not cheating to sell Mr. Swirley's chocolate, trying to retrieve Patti's "wacky whizzer," and confessing to breaking Mr. Dink's grill. All of these were things he was not forced or required to do, but he has a great conscience and felt a breather after confessing.

He goes out of his way to help others. such as acting as “Hamburger Boy” for Mr. Dink. He even felt bad about knocking out fellow student Larry. Most boys his age would feel great after knocking someone out, but not Doug. He didn't like to fight.

If Doug did not let his anxieties get in the way, he would be Patti's boyfriend. He would be more popular. He would not be targeted by Roger or even faculty bullies like Mr. Bone so much, if at all. Overall, he would get more respect from people.

I look at Doug now and realize that if I gave in to the negative thoughts plaguing my mind, I could have been just as vulnerable and unhappy, and my life would be totally different right now.

For me, it comes down to this.

If I didn't expect people to like me, they wouldn't. The day I met my wife, I approached her confidently and expected her to fall in love with me, and she did. When I write an article, I expect people to enjoy it. And they do. I expect people to read this blog, and sure enough, you're reading it right now.

Doug (and other sufferers of anxiety) always predict the opposite, expecting things to fail. They often speak these failures into existence or avoid taking risks altogether and wind up with regrets. We never got to see Doug grow up, but I can't help but feel afraid for his future if he didn't get help.


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A.J. Dugger Reviews Bloodsport (1988)

11/27/2019

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My grandmother (Madea) recently passed away at 92. She impacted me in a lot of ways. For example, she LOVED karate flicks. Absolutely loved them. Just imagine an older black lady rooting and hollering at the TV screen while watching guys beat and kick the snot out of each other. Shows like Renegade, Highlander, Rin Tin Tin K-9 Cop, Knight Rider, etc, were all favorites of hers, and I immediately got hooked as well.

One of the movies she introduced me to was Bloodsport. Right then and there at 4 years old, it became one of my favorite films of all time, definitely within my top five. There will be spoilers here, but the plot is relatively simple.

Frank Dux (Jean-Claude Van Damme) is a United States Army Captain who sneaks to Hong Kong to fight in the Kumite, a secret underground fighting tournament. Naturally Frank does well, picking up win after win. But several problems plague him throughout the film. For starters, the goofy team of Helmer and Rawlins (Norman Burton and Forest Whitaker) are chasing Frank in an attempt to arrest him and bring him back to America. There's also the love interest – a blond newspaper reporter named Janice Kent (Leah Ayres) attempting to write an article about the Kumite and bang our hero.

Last, but not least, there is the brutal undefeated Kumite Champion, Chong Li (played by the fierce Bolo Yeung) who has a reputation for literally killing men when he fights them. When Chong Li hospitalizes Frank's best friend and fellow Kumite participant Ray Jackson (Donald Gibb) and steals his damn bandanna, Frank sets out to get revenge for his friend and win the Kumite tournament by kicking Chong Li's evil, muscled ass. But can he?

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The movie begins with different fighters from all over the world training for the Kumite. Each of these men have their own unique style and that's part of what makes this movie so special. There's a strong sumo wrestler Pumola (David Ho), a deadly kickboxer named Paco (YES!!! The real fighter Paco!! Yes!!) a black monkey-style fighter (Richardo Morra) and others. Before we get on with this thing, how offensive is it to have the African guy fight like a damn monkey? Of ALL fighting styles out there? As a black man, I'm sure you understand why I find this crap offensive. Moving on, though.

Turns out that when he was a bad, stupid kid, Frank Dux and his equally stupid buddies break into Senzo Tenaka's house to steal a sword. When they hear Senzo coming, the other guys abandon Frank, while Frank (who is stupid, but polite) is caught by Senzo as he places the sword back into its proper place. I swear, Frank is the most delicate, polite burglar I've ever seen. He really cares about his victims. If only the thugs here in Memphis had the same manners. But anyway.

Senzo (who is also a sensei, fulfilling the old wise Asian man trope) slices the visor off of Frank's baseball cap. Frank doesn't flinch, which causes Senzo to remark, “You have fighting spirit.”

Senzo's son Shingo at one point makes a racist comment to Frank calling him “Round Eye.” Jesus, this movie is racist and I didn't quite catch this until now. Years later, Shingo dies as a young adult, so Senzo passes on all of his Tanaka teachings to the determined Frank Dux. Sensei Senzo's methods are no joke. Here are a few.

He kicks Frank repeatedly in the body, which toughens Frank's mid-section.

He reaches his hand into water and grabs a fish, which improves hand speed.

He teaches Frank how to fight blindfolded. In fact, Frank becomes so good at it that he prepares dinner and blocks an attack from Senzo, all while wearing a blind fold at the dinner table.

​But it doesn't stop there.

Senzo beats the boy with a stick as he mediates, and Frank doesn't feel a thing. He also stretches Frank's body using ropes, and Frank passes this test, too. Senzo is creating a monster.

Remember that ALL of these techniques will be used later in the film during Frank's Kumite battles.

Anyway, all of this was presented as a flashback. In the present, Frank visits his old sensei as he lays dying. Senzo states the obvious. “When you fight, my spirit fights with you.”


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In Hong Kong, Frank meets Ray Jackson, who is undoubtedly the heart of the movie. He's big and loud, but funny. He's the big enthusiastic best friend you've never had. He's a big burly bear of a man with the heart and soul of a stand-up comedian.

After Frank kicks Ray's ass in an arcade fighting game, Ray reveals that he is  fighting in the Kumite. When Frank reveals to Ray that he is also fighting in the tournament, Ray sizes him up and says this.

“Aren't you a little young for full contact?”

Frank's reply. “Aren't you a little old for video games?”

Meanwhile, we meet the two idiot buffoons, Helmer and Rawlins, two FBI agents assigned to capture Frank and return him to the United States. What's funny is that these two don't try to be bumbling idiots, but it just works out for them this way, as Frank easily outsmarts them throughout the film. In fact, you could make a case that they're even dumber than Harry and Marv from the Home Alone films.

Frank and Ray meet Mr. Lin, their scrawny but lovable Hong Kong and Kumite guide. If Ray is the enthusiastic silly best friend that you never had, then Lin is the scrawny motivator that you need to keep you going.

The first thing Lin says when he meets Ray is, “Ray Jackson? You look like a Jackson!!”

Ummm...Ray looks nothing like Michael, Tito or Jermaine. Or even Jesse.


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​I guess all Americans with the last name Jackson look alike? Boy, I tell ya. These lines. I can't even get mad at that one.

To prove their worth, Ray and Frank both break boards to impress the Black Dragon Boys and officially get entered into the tournament. I'm not kidding. The Black Dragon Boys is the official name for the Kumite judges. Oh boy. Funny.

Frank is impressive while breaking bricks using the death touch. The judges honor Frank's invitation, to which Ray remarks, “No shit you honor his invitation!!”

Lin yells out, “Son of a bitch!” Man, I wish I had best friends like these guys. Frank has it made.

Unimpressed, however, is the Kumite Champion Chong Li. Ugly but fierce, he looks at Frank and says, “Very good, but brick not hit back.” He then gives Frank the “I'm going to kill you” glare, a look we will see quite often in this movie. To further intimidate, he does the Jason Voorhees idle breaths. So now we know for sure that Chong Li is a truly frightening individual on the Jason Voorhees level. Fun.
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​We next cut to my favorite pair of buffoons, Helmer and Rawlins. No one they attempt to interview wants to talk to them or provide information on Frank or the Kumite. No one! I can't say I blame them. They don't come across as guys that you could take seriously.

At the hotel, reporter Janice Kent is desperate for a Kumite story, but not desperate enough to sleep with an unruly participant named Hossein who wants to exchange sex for an interview. Hell, let's just call it rape. He wants to rape her, no matter how nicely he tries to word it.

Just then, Frank and Ray arrive. Frank uses his quickness of hand to snatch a coin out of the thug's hand before he even realized it. (Remember the fish trick from earlier in the movie? I told you we'd see these techniques later). Hossein agrees to leave her alone, and Frank and Janice predictably fall for each other. Janice could have been attracted to Frank's good looks or his thick accent, or maybe it was because he was one of the few Americans around. Or perhaps she'd prefer to sleep with him for an interview. Take your pick.

Regardless, Frank doesn't really give her any information or even tells her why he wants to fight. Playing hard to get will only make her want to get into his pants even more, and I think he realizes that. Smooth operator.

Anyway, we're finally at the first night of the Kumite. Our scrawny motivator Lin breaks down the rules and three ways to win – Knock your opponent out, make your opponent submit by saying “matte,” or “throw the fucker right off the runway.” Those were his exact words. “Throw the fucker right off the runway.” You can't help but love this guy.

Ray Jackson fights in one of the openers, quickly brutalizing his opponent with one solid smash. Just after the knockout, he bravely (and foolishly) taunts Chong Li by pointing at him and declaring, “I'M GOING TO KILL YOU, MAN! YEAH, YOOOU, MAN!!!”

Chong Li responds by looking like a lost squirrel. (see GIF below) 
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After recovering from his paranoid squirrel phase, Li smirks and then gives Ray that evil look he previously gave Frank. Told you we'd see it again. Get used to it.

As they mop up his opponent's blood, Ray then shares his enthusiasm with Frank. “Look at him, buddy! Yeah!” Gotta love the "bromance" between these two.

Next, we get an evil synthesizer chord, signaling that Chong Li will fight next. The crowd immediately starts chanting his name, and Lin and Ray appropriately educate Frank on the champion's history.

“That's Chong Li, the current champ,” said Ray.

Then Lin chimed in. “He's never been defeated. He holds all the records, including the fastest KO. He killed a guy during the last Kumite.”

Ray added to the somber story. “Yeah, he kicked the poor bastard right in the throat. Guy died right there on the platform. Chong Li stood there and watched him die.”

So now we know that Chong Li is a mix of Jason Voorhees, a lost squirrel, and Max Baer, a heavyweight champion during the 1930s who killed men in the ring.

Chong Li made his way to platform and we hear that dreaded synthesizer note again. I guess it's his unofficial theme music, although it's limited to one note. Maybe it's all they could afford. I assume the producers ran out of money at this point.

Chong Li plays with his opponent and feints as if he's going to kill him by gripping his neck, but instead knocks him out. The whole thing takes 14 seconds, and could have been quicker if Chong Li didn't pose so often for the crowd. With this victory, Chong Li sets a new record, breaking his old one.


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​Finally, we get to see Duke fight. He gets to clash with Hossein. Frank drops the attempted rapist within seconds, to which his cheerleader Frank jumps up and almost pisses himself. “WOW!!! That's the fast (knockout) I ever saw!!!”

Chong Li sits and looks pissed as his brand new record has been smashed already. It took Frank 12 seconds to get the win. New world record, less than four minutes after Chong Li just set his previous one. This is already getting personal.

Ray jumps up again, more excited than anyone else in the damn arena. “HIS FIRST FIGHT IN THE KUMITE AND HE BROKE THE FUCKING WORLD RECORD!!”

He then playfully shoves another on-looker and points at Frank. “That's my buddy!”

Chong Li just sits there looking mad. He now realizes that Mr. Frank Dux is a legitimate threat to him.

Time for a fight montage with kick-ass 80's synth pop music featuring a poor man's Bruce Springsteen on vocals. (No disrespect to Stan Bush, who performed these songs. He gave it his best shot). But again, the producers likely ran out of money and since they couldn't afford the real Springsteen, they hired Stan Bush. Hey, do what you gotta do.

The fighting is awesome enough on its own, but the music enhances things so much more.  
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​Helmer and Rawlins track down Frank at his hotel. They subdue Ray with a stun gun and unsuccessfully chase Frank around Hong Kong. Cue the '80s pop music and we have another fun montage. Gotta love it. Frank outwits and taunts his foes at every turn, and the scene ends with our bumbling buffoons falling into the river and Frank escaping. Seriously, there are much better agents the government could have sent to chase Frank.

That evening, Frank eats dinner with Janice who quickly confirms what we already knew. She outright begs the man not just for an interview, but to sneak her in to the Kumite. Then she adds, “I'd really like to get to know you (in bed).” OK, I added the “in bed” part, but let's be real. That's what she meant. Then she says, “After all, we have all night.” She's obsessed with banging this man.

Well she got her wish, and the two wake up together the next morning. I would assume that Frank should abstain from sex while fighting in this tournament, but what do I know?

Before the fights begin at the Kumite that night, a bystander awkwardly approaches Frank and utters my favorite line in the movie. “Good. You're good fighter. You...good.....good.” Frank apparently feels just as awkward as I did watching it. He then spots his girlfriend Janice, who snuck into the Kumite with the awkward loser guy.


