Bear’s 4-Fs (Fictional Fighters of Film and Fiction)

[beekman]

Originally Posted by bear

The knockout Artist
by Harry Crews
Harper and Row
San Francisco
1988

A quirky, weird novel has the following fighters:

Eugene Talmudge Biggs
MW 159.5 lbs. "The Knockout Artist", "Knocker", "KO". Born Bacon County, Georgia. Home New Orleans, Louisiania. Began pro career at 19. As a pro boxed well, hard to hit, didn't cut, showed a good chin initially. 13 and 0. Managed by Bud Jenkins. Ko'd by Manny Mitchell. Never recovered his chin. Stopped in next three. Dumped by Jenkins. Discovered he had the ability to knock himself out. Became a solo performance artist that fought his alter-ego Phil "Fight and Die" Phillips. Now 23. B 1965. Career 1983-1986

Phil "Fight and Die" Phillips
Biggs alter-ego when performing. Same rating as above with a different name.

Manny "Machine Gun" Mitchel
MW black. one year older than Biggs, when they fought. Heavy handed power puncher. 17-0 with 15 KOs. B 1964

Bobby "Bad and Beautiful" Barfield
Hw B New Orleans. Home Baton Rouge. "B & B" "The Bad Man" Does not cut. Top contender. Title bout vs. Cobra Carnes on schedule. Hardest hitter in the division. Never stopped or off his feet. Has heart. Discovered by Big Joe Rocker, who made his career. Tough, mean, and fearless. Uses Biggs as a sparring partner for speed work. J. Alfred "Oyster Boy" Blasingame wants to buy his contact and have Biggs manage him and Turner train him. Rocker found him on the street with 2 felony arrests. Thomas Radlovich, LHW is working out with him. Barfield is 25 lbs heavier but faster. Wow. Hardest hitter in his division, never, dropped, stoped, or cut, and the speed of a light heavy. Crikey, but I had to really rate him high.

Pistol Pete Turner
MW once ranked 7th, 14 months after fighting Biggs. Slipped badly 6 months later. KO'd Eugene Biggs in his last bout in 5th; out-boxed til then. Became his friend. Agressive in your face fighter. Also Ko'd Marvin Turnhill with a left hook in 3rd. Career end 1987.

Give us:

Eugene Talmudge Biggs MW 1 Boxer
Phil "Fight and Die" Phillips MW 1 Boxer
Pistol Pete Turner MW 3 Slugger
Bobby "Bad and Beautiful" Barfield HW 11 Slugger
Manny "Machine Gun" Mitchel MW 6 Slugger

Bear

Ever read Crews' Feast of Snakes, Bear? It's also pretty good.

[bear]

Originally Posted by beekman

Ever read Crews' Feast of Snakes, Bear? It's also pretty good.

No, haven't read it. This was my first novel by Crews. I'll keep you recomendation in mind.

Bear

[bear]

Originally Posted by beekman

Ever read Crews' Feast of Snakes, Bear? It's also pretty good.

Beekman

It's really encouraging to see a posting from a reader in this thread. It gives me encouragement to keep plodding along.

bear

[bear]

Off the Canvas: A Tale of Two Brothers
Rusty Rubin
Author House
Bloomington, IN 2004

I picked up an inscribed copy of this novel from Rusty at one of the IBHOF inductions that I have attended. He's a real nice guy and I have to give this novel a good plug. The spirit of 1940s boxing and Americana is well presented and the characters are vividly described. In this case of lesser characters that aren't fleshed out, their figthing abilities can be well pictured as they contrast to the major characters. Because I don't want to detract from anyone's enjoyment of this novel, should they try to get themselves a copy, I won't include lengthy descriptions of the fighters here, although they will be in the bios of the fighter files.

The novel is the story of the Petrovic brothers, Tony and Billy, who both become world champions after World War Two. Both lied about their age and began fighting professionally at young ages, having added to years to their actual calandar ages.

Billy "Mr. KO" Petrovic
B. 1925(7) South Philadelphia, PA. Greek-American Dad, Spiro, left home and died in France in WWII. Older brother Tony. Red hair brown eyes.
(real birth father unknown). Developed a mean streak. Learned to turn a punch over. Faster hand and foot speed than Tony. LW as amateur and as a young pro. Chip on shoulder. Pro debut LW at age calandar age in 1941 on undercard of Harrison-Petrovic II. One punch KO artist. Rejected by army because of his attitude. Married Mary Sue Johnson in 1944.
Resistant to cuts. Not experienced vs. southpaws. Won WW title 8/10/1945 Philadelphia Colliseum.

