My Universe

[JCWeb]

March 1, 1935: NEW FLASH

WBA MW Champ Mickey Walker has announced his intention to return to the MW division and defend the WBA title, rather than continue his pursuit of a WBA title in the LH division.

At the same time, another WBA titleholder, JLW Champ Tod Morgan, has announced his intention to vacate that title and move up to LW -- totally the opposite of the approach taken by Walker. Insiders predict that this will spell the death-knell for the already moribund JLW division.

[JCWeb]

This is a summary of ring action from the first half of March 1935, covering a total of 59 bouts. One WBA title bout and several regional titles will be up for grabs.

Mar. 1, 1935: The month commences with a Friday night card at Syracuse, New York. No titles at stake, and the feature has top 10 MW contender Jack McVey facing Tait Littman. McVey performs well in the early going, building a solid lead. Then, in round five, Littman suffers a cut over his left eye, which begins to puff up as well. McVey goes on to take a relatively uneventful UD 10 (97-94 on all cards). McVey moves to 39-19-2 (18) overall, while Littman ends the bout at 23-6-1 (16).

Mar. 2, 1935: It’s back to Europe for another card at the Sports Palace in Rome. No titles, and the main event is the only notable bout on the card, with Aussie MW Ambrose Palmer, the current OPBF Champion, facing unbeaten Ken Overlin. Both are ranked among the top 10 MW contenders. After a close couple of opening rounds, the superior boxing skill of Overlin begin to assert itself, and by round five there is noticeable swelling appearing under the left eye of Palmer. Overlin presses on and manages a fairly routine UD 10 win (97-94, 96-95, 99-92) to maintain his unbeaten record, now 24-0-2 (11) while Palmer emerges from the bout at 23-7 (15). Palmer will keep his top 10 ranking and his OPBF title belt, while Overlin is angling for a title shot before the end of the year.

Mar. 2, 1935: Chicago’s Comiskey Park is the scene for the next fight card. Popular young MW prospect Tony Zale, “the man of Steel,” is on the undercard. Zale takes on another TC opponent in a scheduled eight-rounder, the bout the ends just a few seconds short of the bell in the second. TKO 2 for Zale to run his career mark to 9-0 (8); next time up he will step up to the world of 10-round, co-feature bouts. After a series of less interesting preliminary bouts, it is time for the main event: LW Champ Tony Canzoneri, aka “the Roman Warrior,” makes the 11^th defense of his WBA title, facing challenger Joe Glick. Back in 1928, while still at Pre-Prime, Canzoneri defeated Glick (a UD 10 win) but recently, Glick has won his last five to move up the rankings and earn the title shot. The bout is fairly close for the first few rounds before Canzoneri goes to work and begins to pile up a huge punches landed advantage. Canzoneri is at his best, turning in his usual workmanlike performance to retain the title with a lopsided UD 15 verdict (149-137, 148-137, 148-137). Post-fight career marks: Canzoneri, 35-4-3 (15); Glick, 36-15-5 (13).

Mar. 8, 1935: Friday night fight card at Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens. Some preliminary bouts lead into the main event, with Brit Benny Sharkey putting his Commonwealth BW title on the line against Canadian veteran Vic Foley. The bout remains close in the early stages, but in round four Foley suffers a split lip. The Canadian bounces back and, with the hometown crowd roaring its approval, he connects with a big uppercut in round five that forces Sharkey to cover up. However, a wild overhand right by Sharkey puts Foley down for the bout’s only KD in round seven. From here on, Foley tires badly, enabling Sharkey to take a comfortable UD 12 win (115-112, 118-109, 118-110) to retain the belt. The post-fight marks are 25-6-1 (16) for Sharkey; 38-19-3 (10) for the post-Prime Foley.

Mar. 9, 1935: Next card is at Miami. One key bout, which is the main event, matching two top 10 FWs: Andy Martin and ex-Champ Battling Battalino. It is a rematch of a 1934 encounter, won by Battalino (via a SD 10). The rematch affords the winner with a chance to earn a title shot later in 1935. Martin appears to have the early edge, and by round five there is noticeable swelling under the left eye of Battalino. However, true to his nickname, Battalino battled back and managed to steal a MD 10 (96-95, 95-95, 97-95) by taking the last two rounds. The win moves Battalino to 30-9 (12) overall, while Martin ends up at 35-15-3 (9).

Mar. 15, 1935: Next up is a Friday night “Down Under” in Melbourne, Australia. This is an abbreviated card, and the feature is a Commonwealth FW, with Dom Volante defending that title belt against South African challenger Willie Smith. Smith is able to build an early lead as Volante, now at Post-Prime, is a step slower. In the later rounds, Volante, trailing on the unofficial cards, becomes more aggressive in an effort to step up the pace. Smith retains his earlier edge and manages to lift the belt with a UD 12 (118-111, 117-111, 116-113). Post-fight career marks: Smith, 27-10-3 (5); Volante, 31-14-2 (20).

[JCWeb]

This is a summary of ring action from the second half of March 1935, covering a total of 59 bouts. Not much in the way of title bout action until the end of the month, when there are two WBA titles up for grabs.

