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May 2, 1930: First card of May takes place in Pittsburgh. Main event features two top young HW prospects, but first up is the main support bout featuring the aging former Champ, Harry Greb, the “Pittsburgh Windmill,” matched against now higher ranked LH Young Tony Marullo. Despite being near the tail-end of his career, Greb rises to the occasion and puts up a strong effort despite a rough start, as Marullo staggers him with a strong hook in the opening round and causes both of Greb’s eyes to puff up by the end of round two. A strong round three puts Greb back in the bout, but Marullo puts him on the deck in round four. Greb mounts an impressive comeback, however, staggering Marullo with a big hook in round eight, and the younger man sports a split lip and a swollen left eye as the bout goes the distance. Greb steals a SD 10 (95-93, 93-95, 95-93) despite suffering the knockdown. The result moves the aging veteran to 51-16-2 (27) overall compared to 26-11-4 (15) post-fight for Marullo. In the featured bout, previously unbeaten Ad Warren (now 17-0) goes against once-beaten Elmer Ray (now 16-1) in a HW encounter. Ray takes charge, putting Warren on the canvas with a strong hook in round three. Warren tries to cover up, but Ray (known as “Kid Violent”) has his killer instinct kick in, causing the ref to call a halt with the round still in progress. The TKO 3 win moves Ray to 17-1 (12), while Warren dips to 17-1 (15).

May 3, 1930: Next card is at the Stadium in Liverpool, England. Featured is a unification title bout between EBU BW Champion Johnny King and GBU Champ Johnny Brown. It is King’s last bout at Pre-Prime, while Brown is at Post, and both titles are at stake. While the two appear to be evenly matched through the early rounds, King gradually gains the upper hand as the bout heads into the middle rounds. He stuns Brown with a big uppercut on the way to a big round seven. He continues the surge, punishing his opponent until the ref steps in to call a halt in round eight. The TKO 8 win secures King the GBU title belt to go with his EBU crown. Post-fight records: King, 18-2 (11) and Brown, 25-11-3 (18).

May 3, 1930: It’s back to Chicago’s Soldier Field for the next fight card, and the main event has two top HWs, ex-Champs Jack Dempsey and Jack Sharkey, paired in a rematch of a 1927 contest won by Dempsey. However, the Manassa Mauler is now three years older and near the end of his career, while Sharkey is still in his prime. Sharkey, the “Boston Gob,” is firmly in control from the outset, and Dempsey looks slow and woefully out of shape, a shadow of his former self. Dempsey elects to mix it up in round four, to his detriment as Sharkey connects with a big uppercut in round four that puts Dempsey down and out for the count. The impressive KO 4 adds to Sharkey’s already impressive resume as he moves to 22-5 (15) overall, while Dempsey is stuck at 55-12-1 (49) and falls out of the top 10 for the first time in over a decade. Looks like retirement for the aging great is only a bout or two away.

May 9, 1930: Atlantic City’s Convention Hall is the scene for the next fight card. A strong undercard includes the popular local New Jersey fan favorite, the “Cinderella man,” HW Jimmy Braddock, who takes on another HW, Spark Plug Boyd. Braddock, still looking to escape the journeyman tag, sets up shop on the outside while Boyd tries to outmuscle him on the inside. Braddock sustains a cut under his right eye, but the aggressive Boyd is unable to penetrate his defenses, although there are some difficult moments in round eight, when Boyd tags Braddock with an overhand right. Braddock hangs on to take a narrow UD 10 verdict (96-95 on all three cards) to move to 18-3-2 (6) overall. Next up is highly regarded LW Sammy Fuller, still seeking to breakthrough at the upper echelon of the division. His opponent tonight is Johnny Kaiser. Fuller displays some superior boxing skills, while Kaiser battles a cut eye for most of the bout. The result is a lopsided UD 10 win for Fuller (99-90, 99-91, 98-92) which improves his prospects as he improves to 28-3 (8) overall. Co-feature sees JWW Tony Canzoneri, the “Roman Warrior,” stepping up in weight to challenge veteran WW Jimmy Jones. Canzoneri seizes control early, and Jones battles two swollen eyes but offers little resistance otherwise. It’s a UD 10 win (99-90, 99-90, 98-92) in an impressive performance by Canzoneri. He moves to 19-4 (11) overall with the win, while Jones (now at Post-Prime) drops to 23-17-4 (10). Then, the main event has Lou Scozza, defending the USBA LH belt he won less than two months earlier back in November. The challenger, Battling Slim Ryan, is making his first title try. Ryan is the aggressor from the early rounds, but Scozza calmly bides his time and then lands a big overhand right in round eight that sends Scozza to the canvas. Later in the round, he finishes his opponent with a wicked uppercut to the head. The KO 8 moves Scozza to 25-2 (19) overall, and already there is talk of a WBA title bout with Tommy Loughran. Ryan slips to 23-8 (15) with the loss.

May 10, 1930: Back to Europe with a nice fight card at the Sports Palace in Rome. Main event is for the EBU Flyweight title, currently held by hometown favorite, Johnny Vacca. His opponent is German Harry Stein, whom Vacca defeated in an earlier bout (UD 10). Stein is the aggressor in the early rounds. Vacca appears to be building a nice points lead when, all of a sudden, a barrage of blows from the challenger puts the Italian on the canvas in round five. Vacca recovers, but in the later round he is bothered by some swelling around both eyes. The bout goes down to the wire, and it’s a really close decision with the last round proving decisive as Vacca keeps the title, escaping with a very narrow SD 12 win (113-114, 115-114, 114-113) to move the Italian Champion to 24-2 (11) overall, while Stein is 21-6 (16) post-fight.

May 16, 1930: Friday night fights down under at Sydney Stadium in Australia. Plenty of local talent on display, including two Aussie HWs in the main event and an unbeaten MW prospect, Ron Richards, on the undercard. Richards is matched with another hot prospect, Puerto Rican MW Angel Cliville; Richards enters the bout with a perfect 13-0 career start (all wins inside the distance) while Cliville comes in a 12-1. Richards is forced to go the distance for the first time in his career, and he seems to have the bout well in hand before tiring in the later rounds. Consequently, Cliville is able to escape defeat with a majority draw (95-95, 94-97 Cliville, 95-95) to the dismay of the crowd which has been vociferous in its support for Richards. Post-fight, Richards is now 13-0-1 (13) while Cliville is 12-1-1 (8). Then, in the main event, Aussie George Thompson defends the OPBF HW crown against fellow Aussie George Cook. Cook holds a prior SD win, but Thompson has had the better recent results. In round three, Thompson suffers a cut over his left eye. The following round, Thompson’s eye starts to swell. The cut is reopened in round six and then, in round seven, an accidental clash of leads to a much more severe cut over both of Cook’s eyes. The bleeding is too severe to allow the bout to continue, and it goes to the scorecards after six. The result – a technical draw (57-57 on all three cards). Thus, Thompson keeps the title belt. Post-fight records: 23-5-2 (13) for Thompson; 36-18-3 (17) for Cook.

[JCWeb]

Wrapping up the action from May of 1930 (including three World title fights) ...

May 17, 1930: Next up is an intriguing fight card from Miami. Two preliminary bouts, one involving top 10 contenders, another involving two unbeaten prospects, are followed by a WBA HW Championship battle. First up are two top 10 LWs, as Chilean Luis Vicentini takes on Ray Miller. Miller starts well, and the accumulated impact of punches landed results in some swelling under Vicentini’s left eye. A late surge from Vicentini is insufficient to close the gap, and Miller takes a MD 10 (96-94, 95-95, 96-94) to run his record to 28-16 (13) compared to 31-7 (12) post-fight for Vincentini. Next preliminary bout matches up two unbeaten FW prospects, Kid Chocolate (the Cuban “Bon Bon”) and Freddie Miller. The Cuban is the aggressor throughout most of the bout, and in the end it pays off as he walks off a UD 10 winner (97-95 on all three cards) to move to 13-0-1 (12) overall while Miller’s first loss drops him to 12-1 (8). Then, on to the main event as Young Stribling defends his WBA HW belt against Tuffy Griffith. Stribling gets off to a great start, and he drops Griffith to the canvas near the end of the opening stanza. By the end of round four, Griffith is bothered by swelling and a cut over his right eye. Griffith, trailing badly in the fight, tries to become more aggressive in the middle rounds. Stribling remains in control, putting down Griffith in a barrage of blows in round 10. Then, in round 13, he puts Griffith down for a third time with a vicious uppercut and follows up with a final KD later in the round. This time Griffith stays down for the count. The KO 13 for Stribling moves him to 35-5-1 (20), while Griffith is now 22-3-1 (14).

May 23, 1930: Next Friday night card is north of the border at the Forum in Montreal. Two preliminary bouts featuring top 10 contenders set the table for another WBA title contest. Two BWs, Charley Phil Rosenberg and Canadian veteran Vic Foley, take to the ring in a rematch of an earlier bout that resulted in a UD 10 win for Rosenberg, who has since reached Post-Prime in his career. Foley battles a swollen right eye for much of the bout and ends up on the short end of a SD 10 (96-94, 95-95, 96-95) that goes to Rosenberg. Post-fight records: Rosenberg, 30-7-3 (12); Foley, 29-12-1 (10). Next up are two top FW contenders, #5 ranked Andy Martin versus #9 Eddie Shea. The higher rated Martin is looking to avenge two prior losses to Shea. A cut over Shea’s left eye brings about a sudden end to the bout, which goes down as a TKO 3 for Martin on the cuts stoppage. The win moves Martin to 26-6-1 (9) while Shea’s record slips to 23-9-1 (15). The featured main event has Canadian WW Jimmy McLarnin making the third defense of his WBA crown, taking on OPBF king Irineo Flores. Flores suffers some swelling under his right eye in the opening round, but battles back as McLarnin appears to have come out a bit flat for this title defense. By the end of round four, Flores has landed enough leather to cause McLarnin’s left eye to puff up. The Canadian Champ tries to pick up the pace in the middle rounds, but he is unable to outmuscle the Filipino challenger on the inside, to the dismay of his hometown fans. In round 12, a strong shot from Flores drops McLarnin to the canvas. The KD proves critical as the bout goes the distance and Flores takes a hotly-contested MD 15 (144-142, 143-143, 144-141) that is roundly booed by the pro-McLarnin crowd. Post-fight records: Flores, 31-11-2 (17) and McLarnin, 28-3 (19).

May 24, 1930: Action moves back to Europe and to the Amor Bahn in Munich. After a series of less interesting preliminary bouts, the featured bout sees Norwegian Otto Von Porat challenge Dutchman Piet Van Der Veer for the latter’s EBU HW title. It is Von Porat’s first bout at Prime, while the Dutchman is now at Post-Prime. In round two, the Norwegian sends a wake-up call as he decks the Champ for a seven-count with a strong shot. VanDerVeer comes back, staggering Von Porat with a hook to the head in the next round. In round seven, Von Porat sustains a cut over his left eye. Late in the bout, Van Der Veer begins to tire and is bothered by a rapidly swelling left eye. Von Porat seizes the initiative, putting VanDerVeer down for a second time in the 11^th as the Dutchman sinks to the canvas after a delayed reaction to a Von Porat cross. He lasts the distance, but the two KDs prove decisive as Von Porat takes a UD 12 (114-112, 115-113, 115-111) to take the EBU belt. The win lifts the Norwegian to 17-3-1 (11) while Van Der Veer, at 33-15-6 (20), is clearly on the downside of his career now.

May 24, 1930: Next up is the usual strong fight card at New York City’s Madison Square Garden. Making his first appearance in the Big Apple is highly regarded young WW Barney Ross, who is in just his fifth pro bout. Ross thoroughly outclasses his TC opponent, patiently waiting for an opportunity which comes midway through round four, leading to a quick stoppage. The TKO 4 win moves Ross to 5-0 (2) as he moves to Pre-Prime for his next bout. One of the main support bouts features unbeaten HW prospect “Two Ton” Tony Galento, in his stiffest test to date, against Charley “Big Charley R” Retzlaff. The two sluggers battle it out, with Galento seeming in control until he suffers a cut over his eye in round five. Then, at this point, the bout turns around, and Retzlaff steps up the pressure against an overly cautious Galento. Retzlaff seals the win with a 9^th round knockdown to set up a UD 10 win (97-92, 96-93, 97-92) as Galento falls short in his first test against non-TC opposition. Post-fight, Retzlaff moves to 8-4 (7) while Galento is now 10-1 (9). Then, onto the main event, which has aging veteran and longtime WBA JLW defending against Sid Terris, who has dropped down from LW to try for this title. Dundee turns out to be an easy target for the accurate punching and counterpunching Terris, who builds an early lead. Dundee is bothered by a rapidly swelling left eye, but battles on and gains some momentum when Terris is cut midway through the bout. The bout goes the distance without further incident, and Terris takes a well-deserved UD 15 (144-141, 144-141, 146-139) to capture the title. Post-fight, Terris is 24-8-3 (7) overall, while Dundee slips to 53-22-2 (15) with the loss.

May 30, 1930: Back to the West Coast, specifically Los Angeles, for the next Friday night card headlined by the unbeaten young MW, Freddie Steele. Steele’s foe tonight is another top 20 MW, Billy Angelo. Steele takes a couple of rounds to feel out his opponent, then he brings on the heavy leather in round three, nailing Angelo with a hook to the midsection that staggers his opponent. Steele shows great composure and ring savvy, as he follows up, pummeling Angelo who is literally out on his feet when the ref calls a halt late in the round. The TKO 3 win lifts Steele to 19-0 (16), while Angelo is now 24-10-1 (18).

May 31, 1930: Final fight card for May 1930 is at the venerable Harringay Arena in London, UK. No titles at stake, but the co-main event features unbeaten Scot MW Jock McAvoy who faces a stern test in the one-beaten Ad Zachow. McAvoy starts well, and Zachow’s left eye starts to swell by the end of round two as a result. McAvoy puts Zachow on the deck in round four, then punctuates his superiority with a strong cross that results in a second KD in round seven. The UD 10 for McAvoy (98-90, 96-92, 99-90) improves his unbeaten career totals to 15-0-3 (12) while Zachow’s post-fight totals are 14-2 (12). Then, in the feature bout, two top LHs tussle as fan favorite Len Harvey faces the impressive American “Slapsie Maxie” Rosenbloom. Harvey puts Rosenbloom on the deck late in the opening round as a short, clean hook proves effective. Rosenbloom battles back in the middle rounds to keep the bout close. Harvey responds well to the pressure, nailing Rosenbloom with a right hook in the final round. It goes to the scorecards and, no surprise, a close but UD 10 win for Harvey (96-94 on all three cards). Post-fight records: 35-4-2 (14) for Harvey; 23-5-4 (10) for Rosenbloom.

[JCWeb]

Continuing with fight action from the first part of June, 1930 ...

June 6, 1930: June fight action gets underway with a Friday night card at Philadelphia. Main support bout to the USBA HW title clash features two unbeaten MW prospects who enter the bout at a collection 22-0 (20 wins by knockout). The “Harlem Thunderbolt,” Harry Smith, is matched with Ted Yarosz. Yarosz starts well, boxing on the outside mostly, building up a solid points lead. But in round six, Smith unloads with a strong shot to register the bout’s first knockdown. A second KD in round eight seals Yarosz’s fate, and Smith goes on to take a UD 10 (97-91, 97-92, 98-91) to run his record to a perfect 14-0 (12). Yarosz suffers his first defeat to move to 9-1 (8). The main event follows, with Bearcat Wright defending his USBA HW belt against former NABF Champ Lanky Ralph Smith. Smith comes out firing and becomes the aggressor, but Wright gets the best of most of the early exchanges. Smith, now at Post-Prime career stage, tires early and becomes a sitting duck as Wright nails him with a strong shot in round seven, putting the challenger down and out. The KO 7 win for Wright moves him to 27-10-3 (18), while Smith is now 21-9-2 (7).

