[GUEST ACCESS MODE: Data is scrambled or limited to provide examples. Make requests using your API key to unlock full data. Check https://lunarcrush.ai/auth for authentication information.]  20th Century Boxing: Icons, Memories & More [@20thCentBoxIMM](/creator/twitter/20thCentBoxIMM) on x XXX followers Created: 2025-07-20 02:51:52 UTC Middleweight Rory Calhoun wins a close, but unanimous, decision over Germinal Ballarin at War Memorial Auditorium in Syracuse, New York on July 19, 1957. In a rough bout, both sides claimed fouls by the other, with George Brettonel, manager of Ballarin, saying: "I gave my fighter six or seven rounds. I was very disappointed with the decision. My fighter was handicapped by the cuts which were provoked by butts." "He's rough with his head. But I'm sure it wasn't intentional." countered Rory Calhoun, blaming Ballarin for the same infraction. The AP, which unofficially scored it 5-4-1 in favor of Calhoun, would report: "Rory Calhoun won the decision but Germinal Ballarin, a clever Frenchman, won the crowd. Many of the XXXXX customers who paid $XXXXX to watch the bitterly contested 10-round nationally televised fight Friday night thought the Parisian deserved the win or at least an 'e' for effort. However, the men whose judgement is official had it for Calhoun unanimously. Calhoun, 160, bulled in with wild lunges that often misfired while Ballarin countered. Rory was cut on the left cheekbone and Ballarin was sliced around the left eye in the 6th and 7th." ---------------------------------------------------------- Germianl Ballarin (pictured) had just fought Bob Provizzi on July 1st, winning a decision, but the pre-fight debate centered on not who would win but whether Ballarin must shave his rather thick mustache. From the June 30,1957 edition of the New York Times written by Gay Talese: Germinal Ballarin, a debonair fist-fighter from Paris with a stiff upper lip and sideburns, is a controversial style-setter. If he got his way, he would re- vive in boxing a mode that has been cut off for decades: the mustache. Ballarin views his formidable- looking black mustache with profound masculine pride, and The claims that he could not fight as well if it were shaved off. f So, at the State Athletic Com- mission office the other day, he requested (in eloquent French, and with continental suavity) permission to wear his bush at St. Nicholas Arena tomorrow night for his middleweight fight with Bob Provizzi. Surprisingly, permission was granted. Stubble Means Trouble Normally, fighters who are bearded mustachioed or other- wise bewhiskered are not per- mitted to fight in New York. Among other reasons, facial hair is not considered sanitary because fighters' faces so often are cut. Also, some fighters have been known to make awe- some fork-like weapons of their. bristling stubbles. But, according to Dr. Alex- ander Schiff, the commission's clean-shaven physician, Balla- rin's growth is harmless and has a strange attraction. Ap- parently, no one had the heart to spoil it. "Nothing as striking as Bal- larin's mustache has been around here in over thirty years," the doctor said at his office, where he had just com- pleted the examination of two cough-drop wrestlers named The Smith Brothers. "There seemed to be no reason to take Ballarin's mustache off." It was explained by an honest press agent that the commission had nothing against non-shavers, nor owners of non-shaving elec- tric razors, but "we just don't want the fighters to look like hobos." In addition, it was pointed out that many, many years ago, long before boxers became knights of chivalry and etiquette-minded, it was customary for a tough- whiskered fighter to move in close to an opponent's cheek and scratch it with the bristle; the skin was thus weakened and, with a solid blow or two, the opponent's skin was opened. Other pugilists used to grow and cultivate a stubble to use it as a "pad" so that it could absorb more-than-usual amounts of punishment to the chin. Jack Dempsey, a heavily bearded man, often went un- shaven for two or three days before a fight, and his stubble was as rough as a porcupine's. "Dempsey's stubble even had a psychological effect upon his foes," said Harry