Primo "Man Mountain" Carnera vs. Ray "Skyscarper" Impelletiere March 16, 1935

Carnera weighed 268 pounds and Impelletiere scaled at 258 pounds. The fight between these giants began competitively, but by the third round Carnera’s “well planned” (Daily Journal-World) strategy began to work. For the next six rounds Carnera threw everything at Impelleriere as the two fought, mauled and dragged each other around the ring. By the ninth round only Ray’s Chuck Wepner-sized heart kept him on his feet. Referee Jack Dempsey finally stopped the contest awarding Carnera a TKO victory. The fight wasn’t technical or pretty by any standard, but they delivered plenty of action and drama for a contest between two big men. The fight was big enough to be shown in later in the theaters. A copy of the original film has been circulating among collectors but the quality is poor. The copy here is taken from a video collection released in 1990s. The dubbed commentary is distracting, but I included it anyway for reference, and sharpened the picture.

[@davidabney7700]

Sportsmanship was a "given" back-in-the-day of boxing. Noticed how Primo walked across the ring to congratulate Impelletiere. Compare this behavior with the pre and post fight misbehavior of today's fighters. Primo was the former Heavyweight Champ for this fight. He was good enough to become the Champ by knocking our Heavyweight Champ Jack Sharkey in round 5 to become the new Champion of the Heavyweight Division. Primo was unfairly treated by the press, slandered, made the butt end of cruel jokes by people that would not "DARE" get into the ring Primo! He deserved better than he got. Only in recent times has history been kinder to this good man! I wish that today's fighters would behave as well as Primo did in his time, most especially in the sportsmanship department!

[@doctortommy]

Never heard of this fight till now. Very good quality. Physical freaks for their time for sure.

[@striperking6083]

Carnera was underrated . I’ve closely followed boxing since 1960’s and from my view I think he could beat most of the top 10 heavyweight fighters of today . Of any decade actually .

[@MyVeryHappyDay]

Agree. He would have ripped apart Wilder and outboxed Fury and that other paperweight Joshua. And easily pound out either Klitschko.

[@robertbaker1893]

Carnera wouldn't be anywhere near the top 10 if he was fighting today.

[@adamevert1618]

That's ridiculous...he wouldn't even be able to beat a journey man! Maybe, just maybe he could beat someone if he was matched like Eric Esch!

[@adamevert1618]

@@MyVeryHappyDay You have no business talking boxing...

[@MyVeryHappyDay]

@@adamevert1618 - and yet I do.

[@neivaldoduarte4576]

Primo Carnera, um grande desportista!!! Muito fã, desse que foi um dos grandes lutadores de todos os tempos!!!

[@neivaldoduarte4576]

Detalhe: acho que nesse momento ele estava no auge de sua forma física... era difícil batê-lo.

[@marcusaurelius5149]

I really like the old style of horsehair boxing gloves because they allowed you to grab and trap.

[@mider-spanman5577]

Two giants face off! It would have been cool to see Primo Carnera versus Abe Simon.

[@striperking6083]

Carnera by decision

[@carspiv]

Carnera was the butt of old-timer’s jokes. But he was always in tip-top shape and worked hard to improve. He was very, very courageous and developed a pretty good jab. He was pretty even with Max Baer after being knocked down 6 times in the first 2 rounds of their fight, and the stoppage of that fight is, in retrospect, pretty controversial. Carnera was complaining to referee Donovan, in broken English, that Baer was thumbing him. “Finga”, he said, and you can see him holding his thumb spread from the rest of the glove. Evidently, Donovan thought he was saying, “Fini,” meaning “Finished.” Donovan then stopped the fight, awarding it to Baer.

[@criceto]

In that fight primo has a dislocated ankle that's why he lost in that way.

[@colinbrigham8253]

Thanks the information at the end very interesting.

[@orbyfan]

Ray Impelletiere died at the age of 57 on August 21, 1967, less than two months after Carnera.

[@lastrada52]

Look up Primo Carnera's record. He didn't fight a lot of bums like they'd like you to believe. Carnera holds the 2nd-most victories of all heavyweight champions with 88 & trailing only Ezzard Charles with his 95 wins. Carnera's 71 career knockouts are the most of any world heavyweight champion. Some more heavyweights come close to the record but their careers were far longer than Primo. No, Carnera was not a bum. If the mob-controlled him -- why did he lose at all? But you have to admit -- his conditioning & thick-skinned muscular build was remarkable on that 6'6 frame. Quite intimidating. If Primo had the right trainers -- like an Angelo Dundee, Cus D'Amato or Kevin Rooney -- he would've been one difficult guy to defeat. In some fights, he looks like he had a very effective jab too. I used to box -- I would never have under-estimated a guy like Primo Carnera. He was better than many give him credit for. A better fighter than Jess Willard -- so Dempsey would've had his problems with Primo. From what I read, Primo hit damn hard when he connected. This fight with Impelleriere was quite an exciting bout.

[@robertdecker4780]

Emmanuel Stewart was a Great Trainer.

[@lastrada52]

@@robertdecker4780 - Agreed.

[@joshisanonymous]

I think it was just his mammoth size that allowed him to win. I mean, he was a terrible boxer. In every fight, he's constantly trying to grab his opponent's arms as if it's wrestling.

