My Universe

[JCWeb]

Thanks, Ric. Here are the highlights of action from the first half of November 1931 (53 total bouts). Two World title bouts are reported, one of which had a very shocking and sudden conclusion.

Nov. 6, 1931: Jersey City’s Roosevelt Stadium is the scene for the first Friday night fight card action of the month. The main support bout is a rematch with two LHs, “Slapsie Maxie” Rosenbloom and Canadian Charley Belanger, of a bout earlier in 1931 that ended in a DQ win for Belanger. This time, Rosenbloom looks sharp from the outset, carefully building a solid points lead. By the midway point, Belanger is suffering from a rapidly swelling left eye, and then – just seconds from the end of the bout – Rosenbloom lands a big shot that puts Belanger down and out. KO 10 for Rosenbloom. Post-fight records: 26-7-6 (12) for Rosenbloom; 26-9 (12) for Belanger. Then, on to the main event, as “Cleveland Rubber Man” Johnny Risko makes his first defense of the NABF HW title belt. He has chosen a much higher rated and highly regarded challenger, George Godfrey, aka “the Leiperville Shadow.” Godfrey serves notice early in the opening round when he connects with a straight right that puts Risko on the deck. In round two, Risko has even more problems as a nasty cut has surfaced on his forehead. Godfrey makes it an early end when he puts Risko down with a wicked hook to the head in the fifth. Risko can’t beat the count, so it goes down as a KO 5 win for Godfrey. Post-fight, Godfrey is 44-11-1 (32) while Risko slips to 27-9-2 (6).

Nov. 7, 1931: Back to Europe for another fight card at the Ullevi Stadium in Gothenberg, Sweden. On the undercard, two HWs do battle as the “Basque Woodchopper,” Paulino Uzcudan, faces Pierre Charles. In round five, the Spaniard stuns Charles with a hook to the head. However, things turn around quickly for the Belgian when Uzcudan is warned and then DQ-ed for repeatedly hitting below the belt in round six. It’s a controversial call, but the bout goes to Charles via the DQ-6. After the bout, Charles improves to 30-12-1 (21) compared to a 29-8-1 (12) post-bout mark for Uzcudan, who has now lost his last three in a row. Then, in the main event, EBU WW Champion Cleto Locatelli defends against aging vet Hamilton Johnny Brown. In round four, Locatelli connects with a big hook, staggering his opponent. Brown suffers a split lip and a badly swollen left eye and offers little resistance as Locatelli goes on to a one-sided UD 12 victory (119-108, 118-110, 119-109). After the fight, Locatelli is 23-5-1 (8) and hoping for a World title shot. Brown dips to 22-20-6 (10).

Nov. 7, 1931: Next card is in New Orleans. It's the "Roman Warrior" against the "Rockford Shiek," as Tony Canzoneri puts his NABF LW crown on the line in feature, facing one of his predecessors, Sammy Mandell, whom he defeated in a prior encounter. This time, Canzoneri wastes no time, building up a solid lead and coasting to a fairly comfortable win. No cuts or knockdowns, and the bout goes the distance with the UD 12 going to Canzoneri (117-112, 118-114, 117-113). Tony moves to 24-4-2 (12) overall; Mandell is now 36-14 (9).

Nov. 13, 1931: Friday night card in Montreal. One of the attractive bouts on the undercard has young Canadian FW Pete DeGrasse matched with former WBA Champion Louis Kaplan. Kaplan, who has lost his last three bouts coming into this one, is looking to get his career on track while DeGrasse is looking to move up a notch or two in the rankings. In round one, Kaplan nails DeGrasse with a sharp uppercut that forces the Canadian to cover up. Later in the bout, in the seventh round, DeGrasse sustains a cut over his right eye that dispels any thoughts of a comeback in this one. Kaplan goes on to register a solid UD 12 win (98-92 on all three cards) to push his career totals to 38-11-1 (10); DeGrasse is now 20-4 (5). A couple of more bouts and it’s time for the main event, as local fan favorite Bobby Leitham, aka “the Verdun Flash,” challenges Speedy Dado for the latter’s WBA BW title. It’s the first meeting of the two, and a long feeling-out process results in a close, defensive struggle. Dado gradually pulls ahead, building a solid points lead in the middle rounds. Leitham stages a brief rally, doing his best to put Dado on the deck, when he stuns the champ with a three-punch combination in round 14. Dado covers up and last the distance, going on to take a fairly close UD 15 (146-140, 144-142, 146-140) to retain the title. Post-fight, Dado improves to 20-7 (11). Leitham, who still has the NABF title, is now 21-3-1 (8).

Nov. 14, 1931: Next card is at the Sports Palace in Rome, Italy. The main support bout features Italian HW prospect Primo Carnera, “the Ambling Alp,’ against a countryman, a journeyman fighter named Arthur DeKuh. There’s not much in the way of defense in this matchup from either man, and the first telling blow is landed by DeKuh in the fifth round, when a big cross causes Carnera’s knees to buckle, but Primo remains upright. He exacts some revenge a round later, when he rocks DeKuh with a hook to the head that sends him to the canvas for an eight count. From here on out, DeKuh is bothered by noticeable swelling under his left eye. DeKuh is dropped two more times as the bout goes to a decision, and it’s a solid UD 10 win for Carnera (95-92, 95-92, 96-92). Post-fight, Carnera is now 14-2-1 (12) and done for the year. The main event is a EBU Flyweight title contest, matching “Midget Organ Grinder” Johnny Vacca, who is defending the belt, with France’s Emile Pladner. This one evolves into a defensive struggle, with Vacca – now at Post-Prime – appearing to be a step slower than in past bouts. Both men sport swollen left eyes as the bout takes its toll, and the more energetic boxer – Pladner goes on the lift the belt via a UD 12 (117-111, 115-113, 115-113) to the chagrin of the Italian fans who go home unhappy. Post-bout, Pladner is 19-7-1 (8) while Vacca slips to 24-5-1 (11).

Nov. 14, 1931: It’s another card at the Cow Palace in San Francisco. Popular unbeaten HW prospect Max Baer is in the co-feature, taking on Unknown Winston, who sports a 11-1 career mark heading into the bout, but his record is based largely on a string of wins against TC opposition. Baer goes to work right away, causing Winston’s right eye to begin puffing up before the close of the opening round. Then, in round two, a Baer uppercut puts Winston down for the first time. In round five, Baer lands a big hook to put his opponent on the deck a second time. Another KD soon follows, and the ref is forced to call a halt with just seconds remaining. TKO 5 for Baer to push his career totals to 15-0 (14). This result should insure that Baer will debut in the top 30 in the next HW rankings. Then, in the main event, Young Stribling makes his eighth defense of the WBA HW title he won back in 1929 and faces challenger Tuffy Griffith. Stribling won via a late KO in one early meeting, so Griffith is hoping for a better result the second time around. Two and half minutes into the opening round, Griffith lands a devastating hook to the head that puts Stribling down and out. In a shocking result, the Champ is counted out and the title changes hands. The KO 1 means Griffith is now 25-4-1 (15) and will hold the WBA HW title belt heading into 1932. Stribling is 38-6-2 (21) and has just one year left before hitting Post-Prime.

[JCWeb]

Highlights of action from the second half of November 1931 (69 total bouts). A historic milestone in this Universe is achieved as a result of the most recent WBA title bout and, on the same card, it’s the final outing for a two-division World Champion whose career spanned over two decades.

Nov. 20, 1931: Friday night action at the Gran Stadium in Havana, Cuba. Two top 10 LWs do battle on the undercard, as Chilean Luis Vicentini faces veteran Sid Barbarian. Barbarian is now at Post-Prime and, while he is able to keep the bout close for the first four rounds, he fades badly down the stretch after Vicentini stuns him with a big hook late in round five. The bout goes as a UD 10 win for Vicentini (96-95, 96-95, 97-94) as the scores are surprisingly close. Post-fight records: 34-8-1 (13) for Vicentini; 34-15-2 (16) for Barbarian. Then, it is time for the main event, as Black Bill defends his NABF Flyweight title against Ruby Bradley. It’s a rematch, as th Cuban is looking to avenge an earlier TKO loss to Bradley back in 1930 on his home turf. However, Black Bill is at Post-Prime and has slowed a step or two. It turns out to be a close bout, even at the halfway point according to the unofficial scorecard. In round seven, Black Bill appears to be gaining the upper hand while Bradley is forced to battle a rapidly swelling right eye. Bradley, however, recovers to mount a rally in the late rounds and is rewarded with a MD 12 (115-113, 114-114, 115-113) to take the belt in a somewhat surprising outcome that draws boos from the crowd. Post-fight, Bradley is 22-9-4 (5) while Black Bill – who has held and lost the NABF Fly belt for three times now – slips to 26-13-5 (9) probably has seen his title belt days behind him.

Nov. 20, 1931: Another Friday night fight card, this time at Sydney Stadium “Down Under” in Australia. No titles at stake, and the main event matches hometown favorite, OPBF HW Champion George Thompson against a top 10 contender, Elmer Ray. Not much happens until round five, when Ray drops the Aussie with a well-timed uppercut. Ray tries in rounds five and six to finish his man, but Thompson stands firm. In the ninth round, another Ray uppercut finds its target, staggering Thompson. The bout goes into the final round with Thompson needing a knockout to win; however, Ray dominates the action to take a lopsided UD 10 (98-91, 98-91, 98-90). After the bout, Ray is 21-3 (14), having solidified his position as top contender. Thompson, who is now 23-8-2 (14), has fought his last bout at Prime and starts the downside of his career when hitting Post-Prime in 1932.

Nov. 21, 1931: Next card is at Yankee Stadium in New York City. Crowd favorite Jimmy Braddock is on the undercard, facing journeyman HW Tiny Herman. Braddock gets off to a strong start and hammers out a lopsided UD 10 win to run his career record to 20-5-2 (6). However, lacking any big wins to date, he remains mired in the lower echelons of the HW rankings. In the main event, unbeaten LH Tiger Jack Fox defends his USBA LH title, taking on challenger Fred Lenhart. Lenhart establishes his jab and seemingly has it all his way in the early going, taking an early points edge. Fox, however, gets on track in round four when he decks Lenhart with an overhand left that puts the challenger down for a seven-count. A round later, Lenhart walks into a Fox hook and tumbles to the canvas for the second time. Then, the end comes late in round six after Fox once again seizes control of the action, with the ref stepping in to save Lenhart from further punishment with just seconds left in the round. TKO 6 for Tiger Jack Fox, keeping his slate clean at 23-0 (17) overall; Lenhart is now 21-4 (15).

Nov. 27, 1931: Friday night card at Manila’s Rizal Arena. It’s the British invasion, with two UK boxers on hand to take on some of the top local talent. On the undercard, ex-WBA BW Champ Pablo Dano is on the comeback trail after suffering his initial loss in a WBA title bout; he faces former Commonwealth BW Champ Nipper Pat Daly in a rematch of a bout from August that went Dano’s way. In round three, things look bleak for Dano who exhibits signs of swelling under his right eye. Then, in round five, a cut appears over the Filipino’s left eye. Despite these problems, he puts Daly on the deck with an overhand right and fashions a solid UD 10 win (98-91, 97-91, 97-91). Post-fight, Dano improves to 22-1-2 (14); Daly is now 26-13-3 (12). A couple of more bouts and it’s time for the main event, with OPBF FW Champion Elino Flores facing current Commonwealth and GBU Champ Johnny Cuthbert. It’s a strong showing by Flores, with Cuthbert on the defensive from the early going, plus he is forced to deal with a rapidly swelling left eye. Flores is able to break down Cuthbert’s defenses late in the fight, ending matters with a combination of blows that puts the Brit down and out in the penultimate round. It’s an impressive KO 9 for Flores. Post-fight, Flores improves to 29-13-4 (12). Cuthbert, who still has a few more years at Prime, is now 29-17-1 (10).