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​One can't help but notice that the cheery pop music during the fight scenes often gets darker when the “bad guys” like Paco, Chong Li and Pumola fight, but brightens right back up when guys like Frank and Ray do battle.

Chong Li is fascinated with Frank. He never says anything, but he often nods in approval as Frank fights. One scene that had me crying and hollering like a little bitch when I was a kid was when Chong Li broke another fighter's knee cap. To this day I either skip that part or look away, but I don't cry anymore about it anymore. I'm a man now.

Janice pulled out a (huge) tape recorder and spoke verbal notes to herself. As a reporter myself, I find this funny. My voice recorder is digital and tiny, but back in those days journalists had to carry around these big, bulky cassette recorders. How the hell did she hide that thing? It was about as big as her purse!

OK, time to see how well you pay attention. Remember Pumola, the sumo fighter? He has a fight with Richardo Morra, the monkey-boy. Ugh. Anyway, eventually Richardo's guile and speed are overpowered by Pumola's gorilla strength and Pumola brutally breaks his back in a bearhug. It's so scary that Janice grabs her throat in horror and Frank looks at Ray with a real look of concern.

One note about Chong Li. Before he finishes most guys, he'll close his eyes and do this “Hallelujah Jesus!” wave at the crowd, as if he's feeling the Holy Spirit before crushing his opponent. This, and his wild facial expressions, are my favorite things about Chong Li. He's the villain, but a part of me always roots for him.
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​Next up, Frank gets to fight Pumola. He even takes off his kool-aid red jacket for this one, realizing it would be no easy task.

Frank's kicks and attacks have no effect on this monster, and he is eventually overpowered by his strength and pulled into his bearhug finisher. Frank uses his hard head to headbutt Pumola and escape. Thinking fast, Frank hits him with the dreaded “Death touch” that he used on the bricks much earlier, and then does a split and uppercuts the big sumo square in the nuts.

It was over, and Chong Li looked horrified. His anxiety increased when the crowd started chanting “DUX! DUX! DUX!” Now the champ was losing his fans to this American upstart.

Chong Li got to take out his frustrations on Frank's best buddy, Ray.

Before the fight, Frank tries to warn him. “Go for the gut. He's soft there. Chong Li's weak in the gut. That's how Parades surprised him...go for the stomach and stay away from his right leg.”

If only Ray had listened. But then again, if he had, we wouldn't have the major plot twists coming up.

Ray actually took Frank's advice about avoiding Chong Li's right leg, blocking a kick and overpowering him and dropping him with a hard blow to the head. But instead of making sure the champion was knocked out, Ray started boasting prematurely like a dumbass.

The music turns sinister as Chong Li recovers and uses his vaunted right leg to kick the shit out of Ray and then stomp his head, knocking him cold. The champion then steals his bandanna.
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Note: Frank yelling “STOPPPPPPPP!” during this assault is one of the funniest moments in the movie.

Janice and Frank argue at the hospital while visiting the injured Ray, and Lin comes out of nowhere to literally grab and shake Frank while giving one of his motivational speeches.

Cue the music video for On my Own, one of the highlights of the movie. This is the song on my i-pod that throws people off. Friends have been like, “AJ, you really listen to this?” Hell yeah! Cheesy '80s rock music rules! It's also cool to remember how many singers back then did their damnest to sound like The Boss, Bruce Springsteen. The whole scene I just described is in the clip below.
​Our favorite goons Rawlins and Helmer try one last time to capture Frank. But at last they give in and watch the last round of the Kumite with Janice.

By this point, only the best fighters are left. Frank is summoned first, and his first fight is against the super-talented (but dirty) kick-boxer Paco of all people. Frank can't catch a break, can he? Chong Li winks at Frank, which almost makes me suspect that he had something to do with setting this up.

I love watching Chong Li's reactions to Frank's fights. At first he was leaning in smiling when Paco had the edge, but slowly sat back and looked sad as Frank began to dominate. Frank wisely attacked Paco's legs and then knocks him out with his signature twirling kick. Rawlins and Helmer are amazed and look at each other as if to say, “Well, damn. This dude can fight!” Janice has replaced Ray as Frank's constant cheerleader, and Chong Li rolled his eyes in disgust.

To send a message of intimidation to Frank, Chong Li kills his next opponent, which worries the shit out of Janice. He then points directly at Frank and says the famous line, “YOU..ARE...NEX!!!” Brilliant. Chong Li doesn't speak much, but the three lines he has in this movie are among the most memorable.  
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​The next fight is the one that was inevitable...Frank Dux versus Chong Li.

Lin states the obvious to Frank. “You can make history here today.”

A lot was definitely on the line here. Frank came along from out of nowhere and broke Chong Li's record, and took his once loyal fans from him too. Frank had also defeated both Paco and Pumola, the two most dangerous fighters in the tournament aside from himself and Chong Li.

Chong Li had never lost and was the champion. Meanwhile, Frank wanted to be the first American to win the Kumite and avenge what happened to Ray Jackson. The pressure was on both guys.

Just before the fight, Chong Li confirmed what I'd been suspecting – he didn't think he could beat Frank Dux. You could get a sense of this throughout the tournament by watching his reactions to Frank's wins, especially against Paco and Pumola. My confirmation that Li lacked the confidence to beat Dux was when his handler secretly placed a pill into his waistband. Uh-oh. He also wore Ray's bandanna around his knee and gave Dux a warm smile just before they stepped on the platform.

“Break my record...now I break you...like I break your friend.” Those were Li's words to Dux just before they squared off. This was beyond personal.
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​When the fight began, Dux got the best of Li right away. Li responded initially by trying to use the referee as a shield and getting his ass kicked while waiting for a counter attack.

He eventually counters one of Dux's attacks and stuns him, gaining control of the fight. Meanwhile, the bipolar crowd doesn't know who the hell to cheer for, constantly alternating between chanting the names of both fighters at the drop of a hat.

The fight was back and forth for a few minutes, as the producers didn't want the audience to see right away who was better. Eventually, though, Dux begins to hurt Li by repeatedly attacking him in the stomach (remember his “soft gut” comments to Ray Jackson earlier?) and then kicks him to the ground.

With defeat looming, Li crushes the pill and tosses it into Dux's eyes and blinds him. As a boxing fan, this reminds me a lot of Sonny Liston blinding Muhammad Ali in their first fight back in 1964.

Li has the advantage, but doesn't know that Dux has experience fighting while blinded. (Remember the blindfold lessons from earlier in the movie?) Frank makes a comeback, hurting Li with a hard kick to the gut and flooring him with a series of twirl kicks. Li eventually yells “Matte!” and suffers the first loss of his career. Frank Dux is now the Kumite Champion, and Janice damn near has an orgasm as this happens.

Helmer and Rawlins, who spent the whole movie trying to ruin Dux's fun, are now major supporters.

Frank is awarded a sword for winning the tournament. A sword? No money? All that blood, sweat and tears for a sword????? Anyway, Ray Jackson makes a speedy recovery and returns for the sequel. Dux returns to America with 
Helmer and Rawlins.

Anyway, I'll wrap things up here. This movie is awesome. It's cheesy, but very self-aware of this fact, and that makes it even more fun.

What separates it from the sequels and other martial arts films is that most of the fighters depicted here were real fighters, so the fights didn't look choreographed at all. Everything flowed perfectly. The music only makes things better. I was an '80s baby, so I have appreciation for films like this and the music that accompanied it. This is one of many films that remind me of Madea. Thank you for introducing me to so many movies.  
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A.J. Dugger Reviews Ralph Tresvant (1990)

11/27/2019

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RALPH TRESVANT (1990)


DISCLAIMER: Before we even get into this, I have to state the obvious and get it out of the way. Ralph Tresvant had been listening to Michael Jackson. In fact, Ralph sounds like Michael Jackson if he were drugged on Ritalin or Nyquil. If Michael was half sleep and tried to sing, he would sound like Ralph Tresvant. So, if you don't like Michael Jackson's music, then you probably won't like this album, because Michael's influence is all over the place. Just giving you the heads up. But hey, I love Michael Jackson, so this makes the album even more of a fun ride.

By late 1990, the R&B world was awaiting the highly anticipated solo album from Ralph Tresvant, the cozy-voiced lead singer of New Edition. His bandmates Bobby Brown, Johnny Gill and Bel Biv DeVoe were topping the charts left and right with their individual projects.

Bobby Brown became the "Bad Boy of R&B," BBD grabbed a hold of the hip hop culture, and Johnny Gill followed in the footsteps of Teddy Pendergrass and Luther Vandross with his soulful material.

Finally, it was time for "Mr. Sensitivity" to make his move.

Ralph officially established himself as the “Michael Jackson” or “Marvin Gaye” of New Edition with this album. He was the quiet, sweet one. The one with the soft tenor & falsetto voice that stole the ladies' hearts. 

Unlike the other N.E. Members, Ralph didn't try many new things on his solo effort. Instead, he maintained the New Edition sound, just with more of an emphasis on romance and ballads. Ralph kept the N.E. spirit alive, even continuing to dress like a New Edition member, while his bandmates grew into other personas. 

Well, now was the time. This was an album fans had been waiting to hear since the 1980s. How does the music hold up today?


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TRACK BY TRACK


Ralph begins the album by taking an aggressive page out of BBD's hip hop playbook. The song Rated R sounds nothing like what you'd expect from Ralph. Instead of being greeted by Ralph's signature breathy vocals, he comes right out the gate rapping. He isn't bad. It's just....unexpected. And forced. There were no hints of this sound on any of the New Edition material.

Rated R is basically a preview of what his follow-up album would sound like. The song isn't bad, but BBD did this kind of music better, and it just didn't sound like a natural fit for Ralph.

Ralph finds his groove with Sensitivity, the album's biggest hit. If you like Sensitivity, then you'll like the rest of the album. It's this song that sets the tone for the songs that follow.

The dreamy song, which is a brilliant mix of ballad and dance music, was produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. In my opinion, the song almost sounds like a lost Janet Jackson track, as Jam and Lewis established this kind of sound with Janet. This, coupled with Ralph's whispery Jackson-esque vocals, gives the song a "Miss Jackson" feel.

Having said that, Ralph doesn't try to impress with his vocals – it's all about riding the lush grooves of the track. The song accomplishes what it sets out to do.

She's My Love Thang maintains the momentum of Sensitivity but speeds things up a bit. Like the previous track, She's My Love Thang is an uptempo ballad with a dance beat.  Ralph brought his A-game when he performed this track on Soul Train back in the day.


I could never get into Stone Cold Gentleman. It's the only track I skip. 

Do What I Gotta Do is our first real ballad. It's not a bad song, and as far as instrumentation goes, Jam and Lewis were arguably at their best. But given Ralph's smooth and inoffensive falsetto, the song comes across almost bubblegum. If Johnny Gill had sang this song with him, it would have lit fire to the track and almost been something of a sequel to Can You Stand The Rain.
A more mature voice like Johnny's would have made this song sound more adult.

You can tell Ralph is trying to emulate his heroes Michael Jackson and Marvin Gaye, but they would have brought the track to life. Ralph tries, but doesn't have the strength in his voice to do so. This song would have worked better as a New Edition song. 

NOTE: I realize that Ralph's breathy voice is not technically a falsetto, but he sings in that range so much that you might as well call it that. 

Love Hurts was co-written by Babyface with Daryl Simmons and Kayo, but he let his partners produce this one on their own. It's a good song, but it would have been much better if Babyface had been behind the boards himself. Again, Ralph croons sweetly to the material given to him.

Girl I Can't Control It sounds like an early Jodeci song. There's a reason for that – Ralph wrote the song with the raspy-voiced K-Ci Hailey, one of Jodeci's lead singers. Ralph could never growl like K-Ci, but he sings with more authority and confidence on this one. There's no doubt that K-Ci directed Ralph on how to sing these lines.


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"I shall call him....mini-me."
Love Takes Time – Sounds like a less catchy sequel to Girl I Can't Control It. It's far from a horrible song, but it's definitely filler. 

Public Figure – This is basically a melodic hip hop track. Like the previous songs, it's OK to listen to. But Ralph's material was better on the front-end of the album. Ralph, like Johnny, sometimes sounds out of his element on the uptempo stuff.

Last Night.-- Finally, another ballad! The opening to this one will grab you immediately. It's comprised of synthesized strings and bass, a drum programmed beat, and electric guitar. Ralph's vocals fit this song to a tee. This one was written and produced by Timmy Gatling and Alton "Wokie" Stewart. They did a good job of impersonating Jam and Lewis.