Tony "Killer" Petrovic
B. 1923(5) South Philadelphia, PA. Greek-American Dad, Spiro, left home
and died in France in WWII. Big not fast. joined a local gym to protect brother Billy from bullies. Brown hair blue-green eyes. 1939 alters birth certificate by 2 years to turn pro. Won decision bouts as amateur. at time of Pearl Harbor. Mother's health prevented his enlistment. Boxes in 6 or 7 club fights, smokers, won all except for 1 ND. 5 KO's in 6 wins. Rediscovers his punch and becomes a crowd pleaser. Ko'd by Bob Harrison
for only career loss in a pre-prime bout. Won rematch. Summer of '43 Tony drops out of Penn St. Ranked 7th in world at MW. 16-1 (9 Ko's mostly TKO type, wears opponents down.) Faces Jorge Rivera in 1944 and promised title shot with a win. Becomes good friends with Harrison. 8/10/1945 at Philadelphia Colliseum has a title bout vs. Schultz for MW title and wins. Gave Schultz re-match wins by KO 1:16 of first. Schultz, is taken away in an ambulance and dies 4 days later. Loans Paulie $3,000 to pay off bookies. Larry Jones next opponent in a title bout. 4 wins in '46. Work's Billy's corner as cutman for Billy's rematch vs. O'Connor. In 1947 Tony has 10 bouts. Wins 9 draws 1 (2ko's). In '48 Tony & Billy decide to work each other's corner & no longer fight on the same cards. Going up to about 180. Having trouble maintining weight. 1949 he is planning for last year in ring. On collision course with contender Moss. 6/24 trining in Scranton. Wins last defense. Trained by Harrison to fight out of a crouch to counter Moss' body work. 12/12/49 Tony's last bout a unanimous
decision win. Career record 63-1-2 (47 ko's. less than 10 are one punch.) Retires 1950. Attends U. of Penn. With Harrison ttraining' manages Larry Jordan. Harrison-Petrovic Boxing buys Paulie's old gym.

Give us

Tony "Killer" Petrovic MW 10 Either

Billy "Mr. KO" Petrovic WW 10 Slugger (began as a LW)

Bear

[bear]

Other characters from this novel include.

Dino Mercado
LW Buffalo. 11-1 defensive boxer when he meets Billy Petrovic. Excellent counter puncher. Does best work off the ropes. Hard to catch. It took Billy 8 of scheduled 10 to catch him and the fusillade caused corner to toss in towel.

Sam Moss
MW New Orleans, black. Up and comer. Can wear down opponents. Ranked. Uses body attack to wear down opponents and the outboxes them. Tires opponents out by makeing them miss early and coming on late. Undefeated, lacks one punch power. 3/15/48 Moss vs. Billy Petrovic in Charleston, NC. Billy moving up in weight class and weakened by flu going in and Tony tosses in towel in middle rounds. Later loses title bout vs. After Tony retires wins box-off for title.

William "Dutch" Schultz
MW champ. In first defense vs. Tony Petrovic. Schultz looks like an Aryan, blond, crew-cut and tatooed. Strong upper body. In 1st a head clash opened gashes. Tony cut on scalp over right eye, Dutch has a deep gash over left eye. Tony wins 3rd for a TKO. 2/11/46 rematch. Tony wins by KO 1:16 of first. Schultz, is taken away in an ambulance and dies 4 days later.

Jorge Rivera
MW Buffalo. Tall built like a body-builder. 1943 faces Tony Petrovic. Hard hitting slugger Tony must beat to get a title shot.

Bob Harrison
MW North Philadelphia. Black, tall, sleek. 12-0 with 12 KO's prior to
bout with Tony Petrovic. Feared. A plodder who wins ugly. Dirty, uses, head, elbows,low blows; likes to soften up with right hooks to the liver. Will crouch or stand up. Ko's Tony Petrovic 1:44 of 1st. Harrison hit on
break. Only loss in Petrovic's career. Stopped in rematch. Heart condition forces his retirement in '45. Works in a munitions plant. Wife Jeanette. Becomes a friend of Tony's. Will train Tony after paulie's death. Selling insurance since war ended. Spars with Tony. 1/3rd partner with Tony in Bar and Grill. Wants to train Larry Jordan. Harrison-Petrovic Boxing buys Paulie's old gym. Disappeared as 1962 freedom rider. Daughter, Barbara.

Gives us

Bob Harrison MW 8 Slugger
Jorge Rivera MW 7 Slugge
William "Dutch" Schultz MW 8 Either
Sam Moss MW 9 Slugger
Dino Mercado LW 5 Boxer

Bear

[bear]

Other fighters from this novel include:

Larry Jordan
WW Wilkes Barre, PA. Olympic, silver medal. 3-0 as pro. Bob Harrison wants to train him. Tony Petrovic suggests managing him. Raw talent. Not developed by present managers. Developing bad habits. No idea of defense, roadwork, or motivation before working with Harrison-Petrovic. Turns it around, wins WW title 3 years later at MSG.

Wendell Jordan
MW Won Olympic gold medal. 16-0 as a pro. Crowd favorite. Not yet ready to go 15, but seen as a future opponent for Tony Petrovic.

George O'Connor
WW 9/46 gives Billy Petrovic his 1st loss in MSG to George O'Connor at
catchweights. Rematch scheduled 11/9/46.

Delroy Brown
WW Pittsburgh. Black, WW champ. A converted southpaw, fast & experienced. Can switch styles at the drop of a hat. Tall, slender, ringwise, cutie. Reach advantage vs. Billy. Can wear down opponents. Can hit with either hand. Not a lot of KO's, but he has good killer instinct. 8/10/1945 Philadelphia Colliseum title bout vs. Billy "Mr. KO" Petrovic. Through 6 Brown is ahead on the cards. Slick jab and mover guy. 7th Billy's nose is bloodied, but a fast combo stuns Brown. Brown tried
to cover up but uppercuts have him reeling, nose & mouth bloodied, and an overhand right finishes him. 2/11/46 rematch. Brown never gets untracked. KO'd in 3rd. Billy has slight cut

Larry Jones
MW southpaw, contender. Gave Willian "Dutch" Schultz his first loss early on in Schultz's career. Not a big puncher, but his style makes opponents look bad. Opponent of Tony Petrovic's in a title defense.