Nov. 28, 1931: Next card is at the Earls Court in London, and it’s a strong card. Two unbeatend BW prospects are matched on the undercard, as Brit Benny Sharkey faces his American counterpart, K. O. Morgan. Sharkey stuns Morgan in the opening stanza when he connects with a sharp, jolting uppercut. Morgan battles back despite battling a rapidly swelling right eye. The bout is a close one, last the distance, and the final result – a draw (95-95 on all three cards) is a fair one. Post-fight, Sharkey at 17-0-1 (15) and Morgan, now 14-0-2 (11) remain unbeaten. In another preliminary bout, once beaten Belgian LH Gustavo Roth is paired with GBU Champ Gypsy Daniels. In round three, Daniels suffers a cut nose, and then both eyes start to puff up. Daniels struggles on, but he lacks the ability to mount a comeback. Roth takes the win, via a TKO 10, on a late cuts stoppage. Post-fight, the Belgian is now 24-1-2 (12), and Daniels slips to 29-18-2 (18). Then, in the main event, Max Schmeling finally earns a shot at the EBU HW crown as he faces Jack Doyle, the “Gorgeous Gael.” Schmeling, looking to repeat an earlier KO win over Doyle, looks sharp early and decks the defending Champ with a cross in the second round. Doyle struggles to get up, but he arises at the count of nine. Doyle must deal with some swelling under his left eye, but in round seven he has his best moment when he plants a hook to Schmeling’s midsection that staggers the “Black Uhlan.” However, the swelling gradually worsens and Schmeling takes advantage as the bout enters the later stages. An uppercut puts Doyle down a second time in round 10, and Schmeling wastes no time, following up with another KD and hammering away at his hapless opponent until the ref calls a halt. Schmeling’s hand is raised in triumph, and the TKO 10 win means Max has captured his first title belt. His career totals are now 26-3 (20) while Doyle slips to 26-12-2 (19).

Nov. 28, 1931: Fistic action at the Briggs Stadium in Detroit wraps up the activity for the month of November. “Homicide Hank” Armstrong makes his third pro start, and he punishes his TC opponent, scoring four knockdowns before registering a KO 4 to move to 3-0 (3). In another preliminary bout, it’s the final outing for former WBA FW and long-time JLW titleholder, the “Scotch Wop,” Johnny Dundee; Dundee is administered a decisive thrashing by LW Jack Portney, being floored four times, but somehow he manages to end the bout on his feet to bring down the curtain on a stellar 22-year, 83-bout career with a record of 55-24-4 (15). Then, after a few more support bouts, it’s time for the main event as popular WBA MW king Mickey Walker faces the challenge of Belgian Rene DeVos, the only man to defeat him, back in 1924. Walker avenged that loss in 1926, but at one win apiece this constitutes the rubber match. It’s a cautious start by both men, and DeVos does well to keep the bout reasonably close for the first third of the bout. Then, in the middle rounds, Walker begins to assert control, gradually wearing down the “Little Fox.” Walker decks DeVos with an overhand right for the first KD in round eight, and the “Toy Bulldog” follows it up a big uppercut for another knockdown a round later. DeVos then is turned into a human punching bag a round later, and the ref steps in to call a halt. The TKO 10 triumph is the 25^th in a row for Walker, who has now made 22 successive title defenses. He moves to 48-1 (37) while DeVos is now 47-13-2 (18). And, in a historic achievement, he becomes the first fighter in this Universe (which dates back to the 1870s) to cross the previously unsurpassed 2000 PP milestone.

[Ric915]

Originally Posted by JCWeb

[FONT=Arial Nov. 28, 1931: Fistic action at the Briggs Stadium in Detroit wraps up the activity for the month of November. “Homicide Hank” Armstrong makes his third pro start, and he punishes his TC opponent, scoring four knockdowns before registering a KO 4 to move to 3-0 (3). In another preliminary bout, it’s the final outing for former WBA FW and long-time JLW titleholder, the “Scotch Wop,” Johnny Dundee; Dundee is administered a decisive thrashing by LW Jack Portney, being floored four times, but somehow he manages to end the bout on his feet to bring down the curtain on a stellar 22-year, 83-bout career with a record of 55-24-4 (15). Then, after a few more support bouts, it’s time for the main event as popular WBA MW king Mickey Walker faces the challenge of Belgian Rene DeVos, the only man to defeat him, back in 1924. Walker avenged that loss in 1926, but at one win apiece this constitutes the rubber match. It’s a cautious start by both men, and DeVos does well to keep the bout reasonably close for the first third of the bout. Then, in the middle rounds, Walker begins to assert control, gradually wearing down the “Little Fox.” Walker decks DeVos with an overhand right for the first KD in round eight, and the “Toy Bulldog” follows it up a big uppercut for another knockdown a round later. DeVos then is turned into a human punching bag a round later, and the ref steps in to call a halt. The TKO 10 triumph is the 25^th in a row for Walker, who has now made 22 successive title defenses. He moves to 48-1 (37) while DeVos is now 47-13-2 (18). And, in a historic achievement, he becomes the first fighter in this Universe (which dates back to the 1870s) to cross the previously unsurpassed 2000 PP milestone.

Any thoughts of Walkerr moving up since he seems to have really cleaned out this MW division?

[JCWeb]

Hey Ric

That may definitely be in the cards for 1932. Of course, the WBA title at LH is currently being held by the second longest-serving World titleholder, Tommy Loughran, no easy opponent, and a Loughran-Walker matchup would certainly be an intriguing one. But will it be in the cards? (Just so you know, my standard operating mode is to rely on a die roll to determine what month each fighter will be active, so there's no guarantee as to what will happen but, if the two are scheduled to be active the same month, it's a definite possibility.)

If you have followed this Uni, at least for the past three months or so, you will recall that in 1931 Loughran did make an abortive attempt to move up to HW but returned to the more familiar environs of the LH division. At the time, I was anticipating a situation where (as happened in real-life) where both Loughran and Walker moved up at around the same time. That still might happen, who knows?

[JCWeb]

Highlights of action from the first half of December 1931 (64 total bouts).

Dec. 4, 1931: Friday night fights series moves north of the border to Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens. No title bouts tonight, and the main event matches top 10 flyweight Pinky Silverberg with GBU Champ Johnny Hill. No way to sugar-coat it, this turns out to be a fairly boring encounter with Hill battling a rapidly swelling right eye for the second half of the bout. Still, according to the judges, a fairly close contest, with the SD 10 going to Silverberg (98-95, 95-96, 96-95). Post-fight, Silverberg is 31-20-4 (10) while Hill ends up at 19-10-1 (12).

Dec. 5, 1931: Next fight action is in the UK at the Stadium in Liverpool. No titles at stake, and the main event pairs local fan favorite Billy Bird with Enzo Fiermonte – with the winner angling for a shot at the EBU MW title. Bird holds a prior SD 10 win over Fiermonte back in 1929. In tonight’s bout, the fireworks commence in the opening round when both men suffer cuts – Bird over the right eye, Fiermonte over the left eye. Bird then gradually pulls ahead on points. By round eight, Fiermonte has become the aggressor – but he leaves himself open for a strong shot from Bird that causes him to drop to the canvas and take a nine-count. The cut over Bird’s eye is reopened in round nine, but it is not enough of an opening to allow Fiermonte back into the fight. Bird goes on to take a fairly convincing UD 10 (97-94, 98-93, 98-93). Post-fight records: Bird, 32-11-4 (14); Fiermonte, 25-6-2 (10).

Dec. 5, 1931: Next card is at Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City, New Jersey. It’s appropriate that Jersey Joe Walcott is appearing on the undercard. The unbeaten young HW prospect continues to pad his record, taking out TC Chris Underwood with a second round TKO to move to 9-0 (8). Next year, Jersey Joe will be stepping up to 10-round bouts and perhaps looking to face some real-life opponents for the first time after being spoon-fed a steady diet of TCs. The feature bout is for the USBA Fly title, with Corporal Izzy Schwartz defending against former Champ and #1 rated contender Frankie Genaro. Genaro is on the comeback trail, recording four wins and one draw since losing his WBA crown. In the first meeting of the two, Corporal Izzy gets off to a good start, but late in the fourth round he sustains a cut under his left eye. The cut proves not to be an issue, and the score is evened when Genaro suffers a bloody nose in round seven that is quickly cleaned up by his corner. Genaro seems to be nursing a slight points lead heading into the later rounds when, to the surprise of many, the ref catches him leaning onto Schwartz’s neck in several clinches. After a couple of warnings, Genaro is DQ-ed and the bout awarded to Schwartz in a controversial call. The DQ-10 win moves Schwartz to 27-12-2 (6); Genaro is now 38-11-1 (17). Genaro’s management has loudly protested the result and is angling for a rematch in early 1932, but thus far Schwartz’s people have remained noncommittal.

Dec. 11, 1931: It’s a Friday night card at Miami Stadium. The main support event features unbeaten WW prospect Barney Ross, who faces an aging veteran, Billy Alger. Ross builds an early points lead and faces little resistance as he coasts to a lopsided UD 10 win (99-91, 99-91, 99-91). The expectation is that Ross, now 16-0 (7), will be looking to move into the rankings list by taking on some "name" opponents soon. After the Ross-Alger bout, it is time for the main event, which has USBA BW Eddie “Cannonball” Martin defending the belt against the man he defeated for the title, Memphis Pal Moore, back in 1929. It is Martin’s fourth defense, and he looks to repeat the TKO win from the prior encounter with the aging veteran, Moore. This time, the bout turns into a defensive struggle with Martin gradually pulling ahead in the second half of the bout. In round eight, Moore walks into a cross and hits the canvas. A few rounds later, there’s noticeable swelling under Memphis Pal’s right eye. Thus, the end result – a solid UD 12 win for Martin (117-110, 118-109, 118-109) comes as no surprise to the crowd. Post-fight, Martin – who will be at Post-Prime starting his next bout – is 33-3-3 (15). Memphis Pal, who is nearing the end of his long career, is now 54-21-7 (15).

Dec. 12, 1931: Action back in Europe, this time at the Amor Bahn in Munich, Germany. The co-feature has popular German WW prospect Gustav Eder putting his perfect 17-0 on the line against Dutchman Bep Van Klaveren. The pro-Eder crowd has plenty to be concerned about as Van Klaveren builds a solid points lead that, at the midway point of the bout, seems to be sufficient to take a decision absent a miraculous rally by Eder. Then, in round six, the ref steps in and warns VanKlaveren for holding and hitting, eventually taking the drastic step of ending the bout on a controversial foul call. Eder moves to 18-0 (7) on the basis of the DQ-6. For the Dutchman, it’s his third career loss – all by foul – to lower his record to 11-3 (8). The main event is a HW matchup, but no German or European fighters as veteran Bearcat Wright faces Ad Warren. Warren gets off the mark early, decking Wright with a strong shot in round two. Bearcat Wright turns the tables a round later, putting Warren down for a nine-count with a big uppercut in the third. The action see-saws back and forth until round six, when Warren decks Wright for a second time with a nice combination, finishing the job later in the round with a big hook. The KO 6 win means Warren is 20-3 (17) after the bout; Wright slips to 28-13-3 (19).

Dec. 12, 1931: The next fight action is at the Dodge Theatre in Phoenix. In the main event, USBA WW Champion Jackie Fields makes his fifth defense against top 10 WW Johnny Indrisano. It proves to be a stiff test for Fields, who is unbeaten with two draws in his prior 27 bouts. Indrisano seizes control of the bout early against an off-form Fields, who gradually becomes more aggressive late in the bout, but to no avail. The bout goes the distance, and most observers expect a solid unanimous decision for the challenger. However, while Indrisano does capture the belt, it’s the narrow MD 12 verdict (115-114, 115-115, 116-113) that comes as a bit of a surprise. Indrisano hands Fields his first career defeat, moving his own record to 23-4-4 (10). Fields, who plans to take some time off to reassess his career, is now 25-1-2 (14).