[@lastrada52]

@@joshisanonymous - That's not what I saw Josh & obviously that's not what Joe Louis saw. Louis stated on more than one occasion that Carnera had a dangerous,, accurate jab (and Primo was no Bob Sapp -- that's a terrible boxer). It is possible that what you see is awkwardness since Primo was so large. Yes, he was awkward -- so was Rocky Marciano. But Primo got the job done most of the time. I think he had a great defensive stance when he came out. Never went out on his back either. Never dodged a fight. He was intimidating at best. Would you get in the ring with a Primo Carnera? Most good boxers wouldn't. You don't accumulate that kind of record by not getting in the ring with some real solid contenders.

[@devilface97]

​@@lastrada52the mob being in your corner doesn't guarantee a win at all. The whole point is they make money and keep the belt so like gavilan vs saxton if they think you're washed they will tell you the belt leaves your hand unless you knock him out. Sharkey was told not to get up vs carnera, and joe had to work with the mob himself when he came back. Primo was not a good boxer, he was protected and marketed though not of his choice. He only earned 65% of himself before stepping foot on american soil from being screwed by the french mob.

[@mider-spanman5577]

I wonder if Tyson Fury could manhandle either of these two men?

[@RedcoatsReturn]

Great! 👏👏👏👏👏👏😊😄😉

[@alanaliyev456GT]

in theses times 6'6" was considered like a very tall Man.... NOW ...2.tierce of MY COUSINS stand this height .

[@vincentfisher1603]

Better trainers for both guys.

[@jahno7154]

The fight should've been put to bed long time but Carnero didn't have the skill and speed to knock him out that other guy was a brave punch bag.

[@johngerard3218]

Imagine if Carnera had lifted weights.

[@vestibulate]

Or had access to steroids. He'd still have been a ponderous, inept also-ran.

[@johngerard3218]

Well Tom, we all can't go as far in boxing as you did. Give Primo a little credit, he just wasn't born with your talent.

[@vestibulate]

+John Gerard Do you honestly think that Carnera was a quality heavyweight? Take a look at some of his contests- this one, for instance. He could barely get out of his own way. His route to the title was littered with mismatches and fixes. And what did you mean by the speculation about weights? Wasn't he thick and inflexible enough as it was? But if it makes any difference to you, I apologize for insulting your uncle.

[@johngerard3218]

I think I hear your mother calling. Time for your milk and beddy by. Good night.

[@johngerard3218]

I never saw one picture of Carnera out of shape. Every time he entered the ring he was big and defined. Shame he never had any serious trainers who truly wanted to teach him. He said for some of his fights he had to train himself.

[@hammeringhank5271]

Dempsey would have destroyed both these clowns

[@blackbelttroll4008]

Hammering Hank, ask willie meehan !

[@Mich43l-1]

fuck you forza italia

[@andrewdolokhov5408]

Not in 1935, he wouldn't.

[@BuckyBrown-lt4ry]

Never! JD was highly overrated. Used some lame excuse for not fighting blacks.

[@aracelyemmett3493]

@@BuckyBrown-lt4ry it was rumored dempsey had a form of plaster of paris in his gloves. one of his trainers said he did it. It would be wet until the fight was ready to start. Sports illustrated tried to debunk this by trying to do it themselves but they didn'y know the way dempsey and other people did it at that time.

[@annzeannieorannzeannaschot4361]

Primo diffenitly hit about as hard as forman and shavers maybe harder he was a little bit hey with his punches sometimes you could see them comming a little but he snapped them too and sometimes they were fast amazing athlete for those days. I boxed a little as a heavey ameurter had a couple of golden gloves fights a few gym fights nd a bunch of sparring sessions with some pris and top flight ameuter guys in the nyc area I never hit the deck and gave out as much as I took but in the long run looking back what the fuck was I doing in that ring my life these days totally different nyc strongest d.s.ny for 32years in the streets on the regudge hauler it's heavey and my out if pocket transition if you know what's that m to f makes me feel like a new m....n not to missgendet me but what the fuck I feel like a new man well not quite used to look like a cute big boy like a valdimere kletschco but I was fluent not a gwork like the russian was now I look like Anna kornacova or pam anderson you with a rack kids you can't make this shit up I'm not lying stories like this do exist ha ha. Tonyi in nyc

[@annzeannieorannzeannaschot4361]

Camera diffenitly a formableopponent he was a strong f er if he hit you right you are done tonyi in nyc

[@robertbaker1893]

Boxing really has come on a lot since those days. Imagine guys as slow and cumbersome as this going up against the likes of Fury, AJ and Wilder.

[@adamevert1618]

Some idiots in the comment section actually think that they would have a chance!

[@briansheridan7085]

Terrible stuff.

[@JeffPenaify]

Joe Joyce is pretty slow and cumbersome yet would be favorite to beat AJ right now

[@devilface97]

Odd take. Why pick the worst of an era to compare to the best now? Thats like me saying joe Louis would demolish Charles martin and using that hypothetical fight alone to completely dismiss a generation of fighters.

[@robertbaker1893]

@@devilface97 I should have said heavyweight boxing, not boxing as a whole. But how could Carnera be the worst of his era when he was undisputed world champion with 2 successful defences? Joe Louis would be a cruiserweight if he was fighting now, but there was no need for a cruiserweight division back then. That's how much heavyweight boxing has developed.

[@adamevert1618]

A 175lbs fighter of today destroys these two...maybe even a good 168lbs!

[@lucawulzer4037]

There are weight classes for a reason, son

[@adamevert1618]

@@lucawulzer4037 You are obviously a cunt, so you obviously cannot father a son!

[@adamevert1618]

@@lucawulzer4037 Sports develop and athletes improve with each generation kid!