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JCWeb · 08-07-2013, 10:37 PM

The first of the two Junior divisions, and this will be a short report ...

1933 Title Bouts

WBA: Jack Kid Berg, titleholder since 1928, defended once during the year (taking a UD 15 from Johnny Jadick.

USBA: Johnny Jadick took the title from Mickey Cohen (UD 12), then defended once, defeating Mushy Callahan (KO 7).

JWW Division Stats

Total: 16 RL: 8 TC: 8

End: 0
Post: 3
Prime: 5
Pre: 0
Beginning: 0
New: 0

Rated: 8
800+: 1
500+: 3
200+: 7

Jan 1934 JWW Rankings (Perf Pts and Changes from 1933 in Parens):

Champion: Jack Kid Berg 30-7-3 (13) (902) (NC)
1. Battling Shaw 23-4-3 (12) (671) (NC)
2. Johnny Jadick 31-16-2 (8) (558) (+2) (USBA)
3. Lew Feldman 19-7 (10) (428) (new)
4. Mushy Callahan 27-13-2 (9) (436) (-1)
5. Mickey Cohen 19-16-2 (9) (354) (-3)
6. Spug Myers 32-26-5 (12) (348) (-1) (CBU, GBU)
7. Harry Wallach 22-16-2 (11) (136) (-1)

Comments: Not much to report on this fairly moribund division, with Berg defending once but falling short when challenging top-flight competition in both the LW (losing to Petrolle) and WW (losing to McLarnin and Eder) divisions. Shaw, who could only manage a draw with Jadick, did register a pair of wins over WW Freddie Polo, but fell short against the higher ranked Young Corbett III. Lew Feldman moved up from LW but did not meet with much success, defeating Myers but dropping decisions to WWs Leto (MD) and My Sullivan (UD). Of those listed, Callahan, Myers and Wallach are all at Post-Prime while the others are still at Prime.

Prospects: None.
Retirements: None.

Outlook: As is also the case with the other junior division (JLW), this division is close to being on life support with no prospects and no newcomers expected. Berg is already looking for opportunities in other divisions, perhaps looking for big paydays against the likes of Canzoneri, Ross or McLarnin. The one JWW he has yet to face is long-time #1 contender, Battling Shaw, who is still hoping for a title shot in 1934.

JCWeb · 08-08-2013, 01:52 PM

1933 Title Bouts

WBA: Tony Canzoneri began 1933 with the belt, and he made successful title defenses over Billy Petrolle (KO 6) and Billy Grime (UD 15).

NABF: Cecil Payne retained the title, beating Billy Townsend (UD 12) in his second defense. Then, Wesley Ramey upset Payne (MD 12) to earn the title.

USBA: This title changed hands for the fourth time in four title bouts as Al Singer dethroned Roger Bernard (TKO 9). Then, Ray Miller beat Singer (TKO 6) to capture the title. Then, the musical chairs continued, as Sammy Fuller ousted Miller (UD 12) to make it six new titleholders in the last six title bouts.

CBU: Billy Grime keeps the belt despite making no defenses during 1933.

GBU: Harry Mason defended for the fourth time against the same opponent, George Rose, and won again (UD 12) to retain the belt for another year.

EBU: Mason retained the belt in his first defense, defeating former titleholder, Benny Valgar (UD 12).

LW Division Stats

Total: 126 RL: 74 TC: 52

End: 7
Post: 13
Prime: 37
Pre: 14
Beginning: 3
New: 2

Rated: 57
800+: 17
500+: 36
200+: 52

Jan 1934 LW Rankings (Perf Pts and Changes from 1933 in Parens):

Champion: Tony Canzoneri 30-4-2 (15) (1612) (NC)
1. Billy Petrolle 42-5-3 (21) (1491) (NC)
2. Sammy Fuller 36-7 (9) (1259) (+4) (USBA)
3. Ray Miller 35-10 (15) (1258) (-1)
4. Jack Portney 26-5-2 (14) (1058) (+1)
5. Stanislaus Loayza 29-16-4 (11) (1004) (-2)
6. Luis Vicentini 36-13-1 (13) (960) (-2)
7. Billy Grime 28-19-2 (16) (926) (+7) (CBU)
8. Sammy Mandell 39-16 (10) (925) (+7)
9. Justo Suarez 23-5-1 (15) (891) (+3)
10. Al Singer 23-7-1 (14) (883) (+7)

Others: 14. Wesley Ramey 18-1-4 (9) (925) (+17) (NABF)
21. Harry Mason 33-20-3 (5) (+3) (EBU, GBU)

Comments: Petrolle will hit Post-Prime in his next outing, and three others (Vicentini, Grime and Mandell) will also be at Post while everyone else is at Prime. Grime moved into the top 10 by virtue of a TKO win over Portney. Mandell won both his 1933 bouts, a MD over Chino Alvarez and a one-round demolition of Tommy O’Brien. Suarez TKO’d Al Gordon after being held to a draw by Benny Bass early in the year. Singer drew with Ah Wing Lee, but scored a TKO win over Roger Bernard. Dropping out of the top 10 were Cuban Emory Cabana (down one to #11 after losses to Fuller and Portney); Roger Bernard (-6 to #13, losses to Singer and Joe Glick); Al Gordon (-8 to #16, losing both of his 1933 outings); and Tommy O’Brien (-8 to #17, losing his last three). Ramey did little of note (two draws with Goodrich and JLW Mike Ballerino) prior to his upset win for the NABF belt. Mason struggled, suffering a pair of UD losses to Loayza and Ah Wing Lee. Frankie Klick moved up from JLW but found the going a bit difficult, particularly against Singer (KO 5 loss). Aldo Spoldi has won his last five in a row to improve to 20-0-1 (11), good for a spot in the top 20. Top newcomer to the list is Johnny Bellus, #31, off to a 14-1 (9) start, the one loss coming to prospect Davey Day after some close wins (SD over Al Roth, MD over Pedro Montanez). Brit George Daly, after a 15-1 (7) career start, checks in at #34, the one loss coming at the hands of Spoldi. The aforementioned Montanez debuts at #41, with an early loss to Lefty Satan Flynn in addition to the recent one to Bellus, leaving him at 13-2 (11).

Prospects: Davey Day remains unbeaten, at 13-0 (8), impressive with UD wins over Bellus and fellow prospect Tony Chavez. Chavez checks in at 11-1 (8). Left Satan Flynn, at 11-1 (8) has just one career loss, to Bellus. Ditto for Al Roth, who also lost to Bellus, who is now 11-1 (6). Still unbeaten, albeit against TC opposition, are Eddie Zivic (9-0, 6 KO); Lou Ambers (8-0, 7 KO); Tommy Spiegel (7-0, 3 KO); Juan Zurita (7-0, 1 KO); and Harry Mizler (6-0, 0 KO). South African Laurie Stevens suffered a DQ loss to a TC and ends the year at 7-1 (5).

Retirements:
Four retirements from the LW division in 1933:
Harry Kahn (USA) 1921-33 26-19-5 (16) No Titles Highest Rank: 33
Ever Hammer (USA) 1913-33 46-28-5 (18) WBA Champion !928-29
Jimmy Goodrich (USA) 1918-33 44-19-3 (10) NABF, USBA Champ Highest Rank: 1
Jack Silver (USA) 1922-33 25-17-5 (9) No Titles Highest Rank: 18

Outlook: Tony Canzoneri seems to have settled in as the Champion in this division, but there is a lot of volatility in the rankings behind him, as illustrated by the frequent changing hands of the lesser NABF and USBA belts. Ramey looks like a solid boxer but has yet to prove himself against top-flight opposition. It’s possible that someone might step down from the JWW division or up from the JLW ranks to provide more competition. No newcomers of note coming into the ranks in 1934.

JCWeb · 08-08-2013, 02:28 PM

Another short report ...

1933 Title Bouts

WBA: One title defense by Tod Morgan, against Leslie Wildcat Carter (UD 15) to retain the belt for another year.

USBA: This title has remained inactive since the retirement of Johnny Dundee in 1931.

JLW Division Stats

Total: 14 RL: 8 TC: 6

End: 0
Post: 3
Prime: 5
Pre: 0
Beginning: 0
New: 0

Rated: 8
800+: 2
500+: 4
200+: 8

Jan 1934 JLW Rankings (Perf Pts and Changes from 1933 in Parens):

Champion: Tod Morgan 41-9-1 (12) (1351) (NC)
1. Benny Bass 40-14-5 (14) (951) (NC)
2. Pete Nebo 21-8-1 (11) (558) (+3)
3. Mike Ballerino 27-17-6 (7) (533) (+1)
4. Leslie Wildcat Carter 22-9-2 (9) (445) (-1)
5. Jack Bernstein 32-24-3 (6) (444) (+1)
6. Eddie Wagner 41-30-2 (18) (345) (+1)
7. Miki Gelb 13-5-2 (3) (233) (new)

Comments: The bottom three (Bernstein, Wagner and Gelb) are all at Post-Prime while everyone else is still at Prime. Morgan defended his title once and also stepped up to defeated a top five LW (Loayza). Bass maintained his top contender status with two wins and two draws, with one of the wins (a UD) against a ranked LW, Tommy O’Brien. Nebo had a pair of UD wins, one over Gelb and another over LW Johnny Kaiser, but lost to LW Chino Alvarez. Frankie Klick moved up to LW, opening up a spot for Miki Gelb, who moved up from FW but found the going very difficult, dropping a UD to Bernstein in his most recent outing.

Prospects: None.

Retirements: None.

Outlook: As is the case with the JWW division, this is a rather moribund division, as illustrated by the fact that most of its participants are looking to LWs for their bouts. The anticipated rivalry between Tod Morgan and Benny Bass for the top spot has failed to materialize; look for the division to dissolve after a year or two. No newcomers on the horizon.

JCWeb · 08-09-2013, 09:40 AM

1933 Title Bouts

WBA: Baby Arizmendi started the year with the title belt, defending once versus Pete DeGrasse (UD 15). He then lost the belt to Battling Battalino (UD 15). Battalino, in turn, was dethroned by DeGrasse (another UD 15) in his first title defense.

NABF: Babe Herman began the year as NABF Champion, but he lost the belt in his first defense to Jose Lombardo (KO 12). Lombardo was also dethroned in his first defense, yielding the belt to Petey Sarron (UD 12). Sarron, in turn, lost the title to Pete DeGrasse (TKO 4). DeGrasse moved up to claim the WBA title, vacating the NABF belt. Freddie Miller then defeated Chalky Wright (UD 12) to claim the vacant title.

USBA: Battling Battalino, who had won this belt in 1932, made a successful defense versus Louis Kaplan (UD 12) before moving up to win the WBA title. Then, Freddie Miller defeated Dick Finnegan (UD 12) to claim the vacant belt. The belt was then vacated by Miller after he stepped up to win the NABF title. Then, in a contest for the vacant belt, Eddie Shea emerged victorious over Abie Israel (UD 12).

CBU: Pete DeGrasse, who won this title in 1932, did not defend in 1933 and, in fact, relinquished the belt after winning the WBA crown. Al Foreman defeated Aussie Merv Blandon (TKO 10) to take the vacant title.

GBU: Al Foreman retained this belt during 1933, but made no title defenses during the year.

EBU: Dom Volante started 1933 with this belt, and he defended it once, defeating Knud Larsen (UD 12). Then, Al Foreman captured the title by defeating Volante (UD 12). Then, Frenchman Maurice Holtzer captured the title by downing Foreman (UD 12).

OPBF: Elino Flores began the year with this belt, but lost it to fellow Filipino, Johnny Hill (UD 12). Hill defended once, later in the year, defeating Ignacio Fernandez (UD 12).

FW Division Stats

Total: 124 RL: 80 TC: 44

End: 10
Post: 21
Prime: 28
Pre: 12
Beginning: 9
New: 2

Rated: 59 (including 1 TC)
800+: 12
500+: 35
200+: 53

Jan 1934 FW Rankings (Perf Pts and Changes from 1933 in Parens):

Champion: Pete DeGrasse 25-8-1 (6) (919) (+23)
1. Baby Arizmendi 24-3-1 (10) (1115) (-1)
2. Freddie Miller 25-3 (12) (1084) (+5) (NABF)
3. Kid Chocolate 22-3-5 (14) (996) (+13)
4. Louis Kaplan 42-13-3 (10) (978) (-2)
5. Maurice Holtzer 28-8-1 (11) (964) (+7) (EBU)
6. Babe Herman 34-21-5 (15) (867) (-5)
7. Al Foreman 32-19-1 (22) (860) (+4) (CBU, GBU)
8. Chalky Wright 22-5-2 (11) (849) (+7)
9. Battling Battalino 26-8 (12) (848) (+5)
10. Dom Volante 28-12-2 (17) (826) (-6)

Others: 22. Johnny Hill 30-14-2 (6) (656) (-2) (OPBF)
23. Eddie Shea 28-15-3 (15) (+3) (USBA)

Comments: Kaplan, Herman, Foreman, Hill and Shea are all at Post-Prime; everyone else is still at Prime. DeGrasse zoomed up the ratings, going 2-1 in title bouts in addition to a UD 10 win over Wright; nevertheless, his PP total is still lower than five contenders – an unusual situation for a WBA titleholder. Miller has won his last five in succession to lift him in the standings. Kid Chocolate reeled off five straight wins after drawing with Foreman; his victims included Filio Julio Echevarria (SD 10), Paul (UD 10), Cuthbert and Volante (also UD 10s). Holtzer won all three of his 1933 encounters, beating Herman and Andy Martin in addition to winning the EBU title. Foreman went 2-1, all in title clashes, to rise in the rankings. Battalino had an up-and-down year, winning the WBA title but losing his last two to settle in at #9. In a complete reshuffling of the rankings, five newcomers to the top group displaced the following: Dick Finnegan (-4 to #13, winless for the year, with a title bout loss and draws with Kid Chocolate and Kaplan); Tommy Paul (-10 to #15, losing to Chocolate and Harry Blitman; Jose Lombardo (-3 to #18, suffering recent losses to Wright and Echevarria to go with loss of the NABF title, making it three losses in his last three); Martin (-11 to #19, after suffering three losses and managing just one draw, versus Frankie Covelli, during the year); and ex-Champ Chick Suggs (-15 to #21, dropping after losses to Chafferdet and Covelli). Just missing the top 10 is Petey Sarron, who has won five of his last six to end up the year at 24-10-4 (8), in the #11 spot. Chafferdet moved up 15 spots to #12, by virtue of wins over Suggs (TKO), Martin (UD) and a draw with top five contender Kaplan. Top newcomer to the rankings list is Aussie Merv “Darky” Blandon, who checks in at 16-2 (13), good only for 34^th, the two losses coming to Jim Kelly (via SD 10) and in the CBU title bout. Georgie Hansford debuts at #44, sporting a 15-2 (8) record, the losses coming to Henry Armstrong and Petey Hayes.

Prospects: Brit Jim Kelly remains unbeaten, getting off to a 14-0 (7) career start; his key 1933 wins came over Ginger Foran (UD) and “Darky” Blandon (SD). Henry “Homicide Hank” Armstrong continued to recover from an early career setback (loss via cuts to a TC) with wins over Al Tripoli (TKO), Sailor Willie Gordon (KO), Pete Zivic (KO) and Hansford (UD) to improve his career totals to 13-1 (12). Venezuelan Simon Chavez downed fellow prospect Everett Rightmire (UD 10) after 12 straight TC wins to end the year at 13-0 (1). Rightmire is now 11-2 (9), the other loss coming to a TC via a DQ. A steady diet of TC opposition has been sufficient to pad the records of the other prospects, notably Mike Belloise (10-0, 5 KO); Joey Archibald (7-0, 4 KO); Johnny Cusick (6-0, 4 KO); Bus Breese (6-0, 2 KO); and Moon Mullins (6-0, 0 KO).

Retirements:
Three retirements from the FW ranks in 1933:
Andre Routis (FRA) 1919-33 35-19-3 (16) WBA Champion 1925, 1927-28
Pete Zivic (USA) 1920-33 24-24-6 (10) No Titles Highest Rank: 31
Leo Roy (CAN) 1920-33 29-20-2 (9) CBU Champ Highest Rank: 7

Outlook: A very fluid situation as illustrated by the high degree of turnover in both the top 10 rankings and also in the titles which have changed hands with a great deal of frequency. DeGrasse is Champion at the time being, but Arizmendi, Miller and Chocolate all have the potential to take the title. Henry Armstrong is easily the most talented young prospect, but he is still a year or two away from becoming a top contender. No top newcomers on the horizon at this point.

JCWeb · 08-09-2013, 10:22 PM

1933 Title Bouts

WBA: Pablo Dano started the year with the belt, made his first defense against Bushy Graham (MD 15). He then retained the title via a draw with countryman Little Pancho (D 15). Then, Kid Francis stopped Dano (TKO 8) to regain the title he had held back in 1930-31.

NABF: Bobby Leitham began the year as NABF Champion, and he successfully defended twice, beating Bobby Green (TKO 11) and K. O. Morgan (TKO 8), both wins coming inside the distance.

USBA: Pete Sanstol had won this title in 1932, but he faltered in his first defense, losing to K. O. Morgan (KO 3). Morgan has yet to make his first title defense.

CBU: Bobby Leitham, who held the belt at the beginning of the year, defended it once, besting Dick Corbett (UD 12). However, Leitham was dethroned by Johnny King (KO 5) who added this belt to his EBU title won earlier in the year (see below).

GBU: Benny Sharkey had been awarded this title after it was vacated by King (who had won the WBA title), but, in late 1933, the title belt moved to Dick Corbett who decisioned Sharkey (SD 12).

EBU: Sharkey had held this belt from 1932, but he lost it in his first defense to Kid Francis (SD 12). Then, Johnny King dethroned Francis (UD 12) and Baltazar Sangchili (UD 12).

OPBF: Speedy Dado began the year with this belt, and retained it with a successful defense over Pete Sarmiento (KO 5).

BW Division Stats

Total: 91 RL: 55 TC: 36

End: 5
Post: 15
Prime: 21
Pre: 10
Beginning: 4
New: 2

Rated: 42
800+: 16
500+: 29
200+: 39

Jan 1934 BW Rankings (Perf Pts and Changes from 1933 in Parens):

Champion: Kid Francis 29-12-3 (17) (1126) (+8)
1. Johnny King 30-3-1 (15) (1278) (+1) (EBU, CBU)
2. Bobby Leitham 27-5-1 (11) (1164) (-1) (NABF)
3. Pablo Dano 26-3-3 (14) (1125) (-3)
4. Speedy Dado 24-9-2 (13) (1112) (NC) (OPBF)
5. Panama Al Brown 41-7 (16) (981) (+9)
6. Sixto Escobar 19-1 (9) (979) (+5)
7. Pete Sanstol 26-5-2 (8) (970) (-1)
8. Archie Bell 33-10-3 (9) (967) (-5)
9. Vic Foley 36-16-2 (10) (920) (+3)
10. Bushy Graham 32-16-1 (10) (908) (-5)

Others: 13. Dick Corbett 27-7 (10) (885) (+5) (GBU)
16. K. O. Morgan 18-3-3 (14) (787) (NC) (USBA)

Comments: All those listed above will be at Prime except for Leitham who joins Bell and Foley at Post in 1934. Kid Francis recovered from an early season loss to capture the WBA title for the second time. As in a couple of other divisons, the Champ does not have the highest PP rating; in this division, that honor falls to Johnny King, who as held four different titles at one time over the last three years. Panama Al rebounded after a couple of off-years, with a trio of UD 10 wins over Young Tommy, Sixto Escobar and Pete Sanstol. Escobar won four of five to propel his advance in the ranks, the wins coming over Eddie “Cannonball” Martin, Memphis Pal Moore, Bud Taylor and Alf Pattenden with the one loss to Panama Al. Veteran Vic Foley, despite being at Post-Prime, clawed his way back into the top 10 with wins over Bud Taylor (SD 10) and Bobby Green (MD 10). The three dropouts from last year’s top 10 are Memphis Pal Moore, #7 in 1933, who retired after 21 years in the ring; Bobby Green, who dropped two spots to #11 with the loss to Foley; and Eddie Martin, down four to #14 after suffering a TKO loss to Escobar. Corbett, in addition to capturing the GBU belt, took a pair of UD 10s from Pete Sarmiento and Alf Pattenden. USBA Champ K. O. Morgan managed a draw with King but fell to Little Pancho (UD 12), who zoomed up the rankings (+10 to #12) after winning five of sixth bouts, the only non-win being the draw in his title bout with Dano. Pancho’s career totals are now 20-2-3 (7). Also making a strong move was Lew Farber, who is riding a six-bout winning streak to a spot in the top 20 at #19, now 20-2-1 (11) overall. It was a disappointing year for Baltazar Sangchili, who lost his first three bouts at Prime to slip to 19-4 (15) and is mired in 26^th spot. One spot higher at #25 is the top newcomer to the list, the unbeaten Jo Teiken, who checks in at 16-0 (13) who added UD wins over Frisco Grande and Mickey Cohen, a TKO over Gustave Humery, on top of 12 TC wins.

Prospects: Star Frisco has kept a clean slate, going 12-0 (6) thus far, including a UD 10 over fellow prospect Henry Hook. Hook checks in at 9-2 (5), having suffered a loss to a TC early in his career. Aurel Toma (10-0, 7 KO); Raul Casanova (9-0, 9 KO); Horace Gwynne (9-0, 7 KO); Lou Salica (7-0, 5 KO); and Mickey Miller (6-0, 6 KO) are all off to great starts, thanks to a steady diet of TC opposition.

Retirements:
Five BWs hung up the gloves during 1933, including two ex-WBA Champs:
Tommy Milton (ITA) 1921-33 22-19-4 (9) EBU Champ Highest Rank: 15
Harry Lake (UK) 1919-33 29-23-3 (17) EBU, CBU Champ Highest Rank: 19
Charley Phil Rosenberg (USA) 1921-33 33-10-6 (13) WBA Champion 1925-27
Vic Burrone (USA) 1923-33 23-17-3 (5) No Titles Highest Rank: 20
Memphis Pal Moore (USA) 1913-33 55-26-9 (15) WBA Champion 1925 Highest Rank: 1

Outlook: A bit more stability at the upper echelons of this division, although titles have changed hands with relative frequency as well. Francis’ second stint as WBA Champion may not last more than his first, which was less than a year. Johnny King appears to be right at the top in terms of talent; Sixto Escobar is a top newcomer to the short list of top contenders; and Panama Al Brown seems ready for another title shot. Some great fighters from the Far East, not just the duo of Dano and Dado, but also guys like Little Pancho, Jo Teiken and Young Tommy could also become significant factors. Lou Salica appears to be the best of the young prospects. Georgie Pace is set to debut in 1934.

JCWeb · 08-10-2013, 08:57 PM

1933 Title Bouts

WBA: Midget Wolgast remained an active Champion, making four defenses during the year, two against Frankie Genaro (D 15 followed by UD 15), Ruby Bradley (TKO 13) and Kid Socks (UD 15).

NABF: Newboy Brown captured the belt from Izzy Schwartz (MD 12) early in the year but made no defenses after that, retaining the belt heading into 1934.

USBA: Fidel LaBarba began the year with this belt, and he retained it via three successive defenses, beating Izzy Schwartz (SD 12), Pinky Silverberg (UD 12) and Emil Paluso (UD 12).

CBU: Kid Socks, who has held this belt since 1931, defended it twice during the year, both times against GBU Champ Jackie Brown (MD 12 followed by D 12).

GBU: No title defenses by Jackie Brown who has held this belt since winning it in 1932.

EBU: Harry Stein began 1933 with the EBU title, and he defended it twice, beating Johnny Vacca (MD 12) and Istvan Enekes (UD 12). Then, Kid Socks dethroned Stein (SD 12) to add this belt to his CBU title.

OPBF: This title belt has remained inactive since the retirement of Pancho Villa in 1930.

FLY Division Stats

Total: 63 RL: 37 TC: 26

End: 1
Post: 11
Prime: 11
Pre: 10
Beginning: 4
New: 3

Rated: 26
800+: 2
500+: 17
200+: 21

Jan 1934 FLY Rankings (Perf Pts and Changes from 1933 in Parens):

Champion: Midget Wolgast 33-4-1 (16) (1286) (NC)
1. Fidel LaBarba 33-6-1 (9) (1133) (NC) (USBA)
2. Frankie Genaro 41-15-2 (18) (772) (+1)
3. Pinky Silverberg 34-22-5 (10) (768) (+2)
4. Harry Stein 30-10-1 (20) (748) (+5)
5. Kid Socks 31-18-3 (8) (748) (+1) (EBU, CBU)
6. Izzy Schwartz 29-16-2 (7) (725) (-5)
7. Emil Paluso 32-17-2 (8) (696) (+7)
8. Jackie Brown 23-8-3 (9) (664) (NC) (GBU)
9. Johnny Vacca 28-8-3 (11) (638) (-5)
10. Istvan Enekes 17-2-1 (8) (632) (+2)

Others: 19. Newsboy Brown 37-13-2 (11) (395) (-12) (NABF)

Comments: With Wolgast now firmly entrenched atop the division, most of the contenders listead above are now at Post-Prime career stage, the three exceptions being Silverberg, Jackie Brown and Enekes, who will still be at Prime in 1934. While Wolgast has not lost in four years, LaBarba has won five in a row and would be top challenger were it not for the aging factor. Stein moved up the rankings with wins over Enekes (UD 12) and Jackie Brown (TKO). Paluso moved into the top 10 by virtue of a controversial DQ win over Genaro, as he went 3-1 for the year. Enekes wrapped up the Pre-Prime stage of his career by winning three of four during 1933, notably wins over Small Montana (UD) and Fortunato Ortega (MD) to cement his rise to the #10 spot in the rankings. Izzy Schwartz lost all three of his encounters during the year to drop from the #1 spot down to #6. Dropping out of the top 10 were Frenchman Emile Pladner, who slipped just two spots to #12, after dropping a MD to Silverberg although he did manage a draw with Vacco and a MD 10 win over Young Perez, but the bigger loser was Newsboy Brown, who slipped all the way out of the top group with successive loses to two lower-rated opponents: Eugene Huat and Frankie Anselm. Top newcomers to the rankings are: Small Montana, now 15-2 (6), who debuts at #14, with UD wins over Willie LaMorte (twice) and Tut Whalley balanced by losses to Enekes and Benny Lynch; Fortunato Ortega, who TKO’d Lynch but suffered a MD loss to Enekes, drawing with Albert Belanger, ending up the year at #16 with a 15-2-1 (10) mark; and Benny Lynch, whose excellent 14-0 career start was ruined by the loss to Ortega and an upset loss to Mickey McGuire, leaving him at #23, sporting a 14-2 (11) record thus far.