[JCWeb]

Wrapping up action from rings around the world in the last half of December 1931 (62 total bouts). Only one title fight among these, but it’s for a WBA title featuring a challenge from a three-time ex-WBA Champ to the current titleholder.

Dec. 18, 1931: Friday night fight card moves south of the border at Panama City’s Olympia Stadium. No titles at stake, but several Latino boxers at various career stages are on the card. Two unbeaten BW prospects do battle on the undercard, as Spaniard Baltazar Sangchili faces Puerto Rican Sixto Escobar. Escobar looks sharp in the early going, and Sangchili must deal with a rapidly swelling right eye from the early rounds. No knockdowns, and the bout goes the distance with Escobar taking a UD 10 (97-94, 97-93, 97-94). The Puerto Rican is now a perfect 12-0 (8), and Sangchili is on the losing end for the first time and is now 14-1 (12). Then, in the main event, popular Mexican FW Baby Arizmendi takes on Frenchman Maurice Holtzer in a 10-rounder. It’s a rough start for the Mexican, who suffers the effects of a badly swollen right eye starting in round three. Then, as the bout wears on, Arizmendi outworks Holtzer and gradually seizes control of the bout. The bout goes to decision, and Arizmendi takes a comfortable UD 10 (97-93, 98-93, 98-92). Post-fight, Arizmendi is 18-2-1 (9) while Holtzer stands at 23-7-1 (11).

Dec. 19, 1931: Next fight action is in Europe, at Gothenburg, Sweden. No title bouts on the card, but the main event matches unbeaten LW Justo Suarez with the veteran “French Flash,” Benny Valgar. Valgar proves to be the more accurate puncher from the early going, and by mid-fight, Suarez is battling a rapidly swelling right eye. Suarez tries to step up the pace in the later rounds, but to no avail as Valgar goes on to take a convincing UD 10 (97-94, 97-93, 99-92), thus handing Suarez his first career loss. Post-fight records: Valgar, 43-16-3 (13); Suarez, 21-1 (14).

Dec. 19, 1931: Next card is at the Boston Garden, and it’s a good one, despite the lack of any title bouts. On the undercard, HW King Levinsky keeps maintains his unbeaten pro record, taking out veteran Roy “Hoot” Burger with a KO 1 to run his career totals to 17-0-1 (10). The main event matches two top five Flyweight contenders in a non-title bout, as Newsboy Brown faces Fidel LaBarba. It turns out to be a boxing exhibition as neither man wants to take undue risks. No cuts, knockdowns or telling blows are landed as the bout goes the distance, with LaBarba taking a SD 10 (96-94, 95-98, 96-94). Post-fight, LaBarba is now 26-5-1 (9); Newsboy slips to 34-9-2 (10).

Dec. 26, 1931: Next up is the traditional Boxing Day card, at the Olympia in London. It’s kind of a light card, headlined by JLW WBA Champ Tod Morgan, who faces Sammy Fuller in a non-title affair. It’s a rematch of a match from earlier in the year, which saw Morgan register a TKO win over Fuller. This time, the bout evolves into a defensive struggle, with Fuller gradually wearing down Morgan in the later rounds. Both men suffer swelling under the eyes, illustrative of the large amount of leather thrown in the bout. The end result is a narrow UD 10 win for Fuller (96-95 on all three cards), reversing the earlier result. Post-fight marks: 30-5 (8) for Fuller; 35-9-1 (12) for Morgan.

Dec. 26, 1931: Action returns to the States, this time in Chicago. It’s a big card, but only one bout worth noting – the main event, which is for the WBA Featherweight crown as Babe Herman faces the challenge from the man he defeated for the belt, three-time ex-Champ Chick Suggs, who is bidding to become a four-time Champ. Herman seems to have the early advantage, although the ringside observer has Suggs ahead while the punch stats favor the Champion. Round eight turns out to be a huge action round, with both men whaling away, looking to land the big knockout punch. Suggs breaks through with a strong shot, putting Herman on the deck. A round later, the Champ also has to deal with a rapidly swelling right eye. Herman battles back though, keeping the bout close in the later rounds while most observers seem to think Suggs has stepped off the gas a bit too early, hoping to ride the knockdown to a points win. Big mistake, as the final scorecards add up to a UD 15 win for Herman (144-141, 143-141, 144-141), who keeps his belt. The capacity crowd, thinking Suggs should have won, hoots and hollers, greeting the decision with a chorus of boos. It’s Herman’s last bout at Prime, and he wraps up this stage of his career with a 33-16-4 (14) mark. Suggs, who still has to be regarded as a top contender, is now 40-12-4 (12).

Dec. 31, 1931: Final card of the year takes place at Sydney Stadium “Down Under,” on New Year’s Eve. Several Filipino fighters on tonight’s card, including the main event, as OPBF MW Champ Ceferino Garcia faces American Ace Hudkins in a non-title affair, with both men being ranked in the top 10 of the division coming into the fight. Action commences in the opening stanza, as Garcia rocks Hudkins with a crippling hook to the head, following up with a big left and then another hook to put Hudkins on the deck for a five-count. Hudkins covers up and manages to stabilize the situation over the next few rounds. In round four, Hudkins gets in a few good shots and, as a result, there is swelling under both eyes of the Filipino. Garcia bounces back strongly, and by the end of round five it’s Hudkins who shows signs of swelling under both eyes. Hudkins rallies strongly in the later rounds, making the bout a close one. In round nine, Hudkins manages to cut the ring off and traps Garcia in a neutral corner. He connects with a nice combination and then finds the range with a huge uppercut that leaves Garcia wide open to a follow-up uppercut. At this point, the ref wisely steps in to call a halt. The TKO 9 win lifts Hudkins’ record to 33-10-2 (17) but, unfortunately, it is his last year at Prime as 1932 was his real-life retirement year. Garcia, who still holds the OPBF title belt, is 27-8 (20) despite the loss.

Anyway, glad to get another year in the books, so look for the year-long reports in the coming weeks before heading into 1932.

[JCWeb]

On to the year-end wrapup reports.

HW

Titles and Title Bouts

WBA: Young Stribling made two more successful defenses, versus LH Champ Tommy Loughran (D 15) and Jack Sharkey (UD 15), but then lost to Tuffy Griffith in a shocking result (KO 1) while making his eighth title defense.

NABF: Four bouts, three new Champions. Jack Gross defended versus Tuffy Griffith (TKO 4) but then lost to Joe Sekyra (UD 12). Sekyra, in turn, was dethroned by Johnny Risko (TKO 11). Then, George Godfrey bested Risko (KO 5) to take the belt into 1932.

USBA: Only one bout for this title, as Jack Sharkey defended over Elmer “Kid Violent” Ray (KO 10).

CBU: Larry Gains defended the belt against Aussie George Cook (KO 5), but then was upended by Tommy Farr in an upset (MD 12 win for Farr).

GBU: Farr won this title from Don Shortland (UD 12), defended it once (another UD 12 win over Shortland) before adding the Commonwealth title.

EBU: Otto Von Porat began the year with the belt, defended it once against Pierre Charles (UD 12), then lost to Irishman Jack Doyle (TKO 8). Doyle, in turn, lost the title to Germany’s Max Schmeling (TKO 10).

OPBF: George Thompson defended once, against fellow Aussie George Cook (UD 12).

HW Division Profile

Total: 213 RL: 133 TC: 80

RL by Career Stage:
End - 9
Post - 37
Prime - 49
Pre - 29
Beginning - 9 (4 New)

Rated: 102
800+: 14
500+: 44
200+ : 88

Jan 1932 Rankings (Perf Points and Changes from Jan. 1931 in Parens):

Champ: Tuffy Griffith 25-4-1 (15) (1408) (+4)
1. Jack Sharkey 26-6 (16) (1468) (NC) (USBA Champ)
2. George Godfrey 44-11-1 (32) (1455) (+1) (NABF Champ)
3. Young Stribling 38-6-2 (21) (1407) (-3)
4. Max Schmeling 26-3 (20) (1165) (+2) (EBU Champ)
5. Tommy Farr 25-3-1 (12) (1063) (+24) (CBU, GBU Champ)
6. Larry Gains 29-8 (18) (1062) (-4)
7. Elmer Ray 21-3 (14) (928) (+8)
8. Joe Banovic 22-4 (8) (919) (+9)
9. Jack Gross 23-5 (13) (904) (+2)
10. Jack Doyle 26-12-2 (19) (852) (+9)

Others: 21. George Thompson 25-8-2 (14) (752) (-1) (OPBF Champ)

Top Ten: Two of the above (Godfrey and Gross) at Post-Prime heading into 1932, everyone else at Prime. A lot of turnover in the top 10, with Griffith ascending to the WBA title and the retirements of Tunney (was #7), Dempsey (was #9) and Wills (was #10). Griffith recovered from an early season loss to Gross with a pair of MD 10 wins over Uzcudan and Thompson to set up the title bout with Stribling. Sharkey had fashioned a five-bout winning streak, decisioning Tunney and capturing the USBA belt, before losing to Stribling. Godfrey was 4-1 for the year, dropping a SD 10 to LH Champ Tommy Loughran but stopping Gains, Tunney and Risko in addition to a UD win over Banovic. Stribling’s title reign came to an end, and he finished the year with a win, loss and a draw, all in title action. Schmeling has now won his last five, as he finally captured the EBU title after KO wins over DeMave and Jim Maloney, and then a SD 10 win over Uzcudan. Tommy Farr has remained unbeaten since September 1928, moving up to the top 10 with his CBU title win; he registered three wins and a draw in 1932, the draw coming against Jack Dempsey. Gains had a subpar year, dropping two in a row after defending his title once, including a KO loss to Godfrey. Roy went 3-1 for the year, including a DQ over Jose Santo and a KO over Frankie Campbell, but he was a Sharkey KO victim. Banovic bounced back from an early year loss to Godfrey, including a SD 10 over Gross to move into the top 10 after winning seven of his last eight. Gross had the NABF title loss in addition to the SD loss to Banovic, but KO’d Campbell and took a UD 10 over Lanky Ralph Smith. Doyle, who briefly held the EBU belt, rounds out the top group, impressing in TKO wins over Spalla and Von Porat after an early year KO loss to Pierre Charles.

Other Notables: Charles, who KO’d Doyle, ended the year at #12 after going 6-1-1 in his last eight (the only loss to Von Porat in an EBU title clash). In addition to the three retirees (Tunney, Dempsey and Wills) others dropping out of the top 10 were Jack DeMave (-5 to #24), who suffered KO losses to Schmeling, Charles and Ad Warren, and Erminio Spalla (down 19 to #27), who slid down the list after TKO losses to Doyle and Santo after an early season win over the aging Harry Wills. Patsy Perroni went 5-0 for the year to move into the top 20 at #20, now 19-1 (3). Top newcomers to the list this year are unbeaten prospects King Levinsky, 17-0-1 (10) at #22; the highly regarded Max Baer, 15-0 (14), at #28; and Lee Ramage, 15-0 (8), at #35. OPBF Champ George Thompson had an uneven year, recording 2 wins and 2 losses, his best result a TKO win over Ad Warren, but he suffered losses to Ray and Griffith.

Prospects: Corn Griffin and Art Lasky remained unbeaten, but a draw with a TC puts a blemish on their identical 10-0-1 records (Lasky won all 10 inside the distance, compared to 6 KO for Griffin). Steve Hamas (at 10-0, 7 KO) and Jersey Joe Walcott (9-0, 8 KO) have feasted on TC opposition. Ditto for German Walter Neusel (9-0, 9); Clarence Burman (8-0, 8); Jack Peterson (8-0, 6); and Chilean Arturo Godoy (7-0, 3). Leroy Haynes, who checks in at 7-0 (5), included a KO win over fellow prospect Ford Smith (5-1, 4). Ray Impelletiere, unbeaten through five bouts, has the improbable career line of 1-0-4, with three of the four draws coming at the hands of the same TC opponent.