Give us:

Delroy Brown WW 8 Boxer
George O'Connor WW 8 Boxer
Wendell Jordan MW 6 Boxer
Larry Jordan WW 9 Either
Larry Jones MW 7 Boxer

Bear

[bear]

We conclude with the following characters from this novel:


Uncle Johnny Petrovic
B. Pittsburgh Spiro's younger brother. Baseball and boxing fan. Got black lung in mines. Ex-pug. Scar tissue, large nose, cauliflower ears. Saved purses and money. Worked coal pits in Scranton and Wilkes-Barrie.
Gave the kids boxing gloves for Xmas. Pirate fan. Aunt Jen is 10 yrs. younger, slender blue-eyed. Gave up a promising ring career for the mines. Favorite fighters: Conn, Moore, Greb, Zivic, Burley, Soose. Dies before end of war. No weight given.

Paulie Reid
B. circa 1870. Owner, manager South Street Gym, in Philadelphia. Big nose, cauliflower ears. Southern accent & east coast heritage. Tall, heavy-set, bald. Lets the Petrovic kids train at $.05 a visit. Agrees to let them clean up the place. WWI drill instructor. Works kids on speed and reflexes. Booked Billy and Tony as amateurs 1940. Married and divorced 3 times. "43 sells contracts to George "Mr. G" Grabowski. Gets the petrovic's back when G goes tio prison. Was a fair fighter in his day, but not well regarded as a trainer until the Petrovic's won title. Hired a good cutman for the title fights. Bet on Schultz in rematch with Tony. Needed to pay off bookies. Tony loans him $3000 to pay them off. In 1947 has major
heart attack and decides to retire. Comes back as Tony's trainer after Billy's death. Had gone back to booze and gambling. Told he has a year to live. 2nd heart attack 3 weeks before Tony's next bout. 8/23/48 funeral. Died a few days after Moss' bout vs. Tony. Possible suicide.

Morris Winston
Tough kid and bully, lost a street fight to Petrovic's. Made him a tomato can BW.

John Darwin
Hw Philadlphia. one-time contender. Father of Jodie, Tony's wife

Tony Petrovic Jr.
60 bouts as an amateur. Suffered bad cut on bridge of nose. Cut-prone.
Goes to college football. Fall of '72 Eagles draft pick. All american end. Law practice after football.

Give us

Tony Petrovic Jr. HW 1 Slugger
John Darwin HW 2 Slugger
Paulie Reid HW 2 Either
Uncle Johnny Petrovic FW 3 Slugger
Morris Winston BW 1 Slugger

Bear

[bear]

Since I mentioned the John Wayne dragout fight from the Quiet Man as one of my favorite film fights here we go.

The Quiet Man (boxing Cast) from IMDB

John Wayne ... Sean Thornton aka "Trooper Thorn"
Victor McLaglen ... Squire 'Red' Will Danaher
Tony Canzoneri ... Boxing second (uncredited)
Douglas Evans ... Ring physician (uncredited)
Al Murphy ... Boxing referee (uncredited)
Frank O'Connor ... Ringside photographer (uncredited)
Bob Perry ... Trooper Thorn's ringside trainer (uncredited)
Jack Roper ... Tony Godello (boxer) (uncredited)

Godello is the fighter Trooper Thorn killed in the ring.

Internet Broadway Database gives the following on Donnybrook a musical based on the Quiet Man .

Donnybrook!
46th Street Theatre, (5/18/1961 - 7/15/1961)
Preview: May 17, 1961 Total Previews: 2
Opening: May 18, 1961
Closing: Jul 15, 1961 Total Performances: 68
Category: Musical, Comedy, Original, Broadway

Art Lund as John Enright
Philip Bosco as Will Danaher

Wikipedia linked to a review where ex-pug Enright is described:
A new arrival in Innesfree is John Enright—six feet three and broad of stature—who has come home after spending many years in America.
He has returned in search of peace and quiet; in fact, his heart is set on buying a cottage, White O'Morn, which he remembers from his boyhood days. Somewhat against his will, Enright admits that, in the States, he has been a prizefighter—an important piece of news, for there is nothing the people of Innesfree like better than a fine, old-fashioned Donnybrook. Danaher realises that he has been tricked into giving his consent to Ellen Roe, and furiously takes back her dowry. He turns on Enright and knocks him out with a single punch and, at this moment, a dramatic flash-back reveals how, in his eighty-seventh fight, the American prizefighter killed an opponent in the ring—the real reason for his refusal to fight again.

This gives us:

Trooper Sean Thornton HW 8 Either
Red Will Danaher HW 5 Slugger
Tony Godello HW 2 Slugger
Trooper John Enright HW 7 Slugger

Bear

PS I'll post some pics in the picture thread in a bit.

[bear]

"The Patent Leather Kid" in
The Patent Leather Kid and Other Stories
by Rupert Hughes
Grosset & Dunlap
New York, 1917, 1919, 1926, 1927

Curly "Coily Berl" Boyle
New York up and comer. Papers say he's fighting set ups. 18-0. Loses to Jersey Skeeter on a cross. WWI wounded in combat.

Jake Stuke
Manager of Curly Boyle.

The Jersey Skeeter
Taller, heavier, 3 inch reach advantage over Curly Boyle. Agreed to drop in 4th but crosses and kos Curly.

Puffy Kinch
HW sparring partner for Curly Boyle. Black, WWI wounded in combat.

This was also a feature film discussed by Romano.

