My Universe

[bear]

Good stuff as always, JC

[Ric915]

The upset of Schmeling is why I love this game. As in real life on any given night you can score an upset. Great stuff JC

[JCWeb]

May 1928 action is now concluded, here's a report on the feature bouts, action which saw six titles change hands in the same number of title bouts, including a changing of the guard at the top of the HW division:

May 18, 1928: Friday Night card travels to Briggs Stadium in Detroit, and featured is a 12-round bout with the NABF MW title at stake. Billy Angelo defends the belt versus Oakland Jimmy Duffy, who holds a prior TKO win in a prior bout when Angelo was still at Pre-Prime. Angelo has a tough time right from the start, as his right eye begins to swell up after just four rounds. The eye gradually gets worse, forcing a stoppage. Thus, the belt changes changes and it goes down as a TKO 9 for Duffy, who moves to 37-16-5 (8) while the loss moves Angelo to 21-7-1 (16).

May 19, 1928: Action is at the Olympia in London, England, and the main event is for the Commonwealth MW card as Aussie Alf Stewart defends versus Roland Todd from the UK. However, first there is a preliminary bout of note featuring the new Commonwealth HW champ, Jack Doyle, who takes on perennial contender, former WBA HW king Harry Wills, in a much anticipated bout. Wills, despite being past his prime, gets off to a strong start and Doyle's right eye starts to puff up even after just one round. Doyle gradually becomes the aggressor, but Wills hits his stride in the middle rounds and Doyle gradually wears down in the later rounds. It's a UD 10 win for Wills (97-92, 97-92, 95-94). Wills moves to 58-8-1 (46) and Doyle is now 20-6-2 (15). In the main event, Todd starts well and, in the late middle rounds, Stewart is hampered by a swollen right eye. The bout goes the distance, and the fact that Stewart is now Post-Prime has an effect as the belt goes to Todd in a close but UD 12 (115-113, 114-113, 115-113). Todd moves to 27-11-5 (6) while Stewart is now 21-11-2 (16).

May 19, 1928: Philadelphia is the scene of the next fight card, with the main event being for the WBA HW title. Gene Tunney, who is now at Post-Prime, defends against up-and-comer Jack Sharkey, who gets the World title shot in his first bout at Prime. After a cautious start by both men, Sharkey's right eye starts to puff up by the end of round six. The two appear evenly matched, both boxing well and neither able to connect with a strong shot. Sharkey sustains a cut under his left eye in round nine but battles his way to hold a slight points lead on the unofficial card heading into the late rounds. Tunney battles back with a good effort in rounds 11 and 12 to keep the bout close. Sharkey, battling the cut and the swollen eye, counters with a strong round 13. After a lackluster round 14, the bout goes the distance. Tunney comes up a bit short this time, and Jack Sharkey becomes the new WBA HW king by a UD 15 (146-139, 145-140, 145-140). This observer had Sharkey winning, but by a much narrower margin. Sharkey is now 19-2 (13) while Tunney slips to 41-8-3 (25). This result may well signal the end of the Dempsey-Tunney-Wills era of dominating the HW ranks as all three are at Post-Prime, and younger fighters such as Stribling and Sharkey have come to the fore.

May 25, 1928: Final Friday night fight card for May is at the Uline Arena in Washington, DC, and the feature bout has Johnny Jadick putting his JWW USBA title on the line against Harry Wallach. Jadick defeated Wallach via a MD 10 when both were still at Pre-Prime back in 1926. It proves to be a close bout, and Wallach puts Jadick under pressure in the middle rounds. Jadick battles a swollen eye in the later rounds, but he rallies to keep the bout close going into the final round. As it turns out, the final round is decisive as all three judges have the bout even going into the 12th round. The judges split 2-1 in favor of the challenger, so Wallach takes a SD 12 by the narrowest of margins (114-113, 113-114, 114-113) to become the USBA JWW Champ. Wallach moves to 15-8 (8) while Jadick is now 18-8-1 (5).

May 26, 1928: Sports Palace in Rome, Italy is the venue for the next fight card, and the feature bout matches EBU MW king Rene DeVos with British Champ Len Johnson. Bad luck for the "Little Fox," who sustains a severe cut over his left eye in the opening stanza. DeVos gamely battles on, but midway through the bout the cut becomes too severe to allow the bout to continue. The belt thus changes hands as it goes down as a TKO 5 win for Johnson. The win moves Johnson to 22-8 (14) while DeVos falls to 37-9-2 (17).

May 26, 1928: Final fight card of the month is at the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles. Featured is the HW USBA title clash between Jim Maloney and challenger Pat Lester who is looking to make the most of his first ever title shot despite reaching Post-Prime career stage. Maloney falls behind early, and he is decked by Lester in round three. By the end of round four, Maloney's right eye starts to puff up. The other eye starts swelling as Lester delivers several unanswered blows in round five. The referee steps in to save Maloney from further punishment, and Lester becomes the new USBA HW Champ via a TKO 5 stoppage. Lester is now 23-4 (20) while Maloney stands at 18-3-1 (16) in spite of the defeat.

[JCWeb]

Moving ahead to key fights from June 1928:

June 1, 1928: "Friday Night Fights" journeys north to Montreal, where the feature bout is for the Commonwealth BW title, currently held by Canadian Vic Foley, who puts the belt on the line against British BW king Johnny Brown. Brown, however, has just hit Pre-Prime so Foley is the pre-fight favorite. In round four, he rips open a gash over Brown's right eye. A round later, the eye starts swelling. Then, in round six, the pendulum appears to swing in favor of the Brit as Foley suffers a cut over his right eye. Two rounds later, the eye is still oozing blood. The finish comes in round nine, when Brown starts to tire and the other eye starts to swell. Then the cut over Brown's eye is reopened, and the ref steps in to call a halt. Foley escapes, retaining the title with a TKO 9 (cuts stoppage). The win boosts Foley's career totals to 25-9 (10) while Brown drops to 24-7-3 (17).

June 2, 1928: Gran Stadium in Havana, Cuba, is the scene of the next fight card, and the main event has Cuban FLY Black Bill putting his NABF crown up for grabs against #1 contender and former WBA Fly king Frankie Genaro. Action is slow to develop and the bout turns into a tense, defensive battle. The Cuban pulls ahead to a slight lead in the middle rounds, but then Genaro starts to turn things around as Black Bill looks curiously lethargic once Genaro starts to step up the pace. No knockdowns, but late in the bout Black Bill sustains a cut over the left eye and then his right eye starts to swell up as well. The strong comeback by Genaro wins rounds 7 through 11 from all three judges which is sufficient for a UD 12 win (116-115, 115-114, 115-114). Genaro moves to 28-8 (14) while Black Bill is now 20-8-4 (9).

June 2, 1928: Chicago's Comiskey Stadium is the venue for the next fight card, and the co-main event sees two top-ranked LW contenders, Lew Tendler and local favorite Sammy Mandell, battle in a 10-rounder with possible future title implications. Early in the third round, Tendler is nicked under his left eye. Mandell quickly moves to take advantage, and later in the round a gash is opened over Tendler's other eye that leads to an immediate stoppage. Mandell takes a TKO 3 win on the cuts stoppage to move to 28-8 (8) overall while Tendler, now at Post-Prime, falls to 44-16-2 (14). The main event of the evening has USBA BW Champ Bushy Graham challenging Howard Mayberry for the NABF crown. A prior bout in 1924 saw a TKO win for Mayberry, but Graham was at Pre-Prime career stage back then. Graham suffers a cut under his right eye in the opening round, and this enables Mayberry to build a points lead as Graham seems bothered by the cut, which is reopened in round six. Nonetheless, Graham battles back, and later in the bout it is Mayberry who is on the defensive, battling some swelling around his right eye. The bout goes the distance with no knockdowns scored by either fighter. Mayberry takes a SD 12 to keep the title (116-113, 114-115, 117-114) -- it is his second split duke win in three title defenses. Mayberry moves to 26-9-1 (13) overall. Graham, who ends the bout at 23-9 (8), still has the USBA belt.

June 8, 1928: More Friday night fight action at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, with two co-features as the main attractions. First, there is a battle of two long-time LHW contenders, former Champ Harry Greb and Mike McTigue. These two veterans wage a bruising battle, with Greb being forced to cover up as McTigue connects with some strong shots in round four. Greb battles back, despite suffering from the effects of aging, and McTigue's right eye starts to swell. The bout goes the distance without any KDs and Greb, appearing before his hometown fans in the Steel City, takes a UD 10 (96-94, 97-93, 97-93) to move to 49-11-2 (26) while McTigue is now 35-20-5 (21) and rapidly approaching Post-Prime career stage. Then, the final bout of the evening is a very interesting non-title matchup between newly-crowned and unbeaten JWW king Jack Kid Berg and the #2 WW contender, Joe Dundee. Dundee outshines his younger opponent in the early rounds, piling up a points lead and causing swelling around the left eye of the "Whitechapel Whirlwind." Berg steps up the pace in the later rounds, but to no avail as Dundee proves to be an elusive target. The end result is a UD 10 win for Dundee (98-93 on all three cards); Dundee moves to 29-7-4 (12) while Berg is 19-1-1 (14) after his first loss.

June 9, 1928: Next fight card is at the Stadium in Liverpool, England. Featured are Kid Socks and Johnny Hill, two Flyweights battling for the Commonwealth belt vacated by Jimmy Wilde who successfully regained the WBA crown. Big question before the bout is whether or not Hill, who is still at Pre-Prime, is overmatched in a title bout at this early stage of his career. He gets off to a good start, nailing Socks with a big left in round three that causes the veteran to cover up. Socks, however, appears to be the more consistent and accurate puncher throughout the middle rounds. Hill makes a nice comeback, and by round eight Socks' left eye starts to swell. Close bout into the final rounds, and Hill manages to pull out a SD 12 (117-112, 113-115, 116-113) to capture the title. Hill improves to 15-1 (11) while Kid Socks slips to 21-8-1 (8).

June 9, 1928: Miami Stadium in South Florida is the scene of the next action, and featured is a 12-round bout for the NABF HW title bout matching the defending Champ, George Godfrey with former WBA titleholder, Young Stribling, in a bout that should prove to be a good one, with the winner angling for a possible title fight with newly-crowned WBA king Jack Sharkey. After a cautious start by both men, Stribling appears to have the edge for most of the first half of the bout. Godfrey maintains his composure, however, and he rocks Stribling with a big cross in round 10 while battling a rapidly swelling left eye. The bout comes down to the scorecards, no knockdowns, and Godfrey retains the belt via a UD 12 (117-111, 116-112, 115-113). This observer thought the bout was fairly close, perhaps a one or two-point win for Godfrey, who moves to 36-7-1 (25) while Stribling is now 26-5-1 (16).

June 15, 1928: Friday Night card goes down under again to Sydney, Australia. Featured bout is a 10-round non-title affair between NABF LH king Ad Stone and Len Harvey, his Commonwealth and EBU counterpart. These are the top two LH contenders to Tommy Loughran's WBA crown, and it's a classic matchup of boxer (Harvey) versus puncher (Stone). Harvey's right eye starts to puff up midway through the bout, indicating that Stone's persistent, aggressive approach is starting to pay off. A couple of rounds later, however, it is Stone's right eye which starts to swell. Stone breaks through with a combination that puts Harvey on the deck briefly in round nine. Stone goes on to a solid UD 10 win (98-91, 98-91, 99-91). Both men still have excellent career marks, with Stone at 28-2 (17) and Harvey at 28-4-1 (12).

[JCWeb]

Wrapping up June 1928 action with two of the top talents in my Uni (Mickey Walker and Benny Leonard) on display in a couple of the main events. Will take a brief hiatus for a few days but am generally pleased that the pace in running and reporting these bouts has picked up since the beginning of the year.

June 16, 1928: Next up is a top-flight European fight card at Cannes, France, headed by twin bill European title tilts. First up is the EBU HW title matchup featuring Ireland's Bartley Madden, another aging veteran (like Dempsey, Tunney and Wills) who faces the challenge of Belgian Jack Humbeeck. Humbeeck, despite his limited ability, puts up a spirited performance, rocking Madden with a jab/uppercut combination in round three. The Belgian suffers a cut lip in round seven, but battles back to stagger Madden with an uppercut once again in round eight. Madden is bothered by a swollen left eye late in the bout and seems sluggish, particularly in the later rounds. The end result is a draw (114-all, 115-114 Humbeeck, 116-113 Madden) which enables Madden to keep his belt. His record now stands at 45-14-6 (18) and the surprsising Humbeeck is now 18-8-2 (11). Second fight of the co-main event features the "French Flash," Benny Valgar, former WBA LW king, who looks to regain his EBU LW crown in a bout with reigning GBU Champion Ernie Rice. Rice is in difficulty right from the start, as Valgar nails him with a big uppercut in round one, following up with a knockdown in round three. Rice, who is now at Post-Prime career stage, is no match for the Frenchman, who finishes well with a second KD that flattens Rice. Valgar by KO 6 to move to 37-12-2 (13) while Rice is now 26-14-1 (15).

June 16, 1928: Action moves to New Orleans, at the Coliseum Arena, and the main event has Chick Suggs defending the NABF FW title against Danny Kramer. Suggs draws first blood -- literally -- ripping open a cut on Kramer's forehead in round two. After focusing on protecting the cut against further damage, Kramer suffers a second cut under the left eye. A round later, after the second cut is patched up by his corner, the first cut is reopened. It proves too much for the challenger to contend with, and the bout is stopped a round later. It goes down as a TKO 6 for Suggs, who retains the title and improves to 30-9-4 (11) while Kramer slips to 35-12-4 (9).