Markson, the executive secretary of the Inter- national Boxing Club. "It was darkly menacing in appearance, and it inspired fear and awe in his opponents." Boxers Take It On Chin Although the crusade for smooth-chinned fighters began in this country about twenty-five years ago, there are still many hairline decisions on the subject nowadays. Sugar Ray Robinson, Bob Baker, Randy Sandy, among others, are careful not to let their mustaches become too con- spicuous, but are never certain how much shaving they should do before each bout. The same uncertainty confronts Archie Moore, the light-heavyweight champion, who must trim his vestigial Vandyke beard before each fight. Before his heavyweight cham- pionship bout with Jersey Joe Walcott a few years ago, Ezzard Charles was ordered to abandon his mustache. Charles was fond of it. Friends of Charles said the missing whiskers hurt his morale. Walcott stiffened him. Would a mustachioed Ezzard Charles have done better? Not much ado was made about fighters' shaving habits in the era of John L. Sullivan. Nat Fleischer, editor of The Ring magazine, talked yesterday about fighters of yore who not only had mustaches, but occa- sionally had beards and even sideburns à la Presley. "Sullivan had a mustache," Fleischer said. "So did John C. Heenan, Paddy Ryan and Peter Maher. John C. Morrissey had a beard and sideburns. The mus- tache was a fashion among heavyweight champions. It was also a sign of virility and status to them. When Bob Fitzsim-| mons became heavyweight champion, he grew a mustache." Like Topsy, They Just Grew "From the middle Eighteen Hundreds until about 1930, there were plenty of mustaches and stubbles. But then the Boxing] Commission in New York began to crack down on the non-] shavers. In my recent travels to the Far East, I rarely saw side- burns on fighters. I have seen few on European fighters, for that matter, and even less on American fighters." With all respect to Germinal Ballarin, Fleischer concluded that the day of the mustache- growing professional fighter is gone forever. Why? Fleischer was not certain, but he did not think unshaven fight-| ers could ever make a comeback on television. The television home audience would not go for it, and the television sponsors would not stand for it. Stubble Means Trouble Boxers Take It On Chin Like Topsy, They Just Grew Currier & Ives THEN: John L. Sullivan needed no special permission to wear mustache in the ring. NOW: Germinal Ballarin has to obtain a dispensation so he can he can retain lipwear.  XX engagements  **Related Topics** [unanimous decision](/topic/unanimous-decision) [Post Link](https://x.com/20thCentBoxIMM/status/1946764969703284967)
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20th Century Boxing: Icons, Memories & More @20thCentBoxIMM on x XXX followers
Created: 2025-07-20 02:51:52 UTC
Middleweight Rory Calhoun wins a close, but unanimous, decision over Germinal Ballarin at War Memorial Auditorium in Syracuse, New York on July 19, 1957.
In a rough bout, both sides claimed fouls by the other, with George Brettonel, manager of Ballarin, saying:
"I gave my fighter six or seven rounds. I was very disappointed with the decision. My fighter was handicapped by the cuts which were provoked by butts."
"He's rough with his head. But I'm sure it wasn't intentional." countered Rory Calhoun, blaming Ballarin for the same infraction.
The AP, which unofficially scored it 5-4-1 in favor of Calhoun, would report:
"Rory Calhoun won the decision but Germinal Ballarin, a clever Frenchman, won the crowd. Many of the XXXXX customers who paid $XXXXX to watch the bitterly contested 10-round nationally televised fight Friday night thought the Parisian deserved the win or at least an 'e' for effort. However, the men whose judgement is official had it for Calhoun unanimously. Calhoun, 160, bulled in with wild lunges that often misfired while Ballarin countered. Rory was cut on the left cheekbone and Ballarin was sliced around the left eye in the 6th and 7th."
Germianl Ballarin (pictured) had just fought Bob Provizzi on July 1st, winning a decision, but the pre-fight debate centered on not who would win but whether Ballarin must shave his rather thick mustache.