Prospects: Tut Whalley has found the going a bit more difficult once matched with real-life opponents instead of TCs, registering losses to Montana (UD 10) and Young Dencio to end the year at 11-3 (8). Whalley’s countryman, Johnny Gill, has faced nothing but TCs and maintained an unbeaten slate, going 12-0 (6) thus far. Belgian Kid David lost a MD 6 to a TC and checks in at 7-1 (5). Joe Curran’s 7-0 (5) start includes a UD 6 over fellow prospect Tiny Bostock, who ends the year at 6-1 (1). Another young Brit, Jimmy Warnock, has defeated all six of his TC opponents inside the distance to go 6-0 (6). Austrian Ernst Weiss, also the beneficiary of a steady diet of TC opponents, ends the year at 6-0 (3).

Retirements:
Two FLYs hung up the gloves during 1933, both former NABF Champions:
Black Bill (CUB) 1923-33 28-15-6 (9) NABF Champ Highest Rank: 5
Willie LaMorte (USA) 1920-33 27-20-5 (11) NABF Champ Highest Rank: 10

Outlook: Wolgast seems to have settled in to perhaps a very long run as WBA Fly Champion, given that most of his rivals to this point have hit Post-Prime and are feeling the adverse impact of aging. Jackie Brown and the Hungarian, Enekes, could still prove to be dangerous title contenders in the future. Montana, Ortega and Benny Lynch are still a year or two away from making a meaningful impact. Peter Kane and Rinty Monaghan represent some new blood to be added to the list of prospects for 1934.

JCWeb · 08-10-2013, 10:31 PM

Now, the ever-popuar PFP Rankings plus a couple of new features, "Fighter of the Year" and "Fight of the Year":

1933 YEAR-END POUND-FOR-POUND RANKINGS (Perf Pts, with Changes from Last Year in Parens)

1. Max Schmeling, HW (WBA Champion), 1793 (+7)
2. Tommy Loughran, HW, 1792 (-1)
3. Tony Canzoneri, LW, WBA Champion), 1612 (+2)
4. Mickey Walker, MW, 1529 (NC)
5. Tiger Jack Fox, LH (WBA Champion), 1523 (new)
6. Jimmy McLarnin, WW, 1520 (-3)
7. Jack Sharkey, HW (NABF Champion), 1503 (NC)
8. Billy Petrolle, LW, 1491 (-2)
9. Tod Morgan, JLW (WBA Champion), 1351 (new)
10. George Manley, LH (USBA Champion), 1347 (new)

Dropped Out from Last Year:
Young Stribling, HW (was #2)
Irineo Flores, WW (was #9)
Tuffy Griffith, HW (was #10)

Comments: Loughran had edged over the magic 2000 PP mark but then slipped back when he made his thus far unsuccessful bid for the HW title. Schmeling succeeds him as the highest PP fighter, but Mickey Walker (who has now appeared in 11 straight PFP lists) remains the senior member of this exclusive group, with Loughran (now listed for the 8th occasion) having the second most. Tod Morgan's appearance marks the first for any of the Junior fighters, but I am still waiting for Midget Wolgast to become the first Fly to crack this list (with 1286 PP now, he's not that far off).

And here are the two New Awards:

Fighter of the Year: Tiger Jack Fox

Fight of the Year: Foreman UD 12 Volante (EBU FW Championship)

Comments: Decided to go with Fox over Schmeling for fighter of the year, as Fox was a bit more active, with four fights compared to three for Schmeling. Both had impressive wins over living legends (Schmeling over Tommy Loughran, Fox over Mickey Walker), but Fox took advantage of his opportunity to move up the ranks, capturing both the NABF and then the WBA titles.

As to "Fight of the Year,:" it was another close call between the selected bout and the bigger drawing fight, the HW confrontation between Schmeling and Sharkey (see post #965 for the recap of that bout, July 21 entry). In the end, I decided to give the edge to the lesser level bout which had more momentum swings. Here's the excerpt (from post #960) of that May 13 encounter:

"The action commences early, at the end of round one when Foreman surprises Volante with a strong uppercut that puts the Champ on the deck. Then, in round two, Foreman is cut over the left eye – momentum swing to Volante. Round five, Volante tags Foreman with a big left; the challenger covers up and manages to stay on his feet and last the round. Then, in round six, another big momentum swing to Volante when he puts Foreman on the canvas for a six-count, landing a big hook. However, Foreman battles back, and by the end of round seven, Volante is beginning to suck wind and his face shows signs of swelling under his right eye. A round later in the eighth, it’s another momentum swing, this time to Foreman, who puts Volante down a second time, but Volante covers up to last the round. Foreman is now ahead on points as the bout enters the later rounds, and this forces Volante to open up and become more aggressive. In round 10, a glimmer of hope for the Champ as the cut over Foreman’s eye is reopened and begins oozing blood. Some good cornerwork limits the damage and, in round 11, Volante leaves himself open for a Foreman cross and goes down for the third time – big momentum swing to Foreman. A Foreman hook in the final round results in the fourth KD of Volante, who struggles to his feet at the count of eight. A game Volante manages to last the distance, but Foreman’s accurate power punching has done the damage, and the four knockdowns are too much for the judges to ignore. To the cheers of the Italian fight fans, Foreman takes a UD 12 (115-108 on all cards) to become the new EBU FW Champion (adding it to his GBU title which was not at stake). Foreman moves to 31-18-1 (21) with the win, while Volante slips to 28-11-2 (17) with the loss."

JCWeb · 08-11-2013, 11:11 AM

And here's the list of Champions as of January 1934. (Date of winning title and number of successful defenses to date in Parens).

HW

WBA: Max Schmeling (Jul. 1932) (4)
NABF: Jack Sharkey (Mar. 1933) (1)
USBA: Ad Warren (Dec. 1933) (0)
CBU: Larry Gains (Ju1. 1932) (1)
GBU: Tommy Farr (Jan. 1931) (1)
EBU: Jack Doyle (Dec. 1933) (0)
OPBF: Tom Heeney (Jun. 1932) (0)

LH

WBA: Tiger Jack Fox (Nov. 1933) (0)
NABF: Tiger Jack Payne (Dec. 1933) (0)
USBA: George Manley (Aug. 1933) (0)
CBU: Jack Delaney (Oct. 1933) (0)
GBU: Gypsy Daniels (Dec. 1927) (3)
EBU: Len Harvey (Sep. 1933) (0)

MW

WBA: Mickey Walker (Apr. 1925) (25)
NABF: Freddie Steele (Jan. 1932) (6)
USBA: Vince Dundee (Jun. 1933) (0)
CBU: Lou Brouillard (Mar. 1933) (1)
GBU: Jock McAvoy (Oct. 1930) (5)
EBU: Hein Domgorgen (Jul. 1933) (0)
OPBF: Ron Richards (Apr. 1932) (1)

WW

WBA: Barney Ross (Dec. 1933) (0)
NABF: Ruby Goldstein (Mar. 1933) (2)
USBA: Vacant
CBU: Jack Hood (Sep. 1932) (1)
GBU: Jack Hood (Jun. 1930) (1)
EBU: Cleto Locatelli (Jun. 1930) (3)
OPBF: Vacant

JWW

WBA: Jack Kid Berg (Jan. 1928) (9)
USBA: Johnny Jadick (Mar. 1933) (1)

LW

WBA: Tony Canzoneri (Mar. 1932) (5)
NABF: Wesley Ramey (Nov. 1933) (0)
USBA: Sammy Fuller (Oct. 1933) (0)
CBU: Billy Grime (Nov. 1929) (2)
GBU: Harry Mason (Apr. 1929) (4)
EBU: Harry Mason (Apr. 1932) (1)

JLW

WBA: Tod Morgan (Jul. 1931) (3)
USBA: Inactive

FW

WBA: Pete DeGrasse (Sep. 1933) (0)
NABF: Freddie Miller (Oct. 1933) (0)
USBA: Eddie Shea (Nov. 1933) (0)
CBU: Al Foreman (Oct. 1933) (0)
GBU: Al Foreman (Aug. 1932) (0)
EBU: Maurice Holtzer (Aug. 1933) (0)
OPBF: Johnny Hill (Mar. 1933) (1)

BW

WBA: Kid Francis (Dec. 1933) (0)
NABF: Bobby Leitham (Jun. 1931) (4)
USBA: K. O. Morgan (Mar. 1933) (0)
CBU: Johnny King (Nov. 1933) (0)
GBU: Dick Corbett (Dec. 1933) (0)
EBU: Johnny King (Jan. 1933) (1)
OPBF: Speedy Dado (May 1932) (2)

FLY

WBA: Midget Wolgast (May 1931) (9)
NABF: Newsboy Brown (Feb. 1933) (0)
USBA: Fidel LaBarba (Sep. 1932) (3)
CBU: Kid Socks (Oct. 1931) (3)
GBU: Jackie Brown (Jun. 1932) (0)
EBU: Kid Socks (Sep. 1933) (0)
OPBF: Inactive

Comments: Again, the key take-away point is the continuing high degree of turnover in these titles, with 29 of 53 active titles (over 50%) changing hands during the year. At the other end of the scale, Mickey Walker has recorded an incredible number (25) of successful title defenses (just three short of the all-time record, 28, by Non-Pareil Jack Dempsey in the same division. However, long title reigns appear to be the exception, rather than the rule, as only five of the current titleholders (Wolgast, Berg, Canzoneri and Steele, in addition to Walker) have made five or more successful defenses.

JCWeb · 08-20-2013, 11:31 AM

This is a summary of ring action from the first half of January 1934, covering a total of 58 bouts.

Jan. 5, 1934: The year kicks off with the now-traditional Friday night card at Buffalo’s Memorial Auditorium. No title bouts on the agenda, but the headliner matches two top 10 MW contenders, as Jack McVey faces Johnny Romero. First meeting of the two, both of whom are still at Prime. Romero lands the first telling blow when he connects with a cross at the end of round two, staggering McVey. Midway through the bout, McVey’s left eye is beginning to swell. However, in round six, there is a huge momentum swing as Romero suffers a cut over his left eye. Then, in the seventh round, Romero misses and leaves himself open to a McVey combination. Romero topples to the canvas, arising at the count of eight. This means the bout goes down to the wire for the final three rounds of action. Romero bounces back with a big round eight and nine, and he goes on to take a UD 10 (96-93, 95-94, 95-94). Romero improves to 25-6 (17) with the win, while McVey drops to 36-18-2 (18) with the loss. Romero moves to the top five in the rankings, and his managers begin campaigning for a title shot some time later in the year.

Jan. 6, 1934: Back to Europe, specifically the Palais des Sports in Cannes, France, for the next card. The main event is an EBU Flyweight title bout, with Kid Socks making his first defense of the crown he won last year against a former EBU Champion, Emile Pladner. It is the first meeting of the two, and Pladner hopes that his status as the hometown favorite is sufficient to offset the champion’s edge for Socks. With two boxers, the bout devolves into a tactical affair. Buoyed on by the hometown crowd, Pladner gradually begins to pull ahead in the middle rounds. Socks tries to pick up the pace as the bout enters the later rounds, but tiredness sets in as he is not able to penetrate Pladner’s defenses. The Frenchman goes on to take a UD 12 (115-113, 117-112, 117-111) and regains the EBU title belt. Post-fight career totals: Pladner, 22-10-2 (8); Kid Socks, 31-19-3 (8).

Jan. 6, 1934: More action in the States with a card at the Miami Arena. Former WBA Champ Jack Sharkey is back in action, defending his NABF title against Elmer Ray. It’s a classic boxer versus slugger matchup, with Sharkey fulfilling the role of boxer against Ray’s slugger. Sharkey is confident, based on an earlier win over Ray, via a KO from 1931. This time, Ray gets off early, surprising Sharkey with a solid uppercut that forces the “Boston Gob” to cover up to last the round. In round five, Sharkey is forced to cover up again after he is on the receiving end of a sharp three-punch combination from “Kid Violet.” By round seven, there is a noticeable welt under Sharkey’s left eye, the result of repeated punishment dished out by the challenger. Then, in round 10, Ray is able to put Sharkey on the canvas with a hook to the head; Sharkey takes a five-count before arising, and he manages to last the round. Tired and desperately seeking to retain his title, Sharkey goes on the offensive in round 11, and he manages to connect with a big right that rocks Ray, forcing the challenger to cover up. Ray, however, manages to survive that round and through the final round, taking a close but UD 12 (115-113, 116-112, 116-112) to capture the title and improve to 27-5 (16). Sharkey slips to 30-9 (18) after the loss.

Jan. 12, 1934: Next Friday card is north of the border at Vancouver’s Exhibition Gardens. As usual, there are several Canadian fan favorites on the card, but the main event matches two top five FW contenders: the Cuban Kid Chocolate and reigning EBU Champ Maurice Holtzer. In one of the preliminary bouts, Argentinian Justo Suarez blasted out former LW contender Sammy Mandell in one, the KO 1 result solidifying Suarez’s spot among the top 10 LWs, all while boosting his career totals to 24-5-1 (16). Then, in the main event, Chocolate takes the ring against Holtzer. The “Cuban Bon Bon” races to an early lead, and an outgunned Holtzer is unable to land any telling blows to reverse the trend, plus the Frenchman tires badly in the later rounds. This enables Kid Chocolate to take a UD 10 (97-93 on all cards) and stake his claim for a possible WBA or NABF title shot later in 1934. The win ups Chocolate’s overall career totals to 23-3-5 (14), while Holtzer heads back to Europe at 28-9-1 (11).

Jan. 13, 1934: Next up is some fistic action at the Stadium in Liverpool. Only one bout of note, and it’s the headliner, for the GBU MW title belt held by Jock McAvoy. McAvoy is making the sixth title defense of the belt he has held since 1930 against Billy Bird, whom he defeated via a TKO stoppage in a 1931 bout, that for the Commonwealth MW crown. This time around, Bird catches the Champ with an uppercut that forces McAvoy to cover up in the opening round. After the first four rounds, McAvoy appears to be in difficult shape, with a welt forming under his right eye due to the accumulated impact of the blows landed by the challenger. However, the end comes suddenly in round five when McAvoy nails Bird with a strong shot that puts the challenger down and out. KO 5 for McAvoy, who retains the belt. Post-fight career marks: McAvoy, 24-4-4 (17); Bird, 35-15-4 (15).

Jan. 13, 1934: Next up is a packed card at New Orleans’ Coliseum Arena. A couple of quality matches on the undercard, followed by a USBA title bout topping off the evening as the main event. First up, unbeaten LH John Henry Lewis takes to the ring against veteran Ray Pelkey, a second successive top 20 opponent for the young Lewis. Pelkey proves to be a tough nut to crack, and Lewis is content to lay back on the outside and box for the first few rounds. Then, in round five, Lewis strikes, dropping Pelkey to the deck with a vicious uppercut. Pelkey arises at the count of three and manages to last the round. A second KD follows in round seven, but Lewis cannot put Pelkey away and has to settled for a very convincing UD 10 (99-88, 99-91, 98-90) to run his unbeaten record to 17-0 (15). In the co-feature, two reigning Champs collide in a non-title affair as WBA JLW Champ Tod Morgan moves up in weight to face Wesley Ramey, the newly-crowned NABF LW Champ. With two boxers, the bout evolves into a defensive struggle, with Morgan seeming to gain the upper hand in the early going. Ramey moves inside to pick up the pace, and this has a noticeable effect as Morgan’s right eye begins to show signs of swelling as a result. In the final round, Ramey comes close to a knockdown when a three-punch combo staggers Morgan, who remains afoot and lasts the distance. However, the decision goes to Ramey, not a big surprise, although the margin is as he takes a UD 10 victory (98-92, 97-93, 96-94) to move to 19-1-4 (9), moving up to the top 10 in the LW rankings as a result. The loss drops Morgan to 41-10-1 (12), leaving him pondering whether or not to continue defending the JLW title or move up to the more active LW division for good. Then, in the main event, BW K. O. Morgan makes his first defense of the USBA title against a former Champ, Eddie “Cannonball” Martin. Martin, however, is at Post-Prime and beginning to show the effects of aging. In this bout, an early clash of heads during round two leads to a cut on Martin’s forehead that proves difficult for his corner to treat. The cut continues to ooze blood through most of the bout, and in round five there is even more blood in the ring as Morgan sustains a cut over his left eyebrow. It is Martin’s cut that is the most severe, however, and it leads to a stoppage midway through round six. Because it was due to an accidental butt, the bout goes to the scorecards after five and Morgan is able to retain the title via a UTD 6 (49-46, 48-47, 48-47) to move his career stats to 19-3-3 (14); Martin is 36-18-3 (15) after the loss.

JCWeb · 08-23-2013, 07:04 PM

This is a summary of ring action from the second half of January 1934, covering a total of 59 bouts.

Jan. 19, 1934: Time for another “Friday night fights Down Under” in Sydney, Australia. It’s a good card, headlined by two title contests. On the undercard, young HW Jack O’Malley runs his record to 22-1 (11) but not without some difficulty, taking a MD 10 from veteran Jack Humbeeck. Then, in the first of the duo of title bouts, veteran Billy Grime faces GBU and EBU Champ Harry Mason for Grime’s Commomwealth LW title. It’s the fifth meeting of the two, but a 3-1 edge for Grime in their prior encounters may not mean much given that the Aussie has hit Post-Prime career stage. Mason is able to build a solid points lead, but Grime has his moment in round nine, bringing the crowd to its feet when he stuns Mason with a left hook to the body that rocks the Brit, who survives and goes on to a lopsided UD 12 (119-111, 118-111, 118-112) to capture his third LW title belt. Mason improves to 34-20-3 (5) with the win, while Grime drops to 28-20-2 (16) with the loss. Then, the main event is for the OPBF WW belt that was vacated last year when Irineo Flores stepped up to successfully challenge for the WBA crown. Filipino Lope Tenorio is matched with Kiwi Ted Morgan, and Tenorio has the advantage of a prior win (back in 1932) over Morgan. Tenorio makes a strong start, and by the end of the second round Morgan is showing some signs of puffiness around his left eye. After trailing badly through the opening four rounds, Morgan finally begins to make an impact in round five, and it is Tenorio who is backed up and suffering the effects of swelling around both eyes, plus a cut over the right eye. Tenorio rebounds quickly, nailing Morgan with a three-punch combo in round six. In round nine, the cut over Tenorio’s eye is reopened, but some good cornerwork keeps matters under the control. Then, in round 10, a nasty-looking cut appears over the right eye of Morgan. With Tenorio well ahead on points, the ref calls a halt when the cut over Morgan’s eye becomes too serious to continue. TKO 12 for Tenorio, who once again is OPBF WW Champion for the third time in his career. Post-fight records are Tenorio, 22-13-7 (8); Morgan, 18-6-1 (9).

Jan. 20, 1934: Back to Europe, this time to the Sports Palace in Rome, Italy. It’s a good card, with a EBU title bout preceded by a 10-round co-feature that has none other than the “Ambling Alp,” Primo Carnera, facing American Jack Gross. This proves to be an entertaining bout with lots of action. Carnera gets off to a strong start, and by the midway point of the bout, Gross is suffering from a rapidly swelling right eye. The action picks up in round five, when Carnera decks Gross with a hook to the head. Primo follows up a round later with a second KD, after landing a big uppercut. Then, Carnera gets careless, allowing Gross back in the fight. Gross decks Carnera with a big combination, and then later in the same round he follows up with a cross to put Primo down for a count of eight. That sixth round is already a candidate for round of the year! (Something I did not focus on in the 1933 awards.) Anyway, Carnera is able to regroup and puts Gross down for a third time in round eight when he connections with a combination. Two more KDs that same round, and the bout is stopped. TKO 8 for Carnera as the three-knockdown rule is in effect. The Italian HW moves to 20-4-1 (16), while Gross ends the bout at 24-11 (13). Good action fight to get the fans ready for the main event, which sees Cleto Locatelli making the first defense of the EBU WW title in over a year, and this time he is facing the unbeaten but highly regarded German contender, Gustav Eder. It’s the first meeting of the two, and there is a long feeling-out process with Locatelli emerging with a slight edge by the midway point of the 12-rounder. Eder tries to become more aggressive and moves inside, but in round eight he sustains a cut over his right eye. He falls even further behind on points, as Locatelli has delivered a solid, workman-like performance in a bout that seems likely to go to decision. However, a surprise twist when, in round 11, the German suffers a severe hand injury and cannot continue. Locatelli is declared the winner via a TKO 11, although he was well ahead on points at the time of the stoppage. Post-fight records: 28-8-1 (10) for Locatelli; 25-1-2 (9) for Eder, who suffers his first career loss.

Jan. 20, 1934: Back in the States for a huge card at the Garden in New York. First up, on the undercard, is the “Harlem Thunderbolt,” MW Harry Smith, who faces top 10 MW Young Terry in a 10-round, non-title affair. Things go badly for Smith at the outset, as he suffers a cut over his left eye in round one. However, he recovers quickly, and puts Terry down with a barrage of blows near the end of round two. In round three, a sharp combination from Smith causes Terry to cover up. Terry continues to battle, however, and after a big round seven for Terry, there is noticeable swelling under Smith’s right eye. A round later, Smith battles back, and this time it is Terry whose left eye is puffing up. The bout goes the distance, and Terry takes a UD 10 (97-94, 96-94, 96-94) to run his career totals to 28-9-3 (10); Smith slips to 23-6 (16) with the loss. In the co-feature, two top five LHs square off as Maxie Rosenbloom takes on Battling Bozo, with a possible title shot on the horizon for the winner. Rosenbloom gradually piles up points with solid defensive skills, and in round four, Bozo suffers a cut over his right eye. A couple of big rounds (five and six) put Rosenbloom well ahead, but Bozo battles from behind to keep the bout close. In fact, many are surprised that Maxie is able to escape with only a SD 10 (95-94, 94-95, 96-93). Post-fight marks: Rosenbloom, 32-10-6 (13); Bozo, 23-5-1 (10). Then, the main event has WBA LH Champ, the unbeaten Tiger Jack Fox, making his first defense against the #1 ranked contender, USBA Champion George Manley. In round one, Manley surprises Fox with a three-punch combo that stuns the Champ. Fox covers up to last the round. Early in round two, Fox retaliates which a nice, short uppercut that buckles Manley’s knees; Manley does not go down, and manages to cover up and survive the round. Then, in round four, Fox regains control, and both Manley’s eyes are showing signs of swelling as a result. A straight right puts the challenger on his seat near the end of the round. More of the same in round five, and this time Manley is not able to beat the count as Fox lands another big shot. KO 5 for Tiger Jack Fox, who maintains the WBA title along with his unblemished career record, now 31-0 (23 KO). Manley ends the match at 33-15 (16).

Jan. 26, 1934: Next Friday night card is at Atlantic City. Appearing for the first time in the main event is young HW Jersey Joe Walcott, who has worked his way into the top 20 ratings and faces veteran Jim Maloney. Maloney is still in the top 20 but now on the downside of his career, having hit Post-Prime in 1934. Walcott makes a strong start, putting Maloney down for a seven-count in the opening round -- Maloney’s left eye is already showing signs of swelling by the end of the opening round. Maloney perseveres, however, and he has his moment in the fifth round when he nails Walcott with a nice uppercut, forcing Jersey Joe to cover up. The end comes a couple of rounds later, when Walcott reasserts control, catching Maloney with a barrage of blows to score a second KD, then finishing with a big uppercut. KO 7 for Walcott lifts his career totals to 19-0 (17). Maloney ends the bout at 27-13-1 (23).

Jan. 27, 1934: Back to the UK for a solid card at the Olympia in London. The headliner is a meeting of two reigning WBA Champions, but on the undercard power-punching LH Paul Berlenbach, the “Astoria Assassin,” faces long-time GBU titleholder Gypsy Daniels in a non-title affair. Berlenbach gets off the canvas – the result of a lucky shot from Daniels in round seven – and manages to put Daniels on the deck in the final round with a big hook and, at one KD apiece, the UD 10 goes to Berlenbach (97-92, 99-91, 98-90). Post-fight career marks: Berlenbach, 30-12 (21); Daniels, 31-22-2 (18). Then, in the main event, the “Whitechapel Whirlwind,” Jack Kid Berg, drops down to LW to challenge the “Roman Warrior,” Tony Canzoneri, for the latter’s WBA LW Champion. It’s the third meeting of the two, with Berg having won two prior meetings at JWW. Not much in the way of action until the end of round four, when Berg rocks Canzoneri with a hook to the head. More of the same just before the bell in the fifth, when Berg once again staggers the American Champ with a hook; at this point, there is noticeable swelling under Canzoneri’s right eye. Berg has pulled ahead, and he continues to press his advantage in the middle rounds. Meanwhile, Canzoneri hangs tough, despite suffering a cut over his left eye suffered in round 10. He battles back, bloodying Berg’s lip and causing the JWW Champ’s left eye to swell up. The bout remains close right up to the final bell, and the result – a SD 15 for Canzoneri (144-141, 142-143, 143-142) -- does not sit well with the pro-Berg crowd. Canzoneri is 31-4-2 (15) with the win, avenging two of his prior losses. Berg, on the other hand, slips to 30-8-3 (10), but is planning on remaining in the LW division, where the competition and paydays are likely to be greater than the rather moribund JWW division.