June 22, 1928: Friday night fights are on tap for the Cow Palace in San Francisco, and the feature bout matches all-time great LW Benny Leonard with WW Jack Sparr for Sparr's USBA title. The "Ghetto Wizard" gets off to a strong start, repeatedly finding the range and causing Sparr's right eye to puff up by the end of the first stanza. However, in round three, Leonard suffers a setback when he sustains a cut over his right eye. Leonard builds an early points lead, and he decks the hapless Sparr with a combination in round five. For the rest of the bout, Sparr poses little challenge to the irrepressible Leonard, who waltzes to a lopsided UD 12 win (120-107, 118-109, 119-109) to earn his first title belt at WW. Leonard moves to 70-3-1 (40) while Sparr slips to 29-12-1 (15).

June 23, 1928: Harringay Arena in London is the venue for the next fight card, and the feature bout has WBA WW king Young Corbett III making his second defense against Bermondsey Billy Wells. Thus, two strong boxers battle it out with a world title at stake. Corbett appears to have the better of it in the early going, but in round six he is slowed by a cut over the left eye. Nonetheless, Corbett keeps pounding away, and in round 10 it is Wells, the hometown favorite, who suffers a cut on the forehead. Corbett has a solid lead heading into the final round of the bout, when the cut over the challenger's eye leads to a late stoppage. Wells' corner protests, but Corbett was likely to receive the unanimous nod from the three judges in any event. Corbett by TKO 15 on the cuts stoppage to keep the belt. The win moves Corbett to 28-5-2 (12) while Wells falls to 43-11-1 (16).

June 29, 1928: The final Friday in June sees the scene of the action shift to the Rizal Arena in Manila, Philippines, and two local boxers are featured in the main event in a battle for the OPBF FW crown -- Young Nationalista and the even younger Ignacio Fernandez, who is still at Pre-Prime in his first title bout. Not much action in this one until round six, when Fernandez sustains a cut over his left eye. Then, Nationalista connects with a strong shot, putting the challenger down for an eight-count in round eight. Fernandez recovers and makes a late surge but winds up on the short end of the scorecard. Nationalista by UD 12 (115-112, 115-112, 116-111) to keep the belt. He moves up to 23-5-2 (9) overall while Fernandez, who is now 15-3 (10), may need to set his sights a bit lower until he reaches Prime career stage after a couple of more outings.

June 30, 1928: Final fight card of the month sees an exciting evening of pugilistic action at Yankee Stadium in New York, headlined by a MW WBA title clash, but first up is a co-feature matching two top LHs, Jack Delaney and Lou Bogash, the current USBA titleholder. Delaney does not waste any time, nailing the "Blonde Italian" with a huge shot for the bout's first knockdown in the second. Later in the same round, he follows up with a hook for a second KD, and Bogash barely lasts the round. Things get worse for the "Blonde Italian" a round later, when he is decked for a thrid time by a sharp cross. After absorbing more punishment, ref Ruby Goldstein steps in and declares Delaney a TKO 3 victor. Strong effort by the Canadian, who lifts his record to 33-5-1 (21) while the defeat leaves Bogash at 32-15-2 (17). The MW title bout follows, featuring fan favorite Mickey Walker, who is defending against Brian Downey, a long-time contender who is now past his Prime. After a close opening round, Walker asserts himself, dominating the action in the second. He continues in round three, decking Downey with a combination. More trouble for Downey in round four, as his left eye starts to puff up. Walker administers the coup-de-grace with another strong shot in round six, and this time Downey goes down for the count. Walker by KO 6 for his 12th successive title defense. Walker moves to 38-1 (29) while Downey dips to 45-16-4 (20) after the loss.

[JCWeb]

Back with some reports for the first half of July 1928.

July 4, 1928: Mid-week fight card in Philadelphia to celebrate the 4th of July; feature bout pits Dick "Honeyboy" Finnegan against Joey Sangor for the USBA FW title. Finnegan seizes the upper hand with a dominant round five, and then in the seventh he decks Sangor with a vicious hook to the head. Sangor is unable to mount a rally, and the belt changes hands with a decisive UD 12 win for Finnegan (117-110, 115-112, 116-111). The win boosts Finnegan's career mark to 26-8 (6) while Sangor drops to 24-6-1 (11).

July 6, 1928: Dodge Theater in Phoenix is the scene of the next Friday night fight card, and the main event features two top-flight LW contenders, one-time NABF Champ Billy Petrolle and Ray Miller, battling for Miller's USBA LW crown. The two men have split two prior bouts and collectively have 45 wins versus just five losses. Turns out to be a relatively even bout for the first four rounds, then Petrolle has a huge round five to gain the upper hand. Miller battles back, however, landing some strong shots and then breaking through with a cross that puts Petrolle down in round 11. The knockdown seals the UD 12 win for Miller (115-112 on all three cards). Both men maintain their high rankings and excellent records; Miller is now 24-3 (13) and Petrolle is 24-3-2 (10).

July 7, 1928: Liverpool in the UK is the venue for the next fight action, and the British MW title is up for grabs as Frank Moody and Ted Moore vie for the vacant belt, vacated by Len Johnson who moved on after picking up the EBU title. On paper, the bout shapes up as a good one, as both men have one win in two prior encounters and both are at Prime career stage. Moody takes charge early, landing repeatedly to build a points lead then exploiting defensive weaknesses when Moore walks into a Moody cross in round five, taking a trip to the canvas as a result. Not much more to report as Moody grinds out a UD 12 win (114-112, 117-109, 115-111) to take the title. Moody moves to 30-16-4 (13) while Moore is now 30-10-4 (10).

July 7, 1928: Action moves to North of the Border, at the Edmonton Gardens, and Canadian WW is featured as he tries for his first title belt, matched against veteran Aussie Paul Demsky for the Commonwealth WW belt vacated by Bermondsey Billy Wells, who decided to focus on the EBU title after not defending the CBU one for over a year. McLarnin, cheered on by hometown fans, takes control right from the start with a strong effort in the opening round. By round five, Demsky's left eye is starting to swell, making him ripe for a McLarnin uppercut that puts the Aussie veteran down and out. KO 5 for McLarnin to take the belt, and his record is an excellent one, 22-2 (17). Demsky, who is at Post-Prime, is now 22-13-2 (16).

July 13, 1928: Friday night fights series returns to a popular location, the Amor Bahn in Munich. Twin bill action at the top of the cards, first there is German HW Hans Breitenstrater going against Sweden Harry Persson in the 10-round co-main event. There is action right away, as the Swede puts Breitenstrater down with a sharp combination in the opening stanza, following up with a second KD later in the round. Breitenstrater battles back, landing sufficient blows to cause Persson's left eye to start swelling midway through the bout. In the end, though, Breitenstrater's age (Post-Prime) caught up with him so Persson takes a UD 10 win (97-93, 98-92, 96-94); Persson moves to 20-5 (13) while Breitenstrater is 23-9-3 (19). The second feature, and final bout on the card, pits ranked MW Billy Shade versus Germany's Hans Domgorgen, who is angling for a shot at Rene DeVos' European title belt. This one ends abruptly in the initial round, when Shade is called for some low blows and disqualified by the German referee, Waldemar Schmidt. A protest from Shade's corner is to no avail, and Domgorgen takes the DQ-1 win. The result satisfies the hometown crowd and moves Domgorgen to 24-7 (14) while Shade slips to 28-13-2 (17).

July 14, 1928: Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis is the scene of the next action, and featured are two 10-round bouts with several young fighters' talents on display. First of the co-main events is a LW bout, pitting veteran Andy Chaney versus up-and-comer Sammy Fuller, loser of just one of his first 22 contests. Fuller is off to an excellent start, with Chaney's left eye starting to swell as a result of the repeated blows by the end of round three. Chaney, who appears to be suffering from the adverse effects of aging (now at Post-Prime), lacks the firepower to launch a comeback. Thus, Fuller takes a relatively easy UD 10 (96-94, 98-93, 98-92) to move his career mark to 22-1 (8) while Chaney is now 37-14-2 (12). Second and final co-feature bout pits LH "Sweet Lou" Scozza against Harry Fuller; both men are still at Pre-Prime and have suffered only one defeat in their pro careers thus far. Action develops early in this one, as an off-balance Scozza is vulnerable to a Fuller combination, and he hits the deck as a result. Then the action turns in Scozza's favor, as he makes the most of an opening in round five to deliver a barrage of blows for a KD of Fuller. More action as both men look to unload a round later, and once again Fuller comes out on the short end as Scozza decks him for a second time with a big hook, following up with a cross for his third KD of the fight near the end of the round. Fuller gets back on his feet, but is helpless as an unanswered series of blows leads to a stoppage. Scozza by TKO 6, and the stoppage win moves his record to 18-1 (15) while Fuller is now 14-2-1 (10).

[JCWeb]

July 20, 1928: Friday Night card goes down under once again, this time to Melbourne, Australia. Main event is a 10-round HW bout featuring with local favorite George Thompson paired against top 10 ranked Floyd Johnson. No titles at stake, but lots of prestige and a chance for Thompson to move up in the world rankings with a win. After a tense defensive struggle for the opening four rounds, the close bout comes a surprisingly early finish in round five when Thompson grimaces in pain. A badly injured hand forces his retirement, and the bout goes into the books as a TKO 6 for Johnson. Johnson moves up to 25-6-1 (21) overall, while Thompson, who is now 20-3-1 (12), must sit out for at least three months waiting for the injured hand to heal.

July 21, 1928: Back to the UK again, this time the venue is Harringay Arena in London. Double bill with co-main events, with a strong FW matchup (scheduled for 10) featuring Louis Kaplan who takes on British FW hopeful Al Foreman in a non-title bout. Foreman's right eye starts to puff up almost immediately as Kaplan gets off to a strong start in the opening round. The swelling gradually worsens, enabling Kaplan to pull ahead to a substantial points lead. Foreman is unable to break through Kaplan's defenses, and the bout goes the distance with Kaplan taking a comfortable UD 12 win (99-92, 99-92, 98-93). Kaplan's record now stands at 31-6-1 (10) with Foreman at 22-11 (18). The fight card wraps up with a GBU WW title clash, with Hamilton Jimmy Brown defending versus the ageless veteran, Ted Kid Lewis, who is seeking to avenge a SD loss to Brown for the same title a year ago. Brown gets off to a poor start, sustaining a cut over the left eye. The cut is reopened again in the fifth round, and the wily veteran Lewis takes advantage of the situation, proving he is still dangerous in spite of being at Post-Prime career stage. Brown stages a late rally but falls just short when the final scorecards are read. Lewis by UD 12 (116-112, 115-113, 116-112) to take the belt. Lewis moves to 52-17-4 (22) while Brown is now 19-12-5 (9).

July 21, 1928: Action moves to a new location, the Sicks Stadium in Seattle, and the featured bout showcases the talent of the new USBA LHW Champ Paul Berlenbach, the "Astoria Assassin," who is making his first defense versus George Courtney. After a couple of calm opening rounds, Berlenbach unleashes a powerful attack in round three, putting Courtney down on the canvas. Courtney elects to cover up, but Berlenbach's killer instinct kicks in and he is able to force a stoppage before the end of the round. TKO 3 for Berlenbach, who looks very impressive in his first title defense to move to 21-3 (16) overall, while Courtney slips to 16-6 (15).

June 27, 1928: Friday night fights next move to Rome, at the Sports Palace, and the feature bout is for the EBU BW title, with local favorite Tommy Milton defending the belt verus Nipper Pat Daly. Milton starts well, then hangs on for a narrow UD 12 win (115-114 on all three cards) as Daly stepped up the pace in the middle to late rounds. Milton moves to 20-8-2 (9) while Daly slips to 21-8-1 (11).

June 28, 1928: Tripleheader feature headlines the main event at the Polo Grounds in New York City. Before the co-main events get underway, one of the preliminary bouts sees a huge upset, as unbeaten Flyweight Midget Wolgast appeared well on his way to victory before being decked and KO'd in the final round by German Harry Stein, reversing a result from 1927 action. Then, first of the co-features has fan favorite Jimmy Braddock matched against another tough young HW prospect, Roy "Hoot" Burger. Burger starts well, but in the middle rounds Braddock seems to be gaining the upper hand. By round seven, Burger is starting to tire. No cuts or knockdowns, and the bout goes the distance. The judges can't agree, however, and it goes down as a draw (98-93 Braddock, 95-all, 94-96 Burger). I had Braddock the winner by a narrow margin. In any event, both men are now 12-1-1, Braddock with 6 KOs compared to 7 KOs for Burger. Following Braddock into the ring is another top young prospect, LW Tony Canzoneri, who is matched with veteran Frankie Farren who is at end career stage. Canzoneri, the popular "Roman Warrior," takes charge early in the bout, working inside and repeatedly landing shots to the head and body of Farren. A cut is opened over Farren's right eye in round six, and this leads to a late stoppage although the outcome was a foregone conclusion. Canzoneri by TKO 9 on the cuts stoppage to move to 14-1 (11) while Farren is now 24-23-6 (9) with one more bout left in his career. Final bout of the evening is for the WBA JLW crown, featuring the defending Champ, Tod Morgan, who faces the challenge of veteran Eddie Wagner, the #1 contender and reigning USBA JLW Champion. It's Wagner's fourth try at a WBA crown, and he has managed just one win in three prior meetings with the heavily favored Morgan. This time, fortune favors the challenger, as a sharp exchange causes blood to shoot from a gash over Morgan's right eye early in the second round. Unfortunately for Morgan, the cut worsens before the round can end, leading to an immediate stoppage. The WBA title belt thus goes to Wagner for the first time, via a TKO 2. He moves up to 36-16-1 (16) overall while Morgan, who is now 26-6 (10), still has a bright future.