I Love You (Just For You) – This is the highlight of the album for me. Ralph will never be Michael Jackson. But on this one, it's almost as if Michael sang it through Ralph's voice. There's a real confidence to his vocal on this one. He never sounded this self-assured with New Edition. He's not simply riding the lyrics like he does on most songs here; you can feel what Ralph is singing. And what's cool about it is that he doesn't shout or do anything out of his comfort zone. He proves you can have a small voice and still be soulful. The confidence and grace of this track will prompt you to listen more than once, and it's too bad it wasn't released as a single. I think this one would have done better than Do What I Gotta Do.
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Alright Now – Just when you think things can't get any better, you're proven wrong. Now, Michael Jackson actually did have a hand in this one. He co-wrote the song with John Barnes in 1984, but passed on it and eventually gave it to Ralph. I asked Mr. Barnes about the song on Facebook and he replied with this.

“He (Michael) was on a different path at that time. He heard me playing the music and decided to write something for it. He was okay with Ralph doing it. I would have enjoyed him doing it.” -John Barnes

Ralph also said on Twitter that Michael left some of his background vocals on the track. I posted a screenshot of this above. But man, I love the electric bass on this track and the layered background vocals.

NOTE: Given the great material here, you can't help but wonder why Ralph didn't blow up as a solo star. Instead, Bobby Brown became the "breakout" member of New Edition, although each member had moderate success outside the group. Ralph's music was never bad. My only guess is that he lacked the natural charisma of other lead singers who transitioned into great solo careers like Sisqo, Justin Timberlake, Omarion, etc. What do you think? Leave a comment below.


So that's the album. It's the least confident of the other New Edition solo albums from that time period, but Ralph stuck to the sound he was familiar with and good at. You can tell he was cautious with this project. He wanted to take his time and give it his best shot. A listen to the grooves here show that his efforts paid off.

I'll leave you with an unreleased Ralph Tresvant song recorded around this time. It's a real banger and worthy of being a moderate hit, but doesn't quite fit with flow of the other tracks on the album.
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What If? Jack Dempsey v. Rocky Marciano

11/19/2019

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Elvis Presley was the King of Rock And Roll during the 1950s, but the king of the boxing ring was a young, hard-punching kid from Brockton, Massachusetts named Rocky Marciano. (49-0, 43 Knockouts) Bobbing and weaving, Rocky routinely knocked out opponent after opponent. Eventually he won the heavyweight championship in 1952 and retired as the only undefeated heavyweight champion in boxing history in April 1956.

But Rocky's particular style and signature aggression reminded many boxing fans of an echo of the past – the Manassa Mauler Jack Dempsey. (60-7-8, 50 Knockouts) Jack Dempsey was boxing's first celebrity. During his prime, his popularity escalated to the point where it rivaled Babe Ruth and Charlie Chaplin. Dempsey was also the primary inspiration for Mike Tyson, who borrowed many of Dempsey's signature moves in the ring.

Dempsey and Marciano fought during different eras, but it's rare that one is discussed without the other eventually being mentioned. How similar and dissimilar were they? Who would have won if these two legends clashed in the middle of the ring? Let's discuss...
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A very familiar ending for Jack Dempsey fights.

The Original Mauler


​I shudder to think what boxing would be like today if Jack Dempsey never existed. Obviously, there were always boxing fans. Jim Jeffries was a popular athlete and Jack Johnson was a notorious one. But Jack Dempsey changed boxing forever when he smashed the jaw of Jess Willard with that dynamite left hook on July 4, 1919. Dempsey was so popular that he drew boxing's first million dollar gate. Because of his savage aggression and knockout records, he attracted people who were not boxing fans. Before the arrival of Joe Louis, Jack Dempsey was the most popular boxer of all time.

It was Dempsey who wrote the textbook for Tyson, Marciano and Frazier. Each of these men channeled Dempsey's bobbing and weaving and powerful hooks and uppercuts. Dempsey's dynamite hook to the body is still imitated to this day.  


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Dempsey's explosive left hook was a huge inspiration for Joe Frazier and others.
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Jack Dempsey

A Clash Of Styles


​Dempsey and Marciano often drew comparisons to each other. In fact, when Marciano first appeared on the scene, some writers labeled him “another Dempsey.” On the surface it's easy to see why people said that, but when you examine the two guys, you'll see a lot of differences in their styles.
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As you can see in the picture, Dempsey often threw straight punches. This worked well for him because it didn't leave him as open as a haymaker would, and it helped his punches to land right down the pipe. Dempsey was crude, but his punches were not half as wild or wide as Marciano's. Like Frazier, Dempsey didn't generally throw the wild haymakers until he was finishing someone off.

Marciano was totally different in this regard. He threw each punch as if it was a baseball. He threw every punch as hard as he could, and he often put all of his weight behind it. The problem with this is that if he missed, he was off balance and vulnerable to counter attacks.

​This is precisely how Archie Moore was able to drop him. In the second round of that fight, Rocky was swooping in with a lunging punch and Moore clocked him when he was off balance diving in. Observe.
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But here's the thing – Rocky threw these looping blows but he threw them from all directions. From his crouch, he could punch upward from down below, or he may throw a wild shot from elsewhere. He just kept attacking and there was no way to see where each punch was coming from, giving you no chance to protect yourself sufficiently. 

Moore had early success against Rocky but as the rounds progressed, Rocky beat the man and beat the man and beat the man until he wilted.

Rocky fought like a propeller that kept moving right in on you. He once said that he fought as if there's a fire right behind him and the guy in front of him is constantly in his way.

Dempsey was more like Mike Tyson in the sense that he attacked in spurts. Dempsey would attack his way inside, but once there he didn't punch as much, leaving him open to be clinched or giving his opponent time to counter or run away. 
But you gotta watch out for that left hook, which was the punch that got most guys in trouble. See below.
Jack Dempsey mauls Gene Tunney
I realize that Dempsey was past his best during their fights, but I believe that Gene Tunney had the style to always befuddle him. (No, I'm not saying this means he would automatically beat Dempsey; I'm just saying Dempsey would always have problems mowing him down).

Gene wasn't awkward, slow moving and huge like the guys Dempsey developed a reputation for destroying. Those guys stood and fought Dempsey, and paid the price for it.


However, Gene was much smaller and more elusive, playing boxing as if it were a game of tag. He would pop Dempsey and get the hell out of range before Dempsey could retaliate. Tunney closed both of Dempsey's eyes in their first fight. After losing, Dempsey's handlers had to lead him across the ring to shake the new heavyweight champion's hand.

How would Rocky Marciano do in the same situation against Tunney? Well, the Tunney-Dempsey bouts were similar to Rocky's first battle with Jersey Joe Walcott. Yes, Rocky was behind on points at the time of the stoppage, but Rocky was always on the attack and cut the ring better than Dempsey. Walcott was a much better escape artist than Tunney, even utilizing a shuffle and sneaky sucker-punch to his arsenal. But in the 13th round, Marciano was able to corner Walcott and feint a jab.

Walcott raised his right hand to counter the “jab,” but Rocky blasted a surprised Walcott with his Suzy-Q right hook. Walcott slumped to the canvas unconscious, and we had a new heavyweight champion.  
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Raw Power

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Both Marciano and Dempsey were relatively small heavyweights with a huge wallop in both hands. But the main difference between them power-wise is that Marciano's right hand was his sledgehammer, while Dempsey's fierce left hook generated some of his most famous knockouts.

Dempsey could punch alright, but I think it was the speed and ferocity of his attacks that made his blows so brutal. Jack would leap off the mat to land a punch. He also developed the “Dempsey Roll,” which was a string of vicious hooks in succession. Until the day he died, Jess Willard swore that Jack had a pipe hidden in his gloves. He just couldn't fathom that the much smaller man could pack such an unbelievable wallop.

There's also the story of the robbers that attempted to mug an elderly Dempsey, who proceeded to knock them both to the ground. The men said that it felt like he had rocks in his hands.

Marciano was not slow of hand, but Dempsey's hand speed was better, and overall his accuracy was better.

But Jack Dempsey himself stated that Rocky hit harder. This is what he had to say about The Rock's power in the 1953 fall edition of Fight Magazine...


“What everyone forgets is that Marciano can punch harder with a right hand than any modern-day heavyweight. In his first fight with Walcott, Rocky needed only one blow to win the title. The power in his right scrambled Jersey Joe's brains at Chicago.”
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“I've scored my share of knockouts along the way, but more often than not my opponents got up after being knocked down and had to be knocked down repeatedly. The same is true of Joe Louis. But Marciano only needs one solid smash and it's over. That's why I say Rocky Marciano is the hardest-hitting heavyweight champion I have seen.”
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What he said is very much true. Jack rarely knocked guys cold the way Rocky did. For example, Willard went down numerous times in that brutal first round but Jack could never finish him and exhausted himself trying. Compare this to Marciano's knockout victims. Walcott, Louis, Vingo, Matthews and many others were put to sleep. Others, like Archie Moore, were too beaten and battered to continue on.

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Part of what made Rocky special was his freakish punching power. He was a small 184-pound man that punched with the strength of someone twice his size. Even Muhammad Ali famously said, “Man, he hit hard. My arms were sore from just joking with him.”

Rocky also knocked out a lot of guys with his left hook, especially early in his career. His knockout of Harry Matthews was a brilliant example. It was evident that trainer Charlie Goldman's teachings were starting to pay off. During the second round, Rocky absolutely destroyed Matthews with a Joe Frazier-esque double left hook.


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Overall, Rocky was a better puncher than Dempsey. Rocky's knockout percentage was 88% while Dempsey's was 65.22%


HEART


​Both guys had a lot of heart and toughness. Jack Dempsey was famously knocked out of the ring by Luis Firpo. The image was painted by George Bellows. The fight was an exciting one. There were 11 knockdowns in two rounds before Jack knocked him out. It's not often that a guy gets knocked out of the ring only to come back and knock out his opponent.
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Oh my bad! That's the wrong picture.
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Jack literally fought to eat during his hobo years. If he didn't win, he didn't eat. That would motivate anyone.

While Marciano never lost, Dempsey was only knocked out once during his 6 losses. No one knows the true story of what happened when Firemen Flynn knocked him out in 25 seconds. There were reports that Jack hadn't eaten in four days. Some, including Dempsey's wife, said that he threw the fight because he was offered more money to lose. Either way, Jack got his revenge by knocking out Flynn in the first round of their rematch.

Marciano was a clutch fighter. The closest he came to defeat was when Ezzard Charles split his nose. With blood constantly pouring, Rocky needed an emergency knockout. The ring doctor only gave Rocky one more round. Rocky responded by pummeling Ezzard to the canvas to maintain his championship and undefeated record.
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Another scare Rocky had was against Walcott. As I explained earlier, Rocky managed to maneuver Walcott to the ropes and get his punch to the target. Rocky always found a way to win in urgent situations.


​Opposition

​Dempsey fought much bigger and heavier opposition than Rocky did overall. Dempsey destroyed the huge 6'6 Jess Willard. Prior to beating up Willard, Dempsey knocked out the 6'4 Carl Morris in one minute of the first round of their December 1918 battle. Likewise, it only took Dempsey 23 seconds to put away Fred Fulton that same year.

Dempsey was pretty good at knocking out much bigger men. His secret? His sparring partner was the talented 6'6 Big Bill Tate. Because he was African American, Bill unfortunately never got a crack at the heavyweight title. But from all accounts he deserved one. He was a damn good fighter from what I read and seen. Regardless, he helped shape the history of boxing by preparing Dempsey to clash with the then-heavyweight champion Jess Willard, who was the same size as Tate, but not as good of a fighter.

During his first round with Willard, Dempsey was more than prepared. At first he circled his prey, waiting for an opportunity. The moment Willard missed a loose jab, Dempsey exploded with his left hook, dropping Willard and allegedly breaking his jaw in 7 places.


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During Marciano's reign, there were not many giants to fight. It'd be easy to assume that Rocky would be clueless on how to get inside and fight big men because he never had to when he was at the top level, but history proves he could handle big guys when he needed to.

For starters, Rocky damn near killed Carmine Vingo, who was a big Italian fighter standing at 6'4. Unfortunately there's a lack of footage of this fight available, but Rocky's sledgehammer right hand literally knocked Vingo into a coma.

When Rocky was a journeyman, there were other big men he knocked out, and according to the numbers, he often conquered them quickly in a vicious, Dempsey-esque manner. 
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Here's a short list of some of the men over 200 pounds that Rocky defeated.

​Bill Hardeman (206 pounds) : KO 1
James Connoly (213 pounds) :TKO 1
Artie Donato (201 pounds) : KO 1
Elbridge Eatman (206 pounds) :TKO 3
Johnny Shkor (220 pounds) :TKO 6
Bill Wilson (229 pounds) :TKO 1
Keene Simmons (200 pounds) :TKO 8
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Add to this Rocky's time filming the computer fight with Muhammad Ali. The two sparred for 75 one-minute rounds. Muhammad at the time was still in his prime. He had great mobility and flash lightning hand speed. On the other hand, Rocky was balding, overweight and hadn't fought in over 13 years. But yet, Ali said he could hardly land his jab on Rocky, and even demanded more money because Rocky injured his ribs with a body attack.