Mar. 16, 1935: More fight action back in Europe at the Ullevi Stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden. French MW prospect Marcel Cerdan is on the undercard, taking on an Italian TC in a bout that is scheduled for eight. Cerdan takes charge quickly, looking very impressive has he puts his TC down once in the opening stanza, then twice in the second, ending with a KO 2 triumph to run his career record to 6-0 (5). Then, in the main event, two top WW contenders face off, with German Gustav Eder facing Ruby Goldstein in a 10-round, non-title affair. Eder is the aggressor in the early rounds, but – by the end of round three, all he has for his troubles is a rapidly swelling right eye, as Goldstein’s counterpunching is on target. Goldstein picks up the pace in the second half of the bout, and in round seven he connects with a combination that drops Eder for a seven-count. Goldstein sustains a cut over his left eye in the same round. The bout goes the rest of the way without incident, and Goldstein takes a UD 10 (97-92, 96-93, 98-91). For Goldstein, it is his fourth win in a row, running his career totals to 34-9-3 (22). Eder’s second loss in succession leaves him at 26-3-4 (9).

Mar. 16, 1935: Next card is in the States at Denver’s Mammoth Gardens. No title bouts on the card, only notable bout is the main event, which matches two top five WWs: Joe Dundee and Young Corbett III. Both are veterans of the ring wars whose careers are now in their second decade; in three prior meetings, dating back to 1922, Dundee holds the edge with two wins and a draw, although the two wins were by majority and split decision verdicts. This time around, Corbett appears to be the fitter of the two, and as early as round three there is noticeable swelling under the left eye of Dundee. Corbett piles up a points lead and manages to hang on to take a close but fairly routine UD 10 (96-94 on all cards). Corbett, who has fashioned an impressive eight bout unbeaten streak, is now 44-11-5 (12). Dundee slips to 41-17-8 (13) after the loss.

Mar. 22, 1935: Next is a Friday night card at New Orleans’ Coliseum Arena. A packed card, but only one of note, as long-time top HW contender Larry Gains faces Paul Cavalier, in a 10-round, non-title contest. The bout is close through the first few rounds. Then, near the end of the fourth round, Cavalier walks into a Gains uppercut and goes down for a nine-count, arising just before the bell. By round five, there is noticeable swelling under Gains’ right eye. Then, in the later rounds, both men tire badly. Gains, the more aggressive of the two, is rewarded with a UD 10 win (96-93, 96-93, 98-91). Post-fight career marks: Gains, 37-10 (21); Cavalier, 34-13-2 (16).

Mar. 23, 1935: Next card is at the Earls Court in London. A pair of British title bouts headline the agenda. In the first of these, Dick Corbett makes the first defense of his GBU BW title by defending against veteran Alf Pattenden – it has been over a year since Corbett first won the title. It is the third meeting of the two, with Pattenden having won in their initial encounter (a UD 10 back in 1930) but with Corbett having returned the favor with a UD 10 win in 1933. Corbett gets off to an excellent start, but in round four he leaves himself open as Pattenden drills him with a barrage of blows, sending the Champ to the deck. Corbett takes a count of three before bouncing back to his feet. Corbett recovers quickly, landing some heavy blows in round five that cause Pattenden’s right eye to swell up. The bruising battle takes another twist in round six as Corbett sustains a split lip. The cut is not a major issue, however, as Corbett continues to build a points lead. Pattenden tries to get more aggressive in the later rounds, but to no avail. UD 12 for Corbett (118-109, 115-112, 115-114) who retains the belt. Corbett improves to 29-9 (10) with the win, while Pattenden – who has only one bout remaining before retirement – is left at 25-13-3 (16). In the second GBU title bout, Jock McAvoy makes the seventh defense of the GBU MW title he has held since 1930. His opponent is Jack “Cast Iron” Casey, who has faced McAvoy twice before, posting a draw and a KO loss in an earlier title challenge back in 1932. This time around, Casey rocks the Champ with a big right hand in the second round. McAvoy covers up and manages to last the round. Then, in round four, there is a clash of heads, and Casey comes away with a nasty looking gash over his left eye. The cut leads to a stoppage a few rounds later, with the cut being ruled due to an accidental butt. The scorecards are consulted, and McAvoy takes a narrow UTD 6 (48-47 on all cards) to retain the belt, although a rematch is ordered for later in the year. The post-fight marks are 26-7-4 (17) for McAvoy; 23-8-3 (14) for Casey.

Mar. 29, 1935: Next is a Friday night card at Havana’s Gran Stadium. The card, once again sponsored by the newly-formed LABF, actually has a WBA title bout as the main event and a non-title bout among two top LWs which serves as the main support. The two LWs are Justo Suarez and Stanislaus Loayza, both of whom are angling for a shot at a WBA or perhaps the new LABF title just won by Emory Cabana. Loayza, who holds a KO win in a 1932 encounter, breaks open a close bout when he decks Suarez with a combination in round seven. He follows up with a hard shot a couple of rounds later that puts Suarez down and out. KO 9 for Loayza, who improves to 33-19-5 (13). Suarez, who is now at Post-Prime, slips to 26-7-1 (17). Then, in the main event, Jimmy McLarnin defends his WBA WW crown against Irineo Flores. For McLarnin, who is in his third stint as WBA Champ, is a grudge match, as Flores is the one who dethroned him (once via a MD, once via a SD) in his prior two WBA title losses. However, this time around Flores is at Post-Prime and he becomes an easy target for McLarnin, who nails Flores with a big shot at the outset of round five. The Filipino goes down and is counted out, so it is KO 5 win for McLarnin. Post-bout records: McLarnin, 43-5-1 (23); Flores, 42-16-2 (20).