July 28, 1928: Final fight card of the month is at Panama City's Olympia Stadium, with two top-notch bouts headlining the card for fight fans. The co-feature sees two veteran HWs, Gene Tunney and Harry Wills, matching wits in a 10-round non-title bout. Both former Champions are at Post-Prime, but it still proves to be an interesting matchup, with their one prior meeting (for the WBA HW crown back in 1924) having gone Tunney's way (UD 15). Tunney begins the bout by boxing effectively, while Wills seems uncomfortable. By the end of round four, Wills' left eye is starting to puff up. Tunney continues to pile up a points lead in the middle rounds, coasting to a UD 10 victory (96-94, 97-97-93, 97-93) although Wills did well to manage to keep the bout close. Tunney lifts his record to 42-8-3 (25) while the defeat leaves Wills at 58-9-1 (46). Finally, the hometown crowd here in Panama has turned out for the main event, with favorite Panama Al Brown defending the WBA BW title against former WBA Flyweight king, Pancho Villa, who has recently moved up to BW and captured the OPBF BW belt. Panama Al toys with the aging veteran, who is in the twilight of his career in addition to moving up in weight class. Brown nails Villa with a strong shot for the bout's first knockdown in round five, then he follows with a second KD a few rounds later in the seventh when an overhand right finds its target. A third KD follows shortly thereafter, and Villa is lucky to survive the round. Brown, holding a huge points lead, steps off the gas and retreats into a defensive shell in the late rounds. Panama Al Brown by a decisive UD 15 (149-133, 150-132, 150-132) as Villa offers little resistance. Brown moves to 29-3 (13) while Villa dips to 32-9-3 (14).

[JCWeb]

On to the action from August 1928:

Aug. 3, 1928: Friday night fight card at the "Aud" in Buffalo, feature bout has George Godfrey defending his NABF title belt against new USBA titleholder Pat Lester. Godfrey holds a UD over Lester in a prior bout, and he is favored to repeat as Lester has just hit Post-Prime (1928 being his RL retirement year). Lester is put on the defensive right away, as Godfrey manages to open a gash over his right eye. The eye starts swelling a couple of rounds later. In the middle rounds, Godfrey eases up a bit, allowing Lester to battle back to keep the bout reasonably close. Then, in round seven, Godfrey nails Lester with a powerful combination for the fight's first knockdown. A second KD occurs a couple of rounds later, and then the cut is reopened leading to a stoppage. Godfrey, well on his way to victory, retains the belt with a TKO 9. His career totals are now 37-7-1 (26) while Lester drops to 23-5 (20).

Aug. 4, 1928: Ullevi Stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden is the venue for the next fight card, and co-main event features two some top HW talent. Rated HW Jack Dorval faces Belgian Jack Humbeeck, who was so impressive in his last outing when challenging for veteran Bartley Madden's EBU belt. After a cautious start by both men, the action heats up in round five when Dorval decks Humbeeck in a barrage of blows. Despite the setback, Humbeeck battles back to rally in the later rounds, winning the final three rounds from all three judges. Thus, it goes down as a UD 10 for Humbeeck (96-94, 97-93, 96-94) who moves to 19-8-2 (11) while Dorval drops to 18-8 (13). Then, in the headline main event, Spaniard Paolino Uzcudan, the "Basque Woodchopper," faces Australian George Cook in an important "crossroads" bout for both men, who are seeking to advance in the HW ranks -- the bout is a rematch of a recent draw on Cook's home turf in Australia two months previously. The Spaniard starts well, and then in round five he nails Cook with a big hook for the bout's first knockdown. Then he follows with a second KD a round later. Cook, who also must battle a cut under the right eye in the late rounds, is unable to mount a comeback; it goes down as a one-sided UD 10 for Uzcudan (98-88, 97-89, 98-88). The Spaniard moves to 22-3-1 (11) while Cook is now 34-15-2 (17).

Aug. 4, 1928: Action back in the USA at Chicago's Comiskey Park. Benny Bass, the highly rated FW contender, has moved to JLW to challenge for the USBA JLW title vacated by Eddie Wagner who is now the WBA JLW Champ. His opponent is veteran FW-LW George "KO" Chaney. Chaney, who is on the downside of his career, is the aggressor for most of the bout, and he puts up a tough challenge to the younger Bass. In round five, he rocks the "Little Fish" with a big cross and then is able to follow up with a crushing uppercut to put Bass on the deck a round later. Late in the bout, Chaney is battling a swollen left eye from the accumulated impact of Bass' blows. Despite the knockdown and a cut suffered in the final round, Bass grits out a SD 12 win (114-113, 113-114, 114-113), taking the final round on all three cards to cinch the win. Bass moves to 29-7-3 (10) as a result, and Chaney is now 42-31-3 (22) as his long career is winding down.

Aug. 10, 1928: Gran Stadium in Havana, Cuba for the next Friday night card, and the feature bout pits Young Stribling against veteran Fred Fulton in a 10-round, non-title HW clash. Stribling, "the King of the Canebrakes," won a prior bout over Fulton (a UD 10) in 1925, but the aging veteran "Rochester Plasterer" appeared rejuvenated in his last outing when he flattened Charley Weinert in two. This time, however, he is no match for Stribling, who delivers a devastating hook to the head to put Fulton down and out. KO 2 for Stribling, who improves to 27-5-1 (17). Fulton, now at Post-Prime, is 40-17 (32).

Aug. 11, 1928: More fight action in the UK, where fight fans are packed to the rafters at the Stadium in Liverpool to see the new GBU Flyweight king Johnny Hill faces a stiff challenge from veteran Elky Clark, a former WBA Champ, in the main event. Hill falls behind early, as the veteran Clark finds the range repeatedly, with Hill's right eye starting to swell up as a result. Clark, the aggressor throughout most of the bout, nails Hill with a big hook that forces the younger man to cover up. The swollen eye worsens in the later rounds, and an increasingly desperate Hill takes more chances. He manages to land a few good blows to cause Clark's right eye to swell some, but in the end he falls short. Clark by UD 12 (116-112, 115-113, 117-111) to lift the belt; a three or four-point margin seemed appropriate. Clark moves to 27-7-1 (15) with the win while Hill is now 15-2 (11).

Aug. 11, 1928: More fight action, this time at Denver's Mammoth Gardens. The LW title, long held by Benny Leonard, is on the line as Rocky Kansas defends against long-time contender Ever Hammer. First up is a very entertaining 10-round bout featuring two top undefeated MW prospects, Freddie Steele and Pete Horton, both of whom have compiled 10-0 records with all wins by kayo. Steele staggers Horton in the opening round and remains in charge for most of the early going. In round five, he nails his opponent with an overhand right that causes Horton to slump to the canvas. It goes down as a KO 5 for Steele's 11th KO in as many pro bouts, while Horton is now 10-1 (10). Then, after a couple of preliminary bouts, it's on to the main event -- Kansas versus Hammer for the title belt. Kansas comes into the bout with two wins in three prior bouts, but Hammer won the last encounter via TKO in 1925. A cut on the forehead spells trouble for Kansas in the opening round. At first, it looks like the cut is under control, but Hammer pounds away, re-opening the cut twice. Finally, after a battle of sharp exchanges but no knockdowns, the cut leads to a stoppage. TKO 9 for Hammer, and the title changes hands for the third time in as many bouts. Hammer is now 41-15-5 (17) while Kansas, who has who will now be at Post-Prime, dips to 43-17-3 (20).

[JCWeb]

Aug. 17, 1928: Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City is the scene for the next Friday night fight card, and the feature bout -- although no title is at stake -- has popular "Slapsie Maxie" Rosenbloom matched with former NABF Champ Jimmy Slattery in a battle of two top five LH contenders. Both men play it cagey for the opening few rounds, and Rosenbloom gradually pulls ahead on points. Slattery's left eye begins puffing up in round four. No knockdowns, the bout goes the distance -- and a steady performance earns Rosenbloom a UD 10 win (97-94, 97-94, 98-93). The 97-94 result seemed about right. The win moves Rosenbloom's record to a gaudy 21-1-4 (10) while Slattery slips to 24-8-1 (9).

Aug. 18, 1928: Twin bill main events on the next fight card at the Sports Palazzo in Rome, Italy. First up is former HW king Jack Dempsey, now on the downside of his career but still a big draw, as he takes on Italian HW and former EBU titleholder Erminio Spalla. The "Manassa Mauler" won a prior bout over the Italian back in 1925, but alot has changed in three years. Dempsey, a shell of his former self, presses the action but is unable to land any huge bombs in the first few rounds. Spalla, biding his time, tags Dempsey with a big right hand in round five. Two rounds later, it's lights out as another Spalla right finds its mark. Dempsey goes down and cannot beat the count. Spalla by KO 7 in a huge upset; he improves to 29-11 (21) while Dempsey is now 51-9-1, still with 47 KOs.
After the excitement of the sudden knockout wears off, the WBA Flyweight title bout takes place, with Jimmy Wilde taking on Frankie Genaro in a rematch of last year's controversial title bout that resulted in a DQ win for Wilde; both men have maintained unbeaten records since. This time, Genaro makes no mistake, adopting a strong defensive counterpunching style that proves an elusive target for the aggressive Wilde. Wilde gradually wears down throughout the bout, suffering a cut forehead in round eight. The cut proves to be troublesome, reopened twice and leading to a late stoppage; Genaro by TKO 12 on the cuts stoppage to regain the belt. It turns out to be the swansong as Wilde decides to hang up the gloves. Genaro moves to 29-8 (15) with the win while Wilde closes out a Hall of Fame career with a 54-12-4 (46) slate, having held the WBA Flyweight crown on three separate occasions.

Aug. 24, 1928: Uline Arena in Washington, DC is the site of the next Friday night card; again, two co-feature bouts headline the agenda. First of the twin features has HW Jimmy Braddock taking on Cuban Goyito Rico in an effort to jump-start his stalled career after a loss and a draw in two recent bouts. Braddock takes a few rounds to get his bearings, then he begins to seize control in the middle rounds while the Cuban battles a cut under his right eye. No KDs, the bout goes the full 10 rounds and it's a comfortable UD 10 win for Braddock (97-94, 100-91, 97-95). Braddock moves to 12-1-1 (6) and plans to remain active in coming months. Rico's record is 12-8-1 (6). The second co-main event is for the NABF BW title, and Canadian Howard Mayberry makes his fourth defense against former beltholder, veteran Harold Smith, who is now at Post-Prime career stage. Mayberry starts well, but then in the fourth round he is surprised by a strong shot from Smith and goes down. Smith's spurts are sporadic, however, and Mayberry resumes control until round seven, when he is rocked by a right hand from Smith and forced to use the ropes to remain afoot. Despite the knockdown, Mayberry proves to be more durable and goes on to take a UD 12 (117-111 on all three cards). Mayberry moves to 27-9-1 (13) while Smith is now 25-8-4 (13).

Aug. 25, 1928: Earls Court in London is the location for the next card, with the headline event pitting defending Commonwealth BW king Vic Foley against hometown favorite Teddy Baldock. Right before the main event, there is an interesting clash among two up-and-coming British MWs, both of whom had compiled unbeaten records to this point; Jock McAvoy (the "Rochdale Thunderbolt") maintains his spotless record by decking previously unbeaten Archie Sexton four times -- the 10th round KO runs McAvoy's record to 11-0 (10) with Sexton now at 11-1-1 (8) after his first loss. Then, on to the main event and it proves to be a disappointing contest. Baldock's left eye starts swelling right away as Foley repeatedly peppers him with shots. The bout lasts the distance, and it is a lopsided UD 12 win for Foley (120-110, 120-110, 119-110) for his second successful defense of the Commonwealth crown. The win lifts Foley to 26-9 (10) overall, while Baldock slips to 21-10-1 (11).

Aug. 25, 1928: Atlantic City's Convention Hall sees the next big fight promotion, and the main event is for the USBA Flyweight crown, featuring Fidel LaBarba who puts the title on the line against Emil Paluso. LaBarba, fighting for the first time at Prime, looked impressive in the early going, with combining a strong defense with some slick counterpunching. Paluso, however, battles his way back to make the bout reasonably close. In the end, LaBarba prevails in a MD 12 (118-110, 114-114, 116-112); the 116-112 result seemed the most accurate. LaBarba moves to 19-1-1 (8) while Paluso to 19-9-1 (6).

Aug. 31, 1928: Final fight card of the month is another Friday night special, returning to the Rizal Arena in Manila, Philippines. Filipino MW OPBF Champion looks to improve his standing in the division, taking on a former WBA Champ, Mike O'Dowd, in a 10-round, non-title affair. Garcia seems ready for the bout, and patient enough to wait his chances against the aging former Champ, but O'Dowd does not cooperate. The "St. Paul Cyclone" turns in a stellar performance, completely befuddling the young Filipino and even decking him for a nine-count with a wild overhand right in round seven. Garcia does not really recover, and O'Dowd takes a fairly comfortable UD 10 verdict (98-91, 97-92, 95-94) although one "hometown" judge had the bout much closer than it should have been. O'Dowd is now 42-13-2 (16) while Garcia is 20-4 (15).