Retirements: No fewer than eight HWs hung up the gloves in 1931, including three former Champs who rate among the all-time greats.

Harry Wills (USA) 1911-31 62-14-1 (47) WBA Champ 1917-18, 1921-22
Hans Breitenstrater (GER) 1919-31 25-16-3 (19) No Titles Highest Rank: 19
Sandy Seifert (USA) 1924-31 16-15-1 (6) No Titles Highest Rank: 59
Ben Pound (USA) 1928-31 14-6 (10) No Titles Highest Rank: 60
Jack Dempsey (USA) 1914-31 56-14-2 (49) WBA Champ 1918-19, 1922-23, 1925-26
Gene Tunney (USA) 1915-31 46-17-3 (26) WBA Champ 1923-25, 1927-28
Franz Diener (GER) 1924-31 23-9-1 (18) No Titles Highest Rank: 46
Brian McCleary (NZL) 1922-31 22-17-3 (8) No Titles Highest Rank: 31

Looking Ahead: A by-gone era ended with the retirements of a trio of former Champs (Dempsey, Tunney and Wills), and even more instability at the top was introduced with the title passing from Stribling to Tuffy Griffith. Look for the chaos to continue, at least until either of the two Maxes – Schmeling or Baer – gets a title shot. Brit Tommy Farr may be looking to win his third title, be it at the WBA or EBU level. New talent in the division for 1932 include Belgian Karel Sys and South African Ben Foord.

[Ric915]

Love the year end write ups

[Lee]

Agree with Ric, you do a great job on the summary reports JC

[JCWeb]

Thanks, guys, and on to the next report.

LH: Titles and Title Bouts

WBA: Tommy Loughran retained the title he has held since 1926, defending versus Maxie Rosenbloom (D 15) and Jimmy Slattery (TKO 12).

NABF: Lou Scozza began the year with the title and battled to a draw with Jimmy Slattery (D 12). In a rematch, Slattery floored Scozza (KO 5) to capture the belt.

USBA: This belt was up for grabs after Scozza captured the NABF title and vacated it. Paul Berlenbach downed Young Firpo (TKO 3) to capture the vacant belt, but then Tiger Jack Fox turned Berlenbach aside (UD 12) to take the title. Fox remained active, successfully defending three times in 1931, versus George Manley (KO 5), Joe Knight (UD 12) and Fred Lenhart (TKO 6).

CBU: Len Harvey had held this title since 1924, but he was finally dethroned by Jack “Bright Eyes” Delaney (TKO 3) who became the new CBU LH Champion.

GBU: No defenses, as Gypsy Daniels retains the belt (and there’s really a paucity of qualified contenders at this point in time in the UK).

EBU: Despite losing the CBU title, Len Harvey has been able to retain this belt despite no title defenses for over two years now.

LH Division Profile

Total: 127 RL: 81 TC: 46

RL by Career Stage:
End - 4
Post - 15
Prime - 39
Pre - 17
Beginning - 6 (4 New)

Rated: 60
800+: 15
500+: 27
200+ : 53

Jan 1932 Rankings (Perf Points and Changes from Jan. 1931 in Parens):

Champ: Tommy Loughran 45-4-4 (18) (1905) (NC)

1. Jack Delaney 39-8-3 (25) (1289) (+1) (CBU Champ)
2. Len Harvey 36-7-2 (15) (1144) (+1) (EBU Champ)
3. Tiger Jack Fox 23-0 (17) (1106) (+11) (USBA Champ)
4. Jimmy Slattery 30-11-2 (12) (1071) (+6) (NABF Champ)
5. Maxie Rosenbloom 26-7-6 (12) (959) (NC)
6. Young Tony Marullo 29-12-4 (16) (946) (+9)
7. Paul Berlenbach 26-9 (20) (944) (NC)
8. Young Firpo 20-7-3 (14) (929) (-2)
9. Lou Scozza 28-4-1 (21) (928) (-8)
10.George Manley 27-13 (15) (910) (+2)

Others: 39. Gypsy Daniels 29-18-2 (18) (388) (-2) (GBU Champ)

Top Ten: Everyone still at Prime except Delaney who hits Post with next bout. Loughran extended his unbeaten streak to 24, despite being held to a draw by Rosenbloom; he temporarily abandoned plans to move up to HW after battling to a draw with the Champ, Stribling, and eking out a SD win over George Godfrey. Delaney impressed with TKOs over Harvey and Berlenbach, but was held to a draw by the ever-present Rosenbloom. Harvey ended a three-bout losing skid with a TKO over the aging Roleaux Saguero, but his position as a top contender appears to be eroding somewhat. Still unbeaten and an impressive newcomer to the top LH picture is Tiger Jack Fox, who won all five of his 1931 contests, four in USBA title tilts along with a TKO over Saguero. Slattery ended the year with uneven results: a win, a draw, and a loss. Rosenbloom retained his top five status after a surprising DQ loss to Canadian Charley Belanger which he avenged later in the year with a knockout win. Marullo was 3-0 for the year to move into the top 10, scoring a TKO over Bogash in addition to UD wins over Daniels and Pete Cerkan. Berlenbach continued his inconsistent level of performance, going 2-2 in 1931, with impressive stoppage wins over Young Firpo and McTigue, but then fell short against Fox and Delaney. Young Firpo had slipped out of contention after going winless in his last six, but rebounded with a surprise UD 10 win over Scozza to nail down a top 10 berth. Scozza, on the other hand, had made it six in a row when he captured the NABF title, but he has been winless since: a draw and KO loss to Slattery, followed by the loss to Firpo. Manley fills the final top 10 slot, sporting wins over Lenhart (via TKO) and Bogash (UD) despite the USBA title loss to Fox.

Other Notables: Two of last year’s top 10 (Saguero at #4 and Greb at #9) retired in 1931. Veteran Ad Stone dropped four spots to #12, by virtue of a UD 10 loss to George Courtney after two early season wins. Courtney just missed out on the top 10 at #11, despite an unbeaten season (four wins, one draw), including a KO over Young Firpo in addition to the win over Stone. Joe Knight made an impressive run, going unbeaten in nine straight before losing his USBA title clash with Tiger Jack Fox; he ends the year at 18-2-1 (10), good for 16^th spot. Battling Bozo, who wrapped his Pre-Prime career at 18-1-1 (9), checks in at #19, the two blemishes being a KO loss to Knight and a draw with Lou Bogash. Belgian Gustave Roth has compiled an impressive 24-1-2 (12) career record, but it is only good for 24^th spot; his only notable result among three wins a a draw in 1931 was a TKO over GBU Champ Daniels, who regressed after an impressive UD 10 win over George Nichols, losing his last two (a UD to Marullo and the loss to Roth). Top newcomers to the ratings list this year are: Dave Maier, at #25 (14-2, 11 KO, victor in a UD over Baxter Calmes despite consecutive losses to Stillman and Shucco); Al Stillman, at #30 (12-2-1, 9 KO, a UD loser to Calmes despite earlier wins over Maier and Billy Jones); Tony Shucco, at #31, 15-2, 8 KO, who dropped a SD to Ernie Owens but bounced back with a UD over Ray Tramblie in his most recent outing).

Prospects: Baxter Calmes had been unbeaten until his most recent outing, a MD loss to Maier, which left him at 12-1-1 (5). Still unbeaten after taking the measure of spoon-fed TC opposition are: Billy Papke, Jr. (9-0, 8 KO); Marty Simmons (9-0, 6 KO); Pietro Georgi (9-0, 4 KO); Norman Conrad (8-0, 7 KO). John Henry Lewis, with seven wins (all inside the distance) in his first seven outings, has been making a name for himself as a man to be watched in the future.

Retirements: Two former WBA Champs, Gene Tunney (see HW report, above) and all-time great Harry Greb left the LH ranks during 1931. Their records:

Harry Greb (USA) 1913-31 51-17-4 (27) WBA Champ 1920-21, 1922-23, 1924-26
Hambone Kelly (USA) 1921-31 23-15-1 (16) No Titles Highest Rank: 37
Chuck Wiggins (USA) 1914-31 30-32-4 (15) No Titles Highest Rank: 16
Jack Reeves (USA) 1919-31 32-20-2 (18) No Titles Highest Rank: 8
Eddie Huffman (USA) 1923-31 17-13-1 (11) No Titles Highest Rank: 26
Gene Tunney (USA) 1915-31 46-17-3 (26) WBA Champ 1919-20
Billy Vidabeck (USA) 1922-31 23-18-1 (6) No Titles Highest Rank: 34
Earl Blue (USA) 1922-31 15-23-1 (10) No Titles Highest Rank: Unrated
Roleaux Saguero (CUB) 1920-31 29-16-2 (27) NABF Champ Highest Rank: 4

Looking Ahead: Loughran remains atop the pack, but there are plenty of strong contenders, now including the unbeaten Tiger Jack Fox who emerged after a successful campaign, capturing the USBA title in the process. Harvey may face competition for the EBU belt from Belgian Gustave Roth. Expect to see guys like Battling Bozo and Joe Knight challenging for top 10 status. John Henry Lewis is probably the brightest future prospect right now. American Jack Gibbons and Austrian Heinz Lazek are among the four newcomers entering the LH ranks in 1932.

[JCWeb]

MW Titles and Title Bouts

WBA: Mickey Walker kept rolling along, making three more successful defenses and winning all three inside the distance: Len Johnson (TKO 12), Ceferino Garcia (TKO 10) and Rene DeVos (TKO 10), the latter winning the “rubber match” against the only man to defeat him while pushing his Perf Point total past the previously unsurpassed 2000 level.

NABF: Harry Ebbetts defended this belt twice, taking the measure of Jack McVey (KO 7) and Johnny Gill (UTD 11).

USBA: Young Terry bested Ace Hudkins (TKO 12) in a battle for this belt, vacated by Ebbetts once he became the NABF Champion. Then, Freddie Steele iced Terry to capture the title (KO 3).

CBU: Jock McAvoy dethroned Champ Billy Bird (TKO 3) to add this title to the GBU one he had held previously.

GBU: McAvoy retained the belt he won in 1930, making two successful defenses, against Ted Moore (UD 12) and Roland Todd (KO 11).

EBU: Only one defense this year, by titleholder Len Johnson, who turned aside the challenge from Walter Funke (MD 12).

OPBF: No title bouts, and Ceferino Garcia (the only OPBF MW Champion thus far) retained this title which he has held since 1927.