Rocky was able to cut off the ring and bring the fight to the great 6'3 Muhammad Ali, who had the speed of a graceful gazelle. Keep in mind also that Muhammad danced on his toes, which made him actually around 6'5 as he skipped around the ring. This didn't deter Rocky.

Would Jack Dempsey have the same success against Ali? I say no, because Dempsey wouldn't consistently overwhelm him with a high work-rate the way Rocky and Frazier did. Also, Dempsey wasn't so hot against “stick and move” guys in the Gene Tunney-Muhammad Ali tradition. But he did possess the one punch Ali was always most vulnerable to throughout his career – the left hook. But a Dempsey-Ali fight is a story for another blog.


LEGACY


​Some say Marciano fought during a weak era. You could argue that, but he knocked out at least four hall of famers – Moore, Charles, Walcott and Louis.

Let's be real here. Ezzard Charles was only 33 and two years older than Rocky when they fought. (Rocky was 31). Jersey Joe Walcott reminds me of Lennox Lewis and the Klitschko brothers in the sense that he got better as he aged and put on his absolute best ring performance ever against Rocky until he got cracked in the 13th round. 

Archie Moore was aging for sure, but the problem was that each time he fought a quality heavyweight, he was knocked out. In addition to Marciano, Moore  was also KO'd by Floyd Patterson and a young Muhammad Ali. Moore recaptured the light heavyweight title not long after losing to Rocky. All of this confirms to me that Archie was still great, but was just out of his element against heavyweights.
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Rocky smashes an aging Joe Louis with a brutal uppercut

​Joe Louis was still fundamentally sound at the time he fought Rocky. With the exception of his loss to Ezzard Charles in 1950, Joe was winning his fights.

However, his victories often lacked the impressive knockout flash of his prime years. Joe was confident and had a great fight plan against Marciano, but his timing and reflexes were gone.

To hear Rocky tell it...

"What surprised me was that Joe didn't have much of a right. They told me he had lost some of his power, but I didn't expect nothing. That's what his right
hand was – nothing."  
-Rocky Marciano

This says a lot, because ring officials literally had to scrape Jimmy Braddock off the canvas after he got knocked out by Louis' right hand years earlier.

The best guys Dempsey fought were basically just more impressive from a size perspective. Jess Willard was aging, out of shape, and had been largely inactive since winning the title from Jack Johnson. Luis Firpo was a real warrior at times but far from all-time great material. Jack Sharkey was a capable heavyweight but, like many others, crumpled when he felt Dempsey's left hook.


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​Dempsey was not a great heavyweight champion in my opinion. Instead of defending the crown he once worked so hard for, he went to Hollywood and got a nose job. Since he used to be a hobo, he quickly took advantage of his rich new lifestyle. I wish he'd have been an active heavyweight champion.

Following orders from his management, Dempsey avoided facing black challengers. Because he refused to fight black athletes and was inactive for much of his championship reign, I don't think we ever got to see Jack Dempsey at his best. All we saw were brilliant flashes of potential in a number of fights.

Marciano was the exact opposite. He came into each fight in perfect condition. In fact, he trained twice as hard as his opponents, which gave him an edge in stamina. As his opponents got winded and tired later in the fight, Rocky was still fresh as ever.

Rocky never ducked anyone and fought everyone in front of him and won. That's what a heavyweight champion is supposed to do. Dempsey got caught up in Hollywood life after winning the title, but when Rocky held the strap, he wanted to prove that he was the absolute best fighter in the world.  
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Poor Lee Savold....
Marciano also never spoke on or endorsed the “great white hope” nonsense. His boxing role model growing up was Joe Louis, and he was also a fan of Ezzard Charles and Archie Moore. Eventually, he got to defeat each of his heroes in the ring.

Rocky also got really close to Muhammad Ali during the filming of the Computer Fight. His brother Peter Marciano revealed how the two shared a grapefruit and discussed how they could bring society together during a time of racial bigotry.

I respect Marciano as a man. I interviewed Marciano biographer John Cameron, who explained that Rocky didn't have a racist bone in his body. Aside from having a chief black sparring partner, Dempsey seemed to be a man of his time. (There are news accounts confirming Dempsey's racism, but I won't get into that discussion on here).

Because of his small size, clumsy movement and short reach, Rocky had no business boxing and much less being heavyweight champion. But he overcame these “handicaps” and not only won the heavyweight title, but he is to this day the only heavyweight champion to retire undefeated. This is why when people say that Rocky Marciano is the greatest heavyweight champion of all time, I never argue.


THE FIGHT


Finally! I know this is what you're here for. This is a hard one to call. To do a round-up...

Dempsey was a fast starter who ended fights early, while Rocky generally had to warm up into the fight and scored knockouts later.

Dempsey had faster hands than Rocky.

Rocky hit a little harder than Dempsey.

Rocky cut much easier than Dempsey.

Rocky was dropped two times in early rounds, the time of the fight when Dempsey is at his peak. 

Hmmmmm..

When you look at that, you'd assume that Dempsey wins and probably by a quick blowout. But it's not that simple for me.


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A relaxed Jack Dempsey...
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​Before I make my prediction, I must note that Rocky was actually 5'9 according to his biographer John Cameron, while Dempsey was around 6'1. Dempsey being taller is not an advantage. In fact, I bet it would work against him. 

Also, I feel that Rocky was smarter than Dempsey. The way Rocky set up Walcott with that jab feint was a thing of beauty, as was his impressive double left hook knockout against Harry Matthews. Rocky always had tricks up his sleeve. Dempsey, however, came out with one plan - to destroy you and go home.

I see the fight going like this – Rocky is overwhelmed initially and hits the canvas. He gets up and smothers Jack by clinching, mauling and pounding away to his body on the inside. (This is how he responded after getting floored by Walcott)

Dempsey's style is based on him being the shorter man, but in this fight he'd be the taller man and would have to adjust to that. And I don't think he could. 

Marciano was also a much busier inside-fighter than Dempsey. He would be in his element. It's Jack who would get uncomfortable and start backing away. Once Rocky gets inside and starts wearing on you, you're gonna go eventually.

Inevitably, perhaps sooner than later, Rocky would land a severe punch – the kind of punch that would take Dempsey by surprise and make him respect him. From that point on, Dempsey wouldn't be as aggressive and fight a bit more cautiously. That's when Rocky would step up his pace and land punch after punch, punch after punch, until eventually an exhausted and battered Dempsey loses by TKO late in the fight.

My official prediction? Rocky Marciano defeats Jack Dempsey in round 7 by Technical Knockout.

What's yours?
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Would Stephen Glass get away with it today?

11/18/2019

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By April 1998, Stephen Glass had risen to moderate fame as a journalist for The New Republic Magazine. In addition to writing zany stories worthy of Hollywood cinema, he also had somewhat of a squeaky, sweet voice and appeared really humble and down to earth. Stephen was very likable, the kind of guy you could have a drink with. (Although he also appeared so wholesome that perhaps he doesn't drink). 

But as we all know, Stephen had a secret -- many of his articles were fictional. 

Would Stephen Glass be able to dupe his editors and readers today using social media? Let's have a good conversation about this. 

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I remember taking a news reporting class at Austin Peay State University in 2005, which is where I fell in love with journalism and discovered I was a natural at it.

Our teacher put on a movie called Shattered Glass. I was only half paying attention early in the movie. This was long before I got married and I was a young man sitting in class charming the young lady sitting next to me. Hey, that's what college boys do.

Eventually I saw that the main character in the film, Stephen Glass, was creating fictional stories and fooling his editors into printing them.

It wasn't just the fact that Stephen was conning people – to me the most fascinating things about the whole saga was that Stephen compiled false evidence to validate his sources. Fake emails, voicemails, people, newsletters, etc. He went through all of this trouble just to cheat.

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And he wasn't just cheating at his main job at the New Republic Magazine. He was creating stories as a freelance writer for Rolling Stone, Harpers, and other established publications. In one article he claimed to have witnessed a robbery in a taxi cab. In another he posed as a telephone psychic. Another story was about a church that worshiped former president, George Bush. The list goes on.

Also interesting is that Stephen did not initially admit to his wrongdoing...he kept creating new lies to back up his old ones, which is where his fake notes came into play. Throughout history, most fabricators (or con men in general) will submit and confess once they're backed into a corner. But not Stephen. Watching his downfall was like watching the sand drain in an hourglass. It was slow and entertaining but you knew it would happen.

However, Stephen Glass pulled off these shenanigans back in the late '90s. Technology and the internet hadn't sky-rocketed yet to the levels they are today. That begs the question – could Stephen have pulled off those lies and tricks today? I think the answer is more complex than a simple yes or no.


For starters, social media must be taken into account. Stephen could create profiles for “sources” on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, you name it. Not only could he create fake people to quote, but he could create fake businesses on Facebook.

For example, let's say he wanted to prove the existence of Jukt Micronics today. If he doesn't overshoot the mark and call it a “big time software firm,” and instead say it's a small business just starting up, he could start a Facebook business page and get a fake phone number for people to call. He could also look up vacant properties and use this to “confirm” the address. 

Add to this how its possible to buy “likes” and “followers” for social media accounts to make your business look legit. If Stephen created a character with a youtube channel, he could buy “views” and “commenters.” Stephen could buy an "audience" for his characters and businesses to make them appear legit. If he really wanted Jukt Micronics to look like a hugely successful organization today, he could buy a huge "following" for the company and create profiles of people to be clients.
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Can you imagine if Jukt Micronics had one million followers? This would probably initially make the fake company look less suspicious.

Some sites would be easier to con people with than others. For example, a site like Twitter keeps private information to a minimum unless a person decides to tweet personal business. This would be an easy option for Stephen. Facebook may require more work, as people often put their employment history, lots of pictures and other information. But Stephen could definitely still pull it off, as many people do to “catfish” their victims.

Speaking of pictures, this could be one of the potential chinks in Stephen's armor. It's hard to create characters if they have to be photographed, especially if they're an important source for a news story.

Uploading a photo to google will indeed track other copies of the photo if they exist, and show you what website the picture is hosted on.

But all it would take for Stephen to do is browse through profiles of real people, especially foreign ones from social media that are not posted elsewhere online, and use them as “evidence.”
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A recent photo of Mr. Glass
​If Adam Penenburg and Chuck Lane were to catch Stephen in a more modern era, it would take a lot more work. They could still catch him, but unless they wished to personally talk to these sources on the phone, they wouldn't have a quick option. Stephen's “sources” could easily text or email whoever felt they were dubious.

But also, if Stephen had the aid of social media, it's quite possible that no one would suspect any red flags at all.
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A.J. Dugger Reviews The Making Of Thriller

11/13/2019

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All was seemingly right in the world during 1983. Well, not exactly because I wasn't born yet. I'd like to think that the entire world sat around a campfire somewhere eating pork rinds and awaiting the arrival of the one they call “The Duggerman,” “Mr. TV-One” or “The Duggmasta.” But nope.

Instead, on December 2, 1983, the music world changed forever when Michael Jackson dropped his Thriller music video, which was actually a short film. Thriller was part musical and part horror-comedy. Prior to this project, music videos rarely had dialogue or a consistent plot. Michael's previous videos from the Thriller album indeed had minor storylines. He was stalked by paparazzi in the Billie Jean video. (Interestingly, based on Michael shushing Billie Jean's neighbor and her calling the cops on him, his character may not be telling us the truth about not being the kid's father). In Beat It, Michael arrives and saves the day by interrupting a gang fight. Instead of creating a blood bath, the real-life gangsters joined Michael in a dance. If only real life were that simple.

Thriller opens with a disclaimer. Back in those days, disclaimers were not a clever marketing tool. It really meant something BAD or DANGEROUS! People wanna see BAD things that are Off The Wall. So you naturally get curious and tune in.
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When I made a book trailer to promote my book, Southern Terror, I also used a disclaimer and Thriller-esque red letters and used audio of myself breathing. Well, it didn't turn out well for me.
 Anyway, long story short, Thriller opens in the 1950s. Michael and his girlfriend Ola Ray are on a date. Michael looks wholesome with wet hair. He's also wearing a varsity jacket, which shows he may be a high school athlete. Their car runs out of gas. Ola shoots Michael a flirty look and asks in a sexy voice, “Well, what are we going to do now?” Instead of doing what most horny teenage couples would do, the two walk through the woods looking for a gas station or help. Turns out the mild-mannered Jehovah's Witness Michael was telling her the truth. Michael asks her to be his girlfriend and gives her a ring. She gladly accepts both and even drops the “I love you,” bomb. (She moves fast! She DEFINITELY would have gave this dude some good lovin' when they were alone in that car).