[JCWeb]

Sep. 1, 1928: First fight card of the month is at the Boston Gardens, and the main event matches two strong MW contenders, Dave Shade and Tiger Flowers, for Shade's USBA title belt. Now, these two have met before, both times resulting in wins for the "Georgia Deacon," Flowers. However, now that Flowers has hit Post-Prime career stage, Shade is hoping that things go his way. After some jockeying for position in the first four rounds or so, Shade finds the range with a strong shot, decking Flowers for an eight-count right before the bell. Flowers is visibly shaken, and Shade continues to press the attack but the Deacon's defense holds and keeps him in the fight. The bout goes down to the final two rounds and, with both men swinging away in the 11th, Flowers returns the favor when he connects with a vicious cross to send Shade to the canvas. The late knockdown turns out to be decisive, as the bout goes the distance, and Flowers wins a narrow SD 12 (113-114, 114-113, 115-112) to take the belt. Flowers' career totals are now 35-12-1 (17) while Shade slumps to 28-12-4 (9). Overconfidence and over-aggressive cost Shade his title belt in this one.

Sep. 1, 1928: To Vancouver's Exhibition Gardens in Canada for the next fight card, with a NABF title clash preceded by two non-title bouts involving top contenders. First two top 10 HWs take to the ring, and Canadian Larry Gains seals a solid UD 10 win (98-91, 98-91, 96-92) over former WBA Champ Martin Burke with a pair of knockdowns in the final stanza; Gains, the #5 rated heavy, moves to 23-4 (14) while Burke is now 31-10-1 (9). Then, two top WWs are matched in the co-feature leading to the main event. Crowd favorite WW Jimmy McLarnin takes on OPBF Champ Lope Tenorio; McLarnin starts well, pressing the Filipino in the middle rounds. McLarnin staggers Tenorio when he lands a huge right in round seven, and the Filipino does well to avoid a knockdown as "Baby Face" swarms all over, en route to a UD 10 win (96-94, 99-92, 98-92). The win moves McLarnin, the Commonwealth WW king, to 23-2 (17) while Tenorio drops to 21-4-5 (6). In the headline main event, two LH sluggers' talents are on display, as another crowd favorite, Jack "Bright Eyes" Delaney challenges Ad Stone for the latter's NABF LH title that Stone has held since 1926. Delaney looks sharp for the first three rounds, but Stone comes back strong to dominate round four. A straight right from Delaney staggers the Champ in round seven, forcing Stone to cover up. Stone battles back, landing heavily in round 10, and Delaney's left eye starts to puff up as a result. No knockdowns, and the bout goes the distance, with the end result -- a MD 12 for Delaney (115-113, 114-114, 117-111) -- seems justified. Delaney recaptures the NABF title and moves to 34-5-1 (21) while Stone is now 28-3 (17). Canadian boxing fans go home happy, as hometown fighters swept all three key bouts.

Sep. 7, 1928: Friday night action is back in Florida at Miami Stadium. The USBA JWW crown is at stake in the key bout, with Spug Myers taking on Harry Wallach. Early in the bout, Myers' left eye starts to swell -- and Wallach presses forward to take advantage. Not much in the way of results until round five, when Myers walks into a strong shot, goes down and is counted out. Wallach by KO 5 to retain the belt. He moves to 16-8 (9) as a result, and Myers is now 22-17-4 (9).

Sep. 8, 1928: A light card with only five bouts on the agenda in Liverpool, UK, with the feature bout a FW contest between Dom Volante and ex-WBA Champ Eugene Criqui for Volante's EBU title. Volante has the veteran Frenchman, who is at Post-Prime career stage, in trouble right from the start, nailing him with a big hook midway through the opening round, forcing Criqui to cover up. By round three, Criqui's left eye is puffing up. Then, in round six, Volante decks the Frenchman with a huge uppercuts. Three more knockdowns follow. Volante takes a UD 12 (118-106, 114-110, 117-107), the only surprise being the closeness of the scores on one judge's card. The win moves Volante to 19-5-2 (14). Criqui is now 50-17-6 (21).

Sep. 14, 1928: Friday night fight card returns to the Amor Bahn in Munich, Germany. Featured is a 10-round HW contest with the former WBA Champ, Gene Tunney, facing the challenge of Jack DeMave in a 10-round non-title contest. The slick boxing and counterpunching from the former Champion -- even at Post-Prime -- has the potential for being more than DeMave can handle. Tunney builds an early points lead, tagging DeMave with a combination that puts the Dutchman on the defensive. DeMave battles back, however, when he nails the ex-Champ with a big uppercut in round six, forcing Tunney to cover up. Thus, the bout becomes a close struggle in the final rounds, with the momentum swinging in the Dutchman's direction. To the surprise of many, DeMave takes a UD 10 (96-95, 97-94, 97-94) on the strength of a strong rally in the last four rounds. The win lifts DeMave to 21-3-2 (11) while Tunney slips to 42-9-3 (25).

Sep. 15, 1928: Action moves to the Cow Palace in San Francisco. Headliner on this fight card is a USBA LW title bout, featuring Ray Miller in his second defense, where he faces a stiff challenger from the former WBA JLW king Sid Barbarian. Miller seizes the initiative by the end of round four, and Barbarian (who is at Post-Prime) is already battling a swollen left eye. Miller consistently outhits Barbarian, who struggles with his timing for most of the bout. A combination from Miller decks Barbarian for a 9-count in the final round to seal a comfortable UD 12 win for Miller (117-110, 115-112, 116-111). Miller is now 25-3 (13) while Barbarian's record dips to 29-10-1 (14).

[JCWeb]

Sep. 21, 1928: It's back "Down Under" for Friday night fights, this time to Melbourne, Australia, with the feature bout being for Tom Heeney's OPBF crown as "the Hard Rock from Down Under" defends versus countryman Brian McCleary. First up, in an interesting preliminary bout, current WBA JLW Champ takes on Australia's own Billy Grime, the current Commonwealth LW king. Grime shows he means business, decking Wagner in the opening round. Wagner recovers, however, and uncorks some strong shots on his own. Midway through the fight, Grime's right eye starts swelling. Wagner takes a close UD 10 (95-94 on all three cards), overcoming the knockdown, a hostile crowd, and moving up in weight class to register an impressive victory. The Heeney-McCleary title bout that wraps up the fight card is a rematch of a 1926 encounter for the same title that was won in a close MD 12 by Heeney. The two Kiwis stage a bruising battle, and Heeney -- after loafing through the first half of the bout -- gradually steps up the pace and exhibits greater endurance and aggressiveness in the second half. McCleary survives the distance despite a cut lip, a swollen left eye, plus the effects of aging after having reached Post-Prime career stage. In a repeat of the earlier result, it's another MD 12 win for Heeney (118-110, 114-114, 117-112); a three or four point margin seemed about right. The win moves Heeney -- who still has World title ambitions -- to 28-9-1 (8) while McCleary slips to 20-10-1 (7).

Sep. 22, 1928: Sports Palace in Rome, Italy is the venue for the next fight card, and featured is an Italian MW, Mario Bosisio, challenging for Len Johnson's EBU title. However, a notable pro debut in the preliminary bout, as Primo Carnera ("the Ambling Alp") takes to the ring, scoring a third round knockdown en route to a UD 4 triumph over an Italian TC, Aldo Troscanti. In the main event, Bosisio is the aggressor for much of the early going, and he nails "Manolito" with a big uppercut midway through the fight. A fairly uneventful bout the rest of the way, and the closeness is reflected in all three judges' scoring -- a draw (114-114 on all three cards) which enables Johnson to keep the belt. Johnson is now 22-8-1 (14) while Bosisio, at 23-8-3 (12), still has a bright future.

Sep. 22, 1928: A packed fight card at Yankee Stadium in New York City is headlined by a World title bout, this time for the WBA FW belt, as Andre Routis accepts the challenge from Louis Kaplan, fighting in Kaplan's backyard after having won the belt on home soil in France. On the undercard is popular HW prospect Jimmy Braddock, who takes on another young HW, Lou Barba. "Cinderella Man" versus "Sweet Lou." Lots of action in round three, as Braddock suffers a cut eye while Barba sports a cut on the mouth. Braddock gradually pulls ahead on points with his solid, plodding style, but late in the bout the cut reopens, spurting out blood. The bout is halted, going as a TKO 8 for Barba due to the cuts stoppage. Tough loss for Braddock, who drops to 13-2-1 (6) after his second loss, while Barba's record is a solid 14-2 (7). Another prelim bout pairs two top 10 BWs, Charley Phil Rosenberg against veteran Abe Goldstein. No KDs in this one, but a cut eye and the effects of Post-Prime aging prevent Goldstein from winning; the UD 10 for Rosenberg moves him to 26-5-2 (11) while Goldstein dips to 35-10-3 (10) overall. Then, the main event, the third in the trilogy as Kaplan tries to reverse the results in two prior meetings, both of which went to Routis. Routis gets off the mark quickly, putting Kaplan on the deck in the opening stanza with a strong shot. In round four, as Kaplan is gaining momentum while displaying some strong boxing skills, a head butt slices open a gash on his forehead. The cut remains a concern, and finally in round 10 the ref decides to call a halt. Since the cut was due to an accidental butt, it goes to the scorecards and Kaplan -- who recovered strongly from the early knockdown -- is fortunate to be ahead on all cards -- Kaplan by UTD 10 (86-84, 87-84, 86-84). He regains the WBA title and moves to 32-16-1 (10) with the win while Routis, who will hit Post-Prime with his next bout, is 33-8-2 (16).

Sep. 28, 1928: Detroit's Briggs Arena is the scene for the next Friday night card; again, a top young prospect is billed on the undercard leading to a world title bout. Tony "the Roman Warrior" Canzoneri, who has lost just once in his first 15 pro bouts, faces another hot young prospect with just one loss, LW Baby Sal Sorio. Sorio surprises Canzoneri when he puts him on the deck with a strong combination for an eight-count in round one. A second KD follows in round two. The gritty Canzoneri claws his way back into the bout, cleverly shifting between fighting inside and outside, piling up enough points to overcome the early deficit from the early KDs. Sorio is bothered by a swollen right eye in the late rounds, and he fades in the later rounds. Canzoneri takes a UD 10 (96-92, 96-92, 95-93) to run his record to 15-1 (11) compared to 16-2 (12) for Sorio. The LH title bout follows, and defending Champ Loughran, making his eighth defense of the title he won back in 1926, suffers an early setback when a gash is opened over his left eye in round two. Some good cornerwork by ace cutman Eddie "The Clot" Aliano patches things up, and the cut does not become an issue later on in the fight. Brown can make no impression on the slick boxing Loughran, who impresses the judges by fighting outside for most of the bout, piling up an insurmountable points lead that enables him to relax in the later rounds, adopting a defensive posture while protecting the cut. The bout goes the distance with no knockdowns, and the cards reveal a lopsided UD 15 win for Loughran (150-134, 148-137, 148-136). Loughran moves to 34-4-2 (12) while Brown, who will hit Post-Prime with his next bout, is now 22-10-1 (18).

Sep. 29, 1928: More fight action in London, England, this time at the venerable Harringay Arena where LW turned WW Benny Leonard battles long-time top British WW, Ted Kid Lewis, in a much anticipated matchup of two likely Hall of Famers. At this point in his career, however, Lewis is a step slower and thus no match for the quicker and more accurate Leonard. Benny starts strongly, catching Lewis with a nice uppercut in round three that forces the Englishman to cover up. One round later, he decks Lewis with a strong combination. Midway through the scheduled 10-rounder, Lewis' left eye begins to swell. Two more KDs follow a couple of rounds later, and then the ref steps in to call a halt. Leonard by TKO 7 to move "the Ghetto Wizard" to 71-3-1 (40) while Lewis falls to 52-18-4 (22).

Sep. 29, 1928: Final fight card of the month is south of the border at the Mexico City Arena. Once again, it's a co-feature twinbill with two different titles at stake. First up, though, is the fourth ring battle between two top HWs, Young Stribling and the aging Harry Wills; Stribling had wins in two of three prior encounters. It's a close contest for the early rounds, and Stribling is able to grind out a UD 10 win (96-94, 98-94, 97-94) in a bout with no knockdowns or notable fireworks. Stribling moves to 28-5-1 (17) after the bout, while the loss has Wills at 58-10-1 (46). Next up is a battle for the North American Flyweight crown, formerly held by Frankie Genaro who is now WBA Champ. Cuban Black Bill is matched with Lew Perfetti for the vacant title. The two are evenly matched, and Perfetti pulls ahead in the first three or four rounds. Then Black Bill gets on track, and Perfetti's left eye starts to swell in round five, with a cut being opened over the eye in round six. The Cuban seems to be control heading into the late rounds, but a late rally by Perfetti nets him narrow UD 12 win (115-114, 116-112, 115-113). Perfetti moves to 21-8-2 (10) as a result, while Black Bill is at 20-9-4 (9). Final bout is for the WBA BW title, with Panama Al Brown defending for the sixth time. His opponent is EBU Champion Tommy Milton, whom the Panamanian dominated in an earlier bout back in 1924 when Milton was at Pre-Prime. Brown starts methodically, gradually building a solid points lead. Milton lacks the firepower to mount a comeback. By the end of the eighth round, Milton's right eye starts to swell. Two rounds later, Panama Al catches Milton with a short, clean cross for the fight's only knockdown. Milton is fortunate to last the distance but is way behind on the scorecards. Another impressive UD 15 verdict for Panama Al Brown (148-135, 144-139, 145-138) to run his record to 30-3 (13) while Milton is now 20-9-2 (9). The title shot may be the high point of Milton's career, as he is due to hit Post-Prime in 1929.