June 7, 1930: The scene shifts to the Stadium in Liverpool, and frankly it’s a relatively weak undercard leading up to a Commonwealth title bout. At stake is Len Johnson’s MW crown, and the challenger is Billy Bird. What is supposed to be a cakewalk for Johnson turns out to be exactly the opposite, as Bird survives a rough opening round, then rebounds to put Johnson on the deck in round five. Johnson is also slowed by a swollen right eye, and he finds it difficult to stave off the strong challenge from Bird. In round seven, Bird catches Johnson with a nice combination, and this time the Champ is unable to beat the count. The KO 7 win means Bird is the new Commonwealth MW Champ. Post-fight records: Bird, 30-9-4 (14); Johnson, 26-10-2 (15).

June 7, 1930: Next fight card is at the Gran Stadium in Havana, Cuba. A number of Cuban and other Latin boxers on the undercard, leading to a main event which matches Emil Paluso and Corporal Izzy Schwartz for the NABF Flyweight title recently vacated after Fidel LaBarba stepped up to win the WBA crown. In a close contest between two skilled boxers, Schwartz pulls ahead to an early lead but Paluso launches a major comeback to sweep the last five rounds from all three judges to secure a UD 12 (115-113 on all three cards) to take the vacant belt in impressive fashion. The win lifts Paluso to 24-11-1 (7), while it’s back to the drawing board for Schwartz, who drops to 23-11-1 (5) with the loss.

June 13, 1930: It’s a good Friday night card at the Soldier’s Field in Chicago. A main attraction on the undercard is highly regarded WW prospect Benny Ross, who is moving up to 8 rounds for his sixth pro start. Ross’ TC opponent offers little resistance, and the bout ends early in the middle of the fourth when Ross puts his opponent on the deck three times. The automatic TKO 4 win moves Ross to 6-0 (3). The card then proceeds to the main event, which is a JLW USBA title affair which sees Benny Bass defending against the lightly-regarded Mike Ballerino. The two have not met before, and Ballerino makes the most of his opportunity, giving the “Little Fish” all he can handle as the first half of the bout sees little to choose between the two. Then, starting in round eight, Bass gains the upper hand, when he nails the challenger with a huge right hand. From this point on, Ballerino is on the defensive. His left eye soons begin to swell, and then in round 11, he suffers a split lip as Bass goes on to take a UD 12 (116-112, 116-111, 115-112) to retain the title. Post-fight, Bass is 35-9-3 (12), while Ballerino winds up 22-13-4 (6).

June 14, 1930: More fight action in Italy, this time at the Sports Palace in Rome. Hot local HW prospect Primo Carnera, nicknamed the “Ambling Alp,” is on the undercard, taking on another TC opponent. He scores a KD in round one, then stalks his opponent until he catches up to him, finishing with a wild overhand right for a KO 4 win to move his record to 8-0-1 (7). The main event matches reigning EBU WW king Bermondsey Billy Wells with Swiss Cleto Locatelli, who is kind of an adopted hometown favorite here in Italy. The challenger is able to keep the bout close through the opening rounds, and he has the edge in stamina as the bout heads into the later rounds. Then, in round 10, Locatelli suffers a cut over his left eye. Wells tries to take advantage, targeting the cut but instead he walks into a strong shot from Locatelli that puts him down. The KD is enough to secure Locatelli a UD 12 win (116-112, 115-114, 117-111) and gain him the EBU title. There is talk of a possible rematch. Post-fight records: Locatelli, 20-3-1 (8); Wells, 47-13-3 (16).

June 14, 1930: More fight action north of the border, this time at the Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. Featured bout is for the Commonwealth Flyweight title, and it’s a rematch of a 1929 bout that ended in a controversial DQ finish, as Jackie Brown heads across the pond to once again face Canadian Albert Belanger. Brown, the defending Champ, suffers a nick under his right eye in the opening stanza. The challenger, Belanger, responds with a strong start, urged on by the Canadian crowd. It turns out to be a bruising battle that goes down to the wire, as Belanger suffers a swollen right eye and a cut over the left eye. In the late rounds, Brown must battle a swollen left eye as well as the cut, which is reopened in round 10. It goes to the scorecards, and the Canadian challenger comes out just on the short end of a SD 12 win for Brown (116-113, 113-114 for Belanger, 116-111). Brown retains his Commonwealth belt and moves to 19-3-1 (8) overall, compared to 20-7-1 (9) post-fight for Belanger.

[JCWeb]

Wrapping up the action from June of 1930.

June 20, 1930: Next Friday night card is at the Rizal Arena in Manila. One of the highlights on the undercard is unbeaten young Filipine BW, Pable Dano, who takes on veteran Bobby Green. The bout remains close through the early rounds, but Dano breaks through with a strong round five, dominating the action with a skilful boxing exhibition. Green battles through a cut over his left eye in the later rounds, and he manages to hang on with a majority draw (96-96, 97-95 Dano, 96-96) that preserves Dano’s unbeaten record at 16-0-2 (13) post-fight, compared to 25-11-4 (14) for Green. After a few more preliminary bouts, it’s time for the main event, OPBF WW Champ Lope Tenorio battles USBA WW titleholder, the unbeaten Jackie Fields, in a 10-round non-title affair. In the third round, Fields is cut under his left eye. In the middle rounds, however, Jackie begins to assert himself, seemingly taking control of the bout. Tenorio is bothered by a cut over his right eye, but he battles back gamely to stage a nice rally in the later rounds. Fields retreats into a defensive shell and does enough to take the UD 10 win (97-93, 96-94, 97-93) to run his record to 21-0-1 (12). Tenorio, who gave a good accounting before his hometown fans, slips to 24-7-5 (7).

June 21, 1930: The scene shifts to London, and it’s a light card but some meaningful bouts on the agenda. In a close competitive bout, the former EBU HW Champ, Paulino Uzcudan, noses out former Commonwealth titleholder, Jack Doyle, in a SD 10 (95-96 Doyle, 96-95, 96-95). The result moves the “Basque Woodchopper” to 27-5-1 (12) overall, while Doyle dips to 22-10-2 (16). Then, in a clash of two veteran BWs, former WBA Champ takes on Brit Teddy Baldock. It proves to be an entertaining bout as Baldock nails Sarmiento with a solid uppercut to put the ex-Champ on the deck in round one. Sarmiento battles back, but he sustains a cut under his right eye in round four. Baldock retreats to a defensive posture in the later rounds, and he holds on – despite a rapidly swelling left eye – to take a SD 10 (96-93, 94-95, 96-93) over the Filipino. Post-fight, Baldock improves to 24-12-1 (11) while Sarmiento is now 31-12-6 (20). Then, it’s time for the main event, as Tommy Loughran puts his WBA LH title on the line against the lowly-rated but long-time British LH Champ, Gypsy Daniels. Loughran, the heavy favorite, gets off to a quick start, repeatedly landing and causing Daniels’ right eye to show telltale signs of swelling by the end of round one. The swelling worsens throughout the fight and, after Loughran manages to open a split lip in round seven, the ref calls a halt – due to the swelling, not the cut. TKO 7 win for Loughran. No argument from Daniels’ corner, as he was totally overmatched. It is the 15^th successive title defense for Loughran, who has remained unbeaten for five years. Post-fight records: Loughran, 41-4-2 (17); Daniels, 26-16-2 (17).

June 21, 1930: Next fight card is at the Mammoth Gardens in Denver. On the undercard is the impressive young HW talent, Max Baer, who makes short work of his TC opponent, registering his second straight first-round stoppage, this time with three KDs in the opening stanza. Baer emerges with his unbeaten record now boosted to 8-0 (7). After a series of rather mundane bouts, finally it’s time for the main event – a 12-round USBA MW title bout featuring Gorilla Jones defending against former NABF titleholder, Tiger Flowers, also known as the “Georgia Deacon.” Flowers starts well, forcing Jones to absorb quite a bit of punishment in the opening rounds, and the Champ’s right eye starts to puff up as a result. In round five, the bout turns in Jones’ favor, and it’s Flowers who has to battle a swollen left eye. In round six, Jones follows up – catching Flowers with a short, clean hook for the bout’s only knockdown, and in the same round Flowers loses a point for hitting below the belt. Nonetheless, the aging “Georgia Deacon” survives the onslaught, and actually mounts a late rally in the final rounds. The bout goes to the scorecards, and the results show a MD 12 in favor of the aging veteran, Flowers (114-112, 113-113, 114-112), who captures the belt in what can only be characterized as a huge upset, given that Flowers was at “End” career stage. The win lifts Flowers to 37-15-1 (17), while Jones drops to 23-6-1 (15) with the loss.

June 27, 1930: No titles at stake, but plenty of good matchups on a packed Friday night card at Atlantic City’s Convention Hall. First up, two top FWs, as ex-WBA Champ Louis Kaplan takes on up-and-comer Petey Sarron. The two boxers put safety first, and the younger man (Sarron) does well to keep the bout close into the middle and later rounds. However, he is slowed by a swollen right eye, and the UD 10 goes to Kaplan (97-93 on all cards) to improve his career stats to 36-8-1 (10) overall; Sarron drops to 19-5-2 (8) with the loss. Next up is Tony “the Roman Warrior” Canzoneri, who moves down to LW to challenge top 10 Tommy O’Brien; it will be O’Brien’s first bout at Post-Prime. The bout ends prematurely, in a technical draw as a butt cut over O’Brien’s left eye causes an early stoppage. Post-fight records: Canzoneri, 19-4-1 (11); O’Brien, 36-15-5 (16). Then, in one of the main support bouts, Floyd “Auburn Bulldog” Johnson faces veteran HW contender Pat Lester. Lester is bothered by a mouse under his right eye that is opened midway throught the 10-round bout. Johnson breaks through in the later rounds, putting Lester on the canvas in round eight and following up with a second KD a round later that leads to a stoppage. TKO 9 for Johnson. He improves to 29-9-1 (23); Lester is now 24-9 (20). The card then proceeds to the main event, which features former LW king Benny Leonard at the higher WW weight class, taking on top five contender, ex-WBA Champ, Young Jack Thompson. Thompson catches Leonard with a big hook in round three, putting Benny on the deck for one of the few times in his career. Two rounds later, Leonard bounces back, flooring Thompson with a wicked uppercut to the head to even the KD count at one apiece. The “Ghetto Wizard” seems to get stronger as the bout goes on, and his superior endurance tells the tale as Thompson is exhausted by the end. The UD 10 nod goes to Leonard (95-93 on all three cards) to move Leonard to an impressive 75-4-2 (41) overall. Thompson slips to 27-6-4 (17).

June 28, 1930: Back to Europe for a fight card at the Palais des Sports in Cannes, France. A lot of lightly regarded European fighters on the undercard, leading to the main event, which is a EBU FW title contest pitting the defending Champ, Brit Johnny Cuthbert against the hometown crowd favorite, ex-Champ Andre Routis. Early on, Routis suffers a cut over his left eye and is unable to recover from a poor start. The cut proves decisive as it leads to a sudden stoppage in round six. It goes into the books as a TKO 6 win for Cuthbert, who was well ahead on all three of the judges’ cards anyway. Post-fight records: Cuthbert, 26-15-1 (9); Routis (now at Post-Prime), 34-12-2 (16).

June 28, 1930: Final fight card of the month, at the Sicks Stadium in Seattle, has a couple of interesting HW contests to appeal to the fans. On the undercard is a matchup of two unbeaten prospects, Natie Brown and King Levinsky. Action is slow to develop, with not much happening until round five, when Levinsky takes charge, landing a strong shot to put Brown on the deck. Brown’s left eye starts to swell, and Levinsky goes on to take a UD 10 win (98-93, 96-93, 96-93) as a cut eye in the final round is not a factor. Post-fight records: Levinsky, 12-0 (7); Brown, 12-1 (5). Then, in the main event, NABF titleholder Sully Montgomery faces the challenge of Joe Sekyra. Montgomery, now at Post-Prime, is able to offer little resistance after a poor opening round. Sekyra nails Montgomery with a big cross, putting the Champ on the deck. Swelling under the right eye also bothers Montgomery from the early stages. Montgomery labors on until a strong shot from Sekyra finishes the job in the 11^th round. The KO 11 improves Sekyra to 20-4 (16) in addition to earning him the NABF title belt. Montgomery, whose best days appear to be behind him, is now 30-10-1 (10).

[JCWeb]

On to fight action from the first half of July, 1930 ...

July 4, 1930: Friday is July 4^th, and it is celebrated with a strong fight card in Boston, leading to a WBA title clash. In the main event, it’s Mickey Walker making the 18^th defense of the title he won back in 1925. His opponent this time is #10 ranked MW Hein Domgorgen, who puts up a surprisingly strong challenge to the all-time great “Toy Bulldog.” Walker starts well and seems have things well in hand until Domgorgen unleashes a strong shot that sends the Champ to the canvas in round seven; it is only the sixth time Walker has been on the deck in his long career. Walker is also bothered by some swelling around his left eye, but the “Toy Bulldog” bounces back, sending the German challenger against the ropes with a big uppercut in round eight. He follows up a round later with another uppercut that causes Domgorgen to hit the deck. A swollen and cut eye further slows the challenge from the German, who gamely battles Walker to the final bell. In the end, Walker has done enough to take a UD 15 (144-138, 143-141, 144-140) to run his record to 44-1 (33). Domgorgen slips to 27-9-1 (14) but has his head held high after a very stiff challenge to the long-time MW Champion.

July 5, 1930: The scene shifts to Liverpool, and it’s a light card with one very intriguing match in the feature bout, as JWW king Jack Kid Berg steps up to WW for this 10-round, non-title bout against WW Alf Mancini, who has unsuccessfully tried for the British, Commonwealth and European titles. Mancini starts out as the aggressor, but he is slowed by a cut lip in round three. Berg, a skilful boxer, gradually asserts control, piling up a substantial points advantage. In the end, Mancini is gradually worn down by Berg, who goes on to take a UD 10 (97-93, 98-92, 97-93) to run his record to 25-1-2 (13), while Mancini post-fight is now 26-13-2 (10).

July 5, 1930: Next fight card is up north at the Edmonton Gardons in Canada. Main event on the agenda has Howard Mayberry making his eighth defensive of his NABF BW title, won back in 1927. His opposition is Happy Atherton, over whom he holds a prior SD win. Atherton seems to be pulling ahead when he loses a point for a foul in round four. The two slug in out, both going for the KO win in the later rounds in an exciting, tense encounter. The bout goes the distance, and the judges’ cards call it a majority draw (114-114, 114-114, 115-113 Atherton), which enables Mayberry to keep the belt. Post-fight career records: Mayberry, 30-11-2 (14); Atherton, 25-9-3 (7).

July 11, 1930: No titles at stake, but there are a couple of interesting bouts on tap at the Briggs Stadium in Detroit on another Friday night card. First up, former Flyweight king Frankie Genaro returns to action in his first comeback bout since losing his title, facing the challenge of top 10 Fly, Ruben “Dark Cloud” Bradley. Genaro looks sharp from the early rounds, domination Bradley with his superior boxing and ring generalship skills. The bout goes the distance, with Bradley being totally outclassed by the slick Genaro. The scorecards, showing a lopsided UD 10 for Genaro (99-91, 99-91, 97-93) reflect this dominance. Post-fight records: Genaro, 35-10 (17); Bradley, 19-7-4 (5). Then, in the main event, former HW king Gene Tunney faces Frankie Campbell. Both men are at Post-Prime for this bout. (Campbell’s tragic final bout was in 1930.) Campbell is the aggressor from the early rounds, but he can make no impression on Tunney, who once again demonstrates his superior boxing skills. Tunney suffers a cut eye in round three, but fortunately for Gene, the cut is no factor in the rest of the bout. Tunney comes close to ending the bout in round six when he pins Campbell in a corner, but Campbell covers up and survives the round, lasting the distance. No surprise at the outcome, however – a lopsided UD 10 win for Tunney (99-91, 100-90, 100-90). The win improves Tunney to 46-12-3 (26) while Campbell slips to 25-7-1 (12).