Mar. 30, 1935: Final card of the month is at Madison Square Garden in New York, and a WBA title bout headlines the card. Also featured in young HW prospect Joe Louis, and the “Brown Bomber” does not disappoint in an 8-rounder as he polishes off a TC at 2:17 of the first round; the KO 1 (his fourth win inside the opening round) lifts Louis to a perfect 8-0 (8) overall; his next outing will be in May. Then, in the main event, long-time WBA MW Champ Mickey Walker, back at MW after a foray into the heavier LH class, defends against USBA Champ Vince Dundee. For Walker, it is his 27^th title defense of the belt he has held for a decade; for Dundee, it is his second title try having lost against Walker five years earlier. This time, Dundee makes a solid start, and by the end of round five, Walker is already showing the effects, with a rapidly swelling right eye. The “Toy Bulldog” makes an effort to pick up the pace, becoming more aggressive in the middle rounds. However, the effects of aging mean Walker is unable to mount a comeback, plus in the later rounds he is forced to battle a cut lip suffered in the 13^th round. Vince Dundee goes on to end Walker’s 10-year reign as WBA MW Champion with a decisive UD 15 triumph (148-138, 148-138, 150-136). Post-fight career marks: Dundee, 36-8-4 (15); Walker, 54-6-1 (40). A definite changing of the guard as the month’s action comes to an end.

[JCWeb]

This is a summary of ring action from the first half of April 1935, covering a total of 52 bouts.

Apr. 5, 1935: The month commences with a very strong Friday night card at Pittsburgh. On the undercard is a young LH prospect making his third career start before a hometown crowd, namely Billy Conn, the “Pittsburgh Kid.” Conn takes on a TC with a good chin in a scheduled six-rounder, taking several rounds to break his opponent down, taking a TKO 4 to move to a perfect 3-0 (3). In the co-main event, hot young FW Henry “Homicide Hank” Armstrong wraps up the Pre-Prime stage of his career by taking on a former Champ, Louis Kaplan, in an effort to move up the FW ranks. In round three, Armstrong rocks the ex-Champ with a straight right, forcing Kaplan to cover up. The end comes two rounds later when, Kaplan, his left eye swollen, is felled by a sharp combination and cannot beat the count. KO 5 for Armstrong, who moves to 18-1-1 (16) with the win, slips into a top 10 ranking and is being touted for a title bout later in the year. Kaplan, at Post-Prime, ends the bout at 44-17-3 (11). The main event matches two top MWs: Johnny “Bandit” Romero and Tony Tozzo. The bout, originally scheduled as a non-title affair, has been bumped up to a USBA title contest at the last minute, given that Vince Dundee, the USBA titleholder, recently captured the WBA belt, thus vacating the USBA crown. The two are 1-1 in prior meetings, so this serves as the rubber match. The action picks up in the third round, when Romero manages to drop Tozzo with a strong shot for the bout’s first knockdown. Tozzo tries to battle back, but Romero controls the action from the outside for most of the rest of the bout. By the end of round eight, there is noticeable swelling under Tozzo’s left eye. Romero seals with win with a second KD in round 10 and goes on to take a comfortable UD 12 win (117-109, 116-110, 118-108). Post-fight career totals: Romero, 29-7 (19); Tozzo, 21-11-3 (14).

Apr. 6, 1935: Next card is in the Far East at Manila’s Rizal Arena. Only bout of note is the feature, which is for the OPBF BW title, as Young Tommy defends against countryman Chris Pineda. Young Tommy, who won the title in February, has won his last nine while Pineda has won six of his last seven to qualify for the title shot. The two had met twice before, when both were at Pre-Prime, with Tommy winning both times. This time around, Tommy is the more aggressive of the two, and he is rewarded with a points lead through the first half of the bout. Pineda battles to the end, despite a rapidly swelling right eye, but a late rally falls short. UD 12 to Tommy (117-112, 116-113, 115-113). Corbett, who has fashioned an impressive eight bout unbeaten streak, is now 44-11-5 (12). Dundee slips to 41-17-8 (13) after the loss.

Apr. 6, 1935: Back to Europe for a fairly light card at the Amor Bahn in Munich. French MW prospect Marcel Cerdan takes on a German TC on the undercard, taking control early and dominating the action until the bout is halted. TKO 4 for Cerdan to lift the Frenchman's career stats to an impressive 7-0 (6). The main support or co-feature is a rematch of two Flyweight contenders, #1 ranked Fidel LaBarba and German Harry Stein. The two squared off five years previously, also at Munich, with LaBarba coming out on the top; LaBarba is back for a rematch, except this time both men are at Post-Prime. Stein is the aggressor, but LaBarba’s defense holds firm as the American gains the early points edge through the first half of the bout. Stein tires badly in the second half, enabling LaBarba to walk away with a fairly lopsided UD 10 win (98-91, 99-90, 99-90). Post-fight career marks: LaBarba, 37-8-1 (9); Stein, 30-13-3 (20). Then, in the main event, it is another rematch as Tommy Farr defends the EBU HW title against Walter Neusel. In their earlier encounter, in London in 1934, Farr defeated Neusel. This time, an early cut under the left eye poses problems for the German challenger. Farr gradually compiles a points lead and, by the midway point, Neusel’s cut eye also begins to swell. Neusel picks up the pace in the later rounds but cannot penetrate Farr’s defenses. Farr goes on to retain the belt via a UD 12 (118-111, 116-113, 116-113) to run his career totals to 32-9-1 (13). Neusel is now 18-3-1 (15).

Apr. 12, 1935: Next up is a Friday night card at a brand new location: the Estadio Olympic in Caracas, Venezuela, courtesy of the new LABF organization which is sponsoring the card. Featured is the new LABF FW titleholder, a Venezuelan – Enrique Chafferdet – who becomes the first fighter to defend a LABF title, facing challenger Baby Arizmendi in the main event. Arizmendi, a former WBA Champ, holds a UD 10 win over Chafferdet back in 1931. This time, Arizmendi displays his superior boxing skills and pulls ahead in the early going. By the end of round five, the effects are clear on Chafferdet’s face as he is showing signs of swelling under both eyes. Chafferdet steps up the pace in the later rounds, but Arizmendi cannot be denied – he takes a fairly solid UD 12 (116-113, 116-113, 118-111) to lift the belt. Post-fight marks are 26-5-1 (10) for Arizmendi; 28-10-6 (9) for Chafferdet.

