[Rocco Del Sesto]

Ring Magazine January 1940 - "New Faces"

Ring each month would showcase some up-and-coming new stars on the boxing horizon. Some end up making something for themselves, some will not. It will be interesting to look through these maybe more than looking at the "stars" that we are more familiar with.

First up I'm looking at is Dan Hassett, Philadelphia heavyweight "who looks like promising material". Well, Hassett was actually started on the 2nd comeback in his career. He started out the first 4 years about as a Middleweight and sometimes light heavyweight. His MW years he actually has a decent looking w/l record. HW which after a break in his career in 1935 he came back mid-year in 1936 and fought a handfull of fights that year as a heavyweight. he then dissappeared again for about 3 years coming back again in 1939, fought a few then one fight in 1940 and one in 1941 getting KO'd by Billy Conn.

I've created Hassett with MW and HW ratings. Did not have him in my data base as being done by anyone before.

Danny Hassett - MW / HW
Career Record: W38(KO 2) / L13(KO 3) / D4

Unknown information has been left blank.

DOB has been estimated from Meriden, Conn. newspaper article on 01 Oct 1936 which puts Hassett's age at 23.

From 1930 through August 1935 he fought as a Middleweight, though many times up even in the light heavyweight weight range. Floated that weight up and down. After winning two, 10 round decisions against Al Zappala he then was out of the ring for a year, by his BoxRec account until he came back beefed up to heavyweight class to defeat Steve Carr a light heavy. At the time up to the Steve Carr fight, some newspaper accounts showed Hassett was acting as a sparring partner for Al Ettore. During these four years, Hassett fought up and down in weight between middleweight and light heavyweight, fighting both weight division foes.

The rest of Hassett's career was fought in the heavyweight division. In 1936 he fought five times. At first ws successful with a 4 round decision against Steve Carr on Sept 22, 1936, and then a couple weeks later beat Terry Mitchell in 10 round decision. Then things went south for Hassett as he lost 10 round decisions to Steve Carr and Buddy Knox, one of the top heavies at the time and up and coming Lou Nova he drew 6 rounds with. Nova was 9-0-1 at the time.

Record MW: W33(KO 2) / L6(KO 1) / D3
Record HW: W5(KO 0) / L7(KO 2) / D1

From Hassett's heavyweight career...

23 Sep 1936 Wed, Hartford Courant, Conn. - Dan Hassett from Philadelphia and working as a sparring partner for Al Ettore at the time got back into the ring beefed up from his hefty middleweight days to 180 lbs and took on Steve Carr of Meriden, Conn. who weighed only 179. Hassett finished strong in the four rounder and had Carr on the deck for a four count when the bell rang ending the last round giving Hassett the points win only. Hassett landed a right to Carr's jaw to score the knockdown.

01 Oct 1936, Thu The Philadelphia Inquirer - Dan Hassett will take a rematch with Steve Carr to be fought in Carr's hometown, Meriden, Conn. according to Hassett's manager, Pete Moran.

01 Oct 1936, Thu The Journal Meriden, Conn. - An article actually more on Steve Carr, mentions that Dan Hassett like Steve Carr is 23 years old and known variously as the Blond Tiger and the Sturdy Oak of Oak Lane, a suburb of Philadelphia where he makes his home.

02 Oct 1936, Fri, The Journal, Meriden, Conn. - Little info piece on Dan Hassett, mentions Hassett has a side line occupation, selling motor cars along the streets of hometown Oak Lane, Philadelphia.

03 Oct 1936, Sat, The Philadelphia Inquirer - Reviewing Dan Hassetts fight against Terry Mitchell, the piece comments on Hassett's returning recently from "a long visit to the sidelines", defeating Steve Carr in his debut as a heavyweight. That layoff had been little more than a year. Describing the fight, Hassett controlled the first 5 rounds with crisp right-handers and "hammerlike" jabs having little difficulty nailing the "awkward, windmill-flailing Mitchell with an assortment of jabs, hooks and right swings." Mitchell managed to rebound and control the action in the sixth and seventh rounds, but Hassett regained command and outfought Mitchell over the last three to gain the decision in 10 rounds.

14 Oct 1936, Wed, The Journal, Meriden, Conn. - Steve Carr outpointed Danny Hassett by a close margin in 10 rounds. Referee Billy Conway of Hartford gave the final stanza and even score giving Carr a 48-43 margin in points at the final bell.

14 Oct 1936, Wed, Hartford Courant, Conn. - The Hassett / Carr fight marked the return to Meriden, boxing for the first time in 10 years. There was not a knockdown in the fight, but Carr scored one on Hassett that might have put him down had it not been Hassett was against the ropes and that kept him up off the canvas. Carr didn't press the issue though and lost his advantage to possibly put Hassett away. The fight was deamed so close into the final round that Carr had to stage a furious rally against Hassett to pull out the win. Carr gave a Hassett "a thorough going over with straight lefts and left hooks to the head."

26 Nov 1936, Thu The Dayton Herald, Dayton, Oh - Danny Hassett who is to meet Buddy Knox in the main event of 10 rounds at the Memorial Hall in Dayton, Ohio, is mentioned as a stablemate of Leroy Haynes who is considered by some, next to Joe Louis, the hardest puncher in the heavyweight division.