July 12, 1930: A large throng of German fight fans has gathered at the Waldbuhne in Berlin to cheer on their favorite, HW Max Schmeling, who is challenging Otto Von Porat for Porat’s EBU HW crown. Schmeling, though the challenger, is heavily favored by virtue of a KO win over Porat in an earlier encounter. Schmeling starts cautiously, methodically working to control the action on the inside against the free-swinging Porat. In round five, von Porat suffers a cut under his right eye in addition to a rapidly swelling left eye. Then, in round six, the bout comes to a surprising end as Schmeling is called for several low blows. The ref rules the hitting below the belt to be blatant, and Schmeling is disqualified. The controversial DQ 6 win for von Porat enables him to keep the EBU HW crowd. The ref’s decision is loudly booed by the angry crowd, as most observers felt Schmeling had the bout well in hand. Post-fight records: Porat, 18-2-1 (11); Schmeling, 21-3 (17).

July 12, 1930: Next fight card is at Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis. Coming from the West Coast is hot young HW prospect, Max Baer, aka “the Livermore Larruper.” Baer’s talents are on display in an 8-rounder against another TC opponent, and once again, Baer finishes his man quickly, scoring an early KD and following up with two more KDs to force a first-round stoppage, his third round one KO in succession. Baer is now 9-0 (8). Then, after a series of preliminary bouts, it’s time for the co-feature, which pits unbeaten MW Freddie Steele in his final bout at Pre-Prime against veteran Jimmy Darcy. Steele coasts through the early rounds, winning just about all the exchanges from the outside. In round five, he zeroes in on his opponent, ripping a big hook that puts Darcy on the defensive. Darcy’s left eye begins to swell, and Steele continues to pound away, until the ref finally steps in to save Darcy from further punishment. TKO 5 for Steele. Post-fight records: Steele, 20-0 (17); Darcy, 39-22-4 (14). Then, in the main event, WBA LW Champ Billy Petrolle, the “Fargo Express,” is in action against Jimmy Goodrich, an aging veteran whose best days may be behind him. The two have split two prior bouts. In the rubber match for the title, Goodrich draws first blood when Petrolle is cut over the right eye in round two. The cut proves to be troublesome, and it takes several rounds for Petrolle’s corner to bring it under control. In the middle rounds, Petrolle finally gets on track and lands repeatedly, causing both of Goodrich’s eyes to puff up. In round nine, Goodrich is called for leading with his head, and the ref steps in a makes a controversial call, DQ-ing Goodrich for the blatant foul. The DQ 9 win improves Petrolle to 33-3-2 (18), while Goodrich dips to 41-12-2 (10). Not much protest from Goodrich’s corner, as he was well behind on all three of the judges’ cards, so Petrolle retains the belt for now.

[kenyan_cheena]

Great stuff, JC.

[JCWeb]

July 18, 1930: Friday night fights go down under, to Sydney, Australia. After some desultory preliminary bouts, the main event is a clash between two Filipino boxers for the OPBF FW title: Johnny Hill, the defending Champion, takes on Young Nationalista, and Nationalista holds wins over Hill in three of four preliminary bouts. Hill methodically builds a solid points lead in the early rounds, wisely staying away from Nationalista’s power. The bout goes the distance, and Hill’s superiority is confirmed by a lopsided UD 12 verdict (119-108, 117-110, 116-111). The win moves Hill’s record to 25-8-2 (6). Post-fight, Nationalista is 27-10-2 (10).

July 19, 1930: The scene shifts to the Polo Grounds in New York City, for a packed fight card topped by a WBA title bout. Matched on the undercard are two highly regarded FW prospects, Mexican Baby Arizmendi and Battling “Bat” Battalino. Without much to choose between the two, the contest remains close into the late rounds. Arizmendi sustains a cut over his right eye in round nine, and then is clocked by a Battalino uppercut late in the round. Nonetheless, when the bout goes to the scorecards, the Mexican, Arizmendi, gets the nod, taking a UD 10 (97-93, 96-94, 97-93). Post-fight, Arizmendi is now 15-1-1 (8) compared to 16-4 (10) post-fight for Battalino, who will be at Prime starting next fight. The final bout of the night is for the WBA HW title, with Young Stribling making the fourth defense of the title he won in 1929, taking on #2 ranked George Godfrey. The two have split a pair of decisions in prior bouts, so this one could prove to be the rubber match. Early in round three, Stribling suffers a cut over his left eye; the cut, which appears to be the result of an accidental clash of heads, is patched up quickly by the Champ’s corner. In round five, after a series of inside exchanges, Godfrey is warned for holding and hitting. Then, Stribling unleashes a barrage of blows that sends the challenger to the deck – knockdown #1. The cut over Stribling’s eye is reopened in the sixth round. A round later, in round seven, Stribling floors Godfrey with a strong cross for knockdown #2. Returning to his corner, Godfrey also shows signs of a cut lip. Then, in round eight, Stribling continues to dominate, nailing Godfrey with a strong shot for knockdown #3. Godfrey pops back up, but things get worse when a second cut, over his right eye, is opened. Bleeding from the cut becomes too severe for the bout to continue, and it goes as a TKO 8 for Stribling. The cuts stoppage improves Stribling’s career totals to 36-5-1 (21), while Godfrey dips to 40-10-1 (29).

July 19, 1930: Next fight card is at the Olympia Stadium in Panama City, Panama. Two intriguing bouts on the agenda, including a WBA title bout. Two top 10 FWs are matched on the undercard, as local fan favorite Jose Lombardo faces Dick “Honeyboy” Finnegan. No prior meetings, and Finnegan is now at Post-Prime career stage. Lombardo is cruising until round five, when he suffers a cut over his left eye. He bounces back, putting Finnegan on the deck in round six, but the cut becomes a serious issue and leads to a stoppage. TKO 8 on cuts awards the win to Finnegan. Post-fight, Finnegan improves to 29-11 (9); Lombardo is now 28-11-3 (7). Then, in the main event, WBA BW king Panama Al Brown puts his 14-bout unbeaten string on the line in a defense (his 13th since winning the title in 1927) against former EBU Champ, the Italian Kid Francis. Lots of action in this one, right from the start. Panama Al suffers a cut lip in round one. In round four, things look even worse for the Champ, who runs into a hook – KD #1 for Francis. Francis follows up with a second knockdown in round five, nailing Brown with a combination – it’s the second KD of the bout. Panama Al covers up to prevent further damage, but by the time he returns to his corner, he is sporting a badly cut and swollen left eye. The Champ then puts defense first in the middle rounds, hoping to gain some points and survive into the later rounds, where his superior conditioning might come into play. Francis, who has to battle a cut over his right eye, is able to reopen the cut over Brown’s eye in round seven. Francis becomes more aggressive in the later rounds, targeting the cut and trying to squelch a late surge from the Champ in front of a home crowd. In round 13, the cut becomes to severe to ignore and, in a controversial call, the ref calls a halt. The TKO 13 win for Francis is protested by the Panamanian crowd, to no avail. In what was supposed to be an “easy” defense, the Champ loses his crown to the lightly regarded Italian. Post-fight career records: Francis, 22-7-2 (15); Brown, 35-4 (14). The crowd goes home in disbelief and disgust at the results of these two bouts, which saw the home favorites losing in controversial stoppage calls.

July 25, 1930: The scene shifts to Rome, Italy, for another Friday night fight card. After a series of bouts featuring Italian and other European fighters on the undercard, the main event takes place, with the EBU LW title at stake. Long-time Champ Benny Valgar, the “French Flash,” faces the challenge of Harry “Leeds” Mason, the reigning British LW titleholder. At first the action is slow to develop. Valgar gradually pulls ahead in the middle rounds, and the light-hitting Mason lacks the firepower to battle back. In round 10, Mason – who is gradually being worn down – is vulnerable to a hook from Valgar, which sends the challenger to the canvas. Mason’s left eye shows signs of swelling but he is able to continue and finish the bout. The end result – a UD 12 for Valgar (118-112, 117-112, 119-110) comes at no surprise. Valgar emerges from the bout at 41-15-2 (13) while Mason slips to 27-14-2 (4).

July 26, 1930: Next up is an abbreviated four-fight card at the Earls Court in London. Main support bout has the unbeaten MW prospect, Scotsman Jock McAvoy, aka “the Rochdale Thunderbolt,” matched with veteran Billy Shade, who is now at Post-Prime career stage. It’s an action-packed encounter right from the start, as McAvoy stuns his more experience opponent with a big hook in round one. In round five, Shade tattoos McAvoy with an uppercut that forces the young Scot to cover up. By the end of round six, Shade’s right eye begins to swell. Round seven sees McAvoy nail Shade with a cross, but he is unable to follow up. Finally, in the final stanza, McAvoy breaks through and puts Shade on the deck with an uppercut, and Shade barely manages to beat the count just before the final bell. The bout goes to the scorecards, and McAvoy takes a UD 10 (99-93, 99-92, 99-92). Post-fight records: McAvoy, 16-0-3 (12); Shade, 29-18-2 (17). Then, the main event matches the popular Len Harvey, LH Commonwealth and EBU titleholder, with Lou Scozza, the USBA LH Champ, in a 10-round, non-title affair. Scozza comes ready to fight, as he surprises Harvey with a big uppercut to put the Brit on the deck in the opening stanza. Scozza continues to impress, staggering Harvey with a hook in round five. Harvey seems to right himself in an effort to keep the bout within reach heading into the later rounds. Scozza, however, has different ideas as he connects with an overhand right that lands flush for the bout’s second KD in round nine. Harvey, shaken, finishes the bout a beaten man. Scozza takes a UD 10 (97-91, 96-92, 97-91) much to the chagrin of Harvey’s many fans. Post-fight, he improves to 26-2 (19) compared to 35-5-2 (14) for Harvey and is already being talked about as a logical challenger for Tommy Loughran’s WBA crown.

July 26, 1930: First fight card staged at the Arena, in Atlanta, Georgia. Headliner on the card is for the NABF FW title, held by Mike Dundee. Dundee’s opponent, Andy Martin, holds a prior UD 10 win over him. Tonight, Dundee is on target early, peppering Martin repeatedly and causing the challenger’s right eye to start swelling by the end of round two. Martin runs into a Dundee combination and goes down in round four – for the fight’s first knockdown. In round seven, Dundee puts Martin down again and follows up with another KD later in the round. After that, Martin is just looking to survive. The bout goes to the cards, and the three KDs prove large as it’s a lopsided UD 12 win for the Champ, Dundee (116-110, 117-109, 116-110). Dundee moves to 40-13-3 (20) with the win, while Goodrich dips to 41-12-2 (10).

[JCWeb]

Some World title fights in the first half of August, 1930 ...

Aug. 1, 1930: It’s a nice crowd for Friday night fights at Comiskey Park in Chicago. On the undercard, in an 8-round preliminary bout, is highly regarded young WW prospect Barney Ross, seeking to add to his record at the expense of a TC opponent. Ross starts slowly, gradually wearing down his opponent with an impressive boxing display. The bout ends via a TKO in round six for Ross, who improves to 7-0 (4). No title bouts, but some double-barrel action with co-main events. The first of these is a HW matchup of former Champ Jack Dempsey with up-and-comer, Elmer Ray. In round two, Dempsey serves notice when he stuns his younger opponent, forcing Ray to cover up. However, the “Manassa Mauler” is unable to follow up, allowing Ray to gradually work his way into the fight. In round seven, Ray is on target with a big hook that staggers the ex-Champ. Round eight proves crucial as both men are going for the knockout. Dempsey gets there first, nailing Ray with a big hook that causes him to topple to the deck. A second KD follows by the end of the round, plus another trip to the canvas for Ray in round nine, the end result being a solid UD 10 for Dempsey (98-89 on all three cards). The aging vet proved his superiority, but was unable to reach the 50 KO milestone and is still stuck at 56-12-1 (49) while the loss, Ray’s second, leaves him at 17-2 (12). The final bout on the card has two seasoned veterans doing battle for the first time, ex-LW king Benny Leonard and WW veteran Packey McFarland. Between them, the two have logged more than 170 career bouts. Leonard gives the fight fans a great boxing exhibition, literally running circles around the 42-year-old McFarland who is at the tail end of his long career. McFarland tires early, and in the end is no match for Leonard. Easy UD 10 win for Leonard (100-90, 99-91, 99-91) to move him to 76-4-2 (41) overall, while McFarland, who is now just one bout away from retirement, is 70-16-5 (30).

Aug. 2, 1930: Once again, a little more than a week after the last card there, the venue is the Palazzo de Sport in Rome, Italy. Lots of Italian and other European fighters on the undercard, which leads to a WBA title contest. It’s newly-crowned WBA Flyweight Champion Fidel LaBarba against Johnny Vacca, the EBU titleholder. LaBarba took a SD 10 from Vacca back in 1927, when both were at Pre-Prime. Both men start cautiously, settling in while remaining on the outside. Vacca keeps the bout close through the early rounds. In the middle rounds, LaBarba rallies and seeks to establish control. By the end of round nine, Vacca’s left eye shows signs of swelling. Vacca draws strength from the crowd and gets a second wind, keeping the bout close down to the wire in the final rounds. It goes to the scorecards, and once again it’s a SD 15 win for LaBarba (144-140, 142-143, 143-141). The win improves LaBarba’s career totals to 24-2-1 (9), while Vacca slips to 24-3 (11).

Aug. 2, 1930: Back on the West Coast for a packed fight card at the Cow Palace in San Francisco. Two title bouts on the agenda, first a USBA title clash followed by a WBA title tilt. The main support bout has Newsboy Brown, the USBA Flyweight titleholder, making his first defense in almost a year against veteran Pinky Silverberg. With two prior wins over Silverberg and Silverberg now at Post-Prime, Brown is a clear favorite in the bout. Not much to report, it was a relatively straightforward and uneventful title defense by the Newsboy, who takes a UD 12 (118-111, 116-113, 117-112). Post-fight, Brown improves to 32-6-2 (10); Silverberg is now 25-20-4 (10). In the main event, WBA WW Champ Irineo Flores takes on NABF WW Champ Jack Sparr. Flores holds a prior win (a SD 10 back in 1922, when he was at Pre-Prime), and now Sparr is at Post-Prime career stage, so he feels comfortable about his chances. In round one, Flores serves notice by landing a huge shot that puts Sparr on his back; the count reaches eight before the challenger arises. As the bout goes on, Sparr’s left eye begins to swell. In round 14, the end comes for Sparr as a combination from Flores finishes him off. KO 14 win for Flores to keep the title. Post-fight career records: Flores, 32-11-2 (18); Sparr, 33-15-1 (19).

Aug. 8, 1930: Friday night fight card at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, featuring a long-time local favorite and a USBA title matchup. In the main support or co-main event, aging vet Harry Greb, aka “the Pittsburgh Windmill,” takes on “the Wild Bull of Idaho,” Young Firpo. Firpo, who won a UD 10 in a prior encounter in 1928, feels confident of victory against Greb, who is now at the tail-end of his long career. However, Greb charges out from the opening bell full of fight, nailing Firpo with a wicked cross to the head that puts him on the deck. Young Firpo bounces back with a strong round two, and Greb’s left eye shows signs of swelling as a result. The bout remains close into the middle rounds, with Greb remaining the aggressor. The two mix it up in round eight, and Greb comes out on the short end when he is floored by a combination from Firpo. One knockdown apiece, the bout goes to the scorecards. It’s a draw (94-94 on all three cards). Post-fight, Young Firpo is 19-4-3 (14) while Greb is 61-16-3 (17). The result is enough to convince Greb to defer any retirement plans. The main event is for the rarely defended USBA WW crown, held by ex-WBA Champ Pinkey Mitchell. Mitchell’s opponent in his first title defense in almost a year is Mickey Cohen. The tone of the bout is set in the opening stanza when Cohen catches Mitchell with a short, clean hook that puts the Champ on the canvas. Things get worse when Mitchell sustains a cut over his right eye, and then his left eye starts to swell in the later rounds. There is no late rally coming from the aging Mitchell, and Cohen takes a UD 12 (116-111, 117-109, 114-113) and the belt. Cohen emerges from the bout at 16-10 (9) while Mitchell dips to 33-17-4 (14).