Apr. 13, 1935: Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis is the scene of the next fistic action. The co-feature is a 10-round, non-title affair followed by a NABF title fight. In the co-feature, long-time WBA JLW Champ Tod Morgan takes on the newly-crowned LABF LW titleholder, Cuban Emory Cabana. It is the first meeting of the two. Morgan seems to gain the upper hand with his strong boxing and defensive skills; he seems comfortable despite the weight disadvantage. The bout goes the distance and, to everyone’s surprise, the SD 10 goes to Cabana (97-94, 95-96, 96-95) despite a 3-to-2 punches landed edge for Morgan. After the bout, Cabana moves to 35-16-4 (12) while Morgan ends the bout at 44-12-1 (12). Then, in the main event, NABF BW Champion Bobby Green defends against USBA Champ K. O. Morgan. For these two, it is also the first meeting. Midway through, some effective punching from Green causes noticeable swelling under the left eye of the challenger. However, Morgan is able to keep the bout reasonably close heading into the later rounds. The two take turns trading blows on the inside. Green, sensing his title may be slipping away, becomes more aggressive in the last two rounds and, in the final round, Morgan is cut over his injured left eye. The bout goes to the judges, and the end result is a draw (115-113 Morgan, 115-114 Green, 114-114). Post-bout records: Green, 26-16-7 (15); Morgan, 22-3-4 (14).

Apr. 13, 1935: Next up is an abbreviated card at Vancouver’s Exhibition Gardens. In the feature, Canada’s Billy Townsend, the “Blond Tiger,” defends his Commonwealth LW title against challenger Harry “Leeds” Mason. It’s a rematch of an earlier bout back in 1934, won by Townsend, as Mason is now seeking to add the Commonwealth title to his current EBU and GBU belts. Townsend gets off to a good start and appears to be on his way to a repeat victory when he catches Mason with a short, clean cross near the end of round three that puts the Brit down briefly. Mason trails badly headed into the later rounds, but the bout takes a surprising turn in round eight when Townsend begins hitting below the belt and, after initially ignoring the warnings from the ref, is called for a flagrant foul. To the consternation of the Canadian crowd, Mason is awarded the title via a DQ-8. The uproar from the controversial foul call leads to a call for a rematch in three months. Post-fight career marks: Mason, now the holder of three different belts (GBU, EBU and CBU), 36-22-4 (5); Townsend, 24-11-1 (15).

[JCWeb]

This is a summary of ring action from the second half of April 1935, covering a total of 60 bouts. One WBA title bout is included in this report.

Apr. 19, 1935: Next up is a Friday night card in Boston. Not title bouts on the agenda, and the main event matches ex-WBA HW Jack Sharkey against the much more lightly regarded Johnny Risko; it’s the “Boston Gob” versus the “Cleveland Rubber Man.” Sharkey is looking to rejuvenate his flagging career, having suffered a string of recent losses: five of his last six, including two in a row. Sharkey has a relatively easy matchup with Risko, and he is on target with most of his punches from the early going, building up a solid points advantage as a result. In round six, he opens a cut over Risko’s right eye, and by round eight there is noticeable swelling around that same eye. The rest of the bout is uneventful as Sharkey racks up a much needed UD 10 (96-95, 96-95, 97-93), turning aside a late surge from Risko although most observers thought Sharkey would win by a much larger margin. Post-fight career totals: Sharkey, 32-10 (19); Risko, 32-13-4 (7).

Apr. 20, 1935: Next card is back in Europe at the Sports Palace at Rome, Italy. A fairly weak undercard, including several Italian fighters, is capped by a non-title bout that sees WBA Flyweight Champ Midget Wolgast moving up to challenge local fan favorite and ex-WBA BW Champ Kid Francis on the latter’s home turf. However, Francis is hampered by the fact that he is a step slower, having recently hit Post-Prime career stage. Wolgast is the sharper of the two, landing repeatedly and causing some noticeable swelling to appear under Francis’ right eye by the midway point of the bout. Wolgast continues to pile up an unassailable points lead and goes on to register a UD 10 win (99-91, 97-93, 100-90) for his seventh straight win. Wolgast, now unbeaten since 1930, is now 37-4-1 (17) and has been cagey about whether or not he will continue to challenge at BW or revert to defending his Flyweight title; his current PP totals are an all-time high for the division. Francis, who began to show his age in the bout, slips to 31-15-3 (18) after the loss.

Apr. 20, 1935: Next up is a card at Los Angeles’ Oiympic Auditorium. Only one bout of note, and it is for the NABF HW title with Elmer Ray making his third defense of that belt, facing challenger King Levinsky. No prior meetings of these two. Levinsky mounts a strong challenge, starting well and causing some swelling around Ray’s right eye by the end of round three. Ray bounces back, dominating the action with a huge round five. The end comes a round later, with Levinsky – his right eye now badly swollen -- being saved from further punishment after being draped against the ropes, out on his feet. TKO 6 for Ray, who retains the title. The win moves Ray to 30-6 (18). Levinsky ends the bout at 23-7-1 (12).