From the June 30,1957 edition of the New York Times written by Gay Talese:
Germinal Ballarin, a debonair fist-fighter from Paris with a stiff upper lip and sideburns, is a controversial style-setter. If he got his way, he would re- vive in boxing a mode that has been cut off for decades: the mustache. Ballarin views his formidable- looking black mustache with profound masculine pride, and The claims that he could not fight as well if it were shaved off. f So, at the State Athletic Com- mission office the other day, he requested (in eloquent French, and with continental suavity) permission to wear his bush at St. Nicholas Arena tomorrow night for his middleweight fight with Bob Provizzi. Surprisingly, permission was granted. Stubble Means Trouble Normally, fighters who are bearded mustachioed or other- wise bewhiskered are not per- mitted to fight in New York. Among other reasons, facial hair is not considered sanitary because fighters' faces so often are cut. Also, some fighters have been known to make awe- some fork-like weapons of their. bristling stubbles. But, according to Dr. Alex- ander Schiff, the commission's clean-shaven physician, Balla- rin's growth is harmless and has a strange attraction. Ap- parently, no one had the heart to spoil it. "Nothing as striking as Bal- larin's mustache has been around here in over thirty years," the doctor said at his office, where he had just com- pleted the examination of two cough-drop wrestlers named The Smith Brothers. "There seemed to be no reason to take Ballarin's mustache off." It was explained by an honest press agent that the commission had nothing against non-shavers, nor owners of non-shaving elec- tric razors, but "we just don't want the fighters to look like hobos." In addition, it was pointed out that many, many years ago, long before boxers became knights of chivalry and etiquette-minded, it was customary for a tough- whiskered fighter to move in close to an opponent's cheek and scratch it with the bristle; the skin was thus weakened and, with a solid blow or two, the opponent's skin was opened. Other pugilists used to grow and cultivate a stubble to use it as a "pad" so that it could absorb more-than-usual amounts of punishment to the chin. Jack Dempsey, a heavily bearded man, often went un- shaven for two or three days before a fight, and his stubble was as rough as a porcupine's. "Dempsey's stubble even had a psychological effect upon his foes," said Harry Markson, the executive secretary of the Inter- national Boxing Club. "It was darkly menacing in appearance, and it inspired fear and awe in his opponents." Boxers Take It On Chin Although the crusade for smooth-chinned fighters began in this country about twenty-five years ago, there are still many hairline decisions on the subject nowadays. Sugar Ray Robinson, Bob Baker, Randy Sandy, among others, are careful not to let their mustaches become too con- spicuous, but are never certain how much shaving they should do before each bout. The same uncertainty confronts Archie Moore, the light-heavyweight champion, who must trim his vestigial Vandyke beard before each fight. Before his heavyweight cham- pionship bout with Jersey Joe Walcott a few years ago, Ezzard Charles was ordered to abandon his mustache. Charles was fond of it. Friends of Charles said the missing whiskers hurt his morale. Walcott stiffened him. Would a mustachioed Ezzard Charles have done better? Not much ado was made about fighters' shaving habits in the era of John L. Sullivan. Nat Fleischer, editor of The Ring magazine, talked yesterday about fighters of yore who not only had mustaches, but occa- sionally had beards and even sideburns à la Presley. "Sullivan had a mustache," Fleischer said. "So did John C. Heenan, Paddy Ryan and Peter Maher. John C. Morrissey had a beard and sideburns. The mus- tache was a fashion among heavyweight champions. It was also a sign of virility and status to them. When Bob Fitzsim-| mons became heavyweight champion, he grew a mustache." Like Topsy, They Just Grew "From the middle Eighteen Hundreds until about 1930, there were plenty of mustaches and stubbles. But then the Boxing] Commission in New York began to crack down on the non-] shavers. In my recent travels to the Far East, I rarely saw side- burns on fighters. I have seen few on European fighters, for that matter, and even less on American fighters." With all respect to Germinal Ballarin, Fleischer concluded that the day of the mustache- growing professional fighter is gone forever. Why? Fleischer was not certain, but he did not think unshaven fight-| ers could ever make a comeback on television. The television home audience would not go for it, and the television sponsors would not stand for it. Stubble Means Trouble Boxers Take It On Chin Like Topsy, They Just Grew Currier & Ives THEN: John L. Sullivan needed no special permission to wear mustache in the ring. NOW: Germinal Ballarin has to obtain a dispensation so he can he can retain lipwear.
XX engagements
Related Topics unanimous decision