The conversation suddenly turns serious. Michael takes a deep Jackson breath and gives her a wide-eyed stare. In his signature whispery voice, Michael tells her that he's not like other guys. The full moon reveals itself. Michael looks like he has to poop (badly) then he shrieks in one of those high-pitched Michael Jackson squeals and doubles over in pain. When he looks up, his voice has dropped several octaves and he has eyes like a kitty. His hair still looks good, though. Look at how it glistens. 


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Ola stands there screaming like a dumbass while Michael transforms into some type of half-man, half kitty creature. Ola FINALLY runs off after watching his transformation into a bloodthirsty beast. Michael chases her and randomly knocks over a tree. I don't know what that was about?

He ambushes Ola by jumping from a tree and then attacks her. Next thing you know, the audience realizes that Michael and Ola are watching this whole thing at a movie theater. Michael is enjoying his popcorn a little too much, while Ola is so terrified that she walks out of the theater. This is where the Thriller song kicks in and Michael playfully teases her as they walk down a dark smokey alley that looks like the one Bruce Wayne's parents were killed in.  ​
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​Before I go any further, I must note the chemistry between Michael and Ola. They interacted like a real couple. Michael was the confident, playful, somewhat immature boyfriend. Ola was the serious girlfriend who was entertained by her boyfriend's antics and loved him anyway. Because of their chemistry, I feel that Ola is easily the best “video girl” that Michael worked with.

Anyway, zombies emerge from their graves just after Michael and Ola skip past the graveyard holding hands like preschoolers.

Despite being slow moving, the zombies form a perfect circle and close in on our protagonists. Instead of “manning up” and protecting his woman, Michael is just as wide-eyed and terrified as she is and clings to her for protection. (I take back what I said earlier about Michael's character being self-confident).

Ola turns to her boyfriend to see that he is now one of the undead, and the zombies join him in a brilliant dance. (“Undead” Michael is astonishing as he opens the dance struggling to breathe and twitching)

Typical Ola watches the dance and FINALLY runs away....but into a creepy old house. Look, she could have at least ran back to the movie theater which was maybe a mile away but still full of people. But nope, she runs into a decaying house which was likely the only haunted-looking house on the street. The girl is a genius, I tell ya.

The zombies break into the house through the walls, the windows and floor. Zombie Michael breaks through a paper thin door and then the zombies close in on Ola. Turns out the whole thing was a dream, but just as Michael and Ola are leaving, Michael turns to the camera to reveal his yellow kitty eyes.
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​Now we're on to the Making Of Thriller.

The film crew were shooting in a Hispanic neighborhood called Union Pacific Avenue and someone in the press leaked that MICHAEL JACKSON was shooting a music video there. The documentary team interviewed some of the fans.  Many of the women talk about how sexy and gorgeous he was and what a great dancer he was. (I swear all the women wanted to bang Michael back then). One kid was brave enough to go under the security rope and do some MJ-inspired poplocking and circle gliding for us. I can't help but wonder if any of these people are still fans of Michael? 

Next we hear a woman's voice and then-- oh, that was Michael speaking! Michael's unnerving falsetto whisper was eerie during this time period. I understand that he wanted to keep a “child's voice” and maintain that high singing range, but this was ridiculous, especially knowing that his natural voice was not high like that. (Many have confirmed this, from Michael's ex-wife Lisa Marie Presley to his vocal coach, Seth Riggs, to his later producer, Teddy Riley to film director Spike Lee). Anyway, get used to hearing Michael's "man-child" voice  throughout the documentary.

So Michael called up American Werewolf In London Director John Landis (John was asleep in London when Michael called. It was 2 AM London time). The two talked about how they wanted to “bring back the motion picture shorts” and do something elaborate that had never been done before.  
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Michael's jheri curl never has a bad day. NEVER!!
​Michael was a huge fan of An American Werewolf In London because of the makeup effects and the fact that it was one of the first horror-comedies. In fact, it took over 10 years for Landis to make the movie because film studios would often respond by saying, “John, it's too funny to be scary,” or “It's too scary to be funny. What is this?”

Landis' warped sense of horror-humor is evident during Thriller. Given his high voice and lack of serious female companions, there were gay rumors that followed Michael from his late teens to around this time period. Landis played with this by having Michael say the line, “I'm not like other guys.”

And there's also the incident when the car ran out of gas and Michael decided they should look for help instead of making love. I read during the “Thriller Diaries” that Landis told Michael to look deep into Ola's eyes as he spoke the line, “You were scared weren't cha,” to make it "sexy." There's also the “See You Next Wednesday” line that was spoken off-screen, which is a line used in all of Landis' movies during the early 1980s.

But I'm getting off track here. After showing some of Michael's recent music videos like “Beat It,” “Can You Feel It” and a Jackson 5 performance of “Who's Loving You,” we move on to the makeup process. “It's disgusting, but it's brilliant!” squealed an excited Michael while observing Rick Baker's monstrous puppets and designs.
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To this day, I don't know why the hell Michael knocked over this tree. I mean, what did it ever do to HIM?"
​After a zombie montage with Michael's brilliant song Off The Wall playing, we watch Michael and Ola merrily skip past the graveyard and see John Landis direct the zombie actors as they rise from their graves. Landis is in his element here, encouraging the actors and even smiling and drinking a Coca-Cola. He even makes time to lift a squealing Michael over his shoulders and spin him around. Instead of delivering an “Attitude Adjustment,” “F5” or “Death Valley Driver,” Landis gently places the King of Pop back on his feet. (If you're a wrestling fan, you'll get that reference.)

Then we watch Landis direct Michael and the zombies as they smash their way through the house and close in on Ola Ray. “I don't wanna go through another door again. That was great!” Landis said after Michael broke and staggered through the door.

Next up is Rick Baker introducing us to the werecat transformation, which I imagine was the toughest part of making Thriller. “I actually was trying to talk him about of it. But he wants to do this. I don't know why,” said Baker.

First, they made a cast of Michael's face to use as a reference to design the monster. They glued latex bladders to his face to make it look as if Michael's face was actually stretching and changing. (These were hidden under the mask and makeup).
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"I'm Not Like Other Guys"
​We watch Baker and his team put the finishing touches on the werecat mask. I felt bad for Michael when they put the kitty contacts in. Back then, they didn't make the soft contact lenses that they do now. Those contacts they inserted in Michael's eyes felt like glass, and he said in a voice-over that after 15 minutes they start “aching and paining.” The singer compared the eye drops to someone putting tobacco hot sauce in your eyes.

One funny part is watching Michael slowly back away from his own reflection when he first saw himself in the full werewolf mask. He was scared of himself!!

The next funny part is hearing Michael squall like a strangled kitty during the filming of the werecat transformation scene. Thank God Landis and the editors overdubbed Michael's girlish screaming with the much deeper, anguished growls from David Naughton in “American Werewolf.”

Then we meet Michael Peters, the somewhat eccentric choreographer. “Ba-dah! Ba-dah!” he sings as he teaches the dancers the routine. We watch Michael and Michael create the dance, which is quite interesting. Landis also offers input, reminding the dancers that they will be wearing hideous and uncomfortable zombie makeup as they dance their asses off.

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​Michael Peters proves a good point when he points out that the dancers in this video were professionals and had trained in dance their whole lives. Michael was already a polished performer but fit right in and had an uncanny knack for instantly catching the beat. I don't think Michael gets enough credit for that. “I guess it's just something you're born with and you can do,” Michael whispered in a voice-over narration. 

We then watch Michael's mesmerizing performance of Billie Jean on Motown 25 from earlier that year and see the worldwide preview of the moonwalk. (The dance had been around for decades but wasn't recognized by the masses until Michael did it).

Ola and Michael practice their “Thriller Walk” and discuss the script. I actually wish they had included footage of them rehearsing their lines. I don't know why, but my favorite scene in Thriller is the opening one. Like I said, Michael and Ola had this chemistry that just seemed so...real.

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​The next highlight is Michael fouling up his scare jump from the air. He landed wrong and goes, “BAM!” in a Minnie Mouse voice, and Landis promptly yells “Wrong!” which cracked up the crew. Landis then shows Michael how to do the stunt correctly. As a kid I always wondered where Michael jumped from during that scene. When I saw The Making of Thriller, it answered so many questions.

We see a brief scene of the editing process. Let me just say that the music they were considering using for some of the Thriller scenes was just plain terrible. I'm glad they chose the soundtrack that they did. They dodged a bullet there.

The last scene is Landis tickling Michael. It's uncomfortable to watch, but only because I'm ticklish myself so I felt Michael's pain.

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Off The Record

​I still watch The Making Of Thriller often. In fact, it's the very reason I started to enjoy horror movies because the documentary goes into great detail on the makeup and overall process of making such a movie. I also wrote a horror-comedy book called Southern Terror which did quite well. More information on that here. OK, that's shameless book plug #2.

Michael released other documentaries for his short films but this one is easily the best. In This Is It, for example, the viewer is more like a fly on the wall. Michael is never interviewed himself in This Is It, but he helped narrate the Making Of Thriller. His input is what helped the documentary.

Michael was in his prime in 1983, and this is the very Michael Jackson that some people don't want to let go of. THIS is the Michael Jackson that moonwalked into absolute megastardom. Plus, the songs played throughout the documentary from Thriller and Off The Wall show just how great his music was at that time.

Michael wasn't portrayed as weird here..just talented, curious, soft spoken, and well, normal. This was months before the Pepsi commercial burn and the other incidents that eventually took him down a dark path. If you want to remind yourself why people loved Michael Jackson so much in the first place, watch The Making of Thriller.

Check out my review for Moonwalker!!

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What If? Lennox Lewis Versus Joe Frazier

11/12/2019

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I got a lot of feedback from the recent blog I wrote about a fantasy bout between the great Joe Louis and Mike Tyson. I figured I'd follow up with another fantasy fight between two of my favorite all-time heavyweights – Smokin' Joe Frazier (32-4-1, 27 Knockouts) against “The Lion” Lennox Lewis. (42-1-1, 32 Knockouts)

On paper, it should be an easy fight for Lewis. Lewis stood at 6'5 and had an 84-inch reach and one of the best jabs in heavyweight history when he committed to it. His uppercut and right hand helped him dominate the heavyweight division. Lewis could really crack, and was one of the best boxer-punchers of all time. The guy could box and counter well, but he could slug with the best of em' if pushed.

But Joe Frazier was also one of the best heavyweights of all time. He may have been undersized at 5'11 and 205 pounds during his peak years, but he used that lack of size to his advantage. He charged at his opponents, bobbing and weaving to slip their jabs and other punches, and then destroyed guys left and right with his brutal left hook. Even “The Greatest” Muhammad Ali was pushed to the brink by Joe Frazier in their three classic fights. He was knocked down and defeated by Frazier during their first encounter in 1971.

Before I get to the fight itself between these two, let's take a close look at tonight's contenders. We'll start with Smokin' Joe.
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Smokin' Joe Frazier


There is a lot that people don't know about this legend. He was the first American heavyweight EVER to win a gold medal in the Olympics. (Floyd Patterson and Muhammad Ali won gold medals before him but they were fighting as light heavyweights at the time). Frazier unified the heavyweight championships during Ali's exile from boxing. And, Frazier was the third man to drop Muhammad Ali, landing one of the most devastating left hooks ever thrown in a boxing ring.

Frazier's deep-voiced trainer Yank Durham had him watch countless marathons of Henry Armstrong and Rocky Marciano fights. What these two had in common was that they were swarmers – guys who never stopped coming right at you. Swarmers are difficult to fight because they invade your personal space and force you to fight their fight. They don't give you the time or room to counter effectively. If you swing a hook or toss a jab, they'll weave past or under it and then attack you viciously.

Frazier was a perfect combination of both warriors – Frazier fought at Henry Armstrong's frantic pace, but had the devastating power of Rocky Marciano. The main differences between Frazier and Marciano was that Marciano (though gifted with two-handed power) was most famous for his right haymaker (The Suzy-Q) and Frazier preferred to demolish guys with his fierce left hook. Frazier also had quicker hands than Marciano, cut the ring better, and was more accurate with his punches making him more difficult to counter.
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Frazier was at his best against the “stick and move” boxer-types like Muhammad Ali, Bob Foster, Jimmy Ellis and Buster Mathis. He mowed each of these guys down...each of these men went crashing to the ground after getting smashed by Frazier's fierce left hook. Of these men, only Muhammad Ali was able to get back to his feet and continue.

I'll talk more about this later, but one of Lewis' best punches was his uppercut. Keep in mind that when the great Muhammad Ali attempted to throw an uppercut at Joe, this happened.