Aug. 9, 1930: North of the border, and it’s a strong fight card tonight at Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens. Two title bouts, one NABF title followed by a WBA title clash. In the co-main event, NABF MW Champ Vince Dundee is making his second defense, against long-time top contender Jock Malone. It’s the first meeting of the two, and it’s Dundee’s first bout since falling short in his WBA title bid against Mickey Walker. It’s a close bout through the early rounds, without a lot in the way of action. Malone carries a slight points lead into the later rounds, and the bout goes the distance with both men emerging unmarked. It goes to the judges, and they give the nod to Dundee via a SD 12 (116-114, 114-116, 116-115). A strong performance in the final round saved the belt for Dundee. Post-fight records: Dundee, 27-4-1 (13); Malone, 33-16-4 (13). Then, the main event matches long-time LH king, Tommy Loughran, with popular top 10 contender, “Slapsie Maxie” Rosenbloom. It’s the 16^th defense for Loughran of the title he won back in 1926, and it’s his fourth title defense in 1930 alone. A prior title bout with Rosenbloom resulted in a TKO win for Loughran in 1929. Loughran looks sharp early, but Rosenbloom is able to manage to keep the bout reasonably close into the middle rounds, when Loughran gradually pulls ahead. Maxie exhibits prior stamina, but it isn’t enough to come back against Loughran, who takes a solid UD 15 (146-139, 146-139, 147-140). The win improves Loughran to a very impressive 42-4-2 (17), compared to 23-6-4 (10) for Rosenbloom.

Aug. 15, 1930: Next Friday fight card is at Mammoth Gardens in Denver. After breezing through some pedestrian bouts on the undercard, the main event matches Sammy Mandell, the “Rockford Sheik,” and Billy Wallace, for Mandell’s NABF LW crown. Mandell holds UD wins in two prior bouts with the hard-hitting Wallace. Nothing much happens until the fourth round, when a perfectly-timed uppercut from Wallace drops Mandell for a three-count. Mandell recovers and begins to pile up points through the middle rounds of the bout. In round seven, some puffiness begins to appear under Mandell’s right eye. Wallace does well to keep the bout close into the later rounds, and Mandell barely escapes with his title and a SD 12 win (112-115, 115-112, 114-113). Mandell moves to 33-12 (9) with the win, while Wallace dips to 31-16-3 (16).

[JCWeb]

Here's the recap from the second half of August, 1930. A couple of world title bouts, some interesting matchups and results to report.

Aug. 16, 1930: Next fight card is at the Olympia in London, England. Main event is a Commonwealth title bout, but there are a couple of interesting matchups on the undercard. In one, young British HW Tommy Farr scores a nice UD 10 win over former top 10 contender Tom Heeney to move his career total to 21-3 (12); Farr is already being anointed as the next “British HW hopeful,” and a future challenger for British, Commonwealth and European titles. Then veteran WW Young Jack Thompson, a former titleholder, turns aside GBU Champ Jack Hood, taking a lopsided UD 10. Then, time for the main event: veteran WW Bermondsey Billy Wells puts his Commonwealth title on the line, facing the challenge from Aussie Jack Carroll, whom he defeated back in 1926 for the same title. Wells puts on a strong boxing exhibition, and Carroll suffers from a swollen left eye and, from round seven on, a cut over the injured eye. The condition of the eye gradually worsens, resulting in a late stoppage. It’s a TKO 11 win for Wells, moving him to 48-13-3 (17) overall, while Carroll dips to 23-9-2 (12) with the loss.

Aug. 22, 1930: “Friday Night fights Down Under,” with another card set for Melbourne Stadium in Aussie-land. Two preliminary bouts of interest on the agenda, leading to an OPBF title contest. Aussie HW George Cook, a fan favorite, takes on former EBU titleholder Piet Van Der Veer. Despite two prior wins, Van Der Veer faces a hostile crowd and also the fact he is now at Post-Prime career stage. In round three, Cook takes control, nailing Van Der Veer with big cross. Midway through the bout, the Dutchman suffers a cut under his right eye. He is unable to bother Cook, who takes a UD 10 to advance to 37-18-3 (17) overall. Then, two titleholders clash as OPBF BW Champ Speedy Dado faces Johnny King, the EBU and GBU titleholder. In round three, a strong shot from Dado forces King to cover up. However, a round later, King battles back and lands repeatedly, causing Dado’s right eye to puff up. In round nine, a big cross from Dado stuns King, who remains upright. The Brit then hangs on to take a MD 10; post-fight, King is 19-2 (11) compared to 17-6 (11) for Dado. Then, it’s time for the main event, as OPBF MW Champ Ceferino Garcia, who has been the only holder of the belt since the inaugural title bout in 1927, makes his fourth defense. His opponent, Aussie Alf Stewart, has twice been a Garcia knockout victim in two prior encouonters. This time, the Filipine Champ looks sharp early, and then in round eight he corners the hapless Stewart, dropping him for the count and a third KO win. The KO 8 improves Garcia’s career totals to 25-6 (19), while Stewart is now 23-16-3 (17).

Aug. 23, 1930: More fight action on the European continent, this time at the Palais des Sports in Cannes, France. In a preliminary bout, former EBU MW Champ Rene “Little Fox” DeVos faces Gorilla Jones, a one-time USBA Champ. DeVos battles a cut under his eye but emerges victorious, taking a UD 10 (96-95, 100-91, 98-94) although there was a wide divergence of scores from the judges. The win moves DeVos to 44-11-2 (17) while Jones drops to 23-7-1 (15). In the co-feature, long-time HW contender Floyd Johnson faces Dutch veteran Jack DeMave. This one comes to an abrupt halt in round two, with Johnson forced to retire due to a broken jaw. The bout goes as a TKO 2 win for DeMave, who is 24-6-2 (12) post-fight. Then, the main event features former NABF WW king Joe Dundee against the current EBU Champ, the Swiss Cleto Locatelli. The bout is close through the midway point, at which time Locatelli becomes more aggressive. Then, in round seven, Locatelli sustains a cut over his right eye. Locatelli soldiers on and is rewarded with a close but UD 10 win (96-94, 96-95, 96-94). Post-fight career records: Locatelli, 21-3-1 (8); Joe Dundee, 31-10-5 (12).

Aug. 23, 1930: Next up is a big fight card at New York’s Madison Square Garden. Several interesting bouts on a packed undercard headlined by a WBA title bout. In this first of these, unbeaten “Harlem Thunderbolt” Harry Smith takes on #20 rated MW, Johnny “Bandit” Romero. In round one, Smith staggers Romero with a jarring jab. In round two, Smith puts Romero on his back with a strong combination. Romero goes down two more times but manages to last the distance. No surprise, Smith takes a lopsided UD 10 to improve to 15-0 (12). Then, another unbeaten young MW, “the Tacoma Assassin,” Freddie Steele, takes on veteran MW Bryan Downey. Downey, near the end of his long career, seems slow compared to the youthful Steele, who repeatedly beats Downey to the punch with his superior hand speed. Downey’s right eye starts to swell early on, and Steele goes on to pound out a UD 10 decision (99-91, 100-90, 99-91) to extend his unbeaten skein to 21-0 (17); Downey, post-fight, is 49-20-4 (21). Then, in the main support bout, it’s a rematch of Tony Canzoneri and highly-ranked LW Tommy O’Brien – the two fought to a technical draw two months earlier. This time, Canzoneri dominates the action from the outset and wins by a fourth-round stoppage when the ref steps in to save O’Brien from further punishment. The TKO 4 win moves Canzoneri, “the Roman Warrior,” who has dropped down from JWW, to 20-4-1 (11), compared to 36-16-5 (16) post-fight for O’Brien. The main event is for the WBA FW crown, held by Chick Suggs who has held the belt on three separate occasions dating back to 1923. The challenger is Johnny Cuthbert, EBU and Commonwealth FW Champion. Suggs holds a prior TKO win over Cuthbert. Suggs is the aggressor in the early rounds, and after five rounds, Cuthbert’s left eye begins to swell. Suggs’ left eye begins to puff up a round later. Suggs builds a solid points lead, having landed the heavier leather through most of the bout. Cuthbert lacks the firepower to mount a comeback, and so Suggs goes on to take a UD 15 (146-141, 148-139, 145-141) and retain the belt. Suggs emerges from the bout at 37-10-4 (12) while Cuthbert dips to 26-16-1 (9).

Aug. 29, 1930: Friday night fight card in Detroit. Solid card featuring two top HW contenders with the USBA HW title on the line, preceded by a co-main event with two top 10 FWs. In this bout, ex-WBA Champion Lou Kaplan faces Harry Blitman. After a sluggish start, Kaplan gradually pulls ahead in the middle rounds and hangs on to take a very close UD 10 (96-95, 96-94, 97-94). Kaplan moves to 37-8-1 (10) with the win, while Blitman, “the Philadelphia Terror,” drops to 19-2-1 (4) after suffering only his second career defeat. Then, the main event has former WBA HW Champ Jack Sharkey challenging Bearcat Wright for Wright’s USBA title belt. Sharkey looks sharp early, putting Wright on the defensive from the very early rounds. Then, in round seven, a huge shot by Sharkey puts the Bearcat on the deck. An accidental butt cut opened over Sharkey’s right eye threatens to derail the ex-Champ’s plans, but some good corner work prevents the cut from becoming a factor in the bout. Wright also suffers a cut eye late in the bout, but he manages to last the distance. It’s no surprise that Sharkey gets the nod from the judges via a solid UD 12 (117-111 on all three cards) to capture the belt. The win improves Sharkey to 23-5 (15), compared to 27-11-3 (18) for Wright.

Aug. 30, 1930: Final fight card of the month is at Gran Stadium in Havana, Cuba. Tow bouts of note, one – the main event – for a WBA title. In the main support, two top 10 WWs do battle in a non-title affair: Young Corbett III and Cuban fan favorite, Manuel Quintero. This is a rematch of a 1929 bout between the two that ended in a draw. Quintero is the aggressor, but Corbett’s superior boxing skills dominate the early part of the bout. In round five, the Cuban sustains a cut under his right eye. Later in the same round, a more serious cut appears over Quintero’s right eye, caused by an apparent accidental head butt. By round eight, Quintero also is bothered by gradual swelling around his other eye. The bout does not quite last the distance as the ref calls a halt in the middle of the final round, due to the severity of the cut. It goes down as a UTD 10 win for Corbett (88-83, 87-84, 88-83) as the butt cut is the cause of the stoppage. Corbett improves to 32-7-3 (12) with the win, while Quintero slips to 22-4-4 (11). Then, in the main event, Frankie Klick challenges Sid Terris for the latter’s WBA JLW title. Klick does well to keep the bout close in the early rounds, keeping Terris off balance. Terris is repeatedly beaten to the punch, and he cannot seem to get on track throughout most of the bout. No cuts or knockdowns as the bout goes the distance. Klick takes the belt with a solid UD 15 win (145-141, 144-141, 144-141). He moves to 21-6-1 (10) with the win, while Terris dips to 24-9-3 (7).

[JCWeb]

Moving on to September 1930 -- kind of a light month as far as title fight action is concerned, but still have a good array of bouts featuring top contenders in all the weight classes.

Sep. 5, 1930: First Friday card of the month is at Buffalo. No title bouts, but the main event features two top five LW contenders, Ray Miller against Sammy Fuller. Miller took a UD 12 win in a prior USBA title contest, and Fuller is still attempting to overcome the label of “can’t win a big fight.” Tonight, Miller starts well and proves to be the stronger man. By the end of round six, Fuller is sporting a rapidly swelling right eye. Miller puts Fuller on the deck in round eight, then things get even worse for Fuller who suffers a cut over his left eye a round later. Miller goes on to take a UD 10 (98-91 on all three cards) to run his career record to 29-6 (13), while Fuller drops to 28-4 (8) with the loss and is still struggling in his bouts with higher ranked contenders.

Sep. 6, 1930: It’s a fairly light card in Liverpool, England, headlined by a GBU Flyweight title encounter pitting defending Champ Jackie Brown against Johnny Hill; Brown holds a prior UD 10 win. Brown starts well, and by the end of the second stanza a mouse is visible under the left eye of Hill. The Champ holds a slight points edge into the middle rounds, causing Hill to become more aggressive. In round five, Hill stuns the Champ with a hard shot, causing Brown to topple to the canvas. Brown tries to cover up to avoid further damage, but Hill is relentless. The ref calls a halt as Brown is unable to fend for himself. The TKO 5 win lifts Hill’s career totals to 18-7 (12), while Brown – who wisely did not have this Commonwealth title belt at stake – slips to 19-4-1 (8).

Sep. 6, 1930: North of the border at Exhibition Gardens in Vancover. No titles at stake, but featured is ex-WBA WW king Jimmy “Baby Face” McLarnin, who is making his first outing since losing his title earlier in the year. The popular Canadian faces OPBF kingpin Lope Tenorio, who has two prior losses (including a MD 15 for the WBA title), but Tenorio is optimistic given that his countryman, Irineo Flores, was able to lift the title from McLarnin on a controversial DQ call. After a cagey start by both men, McLarnin gradually gains the upper hand in the middle rounds. Tenorio is slowed by a cut over the left eye suffered in round four, and then in the sixth his right eye starts to swell up. In the later rounds, it becomes even more one-sided as McLarnin gradually wears down the game Filipino. The bout goes the distance and, to no one’s surprise, it’s a UD 10 for McLarnin (100-90 from all three judges) although the whitewash on the scorecards may represent some “hometown” judging. Post-fight career records: McLarnin, 29-3-1 (19); Tenorio, 24-8-5 (7).

Sep. 12, 1930: Next Friday night card is at Atlantic City’s Convention Hall. On the undercard, hot 20-year-old WW prospect Barney Ross faces TC Al Corker in an 8-rounder. It takes awhile for Ross to get going as he faces his toughest opponent yet, given Corker has recorded a win over real-life competition. However, a big round four puts Ross in charge, and Corker – who battled a swollen right eye – was just looking to last the distance. He does, but it goes down as a UD 8 for Ross, who moves to 8-0 (4) overall. Some interesting 10-round bouts on the cards, but no titles at stake and, topping the card, it’s a classic slugger vs. boxer confrontation as LH Paul Berlenbach, the “Astoria Assasin” takes on veteran Jimmy Slattery. Slattery dominates the opening round, and as early as round two, Berlenbach’s left eye shows signs of swelling. Then, as Berlenbach falls further and further behind on points, he goes head-hunting but the crafty Slattery is able to sidestep most of his roundhouse blows. It goes the distance and Slattery takes a UD 10 (97-94, 98-93, 98-93) to emerge from the bout at 29-10-1 (11) overall while Berlenbach slips to 23-7 (18).

Sep. 13, 1930: More action at the Sports Palazzo in Rome. First, in a preliminary bout, highly touted HW prospect Primo Carnera has graduated to the realm of 10-round bouts, facing veteran Swedish TC Sven Nordling; Nordling, who is winless in 11 prior outings, should offer little resistance to the fan favorite of the Italian crowd. After a pedestrian opening stanza, “Da Preem” picks up the pace in round two, dropping his TC opponent and also causing some puffiness around the right eye of Nordling. Then, Carnera coasts through round three, still winning most of the exchanges with ease, before applying more pressure in the fourth round. While Carnera is warned for low blows (hard to see that one as he’s over a half foot taller than his opponent), the respite is not enough to prevent Nordling from being tagged with a repeated barrage of punches that forces the ref to call a halt. Thus, Carnera is credited with a TKO 4 win. Carnera moves to 9-0-1 (8) with the win, and he will be back for another outing in October – his handlers are bringing him around very slowly, looking to compile an impressive series of wins against hand-picked TC and lesser opponents. The featured and final bout on the card has OPBF HW Champ George Thompson matched with Joe Sekyra, the recently crowned NABF Champion, in a 10-round, non-title affair. Kind of a dreary affair without much action until round four, when a strong uppercut from Sekyra rips open a cut over Thompson’s right eye. Thompson, who had been building an early lead, looks vulnerable as Sekyra targets the cut throughout the middle rounds. The cut is reopened in round seven, leading to an early stoppage. TKO 7 for Sekyra. Post-fight, Sekyra improves to 21-4 (17) while Thompson sinks to 23-6-2 (13).