Jan. 27, 1934: The month wraps up with a packed card at Panama City, Panama. Lots of Latino fighters in action, with the main event matching two former WBA BW Champs, Panama Al Brown and Speedy Dado, in a 10-round, non-title affair. Brown, who is seeking to build on three recent wins, is on the comeback trail, facing Dado, the same man he TKO’d to capture the WBA BW title for the second time back in 1932. This time, the action commences in round two, with Brown getting off to an inauspicious start by suffering a cut over his left eye. In the third round, Brown connects with a hook and puts Dado on the deck. A round later, Brown rocks Dado with big right hand, forcing the Filipino to cover up. By the end of the round, there is noticeable swelling under Dado’s right eye. Things get worse for Dado in round six, when he suffers a cut over his left eye. Then, in the seventh round, Brown floors Dado with a big shot that puts Dado down and out. KO 7 for Brown, repeating his earlier win. This moves Panama Al’s career totals to 42-7 (17); Dado dips to 24-10-2 (13) with the loss. Good action bout to wrap up the month’s fistic activities.

JCWeb · 08-28-2013, 10:49 AM

This is a summary of ring action from the first half of February 1934, covering a total of 56 bouts.

Feb. 2, 1934: “Friday night fights” moves to the Boston Garden. Not a huge card, but a pair of interesting contests, including a USBA title clash. In the co-feature, Joe “Cairo Calamity” Knight seeks to crack the top 10 LH contenders by taking on veteran Lou Scozza in a 10-round, non-title affair. The bout does not go well for Scozza, who suffers a cut over his right eye in round two. A few rounds later, more blows landed by Knight, and there is swelling under Scozza’s damaged right eye as well. The cut reopens a round later, leading to an immediate stoppage. TKO 5 for Knight, running his career record to 23-3-2 (14). Scozza drops to 33-8-1 (24) with the loss. Then, in the main event, USBA LW mpion Sammy Fuller makes his first defense against “the Fargo Express,” Billy Petrolle, a former WBA LW Champion. Good news for Fuller, though, Petrolle has peaked and is now in his first bout at Post-Prime. Fuller gradually wears down the aging vet and, in round five, puts Petrolle on the deck with a barrage of effective punches. Fuller goes on the dominate the rest of the way, while Petrolle is a shadow of his former self. The UD 12 goes to Fuller (116-110, 117-109, 116-110). Post-fight records are Fuller, 37-7 (6); Petrolle, 42-6-3 (21).

Feb. 3, 1934: Next up is a card very light in quantity but heavy in quality at the Ullevi Stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden. The main event is a WBA FW title contest, with Pete DeGrasse making his first title defense against #2 ranked contender, reigning NABF titleholder Freddie Miller. Miller gets off to a good start, pulling ahead in the early going with good, solid boxing through the early and middle rounds. In round eight, the Champ battles back, working inside and delivering with a huge round. However, Miller settles in and takes a points lead into the later rounds. DeGrasse, tired and trailing, tries to be more aggressive but Miller’s defense remains solid. Then, in the final round, DeGrasse catches a huge break, as the referee inserts himself in the bout. Miller is called for illegal clinching, leaning on the neck of DeGrasse who is unable to get his hands free. The flagrant foul call leads to a disqualification. DeGrasse thus takes a DQ-15 to retain the belt. A peek at the judges’ cards showed all three favoring Miller, although the scores were close. Miller’s connections filed a protest, but to no avail. DeGrasse keeps the WBA title belt and moves his career stats to 26-8-1 (6); Miller is now 25-4 (12) but still has the NABF belt to fall back on.

Feb. 3, 1934: Back in the States for a solid card at the Dodge Theater in Phoenix. No titles at stake, but the main event sees two top five LW contenders square off, as Ray Miller meets Jack Portney. Not much action until round two, when Portney sustains a nasty cut over his right eyebrow. The bout remains close through the early going, but the cut proves decisive when, in round five, the ref steps in and signals an early end to the bout. It goes into the books as a TKO 5 for Ray Miller on the cuts stoppage. Miller improves to 36-10 (16). Portney is 26-6-2 (14) after the setback.

Feb. 9, 1934: Next Friday night card returns to a popular venue, the Gran Stadium in Havana, Cuba. No title bouts on the agenda, but featured in the main event are two top HWs, with Commonwealth titleholder Larry Gains facing Joe Banovic, a former USBA HW Champ. Gains appears to be gaining the upper hand, but in round five he is slowed by a cut under the left eye. Banovic does well to keep the bout close, but Gains’ corner does a very good job of preventing the cut from becoming a factor in the bout. Midway through the seventh, Gains rips a hard shot to the top of Banovic’s head, forcing the latter to cover up. Gains goes on to take a UD 10 (98-94, 97-95, 97-95), despite suffering some minor swelling around the injured eye late in the bout. Post-fight, Gains moves to 35-9 (21). Banovic ends the bout at 29-8 (9).

Feb. 10, 1934: Next card is at the Forum in Montreal. Crowd favorite Bobby Leitham, the “Verdun Flash,” is featured in the main event, making the fifth defense of his NABF BW title against a hot young fighter, the 19-1 Puerto Rican, Sixto Escobar. It is Leitham’s first bout at Post, and Escobar’s first fight at Prime. Escobar gets off to a strong start, but Leitham is able to land some stinging blows to cause some swelling around the challenger’s left eye by the midway point of the bout. Then, in round seven, Escobar is cut over the injured eye, and Leitham decides to target the cut. A round later, the situation is reversed as it is Leitham who suffers a cut over his left eye. In round 10, Leitham manages to reopen the cut over the Puerto Rican’s eye. The cut is patched up a second time, but to no avail, as a couple of rounds later, the cut is reopened once again, and this time, the ref has seen enough. TKO 11 for Leitham, who retains the title to run his record to 28-5-1 (12). A good showing by Escobar, who suffers just his second career defeat to end the bout at 19-2 (9).

Feb. 10, 1934: Next card is at the Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis. Good, solid card topped by a USBA title contest. The protagonists are Vince Dundee, USBA MW titleholder, and challenger Gorilla Jones, another top 10 MW. Vince Dundee holds a prior win (via a TKO) over Jones but that was back in 1928. Jones has won his last three to set up this title shot, and it is Dundee’s first defense of the belt he won in 1933. Jones is the aggressor in the early and middle rounds. In round seven, Dundee absorbs a wicked cross to the head and goes down, arising at the count of nine. There’s no time left in the round, so the break enables Dundee sufficient time to clear his head. Jones is unable to finish but pulls ahead on points in round eight. Then, starting round nine, the Champ rallies, battling back and putting Jones on the defense. By round 11, the damage inflicted on Jones results in a rapidly swelling left eye. Dundee takes the final four rounds of the fight to come back and take a SD 12 (115-112, 113-114, 115-112) to hang on to the title belt. Post-fight career marks are 33-8-3 (14) for Dundee, 32-12-1 (18) for Gorilla Jones. Strong early contender for fight-of-the-year.

JCWeb · 09-02-2013, 10:01 AM

This is a summary of ring action from the second half of February 1934, covering a total of 74 bouts. A couple of notable debuts in the USA are covered in this report.

Feb. 16, 1934: “Friday night fights” goes “Down Under” once again, to Sydney, Australia. In the co-feature, 19-2 MW prospect, Aussie Fred Henneberry, faces veteran Teddy Yarosz in a non-title contest. Henneberry finds the rugged Yarosz to be an elusive target, as the American’s defenses effectively blunt the power of Henneberry throughout most of the fight. Yarosz goes on to take a UD 10 (97-95, 97-94, 97-94) to move to 21-5 (13) overall. For Henneberry, it is his second straight loss – following an unsuccessful challenge for the OPBF title – to drop him to 19-3 (10) overall. In the main event, reigning OPBF HW king Tom “the Hard Rock Down Under” Heeney faces King Levinsky, another American, in a non-title affair. Levinsky, following a recent run of good results, is looking to move up the HW rankings against Heeney, who has slowed a step but still packs a wallop. Heeney starts off as the aggressor, but he is nothing more than an inviting target for Levinsky, who lands repeatedly such that Heeney’s left eye is puffing up as early as round four. The swelling worsens as the bout progresses, and Levinsky coasts to a one-sided UD 10 (99-91 on all three cards), much to the chagrin of the Heeney supporters at ringside. Post-fight records are Levinsky, 22-3-1 (11); Heeney, 35-19-1 (12).

Feb. 17, 1934: The Sports Palace in Rome, Italy hosts the next fistic action, with a notable WBA title clash headlining the card. Only bout of note on the undercard leading up to the main event is between two unbeaten young BW prospects, Romania’s Aurel Toma and Mexico’s Raul Casanova. It’s an entertaining action bout that sees Toma battling a swollen left eye and Casanova struggling with a split lip in the early going. Then, in the fourth, Casanova decks Toma for the count of nine with a nice combination. A second KD follows in round eight, and the Mexican takes a lopsided UD 10 (100-89, 100-89, 99-90) to move to 11-0 (10); Toma’s first career setback leaves him at 11-1 (8). At the end of the evening, it is time for the main event, which matches a current WBA titleholder with an all-time great, as Barney Ross defends his WBA WW crown against Benny Leonard, former LW Champ who is entering the ring for his 95^th pro bout. After a long feeling-out process, both men feel comfortable trading blows, boxing from the outside. Ross gets off to a good start, taking the first two rounds, but the 38-year-old Leonard rebounds quickly with a strong third round, and he also has the edge in round four. Leonard continues to hold his own through the middle rounds, but in round eight he suffers a cut over his left eye that proves troublesome as the bout wears on. After ten, the unofficial card has it even at 95 apiece. Ross begins to press the action on the inside as the bout enters the later rounds. In round 12, the cut is reopened. Leonard stays outside but also tries to protect the cut, which is being targeted by Ross. Finally, in the 14^th, the cut is ripped open and, despite protests from Leonard’s corner, the ref consults with the ring doctor and then calls a halt. TKO 14 for Ross on the cuts stoppage. Ross keeps the WBA title belt and moves to 23-2-1 (8); Leonard is now 82-10-3 (42) after what could turn out to be his final WBA title contest.

Feb. 17, 1934: Back in the States for the next card, at New York City’s Madison Square Garden. One notable debut on the undercard, as promising LH Gus Lesnevich kicks his career off on the right foot when he flattens a TC with a KO 4 win to go 1-0 (1) after his initial pro outing. Also on the undecard is young Flyweight Istvan Enekes, a former Olympic Champ who takes on veteran Corporal Izzy Schwartz in a 10-round, non title bout. It is Enekes’ first bout at Prime, and he takes advantage of an early cut opened over Schwartz’s left eye in the initial round. The cut gradually worsens and leads to a stoppage midway through the bout. TKO 6 for Enekes to run his career totals to 18-2-1 (10). Schwartz is now 29-17-2 (7). After a couple of additional bouts, it is time for the main event. Another non-title bout, but it matches a former WBA HW Champ against an up-and-comer as Young Stribling is matched with Max Baer. Baer is looking to make a name for himself and also to move up the HW ranks. Early in round three, a Baer hook staggers Stribling and forces the ex-Champ to cover up. In the fourth round, Stribling misses with a left and leaves himself open for another Baer hook. Once again, Stribling covers up and manages to last the round. Baer gets careless in round five, though, and he walks into a Stribling cross and goes down briefly near the end of the round. The rest of the bout is fairly close, with Stribling landing enough punches to put some swelling under Baer’s left eye. Baer remains the aggressor to the end, but the decision goes to Stribling via a SD 10 (95-94, 95-96, 96-94) who moves to 46-8-2 (24) with the win. Tough loss for Baer, now 19-3 (18), who needs to find an easier opponent in order to crack the upper echelon in the HW ranks.

Feb. 23, 1934: Next Friday night card is at Atlantic City’s Convention Hall. On the undercard are two young MWs, with unbeaten Ken Overlin facing Eddie “Babe” Risko for a possible move into the top 20 spot in the MW rankings. Overlin suffers a cut over his left eye early in the bout, and the action is called to an early halt – a technical draw as the cut was ruled due to an accidental butt. Overlin is 20-0-1 (11) after the bout, Risko is 21-2-1 (10) as both men appear to have bright futures. The main event is for the USBA FW title, as Eddie Shea makes his first defense against a former WBA Champion, the higher ranked Louis Kaplan. It is Shea’s first bout at Post, as Kaplan has already reached Post. Things start badly for Shea, who suffers a cut over his right eye in the opening stanza. The cut reopens in round five and then again, in round nine, leading to a late stoppage. TKO 9 for Kaplan. Post-fight, Kaplan is 43-13-3 (11). Shea, whose one career title reign did not last long, ends the bout at 28-16-3 (15).

Feb. 24, 1934: Next card is at Earls Court in London. No titles at stake, and the fight card has a number of British fighters facing foreign opposition. In the main event, CBU and GBU FW Champion Al Foreman faces the highIy regarded Cuban. Kid Chocolate, the #2 ranked FW contender. Chocolate puts Foreman down in the opening round with a big hook; Foreman arises at the count of eight. Chocolate continues as the aggressor through the early and middle rounds, with Foreman just hoping to weather the storm. In round six, the Cuban takes a step back but still unloads with another strong shot to register the second KD of the fight. On wobbly legs, Foreman arises after hanging onto the ropes to assist him. Late in the bout, the Brit is cut under the left eye. The cut is not a relevant factor as Chocolate takes a lopsided UD 10 (97-91, 99-89, 99-89) to run his career totals to 24-3-5 (14). Foreman is now 32-20-1 (22).

Feb. 24, 1934: Final card of the month, at Detroit’s Briggs Stadium. It’s a packed card, headlined by a USBA WW title bout. First up is another significant pro debut on the undercard, as MW Tony Zale, the “Man of Steel,” makes quick work of his TC opponent, taking a TKO 2 to go 1-0 (1). Then, in the main event, Joe Dundee and Tommy Freeman are matched for the vacant USBA WW belt, previously held by Barney Ross who now reigns as the WBA Champion. Both men are still in their prime, and Freeman took a UD 10 win in a prior encounter back in 1931. Dundee has a slight edge in the early going, and as the bout wears on, Freeman becomes more and more aggressive. No cuts or knockdowns, as both fighers are unmarked. The UD 12 goes to Dundee (116-113, 117-112, 117-112). Post-fight career marks are 39-5-7 (13) for Dundee, 31-16-2 (13) for Freeman.

JCWeb · 09-04-2013, 11:18 PM

This is a summary of ring action from the first half of March 1934, covering a total of 54 bouts. Several title belts destined to change hands.

Mar. 2, 1934: “Friday night fights” at Pittsburgh. Unbeaten MW prospect Al Hostak makes it 10 KO wins in 10 bouts, vanquishing a TC in his first career 10-rounder with an impressive TKO 2 win. Then, the main event features another top young unbeaten fighter, LH John Henry Lewis, who moves up to main event status in his toughest test to date, facing top 10 contender and former USBA LH Champ Battling Bozo. Bozo’s experience and superior boxing skills show in the earlier rounds, as he builds a slight points edge through the first half of the 10-round bout. Lewis becomes more aggressive in the second half of the bout, working on the inside to take round seven. Both men battle all the way to the end as the bout goes the distance with no cuts or knockdowns. The end result – a draw (95-all on all three cards) – seems justified. Post-fight, Bozo is 23-5-2 (10) and, while Lewis remains unbeaten at 17-0-1 (15), he still has some work to do in order to move up the LH rankings.

Mar. 3, 1934: Back to Europe at the Amor Bahn in Munich, and a WBA title bout headlines the card. BW Champ Kid Francis defends the WBA belt against long-time top contender Bushy Graham. The early edge goes to Francis as, by the end of round five, the challenger is beginning to suffer the effects of a rapidly swelling left eye as a result of the accumulated blows landed by the Champ. Graham keeps battling and manages to keep the bout close into the later rounds. The bout goes the distance and, in a bit of a surprise, Graham manages to lift the belt via a MD 15 (146-143, 143-143, 144-142). Post-fight career marks for the two: Graham, 33-16-1 (10); Francis, 29-13-3 (17).

Mar. 9, 1934: Back in the States for a Friday night card at the Miami Arena. Only notable bout is the main event, for the USBA HW title. Ad Warren, who won the title last year, makes his first defense against Patsy Pirrone. It is Pirrone’s first title shot of any kind and, with Warren hitting Post-Prime in 1934, he stands a good chance in this encounter. In the first meeting of these two, Pirrone takes advantage of Warren’s weakened defense and, by the end of round three, there are telltale signs of swelling under the left eye of the Champ. The eye becomes an inviting target for Pirrone, who builds a points lead. Then, in round seven, Warren gets careless and leaves himself open for a big shot from Pirrone that puts him down and out. Warren cannot beat the count, so it goes down as a KO 7 win for Pirrone who takes the USBA title belt and improves to 24-4-1 (4) overall. Warren dips to 24-6 (19) after the loss.

Mar. 10, 1934: Next card is back at the Stadium in Liverpool, England. There’s a huge upset on the undercard with lightly regarded Flyweight Mickey McGuire takes a SD 10 (94-96, 95-94, 95-94) over veteran Kid Socks, who still retains the Commonwealth Fly title bet which was not at stake in what was expected to be a “tune-up” for a future title bout. As a result, McGuire is 16-7 (5) after the bout, compated to a 31-20-3 (8) career mark for Socks, who is now at Post-Prime career stage. Then, in the main event topping a fairly light card, Harry Mason puts his GBU LW title on the line against the much younger George Daly, who at 17-1 is in his first title bout. Mason starts well but suffers a cut over his right eye in round six. Daly targets the cut, and manages to rally while Mason and his corner work on preventing the cut from becoming a major factor in the bout. Despite the cut being reopened in round 12, the bout goes the distance, with Mason managing to escape with a draw (114-all, 115-113 Mason, 112-116 Daly). He keeps the GBU belt along with the EBU and Commonwealth belts which were not at stake. a makes his first defense against a former WBA Champion, the higher ranked Louis Kaplan. Post-fight, Mason is 34-20-4 (11). Daly, whose connections are seeking an immediate rematch, ends the bout at 16-1-1 (7).

Mar. 10, 1934: Next card is at Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens. LHs on display, with a NABF title clash headlining the card. The main support has long-time Commonwealth and ex-WBA Champ, Jack Delaney, facing Eddie McGovern. Both these sluggers are at Post-Prime. Delaney lands more punches and pulls ahead on points. Midway through the bout, there is swelling under McGovern’s left eye as a result of his being on the receiving end of many of these blows. In the final round, an exhausted McGovern hits the canvas from a Delaney combination. The bout is halted with just eight seconds remaining, and Delaney is awarded a TKO 10 win. Post-fight records are 43-12-3 (27) for Delaney, 32-16-4 (23) for McGovern. Then, in the main event, Tiger Jack Payne defends his NABF LH title against Tony Shucco. For Shucco, it is his first title shot of any kind. Payne plays the role of slugger, while Shucco is more of a boxer. Halfway through the bout, Shucco pulls to a slight lead. Payne moves inside to step up the pressure, but he cannot break through Shucco’s defenses. The bout goes the distance, and the judges award the title to Shucco via a MD 12 (115-113, 114-114, 114-113) who runs his career record to 22-5 (8). The loss leaves Payne at 25-12 (9).

Mar. 16, 1934: Friday fights “Down Under” at Melbourne, Australia. Two bouts of note, both in the MW division. In the co-feature, ex-Champ Ceferino Garcia is on the comeback trail, taking on top five MW contender Johnny Romero in a 10-round, non-title affair. Both men have won their last two outings, and both are still at Prime career stage. Things start badly for Garcia when Romero rips a hook to head that staggers the Filipino ex-Champ in round two. A round later, Romero connects with a big cross that forces Garcia to cover up. By the end of round four, there is a cut under the left eye of Garcia. Romero continues to dominate in the second half of the fight, decking Garcia three times and taking a very one-sided UD 10 (99-88, 97-90, 99-88) to improve his overall career stats to 26-6 (17). Garcia is 30-12 (21) after the loss. The main event is for the Commonwealth MW title, as the holder, Canadian Lou Brouillard, has been lured down under to face the challenge of the reigning OPBF Champion, Aussie Ron Richards. A tough assignment for Brouillard, who did turn aside the challenge of another Aussie MW, Ambrose Palmer, in his most recent defense. This time, the hard-hitting Richards proves to be a tougher opponent, and after four, Brouillard is suffering from a cut over his right eye and a rapidly swelling left eye. The end comes a round later when the cut is reopened, leading to a quick stoppage, to the dismay of Brouillard and his handlers. TKO 5 for Richards, who adds the CBU title to his OPBF belt, and now the Aussie, at 25-2-2 (19), will be looking for a WBA title shot. The loss drops Brouillard to 19-5-1 (11).

JCWeb · 09-11-2013, 12:52 PM

This is a summary of ring action from the second half of March 1934, covering a total of 58 bouts, including two WBA title contests.

Mar. 17, 1934: Back to Europe at Cannes, France for a huge card featuring some double-barreled title bout action, including a WBA title tilt. In the co-feature, Frenchman Maurice Holtzer defends his EBU FW title against a former Champ, Dom Volante. It’s a rematch of a 1932 encounter for this same belt that ended up in a UD for Volante. This time, Volante is the aggressor in the early going, which pays dividends as Holtzer’s defenses are eventually pried open. The end comes suddenly in the sixth round after Volante connects with a short, clean uppercut that lands flush, putting Holtzer down and out. The Frenchman can’t beat the count, so the title goes back to Volante via a KO 6. Post-fight career marks are: Volante, 29-12-2 (18); Holtzer, 28-10-1 (11). Then, in the main event, Midget Wolgast makes his 10^th defense of his WBA Flyweight title against Emile Pladner, the reigning EBU titleholder. One prior meeting, back in 1929 when both men were still at Pre-Prime, resulted in a TKO win for Wolgast. The Champ enjoys an early edge through the first few rounds, but Pladner does well to keep the bout reasonably close and also to stay on his feet. No cuts or knockdowns, as the bout goes the distance. Wolgast retains the belt with a MD 15 (145-142, 143-143, 144-142), a result that was much closer than many observers thought, perhaps showing some favoritism to the French challenger. Post-fight, Wolgast is 34-4-1 (16) while Pladner slips to 22-11-2 (8), but he still retains the EBU belt which he expects to defend later in 1934.

Mar. 17, 1934: To the Cow Palace in San Francisco for the next series of bouts. Featured on the agenda is a NABF MW title contest, with Freddie Steele defending the belt against Young Terry. An earlier encounter, for the USBA MW title back in 1931, ended as a KO 3 for Steele. The action heats up in the opening round, with Steele delivering a huge hook to the head that stuns Terry. The challenger manages to last the round by covering up. In round seven, Steele breaks through Terry’s defenses with a barrage of blows that put the challenger on the deck for the first time. Terry arises at the count of eight, and he manages to last just a couple of more rounds. A cross to the head from Steele results in a second knockdown, and shortly thereafter the ref steps in to save Terry from further punishment. TKO 9 for Steele, who retains the belt for the seventh time. Post-fight career marks for the two: Steele, 31-3 (25); Terry, 28-10-3 (10).

Mar. 23, 1934: Next up is a rare Friday night card at the Olympia in London, England. The undercard matches some prime British talent against fighters from other parts of the world, with the main event this time being an EBU HW title clash. In the main support, reigning Commonwealth and GBU WW Champion Jack Hood faces American WW Paul Junior. It turns out to be a rather boring affair, with two boxers showing off their defensive skills for most of the desultory 10-rounder. What little action there is favors the American, as Junior takes a UD 10 (98-94, 98-93, 96-94). This moves him up the rankings, with career totals of 20-4-3 (12). Hood, who was at Post-Prime for the first time, slips to 26-9-7 (9). In the main event, Irishman Jack “Gorgeous Gael” Doyle defends the EBU title against an up-and-coming German fighter, Walter Neusel. Two sluggers means more action in this bout. The early action favors Doyle, as there is swelling under Neusel’s right eye as early as round three. The German begins to turn things around in the middle rounds, however, and he finds Doyle vulnerable to a hook to the head in round six. The Champ covers up to last the round but still comes away with a rapidly swelling right eye. Doyle, seeing the title slipping away, becomes more aggressive in the later rounds. The bout goes down to the wire, with the final round proving decisive as Neusel takes a SD 12 (115-114, 114-115, 117-113) to lift the belt, and the pro-Doyle crowd goes home unhappy. Neusel improves to 17-1-1 (14) with the win, while Doyle dips to 28-14-3 (20) after the loss.

Mar. 24, 1934: Next card is New Orleans’ Coliseum Arena. There’s a WBA title bout on the card, but first up is a 10-round, non-title Flyweight bout featuring ex-Champ and long-time top contender Frankie Genaro taking on Ruben “Dark Cloud” Bradley. The two boxers, wary of each other, leads to a rather tepid, defensive stuggle, with Genaro holding his own despite being at Post-Prime career stage. There is some swelling under Genaro’s right eye late in the bout, starting around round nine, but it is not really much of a factor as the two battle to a majority draw (94-96 Bradley, 95-95, 95-95). Post-fight records: Genaro, 41-15-3 (18); Bradley, 24-12-6 (5). The main event sees Tod Morgan making his first defense of his WBA JLW belt in over a year, facing a familiar foe, top contender Benny Bass; the two have met three times previously, with Morgan going 3-0 in those prior encounters. Will this time be any different? Bass manages to keep the bout close through the early rounds, but then Morgan cuts loose with a huge round five to seize control. Bass mixes up an inside and outside attack, while Morgan sticks mostly on the outside. Morgan decides to adopt a defensive posture in the later rounds, and both men are able to last the distance, unmarked, with no cuts or knockdowns throughout the bout. The result is a SD 15 for Morgan (144-142, 142-144, 144-141) which enables him to keep the belt despite the fact that one judge (perhaps impressed by Bass’ greater aggressive) went for the challenger. Post-fight, Morgan is 42-10-1 (12). Bass, frustrated by another loss to the Champion, ends the bout at 40-15-4 (14).