Apr. 26, 1935: Next up is a Friday night card at Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City. No titles at stake, but the main event is an attractive HW encouter featuring hometown fan favorite James Braddock, the “Cinderella Man,’ facing the much higher rated Don McCorkindale, the recently crowned Commonwealth HW Champion from South Africa. Braddock starts well, piling up an early points lead with his methodical, plodding style. In round five, however, McCorkindale uncorks a sharp uppercut to the head that puts Braddock on the deck, albeit briefly. In the later rounds, McCorkindale becomes aggressive, while Braddock stays outside, adopting a more defensive posture. However, he weakens badly in the later rounds, and in round nine, Braddock goes down in a barrage of blows for the bout’s second knockdown. The bout goes to decision, and the late surge from McCorkindale (who won the last three rounds), plus the two KDs, make the difference as McCorkindale takes a MD 10 (95-93, 94-94, 96-92) to run his record to 28-6-1 (16). Once again, the hard-luck Braddock falls short, dropping his career totals to 27-12-2 (6).

Apr. 27, 1935: Next card is at the Harringay Arena in London. Several British fighters on the undercard in less than scintillating matchups, so the key bout is the main event, this one for the WBA FW title. Kid Chocolate, making his first defense, faces a formidable foe in NABF FW Champ Freddie Miller – with Miller holding a 2-1 edge in three prior meetings, including the most recent, a UD 12 for the NABF crown. Kid Chocolate, the “Cuban Bon Bon,” is looking to turn around that result. Chocolate assumes an aggressive posture, moving inside to inflict some damage in round three. Then Miller battles back, snapping a hook to the head that forces the Champ to cover up in round four. The Champ appears to be in for a rough time as the bout heads into the middle rounds, but then in the sixth Miller is cut over his left eye. The bleeding is staunched in between rounds, but the is cut is reopened a round later and again in round 11. Meanwhile, Chocolate has regained control and is dishing out more punishment, so by round 10 Miller also has to deal with some swelling around his right eye. Then, at the end of the 11^th, a barrage of blows puts the challenger on the deck. Chocolate cannot follow up on this success but manages to quash a late rally from Miller to take a UD 15 (144-139, 144-139, 144-140). Post-bout records: Chocolate, 28-4-5 (14); Miller, 26-5-1 (12).

Apr. 27, 1935: The month wraps up with a card at Washington, DC’s Uline Arena. A pair of LH clashes headline the card. A pair of top 10 contenders do battle in the co-feature, as George Manley faces Joe “Cairo Calamity” Knight. Knight is on top early, roughing up Manley in the opening round – and there is noticeable swelling under Manley’s left eye by the end of the opening stanza. Knight continues to pile up points through the early and middle rounds of the bout. Manley, the older fighter, now at Post-Prime, tires badly in the later rounds and, in round nine, Knight seals the win as Manley goes down after a Knight combination finds its target. UD 10 for Knight (98-90, 95-93, 98-90), although this observer is unsure what bout that the second judge was scoring – the margin seemed much greater. Post-fight, Knight improves to 25-4-2 (14) and will be gunning for a title shot soon; the loss leaves Manley at 33-18 (16). Then, in the main event, ex-WBA Champ Tiger Jack Fox is on the comeback trail, facing Al Gainer in a hastily arranged matchup for the USBA LH title recently vacated by Mickey Walker who decided to return to MW. First meeting of the two, and it is Gainer’s first bout at Prime after getting his career off to an excellent 18-1-1 start, while Fox is bouncing back from his first career loss to Rosenbloom for the LH WBA title. The bout is fairly close for three rounds, but then Fox unleashes a barrage of blows that leaves a hapless Gainer defenseless, leaning against the ropes. The ref has little choice but to call a halt, so Fox takes the USBA title once again, via a TKO 4, and will be seeking a title rematch with “Slapsie Maxie.” Post-fight career marks: Fox, 34-1 (26); Gainer, 18-2-1 (13).

[Lee]

Good stuff as always JC, will always be one of my favorite universes

[JCWeb]

Thanks, Lee. Back to reporting on the action after another brief hiatus ...
This is a summary of ring action from the first half of May 1935, covering a total of 56 bouts. New feature: bolding the title(s) at stake as well as the result.

May 3, 1935: The month kicks off with a Friday night card at Buffalo. Only bout of interest is the main event, which is a USBA title clash featuring two FWs, Petey Sarron, defending the title, against challenger Chalky Wright. First meeting of the two and, for Wright, it represents his second title try of any kind (he previously fell short in a NABF title challenge). Wright poses a stiff challenge to Sarron as he builds a slight points lead through the opening rounds of the bout. Sarron is content to stay on the outside but Wright, who is the more aggressor of the two as the bout heads into the middle rounds, seems to be having the best of it. A hook to the head from Wright rocks Sarron back on his heels in the eighth round, but the Champ covers up and remains upright. By round nine, there is noticeable swelling around the left eye of Sarron. In the later rounds, Sarron finally picks up the pace and becomes more aggressive, and with better results. The bout goes the distance, and Sarron is fortunate to escape with a majority draw (115-112 Sarron, 114-114, 114-114) which enables to retain the title despite a strong challenge from Wright. Post-bout career marks: Sarron, 28-11-5 (8); Wright, 23-7-4 (12).

May 4, 1935: Next card is at the Stadium in Liverpool in the UK. No titles at stake, and the main event is the only bout worth noting, and it is a rematch between dual LH belt holder Len Harvey (the EBU and GBU Champion) who faces Battling Bozo, a former USBA LH titleholder. Harvey took a UD win in their prior encounter, back in 1932. This time around, Bozo proves to be a tougher opponent, and Harvey is forced to adopt a more active posture as the bout heads into the later rounds. Harvey, despite appearing a step slower than in his prior bouts, manages to do just enough to secure a draw (95-95, 94-96 Bozo, 96-95 Harvey), pulling it out with a strong final round to end the bout at at 45-11-3 (19). Bozo, now 23-8-3 (10), is hoping for another title shot.