01 Dec 1936, Tue, Dayton Daily News, Dayton, Oh - Fans stayed away in large numbers from Memorial Hall, not know who Danny Hassett was and not expecting much of a fight for their local, "Candy Kid", Buddy Knox. According to the Dayton News' Ben Garlikov, they missed one of the most vicious and enterntaining bouts see there in many months. Referee Eddie Griesmeyer, and judges Dave Hall and DAyton Riesinger gave Knox the majority decision win in 10 rounds. Hasseett used a strong straight left and a short right hook that gave him the edge after the first three rounds. Buddy started his winning offensive in the fourth and a split second before the bell ending that round, landed a terrific right to the jaw that sent Hassett to the canvas and staggering to his corner. Hassett continued taking punishment to the head and body in the fifth but still showe enough power in his left to make Knox play carefull. Knox was unmarked in the bout, but Hassett suffered a cut over his left eye and blood spurted from his nose and mouth several times during the course of the bout. There was a crowd of only 806.

08 Dec 1936, Tue Dayton Daily News, Dayton, Oh - The Oct 14th scheduled return bout between Buddy Knox and Danny Hassett was cancelled when Jack Werst, Queensbury A.C. promoter received word from Knox that he will be unable to fight again for at least three weeks. He bruised his right hand in the sixth round in the Dec 1st Knox/Hassett fight.

14 Dec 1936, Mon The Philadelphia Inquirer - Reports taht Danny Hassett has been matched with Lou Nova of California for a six round bout at Madison Square Garden on the Ray Impellittiere-Bob Pastor program.

19 Dec 1936, Sat - Many newspaper account picked up the short that Danny Hassett, 182-3/4 and Lou Nova 194-3/4 fought a six round draw.

From the end of Dec 1936 on through to Sept 1939, Hassett drops from the active boxing world. You see his name pop up in various newspaper pieces mentioned in context talking about other fighters adn past fights with Hassett (Knox, Carr, Nova, etc.). Found nothing written to the why his 2-1/2 year absence from the ring. Then he shows up getting some sparring work with Lou Nova as Nova prepares for his fight in 1939 against Tony Galento.

Ring Magazine Jan 1940 ran a short piece Hassett and his comeback attempt starting with the Nova spar matches in the Ring's "New Faces" column. Hassett of course is not a "New Face" After Hassett's Dec 1936 6 round draw with Nova he just apparently gave up on boxing. Maybe went full time selling cars? Then with Nova's climb to fistic fame at the time in 1939, Hassett decided to give boxing another try.

16 Sep 1939, Sat The Morning Post, Camden, NJ - Dan Hassett, sparring partner of Lou Nova won a four round decision over Jim McVey from Chester.

24 Oct 1939, Tue The Philadelphia Inquirer - In a slugging duel, Gus Dorazio, shelled Danny Hassett to win a 10 round decision over the Oak Lane native. Hassett could not match punches enough with Dorazio. The referee and two judges were all in favor of Dorazio being the victor winning 6 of the 10 rounds, but apparently some of the crowd were not happing with that decision.

29 Nov 1939, Wed The Philadelphia Inquirer - After a back and forth hammering of each other for six rounds, Jim Robinson won the decision over Danny Hassett. Robinson won the vote of Referee Walter Harpt, but the judges disagreed. Al Voice thought Hassett was the victor while Bert Crowhurst thought it was even. The officials were not even close in rounds. Harpt had it four for Robinson, one for Hassett and one even. Voice's 3-2-1 voit favored Hassett and Crowhurst had a round to each man and four even rounds. Robinson outboxed and out punched Hassett in the first four rounds. Although Hassett spotted 26-1/2 pounds to Robinson to say nothing of height and reach, he waged a good fight using his left hooks to Robinson's head and rights to the body had Jim bending over many times. Hassett suffered a cut left eybrow in the fight.

12 Dec 1939, Tue The Philadelphia Inquirer - Danny Hassett won the decision over Jorge Brescia, Argentina, on the nod from referee Adgie after the judges disagreed on the score. Voice scored it for Brescia while Knaresborough called it even.

16 April 1940, Tue The Des Moines Register, Iowa - Danny Hassett surprised fans Monday night by winning the 10 round decision over Buddy Scott who had been a 4 to 1 favorite. Scott opened a cut over Hassett's left eye in the sixth, but Hassett remained the aggressor to win out.

04 May 1940, Sat The Philadelphia Inquirer - In a six rounder, Bill Poland outpointed Danny Hassett. Poland put Hassett down for eight in the first round, but otherwise there was little damage done by both fighters.

02 July 1940 Tue Cumberland EVening Times, Maryland - Bill Boyd scored a nine round TKO over Danny Hassett before a crowd of 15000. Hassett was bleeding from eye cuts, the nose and mouth when Referee Harry Volkman stopped the bout.

07 Mar 1941` Fri The Philadelphia Inquirer - Billy Conn on his build-up schedule toward a heavyweight matchup with Joe Louis, took on Danny Hassett, "pudgy" Philadelphian, knocking him out in the fifth round. Hassett weighed in at 204-1/4 compared to Conn's 181. Hassett weight a good 20 pounds over his usual fight weight having been inactive since July 1940.
Conn dropped Hassett after 35 seconds of the 5th round with a short left to the head. Hassett only made it to his knees by the count of 10. Toward the end Hassett was bleeding badly from an open cut on his left ear, another oneon the nose. Conn had badly bruised Hassett around the left kidney with sharp right hand punches.