Mar. 30, 1934: Next Friday night card is at Havana’ Gran Stadium. The headliner is a NABF title clash, with the co-feature seeing ex-WBA WW Champ Irineo Flores taking on long-time top JWW contender Battling Shaw in a non-title contest. Shaw is the aggressor, but Flores looks comfortable fighting on the outside, gradually piling up a points lead. In round seven, Shaw leaves himself open for a big shot, and Flores delivers the knockout punch, putting Shaw down and out. KO 7 for Flores moves him to 41-13-2 (20). Shaw is 23-5-3 (12) after the loss. Then, it is time for the main event, with NABF LW Champ Wesley Ramey making his first defense of that belt against Cuban Emory Cabana, who is coming off a recent SD win over highly regarded Stanislaus Loayza to earn the title shot. Ramey starts well, but Cabana – buoyed on by a favorable hometown crowd – manages to keep the bout close into the middle rounds. Ramey then appears to be wearing down the Cuban challenger as the bout heads into the later rounds, with Cabana battling a rapidly swelling right eye from round nine out. In round 10, however, Ramey suffers a cut over his left eye, and the Cuban manages to rally to put the issue in doubt. When, the scorecards are read, Cabana becomes the new NABF LW Champion, taking a MD 12 (117-111, 114-114, 117-111). Post-fight records are 33-14-4 (12) for Cabana, 19-2-4 (6) for Ramey.

Mar. 31, 1934: The month wraps up with a big Saturday card at St. Nicholas Arena in New York City. No title bouts, but no fewer than FIVE HW bouts are on the card. In the first of these, two unbeaten prospects, Steve Dudas and Frank Feary, both at 8-0, do battle in an eight-rounder. Feary seizes control after landing a big shot in the third round, then follows up with KDs in the fourth, fifth and sixth. Dudas cannot recover so the third KD finishes it, KO 6 for Feary to move to 9-0 (8), while Dudas is 8-1 (6). Next up on the card is Leroy Haynes, who takes on veteran Bearcat Wright, a former USBA HW titleholder. In this one, Haynes is clearly not ready to step up and Wright takes a TKO 5 win. Post-fight marks: 30-15-4 (21) for Wright; 14-3-1 (11) for Haynes. Then, a bit of a break before the main support and feature bouts, and the fans see unbeaten MW Holman Williams goes to 15-0 (14), ending the career of visiting Karl Sahm with an impressive KO 5 finish by Williams. Then, in the main support, fan favorite Jimmy Braddock once again tries to jump start his flagging career, facing “Big Charley R” Retzlaff. Solid effort by Braddock, save for one difficult moment in round four when Ratzlaff connected with a big hook that staggered Braddock and forced “the Cinderella Man” to cover up. The SD 10 goes to Braddock (98-93, 95-96, 98-93), surprising only that one judge went for Ratzlaff in what appeared to be a solid points win for Braddock. After the bout, Braddock improves to 24-10-2 (6) and is looking for even tougher competition in his next outing. In the co-feature, Lee Ramage faces “Two Ton” Tony Galento with a spot in the top 20 a likelihood for the winner. Galento is in trouble early, suffering a split lip in round two, and Ramage takes advantage, building an early points lead. However, Galento battles back, showing boundless energy as the bout heads into the later rounds. In the end, though, it is not enough, as Ramage goes on to take a close but UD 10 verdict (96-94 on all cards) to run his career record to an excellent 22-2 (8). Galento is 22-5 (18) after the loss. The main event features former USBA HW Champ Joe Banovic, against the very talented newcomer, unbeaten Jersey Joe Walcott who at 19-0 is wrapping up the Pre-Prime stage of his career in this outing. Jersey Joe gets off to a good start, and Banovic is feeling the sting of his punches by the end of round two, when his right eye begins to puff up. Banovic battles back, however, and the bout is a close one heading into the middle rounds. In the sixth round, Walcott responds to the pressure by slicing open a cut over Banovic’s right eye. Banovic, in a desperate attempt to salvage the situation, leaves himself open to repeated salvos from Walcott who is on target with most of his punches. The end comes in round nine when Jersey Joe breaks through Banovic’s defenses to land a wicked cross that puts Banovic down and out. KO 9 for Walcott, who will begin the Prime stage of his career with a perfect 20-0 (18) record. The loss drops Banovic to 29-9 (9).

PWillisTheMan · 09-11-2013, 01:41 PM

When is Joe's debut?

JCWeb · 09-12-2013, 10:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PWillisTheMan

When is Joe's debut?

It will be soon, probably within a month real-life or several months (Universe time). Can't wait myself, which is why things are moving a bit faster these days ...

JCWeb · 09-17-2013, 01:40 PM

This is a summary of ring action from the first half of April 1934, covering a total of 53 bouts. This encompasses one World HW title fight, held in Berlin, Germany (Max Schmeling's home country).

Apr. 6, 1934: Good, solid Friday night card to start off the month at the War Memorial Auditorium in Syracuse, New York. No titles at stake but a couple of noteworthy bouts. In one of the main prelims, ex-WBA FW Champ Battling Battalino is back in action, facing Petey Sarron who looks to move up the FW ranks. Early action favors “Bat” as Sarron is showing signs of swelling under his right eye after just three rounds of action. Trailing in the bout, Sarron tries to become more aggressive in the second half of the fight. In round nine, his progress is slowed by a split lip. The bout goes to the scorecards and it is a fairly comfortable UD 10 (98-91, 97-92, 96-93) victory for Battalino. Post-fight career marks are: Battalino, 28-8 (12); Sarron, 24-11-4 (8). Then, in the main event, two top 10 LWs face each other as Ray Miller takes on Justo Suarez. Miller is angling for a title shot, but the Argentine Suarez has other ideas. In a traditional boxer versus puncher confrontation, Suarez is the aggressor and early on, it proves effective as a mouse forms under Miller’s right eye as early as round three. Suarez does not rest on his laurels and continues the offensive into the middle and later rounds. In round seven, he uses a lead right to set up the bout’s first knockdown, and Miller topples to the canvas, barely able to arise at the count of eight. The swelling worsens, and a late cut under the right eye of Suarez does not factor in to the final result: a lopsided UD 10 for Suarez (100-88, 99-89, 97-91), and the win lifts the Argentine slugger to 25-5-1 (16) overall. Already there is talk of a WBA title shot in his future. The loser, Miller, slips to 36-11 (16) after the loss.

Apr. 7, 1934: It’s the Berlin Sportpalast for the next series of bouts, home to HW Champion Max Schmeling who is set to make the fifth defense of his WBA title, but before that there is another German Champ, EBU MW titleholder Hein Domgorgen, making his first defense against Jock McAvoy, who has held the CBU and GBU MW crowns but never the EBU title. It’s the first meeting of the two. Bad luck for McAvoy who sustains a massive cut over his right eye in the third round, and the cut worsens a round later. Then, the end comes with a cut is opened over the other eye. TKO 4 for Domgorgen on the cuts stoppage, moving the German to 36-12-1 (19) overall, while McAvoy is now 24-5-4 (17). Then, Schmeling takes the ring to face a familiar foe, Paulino Uzcudan, who is the #6 ranked HW contender. Max took a SD win over Uzcudan back in 1931 and has reeled off 12 straight wins leading into his current title reign. Uzcudan is willing to mix it up, landing repeatedly in the opening round, enough to cause a bit of puffiness under Schmeling’s left eye. Schmeling takes a couple of rounds to get going, finally asserting himself with a strong round three, then moving inside to press his advantage. He gradually wears the “Basque Woodchopper” down through the middle and into the later rounds of the fight. In round 12, Uzcudan is able to catch Max with a nice uppercut that forces Schmeling to cover up. Schmeling adopts a defensive posture in the final few rounds and goes on to take a UD 15 (144-141, 144-141, 145-140) and run his winning streak to 13. Post fight career totals: Schmeling, 34-3 (25); Uzcudan, 33-11-1 (12).

Apr. 7, 1934: Next card is back in the States at Comiskey Park in Chicago. The main event has Ruby Goldstein, the NABF WW Champion, defending against Jackie Fields. It’s Goldstein’s third defense and his first meeting with the veteran Fields, who is now at Post-Prime career stage. However, Goldstein is cut over the right eye early on, and the cut never really stops bleeding. A halt is called midway through round four, and the TKO 4 goes to Fields on the cuts stoppage. Tough luck for Goldstein. Fields improves to 30-3-2 (15) with the win, while Goldstein is 38-9-3 (21) after the loss.

Apr. 13, 1934: Next up is a Friday night card at Vancouver’s Exhibition Gardens. No titles and a relatively light card, but still a couple of interesting matchups. One is a rematch featuring top 10 BWs Archie Bell and Vic Foley, two grizzled veterans of the ring wars now on the downslope of their careers. It is a rematch of a recent encounter that ended in a draw. This time around, the action in the early rounds favors Bell. Foley steps up and the pace and closes the margin in the middle rounds. No cuts or knockdowns, so the bout goes the distance, with Foley coming out on top, taking a MD 10 (97-94. 95-95, 96-94); no doubt the Canadian was helped by some favorable hometown judging. The post-fight marks: Foley, 37-16-3 (16); Bell, 33-11-4 (9). The main event sees the Commonwealth LH Champ, Jack “Bright Eyes” Delaney, in a non-title affair with the now higher rated contender, Young Firpo. Firpo gets off to a strong start against the aging Canadian veteran, taking the first two rounds. Delaney bounces back with a strong showing in round four, battering Firpo and causing noticeable swelling under the American’s right eye. Then, in the fifth round, the bout takes another turn as Delaney is cut over his right eye. Firpo then takes advantage, nailing Delaney with a huge uppercut in round six, forcing Delaney to cover up and also causing some swelling to develop under Delaney’s cut eye. Firpo delivers a short hook to the midsection in round seven, stunning Delaney once again. In round nine, however, it is trouble for Firpo who is cut over his right eye. This time, the cut is too serious to allow the bout to continue. Delaney, who appeared to be trailing in the bout, is declared the winner via a TKO 10. Post-fight, Delaney is 44-12-3 (28); Young Firpo, who drops to 24-11-3 (15), still has some good years left.

Apr. 14, 1934: Back to the UK for another card at the Stadium in Liverpool. Only one key matchup, the main event, which has Len Harvey defending his EBU LH belt against the man he defeated, Gustav Roth, who in turn had previously defeated Harvey to take the title. So, this third meeting of the two is the rubber match. There’s not much to choose between the two through the early rounds, and then Harvey, buoyed by the support of a friendly crowd, begins to step up the pace starting around the midway point. The Brit then pulls ahead on points, and Roth lacks the firepower to mount an effective rally. Harvey goes to take a solid UD 12 (117-111, 116-112, 116-113) and thus retains the belt. Post-fight records are 42-11-2 (17) for Harvey, 28-6-2 (12) for Roth.

Apr. 14, 1934: Next card is at the Boston Garden, wrapping up the first half of the month. Again, no titles at stake, but a hugely interesting main event as long-time LH king Tommy Loughran continues to campaign as a HW, this time facing King Levinsky, a top 10 HW contender. It’s a classic boxer versus slugger confrontation, and the slick-boxing Loughran certainly proves a tough target as Levinsky is only able to get a few good shots in, none of which hurt Tommy. The bout goes the distance, and ends up in a one-sided points win for Loughran, but only in the eyes of two of the three judges and the third – surprisingly – calls it a draw – so it goes into the books as a MD 10 (99-91, 95-95, 99-91) for Loughran. (Note 99-91 appears to be closer to the accurate result). The win, which lifts Loughran to 52-5-4 (18), is enough incentive for him to continue his quest for a HW title. The loss leaves Levinksy at 22-4-1 (11).

JCWeb · 09-24-2013, 11:32 AM

This is a summary of ring action from the second half of April 1934, covering a total of 59 bouts.

Apr. 20, 1934: Friday night down under card, this time at Sydney, Australia. After falling short in his bid for the Commonwealth FW title, Aussie Merv “Darky” Blandon challenges veteran Filipino Johnny Hill for the OPBF FW crown, and that is the main event on this card. It is the first meeting of these two; Blandon is still at Pre-Prime while Hill is at End career stage. Both men mix it up, fighting outside as well as inside. Midway through the bout, Hill seems to be getting the worse of it, and there is a sizable welt forming under his right eye. He manages to keep the bout relatively close into the later rounds, but Blandon survives a late surge and comes away will the belt. UD 12 for Blandon (116-112, 117-111, 115-113) to move his career stats to 17-2 (13). Hill is now 30-16-2 (6) and contemplating possible retirement soon.

Apr. 21, 1934: Back to the Palazzo del Sport in Rome, Italy for the next card. No titles at stake, and the card is headlined by two long-time WW contenders, reigning EBU WW Champ Cleto Locatelli and current USBA Champ Joe Dundee. The two have met before, back in 1930, with Locatelli coming out on top with a UD 10 win. This time around, there is not much in the way of action until round four, when Dundee drops Locatelli with a solid combination. The Swiss soon recovers, and manages to dish out some punishment of his own, causing some slight swelling under Dundee’s right eye later in the fight. The bout goes to decision, and the knockdown is sufficient for Dundee to take a UD 10 (98-91, 98-92, 95-94) that is not well received by the European fight fans who had favored the Swiss. Post fight career marks: Dundee, 40-15-7 (13); Locatelli, 28-9-1 (10).

Apr. 21, 1934: Next card is back in the States at the Polo Grounds in New York. It’s a packed evening of fistic action headlined by a WBA title clash. First notable matchup has two unbeaten LW prospects – Lou Ambers and Eddie Zivic – facing each other. A cut is sliced open over Zivic’s right eye in round four, plus there is swelling under the other eye, something that proves a burden for Zivic’s corner. As the bout wears on, the cut worsens, leading to a late stoppage. Ambers takes a TKO 8 on the cuts stoppage to move to 11-0 (9) overall; Zivic’s first career setback leaves him at 10-1 (6). Next up, in one of the main support bouts, popular FW prospect Hank “Homicide” Armstrong is back in action, taking on an unbeaten prospect, Mike Belloise. Once again, an early cut shapes the eventual outcome, with an accidental clash of heads opening a huge gash over Belloise’s left eye in the second round. A halt is called when the bleeding is out of control in round four, and the end result – a technical draw – leaves Armstrong at 13-1-1 (12) and Belloise, at 11-0-1 (6). Then, the co-feature pairs two top FW contenders with Kid Chocolate facing ex-WBA Champ and reigning USBA Champ Louis Kaplan. First meeting of these two, and Kid Chocolate delivers a wake-up when he lands a sharp combination near the end of round three, staggering Kaplan who is saved by the bell after leaving himself vulnerable to a quick hook to the head. Then, in round five, once again Chocolate delivers a telling blow, using his jab to do the damage. At this point Chocolate has compiled a huge points lead, and in the sixth round, there is a nick under the left eye of Kaplan. Chocolate eases up in the final few rounds to coast to a UD 10 win (98-93, 97-94, 99-94). Chocolate improves to 25-3-5 (14) with the win, and his connections are actively pursuing a title shot. Kaplan is 43-14-3 (11) after the loss.
In the main event, Tiger Jack Fox returns to the ring to make the second defense of his WBA LH crown, taking on Battling Bozo, who is making his second try for the title belt after being thoroughly thrashed by Tommy Loughran in a prior attempt in 1933. Fox comes out swinging and Bozo is in trouble as early as round two, when a straight right from Fox finds its target, forcing Bozo to cover up to last the round. A bloody nose and a rapidly swelling add to Bozo’s woes. The eye begins to swell shut as the bout wears on, into the middle rounds. Then, in round six, Fox lands a perfect hook that puts Bozo down and out. KO 6 for Fox, for his third successive KO win in three WBA title bouts. Fox remains perfect, at 32-0 (24). Bozo is now 23-6-2 (10).

Apr. 27, 1934: Next up is a rare Friday night card at London’s Harringay Arena. No titles and a relatively light card, with the headliner in the Flyweight division featuring top contender and current USBA Champion Fidel LaBarba taking on Mickey McGuire, surprise victor over Kid Socks in a non-title clash earlier in the year. Both men are riding winning streaks. With LaBarba having won his last five, while McGuire has won three in a row. The steady LaBarba builds a solid early points lead, continuously outpointing McGuire, and he goes on to take a fairly convincing UD 10 (97-93 on all three cards). Post-fight marks: LaBarba, 34-6-1 (9); McGuire, 16-8 (5).

Apr. 28, 1934: Next card is back in the States at Denver’s Mammoth Gardens. Again, no title bouts, but an intriguing main event as Stanislaus Loayza, still angling for a title shot, faces fellow LW Joe Glick. Loyaza lands repeatedly in the early rounds, and by the end of round four, a welt has formed under Glick’s right eye. A determined Glick bounces back, however, nailing Loayza with a wicked left hook to the body near the end of the sixth that had Loayza wincing in pain and covering up to last the round. A strong rally in the second half of the bout enables Glick to claim a SD 10 verdict (97-94, 93-97, 96-94) to move to 34-14-5 (13). Loayza slips to 30-18-4 (12) after the loss and, once again, must put his title aspirations on hold.

Apr. 28, 1934: April fistic action is wrapped up with a card at the Olympic Stadium in Panama City, Panama. Once again, no titles at stake, but an attractive main event with two former WBA Champions doing battle, as Johnny King, the current EBU and CBU BW Champion, faces Panama Al Brown, still seeking a big win to propel him to a title shot once again. The two have met once before, for the WBA title, in a bout won by King in 1932. This time around, Panama Al seems to have the better of it, compiling a punches landed advantage through the early rounds. The bout takes a surprising and ugly turn in round six, however, when Brown is repeatedly warned by the ref for leaning against his opponent. The ref then calls a halt to the bout and, to the dismay of Brown’s many supporters, awards a DQ-6 win to King. King accepts the win and moves to 31-3-1 (15) overall, retaining his status as #1 BW contender. Tough luck for Brown, who ends the bout at 42-8 (17).

JCWeb · 09-29-2013, 08:50 PM

This is a summary of ring action from the first half of May 1934, covering a total of 63 bouts.

May 4, 1934: The month’s fistic action commences with a Friday night card at Atlantic City’s Convention Hall. It’s a rematch, with Elmer Ray facing Jack Sharkey, the man he defeated back in January for the NABF HW title belt. The two are 1-1 in prior meetings. Ray is the aggressor in the early rounds, and he pulls ahead with a big round five, leaving Sharkey with a rapidly swelling left eye as a result of the accumulated blows. Trailing, Sharkey tries to pick up the pace in the middle and late rounds in a desperate attempt to regain the belt. Round ten is a great action round, culminating with a Ray uppercut that puts Sharkey down. The ex-Champ arises at the count of eight. A round later, Ray follows up with a second KD as Sharkey is decked by a combination. The two KDs are sufficient for Ray to keep the title via a UD 12 (115-111, 114-112, 115-111) that was closer than anticipated. Ray moves to 28-5 (16) with the win. Sharkey, who chances for another run as WBA HW Champion now seem remote, is 30-10 (18) after his third consecutive loss.

May 5, 1934: Another card at a popular venue, the Stadium in Liverpool, UK. One interesting main support, followed by a GBU title bout. First up, in the co-main event, top 10 MW contender Gorilla Jones travels all the way from the States to face Brit Billy Bird, a former Commonwealth CBU titleholder. Jones goes on the attack in round three, and Bird collapses to the canvas after being hit with a barrage of punches. Bird is back on his feet after taking a count of seven, but he only manages to last a couple of more rounds. In the fifth, Jones ends it with a big cross, putting the Brit down and out. KO 5 for Jones. Post-fight marks: 33-12-1 (19) for Jones; 35-16-4 (15) for Bird. Then, in the main event, Flyweight Jackie Brown makes his first defense of the GBU Fly title he won back in June 1932. His opponent, Benny Lynch, is still at Pre-Prime and some fear, is being rushed into a title fight too early in his career. Brown sustains a large gash over his left eye as a result of an apparent clash of heads in the opening round. The cut continues to bleed as it is reopened twice after being patched up a couple of times by Brown’s corner. Lynch also suffers a cut, in round five, under his left eye. The bout is halted in round six, and a halt is called as the cut over Brown’s eye is judged too dangerous to allow the bout to continue. Its cause is ruled due to an accidental butt and, with four-plus rounds in the books, we go to the scorecards. Brown escapes with a UTD 6 win (48-47, 48-47, 49-46). Post fight career marks: Brown, 24-8-3 (9); Lynch, 14-3 (11.

May 5, 1934: Next card is at the Exhibition Gardens in Vancouver, Canada. A solid card, but the one bout of notice is a WBA title clash involving two titans in the WW division: WBA Champion Barney Ross putting his title on the line against ex-Champ, Jimmy “Baby Face” McLarnin. It is a rematch of a 1932 encounter, with McLarnin then the titleholder, successfully defending the WBA belt via a UD over a pre-Prime Ross. This time, Ross is in the prime of his career, the reigning Champion, but he is fighting in McLarnin’s home country. Ross gets off to a solid start, but McLarnin manages to keep the bout close through the early rounds. Ross, displaying some superior boxing skills, stays on the outside and manages to take rounds seven and eight. McLarnin bounces back with a strong round nine. His momentum is slowed a round later, when Ross snaps the challenger’s head back with a sharp exchange, forcing McLarnin to cover up. The bout appears to be extremely close heading into the final few rounds, with the pro-McLarnin crowd cheering for every punch landed by the hometown favorite. Ross takes rounds 13 and 14, and the bout goes the distance with both men unmarked despite numerous sharp exchanges throughout the entire 15 rounds. As it turns out, Ross’ late surge falls just short, and McLarnin takes a very close UD 15 (143-142, 143-141, 143-142) to lift the belt. The stats show Ross had the edge in punches landed, but still the judges were more impressed by McLarnin’s greater aggressiveness. McLarnin is now 40-5-1 (21). Ross, despite the loss, has an excellent career mark at 23-3-1 (8). While more of a tactical contest without alot of heavy-hitting, the fact that it was a WBA title clash that went down to the wire makes this one a strong "Fight of the Year" candidate.

May 11, 1934: Next up is a Friday night card at Uline Arena in Washington, D. C. A good solid card, making up in quantity what it may lack in quality. The main event is a USBA title clash, with K. O. Morgan defending against Lew Farber. It’s Farber’s first experience as a title challenger, and Morgan’s second title defense. In 1930, when both were at Pre-Prime, Morgan took a SD 10 in their only prior encounter. This time, Farber serves notice of his serious intentions when he decks Morgan in the opening round with a big shot. K. O., not used to being on the receiving end, is back on his feet at the count of six, and he covers up to survive the opening onslaught. Morgan then becomes more aggressive, stalking his opponent who spends most of his time maintaining his distance. The strategy begins to pay off for Morgan by mid-fight when, by round six, there is noticeable swelling under the left eye of Farber, indicating that Morgan’s blows are having an effect on the challenger. In round 11, Morgan finds the range with a hard uppercut that sends Farber against the ropes. The challenger remains upright, lasting the round and also to the end of the bout which goes to decision. Morgan narrowly retains the title via a close but UD 12 (115-113, 115-114, 115-114), although Farber has impressed many observers here at ringside. After the bout, Morgan moves to 20-3-3 (14); Farber, who perhaps became too defensive after his early success in round one, is now 21-3-1 (11).

May 12, 1934: Next card is a light one at the Amor Bahn in Munich. Only one notable bout, the main event, which has German Gustav Eder taking on Brit Jack Hood, the reigning CBU and GBU WW Champ, for the third time – after two draws in their previous encounters. Both men are attempting to rebound after losses in recent outings; for Eder, it was the first loss of his career in a failed effort to wrest the EBU title, while Hood’s last outing was a UD loss to American Paul Junior. Eder goes to work immediately, gradually building a solid points edge in the bout’s early rounds. Hood becomes gradually more aggressive and mounts a late rally, but falls short as Eder’s workmanlike performance impresses the judges, earning him the UD 10 nod (97-94, 96-95, 98-93). Post-fight career marks: Eder, 26-1-2 (9); Hood, 26-10-7 (9).

May 12, 1934: Kiel Auditorium is the scene of the next fight card, with a couple of interesting non-title bouts serving as co-main events. In the first of these, veteran LW Luis Vicentini, currently ranked #8, faces #16, Lew Kirsch. First meeting for these two. Kirsch gets off to a good start in the opening round, landing some blows and causing some initial swelling to appear under the left eye of Vicentini. Vicentini battles back, and the bout remains close into the middle rounds. Then, in round five, Kirsch lands a big shot that puts Vicentini on the deck briefly, before the Chilean arises at the count of three. Kirsch is content to stay on the outside while Vicentini tries desperately to ramp up the pressure as the bout wears on. In round eight, Vicentini walks into a wild overhand right from Kirsch and goes down for knockdown number two. Vicentini is able to regain his footing and last the full 10 rounds, but the two KDs result in a UD 10 for Kirsch by a fairly wide margin (98-91, 97-91, 97-91). The win lifts Kirsch to 26-7-3 (17) overall, boosting him up in the LW rankings. Vicentini drops to 36-14-2 (13) with the loss. In the second main event, it is #2 ranked FW, Baby Arizmendi, former WBA Champion, facing #6, Chalky Wright. No prior meetings of these two. The crowd sees a defensive struggle, with not much in the way of action until Arizmendi becomes aggressive in the later rounds. In round eight, Arizmendi leaves himself open for a hook from Wright and hits the deck, taking an eight-count. Undeterred, Arizmendi battles back to take the last two rounds, enabling him to walk away with a MD 10 {97-93, 95-95, 96-94) as the judges award his late surge and overall aggressiveness, despite suffering the bout’s only knockdown. Post-fight records: Arizmendi, 25-3-1 (10); Wright, 22-6-2 (11).

Lee · 09-29-2013, 11:06 PM

Great stuff s always. McLarnin just seems to have Ross' number, but a third bout would be highly anticipated.