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​Lennox never fought anyone with the tenacity of Frazier before. The closest he came to fighting Frazier was when he fought Ray Mercer and David Tua, neither of whom are in the class of Smokin' Joe. You see, Ray Mercer almost beat Lewis in a close fight. In my opinion, Ray could have won or at least got a draw if he hadn't decided to coast during the last two rounds. That's what cost him the fight. Even though he lost, this was probably Mercer's greatest performance. At times he really pummeled Lewis, always rushing in and throwing punches. He even out-jabbed him, so Lewis was forced to abandon his usual technical fight plan and just fight.

However, Ray was no where near as accurate, fast or consistent as Frazier. In their fight, Ray would pummel Lewis, then slow down, then resume a round later. He gave Lewis plenty of chances to make comebacks and take control of the fight.

Also, Lewis had a bad habit of ducking into the blows of smaller opponents. Unlike Ali or The Klitschkos, Lewis didn't always use his height to full advantage. If your opponent is shorter than you, why duck down into his punches? When Lewis was unable to use his jab to control things and was forced to fight, he made this mistake often, especially against Mercer and Holyfield. It was be downright fatal to do this against Joe Frazier. See the picture below as a reference of Lewis ducking into Tyson's reach.

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​As far as the Tua comparison goes, Tua was roughly around the same height as Frazier and was known for finishing guys with a left hook from hell. Tua mentally submitted to Lewis during the early rounds when he felt that constant jab in his face and had issues getting inside of Lewis' reach. After getting cracked with an uppercut and taking a body punch to his already-injured ribs, Tua basically stopped fighting and let Lewis have his way. No way would this happen with Joe Frazier. Nothing would stop him from coming to Lewis.


The Left Hook From Hell...


​Now let's talk about the Philadelphia left hook. Joe could launch it from any position. He may throw a double left hook- one to the body followed by another to the chin, or he may throw it after a right hand or right after a jab. You could never predict it. Joe said once that the left hook is the best punch in boxing because you can throw it without opening yourself up too much. Joe preferred to get close and land tight hooks, but when he had his man hurt and was ready to end things, that's when he'd leap off the mat to smash his opponent on the chin.

Frazier also loved to work the body. “Kill the body and the head will die.” That was a motto that worked for Joe Louis, and Frazier applied it to his style.

Frazier seemed to realize that he was vulnerable during the initial stages of fights, so he countered his opponents' punches with body assaults. As the rounds go by, all that punishment to the body will take its toll and slow his opponent down enough to where Joe would have an easier time cornering his victim and landing his dynamite. This is precisely what happened to Muhammad Ali in the Fight Of The Century and The Thrilla In Manilla. Ali swept the early rounds, but by the middle of the fights Joe's body punches had taken their toll on him and Ali could not move as well, allowing Joe to beat him up.

In my opinion the Thrilla In Manilla is what permanently ruined Ali's health. He was pissing blood after the fight and wasn't cleared by any doctors to fight after that. Shortly after this fight was when his speech started to slur. Frazier was an expert at cutting the ring and cornering his opponents, and he fought at the fast speed of Henry Armstrong, who was a middleweight. That's the pace Joe fought at. For a heavyweight to match a middleweight speed and do it consistently is nothing short of amazing.

Frazier rarely won fights by decision. As his knockout percentage shows, he knocked out most of his opponents. It was rare that guys could go the distance with Joe.


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​But Joe was not indestructible. For starters, he was often vulnerable early in fights and often didn't start to find his rhythm until rounds 4 or 5. Like Marciano, he often got stronger and faster the longer the fight goes, although he did finish plenty of guys early in the fight.

Also, while Joe had a good chin, he was dropped and/or wobbled a little too much. Oscar Bonavena knocked him down twice in their first fight (one more knockdown would have ended the fight) Jerry Quarry, Manuel Ramos, George Chuvalo and Muhammad Ali (the 1974 rematch) all had Joe rocked early but couldn't finish him.

And most famously, Joe was destroyed by Big George Foreman in two fights. But what people don't give him credit for is that even though George dropped Joe 6 times in Jamaica, Joe got up 6 times too. He had a lot of heart, and it didn't matter how hard Foreman hit, Frazier refused to stay down and get counted out. He kept getting right back up and charging at George. If that ain't courage and heart, then I don't know what is.

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via Gfycat

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Lennox Lewis

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Lennox may be a bit goofy but in the ring he was one of the most talented boxers in heavyweight history. He conquered guys from the era before him (Frank Bruno, Tony Tucker, Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, etc) he dominated the guys from his own era (Tommy Morrison, David Tua, Andrew Golota, Michael Grant, Shannon Briggs, Ray Mercer, etc) and he defeated the man who succeeded him and ushered in the new era, Vitali Klitschko. In 1999, Lennox unified all four of the major heavyweight championship belts when he defeated an aging Evander Holyfield.

Lennox was widely feared. Riddick Bowe famously tossed the WBC title in the trash can rather than face him. Mike Tyson paid Lennox to “step aside” in 1996 so he could fight Evander Holyfield instead. Guys wanted no part of the hard-punching terminator from London, England.

Lennox, to me, fought like a much bigger, slower and less defined Joe Louis. After hiring Emanuel Steward as his trainer, Lennox developed a long telephone jab and relied less on his right hand. But facing Lewis would always be difficult because he could do it all – you never knew what style he'd use. He boxed perfect matches against Tommy Morrison, Hasim Rahman (rematch) and Mike Tyson, for example. He used his jab to disorient those guys and break them down for a few rounds, and then pulled the trigger once they were ready to go.

Other times, Lewis could be possessed by the spirit of Sonny Liston. He destroyed Andrew Golota, Francis Botha and Michael Grant within minutes. And if it was time to go to war, he did so against Ray Mercer, Evander Holyfield (rematch) and Vitali Klitschko. There was nothing Lennox couldn't do. Compare this to Joe Frazier, who was most effective fighting one way.


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Against someone like Frazier, Lennox and trainer Emanuel Steward would have to adjust accordingly.

Against left-hook specialists like Morrison and Tua, Lewis held his right hand high the whole fight to protect his chin from the punch. Against Joe Frazier, this would not work because Joe attacked the body so relentlessly that Lewis would eventually drop his guard to protect his ribs, leaving himself exposed and wide open for Joe's left hook to go upstairs.

Muhammad Ali was the greatest escape artist ever, and Joe had no problem mowing him down. Lennox's mobility and hand speed were average at best, so attempting to run from Joe wouldn't be an option.

Lennox's best weapons against Joe would be his left jab and crushing uppercut. Joe was pretty damn good at bobbing and weaving past the jabs of his opponents. Even Muhammad Ali (one of the fastest jabbers in history) said he had problems landing his jab on Frazier in all three of their fights. Not to mention Joe would keep coming at Lennox. All Lennox has to do is miss one jab or two and Joe is already in his space pounding him with hooks to the ribs.

Lennox's uppercut would also leave himself exposed, and I already showed you earlier in this article what happened when Muhammad Ali attempted to launch an uppercut on Frazier. A tall man like Lennox has to drop his hand to attempt an uppercut, and that leaves him wide open for Joe's thunderous left hook counter to the chin. Once Joe finds his rhythm, almost any punch Lewis attempts would leave him open to get smashed by Joe's left hook somewhere. 
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Chinny Chin Chin


​The next thing we gotta discuss here is the chin of Lennox Lewis. Lennox was suddenly knocked out twice in his career by guys he should have never lost to, but we have to examine these knockouts before deciding whether or not Lewis could survive Frazier's signature left hook finisher.

In 1994 against Oliver McCall, Lewis' balance was poor. His feet were standing wide apart and he was open, loading up a wild haymaker. McCall was shorter than Lewis and had shorter reach. He saw the haymaker coming, closed his eyes, and swung a right hand of his own. Naturally, his punch landed first, and Lewis went down. That knockout is controversial to this day because although Lewis was hurt, he still beat the count but the ref waved the bout off anyway. Imagine how different heavyweight history would be if the referee stopped the title match between Marciano and Jersey Joe Walcott when Marciano got dropped in the first round?

Maybe McCall would have finished Lewis off? We'll unfortunately never know, but I think the heavyweight champion should always be given the benefit of the doubt in these situations. 

The Hasim Rahman knockout was an absolute bomb that would have shattered many other heavyweight champions; not just Lewis. Lennox was bouncing off the ropes with a smile on his face when Rahman sprung into the air and threw the hardest punch of his life. Lewis saw the punch coming and had his guard up, but bounced right into the blow and went crashing to the canvas. He was absolutely devastated! Emancipated! Degregated! 

I don't know what some of that even means.

Ahem...

These surprise knockouts were rare occurrences, however. Lewis fought some of the hardest punchers of his era and defeated each of them. Razor Ruddock, Tommy Morrison, David Tua, Lionel Butler, Shannon Briggs, Vitali Klitschko, etc. Some of these guys hit harder than Smokin' Joe, so you could argue that Lewis could absorb his hook, at least for some time, maybe. But on the other hand, Frazier would land punches on Lewis far more than these guys ever did. Like I said previously, once Frazier found his rhythm, he fights at a frantic pace. If Lewis could barely handle Mercer, one has to wonder how he'd fare against Frazier's assault?


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Legacy

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Joe Frazier only lost to two men in his entire professional career. Those two men were the heavy-handed George Foreman and the sensational Muhammad Ali (who Frazier defeated once). That shows you how GREAT Frazier really was, because there is no shame in losing to Ali and Foreman, two of the best ever.

Lewis, as I discussed, dropped the championship twice to average, journeymen heavyweights. Both times a single blockbuster right hand was the cause. But Lewis convincingly defeated them in rematches (he made McCall cry, and annihilated Rahman with one of the best knockouts of his career). As a matter of fact, Lewis is one of the few boxers to defeat every opponent he ever fought. 

Lennox was also a better heavyweight champion than Frazier was. Lewis rounded up 15 title defenses and was basically the last heavyweight standing by 2002 when Tyson finally fought him. Holyfield and Tyson's prime years were long gone during the '90s, so it was Lewis who dominated. Joe Frazier didn't do much as champion; he took easy fights after beating Ali and then was damn near killed by Foreman.

Given his hard punch, technical skill and size, Lennox is a serious threat to every heavyweight champion in history. Joe Frazier is also an all-time great. His bullying style and vaunted left hook brought him a lot of success in the ring, and he fought during the toughest era of heavyweight boxing ever; the 1970s. If Joe had fought in any other era, he may have never lost a fight.

Joe was always in great physical condition, even when he was past his prime. He took each fight seriously. Lennox had some off nights where he appeared out of shape and it hurt his performance, particularly the first Rahman fight and the Vitali Klitschko battle. But we're going to put him at his best here against Joe Frazier. We're matching up the 2002 Lennox Lewis that fought Tyson against the 1970-71 Joe Frazier who defeated Bob Foster and Muhammad Ali.


The Fight
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​I have a special interest in both boxers because Lewis (along with Tyson and Holyfield) dominated the boxing scene during my youth. As far as Frazier goes, I interviewed his son Marvis and also had a few conversations with Joe's daughter Natasha about a potential book project. So I have personal ties to the Frazier family.

Who wins between the smoke and the lion?

I'll keep it short and sweet. Lennox wins this one. And early. I don't think Frazier survives to see round 3. Emanuel Steward would instruct Lennox to take full advantage of Joe's slow start and drop the heavy artillery early. Lennox could be an assassin when he wanted to be and he'd take no chances against Frazier.

IF Frazier got past the early rounds then he'd beat the crap out of Lewis over 9 rounds or so and eventually finish him with a bombastic left hook. No way could Lewis handle the pressure of pure, unadulterated Smokin' Joe Frazier.

But I honestly don't think he'd have to worry about it. Lewis would be able to use his reach to keep a slow-starting Frazier at a distance and blast him away with an uppercut like this one.
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​My pick is Lennox Lewis by knockout in round 2.
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What do YOU think? Drop a comment. Let's continue the conversation below! 
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What If? Joe Louis Versus Mike Tyson

11/11/2019

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One of the great fantasy fights we'll never get to see is The Brown Bomber Joe Louis (66-3, 52 knockouts) versus Iron Mike Tyson. (50-6, 44 knockouts)  Both guys were the best finishers in heavyweight history. Both guys loved to end things with a hook or uppercut to the chin. Both guys blended tremendous speed and power with frightening accuracy. But what would happen if the young Joe Louis from 1938 clashed in the ring with the peak Mike Tyson from 1988? One thing is for certain..the ending of the fight wouldn't have anything to do with the judges' scorecards.

Even though their styles were totally different, Tyson and Mike had one major thing in common – they are the only heavyweight champions blessed with lightning hand speed AND brutal knockout power in both hands. Generally, boxers are gifted with either great speed or great power. It's rare that a guy gets both. Since Louis and Tyson combined both, they were dangerous, dangerous heavyweights to fight. Both men also put together strings of dynamite punches called combinations. Making things worse for their opponents is that both guys had great punching accuracy...they often hit the intended target perfectly. Neither man ever looked sloppy or wasted a lot of punches during his prime. 