MW Division Profile

Total: 159 RL: 95 TC: 64

RL by Career Stage:
End - 3
Post - 24
Prime - 43
Pre - 21
Beginning - 4 (3 New)

Rated: 79
800+: 20
500+: 44
200+ : 71

Jan 1932 Rankings (Perf Points and Changes from Jan. 1931 in Parens):

Champ: Mickey Walker 48-1 (37) (2029) (NC)
1. Rene DeVos 47-13-2 (18) (1233) (NC)
2. Freddie Steele 23-1 (19) (1173) (+3) (USBA)
3. Ace Hudkins 33-10-2 (17) (1047) (+12)
4. Ceferino Garcia 27-8 (20) (1046) (-1) (OPBF)
5. Harry Ebbetts 20-6-4 (11) (1022) (+5) (NABF)
6. Len Johnson 28-12-2 (16) (1006) (NC) (EBU)
7. Johnny Romero 20-4 (15) (997) (+18)
8. Jock Malone 35-18-4 (13) (996) (-6)
9. Billy Bird 32-11-4 (14) (966) (NC)
10. Jock McAvoy 20-0-4 (15) (954) (+7) (CBU, GBU)

Top Ten: Everyone at Prime except Hudkins who turns Post-Prime in 1932. Walker continued his improbable string of successful defenses, having now racked up 25 wins in a row. DeVos remains the #1 contender despite losses to Walker and Ceferino Garcia, having managed a couple of wins in 1931 (a SD over Malone and a DQ over Young Terry). Steele rebounded from his first career loss to Walker in late 1930 with wins over Young Terry and Len Johnson, both inside the distance. Hudkins recovered from an early year loss to Terry, registering four straight wins, the latest being a surprise TKO over Garcia that lifted him in the rankings. Garcia had a five-bout win streak snapped with the loss to Hudkins. Ebbetts, who has not lost since 1928, added two title wins in 1931 to fashion a seven-bout winning streak. Len Johnson was 1-2 for the year, splitting two title bouts and suffering a TKO loss to Steele. Romero surged into the top 10 with a pair of UD wins over Malone and Panama Joe Gans. Malone slipped in the rankings after successive losses to Romero (UD) and DeVos (SD). Bird dropped the title tilt with McAvoy, but scratched out wins over Jimmy Darcy and Enzo Fiermonte to stay in the top 10. McAvoy remained unbeaten despite conceding a draw to Ernst Grimm, by winning all three of his 1931 title bouts.

Other Notables: Brian Downey (#7 last year) retired. German Hein Domgorgen fell nine spots to #17, the result of recent losses to Italian MWs Bosisio and Fiermonte. Also falling out of the top 10 was aging vet Panama Joe Gans, who went 0-3 for the year and has now lost his last four and at End career stage. Grimm, unbeaten in his last six (five wins and a draw), moved up to #18 after languishing in the lower echelons of the division the past few years. “Harlem Thunderbolt” Harry Smith is now #21, hitting prime with a 4-0 year to move to 19-2 (14) overall. Top newcomer to the ratings this year is Teddy Yarosz, who debuts at #22 with a 16-1 (11) career start, after winning all four of his 1931 encounters, including UD wins over Brouillard and Phil Kaplan in addition to an impressive TKO of Bert Colima. Solly Krieger enters the list at #32, with a 16-2 (9) career mark, dropping a UD to Brouillard before winning his last three, including UD wins over Estridge and Billy Shade. Brouillard wound up the year at 13-3-1 (10), good for #39, with KO wins over Fifield and Kid Mexico after splitting results with the other aforementioned newcomers. German Jupp Besselman, who enters one spot lower at #40, remains unbeaten, at 13-0-2 (11).

Prospects: Chilean Antonio Fernandez remained unbeaten despite being held to a draw by German Jupp Besselman and ends the year at 13-0-1 (8). South African Barney Keiswetter suffered his initial loss, to Besselman, to finish 1931 at 12-1 (5). Likewise, Aussie Ambrose Palmer is 12-1 (10) after becoming a Fernandez KO victim. Still perfect are Arthur “Ginger” Sadd, at 12-0 (7); Eddie “Babe” Risko, at 12-0 (5); and Allen Matthews, with an impressive 11 KO wins in his first 11 starts.

Retirements: Ten left the ranks, including all-time great, former WBA Champ Harry Greb whose career was also chronicled in the LH report. Their records:

Harry Greb (USA) 1913-31 51-17-4 (27) WBA Champ 1917-18
Frankie Burns (AUS) 1919-31 27-20-1 (19) No Titles Highest Rank: 32
Walcott Langford (USA) 1925-31 18-10 (11) No Titles Highest Rank: 26
Tiger Flowers (USA) 1918-31 38-18-1 (17) NABF, USBA Champ Highest Rank: 7
Bryan Downey (USA) 1914-31 50-24-4 (21) NABF Champ Highest Rank: 1
Chic Nelson (DEN) 1913-31 33-32-6 (15) EBU Champ Highest Rank: 19
Alf Stewart (AUS) 1921-31 24-19-3 (17) CBU Champ Highest Rank: 28
Soldier Eddie Burnbrook (USA) 1922-31 20-13-3 (13) No Titles Highest Rank: 33
Frank Moody (UK) 1914-31 38-22-4 (13) CBU, GBU, EBU Champ Highest Rank: 12
Larry Estridge (USA) 1921-31 20-16-2 (17) No Titles Highest Rank: 30

Looking Ahead: Walker has dominated the division for the past seven years or so, and a step up to LH is a real possibility as there are few worlds left for him to conquer in the MW division. Freddie Steele and Harry Ebbetts are on the upsurge with some very good recent results, while young Jock McAvoy has yet to be seriously tested. Harry Smith and Teddy Yarosz can be expected to move up the ladder and challenge for top 10 status.

[JCWeb]

WW Titles and Title Bouts

WBA: Young Corbett III began the year with the title, defended once versus Lope Tenorio (UD 15), but then he lost it to Jimmy McLarnin (UD 15) who began his second reign as WBA Champion.

NABF: Jack Sparr held the title coming into 1931, but then Jimmy McLarnin took the title from him (TKO 7). McLarnin vacated the belt after winning the WBA title. Then, in a matchup for the vacant belt, Joe Dundee bested Benny Leonard (UD 12).

USBA: Jackie Fields held the belt coming into the year, defending three times, versus Baby Joe Gans (TKO 6), Willie Harmon (UD 12) and Tommy Freeman (KO 10). Then, in December, Johnny Indrisano upended Fields (MD 12) to claim the belt.

CBU: Jimmy McLarnin unseated long-time Champ Bermondsey Billy Wells (SD 12) to add this title to his collection. Since McLarnin moved up to take the WBA title, this belt has been declared vacant.

GBU: No title defenses from Jack Hood, who won the title in 1930.

EBU: The Swiss fighter, Cleto Locatelli, retained the belt by making one successful defense in 1931, against Hamilton Johnny Brown (UD 12).

OPBF: No title defenses for the second consecutive year by Lope Tenorio, who has held the belt since 1929.

WW Division Profile

Total: 116 RL: 76 TC: 40

RL by Career Stage:
End - 1
Post - 23
Prime - 31
Pre - 15
Beginning - 6 (1 New)

Rated: 61
800+: 14
500+: 32
200+ : 57

Jan 1932 Rankings (Perf Points and Changes from Jan. 1931 in Parens):

Champ: Jimmy McLarnin 33-4 (20) (1397) (+2)
1. Joe Dundee 35-11-6 (12) (1364) (+3) (NABF)
2. Benny Leonard 81-5-2 (42) (1363) (-1)
3. Young Corbett III 34-8-3 (12) (1353) (-3)
4. Irineo Flores 34-12-2 (18) (1277) (-1)
5. Jack Sparr 34-16-1 (19) (1082) (+1)
6. Cleto Locatelli 23-5-1 (8) (1049) (-1) (EBU)
7. Johnny Indrisano 23-4-4 (10) (1033) (+5) (USBA)
8. Jackie Fields 25-1-2 (14) (1032) (-1)
9. Young Jack Thompson 30-8-4 (17) (1015) (-1)
10. Tommy Freeman 27-12-2 (12) (971) (+1)

Others: 13. Lope Tenorio 25-10-6 (7) (809) (NC) (OPBF)
23. Jack Hood 22-6-5 (8) (632) (-5) (GBU)

Top Ten: Leonard, Sparr and Thompson enter 1932 at Post-Prime, everyone else at Prime. Not a lot of new faces in the upper echelons of this division, as the top six traded places and there were just two additions to the top 10 (Indrisano, replacing Bermondsey Billy Wells, and Freeman, at #10). McLarnin went 4-0 for the year, starting with a UD 10 over Quintero and then adding the NABF, CBU and WBA titles. Joe Dundee started the year badly, suffering a UD loss to Freeman, then eked out a MD win over JWW Mushy Callahan and was held to a draw by Abe Goldstein, before turning in a huge upset win over Leonard. The loss to Dundee snapped a nine-bout unbeaten string for Leonard, who had impressed with a UD 10 wins over JWW king Jack Kid Berg, EBU Champ Locatelli and OPBF kingpin Tenorio. Corbett split two title bouts but remains a top contender. Ex-Champ Flores struggled to maintain his status as a top contender, posting a UD over Jack Carroll and taking a SD over Young Jack Thompson. Sparr bounced back after losing the NABF title with a DQ win over Willie Harmon. Locatelli retained the EBU title, but suffered UD losses to Leonard and Jack Kid Berg. Indrisano scored a TKO win over Latzo to set up his USBA title shot where he handed Fields his first loss. Fields battled to a draw with Jack Kid Berg, in addition to going 3-1 in USBA title action. Thompson won two of three 1931 encounters, dropping a SD to Flores but defeating Quintero (UD 10) and Levine (SD 10). Freeman moved into the top 10 by virtue of an early season win over Dundee, and a later draw with Baby Joe Gans after falling short in his USBA title try.

Other Notables: Bermondsey Billy Wells fell out of the top 10 for the first time since 1919, after losing the CBU title to McLarnin; he did manage a UD win over Levine. Cuban Manuel Quintero dropped five spots to #14, after going 0-3 for the year. Tenorio, still OPBF Champion, lost to Leonard, drew with GBU Champ Jack Hood, and defeated JWW Mickey Cohen to retain his position. Hood failed to build on his prior success, losing to Don Fraser after defeating Sergeant Sammy Baker and drawing with Tenorio. Two unbeaten prospects are ranked in the top 20: German Gustav Eder, 18-0 (7), debuts at #15, with 1931 wins over Eddie Ran, Andy Callahan and Johnny Adams, and Barney Ross, 16-0 (7), at #20, whose recent conquests included Frankie Britt and Billy Alger. Andy Callahan is the third highest ranked newcomer, at #32, with a 14-2-1 (8) career mark, having lost to both Eder and Ross but recovered with four straight wins, including Eddier Roberts (UD 10) and Pete August (MD 10).

Prospects: Cocoa Kid is one bout away from being ranked, making a perfect 14-0 (9) career start that included wins over Eddie Ran (via TKO), Georgie Ward and Kenny LaSalle (both via UD). Frankie Britt ended the year at 11-2-1 (6), suffering a UD 10 loss to Ross after registering a SD win over Steve Halaiko. LaSalle had been unbeaten until his most recent outing (a loss to Cocoa Kid) lowered his record to 11-1-1 (8); he numbered Halaiko and Baron among his KO victims. Halaiko had run through his TC opposition before back-to-back losses to LaSalle (TKO) and Britt (SD) lowered his record to 11-2 (3). Still unbeaten after facing only TC opposition at this point: Werther Arcelli, 11-0-1 (6); Kid Azteca, 9-0 (5); and Chuck Woods, 8-0 (6). Wildcat O’Connor is off to an impressive 4-0 (3) start.

Retirements: Only two retirements from the WW ranks in 1931.

Morrie Schlaifer (USA) 1920-31 24-16-2 (17) No Titles Highest Rank: 15
Ted Krache (USA) 1921-31 20-17-2 (9) No Titles Highest Rank: 36

Looking Ahead: McLarnin regained the WBA title in 1931, while an era may have come to an end, when Benny Leonard suffered an upset loss to Dundee who moves up to the #1 contender status while “the Great Bennah” hits Post-Prime career stage. Fields also hit a snag in his bid to move up, suffering his first career loss at the hands of Indrisano. Locatelli continued to dominate the European scene, while Bermondsey Billy lost the CBU title he had held for most of the prior decade. German Gustav Eder and American Benny Ross are two hot prospects that have been brought along carefully up to now, but both are well-positioned to challenge for top 10 status in the next year or so. Izzy Jannazzo is the only newcomer set to join the WW ranks in 1932.

[JCWeb]

Next up is one of the shorter reports ...