08-07-2013, 10:37 PM	#981
JCWeb Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 2,100	1933 - Jr. Welterweights The first of the two Junior divisions, and this will be a short report ... 1933 Title Bouts WBA: Jack Kid Berg, titleholder since 1928, defended once during the year (taking a UD 15 from Johnny Jadick. USBA: Johnny Jadick took the title from Mickey Cohen (UD 12), then defended once, defeating Mushy Callahan (KO 7). JWW Division Stats Total: 16 RL: 8 TC: 8 End: 0 Post: 3 Prime: 5 Pre: 0 Beginning: 0 New: 0 Rated: 8 800+: 1 500+: 3 200+: 7 Jan 1934 JWW Rankings (Perf Pts and Changes from 1933 in Parens): Champion: Jack Kid Berg 30-7-3 (13) (902) (NC) 1. Battling Shaw 23-4-3 (12) (671) (NC) 2. Johnny Jadick 31-16-2 (8) (558) (+2) (USBA) 3. Lew Feldman 19-7 (10) (428) (new) 4. Mushy Callahan 27-13-2 (9) (436) (-1) 5. Mickey Cohen 19-16-2 (9) (354) (-3) 6. Spug Myers 32-26-5 (12) (348) (-1) (CBU, GBU) 7. Harry Wallach 22-16-2 (11) (136) (-1) Comments: Not much to report on this fairly moribund division, with Berg defending once but falling short when challenging top-flight competition in both the LW (losing to Petrolle) and WW (losing to McLarnin and Eder) divisions. Shaw, who could only manage a draw with Jadick, did register a pair of wins over WW Freddie Polo, but fell short against the higher ranked Young Corbett III. Lew Feldman moved up from LW but did not meet with much success, defeating Myers but dropping decisions to WWs Leto (MD) and My Sullivan (UD). Of those listed, Callahan, Myers and Wallach are all at Post-Prime while the others are still at Prime. Prospects: None. Retirements: None. Outlook: As is also the case with the other junior division (JLW), this division is close to being on life support with no prospects and no newcomers expected. Berg is already looking for opportunities in other divisions, perhaps looking for big paydays against the likes of Canzoneri, Ross or McLarnin. The one JWW he has yet to face is long-time #1 contender, Battling Shaw, who is still hoping for a title shot in 1934.

08-08-2013, 01:52 PM	#982
JCWeb Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 2,100	1933 - Lightweights 1933 Title Bouts WBA: Tony Canzoneri began 1933 with the belt, and he made successful title defenses over Billy Petrolle (KO 6) and Billy Grime (UD 15). NABF: Cecil Payne retained the title, beating Billy Townsend (UD 12) in his second defense. Then, Wesley Ramey upset Payne (MD 12) to earn the title. USBA: This title changed hands for the fourth time in four title bouts as Al Singer dethroned Roger Bernard (TKO 9). Then, Ray Miller beat Singer (TKO 6) to capture the title. Then, the musical chairs continued, as Sammy Fuller ousted Miller (UD 12) to make it six new titleholders in the last six title bouts. CBU: Billy Grime keeps the belt despite making no defenses during 1933. GBU: Harry Mason defended for the fourth time against the same opponent, George Rose, and won again (UD 12) to retain the belt for another year. EBU: Mason retained the belt in his first defense, defeating former titleholder, Benny Valgar (UD 12). LW Division Stats Total: 126 RL: 74 TC: 52 End: 7 Post: 13 Prime: 37 Pre: 14 Beginning: 3 New: 2 Rated: 57 800+: 17 500+: 36 200+: 52 Jan 1934 LW Rankings (Perf Pts and Changes from 1933 in Parens): Champion: Tony Canzoneri 30-4-2 (15) (1612) (NC) 1. Billy Petrolle 42-5-3 (21) (1491) (NC) 2. Sammy Fuller 36-7 (9) (1259) (+4) (USBA) 3. Ray Miller 35-10 (15) (1258) (-1) 4. Jack Portney 26-5-2 (14) (1058) (+1) 5. Stanislaus Loayza 29-16-4 (11) (1004) (-2) 6. Luis Vicentini 36-13-1 (13) (960) (-2) 7. Billy Grime 28-19-2 (16) (926) (+7) (CBU) 8. Sammy Mandell 39-16 (10) (925) (+7) 9. Justo Suarez 23-5-1 (15) (891) (+3) 10. Al Singer 23-7-1 (14) (883) (+7) Others: 14. Wesley Ramey 18-1-4 (9) (925) (+17) (NABF) 21. Harry Mason 33-20-3 (5) (+3) (EBU, GBU) Comments: Petrolle will hit Post-Prime in his next outing, and three others (Vicentini, Grime and Mandell) will also be at Post while everyone else is at Prime. Grime moved into the top 10 by virtue of a TKO win over Portney. Mandell won both his 1933 bouts, a MD over Chino Alvarez and a one-round demolition of Tommy O’Brien. Suarez TKO’d Al Gordon after being held to a draw by Benny Bass early in the year. Singer drew with Ah Wing Lee, but scored a TKO win over Roger Bernard. Dropping out of the top 10 were Cuban Emory Cabana (down one to #11 after losses to Fuller and Portney); Roger Bernard (-6 to #13, losses to Singer and Joe Glick); Al Gordon (-8 to #16, losing both of his 1933 outings); and Tommy O’Brien (-8 to #17, losing his last three). Ramey did little of note (two draws with Goodrich and JLW Mike Ballerino) prior to his upset win for the NABF belt. Mason struggled, suffering a pair of UD losses to Loayza and Ah Wing Lee. Frankie Klick moved up from JLW but found the going a bit difficult, particularly against Singer (KO 5 loss). Aldo Spoldi has won his last five in a row to improve to 20-0-1 (11), good for a spot in the top 20. Top newcomer to the list is Johnny Bellus, #31, off to a 14-1 (9) start, the one loss coming to prospect Davey Day after some close wins (SD over Al Roth, MD over Pedro Montanez). Brit George Daly, after a 15-1 (7) career start, checks in at #34, the one loss coming at the hands of Spoldi. The aforementioned Montanez debuts at #41, with an early loss to Lefty Satan Flynn in addition to the recent one to Bellus, leaving him at 13-2 (11). Prospects: Davey Day remains unbeaten, at 13-0 (8), impressive with UD wins over Bellus and fellow prospect Tony Chavez. Chavez checks in at 11-1 (8). Left Satan Flynn, at 11-1 (8) has just one career loss, to Bellus. Ditto for Al Roth, who also lost to Bellus, who is now 11-1 (6). Still unbeaten, albeit against TC opposition, are Eddie Zivic (9-0, 6 KO); Lou Ambers (8-0, 7 KO); Tommy Spiegel (7-0, 3 KO); Juan Zurita (7-0, 1 KO); and Harry Mizler (6-0, 0 KO). South African Laurie Stevens suffered a DQ loss to a TC and ends the year at 7-1 (5). Retirements: Four retirements from the LW division in 1933: Harry Kahn (USA) 1921-33 26-19-5 (16) No Titles Highest Rank: 33 Ever Hammer (USA) 1913-33 46-28-5 (18) WBA Champion !928-29 Jimmy Goodrich (USA) 1918-33 44-19-3 (10) NABF, USBA Champ Highest Rank: 1 Jack Silver (USA) 1922-33 25-17-5 (9) No Titles Highest Rank: 18 Outlook: Tony Canzoneri seems to have settled in as the Champion in this division, but there is a lot of volatility in the rankings behind him, as illustrated by the frequent changing hands of the lesser NABF and USBA belts. Ramey looks like a solid boxer but has yet to prove himself against top-flight opposition. It’s possible that someone might step down from the JWW division or up from the JLW ranks to provide more competition. No newcomers of note coming into the ranks in 1934.

08-08-2013, 02:28 PM	#983
JCWeb Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 2,100	1933 - Jr. Lightweights Another short report ... 1933 Title Bouts WBA: One title defense by Tod Morgan, against Leslie Wildcat Carter (UD 15) to retain the belt for another year. USBA: This title has remained inactive since the retirement of Johnny Dundee in 1931. JLW Division Stats Total: 14 RL: 8 TC: 6 End: 0 Post: 3 Prime: 5 Pre: 0 Beginning: 0 New: 0 Rated: 8 800+: 2 500+: 4 200+: 8 Jan 1934 JLW Rankings (Perf Pts and Changes from 1933 in Parens): Champion: Tod Morgan 41-9-1 (12) (1351) (NC) 1. Benny Bass 40-14-5 (14) (951) (NC) 2. Pete Nebo 21-8-1 (11) (558) (+3) 3. Mike Ballerino 27-17-6 (7) (533) (+1) 4. Leslie Wildcat Carter 22-9-2 (9) (445) (-1) 5. Jack Bernstein 32-24-3 (6) (444) (+1) 6. Eddie Wagner 41-30-2 (18) (345) (+1) 7. Miki Gelb 13-5-2 (3) (233) (new) Comments: The bottom three (Bernstein, Wagner and Gelb) are all at Post-Prime while everyone else is still at Prime. Morgan defended his title once and also stepped up to defeated a top five LW (Loayza). Bass maintained his top contender status with two wins and two draws, with one of the wins (a UD) against a ranked LW, Tommy O’Brien. Nebo had a pair of UD wins, one over Gelb and another over LW Johnny Kaiser, but lost to LW Chino Alvarez. Frankie Klick moved up to LW, opening up a spot for Miki Gelb, who moved up from FW but found the going very difficult, dropping a UD to Bernstein in his most recent outing. Prospects: None. Retirements: None. Outlook: As is the case with the JWW division, this is a rather moribund division, as illustrated by the fact that most of its participants are looking to LWs for their bouts. The anticipated rivalry between Tod Morgan and Benny Bass for the top spot has failed to materialize; look for the division to dissolve after a year or two. No newcomers on the horizon.

08-09-2013, 09:40 AM	#984
JCWeb Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 2,100	1933 - Featherweights 1933 Title Bouts WBA: Baby Arizmendi started the year with the title belt, defending once versus Pete DeGrasse (UD 15). He then lost the belt to Battling Battalino (UD 15). Battalino, in turn, was dethroned by DeGrasse (another UD 15) in his first title defense. NABF: Babe Herman began the year as NABF Champion, but he lost the belt in his first defense to Jose Lombardo (KO 12). Lombardo was also dethroned in his first defense, yielding the belt to Petey Sarron (UD 12). Sarron, in turn, lost the title to Pete DeGrasse (TKO 4). DeGrasse moved up to claim the WBA title, vacating the NABF belt. Freddie Miller then defeated Chalky Wright (UD 12) to claim the vacant title. USBA: Battling Battalino, who had won this belt in 1932, made a successful defense versus Louis Kaplan (UD 12) before moving up to win the WBA title. Then, Freddie Miller defeated Dick Finnegan (UD 12) to claim the vacant belt. The belt was then vacated by Miller after he stepped up to win the NABF title. Then, in a contest for the vacant belt, Eddie Shea emerged victorious over Abie Israel (UD 12). CBU: Pete DeGrasse, who won this title in 1932, did not defend in 1933 and, in fact, relinquished the belt after winning the WBA crown. Al Foreman defeated Aussie Merv Blandon (TKO 10) to take the vacant title. GBU: Al Foreman retained this belt during 1933, but made no title defenses during the year. EBU: Dom Volante started 1933 with this belt, and he defended it once, defeating Knud Larsen (UD 12). Then, Al Foreman captured the title by defeating Volante (UD 12). Then, Frenchman Maurice Holtzer captured the title by downing Foreman (UD 12). OPBF: Elino Flores began the year with this belt, but lost it to fellow Filipino, Johnny Hill (UD 12). Hill defended once, later in the year, defeating Ignacio Fernandez (UD 12). FW Division Stats Total: 124 RL: 80 TC: 44 End: 10 Post: 21 Prime: 28 Pre: 12 Beginning: 9 New: 2 Rated: 59 (including 1 TC) 800+: 12 500+: 35 200+: 53 Jan 1934 FW Rankings (Perf Pts and Changes from 1933 in Parens): Champion: Pete DeGrasse 25-8-1 (6) (919) (+23) 1. Baby Arizmendi 24-3-1 (10) (1115) (-1) 2. Freddie Miller 25-3 (12) (1084) (+5) (NABF) 3. Kid Chocolate 22-3-5 (14) (996) (+13) 4. Louis Kaplan 42-13-3 (10) (978) (-2) 5. Maurice Holtzer 28-8-1 (11) (964) (+7) (EBU) 6. Babe Herman 34-21-5 (15) (867) (-5) 7. Al Foreman 32-19-1 (22) (860) (+4) (CBU, GBU) 8. Chalky Wright 22-5-2 (11) (849) (+7) 9. Battling Battalino 26-8 (12) (848) (+5) 10. Dom Volante 28-12-2 (17) (826) (-6) Others: 22. Johnny Hill 30-14-2 (6) (656) (-2) (OPBF) 23. Eddie Shea 28-15-3 (15) (+3) (USBA) Comments: Kaplan, Herman, Foreman, Hill and Shea are all at Post-Prime; everyone else is still at Prime. DeGrasse zoomed up the ratings, going 2-1 in title bouts in addition to a UD 10 win over Wright; nevertheless, his PP total is still lower than five contenders – an unusual situation for a WBA titleholder. Miller has won his last five in succession to lift him in the standings. Kid Chocolate reeled off five straight wins after drawing with Foreman; his victims included Filio Julio Echevarria (SD 10), Paul (UD 10), Cuthbert and Volante (also UD 10s). Holtzer won all three of his 1933 encounters, beating Herman and Andy Martin in addition to winning the EBU title. Foreman went 2-1, all in title clashes, to rise in the rankings. Battalino had an up-and-down year, winning the WBA title but losing his last two to settle in at #9. In a complete reshuffling of the rankings, five newcomers to the top group displaced the following: Dick Finnegan (-4 to #13, winless for the year, with a title bout loss and draws with Kid Chocolate and Kaplan); Tommy Paul (-10 to #15, losing to Chocolate and Harry Blitman; Jose Lombardo (-3 to #18, suffering recent losses to Wright and Echevarria to go with loss of the NABF title, making it three losses in his last three); Martin (-11 to #19, after suffering three losses and managing just one draw, versus Frankie Covelli, during the year); and ex-Champ Chick Suggs (-15 to #21, dropping after losses to Chafferdet and Covelli). Just missing the top 10 is Petey Sarron, who has won five of his last six to end up the year at 24-10-4 (8), in the #11 spot. Chafferdet moved up 15 spots to #12, by virtue of wins over Suggs (TKO), Martin (UD) and a draw with top five contender Kaplan. Top newcomer to the rankings list is Aussie Merv “Darky” Blandon, who checks in at 16-2 (13), good only for 34^th, the two losses coming to Jim Kelly (via SD 10) and in the CBU title bout. Georgie Hansford debuts at #44, sporting a 15-2 (8) record, the losses coming to Henry Armstrong and Petey Hayes. Prospects: Brit Jim Kelly remains unbeaten, getting off to a 14-0 (7) career start; his key 1933 wins came over Ginger Foran (UD) and “Darky” Blandon (SD). Henry “Homicide Hank” Armstrong continued to recover from an early career setback (loss via cuts to a TC) with wins over Al Tripoli (TKO), Sailor Willie Gordon (KO), Pete Zivic (KO) and Hansford (UD) to improve his career totals to 13-1 (12). Venezuelan Simon Chavez downed fellow prospect Everett Rightmire (UD 10) after 12 straight TC wins to end the year at 13-0 (1). Rightmire is now 11-2 (9), the other loss coming to a TC via a DQ. A steady diet of TC opposition has been sufficient to pad the records of the other prospects, notably Mike Belloise (10-0, 5 KO); Joey Archibald (7-0, 4 KO); Johnny Cusick (6-0, 4 KO); Bus Breese (6-0, 2 KO); and Moon Mullins (6-0, 0 KO). Retirements: Three retirements from the FW ranks in 1933: Andre Routis (FRA) 1919-33 35-19-3 (16) WBA Champion 1925, 1927-28 Pete Zivic (USA) 1920-33 24-24-6 (10) No Titles Highest Rank: 31 Leo Roy (CAN) 1920-33 29-20-2 (9) CBU Champ Highest Rank: 7 Outlook: A very fluid situation as illustrated by the high degree of turnover in both the top 10 rankings and also in the titles which have changed hands with a great deal of frequency. DeGrasse is Champion at the time being, but Arizmendi, Miller and Chocolate all have the potential to take the title. Henry Armstrong is easily the most talented young prospect, but he is still a year or two away from becoming a top contender. No top newcomers on the horizon at this point. Last edited by JCWeb; 08-09-2013 at 05:17 PM.

08-09-2013, 10:22 PM	#985
JCWeb Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 2,100	1933 - Bantamweights 1933 Title Bouts WBA: Pablo Dano started the year with the belt, made his first defense against Bushy Graham (MD 15). He then retained the title via a draw with countryman Little Pancho (D 15). Then, Kid Francis stopped Dano (TKO 8) to regain the title he had held back in 1930-31. NABF: Bobby Leitham began the year as NABF Champion, and he successfully defended twice, beating Bobby Green (TKO 11) and K. O. Morgan (TKO 8), both wins coming inside the distance. USBA: Pete Sanstol had won this title in 1932, but he faltered in his first defense, losing to K. O. Morgan (KO 3). Morgan has yet to make his first title defense. CBU: Bobby Leitham, who held the belt at the beginning of the year, defended it once, besting Dick Corbett (UD 12). However, Leitham was dethroned by Johnny King (KO 5) who added this belt to his EBU title won earlier in the year (see below). GBU: Benny Sharkey had been awarded this title after it was vacated by King (who had won the WBA title), but, in late 1933, the title belt moved to Dick Corbett who decisioned Sharkey (SD 12). EBU: Sharkey had held this belt from 1932, but he lost it in his first defense to Kid Francis (SD 12). Then, Johnny King dethroned Francis (UD 12) and Baltazar Sangchili (UD 12). OPBF: Speedy Dado began the year with this belt, and retained it with a successful defense over Pete Sarmiento (KO 5). BW Division Stats Total: 91 RL: 55 TC: 36 End: 5 Post: 15 Prime: 21 Pre: 10 Beginning: 4 New: 2 Rated: 42 800+: 16 500+: 29 200+: 39 Jan 1934 BW Rankings (Perf Pts and Changes from 1933 in Parens): Champion: Kid Francis 29-12-3 (17) (1126) (+8) 1. Johnny King 30-3-1 (15) (1278) (+1) (EBU, CBU) 2. Bobby Leitham 27-5-1 (11) (1164) (-1) (NABF) 3. Pablo Dano 26-3-3 (14) (1125) (-3) 4. Speedy Dado 24-9-2 (13) (1112) (NC) (OPBF) 5. Panama Al Brown 41-7 (16) (981) (+9) 6. Sixto Escobar 19-1 (9) (979) (+5) 7. Pete Sanstol 26-5-2 (8) (970) (-1) 8. Archie Bell 33-10-3 (9) (967) (-5) 9. Vic Foley 36-16-2 (10) (920) (+3) 10. Bushy Graham 32-16-1 (10) (908) (-5) Others: 13. Dick Corbett 27-7 (10) (885) (+5) (GBU) 16. K. O. Morgan 18-3-3 (14) (787) (NC) (USBA) Comments: All those listed above will be at Prime except for Leitham who joins Bell and Foley at Post in 1934. Kid Francis recovered from an early season loss to capture the WBA title for the second time. As in a couple of other divisons, the Champ does not have the highest PP rating; in this division, that honor falls to Johnny King, who as held four different titles at one time over the last three years. Panama Al rebounded after a couple of off-years, with a trio of UD 10 wins over Young Tommy, Sixto Escobar and Pete Sanstol. Escobar won four of five to propel his advance in the ranks, the wins coming over Eddie “Cannonball” Martin, Memphis Pal Moore, Bud Taylor and Alf Pattenden with the one loss to Panama Al. Veteran Vic Foley, despite being at Post-Prime, clawed his way back into the top 10 with wins over Bud Taylor (SD 10) and Bobby Green (MD 10). The three dropouts from last year’s top 10 are Memphis Pal Moore, #7 in 1933, who retired after 21 years in the ring; Bobby Green, who dropped two spots to #11 with the loss to Foley; and Eddie Martin, down four to #14 after suffering a TKO loss to Escobar. Corbett, in addition to capturing the GBU belt, took a pair of UD 10s from Pete Sarmiento and Alf Pattenden. USBA Champ K. O. Morgan managed a draw with King but fell to Little Pancho (UD 12), who zoomed up the rankings (+10 to #12) after winning five of sixth bouts, the only non-win being the draw in his title bout with Dano. Pancho’s career totals are now 20-2-3 (7). Also making a strong move was Lew Farber, who is riding a six-bout winning streak to a spot in the top 20 at #19, now 20-2-1 (11) overall. It was a disappointing year for Baltazar Sangchili, who lost his first three bouts at Prime to slip to 19-4 (15) and is mired in 26^th spot. One spot higher at #25 is the top newcomer to the list, the unbeaten Jo Teiken, who checks in at 16-0 (13) who added UD wins over Frisco Grande and Mickey Cohen, a TKO over Gustave Humery, on top of 12 TC wins. Prospects: Star Frisco has kept a clean slate, going 12-0 (6) thus far, including a UD 10 over fellow prospect Henry Hook. Hook checks in at 9-2 (5), having suffered a loss to a TC early in his career. Aurel Toma (10-0, 7 KO); Raul Casanova (9-0, 9 KO); Horace Gwynne (9-0, 7 KO); Lou Salica (7-0, 5 KO); and Mickey Miller (6-0, 6 KO) are all off to great starts, thanks to a steady diet of TC opposition. Retirements: Five BWs hung up the gloves during 1933, including two ex-WBA Champs: Tommy Milton (ITA) 1921-33 22-19-4 (9) EBU Champ Highest Rank: 15 Harry Lake (UK) 1919-33 29-23-3 (17) EBU, CBU Champ Highest Rank: 19 Charley Phil Rosenberg (USA) 1921-33 33-10-6 (13) WBA Champion 1925-27 Vic Burrone (USA) 1923-33 23-17-3 (5) No Titles Highest Rank: 20 Memphis Pal Moore (USA) 1913-33 55-26-9 (15) WBA Champion 1925 Highest Rank: 1 Outlook: A bit more stability at the upper echelons of this division, although titles have changed hands with relative frequency as well. Francis’ second stint as WBA Champion may not last more than his first, which was less than a year. Johnny King appears to be right at the top in terms of talent; Sixto Escobar is a top newcomer to the short list of top contenders; and Panama Al Brown seems ready for another title shot. Some great fighters from the Far East, not just the duo of Dano and Dado, but also guys like Little Pancho, Jo Teiken and Young Tommy could also become significant factors. Lou Salica appears to be the best of the young prospects. Georgie Pace is set to debut in 1934. Last edited by JCWeb; 08-10-2013 at 11:06 AM.

08-10-2013, 08:57 PM	#986
JCWeb Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 2,100	1933 - Flyweights 1933 Title Bouts WBA: Midget Wolgast remained an active Champion, making four defenses during the year, two against Frankie Genaro (D 15 followed by UD 15), Ruby Bradley (TKO 13) and Kid Socks (UD 15). NABF: Newboy Brown captured the belt from Izzy Schwartz (MD 12) early in the year but made no defenses after that, retaining the belt heading into 1934. USBA: Fidel LaBarba began the year with this belt, and he retained it via three successive defenses, beating Izzy Schwartz (SD 12), Pinky Silverberg (UD 12) and Emil Paluso (UD 12). CBU: Kid Socks, who has held this belt since 1931, defended it twice during the year, both times against GBU Champ Jackie Brown (MD 12 followed by D 12). GBU: No title defenses by Jackie Brown who has held this belt since winning it in 1932. EBU: Harry Stein began 1933 with the EBU title, and he defended it twice, beating Johnny Vacca (MD 12) and Istvan Enekes (UD 12). Then, Kid Socks dethroned Stein (SD 12) to add this belt to his CBU title. OPBF: This title belt has remained inactive since the retirement of Pancho Villa in 1930. FLY Division Stats Total: 63 RL: 37 TC: 26 End: 1 Post: 11 Prime: 11 Pre: 10 Beginning: 4 New: 3 Rated: 26 800+: 2 500+: 17 200+: 21 Jan 1934 FLY Rankings (Perf Pts and Changes from 1933 in Parens): Champion: Midget Wolgast 33-4-1 (16) (1286) (NC) 1. Fidel LaBarba 33-6-1 (9) (1133) (NC) (USBA) 2. Frankie Genaro 41-15-2 (18) (772) (+1) 3. Pinky Silverberg 34-22-5 (10) (768) (+2) 4. Harry Stein 30-10-1 (20) (748) (+5) 5. Kid Socks 31-18-3 (8) (748) (+1) (EBU, CBU) 6. Izzy Schwartz 29-16-2 (7) (725) (-5) 7. Emil Paluso 32-17-2 (8) (696) (+7) 8. Jackie Brown 23-8-3 (9) (664) (NC) (GBU) 9. Johnny Vacca 28-8-3 (11) (638) (-5) 10. Istvan Enekes 17-2-1 (8) (632) (+2) Others: 19. Newsboy Brown 37-13-2 (11) (395) (-12) (NABF) Comments: With Wolgast now firmly entrenched atop the division, most of the contenders listead above are now at Post-Prime career stage, the three exceptions being Silverberg, Jackie Brown and Enekes, who will still be at Prime in 1934. While Wolgast has not lost in four years, LaBarba has won five in a row and would be top challenger were it not for the aging factor. Stein moved up the rankings with wins over Enekes (UD 12) and Jackie Brown (TKO). Paluso moved into the top 10 by virtue of a controversial DQ win over Genaro, as he went 3-1 for the year. Enekes wrapped up the Pre-Prime stage of his career by winning three of four during 1933, notably wins over Small Montana (UD) and Fortunato Ortega (MD) to cement his rise to the #10 spot in the rankings. Izzy Schwartz lost all three of his encounters during the year to drop from the #1 spot down to #6. Dropping out of the top 10 were Frenchman Emile Pladner, who slipped just two spots to #12, after dropping a MD to Silverberg although he did manage a draw with Vacco and a MD 10 win over Young Perez, but the bigger loser was Newsboy Brown, who slipped all the way out of the top group with successive loses to two lower-rated opponents: Eugene Huat and Frankie Anselm. Top newcomers to the rankings are: Small Montana, now 15-2 (6), who debuts at #14, with UD wins over Willie LaMorte (twice) and Tut Whalley balanced by losses to Enekes and Benny Lynch; Fortunato Ortega, who TKO’d Lynch but suffered a MD loss to Enekes, drawing with Albert Belanger, ending up the year at #16 with a 15-2-1 (10) mark; and Benny Lynch, whose excellent 14-0 career start was ruined by the loss to Ortega and an upset loss to Mickey McGuire, leaving him at #23, sporting a 14-2 (11) record thus far. Prospects: Tut Whalley has found the going a bit more difficult once matched with real-life opponents instead of TCs, registering losses to Montana (UD 10) and Young Dencio to end the year at 11-3 (8). Whalley’s countryman, Johnny Gill, has faced nothing but TCs and maintained an unbeaten slate, going 12-0 (6) thus far. Belgian Kid David lost a MD 6 to a TC and checks in at 7-1 (5). Joe Curran’s 7-0 (5) start includes a UD 6 over fellow prospect Tiny Bostock, who ends the year at 6-1 (1). Another young Brit, Jimmy Warnock, has defeated all six of his TC opponents inside the distance to go 6-0 (6). Austrian Ernst Weiss, also the beneficiary of a steady diet of TC opponents, ends the year at 6-0 (3). Retirements: Two FLYs hung up the gloves during 1933, both former NABF Champions: Black Bill (CUB) 1923-33 28-15-6 (9) NABF Champ Highest Rank: 5 Willie LaMorte (USA) 1920-33 27-20-5 (11) NABF Champ Highest Rank: 10 Outlook: Wolgast seems to have settled in to perhaps a very long run as WBA Fly Champion, given that most of his rivals to this point have hit Post-Prime and are feeling the adverse impact of aging. Jackie Brown and the Hungarian, Enekes, could still prove to be dangerous title contenders in the future. Montana, Ortega and Benny Lynch are still a year or two away from making a meaningful impact. Peter Kane and Rinty Monaghan represent some new blood to be added to the list of prospects for 1934.