[Mark42661]

Outstanding diary! Looking forward to more.

Mark

[JCWeb]

Thanks, Mark. Here's the summary of key bouts from the first part of October, 1928:

Oct. 5, 1928: Friday Night fights journeys to Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. Main event is for the Commonwealth FW crown, and the two protagonists are defending Champion Johnny Cuthbert and Young Johnny Brown. These two are familiar foes, with Brown holding a 3-1 advantage in four prior meetings. In round four, Brown suffers a cut over his right eye, and the cut proves to be a continual problem for Brown and his corner, as it is reopened two or three times during the course of the bout. Cuthbert takes advantage of the situation to build a solid points lead, and Brown is unable to cope with both the cut and Cuthbert. No knockdowns, and this one goes to the scorecards -- and it's a fairly comfortable UD 12 win for Cuthbert (117-112, 117-112, 115-114) to retain the belt. Cuthbert's career total is now 22-13-1 (8) while Brown slips to 25-9-1 (13).

Oct. 6, 1928: Chicago's Comiskey Park is the scene of the next fight action, and the main event is a USBA BW title bout between Bushy Graham (the holder) and Bobby Green (in his first title contest of any kind). Green enters the bout on a very impressive seven-bout winning streak, but Graham represents his toughest opposition to dat. Graham builds an early points lead, and Green seems unable to keep pace with the more talented defending champ. No knockdowns, but by the end of the bout both men are sporting bruises; Green also suffers a cut over the right eye. End result -- a solid UD 12 win for Graham (117-112, 118-111, 116-113) -- seems totally justified. Graham moves to 24-9 (8) after the win, while Green is now 24-10-2 (14).

Oct. 12, 1928: Friday night action returns to the Memorial Auditorium in Buffalo. Main support is a 10-round non-title bout, one of those proverbial crossroads fights that has top LW contender Sammy Mandell facing up-and-comer Sammy Fuller who is off to an impressive 22-1 career start. Mandell suffers a cut forehead, perhaps as a result of a clash of heads, in round four. Mandell battles on, and by the end of round six, Fuller's right eye has begun to swell. The bout remains close into the final rounds, as these two fighters appear very evenly-matched. The cut is reopened in round eight, and a late surge puts Fuller ahead when the cut leads to a stoppage midway through the final round. Since the cut was the result of an accidental butt, it goes to the scorecards and Fuller takes a narrow STD 10 (that's short for split technical decision) (votes of 86-85 Fuller, 85-86 Mandell, 86-85 Fuller) to advance further up the rankings. Fuller moves to 23-1 (8). Tough loss for Mandell, whose career has stalled once again, just a rung or two short of the top; his overall record is now 28-9 (8). Then, on to the main event, a NABF FW title clash featuring defending Champ and former WBA kingpin Chick Suggs versus Carl Duane, the "Bronx Express." Suggs has two prior wins and is looking to make it three in a row. In the early going, it looks like a runaway for Suggs as Duane's right eye starts to puff up after just two rounds. The other eye starts swelling a round later. The pace slows in the middle rounds, but then Suggs is slowed by a cut over the left eye. The cut is reopened in the seventh round and, significantly, again in the ninth. The bout is stopped, and the title goes to Duane by TKO 9 due to the cut. He moves to 25-8-1 (12) as a result, and Suggs is now 30-10-4 (11).

Oct. 13, 1928: Back to the Stadium in Liverpool, UK, where a series of bouts leads to the main event, for the Commonwealth LH title held by Len Harvey. Harvey defends versus current GBU titleholder, Gypsy Daniels, whom he has defeated twice before. Not much to report here, except that Harvey once again impresses, building an early points lead as Daniels takes a real beating, lasting the distance with both eyes reduced to slits due to some major swelling. Harvey wins lopsided a UD 12 (120-109 on all three cards). The win moves Harvey to 29-4-1 (12). Daniels drops to 25-13-2 (16).

Oct. 13, 1928: Mammoth Gardens in Denver, Colorado is the scene for the next night fight card returns to the Amor Bahn in Munich, Germany. Featured is a 10-round LH contest with two top 10 contenders, Jimmy Slattery and Jack Reeves. Slattery starts strongly, and Reeves shows the effects -- some swelling around the left eye -- after just one round. Slattery gradually piles up an impressive points lead, and Reeves gets more and more aggressive as the bout wears on. However, Slattery maintains his focus to the end and takes a very solid UD 10 win (99-91, 97-93, 99-91). The win lifts Slattery to 25-8-1 (9), putting him right back in the LHW title hunt. Reeves, who will be at Post starting with his next bout in early 1929, had a four-bout win streak snapped, going to 31-14-1 (18) overall.

[JCWeb]

Some World title bouts during the second part of October, 1928.

Oct. 19, 1928: Friday night action at the Palais du Sports in Cannes, France. First up, Primo Carnera registers his second win, this time by a second-round TKO over a TC to move to 2-0 (1) overall. Fan favorite "French Flash" Benny Valgar takes to the ring, taking on top five LW Tommy O'Brien. Valgar nails O'Brien with a perfect combination to register a knockdown in the fourth. Then, in round six, a cut is opened up over Valgar's right eye. O'Brien tries to stage a late rally, but Valgar is able to stay out of trouble while preventing the cut from worsening. The bout goes the distance without further incident, and the scorecards show a comfortable UD 10 win for Valgar (97-94, 97-93, 97-94). Valgar is now 38-12-2 (13) while O'Brien dips to 34-14-4 (16). The main event is between veteran Bartley Madden and Spaniard Paulino Uzcudan for Madden's EBU title belt. It's the "Basque Woodchopper" in his first title try, and he faces an aging veteran who had escaped with draws in his last three EBU title defenses. Uzcudan asserts himself when he nails Madden with a big uppercut in round seven, forcing the Irishman to cover up. The bout remains close into the final rounds, and the Spaniard suffers a cut forehead in round 11. Goes to the scorecard, and Uzcudan takes a narrow MD 12 (116-113, 114-114, 116-112), and Madden's title reign comes to an end. Uzcudan moves to 23-3-1 (11) with the win while Madden slips to 45-15-6 (18).

Oct. 20, 1928: Back to the Boston Garden for an exciting fight card, headlined by the "Boston Gob," Jack Sharkey, who makes the first defense of his newly-won HW crown against a relatively unknown opponent, Jim Maloney, who is not even ranked in the top ten. Sharkey holds a TKO win in a prior bout and hopes to repeat his success in what many consider to be a rather "easy" title defense. Maloney falls behind as Sharkey, the better boxer, impresses the judges and piles up a nice points lead in the early rounds. Maloney becomes more aggressive in the middle rounds, but all to no avail as he takes a pounding from the quicker fists of Sharkey. Maloney's right eye starts swelling midway through the bout, and the end comes quickly in round 12 after Sharkey decks the challenger with a huge shot. Although Maloney is able to beat the count, he looks wobbly and glassy-eyed, and the referee wisely steps in to call a halt. Sharkey by TKO 12 to keep the title. He moves to 20-2 (14) while Maloney is now 18-4-1 (16).

Oct. 20, 1928: Action moves to the West Coast and the Cow Palace in San Francisco. Another loaded fight card, headlined by the NABF WW title clash which sees Pete Latzo put the title on the line against Joe Dundee, a fighter whom he defeated way back in 1922 (via a split decision) when both were at Pre-Prime. Dundee starts well, but in round two Latzo is able to repeatedly land and cause Dundee's left eye to puff up. Dundee uses a stinging jab to force Latzo on the defensive in round five, as Latzo covers up and finds his left eye also starting to swell. Latzo's chances of retaining his belt suffer another setback when he sustains a cut over the left eye in the tenth. Overall, a solid performance from Dundee who is rewarded with a UD 12 (115-113, 115-113, 116-111); a four or five point margin seemed appropriate to this observer. Dundee moves to 30-7-4 (12) with the win while Latzo, who slips to 28-10-1 (11), hopes for better days in the future.

Oct. 26, 1928: "Friday Night fights" goes back to Manila's Rizal Arena. Featured is the OPBF FW title bout between two Filipino boxers, as Young Nationalista is defending the belt versus compatriot Johnny Hill. The main support is a 10-round MW non-title affair between two fighters ranked in the top 10, Panama Joe Gans and Frankie Schoell. Schoell, who unlike Panama Joe is still at Prime, takes advantage of the situation as Gans is a step or two slower due to the effects of aging. This enables Schoell to capture a relatively uneventful UD 10 (97-93. 99-92, 98-94) to run his record to 32-11-3 (11) whereas Panama Joe is now 49-12-1 (19). The OPBF FW title bout follows, and the two Filipinos are indeed familiar foes, having faced each other three times before, with Nationalista winning the last two encounters after dropping the initial bout when at Pre-Prime. In this bout, Nationalista draws first blood (literally) when Hill suffers a cut over the left eye in round four. A solid hook puts Hill on the deck for a 9-count a round later, and Hill's left eye looks worse as the cut and also some swelling add to concerns in the challenger's corner. Nationalista tries hard, but he is unable to finish as Hill battles on gamely. Hill battles back, rallying in the later rounds and managing to last the distance, but he falls just short. Nationalista takes a close but UD 12 (116-113, 115-114, 115-114) to keep the belt. He moves to 25-5-2 (9) while Hill, who still has a few good years ahead of him, is now 21-7-1 (15).

Oct. 27, 1928: Back to London, England, where a capacity crowd has gathered at the Olympia for another exciting fight card. Newly crowned JWW king Jack Kid Berg is making his first defense, but first up is a non-title HW contest featuring new Commonwealth Champ Jack "The Gorgeous Gael" Doyle against the highly-regarded Max Schmeling who is back to jump-start his career after tasting defeat for the first time at the hands of Jack DeMave. After a cautious couple of opening rounds, Max begins to find the range early in round three, and Doyle walks into a nice, sharp combination and goes down. He cannot beat the count, and the KO 3 moves Schmeling to 17-1 (15) while Doyle drops to 20-7-2 (15). Schmeling's handlers talk of keeping the Uhlan active, with another bout in the works for next month. After a couple of more preliminary bouts, Jack Kid Berg appears to defend his JWW crown against former USBA Champ Mushy Callahan. Berg is confident, having beaten Callahan twice before. To no surprise and to the crowd's delight, Berg pulls ahead in the early going, and Callahan's left eye shows signings of swelling as early as round four. In round five, Berg traps Callahan in the corner and unleashes a barrage of unanswered blows. Callahan tries to cover up, but Berg makes the most of the opportunity until the ref steps in to save Callahan from further punishment. Very impressive TKO 5 win for Berg, who may need to move to a different division to find more competition. Berg's successful defense runs his record to 20-1-1 (10) while Callahan is now 18-6 (8).

Oct. 27, 1928: Final fight card of the month is at the Polo Grounds in New York City, and two former Olympic Champions are matched to do battle for the WBA Flyweight crown. Frankie Genaro, the defending Champ, is matched with Fidel LaBarba, the current USBA titleholder. Not much happening until round three, when LaBarba suffers a slight nick under his left eye. After five, the Champ has a slight edge on the unofficial card as both men are content to lay back and rely on their boxing skills. LaBarba steps up the pace in the middle rounds to move ahead on the scorecards. The pace picks up in the later rounds as Genaro, seeing his title in jeopardy, presses forward. LaBarba's right eye starts to show noticeable swelling, and Genaro must battle a cut over his left eye. In the penultimate round 14, Genaro surprises LaBarba with a quick hook to the head that forces the challenger to cover up. A late surge over the final four rounds is enough for the judges to give the nod to Genaro by a close but UD 15 (144-142, 144-143, 144-143). Genaro moves to 30-8 (15) while LaBarba, at 19-2-1 (8) is hoping for another shot at the title.

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Nov. 2, 1928: Friday Night fights journeys to Exhibition Gardens in Vancouver, and two knockout artists from south of the border (i.e., the USA) are featured in two key bouts. First up is Freddie Steele, "the Tacoma Assassin," who puts his perfect record (11 KO wins in 11 pro bouts) on the line against another unbeaten young MW, Johnny Romero. Steele starts slowly, gradually increasing the pressure on his opponent as the bout develops. Midway through the fight, Romero's right eye starts swelling. He hangs on, however, forcing Steele to go the distance for the first time in his very young career. Steele takes a solid UD 10 (98-93, 96-94, 98-93) to move to 12-0 (11) while Romero, now at 11-1 (10), remains a promising prospect. Then, in the main event, Paul Berlenbach, the "Astoria Assassin," puts his USBA LH title on the line (somehow managing to get sanctioning for a USBA title bout outside the borders) against former NABF and USBA titleholder, Ad Stone. No fireworks in this bout between these two sluggers until round five, when Stone catches Berlenbach with a big hook, and following with a pair of uppercuts that has Berlenbach reeling. The Champ also suffers a split lip as well. Surprisingly, the end comes a round later, when Stone manages to use a piston-like jab to set up his power punches. He lures Berlenbach against the ropes, firing a barrage of unanswered blows. The ref steps in to call a halt late in the round. Stone by TKO 6 to recapture the belt. Stone's career total is now 29-3 (18) while Berlenbach slips to 21-4 (16).