Sep. 13, 1930: Next card is at the Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis. Main event is for the USBA JLW title, currently held by Benny Bass. Bass faces a tough challenge from Tod Morgan, a former WBA and USBA JLW titleholder; the two have never met previously, despite being two of the top JLWs for the past five or six years. By the end of the third round, a mouse is visible under Morgan’s right eye. Nevertheless, the resilient Morgan manages to win most of the exchanges, pulling ahead in the bout’s middle rounds. Morgan is able to withstand a late surge from Bass to take the belt via a UD 12 (117-111, 117-111, 116-112). Post-fight, Morgan moves to 31-7-1 (11) with the win, while Bass is still a respectable 35-10-3 (12).

[JCWeb]

Wrapping up fight action from the second half of September, 1930.

Sep. 19, 1930: Friday night fight card at the Rizal Arena in Manila, Philippines. It’s a relatively packed card, but only the main event is of interest, as it represents the farewell bout for one of the great Champions, Filipino Flyweight Pancho Villa. In his final bout, Villa faces NABF titleholder Emil Paluso in a 10-round, non-title affair. A patient Paluso gradually gains the upper hand, building a nice lead through the first five rounds. Villa’s face shows the results of the repeated blows landed by his opponent, as his right eye begins to swell as a result. Villa rallies to some extent in the later rounds of the bout, but in the end it is not enough to close the deficit. He sustains a cut over his already swollen left eye in round nine, managing to last the distance in his swansong. Paluso takes a fairly comfortable UD 10 win (97-93, 99-91, 98-92) but the plaudits of the crowd are reserved for the popular Villa, whose 12-year career comes to an end. Post-fight, Paluso moves his career mark to 25-11-1 (7) while Villa ends up at 34-13-3 (14).

Sep. 20, 1930: Another big crowd at the Waldbuhne in Berlin, and the main event sees highly regarded German HW Max Schmeling taking on former Champ Gene Tunney. It’s a matchup of two big names, although by now Tunney is well past his prime. The German fans here tonight are solidly behind Schmeling, who responds by rocking Tunney with a sharp combination near the end of round three. The ex-Marine, who boxed well for the first five rounds, begins to tire badly in the second half of the bout. Schmeling takes advantage, unleashing a big hook to send the ex-Champ toppling to the canvas in round seven. Tunney regains his footing and manages to last the round despite a sustained barrage from Schmeling. The crowd roars its approval. Tunney bounces back with a strong round eight, and there is a mouse visible under Schmeling’s left eye. Max suffers a bloody nose in round nine, but then Tunney’s other eye is swollen by the end of the 10-rounder, indicative of a brutal bout. The pro-Schmeling crowd goes home happy when the judges’ scorecards are read – it’s a UD 10 win for Schmeling (96-93, 96-93, 95-94) with the one KD and some hometown favoritism playing a role. No protest from Tunney’s corner. Schmeling moves to 22-3 (17) with the win, while Tunney concludes the evening’s activity at 46-13-3 (26) – far worse than his record in real-life.

Sep. 20, 1930: Next fight action takes place at the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles. There is an extensive menu of preliminary bouts on the agenda, leading up to a USBA title tilt. In one of the prelim bouts, two unbeaten BW prospects take to the ring, as K. O. Morgan faces Lew Farber. It’s a close bout, with the judges leaning toward the heavy-hitting Morgan as Farber comes out on the short end of a SD 10 verdict (97-93 Morgan, 94-96 Farber, 97-93 Morgan). Post-fight, Morgan is 12-0 (10) while Farber is 11-1 (10) – both had identical 11-0 records entering the fight. [/B]The main event features unbeaten WW Jackie Fields, who defends his USBA crown against veteran Tommy Freeman. Freeman proves to be a difficult opponent for Fields, who sets up shop on the outside while Freeman is the aggressor for most of the early rounds. Fields’ corner, feeling that their man is falling behind, urges him to be more assertive in the later rounds, and Jackie responds to take a hard-earned SD 12 win (115-113, 112-116. 115-113) to keep the title, while running his unbeaten career mark to 22-0-1 (12). Freeman emerges from the bout at 26-11-1 (12).

Sep. 26, 1930: It’s a Friday night card in Panama City, Panama. No titles at stake, but two titleholders are matched in tonight’s main event, as NABF FW Champ Mike Dundee takes on his counterpart from the Philippines, OPBF Champ Johnny Hill. The higher-ranked Dundee is favored in this 10-rounder. Both men elect to open the bout by fighting outside. In round two, Hill is cut over his left eye. However, the cut proves not to be a factor as Hill comes on strongly in the middle rounds. Dundee, who seems to be having a off-night, is unable to respond. Hill goes on to take a lopsided UD 10 (99-91, 97-93, 97-93) to the surprise of most observes. Post-fight career totals are 26-8-2 (6) for Hill, compared to 40-14-3 (20) for Dundee.

Sep. 27, 1930: Two GBU titles are on the line as part of a co-main event card at London’s venerable Harringay Arena. Long-time British HW king “Fainting Phil” Scott takes on Don Shortland in a rematch of a 1929 title tilt, which Scott won by a SD 12. This bout appears to be close as well, and Scott’s right eye begins to swell as Shortland is finding the range from outside early on. Shortland, advised by his corner that he is ahead on points, adopts a defensive posture and withstands a late rally from Scott, who comes up short. Shortland wins the title via a UD 12 (116-113, 115-114, 116-113); the win moves him to 18-4 (5) overall, compared to 28-18-3 (7) for the well-traveled Scott. Next up on the twin bill is a GBU FW title clash, as Al Foreman puts his title on the line for the first time in over a year against young Nel Tarleton, whom many observers think may be over his head in his first title contest. However, Tarleton gives a good accounting of himself, and most observers have him even or leading through the opening rounds. A key moment occurs in round nine when Foreman finally breaks through Tarleton’s defenses, causing the challenger to stagger against the ropes. Tarleton wisely covers up and lasts the round. The bout goes to the scorecards, and Foreman barely manages to keep his belt, escaping with a majority draw (114-114, 114-114, 113-115 favoring Tarleton) when many observers, like one judge, gave the edge to the challenger. Post-fight, Foreman improves to 25-14-1 (21) while Tarleton, at 17-4-2 (8), has a bright future.

Sep. 27, 1930: Final card of the month is a big one, lots of fights, at New York’s Madison Square Garden. No titles at stake, but the key bouts involve top contenders in the lower weight classes – BW and Flyweights. Also on the agenda is unbeaten LH Tiger Jack Fox, who runs his record to an impressive 16-0 (13) with a third round stoppage of Clyde Chastain; Fox is now clearly entrenched in the division’s top 20. In another bout, long-time Flyweight contender Johnny Buff puts a cap on his career, taking on Corporal Izzy Schwartz. Buff puts up a good effort but, in the end, the 42-year-old veteran falls short in his final bout. Schwartz takes a UD 10 (96-95, 99-92, 96-94) to move to 24-11-1 (5) while Buff wraps up his career at 29-19-4 (11). Then, in the feature bout, USBA BW Champion Eddie “Cannonball” Martin faces Brit Teddy Baldock, who has traveled from overseas for the bout. It’s a battle of two sluggers who begin to mix it up in the middle rounds. By the end of round five, a mouse is formed under the right eye of Baldock. In round seven, Martin catches an overly aggressive Baldock with a nice cross and drops his opponent for a seven-count. Baldock gets back on his feet and lasts the distance. Martin takes a fairly comfortable UD 10 (98-90, 97-91, 98-92). Post-fight, Martin moves to 30-10-3 (15) with the win, while Baldock is 24-13-1 (11). When Baldock returns to the ring in 1931, he will be at Post-Prime.

[JCWeb]

Continuing with fight action from October 1930, so far one WBA title bout this month ...

Oct. 3, 1930: First Friday night card of the month takes place at Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens. Main event sees Commonwealth BW Champ Nipper Pat Daly coming “across the pond” from the UK to defend that belt against NABF titleholder, Canada’s Howard Mayberry. Daly quietly builds an early lead through the first half of the bout. In round nine, the action picks up and, as a result, Mayberry is sporting a cut and swollen right eye. The bout goes the distance and, not unexpectedly, it’s a solid UD 12 win for Daly (118-112, 117-112, 118-111). Post-fight, Nipper Pat is 26-10-2 (12) compared to Mayberry, at 30-12-2 (14).

Oct. 4, 1930: Back to Europe for another fight card at the Sports Palace in Rome, Italy. In one of the prelim bouts, local fan favorite HW Primo Carnera takes to the ring in his first 10-round bout, against veteran TC Mats Schumacher. It’s a one-sided affair once Carnera finds the range after a dull opening two stanzas. In round three, Schumacher tastes the canvas before Carnera finishes him off a round later. The KO 4 moves Carnera to 10-0-1 (9). The co-feature is a 10-round, non-title bout matching new WBA JLW Champ Frankie Klick against veteran EBU LW king, the “French Flash,” Benny Valgar. It’s a cagey start by both men, who elect to box outside for most of the first half of the bout. It’s a close bout, with Klick seeming to pull ahead in the latter stages of the bout. The bout goes the distance, and the crowd waits breathlessly for the scorecards to be read. End result is a majority draw (95-95, 95-95, 95-96 Valgar), probably a moral victory for Klick, the underdog going in. Post-fight, Klick is 21-6-2 (10), while Valgar moves to 41-15-3 (13). Next up is a EBU title bout, as Len Johnson defends for the first time in ten months against hometown favorite Mario Bosisio, who battled Johnson to a draw back in 1928. Round one, Johnson gets off to an excellent start when he drops the Italian for an eight-count, then following up with a second KD when a wild overhand right finds its target. Bosisio barely survives, then seems to recover and steady himself in the next few rounds. Johnson, however, continues to look for openings, landing another strong shot for a third KD in the fifth round, then lands a nice combination that puts Bosisio down and out. KO 5 for Johnson. The Brit moves to 27-10-2 (16) with the win, while Bosisio, who has the reputation of not being able to win the big one, is now 29-12-3 (15).

Oct. 4, 1930: Next fight card is at Soldier Field in Chicago. No titles at stake, and the featured matchup is a 10-rounder with top WW contender Joe Dundee taking on former Champ Young Jack Thompson. However, in the co-feature, long-time WW contender Packey McFarland wraps up his 24-year career in another 10-round bout with Seargant Sammy Baker. Baker suffers a swollen eye and a cut forehead early in the bout, then McFarland is bothered by a swollen and cut left eye. By round six, both men are bleeding from cuts. Baker stuns McFarland with a big cross in round seven, forcing McFarland to cover up. The action comes to an abrupt halt a round later when Baker’s cut becomes too severe to allow the bout the continue. McFarland ends his career on a high note, taking a TKO 8 win to end up at 71-16-5 (30), with 92 total bouts in the books. Then, Dundee and Thompson take to the ring. Dundee builds a solid points lead and appears to be on his way to a routine points win when, in the middle of the ninth, he gets careless and is nailed by a Thompson cross. Dundee goes down, takes a seven count, then battles on to the final bell. The knockdown makes the bout a lot closer, but Dundee escapes with a narrow SD 10 verdict (95-94, 94-95 Thompson, 95-94). Post-fight, Dundee is 32-10-5 (12) and Thompson, 28-7-4 (17).

Oct. 10, 1930: A nice crowd has gathered for more Friday night fight action in Miami. Several preliminary bouts take place, leading to a WBA LW title clash as Billy Petrolle, the “Fargo Express,” takes on veteran Jimmy Goodrich. It’s a rematch of their July title encounter that ended in a DQ win for Petrolle, who has now won two of three prior contests with Goodrich. Petrolle starts strongly, landing repeatedly which causes the challenger’s right eye to swell; he also opens a cut over the eye. Petrolle, rather than trying to put his opponent away, coasts on his points advantage through the middle rounds. In round seven, Goodrich begins to battle his way into the bout, and it is Petrolle’s left eye that shows signs of swelling. In round eight, Petrolle responds, decking Goodrich with a strong cross. The end comes two rounds later after Goodrich is cut over the other eye. Goodrich is left bleeding from cuts over both eyes, and his condition leads to the ref to declare an early stoppage. The TKO 10 win for Petrolle lifts his record to 34-3-2 (19); it is Petrolle’s fifth successful title defense and his 10^th win in a row. By contrast, Goodrich drops to 41-14-2 (10).

Oct. 11, 1930: Next fight card is at the Stadium in Liverpool. Featured bout is for the British (GBU) MW title, as veteran Frank Moody defends the belt against young Jock McAvoy. It’s the first defense of this belt for over two years, and some observers think McAvoy may be over his head in seeking a title in his final bout at Pre-Prime career stage – despite an undefeated record. McAvoy seems to be in trouble early on, when his left eye starts swelling in round three. Then, in round four, McAvoy catches Moody with a short cross that causes the Champion to drop to the canvas. Moody cannot beat the count, so McAvoy is the new GBU MW Champion by virtue of a KO 4 win. Post-fight, McAvoy remains unbeaten, improving to 17-0-3 (13) while Moody drops to 37-20-4 (13).

Oct. 11, 1930: Next card is at the Boston Garden. The co-main event has Tony Canzoneri, the “Roman Warrior,” continuing to campaign at LW, taking on top 10 contender Johnny “Pee Wee” Kaiser. No terribly exciting bouts on the undercard, but the main event is for the USBA MW title. In round four, Kaiser traps Canzoneri in the corner, nails a short hook to the midsection, forcing the “Roman Warrior” to cover up. Canzoneri survives the round, and he dominates the rest of the action to take a fairly comfortable UD 10 win (97-93, 97-93, 98-93). Post-fight, Canzoneri moves to 21-4-1 (12) with the win, while Kaiser slips to 28-14-2 (9). The main event is for the USBA MW title. Harry Ebbetts, who has remained unbeaten for the past two years since hitting Prime career stage, is in his first title bout against veteran Tiger Flowers, the defending but aging Champ. After a cagey start by both men, Ebbetts decks Flowers with a solid uppercut in round three. Flowers starts bleeding from a cut over the right eye, ruled the result of an accidental butt. Ebbetts follows with a second KD in round five and dominates most of the rest of the bout. The cut becomes an issue in the later rounds, and the ref calls a halt in the final round. It goes down as a UTD 12 for Ebbetts (106-102, 105-102, 105-102) to take the title belt, moving to 17-6-4 (10) overall compared to 37-16-1 (17) for Flowers, who is at End career stage.

[JCWeb]

Oct. 17, 1930: Friday night fights goes down under in Sydney, Australia. The Aussie fight fans see a rematch between two of the top WWs, Benny Leonard and Jimmy McLarnin, with Leonard seeking to avenge a July 1929 loss to McLarnin in a 10-round non-title affair. Both struggle to establish the jab from the outside, and in round three “Baby Face” McLarnin moves inside but only becomes a bigger target for Leonard’s accurate counterpunching. In round five, Leonard catches the Canadian ex-Champ with a short, clean combination that puts McLarnin on the deck. He covers up to survive the round, but from here on Leonard is clearly in the driver’s seat, dominating the rest of the way and snuffing out any chances for McLarnin. The bout goes the distance, and it goes as a UD 10 for Leonard (97-93, 95-94, 97-92). Post-fight records: 77-4-2 (41) for Leonard; 29-4 (19) for McLarnin.

Oct. 18, 1930: Next action takes place at Havana’s Gran Stadium. In the co-main event, two top 10 MWs are matched together as veteran Panama Joe Gans takes on OPBF Champ, Filipino Ceferino Garcia. Gans, who is now on the downslope of his illustrious career, puts in a strong effort in the first half of the bout, which is essentially even. Then, in round six, he suffers a cut over his left eye, plus his other eye starts to swell. Garcia catches Gans with a big cross, then follows up with another cross that puts Gans on the canvas. He cannot beat the count, so it is a KO 8 for Garcia. Big win for the Filipino to advance hims to 26-6 (20), while Panama Joe is now 53-14-3 (19). For the main event, fan favorite Roleaux Saguero defends his NABF LH title against a tough opponent, former WBA Champ Jack “Bright Eyes” Delaney. It is Saguero’s first defense in 1930 and only his second defense overall. Delaney, after falling short in his last two title outings, is looking to re-establish his credentials as a top LH contender. The Cuban starts well, stunning Delaney with a straight right that forces the challenger to cover up to last round two. Then, in round three, Delaney puts Saguero down with a straight right. The Cuban champion arises but then offers little resistance as Delaney lands blow after unanswered blow until the ref calls a halt. TKO 3 for Delaney. The Canadian moves to 37-7-2 (23) with the win, while Saguero, who is now at Post-Prime, is now 29-12-2 (27).