The Patent Leather Kid (1927)
In the Novel Boyle's dancer girlfriend is the Patent Leather Kid. In the film they call her Boyle and the boxer is the Patent Leather Kid. I'll call the boxer Curley Boyle and nickname him Patent Leather Kid. I'll also combine the Kinch.
IMDB gives this cast
character's names.
Richard Barthelmess ... Patent Leather Kid
Molly O'Day ... Curley Boyle, the Golden Dancer
Lawford Davidson ... Lieutenant Hugo Breen
Matthew Betz ... Jake Stuke
Arthur Stone ... Jimmy Kinch

This all gives us:

Curly "Coily Berl" Boyle HW 3 Slugger
The Jersey Skeeter HW 1 Slugger
James Puffy Kinch HW 1 boxer

Bear

[bear]

Pug
by Albert Idell
Greystone Press
New York, 1941

Leslie "Whitey" Phillips
B 2/09/1912 "The blond Adonis" Mecca, PA Began as amateur at 175 lbs. 190-194 as pro. Very good natural left hand. Began at Mecca Y trained by Doc Arnold. Beats Hogan to win an American Legion 6 round tourney in Nov. In Feb. wins a cup for 3 bout tourney. In New York for the Transcript Tourney. 2 desicions and 3 Ko wins in 2 days net him 26 pages in the New York Transcript. Whitey gets tin ear in final, 3rd round ko of Vitulli.
Signs as a pro with Lou Buchultz. Whitey is fanatical about training. At 17 after 11 pro bout gets a beat down in Miami from Bierbaum. Buchultz runs out on him with the purse. Little Eva Smith, waitress and helps him. Showed guts and stamina losing to Abe Biernbaum. After loss to Abe had a fight in Miami, a 10 round draw, loses decision in Baltimore, 2 kos and a decision in Atlantic city. 39-1 ? Slinging hash in New Orleans signs with Steve Reardon. In Birmingham wins a semi vs. Tennessee Champ. 22-2 since signing with Reardon. Gets a bout in Philadelphia, near Mecca. Reardon issues a challenge to the champ $50,000 to fight Whitey. Whitey goes on a western tour. In Johnstown fights Reno. The beating he took ruins him and damaged his head. Drops 2 more bouts. On skids seeting pins for 10 cents and tips. Punch drunk kills Eva and flees. Shot to death working as a strike breaking goon. Mismanaged prospect.

Abe Biernbaum
HW 194 lbs. Fading vet. Matched vs. Lester "Whitey" Phillips in Miami. A 5 to 1 favorite. Whitey is 17 and overmatched despite being undefeated at time. Has been through the mill, smart veteran fighter. Overdeveloped shoulder muscles protect his face. Boxes flatfooted with hands and elbows guarding body. Throws hard punches. Doesn't fire often. Whitey is aggressor for first 2 rounds. Abe counters a left, opens up a cut and works body. Opens another cut and keeps at it working both. Good ring general. Whitey makes it into 8th and final round KOd and badly beaten. Nose broken.

Jack Reno
HW short 186 lbs. A choping block. In 200 fights never ko'd. Has lost 150 decisions Scarred granite face. Takes whitey's best shots, Works body well. Was fighting when Whitey was a kid. Covers up vs. attack. Cuts Whitey's eyebrow, reopens in fifth. Age 34. Puts Whitey out on his feet, but Whitey's conditioning gets him through, Next round reopens cut and punishes Whitey. Gives him a shelacking in a decision win. One of Reno's left cracked something in Whitey's head.

Give us:

Jack Reno HW 1 Boxer
Abe Biernbaum HW 4 Either
Leslie "Whitey" Phillips HW 3 Slugger

Bear

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Other fighters from this novel include:

Tony Macuso
WW up & comer when Whitey is on skids.

Tommy Trout
Ex-champ, now a has been, stumble bum. No weight given.

Sailor Murphy
hw lost an 8 round decision to Whitey in a semi.

Creole Kid
Hw Opponent of Lester "Whitey" Phillips in New Orleans, loses, slow.

Dave Fulton "The Minnesota Strongman"
HW loses to Lester "Whitey" Phillips in Philadelphia.

Giving us:

Dave Fulton "The Minnesota Strongman" HW 2 Either
Sailor Murphy HW 1 Boxer
Tommy Trout LHW 4 Slugger
Tony Macuso WW 3 Slugger
Creole Kid HW 1 Boxer

Bear

[bear]

A bunch of tomato cans and stiffs from this novel include:

Tennessee Champ
Loses to Whitey.

Bill Montgomery
HW One-time oponent of Lester "Whitey" Phillips, ko victim.

Battling Cohen
HW early KO victim of Whitey's. Whitey got $10 for bout.

Trevelli
HW early KO victim of Whitey's.

Sam Vitulli
HW loses NY Transcript tourney final to Phillips.

Gives us:

Sam Vitulli HW 1 Slugger
T.C. Trevelli HW 1 Boxer
Battling Cohen HW 1 Boxer
Bill Montgomery HW 1 Slugger
Champ Tennessee HW 1 Slugger

Bear

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The parade of stiffs from this novel concludes with:

Pride of Paterson
First pro opponent of Lester "Whitey" Phillips. KOd in 1 by a left hook.

Bill "The Watertown Wildcat" Hogan
190 lbs. clumsy and slow, lacks skill, ko'd in 2nd round of tourney final by Whitey.

Pat "kid Mecca" Carney
LHW Outclassed sparring with Whitey fouls him.

T.R. "Two-Round" Hannigan
LHW 3 pre-lim bouts, one vs. a southpaw who messed him up. Strikebreaker with Whitey. A TC.

Doc Arnold
Trainer at Mecca Y. Ex-fighter, but not too talented.