Nov. 3, 1928: Fight action in Europe, once again at the Sports Palace in Rome, Italy. No titles on the line, but the main event is a 10-round HW clash featuring Belgian Pierre Charles matched with British HW Champ "Fainting Phil" Scott. Scott, who has been extremely unlucky thus far in his career, falls behind early but then discovers Charles is vulnerable to a right hand which he repeatedly drills him with in round three. Scott then shifts to the uppercut, gradually piling up a points lead. He still faces a late onslaught from the gritty Belgian late in the bout, whose repeated blows result in some swelling around the left eye of the British champion. Still, all in all, a good outing for "Phainting Phil" that goes down as a SD 10 win (96-94, 93-97, 96-94) as he did enough to impress two of the three Continental judges. Scott moves to 24-15-2 (6) while Charles is now 22-9 (14).

Nov. 3, 1928: An action-packed card in Atlantic City, headlined by a MW NABF title tilt between defending Champion Oakland Jimmy Duffy and challenger and new USBA titleholder Tiger Flowers. Flowers won an earlier bout (UD 10) but is now laboring under the handicap of being at Post-Prime career stage. Flowers, "the Georgia Deacon," sustains a cut over his right eye in round two -- the cut proves to be troublesome throughout the remainder of the contest. Flowers battles back, though, and his persistence is finally rewarded in round 11 when he decks Duffy with a nice combination. Duffy, whose left eye starts to swell, makes one last surge in the final round, backing up Flowers and nailing him with a hook to the midsection that forces Flowers to cover up. Tiger survives, and when the cards are read, it is a UD 12 for Flowers (116-112, 116-112, 117-111) who takes the belt. He moves to 36-12-1 (17) as a result, and Duffy is now 37-18-5 (8).

Nov. 9, 1928: Friday night fight action once again in Miami, with two bouts featuring some leading LW contenders, all of whom are in the Prime of the careers and have title aspirations given Benny Leonard's recent move up to WW. First up is a 10-round non-title affair, with #1 contender Luis Vicentini facing with #3 Ray Miller, the reigning USBA LW titleholder. Vicentini takes some good shots in the early going, causing his right eye to start puffing up by the end of round three. He recovers, pounding a big left to force Miller to cover up in round four. Close bout down to the wire, with neither taking big risks. Miller is cut over the right eye in round nine. Key moment occurs in round 10 as Miller breaks through with a big combination, putting the Chilean on the deck, and he follows up a few moments later with a nice cross for a second KD. Vicentini is able to recover and last the distance, but the pair of late KDs have a big effect on the outcome. Miller by MD 10 (95-93, 94-94, 95-93). Miller's excellent record of 26-3 (13) remains intact, while Vicentini, at 27-5 (12), will be looking for other opportunities. Final event of the evening is for Jimmy Goodrich's NABF LW belt, with former Champ Billy Petrolle (who lost the title in a split duke to Goodrich in 1927) in the role of challenger. "The Fargo Express" looks sharp early, nailing Goodrich with a sharp uppercut in the opening round, forcing the Champ to cover up. As a result, Goodrich's right eye is starting to swell before the end of the round. The swelling worsens as the bout wears on. A hook to head from Petrolle stuns Goodrich in round five, and in round eight a cross puts Goodrich down for the bout's only knockdown. Petrolle continues to press the attack, and the swelling continues to worsen until it becomes too severe to allow the bout the continue. The late stoppage means the belt goes to Petrolle, via a TKO 10. The win moves Petrolle to 26-3-2 (17). Goodrich drops to 38-11-1 (10).

Nov. 10, 1928: Another fight card at the Stadium in Liverpool. A series of preliminary bouts leads to feature contest, a 12-round MW affair between Roland Todd and Frank Moody for the Commonwealth title. Moody holds two prior wins over Todd, and he starts off well, boxing confidently to build an early points lead. A cut forehead in round six does little to slow the challenger down, and Moody hangs on for a narrow but UD 12 win (115-114, 115-114, 115-114). The title changes hands, and both men will be at Post-Prime starting with their next bouts in 1929. The win lifts Moody to 37-16-4 (13), while Todd goes to 29-12-5 (7) overall.

Nov. 10, 1928: More action at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, headlined by a pair of main events, one featuring a top young fighter and the second, a title NABF title clash. The "Roman Warrior," Tony Canzoneri, takes to the ring once again, taking on LW Joe Glick. Canzoneri starts off by working from the outside, gradually building a comfortable points lead. He is on the receiving end of a couple of strong shots from Glick, and by the end of round six, his right eye shows signs of swelling. He battles through the adversity, taking a fairly comfortable UD 10 win (99-94, 97-94, 96-95). Canzoneri is now 16-1 (11) while Glick dips to 21-8-4 (9). The main event sees George Godfrey defending his NABF HW title, taking on Lanky Ralph Smith, who has won his last seven a row to qualify for his first title shot of any kind. Bad luck for Godfrey, who sustains a cut over the left eye in the opening round. Some repairs seems to patch things up in the corner between rounds, but when the cut is reopened in round two, the ref calls in the ringside doctor who rules it too severe to allow Godfrey to continue. A bit of a controversial call, but it enables Smith to capture the NABF title via a TKO 2 on the cuts stoppage. Lanky Ralph moves to 19-6-1 (7) with the win while Godfrey slips to 37-8-1 (26).

[JCWeb]

Wrapping up action from November 1928 ...

Nov. 16, 1928: Friday night fight action goes back down under, to Melbourne, Australia. Former HW Jack Dempsey is the key attraction, as he is matched with local fan favorite George Cook. Cook surprises the "Manassa Mauler" with a strong combination that leads to a KD in the opening round. Dempsey, aggressive as ever, appears to lack the firepower of his younger days, and the bout drags on into the later rounds. Late in round five, Dempsey manages to put Cook down with a big shot but the Aussie quickly regains his footing and clears his head in the minute break between rounds. Dempsey continues to struggle, until a huge uppercut in the final round delivers Cook to the canvas in the final round for the fight's second KD. Thus, Dempsey has to settle for a UD 10 (96-91, 96-91, 97-90) when he was clearly hoping for a knockout or stoppage win. Dempsey ends up the bout at 52-9-1 (47) while Cook moves to 34-16-2 (17).

Nov. 17, 1928: Action moves to the Waldbuhne in Berlin, and the talents of the "Black Uhlan," Max Schmeling, are on display in a 10-round non-title bout against veteran Dutch HW Piet Van der Veer. Schmeling, appearing just three weeks after his last outing in London, takes a couple of rounds to get warmed up before unleashing a powerful cross to put the Dutchman on the defensive just a few seconds into round three. Van Der Veer covers up to survive the round, but he is in trouble a round later when Schmeling traps him in a corner after delivering another big cross. A couple of more shots, topped by a nice uppercut, and the bout is called to a halt to save Van der Veer from further punishment. TKO 4 for Schmeling, who is now firmly entrenched in the top 20, moving him to 18-1 (16). Van Der Veer dips to 30-13-6 (18). Schmeling's managers plan for another bout at Pre-Prime in early 1929 before hoping to challenge for the EBU title and, eventually, a WBA title.

Nov. 17, 1928: Action is back in the States at the Coliseum Arena in New Orleans. The main event is a long anticipated matchup for the WBA WW title, as Young Corbett III defends versus long-time LW king Benny Leonard. A large crowd has gathered for this bout, as the big attraction here is Leonard's bid for a second world title at a higher weight class. Leonard, the "Ghetto Wizard," gets off to a slow start, and by the end of the second round his left eye starts to puff up. Corbett retains a narrow points edge into the middle rounds, when Leonard's slick boxing and greater stamina begin to work in his favor. Corbett gets more aggressive in the later rounds, but he falls short in his effort to try to keep his title. No KDs and the bout goes the distance; Leonard impresses, taking a UD 15 (144-141, 144-141, 146-139) to add the WW crown to his LW title. He moves to 72-3-1 (41) while Corbett is now 28-6-2 (12).

Nov. 23, 1928: More Friday night fight action, this time at the St. Nicholas Arena in New York City. Headliner tonight is a WBA JLW title clash between Eddie Wagner, the champion, and challenger Dick "Honeyboy" Finnegan, who is moving up from the FW ranks (where he is the reigning USBA Champion) to challenge Wagner. First part of the bout is very slow paced, not much action. All of a sudden, Finnegan winces in pain, having injured his right hand. After checking with the ring physician and his corner, Finnegan cannot continue and it goes down as a TKO 6 for Wagner. Wagner's successful defense runs his record to 38-16-1 (17) while Finnegan is 26-9 (8).

Nov. 24, 1928: Back to London, in the UK, this time at Earls Court for an attractive fight card. Co-main event has long-time crowd favorite, WW Bermondsey Billy Wells matched against Young Jack Thompson, in a battle of former WBA Champions in a 10-round, non-title affair. Wells, who still holds the Commonwealth title, dropped a close SD to Thompson for the WBA title in early 1927 and is seeking to avenge that loss. It turns out to be a fairly boring bout, as Thompson -- the slugger -- is unable to hunt down Wells and deliver a telling blow while Wells -- the boxer -- lacks the firepower to seriously worry Thompson. Wells gradually gains the upper hand as the bout wears on, and Thompson's right eye starts to show signs of swelling after eight rounds. Wells takes a UD 10 (97-95, 98-92, 96-94) with the one 98-92 coming from a hometown judge seeming a bit out of line. Wells moves to 44-11-1 (16) with the win, avenging the earlier loss and handing Thompson just his third career loss, leaving him at 24-3-4 (15). Final bout of the evening is for the GBU Flyweight crown, which has been held by Kid Socks for over two years without a title defense. In this bout, he faces CBU Champ Elky Clark, who is looking to add to his collection of titles while Socks is hoping to move up the rankings (note that neither Clark's CBU nor Socks' EBU title belts are on the line.) Clark holds a TKO over Socks in a prior bout for the WBA title, but he is now at Post-Prime career stage. Clark gets on top early, causing Socks' right eye to balloon as early as round three. Kid Socks battles back in the middle rounds, keeping the bout close. Clark plods forward and is the more aggressive fighter as the bout -- a close one -- heads into the late rounds. No knockdowns and not much to choose between the two. Scorecards are read, and the verdict is a MD 12 for Clark (115-114, 114-114, 117-111) after taking the final round from two of three judges. Clark moves to 28-7-1 (15), and Socks slips to 21-9-1 (8).

Nov. 30, 1928: Final fight card of the month is at the Dodge Theater in Phoenix, and it's a packed fight card with two top HWs, Young Stribling and Gene Tunney, both former WBA kingpins, matched in a non-title bout, in the main support bout -- Tunney has recorded a MD win and a draw in two prior encounters, but now he is at Post-Prime and Stribling is hoping to even the score. Not much in the way of action until round four, when Stribling rips open a gash over Tunney's right eye. By the end of round seven, Tunney is also battling a split lip and a rapidly swelling left eye as well. Tunney is unable to mount a comeback, and when the cut over the eye is reopened a round later, the ref decides to call a halt. TKO 8 for Stribling on the cuts stoppage. The win moves the "King of the Canebrakes" to 29-5-1 (18), with Tunney dropping to 42-10-3 (25). The featured main event has Panama Al Brown making the eighth defense of the WBA BW title won in early 1927. His opponent is Archie Bell. Near the end of round three, Panama Al stuns Bell with a big hook, and a round later, Bell's left eye is starting to show signs of swelling. However, Bell comes back strongly in round five, when he surprises the Champion with a big shot that causes the first knockdown. Panama Al is definitely struggling with his timing, enabling Bell to mount a solid challenge for the title. The unofficial card shows Bell ahead by two (96-94) after ten rounds, but other observers (including this one) see a narrow edge for Brown. After some tense moments in the final rounds and awaiting the reading of the judges' scores, Panama Al escapes with a close but UD 15 (144-142, 144-142, 144-142), enabling him to keep the belt into 1929. Brown moves to 31-3 (13) with the win, while Bell, now 22-3-2 (7), remains a serious title threat.

Will be taking a break of a week or so, then hopefully wrap up with December's bouts leading up the exciting year-end reports ...

[JCWeb]

On to the reports for December 1928 ...

Dec. 1, 1928: Continuing with the fight action into the final month of 1928 -- first up is a fight card at Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City. A light card tonight, no titles at stake, featured bout has two ranked LH contenders seeking to move up in the ranks. Young Tony Marullo, currently ranked #8, is paired with the rapidly improving up-and-comer Lou Scozza, who has won 19 of his first 20 and is now stepping up to take on his first top 10 ranked contender in his initial bout at Prime career stage. Should be a good bout. Marullo's right eye starts to puff up as early as the end of the second, and after the first four or five rounds Scozza has outworked Marullo and built a solid points lead. Marullo steps up the pace and makes a late surge. It comes down to the final round, and the nod goes to Scozza who takes round 10 for an impressive UD 10 win (96-95 on all three cards). The win moves Scozza to 20-1 (16) while Marullo, who still has some good years ahead of him, is now 23-10-2 (14).