Oct. 18, 1930: Next fight card is at San Francisco’s Cow Palace. Featured is a WBA title contest, but also of great interest is a preliminary bout where unbeaten HW prospect Max Baer, the “Livermore Larruper,” moves up to 10 rounds (scheduled) against a veteran TC opponent. The bout lasts less than 50 seconds as Baer quickly disposes of his opponent for his fourth consecutive first-round KO to move his career record to 10-0 (9). Baer is already being touted by many as a future HW Champ. After some more prelim bouts, it is time for the main event as WBA Flyweight Champion Fidel LaBarba faces the challenge from USBA Champ Newsboy Brown. LaBarba is favored, having taken a UD 12 over Brown in a prior encounter back in 1927. Not much action in the early rounds as both men trade blows from the outside. LaBarba appears to have things well in hand when the Newsboy stages a late rally. LaBarba is on the defensive in the later rounds, and he battles a rapidly swelling right eye. The bout goes the distance, and it’s a surprise SD 15 win for Brown (143-142, 142-144, 144-142) when most observers thought LaBarba had done enough to retain the belt. Post-fight, Brown is 33-6-2 (10) and LaBarba, 24-3-1 (9).

Oct. 24, 1930: Friday night fights series moves to Atlantic City’s Convention Hall. A popular fan favorite, “Cinderella Man” Jimmy Braddock, is on the undercard, taking on journeyman Brad Simmons. Braddock starts poorly, leaving himself open to a left hook the body in round one that forces him to cover up. He takes some punishment, and as a consequence his left eye starts puffing up. Braddock battles back, becoming more aggressive as the bout wears on. In round five, Simmons starts bleeding from a split lip. The cut proves not to be a factor, and the bout goes the distance. In a disappointing result for Braddock and his supporters, the nod goes to Simmons who takes a SD 10 (93-97, 96-94, 96-94). Simmons took the last two rounds to squelch a Braddock rally. The win moves Simmons to 29-14-3 (17) while Braddock slips to 18-4-2 (6) with the loss. The final bout of the card is for the USBA FW crown, current held by Dick “Honeyboy” Finnegan. Tonight, Finnegan faces Danny Kramer, from whom he took a UD 10 in an earlier bout. Both men are at Post-Prime, and it shows as the bout gets off to a slow start. In the middle rounds, Finnegan gradually pulls ahead. Kramer is bothered by a rapidly swelling right eye in the later rounds, and in round 11 he suffers a cut over the eye as well. Finnegan delivers a solid performance to take a UD 12 (117-111, 118-110, 117-111) to retain the belt. Post-fight, he improves to 30-11 (9) compared to 30-15-4 (9) for Kramer.

Oct. 25, 1930: It’s back in the UK at London’s venerable Harringay Arena for the next fight card. Two title bouts headline the card, a GBU (British) title fight followed by a WBA title contest. The GBU title at stake is the LH belt currently held by Gypsy Daniels, who faces veteran Charlie Tonner. Daniels makes short work of Tonner, staggering the challenger with a straight right in round one and generally causing a mouse to form under Tonner’s left eye as he repeatedly absorbs punishment. The bout ends a round later after Daniels picks off a jab and lands a strong shot that puts Tonner down and out. The KO 2 moves Daniels to 27-16-2 (18) while Tonner drops to 22-13 (19). Then, the “Whitechapel Whirlwind,” Jack Kid Berg, defends his JWW WBA title against Johnny Jadick. Berg sets up shop outside and gradually builds a solid points lead through the middle rounds. In round seven, Jadick suffers a cut under his left eye while there is also noticeable swelling under his right eye. A round later, the left eye starts swelling as well. He offers little resistance as Berg goes on to register a UD 15 win (144-140, 145-139, 145-139) to keep the belt. Post-fight, Berg is 26-1-2 (13) while Jadick is 23-12-1 (7).

Oct. 25, 1930: Next card is at the Uline Arena in Washington, D. C. On the undercard is highly touted WW prospect Barney Ross, who takes on TC Reggie Hunt in a scheduled eight-rounder to continue building his record. Ross demonstrates his smooth boxing skills, working on the outside for the first two rounds before finishing his opponent with an uppercut in round three. The KO 3 moves Ross to 9-0 (5). In the co-main event, MW “Harlem Thunderbolt” Harry Smith puts his unbeaten record on the line against 15-1 Chick Devlin. Not much happens until round four, when Smith finds the target with a big cross that forces Devlin to cover up. Later in the round, he drops Devlin with an overhand right but cannot finish his man. Then, Smith’s luck begins to turn in round six, when he suffers a severe cut over his right eye. Except for another strong shot landed by Smith in round eight, it’s a quiet bout for the rest of the way. When the scorecards are read, many are surprised when a very close UD 10 verdict (95-94, 96-94, 95-94) goes the way of Devlin. He improves to 16-1 (9) while Smith’s first loss leaves him at 15-1 (12). Then, it’s time for the main event, featuring reigning Commonwealth HW Champ, Canada’s Larry Gains, against ex-WBA Champ and current USBA titleholder, Jack Sharkey. The two met once previously, in 1929, when a TKO win for Gains mired Sharkey in a three-bout losing streak. Gains starts strongly, dropping Sharkey with a strong shot in the opening round. The “Boston Gob” recovers quickly, then starts peppering Gains with jab after jab. Sharkey must battle a rapidly swelling left eye in the later rounds. Gains becomes even more aggressive in the later rounds, but Sharkey manages to escape relatively unscathed and is the beneficiary of a close but UD10 win (96-94, 96-93, 96-93). Post-fight, Sharkey moves to 24-5 (15) and is looking for a chance to regain the WBA crown. By contrast, Gains slips to 28-6 (17) but must still be regarded as a very dangerous opponent and top HW contender.

Oct. 31, 1930: One more Friday night card, a Halloween night special for the fight fans in Pittsburgh that takes place at Forbes Field. Two bouts of note on the agenda. First, unbeaten LH Tiger Jack Fox, who has already secured a top 20 rating, faces aging veteran Jack Reeves. This one doesn’t last very long, as Fox gains control early on and pummels a hopeless Reeves up against the ropes until the ref steps in and saves Reeves from more punishment. Reeves comes away with a badly swollen right eye for his troubles after the TKO 1 beating administered by Fox. Fox’s unbeaten skein continues, as he is now 17-0 (14) and looking to move further up the LH rankings. Reeves is now 32-18-2 (18) and seriously contemplating retirement. Then, it’s time for the main event, another LH battle, this one for the USBA belt now held by Lou Scozza. Scozza’s opponent is veteran Lou Bogash, the “Blonde Italian.” In round three, Bogash suffers a split lip but soldiers on despite the cut which is oozing blood. In round five, Scozza catches him with some good shots and, while Bogash stays on his feet, he takes a lot of punishment and ref Dick Young (the same one who went for the early stoppage in the Fox-Reeves bout) steps in to call a halt. TKO 5 for Scozza to run his record to an excellent 27-2 (20). It turns out to be Bogash’s last bout at Prime, and he sinks to 37-18-2 (18) with the loss.

[JCWeb]

November shapes up to be a very interesting month, with the WBA HW, LH, MW, WW, FW and BW (six in all) titles on the line.

Nov. 1, 1930: First November card is at Ullevi Stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden. The main event is for the EBU HW crown, as Norway’s Otto Von Porat makes his second defense against hometown favorite, Harry Persson, in the first all Scandinavian EBU title bout. In round two, the Swede sustains a cut over his right eye. Good cornerwork means the cut is under control, and Persson seems to be holding his own into the middle rounds. Then, a sudden turn of events in round seven, as Persson is warned for hitting in the clinch, then ignores the referee’s instructions, and is then disqualified when the ref calls the fouling blatant and intentional. The crowd is in an uproar, but the decision stands. The DQ-7 enables Von Porat to keep the belt, and he improves to 19-3-1 (11) with the win. Persson is now 25-9 (16). It is Von Porat’s second straight win by DQ, as the same thing happened in his last defense against Max Schmeling.

Nov. 1, 1930: Next fight action is at the Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. It’s a card that is heavy on quantity but not so much on quality, headlined by a USBA title bout that pits Al Gordon, the challenger, against Maxie Strub in his second defense of the belt won earlier in 1930. For six rounds, it’s a close bout, lots of tactical maneuvering while neither man wants to mix it up. Then, in round seven, Gordon breaks through, drilling Strub who suffers a cut over his right eye as well as a swollen left eye. A couple of rounds later, the cut reopens and becomes a major problem. The ref calls a halt, saving Strub from further punishment, so Gordon takes the belt via a TKO 9. Gordon moves to 27-9-5 (9) with the win, while Strub ends the bout at 22-4-2 (9).

Nov. 7, 1930: Next Friday night card is north of the border in Montreal. The main event is for the Commonwealth FW crown, currently held by Brit Johnny Cuthbert; his opponent for this defense is Canadian veteran Leo Roy. It’s a rematch of a 1929 title contest won in a UD by Cuthbert. It’s largely a defensive struggle in the early rounds. In round five, Cuthbert sustains a cut over his right eye. By round seven, though, Roy is on the defensive as his right eye starts to swell up as the Champ repeatedly finds the range. Cuthbert smartly follows up, pinning Roy against the ropes and nailing him with a crunching straight right followed by a big uppercut. The ref steps in to save the defenseless challenger from further punishment. Cuthbert keeps the crown via a TKO 7. Post-fight, Cuthbert is 27-16-1 (10) and Roy, 28-14-2 (8). It’s the fifth defense by Cuthbert of the title he won in 1928.

Nov. 8, 1930: Action moves back to the UK at the Stadium in Liverpool. The headline bout is for the GBU LW title, the first defense of this belt in over a year as Champ Harry Mason has lacked worthy contenders. Into the break steps George Rose, who is in his first bout at Prime as he seeks the title. With two boxers, there are not a lot of fireworks in this bout. Mason quietly builds a solid points lead, and Rose appears to lack the firepower to mount a rally. When the cards are read, Mason retains his belt but the scorecards reveal a surprising minority view as it’s a SD 12 verdict (119-110, 113-116 Rose, 119-110) – not sure what bout the one judge who sided with Rose was watching. Post-fight, Mason improves to 28-14-2 (4) compared to 15-5-1 (7) for Rose.

Nov. 8, 1930: Next card is at the Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City, New Jersey. On the undercard, it’s the debut pro bout for none other than Jersey Joe Walcott, a talented young HW. Walcott takes on TC Dave Rodman, dominating the four-round bout but unable to score a KO or even one knockdown. He takes a UD 4 to go 1-0 (0). Then, the main event matches Emil Paluso and Midget Wolgast for the vacant NABF Flyweight crown. Paluso hopes to repeat an earlier UD 10 win to take the belt, while Wolgast hopes to turn the tables on his veteran opponent. In a matchup of two cagey boxers, Wolgast gradually gains the upper hand as the bout heads into the middle rounds. By round eight, Paluso is sporting a rapidly swelling right eye. Two rounds later, things get worse as Paluso’s other eye starts to swell. Wolgast then coasts to a UD 12 win (119-109, 120-108, 116-112) to capture the belt. Post-fight, Wolgast is 22-4 (12) while Paluso is 25-12-1 (7).

Nov. 14, 1930: Friday night and the fight card is at the Rizal Arena in the Philippines, with the first of SIX World title bouts in the month of November will be on the agenda. First, on the the undercard, unbeaten Filipino BW Pablo Dano tries to finish his Pre-Prime career stage without a loss, taking on veteran Happy Atherton before some avid hometown fans. In a close bout, Atherton starts to suffer from the effects of a rapidly swelling right eye midway through the bout, plus Dano demonstrates superior stamina to the end. The split duke goes the way of the Filipino, and the SD 10 allows Dano to remain unbeaten, at 18-0-2 (13); on the other hand, Atherton slips to 25-10-3 (7). After a few more preliminary bouts, it’s time for the main event. WBA WW Champion Irineo Flores faces a stern test against the #2 ranked contender and former Champ, Young Corbett III. It’s the first meeting of these two. Accurate punching and slick defensive skills allow Corbett to build a solid early lead, and by the end of round six, Flores’ right eye begins swelling. It is not until the later rounds that Flores begins battling back, ripping open a cut over Corbett’s left eye in round 12, while at the same time there is noticeable swelling under the challenger’s right eye. Corbett puts defense first and is able to escape without further damage to the end of the 15-round bout. After a long break, the scores are announced, and Corbett has captured the belt on Flores’ home turf with a decisive UD 15 win (144-141, 146-140, 146-140). Post-fight, Corbett improves to 33-7-3 (12) while Flores is now 32-12-2 (18).

Now, there are still five more WBA title bouts packed into the second half of the month, see next report coming soon ...

[PWillisTheMan]

Jersey Joe is one of my favorites.

[JCWeb]

Action from the second half of November 1930 includes five WBA title bouts, one of which turned out to be one of the most exciting in the history of this Universe.

Nov. 15, 1930: Fight card in Rome, Italy at the Palazzo del Sport. Main event on the agenda is a WBA BW title bout, with Kid Francis returning to his native Italy to defend against Eddie “Cannonball” Martin. It’s a solid start from the challenger, who puts Francis on the defensive from the outset. Francis becomes more aggressive in the middle rounds. In round nine, however, the exposed chin of Francis is the target of a right cross from Martin that puts the Champ on the deck. As the bout heads into the later rounds, Francis is visibly tired and appears to be on the verge of collapsing and losing his title. Then, all of a sudden, in a big reversal – Martin injures his hand in round 13 and cannot continue. The bout goes as a TKO 13 for Francis, who successfully defends his title despite trailing on all three judges’ scorecards. Francis improves to 23-7-2 (16) with the win. Martin is now 30-11-3 (15). There is talk of a possible rematch some time in early 1931, but nothing definite.

Nov. 15, 1930: Next fight action is at the Sicks Stadium in Seattle. It is a packed fight card featuring unbeaten hometown favorite, Freddie Steele, the “Tacoma Assassin,” in a WBA title bout. Two top 10 LWs collide on the undercard, as Ray Miller faces veteran Ever Hammer. Miller dominates the action from the early rounds, while Hammer battles a couple of cuts and cannot get on track. The bout ends when one of the cuts (over the left eye) forces the ref to call a halt, so it’s a TKO 9 for Miller on the stoppage. Post-fight, Miller is 30-6 (14) and Hammer, 44-10-5 (18). Then, in the main support bout, aging vet and former WBA HW king Harry Wills takes on rising star, 18-1 Ad Warren. Wills looks like his old self in round one when he tags Warren with a big left, forcing him to cover up. The veteran Wills goes on to build a solid points lead. Warren does well to battle back to keep the bout close, but in the end it’s the veteran who takes a SD 10 (97-93, 95-96, 96-95) to keep his career alive for one more bout. Another win moves Wills to a post-fight record of 62-13-1 (47); Warren wraps up the Pre-Prime stage of his career at 18-2 (15).
After these two bouts, it’s time for the main event before a packed crowd. The once-beaten Mickey Walker, the WBA MW Champion since 1925, makes his 19^th title defense against unbeaten Freddie Steele, the “Tacoma Assassin,” in what proves to be a classic bout. After a three lackluster opening rounds, Walker nails Steele with a big shot that puts him on the canvas for the first time in his career. Steele bounces up at the count of three and appears to be unfazed. The bout advances to the middle rounds, with Walker appearing to have the upper hand. By round seven, there is noticeable swelling under the left eye of the challenger. However, in round eight, Walker gets careless, and the “Toy Bulldog” tastes the canvas as Steele connects with a powerful left hook. The crowd roars its approval as Steele follows with a hook to the head and an uppercut, but Walker manages to last the round. In round nine, Walker is back on track, scoring with a big hook. Now at one KD apiece, the bout turns into a real slugfest in round 10 as both men go headhunting. Walker connects with a cross. Steele uncorks an uppercut, then Walker takes control for the rest of the round, sticking a straight right. Steele appears to be tiring as he returns to his corner after this round. Walker, encouraged by the results, becomes the more active fighter as the bout heads into the later rounds. In round 12, however, Steele rallies, unleashing a powerful combination that causes Walker to tumble to the deck. The “Toy Bulldog” arises at the count of nine and, with two minutes left in the round, there’s plenty of time for Steele to pull off the upset. He backs Walker up into a neutral corner, but Walker slips the punches and, once again, lasts the round without further damage. Round 13 sees a series of sharp exchanges, then Steele is warned for holding and hitting. In round 14, both men are going toe-to-toe, looking for the knockout. Walker lands a right hook and a three-punch combo; an exhausted Steele seems unsteady and bothered by the swollen eye. One more shot from Walker and then Steele topples to the canvas. He takes an eight count and tells the ref he is OK to continue. Relentless, Walker bulls his way inside, decking Steele again with a wicked uppercut. This time the challenger does not arrive -- Walker takes a KO 14. Post-fight, both men retain excellent records as Walker is now 45-1 (34); Steele, 21-1 (17) after suffering the first loss of his young career. Perhaps a title try was a stretch too far at this point in Steele’s career, but it turned out to be one of the most entertaining title bouts in the history of this Universe with a total of five knockdowns – three for Walker, two for Steele as the action had fans on the edge of their seats as Walker was close to defeat on two separate occasions. Walker, who has not lost since 1924, is now approaching the unprecedented PP level of 2000 (an all-time high for any fighter) with this win.

