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Back after a bit of a hiatus, continuing with 1933 ring action -- here’s a summary of the ring action around the world from the second half of February 1933, covering a total of 62 bouts.

Feb. 17, 1933: Friday night fight card at New York City’s Madison Square Garden. The co-feature marks the first appearance in the Big Apple of Max Baer, the highly touted young HW prospect who takes on previously unbeaten HW Steve Hamas in a highly anticipated encounter. After a close opening round, Baer takes charge and dominates the action in round two, punishing Hamas with a fusillade of blows. The tide begins to turn in round three, with Hamas taking advantage as Baer gets careless with his defense, by carrying his hands too low. Then, in round four, Baer suffers a cut over his left eye. Unfortunately for Baer, the cut is in a bad spot and, when it is reopened a round later, the ref decides to call an immediate halt. TKO 5 runs Hamas’ perfect record to 16-0 (12); Baer, who has now been stopped twice in his career, is now 17-2 (16). The main event follows, with Newsboy Brown challenging Corporal Izzy Schwartz’s for the latter’s NBAF Flyweight belt. Both are at Post career stage, and Schwartz is highly motivated after three career losses to Brown. Will the fourth time be a charm? Newsboy is on target early, and his accumulated punches are sufficient to cause noticeable swelling under the right eye of Schwartz. Izzy manages to keep the bout close, stepping up the pace through the middle rounds. Schwartz lacks the firepower to trouble Brown, who pulls back in front with superior defense and counterpunching. A late cut (opened in round nine) over Brown’s eye has no effect on the ultimate outcome. Brown goes on to take a MD 12 verdict (116-112, 114-114, 116-112) to take the title, registering career win four over Schwartz. Post-fight records: Brown, 37-11-2 (11); Schwartz, 29-14-2 (7).

Feb. 18, 1933: Next card is back in Europe at the Sports Palazzo in Rome, Italy, and there are some very competitive matchups on the agenda. Main support bout matches up two top five WWs, with reigning EBU titleholder Cleto Locatelli facing ex-WBA Champ Young Corbett III. It’s the first meeting of these two boxers. After a brief feeling out period, Corbett begins connecting and building a solid lead. Locatelli steps up the pace in the later rounds, and manages to keep the bout close. However, the decision goes to Corbett with one dissenting judge going for the Swiss, making it a SD 10 (95-96, 96-94, 97-93). Corbett improves his overall record to 37-9-3 (12). Locatelli drops to 25-8-1 (9) with the loss. Then, in the main event, EBU BW Champ Benny Sharkey defends against the man he dethroned for that title, Italian Kid Francis. It’s the third meeting of the two who have split their prior two bouts. The action picks up in the fourth round, when a sharp combination from Sharkey sends Francis to the deck. However, a round later, it is Francis who connects, with Sharkey toppling to the canvas in a delayed reaction to the hook from Francis. Sharkey, seeing his title slipping away, gets more aggressive in the later rounds but, to the delight of the pro-Francis crowd, the Italian boxer takes a SD 12 (114-112, 113-114, 114-113) to regain the EBU title. Post-bout records are 26-11-3 (16) for Francis, 19-3-1 (15) for Sharkey, who has a long career ahead of him.

Feb. 18, 1933: The scene shifts to the Cow Palace in San Francisco. The card is headlined by a WBA Flyweight title clash, with Midget Wolgast facing Frankie Genaro. It is the first meeting of the two, and Wolgast has a 12-bout winning streak dating back to 1930. Genaro manages to outland Wolgast for the first four rounds of the bout. Wolgast, sensing he is falling behind, becomes more aggressive as the bout enters the middle rounds. Genaro’s defense remains solid, however, and he gradually begins to wear down the Champ as the bout enters the later rounds. No cuts or knockdowns, and it takes a late surge by Wolgast to enable him to escape with a draw (143-143, 141-145 Genaro, 144-143 Wolgast) which is just enough to retain the title. Post-fight records: Wolgast, 30-4-1 (15); Genaro, 40-13-2 (18). Talks are underway for a rematch in three months’ time.

Feb. 24, 1933: Next up is a Friday night card at London’s Harringay Arena. Feature bout has Brit Dom Volante defending the EBU FW title belt he won last year against a familiar foe, ex-Champ Knud Larsen from Denmark. Larsen holds a 2-1 edge in three prior meetings. Volante is on the top of his game, putting Larsen on the deck in the second round with a big cross. Larsen tries to battle back from behind, and he has an opportunity in round eight when he staggers Volante with a big hook. Volante covers up to last the round, and -- after a second KD in the 10^th en route -- he is rewarded by the judges with a lopsided UD 12 win (118-108, 118-108, 119-108). Post-fight career marks: Volante, 28-10-2 (17); Larsen, 31-13-3 (14).

Feb. 25, 1933: Next card is at Chicago, with a WBA title bout on tap at Comiskey Park. First, in the co-feature, young WW prospect Barney Ross takes on veteran contender Willie Harmon in an effort to rise in the rankings. For Ross, it is his first bout at Prime career stage. The youthful Ross gets off to a great start, and Harmon (now at Post-Prime) is on the defensive right away. By the end of the opening round, there is noticeable swelling under Harmon’s right eye. In round three, more blows landed by Ross cause a split lip to open up, further damaging Harmon’s chances. Ross eases off in the later rounds, but Harmon is unable to rally enabling Ross to capture a one-sided UD 10 (98-92, 99-91, 99-91) to run his career total to 19-1-1 (7), while Harmon ends the fight at 32-16-6 (13). Next up is the main event, with Tony Canzoneri making his fourth defense of the WBA LW title in a rematch against the man he won the title from, Billy “Fargo Express” Petrolle. It’s the third meeting of the duo, with Canzoneri holding a win and a draw in their prior encounters. In round two, Petrolle puts the “Roman Warrior” down with a solid uppercut for the bout’s first knockdown. Canzoneri, unperturbed, survives the round and gradually battles his way back in the bout. In round five, Petrolle is cut over the right eye. Then, suddenly, a round later – Canzoneri drops Petrolle with a strong shot, and the challenger is unable to beat the count. KO 6 for Canzoneri enables him to keep the belt and improve his career stats to 29-4-2 (15). Petrolle drops to 50-5-3 (21) with the loss.

Feb. 25, 1933: The month wraps up with an abbreviated card at the Olympia Stadium in Panama City, Panama. In the main event, NABF FW titleholder Babe Herman faces the challenge of ex-Champion and hometown crowd favorite Jose Lombardo. It’s a rematch of a 1932 bout that ended in a draw; the rivalry dates back to 1924, when Lombardo recorded a win while at Pre-Prime. A relatively close bout is broken open in round five when Lombardo unloads a series of blows, causing Herman’s left eye to begin to swell. Lombardo does not rest on his laurels, and he remains aggressive into the later rounds. In the final round, his persistence pays off, as he drops Herman with a solid shot. With just seconds remaining, Herman is counted out. KO 12 for Lombardo, who regains the NABF FW crown and moves to 34-13-4 (21). Herman is now 34-18-5 (15).