Dec. 1, 1928: More early December fight action to report, this time at Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis. Headliner is a 12-round bout for the NABF Fly title, with Lew Perfetti making his first defense of the belt he won earlier in the year; he faces Willie LaMorte. First meeting of these two boxers, and it turns out to be a close bout. Perfetti pulls ahead to a slight lead after four rounds, but he and his corner must deal with a rapidly swelling left eye. LaMorte stages a comeback in the middle rounds, but Perfetti remains aggressive. He lands a big right hand in the ninth round, forcing LaMorte to cover up. LaMorte battles back, landing a big cross to take round 10. The bout goes the distance, and it turns out to be a draw (116-112 LaMorte, 114-115 Perfetti, 114-even). Perfetti, who keeps the belt, is now 21-8-3 (10) while LaMorte emerges at 22-7-4 (10). There is already talk of a rematch in 1929.

Dec. 7, 1928: First Friday night fight action for December, this time at the venerable Stadium in Liverpool, UK. A series of preliminary bouts leads to the headliner, as Canadian Vic Foley defends the Commonwealth BW title against crowd favorite, Brit Nipper Pat Daly. Daly holds a SD over Foley in their one prior outing, also at Liverpool, back in 1926, and he proves to be a difficult opponent. Foley suffers a split lip in round two and battles a swollen right eye starting in the middle rounds of the bout. Nonetheless, the Canadian champion piles up an early points lead. A frantic late surge by Daly nets him a majority draw (117-113 Foley, 115-115, 115-115) -- a result that enables Foley to keep his belt. The two maintain similar career marks -- Foley is now 27-9-1 (10) compared to 22-8-2 (11) for Daly.

Dec. 8, 1928: Action moves to Miami Stadium for another action-packed card featuring several Cuban fighters on the undercard. The main event is for the vacant USBA WW crown, with veterans Jack Sparr and Tommy Robson battling for the belt that was vacated by Benny Leonard once he won the WBA crown. Sparr, who had lost the title to Leonard, seemed ready to regain it, ripping open a severe cut on Robson's forehead in round two. Robson battled back in the third round, nailing Sparr with a straight right that forced him to cover up. However, the cut was reopened in round four, and this time the blood began flowing freely into both of Robson's eyes, a severe enough situation to cause an early stoppage. TKO 4 for Sparr to take the title. He moves to 31-12-1 (17) as a result, while Robson -- who will reach End career stage in his next bout -- drops to 37-22-1 (19).

Dec. 8, 1928: Double feature main event at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, with two interesting title bouts on the menu. First up is Commowealth WW title, defended by crowd favorite Jimmy "Baby Face" McLarnin, who takes on Brit Hamilton Johnny Brown. Brown is in difficulty from the start, as his left eye starts to puff up in round one and then a cut is opened under the right eye in the third round. McLarnin asserts himself, building a solid points lead in the middle rounds. In round seven, he nails the Brit with a huge shot for the bout's only knockdown. The cut is also reopened, but "Baby Face" is unable to finish matters in the seventh. The cut is once again opened in round 10, leading to a stoppage. TKO 10 win for McLarnin to keep the title; the win moves the Canadian to 24-2 (18) while Hamilton Johnny drops to 19-13-5 (9). Final event of the evening is a long-awaited battle for Jack Delaney's NABF LH title, where he faces a strong challenge from "Slapsie Maxie" Rosenbloom. The two battled to one of the four draws in Rosenbloom's career in a prior encounter. This time, Maxie gets on top early, firing stinging jabs that cause Delaney's left eye to start swelling after just two rounds. By the end of round four, Rosenbloom's left eye starts to puff up as well. Rosenbloom gradually pulls ahead in the middle rounds of this bruising battle. In round eight, Delaney sustains a cut under his right eye. No knockdowns, and the bout goes the distance, with Delaney bothered by a second cut, under the other eye, late in the fight. The verdict goes to Rosenbloom via a UD 12 (116-112, 115-113, 115-113). It is the first title ever for "Slapsie Maxie," moving him to 22-1-4 (10) overall compared to 34-6-1 (21) for Delaney.

Dec. 14, 1928: Friday night fights moves to Boston, where aging veteran HW Harry Wills faces Floyd Johnson in a 10-round non-title bout in the main feature bout of a packed fight card. Wills holds a TKO win over Johnson in an earlier bout, back in 1926, but Harry is now at Post-Prime and starting to show the effects of aging. Wills starts strongly enough, building an early points lead and scoring a KD with a strong shot in round four. However, Johnson stages an impressive rally during the second half of the bout while Wills tires visibly. By the end of round six, Wills' left eye is starting to swell and, a couple of rounds later, the other eye shows signs of swelling as well. The bout goes the distance, and Johnson takes a narrow but UD 10 win (97-94, 97-94, 96-95). The win lifts Johnson to 26-6-1 (21) overall, while Wills slips to 58-11-1 (46). The loss may signal the end of Wills' lengthy time as a serious HW title threat.

[JCWeb]

Second half of December, final in-year fight reports concluding the year's action with three World title bouts ...

Dec. 15, 1928: Action moves back to the Sports Palazzo in Rome, Italy, and a series of non-title bouts are on tap, leading to the feature bout of the evening, a 10-round non-title affair featuring EBU LW king Benny Valgar, taking on Solly Seeman who is making a second trip overseas to take on the popular veteran "French Flash," having lost to Valgar before a hostile crowd in Cannes in 1927. Not much action in this one, as the methodical Valgar comprehensively outboxes Seeman from the start. Solly tries to step up the pace in the latter half of the bout, but meets with little success as the French Flash takes a lopsided UD 10 win (99-91 on all three cards). Valgar is now 39-12-2 (13) while Seeman, who will hit Post-Prime in 1929, dips to 28-12-3 (11).

Dec. 15, 1928: The Cow Palace in San Francisco is the scene of the next fight card, and the main event sees new USBA JLW king Benny Bass defending the belt against Jack Bernstein. Not much to talk about, as midway through round three Bass decks Bernstein with a strong combination. The one-sided affair is over just as quickly as Bernstein is unable to beat the count. The KO 3 win for Bass moves his career totals to 30-7-3 (11) while Bernstein winds up the year at 22-14-1 (6).

Dec. 21, 1928: Action moves to the Rizal Arena in Manila, and the feature bout has Petey Sarron facing the challenge of Filipino Ignacio Fernandez in a 10-round, non-title FW matchup. There is not much happening until round five, when all of a sudden Sarron unleashes a barrage of low blows -- enough to cause the ref to call a halt and award a DQ-5 win for Fernandez. (Fernandez was up on all the judges' scorecards at the time). Fernandez, who is now 17-3 (10), is preparing to move ahead to Prime career stage in 1929, while Sarron, who is 15-3-1 (7), still has some lessons to learn.

Dec. 22, 1928: Big fight card at Madison Square Garden in New York City -- highly anticipated WBA LH title bout has slick boxing Tommy Loughran defending versus veteran Mike McTigue. Can McTigue -- dogged by bad luck throughout his career -- pull off the big upset in his first ever try for a world title? For Loughran, it is his ninth title defense plus he has the confidence from an earlier TKO win over McTigue. Plus, it turns out Mike has just his Post-Prime career stage, rendering him a step or two slower, something that is definitely going to put a crimp in his effort to unseat Loughran. Tommy gets off to a strong start, firing away with long-range jabs and alert counterpunching. McTigue recovers from a slow start with a strong effort in round three. Loughran reasserts himself in round four, dominating the action for this and most of the middle rounds. McTigue starts to tire, plus both his eyes start to swell from the accumulated effect of Loughran's very accurate punching. McTigue is unable to mount an effective rally, and Loughran registers an impressive UD 15 win (149-136, 146-140, 148-137) to maintain the WBA title into 1929. Tommy moves to 35-4-2 (12) while McTigue is now 36-21-5 (22).

Dec. 26, 1928: Traditional Boxing Day fight card in London, UK, at the Olympia. Hugh McIntosh referees the feature bout, for the WBA FW title as Lou Kaplan defends against British hopeful and FW Commonwealth Champion Johnny Cuthbert. Two strong boxers meeting in the ring for the first time. Kaplan starts well, and by the end of round two, Cuthbert's left eye is starting to swell. Cuthbert recovers to stage a brief rally in the middle rounds, but Kaplan reasserts himself as the British challenger starts to wear down in the later rounds. Late in the bout, Cuthbert is cut over the right eye but the cut does not become a factor in the outcome. No knockdowns, and the bout comes down to the scorecards after going the distance -- it's a UD 15 win for Kaplan (147-141, 147-141, 146-141) over the game but overmatched Cuthbert. Kaplan's successful defense runs his record to 33-6-1 (10) while Cuthbert is 22-14-1 (8).

Dec. 28, 1928: Final fight card of 1928 is on Friday, at Sydney, Australia. Jack Sharkey has traveled down under to give Tom Heeney a crack at his WBA HW crown in the feature bout. It is the first meeting of the two, and Sharkey's second title defense. For Heeney, it is his first try for the WBA crown after having been moderately successful in challenging and winning lesser belts, like the Commonwealth and OPBF titles. The early edge goes to Sharkey, who quietly builds a solid points advantage while Heeney struggles with his timing. Finally, in round eight, the Kiwi rallies, taking the round with a strong effort. Two rounds later, the crowd roars its approval as Heeney decks Sharkey with a short, clean uppercut. After this, the Champ is alot more careful, focused on defense, meaning Heeney finds few openings to exploit. Nonetheless, with one round to go, it's Sharkey who shows signs of wear and tear as his right eye starts to balloon up. The bout goes the distance, and the judges go for Sharkey, a solid but unspectacular UD 15 (146-137, 145-140, 146-137) which in at least two instances seems much too generous as Heeney's strong effort (not to mention scoring the only knockdown of the bout) goes for naught. Post-fight, Sharkey is now 21-2 (14), with Heeney at 28-10-1 (8).

[JCWeb]

Now, on to the first of the year-end wrapups which will be telescoped into one post, given that the details of the title bouts were posted as they happened.

1928 -- HW Report

Titles and Title Bouts

WBA: Jack Sharkey unseated Gene Tunney (UD 15) then defended twice, versus Jim Maloney (TKO 12) and Tom Heeney (UD 15).

NABF: George Godfrey defended twice, versus Young Stribling (UD 12) and Pat Lester (TKO 9) before losing to Lanky Ralph Smith (TKO 2).

USBA: Title changed hands twice in two bouts. Jim Maloney defeated Martin Burke (TKO 5), then Pat Lester ousted Maloney (TKO 5).

CBU: The Gorgeous Gael, Jack Doyle, captured the belt from George Thompson early in the year (KO 11).

GBU: "Fainting" Phil Scott regained the title from Tom Cowler via a TKO 10.

EBU: Bartley Madden held on to the belt by fighting to a draw with Jack Humbeeck, but then Paulino Uzcudan took a MD 12 from Madden to take the belt.

OPBF: Tom Heeney regained the belt via a UD 12 over Cyril Whitaker and defended versus Brian McCleary (MD 12).

Division Profile

Total: 211 RL: 131 TC: 80

RL by Career Stage:
End - 9
Post - 15
Prime - 53
Pre - 40
Beginning - 14 (7 New)

Rated: 89
800+: 14
500+: 40
200+ : 79

Jan 1929 Rankings (Perf Points and Changes from Jan. 1928 in Parens):

Champ: Jack Sharkey 21-2 (14) (1395) (+17)
1. Young Stribling 29-5-1 (18) (1524) (+2)
2. Larry Gains 23-4 (14) (1408) (NC)
3. Floyd Johnson 26-6-1 (21) (1185) (+7)
4. Harry Wills 58-11-1 (46) (1184) (NC)
5. Lanky Ralph Smith 20-6-1 (7) (1163) (+48) (NABF Champ)
6. George Godfrey 37-8-1 (26) (1120) (-5)
7. Jack DeMave 21-3-2 (11) (1095) (+5)
8. Gene Tunney 42-10-3 (25) (1055) (-8)
9. Jack Dempsey 52-9-1 (47) (1003 (-4)
10. Erminio Spalla 29-11 (21) (970) (+8)

Others: 12. Pat Lester 23-5 (20) (879) (-1) (USBA Champ)
14. Tom Heeney 28-10-1 (8) (794) (+1) (OPBF Champ)
15. Paulino Uzcudan 23-3-1 (11) (791) (+5) (EBU Champ)
21. Jack Doyle 20-7-2 (15) (702) (+15) (CBU Champ)
40. Phil Scott 24-15-2 (6) (491) (+29) (GBU Champ)

Top Ten: Wills, Tunney and Dempsey at Post; everyone else at Prime. Lots of turnover with five newcomers to the top 10 compared to last year. Sharkey won all four bouts in 1928, taking advantage of an aging Gene Tunney to zoom all the way to the top spot. However, Stribling and Gains have higher Perf Point totals. Stribling has won his last three, whacking out Fred Fulton in two and taking the measure of aging veterans Wills and Tunney, after starting off the year on a sour note by dropping a NABF title tilt with Godfrey. Larry Gains recovered from two straight losses with UD wins over Martin Burke and Jack Dorval. Floyd Johnson ran his consecutive win streak to five, featuring stoppages of Weinert and George Thompson along with a pair of UDs over Wills and DeMave. Wills maintained a top five spot despite three straight losses to Tunney, Stribling and Johnson. Newly-crowned NABF titleholder Lanky Ralph Smith shot up the rankings by virtue of his quick stoppage of Godfrey, following up with a UD win over Bartley Madden; Smith has now won nine in a row, his last loss back in 1926. Godfrey impressed with stoppages of Lester and Heeney, in addition to a UD win over Stribling, but the surprising loss to Smith has halted his progress as well as snapping an eight-bout unbeaten skein. DeMave pulled off two notable upset wins, a stoppage of Schmeling and a win over Tunney, offsetting a UD loss to Johnson earlier in the year. Tunney slipped dramatically, winning just one of four bouts after hitting Post-Prime. His long-time rival Dempsey also struggling, dropping two of three before recovering with a UD 10 win over lower-rated Aussie George Cook. Spalla moved to the top ten with impressive wins over Dempsey and Spaniard Paulino Uzcudan.