08-10-2013, 10:31 PM	#987
JCWeb Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 2,100	1932 - PFP Rankings and New Features Now, the ever-popuar PFP Rankings plus a couple of new features, "Fighter of the Year" and "Fight of the Year": 1933 YEAR-END POUND-FOR-POUND RANKINGS (Perf Pts, with Changes from Last Year in Parens) 1. Max Schmeling, HW (WBA Champion), 1793 (+7) 2. Tommy Loughran, HW, 1792 (-1) 3. Tony Canzoneri, LW, WBA Champion), 1612 (+2) 4. Mickey Walker, MW, 1529 (NC) 5. Tiger Jack Fox, LH (WBA Champion), 1523 (new) 6. Jimmy McLarnin, WW, 1520 (-3) 7. Jack Sharkey, HW (NABF Champion), 1503 (NC) 8. Billy Petrolle, LW, 1491 (-2) 9. Tod Morgan, JLW (WBA Champion), 1351 (new) 10. George Manley, LH (USBA Champion), 1347 (new) Dropped Out from Last Year: Young Stribling, HW (was #2) Irineo Flores, WW (was #9) Tuffy Griffith, HW (was #10) Comments: Loughran had edged over the magic 2000 PP mark but then slipped back when he made his thus far unsuccessful bid for the HW title. Schmeling succeeds him as the highest PP fighter, but Mickey Walker (who has now appeared in 11 straight PFP lists) remains the senior member of this exclusive group, with Loughran (now listed for the 8th occasion) having the second most. Tod Morgan's appearance marks the first for any of the Junior fighters, but I am still waiting for Midget Wolgast to become the first Fly to crack this list (with 1286 PP now, he's not that far off). And here are the two New Awards: Fighter of the Year: Tiger Jack Fox Fight of the Year: Foreman UD 12 Volante (EBU FW Championship) Comments: Decided to go with Fox over Schmeling for fighter of the year, as Fox was a bit more active, with four fights compared to three for Schmeling. Both had impressive wins over living legends (Schmeling over Tommy Loughran, Fox over Mickey Walker), but Fox took advantage of his opportunity to move up the ranks, capturing both the NABF and then the WBA titles. As to "Fight of the Year,:" it was another close call between the selected bout and the bigger drawing fight, the HW confrontation between Schmeling and Sharkey (see post #965 for the recap of that bout, July 21 entry). In the end, I decided to give the edge to the lesser level bout which had more momentum swings. Here's the excerpt (from post #960) of that May 13 encounter: "The action commences early, at the end of round one when Foreman surprises Volante with a strong uppercut that puts the Champ on the deck. Then, in round two, Foreman is cut over the left eye – momentum swing to Volante. Round five, Volante tags Foreman with a big left; the challenger covers up and manages to stay on his feet and last the round. Then, in round six, another big momentum swing to Volante when he puts Foreman on the canvas for a six-count, landing a big hook. However, Foreman battles back, and by the end of round seven, Volante is beginning to suck wind and his face shows signs of swelling under his right eye. A round later in the eighth, it’s another momentum swing, this time to Foreman, who puts Volante down a second time, but Volante covers up to last the round. Foreman is now ahead on points as the bout enters the later rounds, and this forces Volante to open up and become more aggressive. In round 10, a glimmer of hope for the Champ as the cut over Foreman’s eye is reopened and begins oozing blood. Some good cornerwork limits the damage and, in round 11, Volante leaves himself open for a Foreman cross and goes down for the third time – big momentum swing to Foreman. A Foreman hook in the final round results in the fourth KD of Volante, who struggles to his feet at the count of eight. A game Volante manages to last the distance, but Foreman’s accurate power punching has done the damage, and the four knockdowns are too much for the judges to ignore. To the cheers of the Italian fight fans, Foreman takes a UD 12 (115-108 on all cards) to become the new EBU FW Champion (adding it to his GBU title which was not at stake). Foreman moves to 31-18-1 (21) with the win, while Volante slips to 28-11-2 (17) with the loss."

08-11-2013, 11:11 AM	#988
JCWeb Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 2,100	Jan. 1934 -- Roll of Champions And here's the list of Champions as of January 1934. (Date of winning title and number of successful defenses to date in Parens). HW WBA: Max Schmeling (Jul. 1932) (4) NABF: Jack Sharkey (Mar. 1933) (1) USBA: Ad Warren (Dec. 1933) (0) CBU: Larry Gains (Ju1. 1932) (1) GBU: Tommy Farr (Jan. 1931) (1) EBU: Jack Doyle (Dec. 1933) (0) OPBF: Tom Heeney (Jun. 1932) (0) LH WBA: Tiger Jack Fox (Nov. 1933) (0) NABF: Tiger Jack Payne (Dec. 1933) (0) USBA: George Manley (Aug. 1933) (0) CBU: Jack Delaney (Oct. 1933) (0) GBU: Gypsy Daniels (Dec. 1927) (3) EBU: Len Harvey (Sep. 1933) (0) MW WBA: Mickey Walker (Apr. 1925) (25) NABF: Freddie Steele (Jan. 1932) (6) USBA: Vince Dundee (Jun. 1933) (0) CBU: Lou Brouillard (Mar. 1933) (1) GBU: Jock McAvoy (Oct. 1930) (5) EBU: Hein Domgorgen (Jul. 1933) (0) OPBF: Ron Richards (Apr. 1932) (1) WW WBA: Barney Ross (Dec. 1933) (0) NABF: Ruby Goldstein (Mar. 1933) (2) USBA: Vacant CBU: Jack Hood (Sep. 1932) (1) GBU: Jack Hood (Jun. 1930) (1) EBU: Cleto Locatelli (Jun. 1930) (3) OPBF: Vacant JWW WBA: Jack Kid Berg (Jan. 1928) (9) USBA: Johnny Jadick (Mar. 1933) (1) LW WBA: Tony Canzoneri (Mar. 1932) (5) NABF: Wesley Ramey (Nov. 1933) (0) USBA: Sammy Fuller (Oct. 1933) (0) CBU: Billy Grime (Nov. 1929) (2) GBU: Harry Mason (Apr. 1929) (4) EBU: Harry Mason (Apr. 1932) (1) JLW WBA: Tod Morgan (Jul. 1931) (3) USBA: Inactive FW WBA: Pete DeGrasse (Sep. 1933) (0) NABF: Freddie Miller (Oct. 1933) (0) USBA: Eddie Shea (Nov. 1933) (0) CBU: Al Foreman (Oct. 1933) (0) GBU: Al Foreman (Aug. 1932) (0) EBU: Maurice Holtzer (Aug. 1933) (0) OPBF: Johnny Hill (Mar. 1933) (1) BW WBA: Kid Francis (Dec. 1933) (0) NABF: Bobby Leitham (Jun. 1931) (4) USBA: K. O. Morgan (Mar. 1933) (0) CBU: Johnny King (Nov. 1933) (0) GBU: Dick Corbett (Dec. 1933) (0) EBU: Johnny King (Jan. 1933) (1) OPBF: Speedy Dado (May 1932) (2) FLY WBA: Midget Wolgast (May 1931) (9) NABF: Newsboy Brown (Feb. 1933) (0) USBA: Fidel LaBarba (Sep. 1932) (3) CBU: Kid Socks (Oct. 1931) (3) GBU: Jackie Brown (Jun. 1932) (0) EBU: Kid Socks (Sep. 1933) (0) OPBF: Inactive Comments: Again, the key take-away point is the continuing high degree of turnover in these titles, with 29 of 53 active titles (over 50%) changing hands during the year. At the other end of the scale, Mickey Walker has recorded an incredible number (25) of successful title defenses (just three short of the all-time record, 28, by Non-Pareil Jack Dempsey in the same division. However, long title reigns appear to be the exception, rather than the rule, as only five of the current titleholders (Wolgast, Berg, Canzoneri and Steele, in addition to Walker) have made five or more successful defenses.

08-20-2013, 11:31 AM	#989
JCWeb Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 2,100	Jan. 1934 -- Part 1 of 2 This is a summary of ring action from the first half of January 1934, covering a total of 58 bouts. Jan. 5, 1934: The year kicks off with the now-traditional Friday night card at Buffalo’s Memorial Auditorium. No title bouts on the agenda, but the headliner matches two top 10 MW contenders, as Jack McVey faces Johnny Romero. First meeting of the two, both of whom are still at Prime. Romero lands the first telling blow when he connects with a cross at the end of round two, staggering McVey. Midway through the bout, McVey’s left eye is beginning to swell. However, in round six, there is a huge momentum swing as Romero suffers a cut over his left eye. Then, in the seventh round, Romero misses and leaves himself open to a McVey combination. Romero topples to the canvas, arising at the count of eight. This means the bout goes down to the wire for the final three rounds of action. Romero bounces back with a big round eight and nine, and he goes on to take a UD 10 (96-93, 95-94, 95-94). Romero improves to 25-6 (17) with the win, while McVey drops to 36-18-2 (18) with the loss. Romero moves to the top five in the rankings, and his managers begin campaigning for a title shot some time later in the year. Jan. 6, 1934: Back to Europe, specifically the Palais des Sports in Cannes, France, for the next card. The main event is an EBU Flyweight title bout, with Kid Socks making his first defense of the crown he won last year against a former EBU Champion, Emile Pladner. It is the first meeting of the two, and Pladner hopes that his status as the hometown favorite is sufficient to offset the champion’s edge for Socks. With two boxers, the bout devolves into a tactical affair. Buoyed on by the hometown crowd, Pladner gradually begins to pull ahead in the middle rounds. Socks tries to pick up the pace as the bout enters the later rounds, but tiredness sets in as he is not able to penetrate Pladner’s defenses. The Frenchman goes on to take a UD 12 (115-113, 117-112, 117-111) and regains the EBU title belt. Post-fight career totals: Pladner, 22-10-2 (8); Kid Socks, 31-19-3 (8). Jan. 6, 1934: More action in the States with a card at the Miami Arena. Former WBA Champ Jack Sharkey is back in action, defending his NABF title against Elmer Ray. It’s a classic boxer versus slugger matchup, with Sharkey fulfilling the role of boxer against Ray’s slugger. Sharkey is confident, based on an earlier win over Ray, via a KO from 1931. This time, Ray gets off early, surprising Sharkey with a solid uppercut that forces the “Boston Gob” to cover up to last the round. In round five, Sharkey is forced to cover up again after he is on the receiving end of a sharp three-punch combination from “Kid Violet.” By round seven, there is a noticeable welt under Sharkey’s left eye, the result of repeated punishment dished out by the challenger. Then, in round 10, Ray is able to put Sharkey on the canvas with a hook to the head; Sharkey takes a five-count before arising, and he manages to last the round. Tired and desperately seeking to retain his title, Sharkey goes on the offensive in round 11, and he manages to connect with a big right that rocks Ray, forcing the challenger to cover up. Ray, however, manages to survive that round and through the final round, taking a close but UD 12 (115-113, 116-112, 116-112) to capture the title and improve to 27-5 (16). Sharkey slips to 30-9 (18) after the loss. Jan. 12, 1934: Next Friday card is north of the border at Vancouver’s Exhibition Gardens. As usual, there are several Canadian fan favorites on the card, but the main event matches two top five FW contenders: the Cuban Kid Chocolate and reigning EBU Champ Maurice Holtzer. In one of the preliminary bouts, Argentinian Justo Suarez blasted out former LW contender Sammy Mandell in one, the KO 1 result solidifying Suarez’s spot among the top 10 LWs, all while boosting his career totals to 24-5-1 (16). Then, in the main event, Chocolate takes the ring against Holtzer. The “Cuban Bon Bon” races to an early lead, and an outgunned Holtzer is unable to land any telling blows to reverse the trend, plus the Frenchman tires badly in the later rounds. This enables Kid Chocolate to take a UD 10 (97-93 on all cards) and stake his claim for a possible WBA or NABF title shot later in 1934. The win ups Chocolate’s overall career totals to 23-3-5 (14), while Holtzer heads back to Europe at 28-9-1 (11). Jan. 13, 1934: Next up is some fistic action at the Stadium in Liverpool. Only one bout of note, and it’s the headliner, for the GBU MW title belt held by Jock McAvoy. McAvoy is making the sixth title defense of the belt he has held since 1930 against Billy Bird, whom he defeated via a TKO stoppage in a 1931 bout, that for the Commonwealth MW crown. This time around, Bird catches the Champ with an uppercut that forces McAvoy to cover up in the opening round. After the first four rounds, McAvoy appears to be in difficult shape, with a welt forming under his right eye due to the accumulated impact of the blows landed by the challenger. However, the end comes suddenly in round five when McAvoy nails Bird with a strong shot that puts the challenger down and out. KO 5 for McAvoy, who retains the belt. Post-fight career marks: McAvoy, 24-4-4 (17); Bird, 35-15-4 (15). Jan. 13, 1934: Next up is a packed card at New Orleans’ Coliseum Arena. A couple of quality matches on the undercard, followed by a USBA title bout topping off the evening as the main event. First up, unbeaten LH John Henry Lewis takes to the ring against veteran Ray Pelkey, a second successive top 20 opponent for the young Lewis. Pelkey proves to be a tough nut to crack, and Lewis is content to lay back on the outside and box for the first few rounds. Then, in round five, Lewis strikes, dropping Pelkey to the deck with a vicious uppercut. Pelkey arises at the count of three and manages to last the round. A second KD follows in round seven, but Lewis cannot put Pelkey away and has to settled for a very convincing UD 10 (99-88, 99-91, 98-90) to run his unbeaten record to 17-0 (15). In the co-feature, two reigning Champs collide in a non-title affair as WBA JLW Champ Tod Morgan moves up in weight to face Wesley Ramey, the newly-crowned NABF LW Champ. With two boxers, the bout evolves into a defensive struggle, with Morgan seeming to gain the upper hand in the early going. Ramey moves inside to pick up the pace, and this has a noticeable effect as Morgan’s right eye begins to show signs of swelling as a result. In the final round, Ramey comes close to a knockdown when a three-punch combo staggers Morgan, who remains afoot and lasts the distance. However, the decision goes to Ramey, not a big surprise, although the margin is as he takes a UD 10 victory (98-92, 97-93, 96-94) to move to 19-1-4 (9), moving up to the top 10 in the LW rankings as a result. The loss drops Morgan to 41-10-1 (12), leaving him pondering whether or not to continue defending the JLW title or move up to the more active LW division for good. Then, in the main event, BW K. O. Morgan makes his first defense of the USBA title against a former Champ, Eddie “Cannonball” Martin. Martin, however, is at Post-Prime and beginning to show the effects of aging. In this bout, an early clash of heads during round two leads to a cut on Martin’s forehead that proves difficult for his corner to treat. The cut continues to ooze blood through most of the bout, and in round five there is even more blood in the ring as Morgan sustains a cut over his left eyebrow. It is Martin’s cut that is the most severe, however, and it leads to a stoppage midway through round six. Because it was due to an accidental butt, the bout goes to the scorecards after five and Morgan is able to retain the title via a UTD 6 (49-46, 48-47, 48-47) to move his career stats to 19-3-3 (14); Martin is 36-18-3 (15) after the loss.

08-23-2013, 07:04 PM	#990
JCWeb Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 2,100	Jan. 1934 -- Part 2 of 2 This is a summary of ring action from the second half of January 1934, covering a total of 59 bouts. Jan. 19, 1934: Time for another “Friday night fights Down Under” in Sydney, Australia. It’s a good card, headlined by two title contests. On the undercard, young HW Jack O’Malley runs his record to 22-1 (11) but not without some difficulty, taking a MD 10 from veteran Jack Humbeeck. Then, in the first of the duo of title bouts, veteran Billy Grime faces GBU and EBU Champ Harry Mason for Grime’s Commomwealth LW title. It’s the fifth meeting of the two, but a 3-1 edge for Grime in their prior encounters may not mean much given that the Aussie has hit Post-Prime career stage. Mason is able to build a solid points lead, but Grime has his moment in round nine, bringing the crowd to its feet when he stuns Mason with a left hook to the body that rocks the Brit, who survives and goes on to a lopsided UD 12 (119-111, 118-111, 118-112) to capture his third LW title belt. Mason improves to 34-20-3 (5) with the win, while Grime drops to 28-20-2 (16) with the loss. Then, the main event is for the OPBF WW belt that was vacated last year when Irineo Flores stepped up to successfully challenge for the WBA crown. Filipino Lope Tenorio is matched with Kiwi Ted Morgan, and Tenorio has the advantage of a prior win (back in 1932) over Morgan. Tenorio makes a strong start, and by the end of the second round Morgan is showing some signs of puffiness around his left eye. After trailing badly through the opening four rounds, Morgan finally begins to make an impact in round five, and it is Tenorio who is backed up and suffering the effects of swelling around both eyes, plus a cut over the right eye. Tenorio rebounds quickly, nailing Morgan with a three-punch combo in round six. In round nine, the cut over Tenorio’s eye is reopened, but some good cornerwork keeps matters under the control. Then, in round 10, a nasty-looking cut appears over the right eye of Morgan. With Tenorio well ahead on points, the ref calls a halt when the cut over Morgan’s eye becomes too serious to continue. TKO 12 for Tenorio, who once again is OPBF WW Champion for the third time in his career. Post-fight records are Tenorio, 22-13-7 (8); Morgan, 18-6-1 (9). Jan. 20, 1934: Back to Europe, this time to the Sports Palace in Rome, Italy. It’s a good card, with a EBU title bout preceded by a 10-round co-feature that has none other than the “Ambling Alp,” Primo Carnera, facing American Jack Gross. This proves to be an entertaining bout with lots of action. Carnera gets off to a strong start, and by the midway point of the bout, Gross is suffering from a rapidly swelling right eye. The action picks up in round five, when Carnera decks Gross with a hook to the head. Primo follows up a round later with a second KD, after landing a big uppercut. Then, Carnera gets careless, allowing Gross back in the fight. Gross decks Carnera with a big combination, and then later in the same round he follows up with a cross to put Primo down for a count of eight. That sixth round is already a candidate for round of the year! (Something I did not focus on in the 1933 awards.) Anyway, Carnera is able to regroup and puts Gross down for a third time in round eight when he connections with a combination. Two more KDs that same round, and the bout is stopped. TKO 8 for Carnera as the three-knockdown rule is in effect. The Italian HW moves to 20-4-1 (16), while Gross ends the bout at 24-11 (13). Good action fight to get the fans ready for the main event, which sees Cleto Locatelli making the first defense of the EBU WW title in over a year, and this time he is facing the unbeaten but highly regarded German contender, Gustav Eder. It’s the first meeting of the two, and there is a long feeling-out process with Locatelli emerging with a slight edge by the midway point of the 12-rounder. Eder tries to become more aggressive and moves inside, but in round eight he sustains a cut over his right eye. He falls even further behind on points, as Locatelli has delivered a solid, workman-like performance in a bout that seems likely to go to decision. However, a surprise twist when, in round 11, the German suffers a severe hand injury and cannot continue. Locatelli is declared the winner via a TKO 11, although he was well ahead on points at the time of the stoppage. Post-fight records: 28-8-1 (10) for Locatelli; 25-1-2 (9) for Eder, who suffers his first career loss. Jan. 20, 1934: Back in the States for a huge card at the Garden in New York. First up, on the undercard, is the “Harlem Thunderbolt,” MW Harry Smith, who faces top 10 MW Young Terry in a 10-round, non-title affair. Things go badly for Smith at the outset, as he suffers a cut over his left eye in round one. However, he recovers quickly, and puts Terry down with a barrage of blows near the end of round two. In round three, a sharp combination from Smith causes Terry to cover up. Terry continues to battle, however, and after a big round seven for Terry, there is noticeable swelling under Smith’s right eye. A round later, Smith battles back, and this time it is Terry whose left eye is puffing up. The bout goes the distance, and Terry takes a UD 10 (97-94, 96-94, 96-94) to run his career totals to 28-9-3 (10); Smith slips to 23-6 (16) with the loss. In the co-feature, two top five LHs square off as Maxie Rosenbloom takes on Battling Bozo, with a possible title shot on the horizon for the winner. Rosenbloom gradually piles up points with solid defensive skills, and in round four, Bozo suffers a cut over his right eye. A couple of big rounds (five and six) put Rosenbloom well ahead, but Bozo battles from behind to keep the bout close. In fact, many are surprised that Maxie is able to escape with only a SD 10 (95-94, 94-95, 96-93). Post-fight marks: Rosenbloom, 32-10-6 (13); Bozo, 23-5-1 (10). Then, the main event has WBA LH Champ, the unbeaten Tiger Jack Fox, making his first defense against the #1 ranked contender, USBA Champion George Manley. In round one, Manley surprises Fox with a three-punch combo that stuns the Champ. Fox covers up to last the round. Early in round two, Fox retaliates which a nice, short uppercut that buckles Manley’s knees; Manley does not go down, and manages to cover up and survive the round. Then, in round four, Fox regains control, and both Manley’s eyes are showing signs of swelling as a result. A straight right puts the challenger on his seat near the end of the round. More of the same in round five, and this time Manley is not able to beat the count as Fox lands another big shot. KO 5 for Tiger Jack Fox, who maintains the WBA title along with his unblemished career record, now 31-0 (23 KO). Manley ends the match at 33-15 (16). Jan. 26, 1934: Next Friday night card is at Atlantic City. Appearing for the first time in the main event is young HW Jersey Joe Walcott, who has worked his way into the top 20 ratings and faces veteran Jim Maloney. Maloney is still in the top 20 but now on the downside of his career, having hit Post-Prime in 1934. Walcott makes a strong start, putting Maloney down for a seven-count in the opening round -- Maloney’s left eye is already showing signs of swelling by the end of the opening round. Maloney perseveres, however, and he has his moment in the fifth round when he nails Walcott with a nice uppercut, forcing Jersey Joe to cover up. The end comes a couple of rounds later, when Walcott reasserts control, catching Maloney with a barrage of blows to score a second KD, then finishing with a big uppercut. KO 7 for Walcott lifts his career totals to 19-0 (17). Maloney ends the bout at 27-13-1 (23). Jan. 27, 1934: Back to the UK for a solid card at the Olympia in London. The headliner is a meeting of two reigning WBA Champions, but on the undercard power-punching LH Paul Berlenbach, the “Astoria Assassin,” faces long-time GBU titleholder Gypsy Daniels in a non-title affair. Berlenbach gets off the canvas – the result of a lucky shot from Daniels in round seven – and manages to put Daniels on the deck in the final round with a big hook and, at one KD apiece, the UD 10 goes to Berlenbach (97-92, 99-91, 98-90). Post-fight career marks: Berlenbach, 30-12 (21); Daniels, 31-22-2 (18). Then, in the main event, the “Whitechapel Whirlwind,” Jack Kid Berg, drops down to LW to challenge the “Roman Warrior,” Tony Canzoneri, for the latter’s WBA LW Champion. It’s the third meeting of the two, with Berg having won two prior meetings at JWW. Not much in the way of action until the end of round four, when Berg rocks Canzoneri with a hook to the head. More of the same just before the bell in the fifth, when Berg once again staggers the American Champ with a hook; at this point, there is noticeable swelling under Canzoneri’s right eye. Berg has pulled ahead, and he continues to press his advantage in the middle rounds. Meanwhile, Canzoneri hangs tough, despite suffering a cut over his left eye suffered in round 10. He battles back, bloodying Berg’s lip and causing the JWW Champ’s left eye to swell up. The bout remains close right up to the final bell, and the result – a SD 15 for Canzoneri (144-141, 142-143, 143-142) -- does not sit well with the pro-Berg crowd. Canzoneri is 31-4-2 (15) with the win, avenging two of his prior losses. Berg, on the other hand, slips to 30-8-3 (10), but is planning on remaining in the LW division, where the competition and paydays are likely to be greater than the rather moribund JWW division. Jan. 27, 1934: The month wraps up with a packed card at Panama City, Panama. Lots of Latino fighters in action, with the main event matching two former WBA BW Champs, Panama Al Brown and Speedy Dado, in a 10-round, non-title affair. Brown, who is seeking to build on three recent wins, is on the comeback trail, facing Dado, the same man he TKO’d to capture the WBA BW title for the second time back in 1932. This time, the action commences in round two, with Brown getting off to an inauspicious start by suffering a cut over his left eye. In the third round, Brown connects with a hook and puts Dado on the deck. A round later, Brown rocks Dado with big right hand, forcing the Filipino to cover up. By the end of the round, there is noticeable swelling under Dado’s right eye. Things get worse for Dado in round six, when he suffers a cut over his left eye. Then, in the seventh round, Brown floors Dado with a big shot that puts Dado down and out. KO 7 for Brown, repeating his earlier win. This moves Panama Al’s career totals to 42-7 (17); Dado dips to 24-10-2 (13) with the loss. Good action bout to wrap up the month’s fistic activities. Last edited by JCWeb; 01-09-2014 at 03:31 PM.