Giving us:

Doc Arnold BW 1 Boxer
T.R. "Two-Round" Hannigan LHW 1 Slugger
Pat "kid Mecca" Carney LHW 1 Slugger
Bill "The Watertown Wildcat" Hogan HW 1 Slugger
Paterson Pride HW 1 Slugger

Bear

[bear]

Shake This Town
by Robert V. Williams
Viking
New York, 1960

time approximately 1955 Setting Dungeness, NJ. A gritty suspence novel with a strong boxing theme. Recommended reading if you can find a copy.

Has characters:

Petey "The Cat" Catanzaro
WW B 1933 "The Pride of Little Italy" Diamond Gloves LW champ with only 1 loss. 2 yrs in Korea. Cook in the army at Ft. Dix. 5' 7" 143 lbs.
Regimental WW champ although under the weight limit. Home Dungeness, NJ. Serving 4 years probation sentenced by judge Del Mauro. Father died under suspicious circumstances. Brother Gus. Girlfriend Stefana Trezzo, 17. Floors Mickey Gordon in sparring session. Pizza maker at Flower of Italy Pizzeria. Partner there with Amintore "Scrag" scramanglia. Managed by Coffee LaStarza. Booked for a pro bout vs. a TC in Lyndhurst on Tuesday and Friday in East Orange vs. Little Nitro. KO 2 win. 3rd win vs. Agricola TKO 4. 2 more TCs, Next WD 8 vs JoJo Flynn and KO 1 vs Whitehorse. Al Walsh next in Scranton in his 6th bout TKO 8. Courageous and clever boxer with 32 amateur bouts and another 20 im military. 144 3/4 for bout vs. Mickey Gordon. TKO 4 for Petey. Boxes while trying to unravel the secrets of his dad's death.

Mickey Gordon
WW Boston. in Angelo LoSordo's stable. Decisioned by DiFino at St. Nick's. 19 straight wins before this. Perpeual windmill style and body attack.
Lost to DeFino due to inexperience. In 4 TV fights. Wears down opponents with a body attack and finishes them. Has a punch like a mule. Dropped in a sparring session by Petey Catanzaro. Never knocked down before. Crash bang style much like that of Gene Fullmer. Can take it and keep coming in punishing you. Short on overall experience. No amateur expereince. Courageous slugger. Has ko'd opponents who were sluggers, but has gone distance when facing boxers. Goes after Petey with body punches and uses laces. Petey's hook off a jab opens a gash. Petey's eye swollen shutby third, Head butt. Solly replaces cornerman after 3rd. In 4th re-opens gash and works it. TKO loss for Gordon.

Dude Swan
WW Black, husky man. Brought in by Hymie to spar with Petey "The Cat" Catanzaro. Good quick jab and hook. Knocked Petey down in sparring session. Tough. Can handle middleweights and lightheavies, but managers don't want to touch him because he can't handel the ladies. Great right hand. Employed mostly as a sprring partner.

Tony "The Carp" Carpaggio
B 1903 Crooked beat cop. In cahoots with Bachelor AC shakedowns. Stepbrother of Schutz, another crooked cop. In the 20s boxed as a pro LHW under name Tony Carson. sparred with Delancey and Berlenbach. Wants to get Petey "The Cat" Catanzaro to fight for him using Coffeee as a middleman. Joined force in 1926.

Gives us:

Tony "The Carp" Carpaggio LHW 1 Slugger
Dude Swan WW 9 Either
Mickey Gordon WW 7 Slugger
Petey "The Cat" Catanzaro WW 8 Boxer

Bear

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Other characters in this novel include:

Al Walsh
WW B 1925 Vet of a lot of fights, most ending early.. Stiff Puncher. Only in last 3 yrs have bouts begun to go distance. Good chin. A main event opponent for Catanzaro in Petey's 6th bout. Trapkin once took him the distance. In 6th he rocks Petey but is cut below eye. Gash opened over left eye and right cheekbone. In 8 gash is deepened. Straight ahead fighter with a rudimentary imitation of Armstrong's shoulder movement. TKO win for Petey in 8. Began as a LW.

Carmine DiFino
B 1925 WW veteran trial horse. Canny counter puncher with a jaw like a fire hydrant. Decsions Mickey Gordon at St. Nick's. Boxer.

Solly Trapkin
LW B 1927 Cornerman for Petey "The Cat" Catanzaro's Diamond Belt bouts initially 7 years earlier when Petey was 16. As a pro he had no punch and a great chin. Fired by Angelo LoSordo. Age 28. LW slipping. Once went distance with Al Walsh.

Hymie Singer
Trainer hired by Coffee LaStarza to train Petey "The Cat" Catanzaro. Veteran. Was an active LW for 20 years.

Levi Davis
MW B 1939 Plainfield, NJ. young black kid age 16. On undercard of Walsh-Catanzaro in Scranton. 3 Ko's in ist 3 prelims.

Gives us:

Levi Davis MW 5 Slugger
Hymie Singer LW 6 Either
Solly Trapkin LW 6 Boxer
Carmine DiFino WW 3 Boxer
Al Walsh WW 6 Slugger

Bear

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Other characters in this novel are:

JoJo Flynn
WW Overweight, bull-in and maul the body type of fighter. Slow balding. Goes distance vs. Catanzaro. Petey can't finish him. Scarred vet.

Chief Allie Whitehorse
WW Claimed to be an Apache. Heavy armed, muscle-bound, short jerky body puncher. KO'd in 1 by Catanzaro.

Tony Agricola
WW 3rd opponent for Petey "The Cat" Catanzaro. Loses TKO 4. Dirty, heavy set club fighter. Bout at Sunset Gardens, Newark Mouth cut in 3rd and again in 4th. Butted petey.

