BOOK REVIEW
Tracy Callis
PRIMO CARNERA
The LIFE and CAREER of the HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING CHAMPION
By Joseph S. Page
In this book about the often underrated heavyweight champion, Primo Carnera, the life of Carnera is presented, from the early years to his death. One of the largest heavyweights, questions about his true ability as a boxer have been raised over the years. This book does not dodge these questions but, instead, addresses them honestly and squarely.
The Amazon and McFarland websites say a lot about Primo with the following description: At over six and a half feet tall and nearly 300 pounds, heavyweight champion Primo Carnera was a giant for his times, but today “the Ambling Alp” is too often written off as an unskilled oaf and a product of the mob dealings that plagued boxing during the 1930s. He may not have been a natural in the ring, but he worked as hard as any boxer to learn his craft, to be in top condition, and he repeatedly showed that he was tougher than nails. This biography details Carnera’s early life and boxing career, his success as a fighter as well as accusations of fight fixing, his strengths and limitations in the ring, and his later career as a wrestler.
A brief introduction of the young Primo in Sequals, Italy begins the account of his career and his journey to the capture the heavyweight crown – and beyond. The book addresses his early career in Europe, 1928-1929, takes a good, close look at some of his key encounters in the United States in 1930 and when he stepped up to stiffer competition in 1931. His bouts with the top men he faced in 1932 are examined when he was “Making His Case” !
Other interesting and informative chapters included in the book are —
The Death of Ernie Schaaf
“A Right Uppercut”: The Championship, 1933
Title Defenses, 1933-1934
Max Baer, 1934
The Joe Louis Fight, 1935
The Comeback/Wrestling, 1945-1962
The Fix Question
As followers of boxing already know, Primo was a big fellow who was quite mobile on his feet. In addition, he displayed pretty good boxing mechanics. He was strong and could hit too. However, his greatest weakness was his inability to take a knockout punch and keep going. Boxing historians, or others, who follow the sport, will profit from reading this book about one of the ring’s huge champions – and, you know what? Primo just might have been better than many historians and boxing analysts give him credit for being.
Joseph S. Page is a corporate learning and development professional who boxed throughout high school and college. He lives in Nashville, Tennessee.
To order this book, visit the websites amazon and McFarland
The McFarland Order Line is 800-253-2187
257 pages. softcover (7 x 10), $35.00
21 photos, ring record, undercard bouts, notes, bibliography, index
Print ISBN : 978-0-7864-4810-4
EBook ISBN: 978-0-7864-5786-1