[Rocco Del Sesto]

01/11/67 Wednesday
New York, NY, USA
Willis Miles – HW (1-2-1) vs. Roosevelt Eddie Jr. – HW (2-0-0)

Willis Miles - USA Rating 1
Heavyweight 1966-67
1 win / 3 losses / 1 draw / 1 KO

Hometown: Long Island City, NY

Rating by: Rocco Del Sesto

New York club fighter who didn't hang around very long. Fought Roosevelt Eddie Jr. in what was Miles' last fight on Jan. 11th, 1967. Roosevelt KO'd Miles at the 2 minute mark of the 4th round.

Roosevelt Eddie Jr. USA Rating 3
Heavyweight 1966-70
6 wins / 7 losses / 3 draws / 4 KO

Hometown: Harlem, NY

Rating by: Rocco Del Sesto

Never stopped in a fight though he was DQ'd in the 1st round in a fight against Jack Bodell in Feb. 1969 when Bodell was knocked down and Eddie hit Bodell while he was still down and was disqualified.

The first year of Roosevelt's career was against the usual local club fighters until May of 1967 when he went out of New York for the first time to go to Boston and fight Jack O'Halloran. Halloran was 6-0-0 just starting out his career and Roosevelt was 3-1-0 having lost his last fight a 4 round split decision to a Jim Cogdell. Roosevelt and O'Halloran fought a short 4 rounder that ended in a draw called. After that Roosevelt fought 3 more times in 1967 going 1-1-1 against more club fighters in New York and Philadelphia. In Jan 1968 he traveled outside the US for the first time going to Rome, Italy where he took on a guy named Giulio Saraudi(9-1-3,4). Saraudi beat Roosevelt in an 8 round decision. Interestingly it was Saraudi's last career fight.

After that over the next couple of years, Roosevelt suddenly started drawing some bigger name opponents into the ring and doing some world traveling to get these opponents. Two months after his trip to Italy he went down to Florida and fought Florida Al Jones loosing to him in a 10 round decision. He then traveled back across the Atlantic going to Aberavon, Wales, England taking on Billy Gray(19-5-1,9). Roosevelt won by 5th round TKO when, BoxRec says, Gray was defeated sitting on his stool at the end of the 5th. After that Roosevelt went down to Sao Paulo, Brazil and fought a pretty good up and coming South American named Luis Pires in two fights in 1968. Pires defeated Roosevelt in the first fight by a 10th round decision. In the rematch, Roosevelt managed to knock out Pires in the 8th round.

Five months later in Feb. 1969 it was back to Enland for the Bodell fight. Roosevelt then went back to New York and in June 1969 fought James j. Woody for the New York State Heavyweight Title. Woody wins a 10 round decision. Roosevelt fights one more time in his career, in Jan. 1970, this time international again and back in Rome, Italy where he meets Italian great Dante Cane. The fight ends after 8 rounds in a draw.

Despite the mixed results it kind of leaves you wondering why the somewhat sudden end of Roosevelt's career.

The Fight.....
A couple more New York club fighters, one just starting to get his career going the other his very brief career will be coming to an end. Miles was coming off a 4 round decision loss to a James J. Johnson in November. Eddie Jr.’s career was just getting started having won a couple fights in September and October 1966. The fight in 67 lasted until the 2 minute mark of the 4th round as Eddie Jr. scored his 3rd win without defeat on a knockout of Miles. For Miles, it was the end of the road as he hung up the gloves. For Roosevelt he would fight 5 more times in 67 when starting in 1968 and on through 1969 his career would carry him on an interesting journey outside the United States.
Our replay here was one of the more interesting fights thus far in this 1967 replay with the outcome being so similar to the real thing in 67. Round 1 was close with both fighters landing some punches, Miles getting the better of it toward the end of it this observer thought. Interestingly though the two of the game judges scored it 10-9 to Eddie Jr. Round two starts out well again for Miles and a little more then a minute into it you could consider it Miles round again. Then about 1-3/4 minutes in, Eddie Jr. lands a crushing body shot that crumples Miles to the canvas for a short 3 count. Miles gets up but is quickly pinned in a corner. He manages to side step an uppercut and then a big left punch from Eddie Jr. but then he catches another hard body shot and he goes down a second time in the round! Again Miles gets up at the 3 count 15 seconds before the end of the round. Roosevelt can’t finish him off though as Miles tangles Eddie Jr. up in a tight clinch to finish off the 2nd round. All three judges score it 10-7 for Eddie Jr. Round 3 is a close round. A lot of maneuvering and clinching by both fighters and what few punches each manages to land they have little affect on each other. Miles seems to have recovered from the second round but the only way he can win this fight is to knock Eddie Jr. out in the 4th and last round. He’s just too far back in points at this time. Instead of Miles though looking to force the issue in round 4, it’s Eddie Jr. who comes out gunning to finish off his opponent. Eddie Jr. lands a couple solid jabs that leaves Miles bleeding from the lip. He then lands a short uppercut to Miles chin. Miles manages to come back some and split Eddie Jr’s gloves with a solid straight punch. After Eddie Jr. manages to avoid a lead right from Miles, he suddenly counters with a solid punch that puts Miles down on his back!! It’s a 3rd knockdown of Miles in the fight and this time he can’t recover as he’s counted out at the 2:51 mark of the 4th and final round! A KO victory for Roosevelt Eddie Jr.!!