08-28-2013, 10:49 AM	#991
JCWeb Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 2,100	Feb. 1934 -- Part 1 of 2 This is a summary of ring action from the first half of February 1934, covering a total of 56 bouts. Feb. 2, 1934: “Friday night fights” moves to the Boston Garden. Not a huge card, but a pair of interesting contests, including a USBA title clash. In the co-feature, Joe “Cairo Calamity” Knight seeks to crack the top 10 LH contenders by taking on veteran Lou Scozza in a 10-round, non-title affair. The bout does not go well for Scozza, who suffers a cut over his right eye in round two. A few rounds later, more blows landed by Knight, and there is swelling under Scozza’s damaged right eye as well. The cut reopens a round later, leading to an immediate stoppage. TKO 5 for Knight, running his career record to 23-3-2 (14). Scozza drops to 33-8-1 (24) with the loss. Then, in the main event, USBA LW mpion Sammy Fuller makes his first defense against “the Fargo Express,” Billy Petrolle, a former WBA LW Champion. Good news for Fuller, though, Petrolle has peaked and is now in his first bout at Post-Prime. Fuller gradually wears down the aging vet and, in round five, puts Petrolle on the deck with a barrage of effective punches. Fuller goes on the dominate the rest of the way, while Petrolle is a shadow of his former self. The UD 12 goes to Fuller (116-110, 117-109, 116-110). Post-fight records are Fuller, 37-7 (6); Petrolle, 42-6-3 (21). Feb. 3, 1934: Next up is a card very light in quantity but heavy in quality at the Ullevi Stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden. The main event is a WBA FW title contest, with Pete DeGrasse making his first title defense against #2 ranked contender, reigning NABF titleholder Freddie Miller. Miller gets off to a good start, pulling ahead in the early going with good, solid boxing through the early and middle rounds. In round eight, the Champ battles back, working inside and delivering with a huge round. However, Miller settles in and takes a points lead into the later rounds. DeGrasse, tired and trailing, tries to be more aggressive but Miller’s defense remains solid. Then, in the final round, DeGrasse catches a huge break, as the referee inserts himself in the bout. Miller is called for illegal clinching, leaning on the neck of DeGrasse who is unable to get his hands free. The flagrant foul call leads to a disqualification. DeGrasse thus takes a DQ-15 to retain the belt. A peek at the judges’ cards showed all three favoring Miller, although the scores were close. Miller’s connections filed a protest, but to no avail. DeGrasse keeps the WBA title belt and moves his career stats to 26-8-1 (6); Miller is now 25-4 (12) but still has the NABF belt to fall back on. Feb. 3, 1934: Back in the States for a solid card at the Dodge Theater in Phoenix. No titles at stake, but the main event sees two top five LW contenders square off, as Ray Miller meets Jack Portney. Not much action until round two, when Portney sustains a nasty cut over his right eyebrow. The bout remains close through the early going, but the cut proves decisive when, in round five, the ref steps in and signals an early end to the bout. It goes into the books as a TKO 5 for Ray Miller on the cuts stoppage. Miller improves to 36-10 (16). Portney is 26-6-2 (14) after the setback. Feb. 9, 1934: Next Friday night card returns to a popular venue, the Gran Stadium in Havana, Cuba. No title bouts on the agenda, but featured in the main event are two top HWs, with Commonwealth titleholder Larry Gains facing Joe Banovic, a former USBA HW Champ. Gains appears to be gaining the upper hand, but in round five he is slowed by a cut under the left eye. Banovic does well to keep the bout close, but Gains’ corner does a very good job of preventing the cut from becoming a factor in the bout. Midway through the seventh, Gains rips a hard shot to the top of Banovic’s head, forcing the latter to cover up. Gains goes on to take a UD 10 (98-94, 97-95, 97-95), despite suffering some minor swelling around the injured eye late in the bout. Post-fight, Gains moves to 35-9 (21). Banovic ends the bout at 29-8 (9). Feb. 10, 1934: Next card is at the Forum in Montreal. Crowd favorite Bobby Leitham, the “Verdun Flash,” is featured in the main event, making the fifth defense of his NABF BW title against a hot young fighter, the 19-1 Puerto Rican, Sixto Escobar. It is Leitham’s first bout at Post, and Escobar’s first fight at Prime. Escobar gets off to a strong start, but Leitham is able to land some stinging blows to cause some swelling around the challenger’s left eye by the midway point of the bout. Then, in round seven, Escobar is cut over the injured eye, and Leitham decides to target the cut. A round later, the situation is reversed as it is Leitham who suffers a cut over his left eye. In round 10, Leitham manages to reopen the cut over the Puerto Rican’s eye. The cut is patched up a second time, but to no avail, as a couple of rounds later, the cut is reopened once again, and this time, the ref has seen enough. TKO 11 for Leitham, who retains the title to run his record to 28-5-1 (12). A good showing by Escobar, who suffers just his second career defeat to end the bout at 19-2 (9). Feb. 10, 1934: Next card is at the Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis. Good, solid card topped by a USBA title contest. The protagonists are Vince Dundee, USBA MW titleholder, and challenger Gorilla Jones, another top 10 MW. Vince Dundee holds a prior win (via a TKO) over Jones but that was back in 1928. Jones has won his last three to set up this title shot, and it is Dundee’s first defense of the belt he won in 1933. Jones is the aggressor in the early and middle rounds. In round seven, Dundee absorbs a wicked cross to the head and goes down, arising at the count of nine. There’s no time left in the round, so the break enables Dundee sufficient time to clear his head. Jones is unable to finish but pulls ahead on points in round eight. Then, starting round nine, the Champ rallies, battling back and putting Jones on the defense. By round 11, the damage inflicted on Jones results in a rapidly swelling left eye. Dundee takes the final four rounds of the fight to come back and take a SD 12 (115-112, 113-114, 115-112) to hang on to the title belt. Post-fight career marks are 33-8-3 (14) for Dundee, 32-12-1 (18) for Gorilla Jones. Strong early contender for fight-of-the-year. Last edited by JCWeb; 09-06-2013 at 11:39 AM.

09-02-2013, 10:01 AM	#992
JCWeb Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 2,100	Feb. 1934 -- Part 2 of 2 This is a summary of ring action from the second half of February 1934, covering a total of 74 bouts. A couple of notable debuts in the USA are covered in this report. Feb. 16, 1934: “Friday night fights” goes “Down Under” once again, to Sydney, Australia. In the co-feature, 19-2 MW prospect, Aussie Fred Henneberry, faces veteran Teddy Yarosz in a non-title contest. Henneberry finds the rugged Yarosz to be an elusive target, as the American’s defenses effectively blunt the power of Henneberry throughout most of the fight. Yarosz goes on to take a UD 10 (97-95, 97-94, 97-94) to move to 21-5 (13) overall. For Henneberry, it is his second straight loss – following an unsuccessful challenge for the OPBF title – to drop him to 19-3 (10) overall. In the main event, reigning OPBF HW king Tom “the Hard Rock Down Under” Heeney faces King Levinsky, another American, in a non-title affair. Levinsky, following a recent run of good results, is looking to move up the HW rankings against Heeney, who has slowed a step but still packs a wallop. Heeney starts off as the aggressor, but he is nothing more than an inviting target for Levinsky, who lands repeatedly such that Heeney’s left eye is puffing up as early as round four. The swelling worsens as the bout progresses, and Levinsky coasts to a one-sided UD 10 (99-91 on all three cards), much to the chagrin of the Heeney supporters at ringside. Post-fight records are Levinsky, 22-3-1 (11); Heeney, 35-19-1 (12). Feb. 17, 1934: The Sports Palace in Rome, Italy hosts the next fistic action, with a notable WBA title clash headlining the card. Only bout of note on the undercard leading up to the main event is between two unbeaten young BW prospects, Romania’s Aurel Toma and Mexico’s Raul Casanova. It’s an entertaining action bout that sees Toma battling a swollen left eye and Casanova struggling with a split lip in the early going. Then, in the fourth, Casanova decks Toma for the count of nine with a nice combination. A second KD follows in round eight, and the Mexican takes a lopsided UD 10 (100-89, 100-89, 99-90) to move to 11-0 (10); Toma’s first career setback leaves him at 11-1 (8). At the end of the evening, it is time for the main event, which matches a current WBA titleholder with an all-time great, as Barney Ross defends his WBA WW crown against Benny Leonard, former LW Champ who is entering the ring for his 95^th pro bout. After a long feeling-out process, both men feel comfortable trading blows, boxing from the outside. Ross gets off to a good start, taking the first two rounds, but the 38-year-old Leonard rebounds quickly with a strong third round, and he also has the edge in round four. Leonard continues to hold his own through the middle rounds, but in round eight he suffers a cut over his left eye that proves troublesome as the bout wears on. After ten, the unofficial card has it even at 95 apiece. Ross begins to press the action on the inside as the bout enters the later rounds. In round 12, the cut is reopened. Leonard stays outside but also tries to protect the cut, which is being targeted by Ross. Finally, in the 14^th, the cut is ripped open and, despite protests from Leonard’s corner, the ref consults with the ring doctor and then calls a halt. TKO 14 for Ross on the cuts stoppage. Ross keeps the WBA title belt and moves to 23-2-1 (8); Leonard is now 82-10-3 (42) after what could turn out to be his final WBA title contest. Feb. 17, 1934: Back in the States for the next card, at New York City’s Madison Square Garden. One notable debut on the undercard, as promising LH Gus Lesnevich kicks his career off on the right foot when he flattens a TC with a KO 4 win to go 1-0 (1) after his initial pro outing. Also on the undecard is young Flyweight Istvan Enekes, a former Olympic Champ who takes on veteran Corporal Izzy Schwartz in a 10-round, non title bout. It is Enekes’ first bout at Prime, and he takes advantage of an early cut opened over Schwartz’s left eye in the initial round. The cut gradually worsens and leads to a stoppage midway through the bout. TKO 6 for Enekes to run his career totals to 18-2-1 (10). Schwartz is now 29-17-2 (7). After a couple of additional bouts, it is time for the main event. Another non-title bout, but it matches a former WBA HW Champ against an up-and-comer as Young Stribling is matched with Max Baer. Baer is looking to make a name for himself and also to move up the HW ranks. Early in round three, a Baer hook staggers Stribling and forces the ex-Champ to cover up. In the fourth round, Stribling misses with a left and leaves himself open for another Baer hook. Once again, Stribling covers up and manages to last the round. Baer gets careless in round five, though, and he walks into a Stribling cross and goes down briefly near the end of the round. The rest of the bout is fairly close, with Stribling landing enough punches to put some swelling under Baer’s left eye. Baer remains the aggressor to the end, but the decision goes to Stribling via a SD 10 (95-94, 95-96, 96-94) who moves to 46-8-2 (24) with the win. Tough loss for Baer, now 19-3 (18), who needs to find an easier opponent in order to crack the upper echelon in the HW ranks. Feb. 23, 1934: Next Friday night card is at Atlantic City’s Convention Hall. On the undercard are two young MWs, with unbeaten Ken Overlin facing Eddie “Babe” Risko for a possible move into the top 20 spot in the MW rankings. Overlin suffers a cut over his left eye early in the bout, and the action is called to an early halt – a technical draw as the cut was ruled due to an accidental butt. Overlin is 20-0-1 (11) after the bout, Risko is 21-2-1 (10) as both men appear to have bright futures. The main event is for the USBA FW title, as Eddie Shea makes his first defense against a former WBA Champion, the higher ranked Louis Kaplan. It is Shea’s first bout at Post, as Kaplan has already reached Post. Things start badly for Shea, who suffers a cut over his right eye in the opening stanza. The cut reopens in round five and then again, in round nine, leading to a late stoppage. TKO 9 for Kaplan. Post-fight, Kaplan is 43-13-3 (11). Shea, whose one career title reign did not last long, ends the bout at 28-16-3 (15). Feb. 24, 1934: Next card is at Earls Court in London. No titles at stake, and the fight card has a number of British fighters facing foreign opposition. In the main event, CBU and GBU FW Champion Al Foreman faces the highIy regarded Cuban. Kid Chocolate, the #2 ranked FW contender. Chocolate puts Foreman down in the opening round with a big hook; Foreman arises at the count of eight. Chocolate continues as the aggressor through the early and middle rounds, with Foreman just hoping to weather the storm. In round six, the Cuban takes a step back but still unloads with another strong shot to register the second KD of the fight. On wobbly legs, Foreman arises after hanging onto the ropes to assist him. Late in the bout, the Brit is cut under the left eye. The cut is not a relevant factor as Chocolate takes a lopsided UD 10 (97-91, 99-89, 99-89) to run his career totals to 24-3-5 (14). Foreman is now 32-20-1 (22). Feb. 24, 1934: Final card of the month, at Detroit’s Briggs Stadium. It’s a packed card, headlined by a USBA WW title bout. First up is another significant pro debut on the undercard, as MW Tony Zale, the “Man of Steel,” makes quick work of his TC opponent, taking a TKO 2 to go 1-0 (1). Then, in the main event, Joe Dundee and Tommy Freeman are matched for the vacant USBA WW belt, previously held by Barney Ross who now reigns as the WBA Champion. Both men are still in their prime, and Freeman took a UD 10 win in a prior encounter back in 1931. Dundee has a slight edge in the early going, and as the bout wears on, Freeman becomes more and more aggressive. No cuts or knockdowns, as both fighers are unmarked. The UD 12 goes to Dundee (116-113, 117-112, 117-112). Post-fight career marks are 39-5-7 (13) for Dundee, 31-16-2 (13) for Freeman. Last edited by JCWeb; 09-02-2013 at 04:09 PM.

09-04-2013, 11:18 PM	#993
JCWeb Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 2,100	Mar. 1934 -- Part 1 of 2 This is a summary of ring action from the first half of March 1934, covering a total of 54 bouts. Several title belts destined to change hands. Mar. 2, 1934: “Friday night fights” at Pittsburgh. Unbeaten MW prospect Al Hostak makes it 10 KO wins in 10 bouts, vanquishing a TC in his first career 10-rounder with an impressive TKO 2 win. Then, the main event features another top young unbeaten fighter, LH John Henry Lewis, who moves up to main event status in his toughest test to date, facing top 10 contender and former USBA LH Champ Battling Bozo. Bozo’s experience and superior boxing skills show in the earlier rounds, as he builds a slight points edge through the first half of the 10-round bout. Lewis becomes more aggressive in the second half of the bout, working on the inside to take round seven. Both men battle all the way to the end as the bout goes the distance with no cuts or knockdowns. The end result – a draw (95-all on all three cards) – seems justified. Post-fight, Bozo is 23-5-2 (10) and, while Lewis remains unbeaten at 17-0-1 (15), he still has some work to do in order to move up the LH rankings. Mar. 3, 1934: Back to Europe at the Amor Bahn in Munich, and a WBA title bout headlines the card. BW Champ Kid Francis defends the WBA belt against long-time top contender Bushy Graham. The early edge goes to Francis as, by the end of round five, the challenger is beginning to suffer the effects of a rapidly swelling left eye as a result of the accumulated blows landed by the Champ. Graham keeps battling and manages to keep the bout close into the later rounds. The bout goes the distance and, in a bit of a surprise, Graham manages to lift the belt via a MD 15 (146-143, 143-143, 144-142). Post-fight career marks for the two: Graham, 33-16-1 (10); Francis, 29-13-3 (17). Mar. 9, 1934: Back in the States for a Friday night card at the Miami Arena. Only notable bout is the main event, for the USBA HW title. Ad Warren, who won the title last year, makes his first defense against Patsy Pirrone. It is Pirrone’s first title shot of any kind and, with Warren hitting Post-Prime in 1934, he stands a good chance in this encounter. In the first meeting of these two, Pirrone takes advantage of Warren’s weakened defense and, by the end of round three, there are telltale signs of swelling under the left eye of the Champ. The eye becomes an inviting target for Pirrone, who builds a points lead. Then, in round seven, Warren gets careless and leaves himself open for a big shot from Pirrone that puts him down and out. Warren cannot beat the count, so it goes down as a KO 7 win for Pirrone who takes the USBA title belt and improves to 24-4-1 (4) overall. Warren dips to 24-6 (19) after the loss. Mar. 10, 1934: Next card is back at the Stadium in Liverpool, England. There’s a huge upset on the undercard with lightly regarded Flyweight Mickey McGuire takes a SD 10 (94-96, 95-94, 95-94) over veteran Kid Socks, who still retains the Commonwealth Fly title bet which was not at stake in what was expected to be a “tune-up” for a future title bout. As a result, McGuire is 16-7 (5) after the bout, compated to a 31-20-3 (8) career mark for Socks, who is now at Post-Prime career stage. Then, in the main event topping a fairly light card, Harry Mason puts his GBU LW title on the line against the much younger George Daly, who at 17-1 is in his first title bout. Mason starts well but suffers a cut over his right eye in round six. Daly targets the cut, and manages to rally while Mason and his corner work on preventing the cut from becoming a major factor in the bout. Despite the cut being reopened in round 12, the bout goes the distance, with Mason managing to escape with a draw (114-all, 115-113 Mason, 112-116 Daly). He keeps the GBU belt along with the EBU and Commonwealth belts which were not at stake. a makes his first defense against a former WBA Champion, the higher ranked Louis Kaplan. Post-fight, Mason is 34-20-4 (11). Daly, whose connections are seeking an immediate rematch, ends the bout at 16-1-1 (7). Mar. 10, 1934: Next card is at Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens. LHs on display, with a NABF title clash headlining the card. The main support has long-time Commonwealth and ex-WBA Champ, Jack Delaney, facing Eddie McGovern. Both these sluggers are at Post-Prime. Delaney lands more punches and pulls ahead on points. Midway through the bout, there is swelling under McGovern’s left eye as a result of his being on the receiving end of many of these blows. In the final round, an exhausted McGovern hits the canvas from a Delaney combination. The bout is halted with just eight seconds remaining, and Delaney is awarded a TKO 10 win. Post-fight records are 43-12-3 (27) for Delaney, 32-16-4 (23) for McGovern. Then, in the main event, Tiger Jack Payne defends his NABF LH title against Tony Shucco. For Shucco, it is his first title shot of any kind. Payne plays the role of slugger, while Shucco is more of a boxer. Halfway through the bout, Shucco pulls to a slight lead. Payne moves inside to step up the pressure, but he cannot break through Shucco’s defenses. The bout goes the distance, and the judges award the title to Shucco via a MD 12 (115-113, 114-114, 114-113) who runs his career record to 22-5 (8). The loss leaves Payne at 25-12 (9). Mar. 16, 1934: Friday fights “Down Under” at Melbourne, Australia. Two bouts of note, both in the MW division. In the co-feature, ex-Champ Ceferino Garcia is on the comeback trail, taking on top five MW contender Johnny Romero in a 10-round, non-title affair. Both men have won their last two outings, and both are still at Prime career stage. Things start badly for Garcia when Romero rips a hook to head that staggers the Filipino ex-Champ in round two. A round later, Romero connects with a big cross that forces Garcia to cover up. By the end of round four, there is a cut under the left eye of Garcia. Romero continues to dominate in the second half of the fight, decking Garcia three times and taking a very one-sided UD 10 (99-88, 97-90, 99-88) to improve his overall career stats to 26-6 (17). Garcia is 30-12 (21) after the loss. The main event is for the Commonwealth MW title, as the holder, Canadian Lou Brouillard, has been lured down under to face the challenge of the reigning OPBF Champion, Aussie Ron Richards. A tough assignment for Brouillard, who did turn aside the challenge of another Aussie MW, Ambrose Palmer, in his most recent defense. This time, the hard-hitting Richards proves to be a tougher opponent, and after four, Brouillard is suffering from a cut over his right eye and a rapidly swelling left eye. The end comes a round later when the cut is reopened, leading to a quick stoppage, to the dismay of Brouillard and his handlers. TKO 5 for Richards, who adds the CBU title to his OPBF belt, and now the Aussie, at 25-2-2 (19), will be looking for a WBA title shot. The loss drops Brouillard to 19-5-1 (11). Last edited by JCWeb; 09-06-2013 at 11:40 AM.

09-11-2013, 12:52 PM	#994
JCWeb Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 2,100	Mar. 1934 -- Part 2 of 2 This is a summary of ring action from the second half of March 1934, covering a total of 58 bouts, including two WBA title contests. Mar. 17, 1934: Back to Europe at Cannes, France for a huge card featuring some double-barreled title bout action, including a WBA title tilt. In the co-feature, Frenchman Maurice Holtzer defends his EBU FW title against a former Champ, Dom Volante. It’s a rematch of a 1932 encounter for this same belt that ended up in a UD for Volante. This time, Volante is the aggressor in the early going, which pays dividends as Holtzer’s defenses are eventually pried open. The end comes suddenly in the sixth round after Volante connects with a short, clean uppercut that lands flush, putting Holtzer down and out. The Frenchman can’t beat the count, so the title goes back to Volante via a KO 6. Post-fight career marks are: Volante, 29-12-2 (18); Holtzer, 28-10-1 (11). Then, in the main event, Midget Wolgast makes his 10^th defense of his WBA Flyweight title against Emile Pladner, the reigning EBU titleholder. One prior meeting, back in 1929 when both men were still at Pre-Prime, resulted in a TKO win for Wolgast. The Champ enjoys an early edge through the first few rounds, but Pladner does well to keep the bout reasonably close and also to stay on his feet. No cuts or knockdowns, as the bout goes the distance. Wolgast retains the belt with a MD 15 (145-142, 143-143, 144-142), a result that was much closer than many observers thought, perhaps showing some favoritism to the French challenger. Post-fight, Wolgast is 34-4-1 (16) while Pladner slips to 22-11-2 (8), but he still retains the EBU belt which he expects to defend later in 1934. Mar. 17, 1934: To the Cow Palace in San Francisco for the next series of bouts. Featured on the agenda is a NABF MW title contest, with Freddie Steele defending the belt against Young Terry. An earlier encounter, for the USBA MW title back in 1931, ended as a KO 3 for Steele. The action heats up in the opening round, with Steele delivering a huge hook to the head that stuns Terry. The challenger manages to last the round by covering up. In round seven, Steele breaks through Terry’s defenses with a barrage of blows that put the challenger on the deck for the first time. Terry arises at the count of eight, and he manages to last just a couple of more rounds. A cross to the head from Steele results in a second knockdown, and shortly thereafter the ref steps in to save Terry from further punishment. TKO 9 for Steele, who retains the belt for the seventh time. Post-fight career marks for the two: Steele, 31-3 (25); Terry, 28-10-3 (10). Mar. 23, 1934: Next up is a rare Friday night card at the Olympia in London, England. The undercard matches some prime British talent against fighters from other parts of the world, with the main event this time being an EBU HW title clash. In the main support, reigning Commonwealth and GBU WW Champion Jack Hood faces American WW Paul Junior. It turns out to be a rather boring affair, with two boxers showing off their defensive skills for most of the desultory 10-rounder. What little action there is favors the American, as Junior takes a UD 10 (98-94, 98-93, 96-94). This moves him up the rankings, with career totals of 20-4-3 (12). Hood, who was at Post-Prime for the first time, slips to 26-9-7 (9). In the main event, Irishman Jack “Gorgeous Gael” Doyle defends the EBU title against an up-and-coming German fighter, Walter Neusel. Two sluggers means more action in this bout. The early action favors Doyle, as there is swelling under Neusel’s right eye as early as round three. The German begins to turn things around in the middle rounds, however, and he finds Doyle vulnerable to a hook to the head in round six. The Champ covers up to last the round but still comes away with a rapidly swelling right eye. Doyle, seeing the title slipping away, becomes more aggressive in the later rounds. The bout goes down to the wire, with the final round proving decisive as Neusel takes a SD 12 (115-114, 114-115, 117-113) to lift the belt, and the pro-Doyle crowd goes home unhappy. Neusel improves to 17-1-1 (14) with the win, while Doyle dips to 28-14-3 (20) after the loss. Mar. 24, 1934: Next card is New Orleans’ Coliseum Arena. There’s a WBA title bout on the card, but first up is a 10-round, non-title Flyweight bout featuring ex-Champ and long-time top contender Frankie Genaro taking on Ruben “Dark Cloud” Bradley. The two boxers, wary of each other, leads to a rather tepid, defensive stuggle, with Genaro holding his own despite being at Post-Prime career stage. There is some swelling under Genaro’s right eye late in the bout, starting around round nine, but it is not really much of a factor as the two battle to a majority draw (94-96 Bradley, 95-95, 95-95). Post-fight records: Genaro, 41-15-3 (18); Bradley, 24-12-6 (5). The main event sees Tod Morgan making his first defense of his WBA JLW belt in over a year, facing a familiar foe, top contender Benny Bass; the two have met three times previously, with Morgan going 3-0 in those prior encounters. Will this time be any different? Bass manages to keep the bout close through the early rounds, but then Morgan cuts loose with a huge round five to seize control. Bass mixes up an inside and outside attack, while Morgan sticks mostly on the outside. Morgan decides to adopt a defensive posture in the later rounds, and both men are able to last the distance, unmarked, with no cuts or knockdowns throughout the bout. The result is a SD 15 for Morgan (144-142, 142-144, 144-141) which enables him to keep the belt despite the fact that one judge (perhaps impressed by Bass’ greater aggressive) went for the challenger. Post-fight, Morgan is 42-10-1 (12). Bass, frustrated by another loss to the Champion, ends the bout at 40-15-4 (14). Mar. 30, 1934: Next Friday night card is at Havana’ Gran Stadium. The headliner is a NABF title clash, with the co-feature seeing ex-WBA WW Champ Irineo Flores taking on long-time top JWW contender Battling Shaw in a non-title contest. Shaw is the aggressor, but Flores looks comfortable fighting on the outside, gradually piling up a points lead. In round seven, Shaw leaves himself open for a big shot, and Flores delivers the knockout punch, putting Shaw down and out. KO 7 for Flores moves him to 41-13-2 (20). Shaw is 23-5-3 (12) after the loss. Then, it is time for the main event, with NABF LW Champ Wesley Ramey making his first defense of that belt against Cuban Emory Cabana, who is coming off a recent SD win over highly regarded Stanislaus Loayza to earn the title shot. Ramey starts well, but Cabana – buoyed on by a favorable hometown crowd – manages to keep the bout close into the middle rounds. Ramey then appears to be wearing down the Cuban challenger as the bout heads into the later rounds, with Cabana battling a rapidly swelling right eye from round nine out. In round 10, however, Ramey suffers a cut over his left eye, and the Cuban manages to rally to put the issue in doubt. When, the scorecards are read, Cabana becomes the new NABF LW Champion, taking a MD 12 (117-111, 114-114, 117-111). Post-fight records are 33-14-4 (12) for Cabana, 19-2-4 (6) for Ramey. Mar. 31, 1934: The month wraps up with a big Saturday card at St. Nicholas Arena in New York City. No title bouts, but no fewer than FIVE HW bouts are on the card. In the first of these, two unbeaten prospects, Steve Dudas and Frank Feary, both at 8-0, do battle in an eight-rounder. Feary seizes control after landing a big shot in the third round, then follows up with KDs in the fourth, fifth and sixth. Dudas cannot recover so the third KD finishes it, KO 6 for Feary to move to 9-0 (8), while Dudas is 8-1 (6). Next up on the card is Leroy Haynes, who takes on veteran Bearcat Wright, a former USBA HW titleholder. In this one, Haynes is clearly not ready to step up and Wright takes a TKO 5 win. Post-fight marks: 30-15-4 (21) for Wright; 14-3-1 (11) for Haynes. Then, a bit of a break before the main support and feature bouts, and the fans see unbeaten MW Holman Williams goes to 15-0 (14), ending the career of visiting Karl Sahm with an impressive KO 5 finish by Williams. Then, in the main support, fan favorite Jimmy Braddock once again tries to jump start his flagging career, facing “Big Charley R” Retzlaff. Solid effort by Braddock, save for one difficult moment in round four when Ratzlaff connected with a big hook that staggered Braddock and forced “the Cinderella Man” to cover up. The SD 10 goes to Braddock (98-93, 95-96, 98-93), surprising only that one judge went for Ratzlaff in what appeared to be a solid points win for Braddock. After the bout, Braddock improves to 24-10-2 (6) and is looking for even tougher competition in his next outing. In the co-feature, Lee Ramage faces “Two Ton” Tony Galento with a spot in the top 20 a likelihood for the winner. Galento is in trouble early, suffering a split lip in round two, and Ramage takes advantage, building an early points lead. However, Galento battles back, showing boundless energy as the bout heads into the later rounds. In the end, though, it is not enough, as Ramage goes on to take a close but UD 10 verdict (96-94 on all cards) to run his career record to an excellent 22-2 (8). Galento is 22-5 (18) after the loss. The main event features former USBA HW Champ Joe Banovic, against the very talented newcomer, unbeaten Jersey Joe Walcott who at 19-0 is wrapping up the Pre-Prime stage of his career in this outing. Jersey Joe gets off to a good start, and Banovic is feeling the sting of his punches by the end of round two, when his right eye begins to puff up. Banovic battles back, however, and the bout is a close one heading into the middle rounds. In the sixth round, Walcott responds to the pressure by slicing open a cut over Banovic’s right eye. Banovic, in a desperate attempt to salvage the situation, leaves himself open to repeated salvos from Walcott who is on target with most of his punches. The end comes in round nine when Jersey Joe breaks through Banovic’s defenses to land a wicked cross that puts Banovic down and out. KO 9 for Walcott, who will begin the Prime stage of his career with a perfect 20-0 (18) record. The loss drops Banovic to 29-9 (9).