May 4, 1935: St. Louis’ Kiel Auditorium is the scene of the next card, which features two top 10 HWs as a prelude to the main event, which is a NABF LH title matchup. The HW clash involves a past Champion, Young Stribling, facing a possible future Champion, Jersey Joe Walcott in a non-title contest in the proverbial “crossroads” fight of one fighter on the way down versus one on the way up. After a cautious start by both, Stribling pulls out an early lead until Walcott battles back, forcing the action on the inside in round three. Then, in the fifth round, Stribling is cut over his left eye. Walcott continues attacking, and the cut is reopened, leading to an early stoppage a couple of rounds later. TKO 7 for Walcott, who moves to 24-1 (20) – the win leaves him firmly entrenched in a top five contender position. Stribling, now 48-10-2 (24) has seen better days. In the NABF LH title clash, Dave Maier puts that recently won belt on the line against veteran Jimmy Slattery, who has twice held the same belt in the past. No prior meetings of these two but, with Slattery at Post-Prime, Maier likes his chances. However, things go South for Maier as early as round four when he begins to show signs of swelling under his left eye. Slattery continues to pile up points, working mainly on the outside. Maier struggles, and tries to assume the role of aggressor in the second half of the bout. In the end, it is to no avail as Maier lacks the firepower to stage a comeback. UD 12 to Slattery by a wide margin (118-110, 119-109, 119-109) in a major surprise. Post-fight marks: Slattery, 35-16-3 (12); Maier, 22-7-3 (18). Slattery commences his third stint as NABF Champ while Maier seeks to recover from a very bad off-night.

May 10, 1935: Next up is a Friday night card at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. No titles at stake, but the main event has ex-WBA FW Champ Pete DeGrasse on the comeback trail, facing the visiting veteran British FW, Dom Volante, who is the reigning EBU titleholder. The two have not faced each other previously. DeGrasse is on target early, landing repeatedly to the extent that there is noticeable swelling under the left eye of Volante as early as the end of round two. Volante, who is at Post-Prime, continues to struggle with his timing, age, and the rapidly worsening condition of his eye through the remainder of the bout. It goes to a lopsided UD 10 for DeGrasse (98-92, 99-91, 99-91). After the bout, DeGrasse improves to 22-9-2 (6), cementing his position as a top FW contender in line for a WBA title rematch, while Volante slips to 31-15-2 (20).

May 11, 1935: Next card takes place in Italy at the Sports Palace in Rome. Two bouts of interest on a card headlined by an EBU title encounter. The first of these, the co-feature, matches HW Primo Carnera with American Al McCoy in a 10-round, non-title affair. Carnera opens the action in round three when he catches McCoy with a sharp uppercut, forcing the American to cover up. Later in the bout, McCoy suffers a split lip. Nonetheless, the bout is close with Carnera getting the nod from the hometown judges via a SD 10 (96-94, 94-96, 97-93). Not a great result but enough to keep the career of the “Ambling Alp” going. Post-bout career marks are 21-6-1 (16) for Carnera; 20-10-1 (10) for McCoy. Then, in the main event, EBU Flyweight Champ Istvan Enekes makes his third title defense, facing Young Perez. Two prior meetings have resulted in a draw and a KO win for Enekes. This time around, both men appear to be content to play a cat-and-mouse waiting game, staying mainly on the outside. This plays into Enekes’ hands, as the Champ piles up a sizable punches landed advantage as the bout wears on. It goes to decision without much incident, but the big surprise for many is the narrow margin: Enekes retains the title but only by a MD 12 (115-113, 114-114, 116-112). Post-bout records: Enekes, 23-2-1 (9); Young Perez, 22-4-3 (10). Really, a good result for both contestants who appear to have bright futures.

May 11, 1935: New Orleans is the venue for the next card, which sees Benny “Little Fish” Bass stepping up from JLW to LW to challenge Eddie Cool for the latter’s USBA LW title. The bout starts off as a close win, with a slight edge to Cool through the first four rounds. Midway through the bout, a mouse forms under Bass’ left eye as a result of the repeated blows landed by Cool. However, Bass bounces back in the later rounds to keep the bout close, despite more swelling now under the right eye of the challenger. A strong late surge by Bass, taking the last two rounds, is enough to secure the belt via a MD 12 (115-113, 114-114, 116-112) – the result coming as a big surprise to most ringside observers who had Cool as the winner. The win, a big one for Bass coming off losses in three of his last four, moves him to 42-18-5 (14) overall, allowing Benny to abandon the JLW ranks for good. Cool, having now failed in two successive title bouts in 1935 (the first for the NABF crown) is now 25-6-3 (9).

[JCWeb]

This is a summary of ring action from the second half of May 1935, covering a total of 59 bouts. Two WBA title bouts are included in this report.

May 17, 1935: Time for another Friday night “Down Under” in Sydney, Australia. The key matchup on a rather abbreviated card is for the Commonwealth FW belt, currently held by Willie Smith of South Africa. Challenging for the belt (having failed twice before) is reigning OPBF FW Champion Merv “Darky” Blandon, a hometown fan favorite who is hoping that the third time will be a charm. The two are meeting for the first time. Blandon breaks open a close contest in round four, when he breaks through to dominate the action. With Smith literally out on his feet, the ref steps in and saves Smith from further punishment. Thus, it goes as a TKO 4 for Blandon, who captures the CBU title in his third try. Post-bout career marks: Blandon, 18-4 (11); Smith, 27-11-3 (5).