Little Nitro
WW faces Petey "The Cat" Catanzaro in Petey's 2nd pro bout. On TV once, a fill in. Long armed paddle wheel style fighter. Flailer, not good defensively Willing, but no knowledge of infighting, not good defensively. Ko'd by body shot in 2nd.

Frankie Riley
LW Kelly AC. Diamond Gloves LW champ, a southpaw, lost to Petey "The Cat" Catanzaro. Now a LW on McNeil Island prison team, broke probation.

Gives us:

Frankie Riley LW 1 Either
Little Nitro WW 1 Boxer
Tony Agricola WW 1 Slugger
Chief Allie Whitehorse WW 1 Slugger
JoJo Flynn WW 1 Slugger

Bear

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The following characters wrap up this Novel:


Perry Smith
LW in Diamond Gloves bouts. A heavy puncher. Died in Korea.

Limey Schwartz
A trainer. Leased his gym to mobster Angelo Lo Sordo.

Charlie Tettlebaum
Ex-pug. Limey's Schwartz's assistant. Took a lot of punishment.

Vito Piccolo
MW former Diamond Glover with Bachelor AC. Not bright. KO'd in semis.

Ding Dong Florio
FW B 1911 punchdrunk ex-FW title claimant now a Trainer of mediocre ability. Replaces Singer as Catanzaro's trainer.


For anyone interested we have two fictional referees:

Barney Caspar
Referee in Mickey Gordon vs Catanzaro.

Billy Joy
Referee Walsh-Catanzaro

We are givern the following fighters:

Ding Dong Florio FW 6 Slugger
Vito Piccolo MW 1 Slugger
Charlie Tettlebaum BW 1 Boxer
Limey Schwartz BW 1 Boxer
Perry Smith LW 1 Slugger

Bear

[bear]

Fighting Blood
by H. C. Witwer
Grosset & Dunlap
New York, 1923
with illustrations from the Photoplay

Another of Witwer's outstanding boxing novels, that followed his success with the Leather Pushers

Among the Characters are:

Gale Galen aka Six Second Smith "The Drew City Cannon"
WW through LHW Home Drew City (38 miles from New York). 17 yr old Soda jerk who KO's Knockout Kelly in a drugstore. Initially as a fighter he is game, has a punch, game, but tends to lead with right and telegraph. Debut Red Johns KO 1 in 16 seconds. Fred Nixon KO 1. Young Fisher W 3. KO 1 KId George. Dropped 4 times in first RSF. First 4 bouts as a ww. Grew to 158. W1 Shifty McTague scheduled 10 in Irontown PA. KO 8 Battling Lee in Irontown. Likes to read. Smart. Gale nets $500 from 1st 6 bouts, made $12,00. Gale gets $600 for McTague fight. Adopts a fighting crouch a la his idol Jack Dempsey. Shifty. Turns 19. Motto "Dieu et Mon Droit" God and my right. Gale takes punishment, and is dropped in 2nd. Overexcited Lee can't finish. Gale floored 3 times. Lee has best of next 4 rounds with Gale only landing about 5 solid punches. Lee figths dirty. Uses rabbit punches and butts. Early in 7th Lee is tiring. He has punched himself out. In 7th Gale's right eyecut and shut but a 1-2 drops Lee for 9 count- saved by a short bell. Stopped in 8th by 1-2. Gale works corners for Jackson's opponents trying to get a challenge answered. Jackson aggrees at catchweights. Gale 158 & Jackson over. $25,000 for jackson and $3,500 for Gale. D vs. Frankie Jackson, a double KO. In round 7 Jackson figures he's worn Gale down & is dropped by a rigth to jaw. In 9th Gale shuts Jackson's eye but is floored by a punch that fractured Gale's jaw. At Shapiro's instructions Gale drops from 1st body shot next round to get Jackson to work his body and ignore the jaw. 12th the double ko. Can take punishment well. Gale in 24 bouts has 20 KO wins and 1 draw. At 20 he is 5' 10 3/4 and closer to 164. Out for 90 days with jaw. Goes to business school. Bout vs. Wild Bill Killoran. Gale 162 1/2. Killoran Aggressive til hit by a body shot, then cautious. Gale jabs him silly and beats him to the punch consistantly. 2nd gale wobbles him with a right.
Killoran clinches and butts Gale opening a cut over right eye. Angered, Gale drops him but he beats the count. In 3rd Gale gets a bloody mouth but closes killoran's left eye. killoran warned for a low blow. To escape a
KO loss He deliberately fouls Gale for a DQ. Gale KO's Killoran in the dressing room. Gale now a LHW. KO Kid Michaels. KO 5 Larry Forbes. Gale has $2086.14 in bank. Offered $35,000 for 3 fights in England. Hanley
vs. Gale for American title. Hanley dropped for 8 count in 1st and is finished by a right cross following a feint. Slade asks for $100,000 guarantee. Gale lost a fortune on horses but bet to Ko Hanley and recoups some money. Gale wants to promote his own fights. Offers Kid Christopher $15,000 for bout. Roma Romaine actress and publicity hound gets Gale drunk before bout. In cahoots with "Rags" Dempster and his hood pals.
1st Kid works body. In 2nd Gale punished & dropped for 8 by uppercut. Round 3 Gale has a cut eye, he begins to open up but but he's punished and heads for wrong corner. 4th The Kid blocks a left hook and stings Gale. Clinches after a right from Gale. Gale feints a left and nails him with a right to the middle. Gale then beats him to the punch and drops him to his haunches. Up at 9 Gale counters a left lead and Ko's him. Gale pays off his investors 2 to 1. With Nate and Kayo buys Theatre in Drew City.
Offers Slade $100,00 for bout. Prior to bout Gale's hand were burned in a fire at the theatre. 1st 2 rounds Gale fights defensively. IN 3rd Gale dropped for 7 count Shapiro has Slade's gloves inspected to get more time. In 4th Shapiro tells him he's going to inject coccaine into his hand for the pain. It's water but Gale unleashes.Right to the heart hurts Slade, another to body is followed with one hook to the chin and a combo to the chin dropping Slade. Offerd $75,000 to face Jack Martin. Round 1 Martin outboxes Gale. 2nd Martin swarms and scores heavily breaks Gales nose. 3rd Gale takes 4 shot intentionally to draw Martin in and nails him with a left to body and right to the chin. Martin falls into the ropes, rebounds off them into another right that knocks him out of the ring. Crowd helps him get back in at count of 8. Gale doesn't want to hit Martin who's out on his feet. Martin knocks Gale down at bell while Gale had his hands down. 4th Gale staggers Martin, goes to body twice and Martin clinches. Martin hits on break, but without steam. Martin's left eye shut, and he takes punishment. Dropped by shot to stomach, his corner claims was foul.
5th Martin stopped at 1.20. Hard right has him reeling. Hook to haeart drops him. Groggy and up at 4. Measured right to jaw finishes bout.
Gale want a shot at Hurrican Ryan HW champ. Gale invent a nationally marketed beverage, Judy Punch. Buys the Demster mansion at auction. Has fought as a pro for 6 years. 30 KOs in 34 fights. John T. Brock puts up the money for a private fight between Gale and Ryan with a secret result.
Round 1 both go for quick KO. Ryan uses weight to bull. Ryan's ear bloodied. Dale down for 7 flash knockdown. Round 2 slower Gale works straight left and hooks to body. Makes Ryan chase. Ryan touched gloves wtih Gale after Gale passed up a cheap shot chance when Ryan slipped and was off balance. 3rd Ryan starts fast and has Gale on queer street from a terrific right and floors him with a left hook. Gale beats count and is dropped by a right that bloodied his mouth. Gale clinches. RYan, out of shape, is beginning to tire. Gale get second wind and scores a body shot. Follows with an overhandright that draws blood. Ryan floored for 9 by right to chin. Gale tries to finish it and breaks right thumb on ringpost. Gale pasted in 4th and 5th. Gale floored by uppercut to throat and again for 8 by two to the body before the bell. Ryan has 1, 4, and 5 on cards.
6th Gale goes southpaw lading with right to get shot for left hook. Gale take a shot to head and retaliates with 2 shot to the wind. The second dropped Ryan. Left to heart followed by left to jaw put Ryan out for 4 minutes. Signed to fight Battling Long for title in Jersey City 15 rounds. Gale doesn't train for bout. Battling Long LHW challenger. Ko'd Kid Christopher in 2 in Philly. Signed to fight Gale for title in Jersey City 15 rounds. Long outboxes Gale through 10 rounds fighting at long range and chopping Gale to pieces with his left. Gale refuses to throw in sponge in 11th. Gale dropped 9 times in bout: twice in both 4th and 5th, once in both 7th and 13th, and three times in 11th. In 14th Long gets upset about not finishing and got careless dropped for a 6 count but he wins an easy decision. Gale retires to wed Judy Wilcox.