Power is one thing, but the speed of their punches would get you. You literally wouldn't see the knockout punch coming. Even though they went about things differently - Joe preferred to set things up with his jab and patiently wait for the perfect opening, while Mike came right at you and launched thunder, especially when his opponents missed-- these guys almost always put on a great show and left their opponent dazed on the canvas. 


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Style Points

Both men were good from a technical standpoint. Louis was always in position to punch and always had his right hand ready to parry and his left hand ready for a jab or hook. Louis' technical flaws were his “ball and chain” footwork. Louis was not fast on his feet. Granted, he cut the ring down well and walked guys down until he was in range to counter them or attack. Louis only threw a punch if he were a foot and half away from you. He did not like to leap or lunge to land a punch. He always made sure his feet were planted and he was at a close enough distance to land his dynamite.

Louis was knocked out by Max Schmeling because of dropping his left hand after he launched a jab. With his hand low, he was wide open for a right cross or overhand right. Max slammed Louis' jaw with 72 right wallops before he finally KO'd him during their first encounter. Louis improved his defense afterward but when he was injured or surprised, that left hand would drop again. A perfect example of this is when he was propped up against the ropes with his arms dangling, leaving him wide open for Rocky Marciano's Suzy-Q. The punch knocked Louis out of the ring and ended his career.

Marciano and his trainer Charlie Goldman predicted this would happen. Their whole strategy was based around wearing Louis down with the relentless body attacks and when Louis dropped his guard, knock his head off with the right hand. Marciano dropped Louis with a hard left hook in the 8th round, and then finished him with the right.

Like I said, Louis definitely improved his defense after the Schmeling loss, but if hurt bad enough (as he was by Marciano) that left hand would come right down.

It was Jersey Joe Walcott who exposed both of Louis' major faults. With better footwork, Louis would have been able to cut down  the speedy Walcott easier – walking down Walcott without landing anything almost made Louis look foolish. And Walcott was able to drop Louis numerous times in both fights because Louis held his left hand low at times. Can't help but wonder what would happen if Louis leaves himself open this way against Mike Tyson, huh?

Watch the fight clip below. Tami Mauriello takes full advantage of Louis' lazy left and hurts him with a big right hand. Then Louis responds by letting loose with short, tight dynamite artillery. 

via Gfycat

​Now for Mike Tyson. Tyson was known for fighting using the “peekaboo” style made famous by Cus D'Amato, who also taught the style to his other fighters such as Floyd Patterson, Jose Torres, and even Kevin Rooney during his brief boxing career. But it was TYSON who had the most success with it.

In my opinion, Floyd Patterson was more diverse with the style and did it better, but Tyson absolutely bulldozed guys with it. Some of Tyson's most effective combinations included a right hook to the ribs followed immediately with a right uppercut to the chin. He also loved to land a right hook to the body and then come upstairs with a knockout left hook to the head. Tyson also fought you in a circle. He'd initially stand right in front of you, but as you miss he'd slip your punch and then he's standing to the side of you attacking your ribs.

It may look as if Tyson is just rushing at you throwing punches, but there was a science to it. And he often threw his bone-crushers when he saw an opening or countering opportunity. He was much like Louis that way, only Tyson scared you into making mistakes while Louis baited you into them or patiently waited.

But the peekaboo has its drawbacks too. Tyson bobbed and weaved in a predictable pattern, always right then left. This made it predictable to know where his head would be. Angelo Dundee and Pinklon Thomas noticed this, which is how Pinklon was able to land his jab on Tyson at will. If Pinklon Thomas could notice and exploit this flaw, no doubt Muhammad Ali and Joe Louis would.

Tyson also fought in spurts. He'd attack his way in and invade your space, but if you clinch him or withstand his assault, he ALWAYS paused to reset himself. When he does this, it's the perfect time to attack him. Joe Frazier and Rocky Marciano swarmed all over you and never let up. Tyson swarmed his way inside but stopped punching while there. This is what made him so easy to be clinched throughout his career. He was not a good inside fighter - after a combination of three or four blows he would stop and wait for a clinch or whatever else his opponent has to offer. Rinse and repeat.

But unlike Louis, Tyson wasn't afraid to leap off the mat to smash his opponent's chin. Tyson took more chances and was generally more aggressive, while Louis saved his aggressive moments for the right time.

via Gfycat

Raw Power


It's hard to say who had the harder punch between these two ring warriors. As far as the stats go, Louis' knockout percentage is 75.36%. Tyson's is 75.86%, only a teeny tad higher than Louis.

Tyson dipped and got full leverage for that nasty uppercut of his. Louis, on the other hand, often hit guys with a punch that would make them “freeze” right in their tracks, and that's when Louis would pulverize them with combinations or what I like to call, “The Joe Louis Specials.” Guys would sometimes clinch Tyson after getting rocked, but that rarely happened with Louis. Watch his knockout of Max Schmeling, for example.

You could argue that Tyson hit a little harder than Louis, or you could say Louis hit a little harder than Tyson. Either way it's very close. I was never punched by either man and I don't want to know! But both guys had pure knockout power in both fists. Jim Braddock said that Louis' jab felt like someone smashing a light bulb in your face again and again.

Now, we know that Tyson hit extremely hard because his fights are in color, some even in High Definition. For example, you clearly see him knock the mouthpiece and bridgework out of Mitch "Blood" Green's mouth.

But with Louis' fights all being in black and white and somewhat grainy, it's difficult to judge his power. You see his victims go down, but it's much harder to see the details of the punch. 

Here is a very informative video that shows how brutal Louis' right cross was. 
 


Quickness of Hand


​​This is also really difficult to decipher. Tyson's hand speed was unreal, but you could say the same about Louis. In fact, watch how fast Louis' hands were when he destroyed Max Baer with that triple left hook. I hesitate to say who was faster between Louis and Tyson. It could easily go either way.
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Better Finisher

​Louis and Tyson both have reputations for being the best finishers of all time. Once Tyson had his man hurt, it was over within seconds. BUT there have been several guys hurt by Tyson that withstood his attacks and beat him. Tyson briefly hurt Evander Holyfield with a body punch in 1996, (5th round) but didn't jump on him to try to end it. Tyson also failed to knock out Buster Douglas when he floored him with that nasty uppercut.

Joe Louis ALWAYS got the job done. I can only think of two exceptions when he couldn't finish his prey. He hurt his right hand against Tommy Farr, and said in his autobiography that he couldn't throw the finishing haymaker when he need to. In his fight with Ezzard Charles, he said his hands just couldn't get to the target fast enough. This fight happened in 1950 when Louis was far past his best.

​In comparison, Ruddock, Tillis, Green, Holyfield, McBride, Douglas and several others were able to survive at times when Tyson had them hurt.

Tyson generally finished guys quicker than Louis did, but Louis' finishes were gradual. He'd actually be setting you up for the knockout as early as round 1 even if he doesn't deliver it until round 5. Louis had to carry white opponents a few rounds..he only finished guys early if they hurt him (Galento, Baer, etc) or if they were African American. (John Henry Lewis, for example). In his book he said that he tried his best to get Walcott and Charles out of there early but it didn't work out that way.
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Legacy


​As far as accomplishments go, Louis is far greater. Tyson unified the heavyweight titles and is the youngest title holder in history, but lost his legacy fights and shattered his own potential early in his career. Joe Louis' record of 25 consecutive title defenses still stand, and his reign of dominance lasted almost 12 years.

Both guys are monsters head to head, but I think Louis would do better in this era against the modern giants than Tyson would. Louis routinely destroyed giants like Buddy Baer, Primo Carnera, etc. Tyson, on the other hand, often beat bigger men in his prime but struggled more to do so, often failing to knock them out.

Consider this also. Tyson would likely demolish the guys that Louis fought and might even look even more impressive than Louis did. If Mike kept his head on straight and fought as consistently as Louis did, do you think it's possible that he would have 25 title defenses in that era? That's something to think about.

The Fight


I'm a big fan of both guys but if they fought I think Tyson would destroy Louis early. Louis said he hated to be crowded, and although he was old against Marciano, I think Marciano would still have a style advantage, as would Tyson. Louis never fought anyone like Tyson before...the closest opponents he fought to Tyson were Marciano and Arturo Godoy. (Godoy made Louis real uncomfortable by always ducking at him). Louis would have to catch Tyson as he charged in, which would be incredibly difficult given Tyson's head movement and fast attack.


Louis in his prime was a small heavyweight, weighing between 198 and 205 pounds. The older, post-World War II Louis that fought Charles and Marciano was around 212 pounds, but would be too slow and old to last with Tyson. Louis had a good chin but was dropped by guys who were basically light heavyweights like Braddock, Schmeling, Walcott, etc. But again, he also successfully absorbed bombs from Tony Galento, Max Baer, and other notorious bangers. So you never quite know. 

Tyson definitely had a solid chin. He was knocked out more than Louis, but each time he was stopped it was late in the fight. Tyson could definitely take a beating.

Given Tyson's head movement and speed of hand, I don't think Louis would know what hit him. Kid Dynamite was a beast from another generation..a new breed of heavyweight.

IF Louis survived Tyson's early blitz, he could then become the ring general and use his jab and counters to break him down and take him out late. I could see Louis defeating Mike with the same strategy used by Lennox Lewis.

But honestly I don't see Louis making it past two rounds. Louis is the greater fighter here, but that doesn't automatically mean he beats Tyson.


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Free Sample from Black Journals

10/21/2019

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Here is a free sample of the first story in my new anthology book, Black Journals. Black Journals is a compilation of the journals of five fictional people who document life-changing hardships and how they overcame them. The stories include a rookie cop who makes a tragic mistake during a robbery, a high school athlete struggling with bipolar disorder, two people affected forever by a terrorist attack, and more.
​

The book is free if you have Kindle Unlimited or $5 from the Amazon Kindle Store.

​Without further adieu, this is the first half o the first story in the book. It's about a cop whose life is changed forever in one second. It's called, "June 30th." 

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June 30th

© A.J. Dugger III 2019
​

​All I can say is be careful what you choose as a career. My name is Joan Mitchell, and my whole life I wanted to be a cop. I always thought it'd be cool. The uniform, the gun, THE POWER! The action in the movies makes the life of a cop look real exciting. Not only that, but you get to help people. You arrive at the scene of the worst moment in people's lives and you get to become their hero. But the sad part is...who gets to be YOUR hero?

I majored in business in college but obviously didn't go that route. I became a cop two years ago and well, initially it wasn't what I imagined. No high speed car chases, shoot-outs, raids, none of the stuff you see on TV. Nope. Just riding around in the squad car in circles and occasionally putting tickets on cars when the meter runs out. BORING. I did have a couple of exciting moments though. I got to break up some fights and domestic disputes, but that was nothing compared to the night that changed everything.

I worked second shift. I liked it because I don't have to wake up early and could have late nights. It was June 30. Last year. I woke up around noon and just did not want to go to work. You ever have that feeling of dread? Something told me to stay my butt in bed. I just had a bad feeling. But I ignored it and did my usual routine. I walked my dog, took my shower, put on my uniform, tied my hair into a bun, and went to work.

My shift partner was celebrating his anniversary with his wife so he didn't come to work that day, so I was riding alone. No biggie. I'd been on my own before a few times and didn't have any problems.

Other than pulling someone over and writing them a ticket, nothing interesting happened until I got a call about a suspicious car parked at an apartment. The lights were out, but the car was on. The caller was a woman who was afraid that her ex-husband was stalking her. She said the car did not belong to her ex-husband, but he had tried different tactics to spy on her. She wouldn't put anything past him.

I got to the scene and knocked on the window on the driver's seat. The window rolled down and there was a gentleman sitting there. The car smelled like smoke and it almost made me cough. The man didn't look the least bit intimidated or nervous. He had these big eyes. Even his eyeballs looked huge. He looked as if I disturbed him.

"Can I help you officer?"

"Officer Joan Mitchell. What are you doing sitting here?"

"Is it a crime to sit here? Am I being detained?"

"You will be if that's what you want. I'll ask again. What are you doing sitting here with the lights out and the car running?"
​

The man groaned like he was annoyed and said he was lost and waiting on his GPS signal to pick up. He said he didn't want to waste his car battery leaving the lights on. He claimed he was on his way to his brother's new house for a family barbecue. I asked for his license and registration. He had no priors, and I gave him instructions to get to his brother's house. He definitely was not the paranoid lady's ex-husband.
​
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​While I was talking to the man in the car, I noticed a pizza delivery car driving up to the same apartment complex. The delivery guy got out of his car and knocked on one of the apartment doors. The man in the car had just driven off when I was on my way back to my squad car. I was just about to open the door when I heard shouts and then a gunshot. I turned and saw the pizza guy laid out on the ground and saw two guys running away at full speed.