May 18, 1935: Next card is back in Europe, at Gothenburg’s Ullevi Stadium. Appearing on the undercard is French MW prospect Marcel Cerdan, the “Casablanca Clouter,” who takes on a hapless British TC. After a cautious opening round, Cerdan unloads in round two, decking his opponent with a vicious cross, then following up until the ref calls a halt. TKO 2 for Cerdan, running his career stats to 8-0 (6). Then, in the main event, WBA BW Champion Johnny King faces a stiff challenge in his fourth title defense when he faces up-and-coming Puerto Rican boxer Sixto Escobar. Escobar serves notice early on, when he connects with a right to the jaw in the second round that forces the Champion to cover up. King bounces back quickly, taking round three and then forcing Escobar to cover up with a solid uppercut in the fourth round. The bout remains close through the middle rounds. Late in round eight, King lands a big shot that drops Escobar, who arises at the count of five. King cannot follow up on his success, and Escobar continues to pose problems into the later rounds, when the Puerto Rican begins to tire badly. The big question is whether or not Escobar’s greater punch count can outweigh King’s power and champion’s credentials. The bout goes to decision, and King is able to retain the title via a UD 15 (144-141, 144-141, 145-141), and a three-point margin after the one knockdown seems appropriate. King improves to 36-3-1 (15) with the win, while Escobar is left at 21-4 (10) as a result of the loss.

May 18, 1935: Detroit’s Briggs Stadium is the scene for the next fistic action, and some hot young prospects are slated on the undercard. The “Brown Bomber,” HW Joe Louis, takes on another TC and wastes little time, recording a KO 1 after just over one minute of action; Louis is now a perfect 9-0 (9) in his career outings thus far, and he is looking to move up to 10-round co-feature bouts in his next outing. Then, the “Man of Steel,” MW Tony Zale, takes to the ring, squaring off against another TC opponent in a scheduled 10-rounder. Zale takes his time, taking advantage of a cut over his opponent’s right eye before ending the bout with a KO 7. Zale is now a perfect 10-0 (9). After a few more preliminary bouts, it is time for the main event with USBA WW Champ Barney Ross facing challenger King Tut. For Tut, unbeaten in his last seven (five wins and two draws), it is his first title shot of any kind. Tut has the misfortune of suffering a cut over his right eye in round two. Ross takes advantage and builds an early points lead. Tut tries to get more aggressive but cannot much of an impression on Ross’ very solid defense. The end comes in round nine, when the cut reopens and proves to difficult to control. TKO 9 for Ross on the cuts stoppage. Post-fight career marks: Ross, 26-3-2 (0); Tut, 26-11-4 (19). With this win, Ross has positioned himself nicely for another WBA title shot.

May 24, 1935: Next up is a packed Friday night card at a popular venue, the Cow Palace in San Francisco. A pair of intriguing matchups headline the card. In the first co-feature, popular HW Max Baer is looking to move up in the rankings as he takes on Ad Warren. Baer gets off to a solid start, and he moves to the inside in round three to inflict more damage. However, he runs into a big hook from Warren and goes down briefly, taking a four-count before arising. Baer turns the tables in the next round, flooring Warren with a solid uppercut and then following up with a cross to score a second KD right before the bell. A groggy-looking Warren manages to survive the onslaught, but by the end of round five he is sporting a rapidly swelling right eye as Baer’s punches are repeatedly finding their target. In round six, Baer continues to dominate, staggering his opponent with a big cross. The end comes a round later after Baer connects with an uppercut to the head to put Warren down and out. KO 7 for Baer, who improves to 22-5 (21) with the win; Warren dips to 25-9 (19) after the loss – the talk is of a title shot or matchup with a top contender later in the year for the rapidly improving Baer. Then, in the final bout on the card, NABF MW Champion Freddie “the Tacoma Assassin” Steele faces unbeaten challenger Ken Overlin in a widely-anticipated matchup. Steele takes on the role of aggressor for much of the bout, while Overlin is content to maintain a distance. Midway through the bout, some swelling appears under the right eye of Overlin. Then, in round six, a huge shot from Steele puts Overlin on the canvas; the challenger arises at the count of eight. Overlin’s resistance stiffens, and Steele is unable to follow up. In round eight, Steele lands a series of blows that force Overlin to cover up. Then, in the ninth round, Overlin becomes more aggressive, and Steele suffers a nick under his left eye. Overlin continues to press, and in the final round it is Steele who gets careless, walking into an Overlin cross and going down briefly. The bout goes to decision, and Steele emerges the victor via a MD 12 (116-111, 114-114, 116-112). Post-fight career marks are 34-5 (26) for Steele, and 24-1-2 (11) for Overlin, who still appears to have a bright future in the MW division.

May 25, 1935: Back to the UK for the next card, at London’s Harringay Arena. Only one bout of note, as Jack Hood makes just the second defense of the GBU WW title he won back in 1930, and it is the first defense in over two years. Hood’s opponent is Ernie Roderick, and the conditions of the bout specify that Hood’s EBU title belt is not at stake. This will be challenger Roderick’s last bout at Pre-Prime, while Hood is already at Post. Turns out to be a fairly drab affair, with not much happening until Roderick sustains a cut over his left eye in round seven. Roderick’s corner does a good job closing the cut, and Roderick himself does a good job protecting the cut all while clinging to a points lead in the later rounds. In the end, it is enough as Roderick lifts the belt via a UD 12 (118-110, 116-113, 118-111) – with the margin of victory coming as a surprise to many observers. Post-fight career records: Roderick, 15-3-2 (5); Hood, 26-13-7 (9).