Hurrican Ryan
HW champ. 6'2 3/4" 215. KO'd Jim Lang in 3. A bruiser. Wants $200,000 to face Gale. John T. Brock puts up the money for a private fight with a secret result. Only 3 others sneak in to watch. Round 1 both go for quick KO. Ryan uses weight to bull. Ryan's ear bloodied. Dale down for 7 flash knockdown. Round 2 slower Gale works straight left and hooks to body. Makes Ryan chase. Ryan touched gloves wtih Gale after Gale passed up a cheap shot chance when Ryan slipped and was off balance. 3rd Ryan starts fast and has Gale on queer street from a terrific right and floors him with a left hook. Gale beats count and is dropped by a right that bloodied his mouth. Gale clinches. RYan, out of shape, is beginning to tire. Gale get second wind and scores a body shot. Follows with an overhandright that draws blood. Ryan floored for 9 by right to chin. Gale tries to finish it and breaks right thumb on ringpost. Gale pasted in 4th and 5th. Gale floored by uppercut to throat and again for 8 by two to the body before the bell. Ryan has 1, 4, and 5 on cards. 6th Galen goes southpaw lading with right to get shot for left hook. Gale take a shot to head and retaliates with 2 shot to the wind. The second dropped Ryan. Left to heart followed by left to jaw put Ryan out for 4 minutes.

Knockout "Kayo" Kelly (Mendal Nussbaum)
WW KO'd in drugstore by Gale Galen while training in Drew City for a bout vs. Jackie Frayne. Bout D 10. $5,000 purse. Eventual stablemate of Galen.
In work out with Galen drops him often, but is also floored. Top contender. KO One Round Michaels, Kayo's right eye shut. KO Georgie Neill. KO 2 Indian Brown. Drops scheduled bout vs. Battlin' Murphy to wed Mary Ballinger.