Nov. 21, 1930: Next Friday night card is back in the UK, at the Olympia in London. The headliner is a WBA LH title contest, but first up is the main support bout, with Aussie HW George Cook matched with the recently crowned new GBU HW Champ, Don Shortland. Cook is already at Post-Prime and, as it turns out, Shortland will be Post-Prime starting with his next bout in 1931, his RL retirement year. Cook is the aggressor for much of the bout, and in round six Shortland’s left eye starts to puff up from the accumulated punches. However, Shortland keeps Cook at bay while impressing the hometown judges and winds up the victor, claiming a UD 10 verdict (96-94, 97-93, 97-93). The win moves the GBU Champ to 19-4 (5); Cook is now 37-19-3 (17). The main event has long-time LH Champ Tommy Loughran defending the WBA belt against Brit Len Harvey. It’s the second time these two have clashed for the title, with Loughran taking a TKO in a prior title tilt. Loughran is making his 16^th defense of the title won in 1926. The action is slow to develop in the opening rounds. The slick-boxing Loughran gradually builds a solid points lead, dominating the action in the middle rounds. Loughran is content to work from the outside, and Harvey is gradually worn down and unable to break through. Thus, it’s a lopsided UD 15 win for Loughran (149-136, 147-138, 149-136) to run his career totals to 43-4-2(17) while the loss drops Harvey to 35-6-2 (14).

Nov. 22, 1930: More WBA title action, this time at the Polo Grounds in New York City. First, on the undercard, talented WW prospect Barney Ross moves up to the 10-rounders, taking on veteran TC Bret Slaney. Ross dominates from the outset and then puts away Slaney in four to run his record to 10-0 (6). The main event, which is for the WBA HW crown, is preceded by two LH bouts of interest. In one, unbeaten Tiger Jack Fox takes on veteran Battling Slim Ryan. Fox gets off early and often, sending Ryan to the canvas with a nice uppercut to the jaw in round three. True to his moniker, Ryan battles back and actually lands some blows to cause Fox’s right eye to swell. In round seven, repeated fouling causes the ref to deduct a point from Fox. Fox scores a second KD in round eight, but Ryan covers up and lasts to the end. Surprisingly, one of the judges voted for Ryan, but Fox maintains his unbeaten record via a SD 10 (94-92, 93-94, 96-90); he is now 18-0 (14) while Ryan drops to 23-9 (15). The consensus of the experts at ringside is that Fox needs a bit more seasoning before being thrown into a title match. Next is the co-feature, with two top contenders, as Young Firpo faces the ever-popular “Slapsie Maxie” Rosenbloom. Rosenbloom’s ring generalship and all-around boxing skills translate into a large lead in points. By round six, there is noticeable swelling under the right eye of Firpo. No cuts or knockdowns as the bout goes the distance, and it’s a routine UD 10 win for Rosenbloom (99-91, 99-91, 100-90).
Then, it’s on to the main event – the bout everyone came to see as it’s a final hurrah for popular HW Jack Dempsey, as the Manassa Mauler seeks to regain his former glory as he takes on the current WBA HW Champion, Young Stribling. Despite two prior wins (include a TKO which cost Dempsey the WBA belt back in 1926), there are many in the crowd that believe the aging former Champ has one more great fight left; in addition to regaining the title, Dempsey is still chasing that elusive 50^th KO win. The bout starts. Stribling takes the opening round, second round is even. Dempsey gets on track, looking sharp to take round three. Then the Champ moves inside and dominates the action in the fourth. Round five sees both men work inside, and Dempsey can’t land the big shots so it goes for Stribling. It’s now 49-47 Stribling according to the unofficial scorecard. In round seven, Stribling picks up the pace, hurting Dempsey with a uppercut to head followed by a hook to the body. Dempsey bounces back with a strong round eight, and Stribling begins to show signs of swelling around both eyes. Big effort by Dempsey in round nine makes little impression on Stribling. The Champ takes a 96-95 lead into the final five rounds, and by this time Dempsey is noticeable tired. In round 11, a hook to the head from Stribling puts the challenger down for a five-count. Stribling is warned for a low blow in round 12, and Dempsey looks for the one big shot that could turn the fight around. It doesn’t happen. In the final stanza, it’s Stribling who connects with a hook to the head; Dempsey, still hoping for a miracle, eschews the cover up. The bout goes the distance, but it’s a foregone conclusion that Stribling did more than enough to retain the title. He takes a UD 15 (146-140, 146-139, 145-140) in what may prove to be Dempsey’s last big outing in the limelight. Post-fight, Stribling improves to 37-5-1 (21) compared to 56-13-1 (49) for Dempsey.

Nov. 28, 1930: Next card is a Friday night affair at Panama City, Panama. The main event is a USBA HW title clash, pitting Joe Sekyra against challenger Jack Gross. Sekyra is seeking to avenge an earlier UD 10 loss to Gross, who is making his first title try. Sekyra struggles in the early rounds, plus he is forced to deal with a rapidly swelling left eye. Then, starting in round five, Gross’ left eye also begins to swell. Sekyra, who seems a bit lethargic through most of the bout, tries to mount a late rally against his more energetic opponent, but in the end it is all to no avail. Gross takes the title via a MD 12 decision (116-112. 114-114, 115-113). Post-fight, Gross is now 20-3 (11) while Sekrya slips to 21-5 (17).

Nov. 29, 1930: Next card in the States is at the Coliseum Arena in New Orleans. It’s big card headlined by another WBA title contest. Meeting for the fourth time are defending Champ Chick Suggs and ex-Champ Louis Kaplan; Kaplan has the 2-1 edge in their prior bouts. In the early rounds, both men are content to stay on the outside, which enables the lighter-hitting but more accurate Kaplan build a points edge. In the middle rounds, Suggs gradually becomes aggressive and the pace of the bout picks up as a result. In round nine, Kaplan suffers a cut under his right eye. Suggs has worked his way back into the bout and, in round 11, he seizes control when he drops Kaplan with a nice combination. Kaplan bounces back with a strong effort in rounds 12 and 13. The bout comes down to the wire, with Suggs keeping up the pressure right until the end. The scorecards are announced, and it’s a close SD 15 for Suggs (141-142, 144-140, 142-141) – just enough to keep the belt. Suggs improves to 38-10-4 (12) while Kaplan is now 37-9-1 (10).

Thus concludes a great month of title fight action!

[JCWeb]

After an action-packed November of title fight action, there’s a paucity of WBA title action on the agenda for the final month of 1930, but here’s the highlights from various venues around the world.

Dec. 4, 1930: It’s Friday night fight action in Miami. No titles at stake, the main event matches former USBA king and #5-ranked HW, Bearcat Wright, against up-and-comer Elmer “Kid Violent” Ray, who at 17-2 is one bout away from Prime career stage. Ray holds his own throughout the opening stanza, and he gets Bearcat’s attention when landing a big hook near the end of the round. By the end of round two, Ray has caused even more damage, such that Wright’s right eye is starting to puff up. In round four, a big hook from Ray lands flush and causes Wright to crumple to the canvas. The Bearcat takes a nine-count, yet even with two minutes left in the round, Ray is unable to finish matters. However, a round later Ray is back on target, decking Wright with a solid cross. Arising at the count of seven, this time Ray makes no mistake, following up with a third KD that puts Wright down and out. Impressive KO 5 win for Ray wraps up his Pre-Prime career at 18-2 (13). Wright, who drops out of the top 10 with the loss, is now 27-12-3 (18).

Dec. 5, 1930: Next fight action at the Stadium in Liverpool, England. Only four bouts on the card, and only one of note – GBU Flyweight Champ Johnny Hill is matched with Frenchman Emile “Spider” Pladner. Hill holds a UD 8 win back when both men were at Pre-Prime back in 1927, but now the shoe is on the proverbial other foot as it’s Hill who is on the downside of his career. After just four rounds, the Englishman is showing signs of fatigue. By the end of round five, a severe welt makes its appearance under the left eye of Hill. Pladner goes on to register a solid but unimpressive UD 10 win. Post-fight records: 16-7-1 (7) for Pladner, 18-8 (12) for Hill. Pladner surges into the top 20 Flyweights with the win.

Dec. 5, 1930: Phoenix’s Dodge Theater is the venue for the next fight card, and it’s a good one headlined by an intriguing encounter between two top 10 LHs, Ad Stone and Paul Berlenbach, the “Astoria Assassin. Stone registered a TKO win over Berlenbach in a prior bout, but now he is at Post-Prime. Berlenbach seems determined to reverse the earlier loss, rocking Stone with a big hook after ripping open a cut over Stone’s left eye early in the bout. Then, in round six, Stone’s other eye starts to swell due to the repeated punishment being dished out by Berlenbach. The “Assassin” reopens the cut and finally puts Stone on the deck for a six-count in round eight. Nonetheless, Stone arises and is able to last the round and the distance. Berlenbach has to settle for a UD 10 win (99-90, 99-91, 98-91), moving his career total to 24-7(18) compared to 33-6 (21) for Stone.

Dec. 11, 1930: Next Friday fight action is at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. The main event is for the NABF BW title, and it’s a rematch as veteran Howard Mayberry defends the belt against Archie Bell, whom he has defeated twice before (both UD wins). This time, Bell sets up shop on the outside and is able to score well through the first half of the bout. Mayberry’s corner is clearly worried, and he is directed to pick up the pace and become more aggressive in the later rounds. The bout goes the distance, and while most ringside observers have Bell lifting the belt, some hometown judging has the Champ, Mayberry, coming out on top via a UD 12 (115-113 on all three cards). It is Mayberry’s 9^th defense of the title he won back in 1927, but it is also his last bout at Prime career stage. Post-fight records: Mayberry, 31-12-2 (14); Bell, 27-6-2 (7).

Dec. 12, 1930: Next card is back in Europe, and the Palazzo del Sport in Rome, Italy. a Friday night affair at Panama City, Panama. Nothing of note on the agenda, except for a bout featuring “the Ambling Alp,” young HW prospect, Primo Carnera. Carnera’s opponent in a scheduled 10-rounder is veteran TC, Jimmy Raegan. The Irish TC surprises Carnera when he nails the taller man with an uppercut that puts “Da Preem” on the canvas briefly in the opening round. Then, after taking a round to recover, Carnera seizes control and puts Raegan on the deck with a cross in round three. Carnera then traps his hapless opponent in the corner, and he is well on his way to finishing matters when the ref calls a halt, saving Raegan from further punishment. The TKO 3 win lifts Carnera to 11-0-1 (10) as he maintains his status as an unbeaten prospect into 1931.

Dec. 12, 1930: It’s back to the states for the next card, at St. Louis’ Kiel Auditorium. NABF LW Champion Sammy Mandell, the “Rockford Sheik,” faces a tough challenge from Tony Canzoneri, “the Roman Warrior.” Canzoneri is the more active and more accurate of the two in the opening rounds. Mandell bounces back from a lackluster start with a dominant round five. Midway through the bout, the title is up for grabs and the scores appear to be very close. Canzoneri steps up the pace in the second half of the bout, turning in a strong performance. Mandell gamely battles all the way to the finish, but it is not enough as Canzoneri takes the title via a UD 12 (116-112 on all three cards). The new Champ, Canzoneri, improves to 22-4-1 (12) with the win, while Mandell slips to 33-13 (9).

To be continued, with fight action from the second half of Dec. 1930 ...

[JCWeb]

Wrapping up 1930 with fight action from the second half of December …

Dec. 18, 1930: Friday night fights at Atlantic City’s Convention Hall. It’s a good card, headlined by a NABF title bout. Veteran MW Vince Dundee puts his belt on the line in his fourth title defense, against newly-crowned USBA MW Champ Harry Ebbetts. It’s a fairly close bout from the opening stages, with Ebbetts showing signs of tiredness near the end, also suffering from a slightly swollen right eye. To the surprise of many, the judges’ decision favors the challenger, as Ebbetts takes a close but UD 12 (115-114, 116-113, 116-114) to take the belt. The win lifts Ebbetts to 18-6-4 (10); Dundee emerges from the bout with a 27-5-1 (13) career mark.

Dec. 19, 1930: Next fight action at the Amor Bahn in Munich, Germany. Featured is the EBU title bout with Cleto Locatelli, the Swiss boxer, defending against Jack Hood, the recently crowned GBU Champion. To the surprise of many, Hood holds his own into the later rounds. Locatelli, however, puts forth a solid effort and takes a UD 12 (116-112 on all cards) to retain the title. Post-fight records: Locatelli, 22-3-1 (8); Hood, 21-5-4 (7).

Dec. 19, 1930: Havana’s Gran Stadium is the scene of the next fight card. The co-feature sees unbeaten FW prospect, Kid Chocolate, the Cuban Bon-Bon,” keep his slate clean with an impressive KO 9 win over veteran Santiago Zorilla, running his record to 15-0-1 (13). The main event has Mike Dundee putting his NABF MW crown on the line against Babe Herman, who had battled him to a draw in an earlier encounter. Tonight, Dundee – who has reached Post-Prime career stage -- seems slow and off target with most of his punches. As the bout wears on, Herman begins the assert himself and puts Dundee down in the eighth with a strong blow. Herman follows up and delivers the coup-de-grace with a strong cross a round later. The KO 9 win moves Herman to his career total to 24-7(18) compared to 33-6 (21) for Stone.
Looks like a bad week for anyone named Dundee defending a NABF title, doesn’t it?

Dec. 26, 1930: It’s to the Olympia in London for the traditional Boxing Day fight card. It’s kind of an abbreviated card tonight, with only one interesting matchup – the main event pitting highly ranked WW contender Joe Dundee against hometown favorite Bermondsey Billy Wells. Dundee starts well, but Wells rebounds and is holding his own until a cut opens up over his right eye. Dundee takes advantage and, although Wells is able to last the distance, the verdict is a SD 10 win for Dundee (95-96, 98-93, 97-94). The post-fight records of the two protagonists are: Dundee, 33-10-5 (12); Wells, 48-14-3 (17). Well, at least one fighter named Dundee came out a winner this month ...

Dec. 26, 1930: Next up is a packed card at New York’s Madison Square Garden. On the undercard, MW prospect “Harlem Thunderbolt” Harry Smith, now 15-1, is looking to get back on track after his first career loss, facing Teddy Yarosz who is looking to avenge an earlier UD 10 loss to Smith. A strong defense from Yarosz frustrates the hard-hitting Smith, who is unable to land a telling blow. In a bit of an upset, Yarosz turns the table and takes a MD 10 (97-92, 95-95, 97-93) to move his career mark to 12-1 (9) while Smith drops to 15-2 (12). The main event is for the NABF LH title, as Jack “Bright Eyes” Delaney faces a strong challenge from USBA Champ Lou Scozza. Delaney holds a prior UD win, but he picks a poor time to have an off-night. In round five, Scozza decks Delaney with a big right for a seven-count. A second KD soon follows, and Delaney is unable to fend off the blows. The ref calls a halt, and it goes as a surprising TKO 5 win for Scozza, who captures the belt. The win lifts Scozza to a lofty 28-2 (11) overall, compared to 37-8-2 (23) for the much more traveled Delaney.