09-11-2013, 01:41 PM	#995
PWillisTheMan Hall Of Famer Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 3,418	When is Joe's debut? __________________ http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/boar...urnaments.html- Nerd Tournaments

09-17-2013, 01:40 PM	#997
JCWeb Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 2,100	Apr. 1934 -- Part 1 of 2 This is a summary of ring action from the first half of April 1934, covering a total of 53 bouts. This encompasses one World HW title fight, held in Berlin, Germany (Max Schmeling's home country). Apr. 6, 1934: Good, solid Friday night card to start off the month at the War Memorial Auditorium in Syracuse, New York. No titles at stake but a couple of noteworthy bouts. In one of the main prelims, ex-WBA FW Champ Battling Battalino is back in action, facing Petey Sarron who looks to move up the FW ranks. Early action favors “Bat” as Sarron is showing signs of swelling under his right eye after just three rounds of action. Trailing in the bout, Sarron tries to become more aggressive in the second half of the fight. In round nine, his progress is slowed by a split lip. The bout goes to the scorecards and it is a fairly comfortable UD 10 (98-91, 97-92, 96-93) victory for Battalino. Post-fight career marks are: Battalino, 28-8 (12); Sarron, 24-11-4 (8). Then, in the main event, two top 10 LWs face each other as Ray Miller takes on Justo Suarez. Miller is angling for a title shot, but the Argentine Suarez has other ideas. In a traditional boxer versus puncher confrontation, Suarez is the aggressor and early on, it proves effective as a mouse forms under Miller’s right eye as early as round three. Suarez does not rest on his laurels and continues the offensive into the middle and later rounds. In round seven, he uses a lead right to set up the bout’s first knockdown, and Miller topples to the canvas, barely able to arise at the count of eight. The swelling worsens, and a late cut under the right eye of Suarez does not factor in to the final result: a lopsided UD 10 for Suarez (100-88, 99-89, 97-91), and the win lifts the Argentine slugger to 25-5-1 (16) overall. Already there is talk of a WBA title shot in his future. The loser, Miller, slips to 36-11 (16) after the loss. Apr. 7, 1934: It’s the Berlin Sportpalast for the next series of bouts, home to HW Champion Max Schmeling who is set to make the fifth defense of his WBA title, but before that there is another German Champ, EBU MW titleholder Hein Domgorgen, making his first defense against Jock McAvoy, who has held the CBU and GBU MW crowns but never the EBU title. It’s the first meeting of the two. Bad luck for McAvoy who sustains a massive cut over his right eye in the third round, and the cut worsens a round later. Then, the end comes with a cut is opened over the other eye. TKO 4 for Domgorgen on the cuts stoppage, moving the German to 36-12-1 (19) overall, while McAvoy is now 24-5-4 (17). Then, Schmeling takes the ring to face a familiar foe, Paulino Uzcudan, who is the #6 ranked HW contender. Max took a SD win over Uzcudan back in 1931 and has reeled off 12 straight wins leading into his current title reign. Uzcudan is willing to mix it up, landing repeatedly in the opening round, enough to cause a bit of puffiness under Schmeling’s left eye. Schmeling takes a couple of rounds to get going, finally asserting himself with a strong round three, then moving inside to press his advantage. He gradually wears the “Basque Woodchopper” down through the middle and into the later rounds of the fight. In round 12, Uzcudan is able to catch Max with a nice uppercut that forces Schmeling to cover up. Schmeling adopts a defensive posture in the final few rounds and goes on to take a UD 15 (144-141, 144-141, 145-140) and run his winning streak to 13. Post fight career totals: Schmeling, 34-3 (25); Uzcudan, 33-11-1 (12). Apr. 7, 1934: Next card is back in the States at Comiskey Park in Chicago. The main event has Ruby Goldstein, the NABF WW Champion, defending against Jackie Fields. It’s Goldstein’s third defense and his first meeting with the veteran Fields, who is now at Post-Prime career stage. However, Goldstein is cut over the right eye early on, and the cut never really stops bleeding. A halt is called midway through round four, and the TKO 4 goes to Fields on the cuts stoppage. Tough luck for Goldstein. Fields improves to 30-3-2 (15) with the win, while Goldstein is 38-9-3 (21) after the loss. Apr. 13, 1934: Next up is a Friday night card at Vancouver’s Exhibition Gardens. No titles and a relatively light card, but still a couple of interesting matchups. One is a rematch featuring top 10 BWs Archie Bell and Vic Foley, two grizzled veterans of the ring wars now on the downslope of their careers. It is a rematch of a recent encounter that ended in a draw. This time around, the action in the early rounds favors Bell. Foley steps up and the pace and closes the margin in the middle rounds. No cuts or knockdowns, so the bout goes the distance, with Foley coming out on top, taking a MD 10 (97-94. 95-95, 96-94); no doubt the Canadian was helped by some favorable hometown judging. The post-fight marks: Foley, 37-16-3 (16); Bell, 33-11-4 (9). The main event sees the Commonwealth LH Champ, Jack “Bright Eyes” Delaney, in a non-title affair with the now higher rated contender, Young Firpo. Firpo gets off to a strong start against the aging Canadian veteran, taking the first two rounds. Delaney bounces back with a strong showing in round four, battering Firpo and causing noticeable swelling under the American’s right eye. Then, in the fifth round, the bout takes another turn as Delaney is cut over his right eye. Firpo then takes advantage, nailing Delaney with a huge uppercut in round six, forcing Delaney to cover up and also causing some swelling to develop under Delaney’s cut eye. Firpo delivers a short hook to the midsection in round seven, stunning Delaney once again. In round nine, however, it is trouble for Firpo who is cut over his right eye. This time, the cut is too serious to allow the bout to continue. Delaney, who appeared to be trailing in the bout, is declared the winner via a TKO 10. Post-fight, Delaney is 44-12-3 (28); Young Firpo, who drops to 24-11-3 (15), still has some good years left. Apr. 14, 1934: Back to the UK for another card at the Stadium in Liverpool. Only one key matchup, the main event, which has Len Harvey defending his EBU LH belt against the man he defeated, Gustav Roth, who in turn had previously defeated Harvey to take the title. So, this third meeting of the two is the rubber match. There’s not much to choose between the two through the early rounds, and then Harvey, buoyed by the support of a friendly crowd, begins to step up the pace starting around the midway point. The Brit then pulls ahead on points, and Roth lacks the firepower to mount an effective rally. Harvey goes to take a solid UD 12 (117-111, 116-112, 116-113) and thus retains the belt. Post-fight records are 42-11-2 (17) for Harvey, 28-6-2 (12) for Roth. Apr. 14, 1934: Next card is at the Boston Garden, wrapping up the first half of the month. Again, no titles at stake, but a hugely interesting main event as long-time LH king Tommy Loughran continues to campaign as a HW, this time facing King Levinsky, a top 10 HW contender. It’s a classic boxer versus slugger confrontation, and the slick-boxing Loughran certainly proves a tough target as Levinsky is only able to get a few good shots in, none of which hurt Tommy. The bout goes the distance, and ends up in a one-sided points win for Loughran, but only in the eyes of two of the three judges and the third – surprisingly – calls it a draw – so it goes into the books as a MD 10 (99-91, 95-95, 99-91) for Loughran. (Note 99-91 appears to be closer to the accurate result). The win, which lifts Loughran to 52-5-4 (18), is enough incentive for him to continue his quest for a HW title. The loss leaves Levinksy at 22-4-1 (11).

09-24-2013, 11:32 AM	#998
JCWeb Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 2,100	Apr. 1934 -- Part 2 of 2 This is a summary of ring action from the second half of April 1934, covering a total of 59 bouts. Apr. 20, 1934: Friday night down under card, this time at Sydney, Australia. After falling short in his bid for the Commonwealth FW title, Aussie Merv “Darky” Blandon challenges veteran Filipino Johnny Hill for the OPBF FW crown, and that is the main event on this card. It is the first meeting of these two; Blandon is still at Pre-Prime while Hill is at End career stage. Both men mix it up, fighting outside as well as inside. Midway through the bout, Hill seems to be getting the worse of it, and there is a sizable welt forming under his right eye. He manages to keep the bout relatively close into the later rounds, but Blandon survives a late surge and comes away will the belt. UD 12 for Blandon (116-112, 117-111, 115-113) to move his career stats to 17-2 (13). Hill is now 30-16-2 (6) and contemplating possible retirement soon. Apr. 21, 1934: Back to the Palazzo del Sport in Rome, Italy for the next card. No titles at stake, and the card is headlined by two long-time WW contenders, reigning EBU WW Champ Cleto Locatelli and current USBA Champ Joe Dundee. The two have met before, back in 1930, with Locatelli coming out on top with a UD 10 win. This time around, there is not much in the way of action until round four, when Dundee drops Locatelli with a solid combination. The Swiss soon recovers, and manages to dish out some punishment of his own, causing some slight swelling under Dundee’s right eye later in the fight. The bout goes to decision, and the knockdown is sufficient for Dundee to take a UD 10 (98-91, 98-92, 95-94) that is not well received by the European fight fans who had favored the Swiss. Post fight career marks: Dundee, 40-15-7 (13); Locatelli, 28-9-1 (10). Apr. 21, 1934: Next card is back in the States at the Polo Grounds in New York. It’s a packed evening of fistic action headlined by a WBA title clash. First notable matchup has two unbeaten LW prospects – Lou Ambers and Eddie Zivic – facing each other. A cut is sliced open over Zivic’s right eye in round four, plus there is swelling under the other eye, something that proves a burden for Zivic’s corner. As the bout wears on, the cut worsens, leading to a late stoppage. Ambers takes a TKO 8 on the cuts stoppage to move to 11-0 (9) overall; Zivic’s first career setback leaves him at 10-1 (6). Next up, in one of the main support bouts, popular FW prospect Hank “Homicide” Armstrong is back in action, taking on an unbeaten prospect, Mike Belloise. Once again, an early cut shapes the eventual outcome, with an accidental clash of heads opening a huge gash over Belloise’s left eye in the second round. A halt is called when the bleeding is out of control in round four, and the end result – a technical draw – leaves Armstrong at 13-1-1 (12) and Belloise, at 11-0-1 (6). Then, the co-feature pairs two top FW contenders with Kid Chocolate facing ex-WBA Champ and reigning USBA Champ Louis Kaplan. First meeting of these two, and Kid Chocolate delivers a wake-up when he lands a sharp combination near the end of round three, staggering Kaplan who is saved by the bell after leaving himself vulnerable to a quick hook to the head. Then, in round five, once again Chocolate delivers a telling blow, using his jab to do the damage. At this point Chocolate has compiled a huge points lead, and in the sixth round, there is a nick under the left eye of Kaplan. Chocolate eases up in the final few rounds to coast to a UD 10 win (98-93, 97-94, 99-94). Chocolate improves to 25-3-5 (14) with the win, and his connections are actively pursuing a title shot. Kaplan is 43-14-3 (11) after the loss. In the main event, Tiger Jack Fox returns to the ring to make the second defense of his WBA LH crown, taking on Battling Bozo, who is making his second try for the title belt after being thoroughly thrashed by Tommy Loughran in a prior attempt in 1933. Fox comes out swinging and Bozo is in trouble as early as round two, when a straight right from Fox finds its target, forcing Bozo to cover up to last the round. A bloody nose and a rapidly swelling add to Bozo’s woes. The eye begins to swell shut as the bout wears on, into the middle rounds. Then, in round six, Fox lands a perfect hook that puts Bozo down and out. KO 6 for Fox, for his third successive KO win in three WBA title bouts. Fox remains perfect, at 32-0 (24). Bozo is now 23-6-2 (10). Apr. 27, 1934: Next up is a rare Friday night card at London’s Harringay Arena. No titles and a relatively light card, with the headliner in the Flyweight division featuring top contender and current USBA Champion Fidel LaBarba taking on Mickey McGuire, surprise victor over Kid Socks in a non-title clash earlier in the year. Both men are riding winning streaks. With LaBarba having won his last five, while McGuire has won three in a row. The steady LaBarba builds a solid early points lead, continuously outpointing McGuire, and he goes on to take a fairly convincing UD 10 (97-93 on all three cards). Post-fight marks: LaBarba, 34-6-1 (9); McGuire, 16-8 (5). Apr. 28, 1934: Next card is back in the States at Denver’s Mammoth Gardens. Again, no title bouts, but an intriguing main event as Stanislaus Loayza, still angling for a title shot, faces fellow LW Joe Glick. Loyaza lands repeatedly in the early rounds, and by the end of round four, a welt has formed under Glick’s right eye. A determined Glick bounces back, however, nailing Loayza with a wicked left hook to the body near the end of the sixth that had Loayza wincing in pain and covering up to last the round. A strong rally in the second half of the bout enables Glick to claim a SD 10 verdict (97-94, 93-97, 96-94) to move to 34-14-5 (13). Loayza slips to 30-18-4 (12) after the loss and, once again, must put his title aspirations on hold. Apr. 28, 1934: April fistic action is wrapped up with a card at the Olympic Stadium in Panama City, Panama. Once again, no titles at stake, but an attractive main event with two former WBA Champions doing battle, as Johnny King, the current EBU and CBU BW Champion, faces Panama Al Brown, still seeking a big win to propel him to a title shot once again. The two have met once before, for the WBA title, in a bout won by King in 1932. This time around, Panama Al seems to have the better of it, compiling a punches landed advantage through the early rounds. The bout takes a surprising and ugly turn in round six, however, when Brown is repeatedly warned by the ref for leaning against his opponent. The ref then calls a halt to the bout and, to the dismay of Brown’s many supporters, awards a DQ-6 win to King. King accepts the win and moves to 31-3-1 (15) overall, retaining his status as #1 BW contender. Tough luck for Brown, who ends the bout at 42-8 (17).

09-29-2013, 08:50 PM	#999
JCWeb Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 2,100	May 1934 -- Part 1 of 2 This is a summary of ring action from the first half of May 1934, covering a total of 63 bouts. May 4, 1934: The month’s fistic action commences with a Friday night card at Atlantic City’s Convention Hall. It’s a rematch, with Elmer Ray facing Jack Sharkey, the man he defeated back in January for the NABF HW title belt. The two are 1-1 in prior meetings. Ray is the aggressor in the early rounds, and he pulls ahead with a big round five, leaving Sharkey with a rapidly swelling left eye as a result of the accumulated blows. Trailing, Sharkey tries to pick up the pace in the middle and late rounds in a desperate attempt to regain the belt. Round ten is a great action round, culminating with a Ray uppercut that puts Sharkey down. The ex-Champ arises at the count of eight. A round later, Ray follows up with a second KD as Sharkey is decked by a combination. The two KDs are sufficient for Ray to keep the title via a UD 12 (115-111, 114-112, 115-111) that was closer than anticipated. Ray moves to 28-5 (16) with the win. Sharkey, who chances for another run as WBA HW Champion now seem remote, is 30-10 (18) after his third consecutive loss. May 5, 1934: Another card at a popular venue, the Stadium in Liverpool, UK. One interesting main support, followed by a GBU title bout. First up, in the co-main event, top 10 MW contender Gorilla Jones travels all the way from the States to face Brit Billy Bird, a former Commonwealth CBU titleholder. Jones goes on the attack in round three, and Bird collapses to the canvas after being hit with a barrage of punches. Bird is back on his feet after taking a count of seven, but he only manages to last a couple of more rounds. In the fifth, Jones ends it with a big cross, putting the Brit down and out. KO 5 for Jones. Post-fight marks: 33-12-1 (19) for Jones; 35-16-4 (15) for Bird. Then, in the main event, Flyweight Jackie Brown makes his first defense of the GBU Fly title he won back in June 1932. His opponent, Benny Lynch, is still at Pre-Prime and some fear, is being rushed into a title fight too early in his career. Brown sustains a large gash over his left eye as a result of an apparent clash of heads in the opening round. The cut continues to bleed as it is reopened twice after being patched up a couple of times by Brown’s corner. Lynch also suffers a cut, in round five, under his left eye. The bout is halted in round six, and a halt is called as the cut over Brown’s eye is judged too dangerous to allow the bout to continue. Its cause is ruled due to an accidental butt and, with four-plus rounds in the books, we go to the scorecards. Brown escapes with a UTD 6 win (48-47, 48-47, 49-46). Post fight career marks: Brown, 24-8-3 (9); Lynch, 14-3 (11. May 5, 1934: Next card is at the Exhibition Gardens in Vancouver, Canada. A solid card, but the one bout of notice is a WBA title clash involving two titans in the WW division: WBA Champion Barney Ross putting his title on the line against ex-Champ, Jimmy “Baby Face” McLarnin. It is a rematch of a 1932 encounter, with McLarnin then the titleholder, successfully defending the WBA belt via a UD over a pre-Prime Ross. This time, Ross is in the prime of his career, the reigning Champion, but he is fighting in McLarnin’s home country. Ross gets off to a solid start, but McLarnin manages to keep the bout close through the early rounds. Ross, displaying some superior boxing skills, stays on the outside and manages to take rounds seven and eight. McLarnin bounces back with a strong round nine. His momentum is slowed a round later, when Ross snaps the challenger’s head back with a sharp exchange, forcing McLarnin to cover up. The bout appears to be extremely close heading into the final few rounds, with the pro-McLarnin crowd cheering for every punch landed by the hometown favorite. Ross takes rounds 13 and 14, and the bout goes the distance with both men unmarked despite numerous sharp exchanges throughout the entire 15 rounds. As it turns out, Ross’ late surge falls just short, and McLarnin takes a very close UD 15 (143-142, 143-141, 143-142) to lift the belt. The stats show Ross had the edge in punches landed, but still the judges were more impressed by McLarnin’s greater aggressiveness. McLarnin is now 40-5-1 (21). Ross, despite the loss, has an excellent career mark at 23-3-1 (8). While more of a tactical contest without alot of heavy-hitting, the fact that it was a WBA title clash that went down to the wire makes this one a strong "Fight of the Year" candidate. May 11, 1934: Next up is a Friday night card at Uline Arena in Washington, D. C. A good solid card, making up in quantity what it may lack in quality. The main event is a USBA title clash, with K. O. Morgan defending against Lew Farber. It’s Farber’s first experience as a title challenger, and Morgan’s second title defense. In 1930, when both were at Pre-Prime, Morgan took a SD 10 in their only prior encounter. This time, Farber serves notice of his serious intentions when he decks Morgan in the opening round with a big shot. K. O., not used to being on the receiving end, is back on his feet at the count of six, and he covers up to survive the opening onslaught. Morgan then becomes more aggressive, stalking his opponent who spends most of his time maintaining his distance. The strategy begins to pay off for Morgan by mid-fight when, by round six, there is noticeable swelling under the left eye of Farber, indicating that Morgan’s blows are having an effect on the challenger. In round 11, Morgan finds the range with a hard uppercut that sends Farber against the ropes. The challenger remains upright, lasting the round and also to the end of the bout which goes to decision. Morgan narrowly retains the title via a close but UD 12 (115-113, 115-114, 115-114), although Farber has impressed many observers here at ringside. After the bout, Morgan moves to 20-3-3 (14); Farber, who perhaps became too defensive after his early success in round one, is now 21-3-1 (11). May 12, 1934: Next card is a light one at the Amor Bahn in Munich. Only one notable bout, the main event, which has German Gustav Eder taking on Brit Jack Hood, the reigning CBU and GBU WW Champ, for the third time – after two draws in their previous encounters. Both men are attempting to rebound after losses in recent outings; for Eder, it was the first loss of his career in a failed effort to wrest the EBU title, while Hood’s last outing was a UD loss to American Paul Junior. Eder goes to work immediately, gradually building a solid points edge in the bout’s early rounds. Hood becomes gradually more aggressive and mounts a late rally, but falls short as Eder’s workmanlike performance impresses the judges, earning him the UD 10 nod (97-94, 96-95, 98-93). Post-fight career marks: Eder, 26-1-2 (9); Hood, 26-10-7 (9). May 12, 1934: Kiel Auditorium is the scene of the next fight card, with a couple of interesting non-title bouts serving as co-main events. In the first of these, veteran LW Luis Vicentini, currently ranked #8, faces #16, Lew Kirsch. First meeting for these two. Kirsch gets off to a good start in the opening round, landing some blows and causing some initial swelling to appear under the left eye of Vicentini. Vicentini battles back, and the bout remains close into the middle rounds. Then, in round five, Kirsch lands a big shot that puts Vicentini on the deck briefly, before the Chilean arises at the count of three. Kirsch is content to stay on the outside while Vicentini tries desperately to ramp up the pressure as the bout wears on. In round eight, Vicentini walks into a wild overhand right from Kirsch and goes down for knockdown number two. Vicentini is able to regain his footing and last the full 10 rounds, but the two KDs result in a UD 10 for Kirsch by a fairly wide margin (98-91, 97-91, 97-91). The win lifts Kirsch to 26-7-3 (17) overall, boosting him up in the LW rankings. Vicentini drops to 36-14-2 (13) with the loss. In the second main event, it is #2 ranked FW, Baby Arizmendi, former WBA Champion, facing #6, Chalky Wright. No prior meetings of these two. The crowd sees a defensive struggle, with not much in the way of action until Arizmendi becomes aggressive in the later rounds. In round eight, Arizmendi leaves himself open for a hook from Wright and hits the deck, taking an eight-count. Undeterred, Arizmendi battles back to take the last two rounds, enabling him to walk away with a MD 10 {97-93, 95-95, 96-94) as the judges award his late surge and overall aggressiveness, despite suffering the bout’s only knockdown. Post-fight records: Arizmendi, 25-3-1 (10); Wright, 22-6-2 (11). Last edited by JCWeb; 10-01-2013 at 02:07 AM.

09-29-2013, 11:06 PM	#1000
Lee Global Moderator Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: The Scorched Desert Posts: 4,653	Great stuff s always. McLarnin just seems to have Ross' number, but a third bout would be highly anticipated.