Gives us:
Gale Galen LHW 10 Slugger
Six Second Smith (Galen at lowerweight) WW 11 Slugger
Hurrican Ryan HW 8 Slugger
Knockout "Kayo" Kelly (Mendal Nussbaum) WW 6 Slugger

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Additional fighters in this novel include:


Battling Long
LHW challenger. Ko'd Kid Christopher in 2 in Philly. Signed to fight Gale for title in Jersey City 15 rounds. Long outboxes Gale through 10 rounds fighting at long range and chopping Gale to pieces with his left. Gale refuses to throw in sponge in 11th. Gale dropped 9 times in bout: twice in both 4th and 5th, once in both 7th and 13th, and three times in 11th. In 14th Long gets upset about not finishing and got careless dropped for a 6 count but he wins an easy decision.

Jack Martin
LHW KO 1 Gunner Slade. Sensational. Offers $75,000 to face Gale. Round 1 Martin outboxes Gale. 2nd Martin swarms and scores heavily breaks Gale's nose. 3rd Gale takes 4 shot intentionally to draw Martin in and nails him with a left to body and right to the chin. Martin falls into the ropes, rebounds off them into another right that knocks him out of the ring. Crowd helps him get back in at count of 8. Gale doesn't want to hit Martin who's out on his feet. Martin knocks Gale down at bell while Gale had his hands down. 4th Gale staggers Martin, goes to body twice and Martin clinches. Martin hits on break, but without steam. Martin's left eye shut, and he takes punishment. Dropped by shot to stomach, his corner claims was foul. 5th Martin stopped at 1.20. Hard right has him reeling. Hook to haeart drops him. Groggy and up at 4. Measured right to jaw finishes bout.

Gunner "The English Flash" Slade
LHW World champion. Can hit hard. Gale gives him $100,000 guarantee. Gale burns hands 3 wks before bout. 1st 2 rounds Gale fights defensively. IN 3rd Gale dropped for 7 count Shapiro has Slade's gloves inspected to get more time. In 4th Shapiro tells him he's going to inject coccaine into his hand for the pain. It's water but a psyched up Gale unleashes .Right to the heart hurts Slade, another to body is followed with one hook to the chin and a combo to the chin dropping Slade. Stopped by Jack Martin in 1.

Kid Christopher
LHW Columbus OH. Stiff puncher. Offered $15,000 by Gale for bout. makes his camp in Red oliver's gym. Tough, can hit, works body, and can take it. 1st Kid works body. In 2nd Gale punished & dropped for 8 by uppercut. Round 3 Gale has a cut eye, he begins to open up but but he's punished and heads for wrong corner. 4th The Kid blocks a left hook and stings Gale. Clinches after a right from Gale. Gale feints a left and nails him with a right to the middle. Gale then beats him to the punch and drops him to his haunches. Up at 9 Gale counters a left lead and Ko's him. Ko'd 2 by Battling Long in Philly.

Wild Bill Killoran
LHW 174 lbs in bout vs. Gale at Eureka AC. Gale 162 1/2. Can hit hard. Aggressive til hit by a body shot, then cautious. Gale jabs him silly and beats him to the punch consistantly. 2nd gale wobbles him with a right.
Killoran clinches and butts Gale opening a cut over right eye. Angered, Gale drops him but he beats the count. In 3rd Gale gets a bloody mouth but closes killoran's left eye. killoran warned for a low blow. To escape a
KO loss He deliberately fouls Gale for a DQ. Gale KO's Killoran in the dressing room.

Giving us:

Wild Bill Killoran LHW 3 Slugger
Kid Christopher LHW 5 Slugger
Gunner "The English Flash" Slade LHW 9 Boxer
Jack Martin LHW 7 Either
Battling Long LHW 9 Boxer

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more fighters from this novel by witwer include:

Frankie Jackson
MW champ Clinches when hurt. Great jab, ring savy, listens to his corner, Good boxer with a decent punch, excellent boxing skill, great left, and very good footwork. Draws with Six Second Smith - a double KO. In round 7 Jackson figures he's worn Gale down & is dropped by a rigth to jaw.
In 9th Gale shuts Jackson's eye but is floored by a punch that fractured Gale's jaw. At Shapiro's instructions Gale drops from 1st body shot next round to get Jackson to work his body and ignore the jaw. 12th the double ko. Good sportsmanship.

Battling Lee
LHW Harrisburg, PA. 173 lbs. Fought at catchweights. KO'd in 8 by Six Second Smith. Fought to appease the ironworkers who were upset after the Smith McTague fight. Gale takes punishment, and is dropped in 2nd. Overexcited Lee can't finish. Gale floored 3 times. Lee has best of next 4 rounds with Gale only landing about 5 solid punches. Lee figths dirty. Uses rabbit punches and butts. Early in 7th Lee is tiring. He has punched himself out. In 7th Gale's right eyecut and shut but a 1-2 drops Lee for 9 count- saved by a short bell. Stopped in 8th by 1-2.

Shifty McTeague
MW L1 to Six Second Smith in scheduled 10 in Irontown, PA. McTeague popular in Irontown. Gets $1000 for bout Tall lanky, looks more like a boxer than a slugger. Doesn't like body shots. Takes hard 1-2 to middle goes down for 9, shot to heart for a 2nd 9, gets on bicycle, a slam to the wind followed by a rigth that missed has mcTague go down and stay down.
A quitter.

Jim Lang
HW challenger. Big and fast. 230 lbs. Hard puncher KO'd by Hurrican Ryan in title bout in 3.

Larry Forbes
LHW Tough egg KO'd in 5 by Gale in Philadelphia.

Give us:

Larry Forbes LHW 2 Boxer
Jim Lang HW 4 Slugger
Shifty McTeague MW 2 Boxer
Battling Lee LHW 3 Slugger
Frankie Jackson MW 9 Boxer

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