Dec. 31, 1930: Final fight card of the year, at the Rizal Arena in Manila. A rematch of an earlier bout on the undercard has EBU and GBU BW titleholder Johnny King facing hometown favorite Speedy Dado, the reigning OPBF Champion; King took a MD 10 in their first meeting in Australia earlier in the year. This time, Dado suffers a bloody nose and the cut worsens during the bout. King puts Dado down in a barrage of punches in round four. Dado suffers from a rapidly swelling right eye during most of the bout, but in round seven King is cut over his right eye. However, it’s the cut on Dado’s nose that causes the most trouble, leading to a late stoppage. Greeted by boos from the pro-Dado crown, King takes the win via a TKO 9 to move to 21-1 (12) while Dado slips to 17-7 (11). After a few more preliminary bouts, the final main event of the year is for the WBA JLW crown. Frankie Klick defends against Mike Ballerino. Klick builds an early points lead, but Ballerino is also putting in a strong performance. In round eight, Klick sustains a cut over his right eye. His left eye also puffs up, but his corner is more concerned about the cut which proves difficult to control. Klick, worried about a cuts stoppage, picks up the pace and goes on the offensive in the later rounds. However, Ballerino perseveres and lands a big right of his own in round 14, forcing Klick to cover up. Klick is in full retreat when the cut is reopened, and this time the ref does not hesitate to call a halt. Ballerino takes a TKO 14 and the WBA title belt. Post-fight, he moves to 25-13-4 (7) while Klick drops to 21-7-2 (10).

That wraps up the summary of the key fight action of 1930. It’s on to the year-end reports before moving forward to 1931.

[JCWeb]

Titles and Title Bouts

WBA: Young Stribling went four-for-four in title defenses, now having a string of five straight defenses going back to 1929. His victims: Max Schmeling (KO 5), Tuffy Griffith (KO 13), George Godfrey (TKO 8) and finally, the aging ex-Champ, Jack Dempsey (UD 15).

NABF: This belt changed hands twice during the year after Sully Montgomery turned aside the challenge of Benny Touchstone (SD 12). Then, Joe Sekyra dethroned Montgomery (KO 11) before losing the title to Jack Gross in a close one (MD 12).

USBA: Bearcat Wright was successful in his fourth and fifth defenses, taking the measure of Frankie Campbell (TKO 7) and Lanky Ralph Smith (KO 7). Then, the belt went to ex-WBA Champ Jack Sharkey, who defeated Wright in a UD 12 while on the comeback trail.

CBU: Canada’s Larry Gains made only one defense during the year, besting Tom Heeney on a flagrant foul call (DQ 9).

GBU: Phil Scott defended against the overmatched and limited Charlie Penwill (UD 12), but then the title changes hands as Don Shortland took the title from Scott (UD 12).

EBU: Norway had its first EBU titleholder when Otto Von Porat took the title away from Piet Van Der Veer (UD 12), then defended twice in two very controversial DQ wins over Max Schmeling (DQ 6) and Swede Harry Persson (DQ 7).

OPBF: George Thompson defended once during 1930, keeping the belt via a technical draw with fellow Aussie George Cook.

HW Division Profile

Total: 217 RL: 137 TC: 80

RL by Career Stage:
End - 7
Post - 29
Prime - 57
Pre - 31
Beginning - 13 (7 New)

Rated: 96
800+: 19
500+: 43
200+ : 84

Jan 1931 Rankings (Perf Points and Changes from Jan. 1930 in Parens):

Champ: Young Stribling 37-5-1 (21) (1776) (NC)
1. Jack Sharkey 24-5 (15) (1388) (+3) (USBA Champ)
2. Larry Gains 28-6 (17) (1387) (-1) (CBU Champ)
3. George Godfrey 40-10-1 (29) (1322) (NC)
4. Tuffy Griffith 22-3-1 (14) (1009) (+5)
5. Jack DeMave 24-6-2 (12) (979) (+11)
6. Max Schmeling 22-3 (17) (972) (+1)
7. Gene Tunney 46-13-3 (26) (971) (-1)
8. Erminio Spalla 32-12-2 (22) (939) (+4)
9. Jack Dempsey 56-13-1 (49) (917) (+1)
10. Harry Wills 62-13-1 (47) (913) (-8)

Others: 11. Jack Gross 20-3 (11) (901) (+16) (NABF Champ)
13. Otto Von Porat 19-3-1 (11) (896) (+26) (EBU Champ)
20. George Thompson 23-6-2 (13) (757) (-3) (OPBF Champ)
22. Don Shortland 19-4 (5) (742) (+35) (GBU Champ)

Top Ten: Everyone at Prime except Dempsey and Tunney (at End), with DeMave at Post. Stribling has now won 11 in succession, with his last loss coming at the hands of Godfrey in 1928. Sharkey turned around from a poor 1929, snapping a three-bout loss string with three successive wins, including a KO over Dempsey and a UD over #2 ranked Larry Gains after capturing the USBA crown from Bearcat Wright. Gains had a nice five-bout winning streak snapped by the loss to Sharkey, putting his WBA title aspirations on hold. Godfrey did enough to maintain a high spot in the rankings, stopping Wills and Floyd Johnson but falling short when he had the opportunity to regain the WBA title. Tuffy Griffith became a top contender with a UD win over Tunney, but he seemed overmatched in his title clash with Stribling. DeMave won three bouts in 1930, but he hits Post-Prime in his next bout and thus has little upside potential. Max Schmeling continued to struggle in title bouts, but he rebounded with a UD 10 win over Tunney and hopes for better things in 1931. Tunney slipped a bit, as his skills have diminished to the point he is no longer considered a serious title threat. Spalla avoided defeat in bouts with Phil Scott and Pierre Charles, while Dempsey proved he could still bring out the crowds with an occasional flash of his earlier brilliance, as he turned in a UD 10 win over Elmer Ray and posed a credible challenge to Stribling in what is likely to prove the last title bout in his long and illustrious career; note he remains one KO win shy of the elusive 50 career KO plateau – something achieved only by two prior HWs (Peter Jackson and Jack Johnson).

Other Notables: Finishing just outside the top 10 was Jack Gross, the newly crowned NABF Champion, who won all three of his 1930 encounters, including a one-round blowout of Lanky Ralph Smith. Smith dropped out of the top 10 with three successive losses, but ended up at #12 (down seven spots) after halting his skid with a stoppage of Frankie Campbell. EBU Champ Von Porat went 4-0 for the year, all against European opponents. Kid Violent, Elmer Ray, zoomed up the list, winning four of five during 1930, finishing with a TKO win over Bearcat Wright after suffering a UD loss to Dempsey. Joe Banovic improved to 19-3 (7) to end the year at #17 after a surprising SD 10 win over Floyd Johnson, who ended a spot lower (down 10 from last year) after going 1-3 in 1930. Thompson, who dropped three spots to #3, has not won a bout since Sept. 1929. One to watch is Mack House, winner of 10 of his last 11 (the only loss coming early in 1930 to Paulino Uzcudan) to move to #21 overall. Shortland, the new British Champ, went undefeated during the year but is at Post-Prime heading into 1931. No newcomers made the top 30 this time; Johnny Widd, who is 16-2 (12), debuts at #35.

Prospects: Still keeping a clean slate are Argentina’s Jose Domingo Carattoli (13-0, 6 KO) and King Levinsky (13-0, 8 KO). Primo Carnera (11-0-1, 10 KO) is being brought along slowly and still a year or two away from taking on more serious opposition. Others worth watching include Max Baer (10-0, 9 KO), Tony Galento (11-2, 10 KO), Lee Ramage (6-0, 4 KO), Art Lasky (4-0-1, 4 KO), Arturo Godoy (2-0, 1 KO) and Jersey Joe Walcott (1-0, 0 KO).

Retirements:

Agile Andre Anderson (USA) 1915-30 36-20-4 (27) No Titles Highest Rank: 30
Fred Fulton (USA) 1913-30 40-21-1 (32) NABF, USBA Champ Highest Rank: 5
John Metoquah (USA) 1922-30 18-14 (7) No Titles Highest Rank: 21
Pat Lester (USA) 1923-30 24-10 (20) USBA Champ Highest Rank: 11
Charlie Penwill (UK) 1912-30 39-28-2 (23) GBU Champ Highest Rank: 22

Re-checking the records, I forgot to acknowledge one earlier retirement from a few years back, this a former WBC Champion, no less:
Bartley Madden (IRL) 1912-26 46-19-6 (18) WBA Champ 1919-20

Looking Ahead: The transition from the three stars of the “Roaring Twenties” (Dempsey, Tunney and Wills) is just about completed, as right now it seems the three “S” guys (Stribling, Sharkey and Schmeling) are likely to dominate for the next few years at least. Larry Gains hopes to break up the dominance and is itching for a WBA title shot in 1931. Guys like Carnera and Baer and still two to three years away, then of course there’s the anticipated entry of the “Brown Bomber” which is also several years down the road.

[JCWeb]

Titles and Title Bouts

WBA: Tommy Loughran extended his five-year reign with five more successful title defenses, to bring the total thus far to 17. His 1930 victims were: Jack “Bright Eyes” Delaney (TKO 14), Roleaux Saguero (TKO 7), Gypsy Daniels (TKO 7), Maxie Rosenbloom (UD 15) and Len Harvey (UD 15).

NABF: This belt changed hands twice during the year as Jack Delaney took the belt from the Cuban, Roleaux Saguero (TKO 3) but then, in a surprise, USBA Champ Lou Scozza dethroned Delaney (TKO 5).

USBA: Lou Scozza successfully challenged Young Firpo to take this belt (TKO 11) and defended twice, winning both bouts – versus Battling Slim Ryan (KO 8) and Lou Bogash (TKO 5) – inside the defense. Then, Scozza stepped up to claim the NABF title. Thus, this title is vacant heading into 1931.

CBU: Brit Len Harvey continued his long-standing reign (going back to 1924) with his eighth successful defense, taking the measure of Canada’s Charley Belanger (UD 12).

GBU: Gypsy Daniels, who took the title in 1927, finally defended in 1930 – twice. His victims were Tom Berry (TKO 12) and Charlie Tonner (TKO 2).

EBU: Harvey continued to retain this title, although he made no defenses in 1930.

OPBF: Lack of credible LH contenders in this part of the world means this belt remains dormant.

LH Division Profile

Total: 131 RL: 85 TC: 46

RL by Career Stage:
End - 7
Post - 15
Prime - 38
Pre - 18
Beginning - 7 (4 New)

Rated: 61
800+: 17
500+: 29
200+ : 48

Jan 1931 Rankings (Perf Points and Changes from Jan. 1930 in Parens):

Champ: Tommy Loughran 43-4-2 (17) (1836) (NC)
1. Lou Scozza 28-2 (21) (1290) (+8) (NABF Champ)
2. Jack Delaney 37-8-2 (23) (1184) (NC)
3. Len Harvey 35-6-2 (14) (1155) (-2) (CBU, EBU Champ)
4. Roleaux Saguero 29-12-2 (27) (976) (NC)
5. Maxie Rosenbloom 24-6-4 (10) (969) (NC)
6. Young Firpo 19-5-3 (14) (951) (-3)
7. Paul Berlenbach 24-7 (18) (941) (+3)
8. Ad Stone 33-6 (21) (939) (-1)
9. Harry Greb 51-16-4 (27) (913) (-3)
10. Jimmy Slattery 29-10-1 (11) (880) (+3)

Others: 37. Gypsy Daniels 28-16-2 (18) 375) (+6) (GBU Champ)

Top Ten: Everyone at Prime except Saguero and Stone (both at Post) and the evergreen Greb (at End). Loughran has now won 12 in a row, and he has remained unbeaten since 1925. Scozza won all six of his 1930 encounters to move up to the #1 contender spot, including a UD 10 over #2 Len Harvey. Jack “Bright Eyes” Delaney ends up as #2 despite winning only two of four of his 1930 bouts. Harvey impressed in a UD 10 win over Rosenbloom, but since then he has lost his last two. Saguero had an 11-bout unbeaten streak snapped, and – despite losing his only two bouts during the year – remains at #4. Rosenbloom made no progress, going 2-3 for the year, his best win a UD 10 over Young Firpo. Firpo slid down the rankings; he has not won a bout since early 1929. Berlenbach re-established his credentials with a KO of Lou Bogash and a UD over Stone, but a UD 10 loss to Slattery reminded observers of his inconsistency against the top contenders. Stone had a KO win over Mike McTigue but fell short against Berlenbach. Greb continued to hang on, holding Firpo to a draw and taking a SD from Young Tony Marullo despite being at the tail-end of his career. Slattery bounced back with two wins to regain his top 10 status.

Other Notables: Only one change in the top 10, and this time it was Young Tony Marullo falling all the way from #10 to #17 after suffering consecutive defeats to Greb and Eddie McGovern. George Manley has gradually moved up the list, winning four of his last five to end the year at #12. The hot property in this division is unbeaten Tiger Jack Fox, now 18-0 (14), ranked #14 in his first time on the list. Other newcomers are Joe Knight, who debuts at #21, sporting a 15-1-1 (9) mark, and Battling Bozo, who has emerged at #26 with a perfect 15-0 (8) career start. Another LH to be watched closely is Fred Lenhart, who has won all his bouts the past two years to move to #17 after compiling a 17-2 (12) record. Bob Olin, who suffered his only two career defeats at the hands of Knight, is a bit further down the list, at #31 after getting off to a 12-2-1 (7) career start. Belgian Gustave Roth is an impressive 21-1-1 (10) but is only ranked #36 because of an early setback (loss to a TC) that hurt his PP total. GBU Champ Gypsy Daniels moved up with a UD 10 over Pat McCarthy but is looking for more higher-rated opponents to provide an opportunity to move up even further.

Prospects: Many of the prospects with at least 10 bouts under their belts in this division have suffered losses – Bob Godwin (11-3, 5) has lost to Knight, Tiger Jack Fox and Bozo; Danny Devlin (11-1, 10) lost to Tony Shucco; Shucco (11-1, 7) suffered a DQ loss to a TC opponent; German Adolf Heuser (10-1, 6) was actually knocked out by a TC; Billy Jones (10-1, 10) was a Devlin TKO victim. Bucking this trend was Dave Maier, who feasted on TC opposition and then impressed in a KO 7 win over fellow prospect Ray Tramblie, to end the year at 10-0 (9). Al Stillman ends the year at 9-0-1 (8); off to good starts are Marty Simmons (6-0, 3 KO), Billy Papke Jr. (5-0, 4KO), Norman Conrad (4-0, 3 KO) and Al Gainer (3-0, 2 KO).

Retirements:

“Duluth” Jimmy Delaney (USA) 1919-30 29-16-1 (18) No Titles Highest Rank: 8
Frank Farmer (USA) 1911-30 35-32-4 (20) NABF, USBA Champ Highest Rank: 5
Jeff Smith (USA) 1910-30 47-25-6 (19) No Titles Highest Rank: 2 (also at MW)
Tom Berry (UK) 1918-30 22-21-2 (9) EBU, GBU Champ Highest Rank: 20
Sergeant Jack Lynch (USA) 1920-30 21-21-1 (17) GBU Champ Highest Rank: 37

Looking Ahead: Loughran’s dominance of the division has him being talked about as a future HW contender (moving up to challenge for the HW title while long-time MW king Mickey Walker would move up to LH) – something that happened in real life. Not much in the way of credible WBA title contenders at this point, although top prospect Tiger Jack Fox is set to challenge for a top 10 spot in 1931. Belgian Gustave Roth, despite his low ranking, seems likely to emerge as a a challenger for Harvey’s EBU title. One of the interesting aspects of this division is the relative paucity of serious contenders outside of the US; only four of the top 35 ranked fighters are non-US based fighters. Only four newcomers slated to debut in 1931 but one of these – John Henry Lewis – should be a really good one.