JWW Titles and Title Bouts

WBA: Jack Kid Berg defended his title once during the year, against Mickey Cohen (UD 15).

USBA: Mickey Cohen retained this belt, successfully defending against Harry Wallach (D 12).

JWW Division Profile

Total: 15 RL: 7 TC: 8

RL by Career Stage:
End - 0
Post - 1
Prime - 6
Pre - 0
Beginning - 0 (0 New)

Rated: 7
800+: 1
500+: 3
200+ : 7

Jan 1932 Rankings (Perf Points and Changes from Jan. 1931 in Parens):

Champ: Jack Kid Berg 28-2-3 (13) (1223) (NC)
1. Battling Shaw 19-1-2 (11) (737) (NC)
2. Mushy Callahan 24-9-2 (8) (619) (NC)
3. Mickey Cohen 16-12-1 (9) (289) (+1) (USBA)
4. Johnny Jadick 25-13-1 (7) (357) (+2)
5. Spug Myers 28-24-4 (11) (271) (+2)
6. Harry Wallach 19-13-2 (10) (225) (-3)

Top Ten: Callahan at Post, others still at Prime. Berg was active with three non-title bouts, taking a UD 10 over EBU WW Champ Locatelli, losing to Leonard (a UD) and then a draw with Jackie Fields in his last outing. Shaw had a solid year, with three wins and a draw, including KO wins over ex-Champ Pinkey Mitchell and WW Hamilton Johnny Brown, with the draw (a technical draw) result coming against Jack Carroll. Mushy Callahan registered a pair of UD wins over Wallach and WW Tony Vaccarelli, but dropped a MD to Joe Dundee. USBA Champ Mickey Cohen was winless during the year, retaining his title with a draw, but losing to Berg in the WBA title bout as well as a UD loss to OPBF WW Champ Tenorio. Jadick went 2-1 for the year, taking UD wins over Pinkey Mitchell and WW Pat Corbett, but losing to Jack Carroll. Myers went 4-0 for the year, notable being a KO win over Wallach, with UD wins over Bruce and Simonich. Wallach had a rough year, going 0-3-1 in four outings, is best result being the draw with the USBA Champ, Cohen.

Other Notables: Pinkey Mitchell (#5 in last year’s ratings) retired.

Retirements: Former WBA Champion Pinkey Mitchell (who also briefly held the WW title) left the ranks in 1931. His career record:


Pinkey Mitchell (USA) 1917-31 24-19-4 (14) WBA Champ 1923-28, WW WBA Champ 1926

Looking Ahead: Again, the future looks bleak for this division which is likely to be on life support with the defection of Canzoneri, as well as the recent retirement of long-time ex-Champ Pinkey Mitchell. No newcomers on the horizon, and Berg is considering either moving up to WW or down to LW, which would effectively kill the division.

[JCWeb]

LW Titles and Title Bouts

WBA: Billy Petrolle, the “Fargo Express,” kept rolling along, making four successful defenses during the year: Ray Miller (UD 15), Tony Canzoneri (D 15), Billy Grime (KO 11) and then once again, against Ray Miller (UD 15).

NABF: Canzoneri defended the belt he won in 1930 twice, against Billy Wallace (UD 12) and Sammy Mandell (UD 12).

USBA: Al Gordon began the year with the title, and he defended twice, against Sid Barbarian (UD 12) and Sid Terris (D 12).

CBU: Billy Grime defended once in 1931, defeating Harry Mason (UD 12).

GBU: No title bouts in 1931, the belt continues to be held by Harry Mason.

EBU: Benny Valgar retained this belt, but no title defenses in 1931.

LW Division Profile

Total: 129 RL: 78 TC: 51

RL by Career Stage:
End - 6
Post - 17
Prime - 34
Pre - 11
Beginning - 10 (4 New)

Rated: 62 (including 1 TC)
800+: 17
500+: 32
200+ : 56

Jan 1932 Rankings (Perf Points and Changes from Jan. 1931 in Parens):

Champ: Billy Petrolle 37-3-3 (20) (1613) (NC)
1. Ray Miller 31-8 (14) (1246) (NC)
2. Luis Vicentini 34-8-1 (13) (1168) (NC)
3. Sammy Fuller 30-5 (8) (1147) (NC)
4. Tony Canzoneri 24-4-2 (12) (1141) (+1) (NABF)
5. Sammy Mandell 36-14 (9) (1140) (+1)
6. Jimmy Goodrich 42-15-2 (10) (1014) (-2)
7. Al Gordon 28-9-7 (9) (1001) (+2) (USBA)
8. Stanislaus Loayza 24-13-3 (10) (975) (-1)
9. Roger Bernard 23-3 (12) (953) (+7)
10. Benny Valgar 43-16-3 (13) (941) (+1) (EBU)

Others: 27. Billy Grime 25-16-2 (14) (613) (-1) (CBU)
31. Harry Mason 29-17-2 (4) (503) (+5) (GBU)

Top Ten: Vicentini, Gordon and Valgar join Goodrich at Post-Prime in 1932, others still at Prime. Petrolle added three wins and a draw, and he remains unbeaten in his 14 most recent outings, going back to 1928. Miller won once, a UD over Sid Terris, but fell short in his two title shots against Petrolle. Vicentini was held to a draw by Gordon, dropped a split duke to Loayza early in the year, but bounced back with a UD win over Barbarian. Fuller suffered a TKO loss to JLW Champ Tod Morgan, recovering to win his last two, over Bernard and in a rematch with Morgan. Canzoneri has fashioned an eight-bout unbeaten streak, posting two wins and a draw in 1931. Mandell went 3-1 in the year, dropping a UD to Canzoneri, while defeating Loayza, Tod Morgan and Goodrich (all via UD). Goodrich split his two 1931 bouts, defeating Loayza (via SD) but losing to Mandell. USBA Champ Gordon recorded a win and two draws, one draw with Vicentini in addition to his two title defenses. Loayza started the year well, with a SD win over Vicentini, but then lost his last three (most recent loss coming against Goodrich). Bernard moved up to top 10 status, by virtue of a DQ win over Valgar and a UD over veteran Ever Hammer; his one recent loss came against Fuller. Valgar rounds out the top 10, losing via foul to Bernard but registering a pair of UD wins over Hammer and newcomer Justo Suarez.

Other Notables: Argentinian Justo Suarez had racked up 21 wins in a row before suffering his initial loss to Valgar, ending the year at #12 with a 21-1 (14) record. Falling out of the top group were Ever Hammer, falling eight spots to #19, his career in a tailspin after suffering six straight losses, and Maxie Strub, who slipped from #10 to #21, having UD losses to lower-rated guys like Billy Wallace and Davey Abad on his ledger. CBU Champ Grime won one, lost one during the year, remaining in essentially the same spot, ranking-wise; GBU Champ Mason lost his last three after a DQ win over Lew Tender. Top newcomers to the rankings list are: #25 Joe Ghnouly, at 15-1-2 (7) after an active year which saw him record five wins and two draws, including two wins over #34 Tony Morgano, who is off to a 13-2 (6) career start, with a KO over Pacho and UD wins against Orlandi and Falco, and finally #39, Chino Alvarez, at 16-1 (12), who lost to JLW Pete Nebo but impressed with stoppage wins over Pedro Amador and ex-Champ Rocky Kansas. Also, in a highly unusual development not seen in some time, one TC (Tom Bowden) manages to sneak into the ratings, in the last spot at #61, after scoring a win over RL boxer Eddie Cool during the year.

Prospects: Bobby Pacho won 11 straight before suffering his first loss to Morgano; he ends the year at 13-1 (9) after taking a UD over Joe Guerrero. Wesley Ramey checks in at 12-0-1 (6) after downing Lew Feldman (UD 10) in his most recent outing, with the only blemish on his record being a draw with Ghnouly. Still unbeaten is Aussie Herb Bishop, at 12-0 (8), who has yet to be tested beyond TC opposition. Aldo Spoldi, at 12-0 (7), holds a UD over fellow Italian Carlo Orlandi. Brit George Daly is off to an excellent 8-0 (4) career start.

Retirements: Five retirements from the LW ranks in 1931, including one former Champion.

Sailor Friedman (USA) 1916-31 31-26-2 (17) No Titles Highest Rank: 38
Sammy Vogel (USA) 1920-31 21-19-2 (9) No Titles Highest Rank: 42
Lew Tendler (USA) 1913-31 49-23-3 (14) USBA Champ Highest Rank: 1
Rocky Kansas (USA) 1911-31 44-27-3 (20) WBA Champ 1928 Highest Rank: 1
Ernie Rice (UK) 1918-31 29-25-1 (17) GBU Champ Highest Rank: 12

Looking Ahead: Petrolle has thus far fended off just about all the top contenders, although Canzoneri or Berg (should he decide to move down from JWW) could prove to be tough opposition. Justo Suarez fell short in his first big bout, against Valgar, but he is likely to be a factor in the future. No hot prospects on the horizon, although the best of the new crop of LWs – American Lou Ambers – could be a future title contender.

[JCWeb]

JLW Titles and Title Bouts

WBA: Mike Ballerino began the year with the title, but he lost it in his first defense to Benny Bass (TKO 10). Then, Tod Morgan regained the belt by defeating Bass (UD 15).

USBA: Morgan retained the belt, defending against Frankie Klick (MD 12) before moving up to claim the WBA crown. Then, in a matchup for the vacant belt, Johnny Dundee defeated Eddie Wagner (UD 12). Dundee has since retired, which means the title is now vacant.

JLW Division Profile

Total: 14 RL: 8 TC: 6

RL by Career Stage:
End - 0
Post - 2
Prime - 6
Pre - 0
Beginning - 0 (0 New)

Rated: 8
800+: 2
500+: 5
200+ : 8

Jan 1932 Rankings (Perf Points and Changes from Jan. 1931 in Parens):

Champ: Tod Morgan 35-9-1 (12) (1146) (+1)
1. Benny Bass 37-12-3 (14) (952) (+1)
2. Frankie Klick 23-8-2 (11) (755) (+4)
3. Mike Ballerino 26-14-4 (7) (687) (-3)
4. Eddie Wagner 39-25-2 (18) (547) (+3)
5. Pete Nebo 17-6-1 (10) (461) (+4)
6. Jack Bernstein 28-20-2 (6) (459) (-1)
7. Leslie Wildcat Carter 20-5-1 (9) (452) (+1)

Top Ten: Wagner and Bernstein at Post, others at Prime. Morgan had a busy year, appearing in six bouts, with two successful title bout outings plus wins over ranked LWs Sammy Fuller (via TKO) and Loayza (UTD 8) but lost to Mandell and a rematch with Fuller. Bass won only one of three, splitting two title matches and suffering a UD loss to ranked LW Roger Bernard. Klick was 2-1 in 1931, beating Wagner (UD 10) and LW Harry Dublinksy (TKO) in his last two. Ballerino lost the title, bit bounced back to take a SD from Bernstein. Wagner TKO’d Ah Wing Lee, but was winless in his three most recent matches, losing a title bout, a UD to Klick, while being held to a draw by Nebo. Nebo had three wins and a draw, KO’ing Wildcat Carter, TKO’ing Joe Ryder, decisioning Chino Alvarez but only managing a draw with Wagner. Bernstein dropped all three of his 1931 bouts. Carter had a UD win over Bernstein, but his KO loss to Nebo dropped him to the basement.

Other Notables: Former Champ Dundee, #4 at the end of 1931, retired, but only after a “last hurrah,” capturing the USBA title and then, in his final bout, ending up with a UD 10 loss to LW Jack Portney.