Other Notables: Martin Burke dropped five spots to #11, suffering losses to Jim Maloney (via TKO) and Larry Gains but recovering with a MD over George Thompson. Lester captured the USBA title but could not sustain the momentum in his next bout, where he suffered a TKO loss to Godfrey. Maloney finished up the year at #13, struggling in title losses to Lester and Sharkey after starting well with the TKO win over ex-Champ Burke. Heeney remained in contention, but his uneven record (2-2, losing both non-OPBF title bouts) means further success is problematic. Uzcudan, on the other hand, appears to be on the verge of moving further forward, taking the EBU crown from Madden after winning a rematch from Cook (after a drawn first bout). One spot behind in #16 is the "Black Uhlan," Max Schmeling, who recovered from his first career loss (to DeMave) with successive TKO wins over CBU Champ Doyle and Van Der Veer. At 18-1 (16), Max is set to move up to Prime after his next outing. Other top 10 dropouts include Fred Fulton, who ended at #17 (down from 7th last year) after KO losses to Dorval and Stribling put him at Post-Prime at 40-17-1 (32) overall, and long-time CBU and EBU Champ Bartley Madden, who slipped from #9 to #18, after going winless for the second year in a row. Frankie Campbell finished the year strongly, with three wins in a row to end up at #19, sporting a 22-4-1 (16) career mark. Swede Harry Persson won all five of his 1928 bouts, and his 22-5 (15) career total is good for 20th spot in this year's rankings. CBU Champ Doyle had a four-bout winning streak going before being outclassed (by Schmeling and Wills) in his last two outings. Aussie George Thompson, former CBU titleholder, tumbled from #8 to #22 after going winless (one draw and three losses) in 1928. Top newcomer to the list is Tom Sayers, who checks in at #27 after going 4-0 in 1928, including KOs over Joe Sekyra and "Hoot" Burger, following with a UD over Lou Barba to move to 15-2 (11) overall. Sekyra, who is now 15-2 (12), debuts at #34. Two spots lower, at #36, is Jack Gross, who dropped a SD to Elmer Ray but recovered with an impressive UD 10 win over Burger. Much further down the list is Jimmy Braddock, whose early losses meant his 13-2-1 (6) career start was only good for 52nd spot in this year's rankings.

Prospects: Elmer "Kid Violent" Ray remained unbeaten, KOing opponents like Ernie Schaaf and Emmett Rocco after scraping through with a split duke over Jack Gross to end the year at 13-0 (10). Norwegian Otto Von Porat bounced back from his first career loss to Schmeling with three wins (a SD over Canadian Angus Snyder, a MD over Brit Don Shortland and a KO over Belgian Gustav Limousin) to end up 1928 at 13-1 (9). Highly touted Welshman Tommy Farr struggled, dropping three in a row after winning his first 11, including TKO losses to Shortland and a TC, to check in at 11-3 (8). Still unbeaten were Ben Pound, at 11-0 (9), Ad Warren, 10-0 (10 KOs) and Jimmy Mendes, 10-0 (9). Also off to a good start, Tony Galento (2 KO wins in his first two pro bouts), Primo Carnera (2 wins, 1 KO) and King Levinsky (2 wins, no KOs).

Retirements: A record-tying nine departures from the HW ranks in 1928.

Willie Meehan (USA) 1909-28 40-36-6 (8) No Titles Highest Rank: 20
Cyril Whitaker (NZL) 1922-28 18-6-1 (6) OPBF Champ Highest Rank: 14
Tom Cowler (UK) 1910-28 34-25-5 (16) GBU Champ Highest Rank: 31
Bill Tate (USA) 1912-28 32-29-4 (13) No Titles Highest Rank: 19
Jack Thompson (USA) 1913-28 30-24-7 (12) USBA Champ Highest Rank: 12
Al Roberts (USA) 1919-28 22-15-1 (11) No Titles Highest Rank: 16
Battling Jim McCreary (USA) 1918-28 24-16-6 (11) No Titles Highest Rank: 21
Al Reich (USA) 1913-28 35-26 (23) No Titles Highest Rank: 28
Bob Roper (USA) 1919-28 28-13-3 (16) No Titles Highest Rank: 6

Looking Ahead: The changing of the guard continues at the top of the HW division, as all seven of the titles changed hands during the year. Nevertheless, after two successful defenses, Sharkey seems likely to remain kind of an interim Champion until someone better comes along. Schmeling, once he hits Prime, seems a likely challenger. Young Stribling could also regain the WBA title. Gains and Johnson are likely to be candidates for the NABF title -- alot of folks are discounting the current NABF Champ, Lanky Ralph Smith, as yet to be tested against the cream of the top HWs. Doyle is likely to face a serious challenge for the CBU belt from the likes of Gains, Heeney, perhaps Don Shortland or Phil Scott. Shortland, who is off to a 14-1 career start, may require some further seasoning before challenging for Scott's GBU title. Frankie Campbell, Tuffy Griffith and Tom Sayers will look for opportunities to move up and perhaps challenge for the USBA title. In Europe, while Uzcudan is a deserving Champion, DeMave, E. Spalla, Schmeling and Persson are on the short list of strong challengers for the EBU belt. Max Baer, the Livermore Larruper, leads the seven newcomers to the HW ranks in 1929.

[JCWeb]

LH Year-End Report

Titles and Title Bouts

WBA: Tommy Loughran made four successful defenses, versus Jack Delaney (UD 15), Jimmy Slattery (UD 15), Bobby Brown (UD 15) and Mike McTigue (another UD 15).

NABF: Four title bouts, changing hands twice. Ad Stone defended versus Jeff Smith (UD 12) and Maxie Rosenbloom (UD 12), then lost the title to Jack Delaney (MD 12). Delaney, in turn, was dethroned by Rosenbloom (UD 12).

USBA: Title changed hands twice in three 1928 bouts. Paul Berlenbach won the belt from Lou Bogash (SD 12), defended versus George Courtney (TKO 3). Ad Stone then regained the title from Berlenbach (TKO 6).

CBU: Len Harvey made two successful defenses, versus Jack Delaney (UD 12) and Gypsy Daniels (UD 12).

GBU: No defenses of this title, which remained in the hands of Gypsy Daniels.

EBU: Len Harvey retains the title, but no title defenses (due to lack of credible opponents).

Division Profile

Total: 134 RL: 88 TC: 46

RL by Career Stage:
End - 8
Post - 15
Prime - 40
Pre - 11
Beginning - 14 (9 New)

Rated: 62
800+: 14
500+: 28
200+ : 51

Jan 1929 Rankings (Perf Points and Changes from Jan. 1928 in Parens):

Champ: Tommy Loughran 35-4-2 (12) (1606) (NC)
1. Ad Stone 29-3 (18) (1318) (NC) (USBA Champ)
2. Maxie Rosenbloom 22-1-4 (10) (1168) (+4) (NABF Champ)
3. Jack Delaney 34-6-1 (21) (1167) (-1)
4. Len Harvey 29-4-1 (12) (1123) (-1) (CBU, EBU Champ)
5. Jimmy Slattery 25-8-1 (9) (1039) (NC)
6. Lou Bogash 33-15-2 (17) (932) (-2)
7. Paul Berlenbach 21-4 (16) (929) (NC)
8. Jack Reeves 31-14-4 (18) (894) (+5)
9. Young Firpo 18-2-2 (14) (842) (+1)
10. Harry Greb 49-12-2 (26) (827) (+4)

Others: 36. Gypsy Daniels 25-13-2 (16) (356) (-8) (GBU Champ)

Top Ten: Stone and Reeves join Greb at Post. Loughran continues to be the dominant figure in the division, racking up four more title defenses (all UDs) to extend his unbeaten streak to 12 bouts. Stone took a UD from Harvey and also won three of four 1928 title bouts, but he will hit Post-Prime in 1929, his retirement year. Rosenbloom finally captured a title belt, recovering from his first career loss to Stone; he impressed with UD wins over Berlenbach and Slattery in non-title contests. "Bright Eyes" Delaney won only two of five bouts, going 1-3 in title bouts and adding a TKO over Bogash. Harvey won two CBU title bouts but suffered a UD loss to Stone. Slattery won two of four, struggling against the bigger names but rebounding with a UD 10 win over Reeves. Bogash ended a three-bout winless string when he decisioned Nichols (UD 10) late in the year to retain his top 10 status. Berlenbach, who was angling toward a shot at Loughran's title, had his plans derailed by losses to Rosenbloom and Stone. Reeves rode a five-bout winning streak to secure a top 10 spot, downing Young Tony Marullo who had been #8, but a late-season UD loss to Slattery halted his progress. Young Firpo dropped a MD to Marullo in his last bout at Pre-Prime, drew with Nichols, then took a UD 10 from aging vet Greb to secure his top 10 status for another year. Surprisingly, Greb clings to the #10 spot, taking a UD from Mike McTigue and a TKO over Nichols during the year to go with the one loss to Firpo and a draw with another aging vet, Jeff Smith.

Other Notables: Lou Scozza wound up one spot short at #11, despite taking all of his 1928 ring battles to run his record to an excellent 20-1 (16). Dropping four spots to #12 was Marullo, who was lucky not to fall further after successive losses to Reeves and Scozza to finish the year (although he did win a MD 10 from Young Firpo). The other top 10 dropout, Mike McTigue, slid four spots to #13, having only won one of three (a KO over the lowly rated Ernie Owens), plus he is now at Post-Prime which should limit his future prospects for a return to the ranks of the top LH contenders. Eddie McGovern won all three 1928 contests, including a UD over GBU Champ Daniels, to finish the year at #14 with a 25-8-1 (17) career mark. Cuban Roleaux Saguero has fashioned a seven-bout win streak, including a KO of hot prospect Harry Fuller in his most recent outing; this moves him to #23 with a 25-10-1 (24) record. "Duluth Jimmy" Delaney weathered a six-bout losing streak, including two tough SD losses, and then snapped the losing streak with a MD win over Italian Rinaldo Palmucci, good enough to end the year at #25 in the rankings. Top newcomer to this year's list is Harry Fuller, who wound up at 14-3-1 (10), slipping to #30 after being stopped twice, by Saguero and Scozza, in his last two outings. Pal Silvers, another Saguero KO victim, battled back with two more wins to finish his Pre-Prime career at 16-3-1 (10), good for 34th in the rankings. Another notable newcomer, Mike Mandell, compiled an impressive 16-2 (15) career start, with some impressive wins but with a severe blemish after suffering a last-round KO at the hands of the lowly-rated Abie Bain.

Prospects: Most of the LH prospects concentrated on padding their records by taking on TCs. Two, Benny Miller and Rosy Rosales, battled to a 10-round draw. Miller, who also dropped a SD to Sergeant Jack Lynch, wound up the year at 12-1-1 (10). Belgian Gustave Roth suffered a surprising loss to a TC but one his remaining bouts to end the year at 12-1 (6). Rosales took the measure of fellow prospect Fred Lenhart to remain unbeaten at 11-0-1 (6). Lenhart ended the year at 10-2 (10). Clyde Chastain kept his slate clean, all versus TCs, to end the year at 11-0 (10). The "Powerful Pole," Pete Cerkan, impressed with 8 KO wins in his nine bouts, going 9-0 (8). Willard Dix, 8-0 (6), Joe Knight, 6-0 (5), Tiger Jack Fox, 4-0 (4), all feasted versus TC opposition. Battling Bozo and Bob Godwin, both at 4-0 (2), got their respective careers off to good starts. On the other hand, Bob Olin was held to a technical draw in his debut pro bout and now stands at 2-0-1 (0). Tony Shucco took a UD in his pro debut and is 1-0 (0) heading into 1929.

Retirements: Five retirements from the LH ranks in 1928, including two former WBA Champs and one all-time great (Jack "The Giant Killer" Dillon).

Rudolf Arndt (GER) 1921-28 12-18 (6) No Titles Highest Rank: 38
Steve Choynski (USA) 1915-28 25-28-3 (13) No Titles Highest Rank: 14
Jack Dillon (USA) 1908-28 54-18-7 (17) WBA Champ 1912-15, 1917-19
Eddie Trembley (USA) 1915-28 26-22 (20) No Titles Highest Rank: 19
Battling Levinsky (USA) 1909-28 46-29-3 (16) WBA Champ 1921-22

Looking Ahead: Loughran remains the dominant force in the LH division; there is already some talk of a possible move up to HW, but that is unlikely to take place before 1930. Stone and Rosenbloom, as the ratings reflect, are the two top potential challengers. Berlenbach is looking to regain his momentum. Canadian Jack Delaney and Brit Len Harvey remain viable challengers as well. Aging vets like Greb, McTigue, Smith, and now Jack Reeves are likely to drop off the lists in the next year or so. Scozza and some of the lower-ranked newcomers, like Harry Fuller and Mike Mandell, may be positioned to make a move up the ranks. John Henry Lewis is the best of the nine newcomers to the division in 1929.