I drew my gun. "FREEZE, SCUMBAGS!!" I know in hindsight that calling them "scumbags" wasn't necessary but I was caught up in the moment. I called for backup on my radio and hurried over to the pizza guy. He was struggling to move and there was blood spurting from his mouth like a fountain. I crouched down to him. He was trying to talk to me. "I'm....I'm scared."

"Don't move! It'll be OK. I'll be right back," I told him and took off. He looked so frightened. I'll never get the image of his scared face out of my mind. As I ran off after the suspects, I heard him whisper, "Don't go." It turned out to be the last thing he'd ever say, and I felt horrible for abandoning him.

But my night was about to get worse. I stuck to the shadows with my gun drawn and checked the perimeters of the building. Suddenly I heard a woman's scream. I looked and saw one of the suspects struggling with a young woman near a running car. He was trying to steal her car but she was resisting.

I had my gun aimed right at the man. I was just about to yell "Freeze" when I was suddenly tackled from behind. As I went down, my finger slipped and pulled the trigger. I heard the shot ring out before I hit the ground with a big thud. I had been ambushed by the other suspect. He pounced on me and we struggled. Everything happened in slow motion. I remember him drawing his fist back for a punch and I knew what was coming but I couldn't do anything about it.

POW!!! Everything glazed over. I was losing consciousness but heard his partner yelling something like "Come on man! Let's go!" As the guy climbed off of me I had enough wits to grab his ankle and trip him. Down he went, and I immediately cuffed him while he was down. When I got up, I didn't see the other man and woman that were fighting near the car, but I did see a pool of blood and the shadow of a body laying on the other side of the car. I limped over and my heart sank. "No, no. Just no."

It was the woman laying on the ground. Her eyes were wide open staring right at me. I had accidentally shot her when I got tackled down. She had a look of shock on her face. And then it got worse...she was pregnant. Her belly was big. She had to be around 8 or 9 months.

I felt my eyes get wide and water up. Everything just froze right there. It felt like she was staring at me for 20 minutes. Then I felt a sharp pain in the side of my stomach that burned like fire. I went sprawling background and hit the ground. I panicked when I realized I had been shot. I was wearing a bulletproof vest, but I could feel the pain so well. I remember feeling that it didn't work.

I heard police sirens in the background. At first they were distant, then they started getting louder and louder. I touched the wound and looked at my hand. Blood. And lots of it. All over my fingers. This was it. I'm dying. I thought about my boyfriend....then my parents and my sister. What would they do without me? I had so many plans - marriage, children, vacations.. I had so much to look forward to, and now I was about to die. Gone forever. My eyes filled with tears and I struggled to breathe. As I faded out while looking at the night sky, I felt one of my supervisors, Sargent Edwards, trying to lift me up. "Stay with me, Joan!! Joan!! Can you hear me!!! Joan!!" His voice faded out more and more until I wasn't conscious anymore.

Buy Black Journals To See What Happens Next!

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What got me into wrestling....

10/16/2019

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Thursday Night WWF Smackdown!

Thursday night was one of the highlights of my week as a 14 year-old. It wasn't just that Thursday was “Friday Eve,” but it was also the night of WWF Smackdown! I was not really into wrestling during my childhood. I never saw the hype. Hulk Hogan wrestling in panties and showing his oily biceps? Sounds like homo-erotica. I'll pass.

But with the growing popularity of the WWF throughout 1998-99, I decided to give in and watch wrestling. And I got hooked! The characters and storylines were addicting. It was must-see TV with cartoonish violence, like Jeff Jarrett smashing old ladies like The Faboulus Moolah with a guitar. The women were attractive, the athleticism was impressive, and you just never knew what The Rock was going to say next, or what Austin was gonna do, or who The Undertaker was going to sacrifice in an unholy ceremony.

Anyway, here are some of the characters and storylines from August- September '99 that got me hooked on wrestling.
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Triple H & Chyna

Obviously I was a Stone Cold Steve Austin fan. Everyone was at that time. But it was Triple H who intrigued me the most when I first started watching wrestling. He “injured” Stone Cold at Summerslam '99 by repeatedly bashing his knee with a steel chair, and then immediately won the WWF Championship the next night on Raw Is War. With Stone Cold temporarily out of the way, HHH went on a rampage, attacking all of the top guys for no apparent reason. Every night he would interfere in matches or ambush someone backstage. Undertaker, Kane, Big Show, Mankind and The Rock were all targeted and randomly by HHH and Chyna, normally with steel chairs or sledgehammers. What I didn't realize at the time was that just months before, HHH was one of the most popular athletes in the company. In August 1999 he was still new to his villain role, but he played the part of a dastardly heel so well you'd have thought he'd been a bad guy forever.

I thought Triple H made a great villain and a good WWF Champion. His finishing move, The Pedigree, may sound like a delicious brand of dog food, but to this day it is my favorite signature wrestling move ever.
​
I briefly mentioned Chyna earlier and I thought she and Triple H made a great team. You rarely saw one without the other, and Chyna always had his back. There was something special about their relationship. It wasn't the typical “boy/girl” romantic relationship. It seemed like something on the verge of more....something new, but I can't really put into words what I mean. But you see and feel it when they interacted with each other. It could be because Chyna really did love the dude that much, and the heartbreak over their real life breakup was the beginning of her eventual demise, but that's another story for another time.

There was also something far-reaching about Chyna herself. She had bulging muscles, but I can look past that and focus on her voluptuous body and sexy dominatrix outfits. She was nice to look at, and I was rooting for her against Jeff Jarrett, who was going on an anti-women hate spree at that time and everyone was behind Chyna to teach the male chauvinist a lesson. Therein lies the secret to the shows' success...genius writing with villains like Jeff Jarrett and Triple H doing everything in their power to make you hate their guts, and it made you root for the good guys even more. Chyna eventually won the Intercontinental Championship from Jeff Jarrett. The storylines were really unpredictable and always kept you guessing.


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The Rock drops The People's Elbow on "Bad Ass" Billy Gunn

The Gr8 One

I first saw The Rock on the Smackdown pilot in April 1999. I was like, “Oh, that's the guy always talking about cooking something.” My classmates were always saying, “Do you smell what the Rock is cooking” and I'm like, “Who the hell are you talking about?” Now I knew.
​

I thought he was just alright, but didn't become a fan until his catchphrases began to catch on. “IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT YOUR NAME IS!!” “The Rock's gonna lay the smackdown on your roody poo candy ass, jabroni!”

The man was just cool, and you never knew what he'd say next. Mankind was bugging the hell out of the guy at this particular time, almost forcing the Rock into a tag team with him called The Rock & Sock Connection. Mankind even got them some ridiculous jackets. Their interactions were hilarious...Rock was just a charismatic bully who wanted to be left the hell alone, and stinky Mankind just wouldn't let up.
​

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The Undertaker

The Undertaker is one of the wrestlers I grew up knowing about. When I began watching wrestling, he was a tag team with The Big Show called The Unholy Alliance and the two were damn near unstoppable together. He also had Mideon, Viscera and Paul Bearer working as his lackeys. A great group here, and just earlier in the year he tried to marry a terrified Stephanie McMahon in an unholy marriage ceremony (she was tied to a damn cross...lol) and he kidnapped poor Mabel and brainwashed him into becoming Viscera. He also tried to embalm (yes, EMBALM!) Stone Cold alive less than a year before. The good ole' days, man. This was my favorite version of The Undertaker. He was at his darkest and most evil. The Satan goatee proves that.
​

The partnership of 'Taker and Big Show shows how quickly alliances can be made. Just a few months prior, Big Show literally chokeslammed Undertaker through the ring. The two hated each other almost all year, but were now the most destructive tag team on the roster.

The same goes for The Rock and Mankind. At the start of the year The Rock was the top villain in the company and he and Mankind were beating the crap out of each other for the championship on a regular basis. Fast forward to September 1999, they were a team, and The Rock was far from a bad guy now...his popularity was reaching Stone Cold levels.

Go figure. 
​
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Other storylines and wrestlers

You can't mention The Undertaker without mentioning his brother Kane. The brothers were not on good terms at this time, and Kane was in an unstable tag team with X-Pac. Kane has become something of a tag team specialist over the years, winning the tag team championship with Mankind, The Undertaker, RVD, The Hurricane, etc. But in my opinion he worked the best with X-Pac. The chemistry just worked. X-Pac's grace and agile swiftness was a great counterpart to Kane's brute strength and huge size.

Chris Jericho was new to the WWF at this time and was a straight up sissy. He began by messing with random targets like The Rock, Undertaker, Big Show and Road Dogg. Now he had his sights set on The World's Most Dangerous Man, former UFC Champion Ken Shamrock. Looking back at things now, Ken lacked charisma. He just wasn't that interesting or convincing on the microphone. But it was Jericho's charisma as a heel that made you want Shamrock to kill him. Bad. On one classic episode of Smackdown, Jericho locked himself in a cage to hide from Shamrock, but insisted that the cage was to protect Shamrock from Jericho. Jericho played a great cowardly punk, and you just couldn't wait for Shamrock to finally get him in the ring and break his ankle. Unfortunately it never happened.

Val Venis was also a favorite. For about a month, he picked on Mankind for seemingly no reason at all. He just bullied the guy, and even smacked him upside the head with his own book. I missed it back then, but I realized recently that Val hated Mankind because Mankind caught Val stuffing a sock into his tights. Val had the gimmick of being a well-endowed porn star, so the two had a rivalry over the simple fact that Mankind discovered that Val's bulge was fake. Who writes this stuff? Vince Russo probably. It's silly, but it's brilliant.
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And then there was Billy Gunn, who called himself "Mr. Ass." I still don't know what to say about that gimmick. I guess some things are just better left unsaid.
And who can forget the hilarious commentary team of Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler! Let's just face it; without these two arguing and King's perverted comments and yelling, “PUPPIES!” a lot of those classic wrestling moments would not be the same.  
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"I see PUPPIES, J.R.!! PUPPIES!!" "Sure you do, King..."
You just never knew what would happen next, from Triple H losing the championship to Vince McMahon, to the Big Boss Man stealing The Big Show's daddy's casket at a funeral.

In this writer's opinion, my favorite episode of Smackdown is September 9, 1999. Everything about the show was perfect, especially the ending. The storylines were neatly interwoven into each other, and Triple H was gunning for everyone who was a threat to his title. Meanwhile, Stone Cold made an unforgettable appearance to get revenge on The Game.

Another memorable episode was September 23, 1999, right before the Unforgiven PPV. As punishment for HHH's recent actions against him, Mr. McMahon (who was now getting cheered, and got help from Stone Cold to beat HHH for the title) forced HHH into a gauntlet of seemingly impossible matches to win against the top guys - a "chokeslam" challenge match with Big Show, an inferno match against Kane, a boiler room brawl against Mankind, a casket match against The Undertaker and a Brahma Bull-rope match against The Rock. All in the same night. If HHH won 3 out of 5, he could participate in the Six-Pack Challenge match at Unforgiven for the WWF title. Due to luck and people cheating for him, Triple H managed to survive the gauntlet and went on to win the title at Unforgiven with a devastating Pedigree on The Rock, with special enforcer Stone Cold forced to count the pinfall. 

Weeks later, HHH claimed a rattlesnake bit his face thanks to Stone Cold and gave a heartfelt speech about quitting, only the whole thing was a charade to get Austin's guard down. Great stuff. 

My favorite episode of Raw Is War during the Attitude Era is October 25, 1999. At the end, X-Pac and The New Age Outlaws stunned fans everywhere by joining Triple H and resurrecting DX, leaving Stone Cold and The Rock laying in their wake. If you had told me just a month earlier that DX would reunite, I wouldn't believe you. But it happened. This show was like a drug...so unpredictable.

The company had so much going for it...you had a guy (Charles Wright) portraying a PIMP named The Godfather who brought HOES to the ring! You had a group of vampire characters who arrived in flames and called themselves The Brood. You had Stone Cold Steve Austin giving the finger and doing the most offensive things he could to Mr. McMahon. You had a PORN star wrestler named Val Venis. You had a fat wrestler named Rikishi whose signature move was to RUB. HIS. ASS. IN. YOUR. FACE. You heard me right, and the move is called The Stink Face.

I could go on and on.


​Anyway, those are some of my favorite Smackdown memories from the fall of 1999! What are yours?


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    Award-Winning Journalist A.J. Dugger III

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    A.J. Dugger is an Award-Winning Television and Print & Media Journalist.

    He appears as a crime analyst on the TV-One crime series, For My Man, and is the author of three books: Black Journals,  the horror anthology SoUtHeRn TeRrOr, and The Dealers: Then and Now, the sensational story of his mother and uncles' career as a funk band.

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