Retirement: Ex-Champ Johnny Dundee, the "Scotch Wop," who still held the USBA title, hung up the gloves. His career totals:

Johnny Dundee (USA) 1910-31 55-24-4 (15) WBA Champ 1921-26, 1929-30

Looking Ahead: As with the other “Junior” division, the ranks here are thin and getting thinner with the retirement of long-time former Champ Dundee. Tod Morgan is a solid Champ, but – other than Bass – there aren’t any really credible contenders. As long as Morgan and Bass stick around, it’s likely the division will limp along for a few more years, however.

[JCWeb]

FW Titles and Title Bouts

WBA: Chick Suggs began the year with the title, defending against Dick Finnegan (UD 15). Then, Babe Herman successfully challenged Suggs, dethroning him (TKO 8). Herman made two successful defenses, against Filio Julian Echevarria (UD 15) and a rematch with Suggs (UD 15).

NABF: Babe Herman, who won this title in 1930, defending it once, over Pete DeGrasse (UD 12) before moving up to capture the WBA title. In a matchup for the vacant belt, Jose Lombardo defeated Bobby Garcia (TKO 12). Lombardo made one defense, defeating Dick Finnegan (UD 12).

USBA: Finnegan began the year with this belt, retaining it in a successful defense against Andy Martin (MD 12).

CBU: Johnny Cuthbert, who has held this title since 1928, defending versus Al Foreman (UD 12).

GBU: Cuthbert won the GBU title in the same bout where he defended the CBU title against the reigning GBU Champion, Al Foreman (UD 12).

EBU: Cuthbert defended the EBU title in April against Foreman (UD 12) – note that this bout was earlier than the GBU/CBU title defense, which was in September – and then vacated the title to concentrate on the CBU belt. In a matchup for the vacant title, Knud Larsen defeated Dom Volante (TKO 10).

OPBF: One title contest for this belt during 1931, as Elino Flores dethroned Johnny Hill (UD 12) to capture the title.

FW Division Profile

Total: 119 RL: 76 TC: 43

RL by Career Stage:
End - 6
Post - 16
Prime - 36
Pre - 12
Beginning - 6 (3 New)

Rated: 60
800+: 9
500+: 35
200+ : 57

Jan 1932 Rankings (Perf Points and Changes from Jan. 1931 in Parens):

Champ: Babe Herman 33-16-4 (14) (1206) (+9)
1. Chick Suggs 40-12-4 (12) (1081) (-1)
2. Knud Larsen 31-9-3 (14) (1059) (+4) (EBU)
3. Dom Volante 26-9-2 (17) (1006) (+4)
4. Jose Lombardo 31-12-3 (19) (995) (+4) (NABF)
5. Louis Kaplan 38-11-1 (10) (946) (-4)
6. Dick Finnegan 31-13 (9) (936) (-4) (USBA)
7. Andy Martin 29-8-1 (9) (921) (-4)
8. Freddie Miller 19-2 (9) (817) (+12)
9. Elino Flores 29-13-4 (12) (798) (+26) (OPBF)
10. Johnny Cuthbert 29-17-1 (10) (797) (-6) (CBU, GBU)

Top Ten: Herman, Larsen join Finnegan at Post starting in 1932, while the others are still at Prime. Herman went 4-0 for the year, all in title bouts, and now is unbeaten in his last nine outings. Suggs went 2-2 in 1931, going 1-2 in title contests, then adding a SD win over Eddie Shea. Larsen had a strong year, capturing the EBU belt after a UD over Danny Kramer; a pair of SD wins over Willie Smith and Freddie Miller helped him fashion a seven-bout winning streak. Volante lost the EBU title tilt, but won four other matchups, notably a UD over Mike Dundee, to go with a pair of wins over Louis Kaplan. Lombardo won two NABF title clashes and added a TKO over Shea to go 3-0 for the year. Kaplan lost twice to Volante, but then snapped a three-bout losing streak with his most recent result, a UD 10 over Pete DeGrasse. Finnegan went 1-2 for the year, all in title bouts. Andy Martin took a pair of SDs over lower rated guys (Johnny Farr and Abie Israel) to remain in the top 10. Miller was active in 1931, his second year in the ratings list, dropping the SD to Larsen but impressing with UD wins over Kid Chocolate, Joey Sangor, Zorilla and an aging Carl Duane. OPBF Champ Flores took the title, and also KO’d Cuthbert, bouncing back from an early year loss to Frenchman Maurice Holtzer. Cuthbert clings to the #10 spot despite the loss to Flores, having success in two title bouts against Al Foreman.

Other Notables: The two top 10 dropouts from last year were Mike Dundee, who lost his one and only bout to Volante and slipped one spot from #10 to #11, and Filipino Johnny Hill, who suffered a DQ loss to Foreman in addition to the OPBF title loss. Even with a bounceback win over Danny Kramer (via UD 10), Hill fell 13 spots to #18 in the ratings. Moving up the list to #12 was young Mexican Baby Arizmendi, who is now 18-2-1 (9), having won all three of his 1931 bouts. Chalky Wright checks in at #13, having compiled a 17-2-2 (11) career mark, after a busy 1931 where he suffered a DQ loss to DeGrasse, battled to two draws with Kid Chocolate, and bested Eddie Shea (UD 10). Kid Chocolate, the “Cuban Bon Bon,” suffered his first career loss to Miller and ended the year at #15, after wrapping up his Pre-Prime career stage at 16-1-3 (14). A resurgent Battling Battalino went 4-0 for the year and is riding a five-bout win streak to place him at 21-4 (11), good for 20^th in the rankings. One spot lower at #21 is this year’s top newcomer, Frankie Covelli, who remained unbeaten at 14-0-1 (7) with a pair of wins over Brit Dave Crowley but was held to a draw by Petey Hayes. Jackie Wilson, at 15-3 (4), at #43, and Claude Varner, 13-2-1 (7), #46, are the other top newcomers, who will have to struggle a bit to improve their standing.

Prospects: Italy’s Vittorio Tamagnini suffered a TKO loss to Crowley and a second TC loss to end the year at 10-3 (6). Petey Hayes, at 11-0-1 (5), drew with Covelli but all of his wins were against TCs. Also feasting on a steady diet of TCs were Georgie Hansford (10-0, 7 KO), Miki Gelb (10-0, 1 KO), Aussie Merv Blandon (6-0, 5 KO) and Brit Ginger Foran (6-0, 3 KO). “Homicide Hank” Armstrong is off to an perfect 3-0 (3) start.

Retirements: Five retirements from this division in 1931. Among the retirements were three former WBA Champions, including Jimmy Dundee, who also held the WBA JLW title.

Ansel Bell (PAN) 1914-31 31-27-6 (16) WBA Champ 1920-21
Mike Flynn (AUS) 1920-31 20-27-1 (6) No Titles Highest Rank: 39
Bud Ridley (USA) 1916-31 39-22-3 (18) NABF, USBA Champ Highest Rank: 2
Eugene Criqui (FRA) 1910-31 53-24-7 (24) WBA Champ 1916-17, 1920
Johnny Dundee (USA) 1910-31 55-24-4 (15) WBA Champ 1917 Highest Rank: 2

Looking Ahead: No dominant fighter in this division since the days of Abe Attell, and Herman faces likely opposition from Suggs, Lombardo and hot newcomer Freddie Miller. Look for Arizmendi and Kid Chocolate to challenge for a top 10 position; guys like Chalky Wright, Pete DeGrasse and “Bat” Battalino will also be looking to move up, so there could be a lot of movement in the rankings in 1932. “Homicide Hank” Armstrong is the best of the prospects right now. Joey Archibald, Mike Belloise and Everett Rightmire are set to debut in 1932.

[Ric915]

Originally Posted by JCWeb

FW Titles and Title Bouts

Joey Archibald, Mike Belloise and Everett Rightmire are set to debut in 1932. [/FONT]

Will definately be following Mike Belloise. My step dad was friends of Steve and Mike Belloise.

[JCWeb]

Well, Ric, Mike Belloise is rated a 7, the best of the three newcomers for 1932, so he certainly has a chance to do well.

On to the BW recap ...

BW Titles and Title Bouts

WBA: The revolving door for this title among BWs continued, as three new Champions were crowned in four title bouts. First, Pablo Dano defeated Kid Francis (UD 15) to capture the belt. In his first defense, Dano lost to Archie Bell (UD 15). Then, Bell was dethroned by Dano’s countryman, Speedy Dado (UD 15). Dado then matched to make a successful defense against Bobby Leitham (UD 15).

NABF: Former WBA Champ Panama Al Brown sought and won this title from Howard Mayberry (TKO 4). But, in his first defense, he was upset by Canada’s Bobby Leitham (DQ 7). Leitham then defended once, versus Bud Taylor (UD 12).

USBA: “Cannonball” Eddie Martin began 1931 with this belt, and he defended it twice, versus Bushy Graham (UD 12) and Memphis Pal Moore (UD 12).

CBU: Nipper Pat Daly started the year as the incumbent, defending once against Alf Pattenden (D 12). He was then dethroned by Johnny King (KO 8), who added this title to his EBU and GBU belts.

GBU: Johnny King defended this belt once, in a rematch against the man he won it from, Johnny Brown (KO 5).

EBU: Johnny King retained this title, turning aside the challenge of ex-Champ Kid Francis (MD 12).

OPBF: No title defenses in 1931. The belt was held by Speedy Dado, but has since been vacated once Dado won the WBA crown.

BW Division Profile

Total: 98 RL: 61 TC: 37

RL by Career Stage:
End - 7
Post - 16
Prime - 15
Pre - 14
Beginning - 9 (8 New)

Rated: 43
800+: 16
500+: 28
200+ : 42

Jan 1932 Rankings (Perf Points and Changes from Jan. 1931 in Parens):

Champ: Speedy Dado 20-7 (11) (1004) (+17)
1. Pablo Dano 22-1-2 (14) (1106) (+11)
2. Eddie Martin 33-13-3 (15) (1084) (+4) (USBA)
3. Bushy Graham 30-13 (10) (1080) (+1)
4. Johnny King 24-2 (14) (1054) (+5) (EBU, CBU, GBU)
5. Panama Al Brown 37-5 (15) (1026) (-3)
6. Bobby Leitham 21-3-1 (8) (1003) (+19) (NABF)
7. Vic Foley 33-14-1 (10) (961) (+4)
8. Kid Francis 23-10-2 (16) (956) (-8)
9. Memphis Pal Moore 54-21-7 (15) (938) (+4)
10. Archie Bell 28-7-2 (7) (905) (-2)

Top Ten: A lot of turnover in this division, with five newcomers to the top group, including a new Champion and #1 contender. Eddie Martin joins Memphis Pal at Post in 1932, while all the rest are still at Prime. Dado went 3-0 for the year, taking a UD 10 from Pete Sanstol before zooming up the ranks by winning the WBA title. Dano was 1-1 in title bouts, supplemented by a pair of UD wins over Nipper Pat Daly. Eddie “Cannonball” Martin wrapped up the Prime stage of his career with a solid year, going 3-2 with two title defenses, a MD 10 over Kid Francis, the losses coming at the hands of Panama Al Brown and Vic Foley. Graham did well in non-title bouts (a UD over Goldstein and a SD win versus Foley), but faltered in his title try. King won bouts for three different titles and has now won his last seven. Panama Al was a surprising loser via a DQ to Leitham, but he bounced back with a UD 10 win over Martin. Leitham fashioned a five-bout winning streak, taking the NABF belt after non-title wins over LaHood (UD) and Green (UD) but that streak was snapped with his title loss to Dado. Veteran Foley continued to remain a top contender by winning three of four in 1931, most notably a UD over Martin but he dropped a SD to Graham. Francis, now an ex-Champ, went 0-3 for the year, coming close in a MD loss to “Cannonball” Martin. Memphis Pal had a strong year (four wins, one draw) before his loss to Eddie Martin in the USBA title matchup. Bell rounds out the top 10, his only results being a win and a loss in two title bouts.

Other Notables: Top 10 dropouts: (1) Bud Taylor, slid 10 spots down to #11 after losses to Charley Phil Rosenberg (TKO) and Pete Sarmiento (UD); (2) Nipper Pat Daly, who fell from #5 to #12, after going winless (three losses and one draw) in 1931; (3) Charley Phil Rosenberg, who fell 12 spots to #15, due to a UD loss to Carl Tremaine, after a TKO win over Taylor, and also managed a draw with Memphis Pal Moore; (4) Howard Mayberry, who dropped 10 spots to #17, after going 0-4 for the year; and (5) Harold Smith, who was #10, but retired. Now poised at #13 is Pete Sanstol, who won three of four in 1931, with UD wins over Mayberry and Sarmiento after an earlier loss to Dado, who since became WBA Champ. Topping the newcomers is an unbeaten Brit, Benny Sharkey, who racked up 17 wins in a row before being held to a draw by K. O. Morgan; KO wins over Humery and Atherton and a UD over Moreno helped move him to #20 at 17-0-1 (15). Morgan is next among the newbies at #24, his 14-0-2 (11) career mark including a UD over Young Tommy and two draws with Sharkey and Little Pancho. Pancho debuts at #28, having split two bouts with Tommy and won a rematch with Chris Pineda to end the year at 12-2-2 (7).

Prospects: Filipino Young Tommy ends the year at 12-2 (9), the two losses coming against Little Pancho (MD 10) and K. O. Morgan (UD) to go with wins over Pineda (UD) and an earlier SD win over Pancho. Puerto Rican Sixto Escobar kept his slate clean, defeating John Yasui (KO) and Baltazar Sangchili (UD) to end the year at 12-0 (8). Tony Marino, likewise, is 12-0 (8), having added UD wins over Henny Catena and Ollie Bartlett to his collection of TC scalps. Henry Moreno, at 11-1 (5), suffered the one loss to the now highly rated Sharkey. Yasui (10-1, 5 KO) had the one loss to Escobar. Canto Robleto dropped a pair of SDs to Escobar to go with an early TKO loss to a TC, ending 1931 at 7-3 (6). Mickey Cohen (7-0, 5 KO) and Jo Teiken (5-0, 4 KO) are still unbeaten against TC opposition. Henry Hook won his debut bout and is now 1-0 (0).

Retirements: Three retirements from the BW ranks in 1931. Their career records:

Johnny Brown (UK) 1919-31 26-14-3 (18) CBU, GBU Champ Highest Rank: 10
Chuck Hellman (USA) 1921-31 23-19-3 (14) No Titles Highest Rank: 24
Harold Smith (USA) 1921-31 30-14-4 (14) NABF Champ Highest Rank: 4

Looking Ahead: A lot of volatility in this division, particularly since Panama Al Brown’s lengthy title reign. Brown remains a viable top contender, with Graham, Leitham, Francis and Bell also potential title challengers. Brit Johnny King is going to have difficulty juggling three titles at once if he hopes to move up and challenge for the WBA crown, and there’s the question of the now dormant OPBF title, vacated in late 1931 by the current Champ. Look for the UK’s Benny Sharkey and Alf Pattenden to challenge for top 10 status. Marino and Moreno may be the best of the young prospects. A large crop of newcomers join in 1932, led by Americans Lou Salica and Ernie Maurer, Mexican Raul Casanova and Canadian Horace Gwynne.

[JCWeb]

FLY Titles and Title Bouts

WBA: Newsboy Brown, who claimed the title in 1930, defended it once, defeating Johnny Vacca (UD 15). Then, Midget Wolgast challenged Brown and captured the title (UD 15). Wolgast then defended the title against ex-Champ Fidel LaBarba (MD 15).

NABF: Wolgast retained the title, making a successful defense against Black Bill (UD 12. Wolgast relinquished the belt after his successful challenge for the WBA title. Black Bill defeated Izzy Schwartz to capture the vacant title (UD 12). Ruby Bradley then succeeded to the title, defeating Black Bill (MD 12).

USBA: This belt was vacant at the start of the year (formerly held by Newsboy Brown), and Izzy Schwartz topped Fidel LaBarba (TKO 5) in the battle for the vacant title. Schwartz defended twice, defeating Emil Paluso (MD 12) and Frankie Genaro (DQ 10).

CBU: Kid Socks retained the title, winning a close decision over Jackie Brown (SD 12).

GBU: Johnny Hill defended this title once, turning back a challenge from Kid Socks (UD 12).

EBU: Frenchman Emile Pladner successfully challenged Johnny Vacca to capture the belt (UD 12).

OPBF: No activity during 1931. Pancho Villa, long since retired, was the last to hold this title.

FLY Division Profile

Total: 62 RL: 36 TC: 26

RL by Career Stage:
End - 4
Post - 7
Prime - 15
Pre - 6
Beginning - 4 (2 New)

Rated: 27
800+: 5
500+: 14
200+ : 25

Jan 1932 Rankings (Perf Points and Changes from Jan. 1931 in Parens):

Champ: Midget Wolgast 26-4 (12) (984) (+4)
1. Izzy Schwartz 27-12-2 (6) (982)(+6) (USBA)
2. Frankie Genaro 38-11-1 (17) (981) (-1)
3. Fidel LaBarba 26-5-1 (9) (871) (-1)
4. Newsboy Brown 34-9-2 (10) (846) (-4)
5. Emile Pladner 19-7-1 (8) (677) (+9) (EBU)
6. Johnny Vacca 24-5-1 (11) (676) (-3)
7. Ruby Bradley 22-9-4 (5) (632) (+4) (NABF)
8. Black Bill 26-13-5 (9) (631) (-2)
9. Emil Paluso 26-14-2 (7) (609) (-4)
10. Pinky Silverberg 31-20-4 (10) (583) (+10)

Others: 12. Kid Socks 26-14-2 (8) (553) (NC) (CBU)
15. Johnny Hill 19-10-1 (12) (433) (NC) (GBU)

Top Ten: Schwartz, Vacca and Black Bill at Post, while the others are still at Prime except for GBU Champion Johnny Hill who is at End career stage. Wolgast has now won his last eight, remaining unbeaten since January 1930. In 1931, he powered his was to the top, sweeping all three of his title bouts in addition to a UD 10 win over Hill. Schwartz had a busy year, winning three times in five outings plus a technical draw with Hill; all his wins came in title clashes. Ex-Champ Genaro, on the comeback trail, had fashioned a five-bout win streak until suffering a DQ loss to Schwartz in his last outing; in 1931, he recorded wins over Socks (UD 10) and Newsboy Brown (SD 10) but was held to a draw by Jackie Brown. LaBarba, another former WBA titleholder, went 2-2 for the year, losing in two title outings but winning against German Harry Stein (UD 10) and Newsboy Brown (SD 10). Brown has now lost his last three, dropping the SDs to Genaro and LaBarba after losing the title to Wolgast. Pladner zoomed up the ranks by winning all three of his 1931 encounters, defeating Elky Clark (MD 10) and Willie LaMorte (TKO) in addition to capturing the EBU belt; he carries a four-bout winning streak into 1932. Vacca was winless in 1931, suffering two losses and managing just one draw, against Paluso. Bradley moved into the top 10 by winning both his 1931 encounters, taking a UD 10 from Dencio in addition to capturing the NABF crown; he has now won his last three. Black Bill went 2-2 for the year, 1-2 in title tilts and then a UD over the lowly-rated Alex Burlie. Paluso had only one win during the year – a UD over Perfetti – then he drew with Vacca and dropped a MD to Socks in addition to the one title loss. Silverberg rounds out the top 10, advancing after winning his last six, five in 1931: his victims included Dencio, McCoy and the retiring Rivers (all UD wins), along with a pair of split dukes over Phil Tobias and Johnny Hill.

Other Notables: Moving up to #11 with five straight wins is Canadian Albert Belanger, whose most recent victims include Johnny McCoy (UD 10); Belanger is now 25-7-1 (10). GBU Champ Socks was 2-2 for the year, splitting two title tilts, taking a MD from Paluso but dropping a UD to Genaro. Jackie Brown dropped five spots to #13, his best result being a draw with Genaro after losing a title try. Johnny Hill remained at #15 after retaining his title, but a draw and two losses (to Wolgast and Silverberg) in his other outings kept him out of the top 10. Elky Clark dropped from #9 to #16 after dropping a MD to Pladner; a more recent win over young Mickey McGuire did not improve his ranking. Veteran Johnny McCoy slid nine spots to #19, going 1-3 of the year, including losses in his last three. Top newcomer to the rankings list this year is Tunisian Young Perez, who added Alex Burlie (TKO win) to a list of TC victims but lost to fellow prospect Istvan Enekes to drop him to 14-1 (9), still good enough for #14. The other first-timer is Mickey McGuire, whose only wins have come against TC opponents to go with losses to Clark, Harry Stein and a TC (via a foul) left him at 13-3 (5) and a lowly 25^th spot.

Prospects: Hungarian Istvan Enekes ends the year at 10-1 (7), with the one loss coming to a TC while he has wins over Perez (TKO 3) and fellow prospect Fortunato Ortega (UD 8). Ortega, who has a series of TC wins to go with the one loss to Enekes, ended 1931 at 8-1 (4). Filipino Small Montano (7-0, 5 KO), Brit Benny Lynch (6-0, 5 KO); Tut Whalley (3-0, 2 KO) and another Brit, Jimmy Gill (2-0, 0 KO) are still unbeaten against TC opposition.

Retirements: Two FLY retirements during 1931. Their career records:

Jimmy Russo (USA) 1922-31 23-18-3 (10) No Titles Highest Rank: 14
Georgie Rivers (USA) 1921-31 25-21-3 (10) No Titles Highest Rank: 7

Looking Ahead: It’s still a rather chaotic situation at the top of the division, as Genaro, LaBarba and even Pladner are legitimate challengers to possibly unseat Wolgast at the top. Expect to see some of the aging veterans fade from contention, while younger guys like Belanger, Young Perez and Enekes will be looking to move up. Still, it’s a relatively thin division. Joe Curran and Kid David are the two new additions to the FLY ranks in 1932.

[JCWeb]

Now, on to the year-end PFP (Pound-For-Pound) rankings.

Mickey Walker and Tommy Loughran continue to hold down the two top spots. (Numbers represent Perf Pts, with changes from last year's top 10 in parens.)

1. Mickey Walker, MW (WBA Champ), 2029 (NC)
2. Tommy Loughran, LH (WBA Champ), 1905 (NC)
3. Billy Petrole, LW (WBA Champ), 1613 (+2)
4. Jack Sharkey, HW (USBA Champ), 1468 (+2)
5. George Godfrey, HW (NABF Champ), 1455 (+5)
6. Tuffy Griffith, HW (WBA Champ), 1408 (new)
7. Young Stribling, HW (ex-Champ), 1407 (-4)
8. Jimmy McLarnin, WW (WBA Champ), 1397 (new)*
9. Joe Dundee, WW (NABF Champ), 1364 (new)*
10. Benny Leonard, WW (no title), 1363 (-6)

Dropped from last year's list:
HW Larry Gains (was #7)
WW Young Corbett III (was #8)
FW Chick Suggs (was #9)

Comments: Leonard remains the senior member of this group, making the list for the 15th time and for the 10th consecutive year (dating back to 1922). Walker tops the list for the fourth straight year, and it is his 9th consecutive appearance. Godfrey is making his 7th appearance (2d in a row); it's Loughran's sixth time; Stribling's fifth time.

* McLarnin previously appeared on the list in 1929. Joe Dundee previously appeared on the list in 1928 and 1929.

Godfrey and Leonard are now at Post-Prime, while everyone else on the list is still at Prime. Five divisions represented, four HWs and three WWs, one each for LH, MW and LW. Five WBA Champs from those five divisions are included on the list.

One more recap report -- listing all current titleholders -- to follow.