May 25, 1935: A big card at the Polo Grounds in New York City, headlined by a WBA title clash. The “Roman Warrior,” Tony Canzoneri, has proved to be an active and successful WBA LW Champion, making his 12^th defense of the title he won back in 1932; Canzoneri has not lost a bout in over five years. His opponent is the #1 ranked LW contender, current NABF titleholder Jack Portney. It is the first meeting of the two, and Portney enters the title challenge in good form, having won his last three. Canzoneri starts slowly, but in round five he takes charge, connecting with a solid hook. Portney hits the deck and arises after taking a seven count. By the end of the round, there is noticeable swelling under the right eye of the challenger. Canzoneri continues to pile up a solid points lead, turning aside Portney’s challenge with relative ease, taking a UD 15 (146-139, 146-138, 144-141) to move his career totals to 36-4-3 (15). Portney ends the bout at 29-7-2 (16).

May 31, 1935: Final card of the month is a Friday nighter at the Gran Stadium in Havana, featuring a pair of LABF title contests on a card sponsored by the new association. First of the twin bill of title bouts is for the inaugural LABF WW belt, with Puerto Rico’s Cocoa Kid facing the veteran Cuban, Miguel Quintero. Things get off to a bad start for the Cuban, who is cut over his left eye in the opening round. Kid looks sharp, landing repeatedly such that there is swelling under Quintero’s other eye by the end of round six. Still, it’s a close battle, with Kid taking the belt via a MD 12 (116-113, 115-115, 116-112) to become the first LABF WW Champion. Then, the inaugural LABF MW title is up for grabs, and the capacity crowd is whipped into a frenzy as two Cuban fighters – Kid Tunero and veteran Relampago Saguero – step into the ring. Tunero, still ranked among the top 20, is coming off a loss to Freddie Steele in a NABF title encounter, while Saguero has won his last four to set up the title shot. Tunero gains the early edge, outboxing his more experienced opponent. He dishes out enough punishment such that Saguero’s right eye is showing telltale signs of swelling by the midway point of the bout. Saguero becomes more and more frustrated as the bout heads into the later rounds, and he is further troubled as the other eye (his left) begins to puff up as well. Tunero goes on to take the title via a fairly routine UD 12 (117-111, 117-111, 118-110) – a result few can argue with. Post-bout records: Tunero, 23-4-4 (8); Saguero, 25-10-1 (14).

[JCWeb]

This is a summary of ring action from the first half of June 1935, covering a total of 60 bouts. Three (!) WBA title contests are included in this report.

June 1, 1935: The month’s activities open at the Amor Bahn in Munich, and there is excellent card headlined by an EBU title bout supported by a non-title co-feature involving two top 10 WWs – Joe Dundee who is visiting from the States to take on hometown favorite Gustav Eder. The two stage a bruising battle, which goes down to the wire in the final rounds. The end result is a draw (96-95 Dundee, 95-96 Eder, 96-96), which is kind of a moral victory for Dundee, who did not lose despite facing a strong opponent in a hostile environment. Post-fight records are 41-17-9 (13) for Dundee and 26-3-5 (9) for Eder. Then, in the main event, Swiss WW Cleto Locatelli makes his seventh defense of the EBU WW title he won back in 1930, and he faces the long-time WBA JWW Champ, Jack Kid Berg, who downed Locatelli (UD 10) in a prior non-title affair. In this bout, Locatelli takes charge early, landing the heavier leather such that Berg is suffering from a rapidly swelling right eye. Locatelli carries a points lead into the later rounds and, while Berg attempts to pressure his opponent, in the end he is unsuccessful as Locatelli walks away with a solid UD 12 (117-111, 115-113, 116-112) to retain the belt. Locatelli improves to 31-10-1 (11) with the win, leaving Berg at 31-10-4 (14) after the loss.

June 1, 1935: Back in the States for an interesting card at Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City, New Jersey. Two unbeaten MW prospects lock horns in a scheduled 8-rounder on the undercard; Freddie Apostoli floors Gene Buffalo to take a KO 7 win, running his career totals to a perfect 8-0 (8). Also on the undercard, hot LW prospect Lou Ambers moves to 16-0 (12) by taking a TKO 9 (via a cuts stoppage) versus veteran Ah Wing Lee in a scheduled 10-rounder; Ambers was well ahead on points at the time of the stoppage. Then, in the main event, rising HW contender Jersey Joe Walcott faces the veteran Canadian, Larry Gains, in a non-title contest. Walcott has his hands full with the veteran Gains, who surprises Walcott when he decks the young HW contender with a nice combination in the opening round. Then, as the two exchange blows on the inside, Gains connects with an uppercut that puts Walcott down a second time, and the Canadian veteran follows up with another KD later in the same round – with Walcott barely managing to beat the count right before the bell. Two more knockdowns make it a rough night for the hometown Jersey native, as Gains goes on to take a one-sided UD 10 (98-87, 97-88, 98-87) as Walcott seemed incapable of getting out of the way of the heavy leather. Post-fight career totals: Gains, 38-10 (21); Walcott, 24-2 (20). Gains’ connections are clamoring for a shot at Max Schmeling’s WBA HW title as a result of this very impressive outing.

June 7, 1935: Vancover’s Exhibition Gardens is the scene for the next fistic action, and a relatively light undercard is headed by a rare Friday night WBA title contest, with LH Champ “Slapsie” Maxie Rosenbloom making his 1935 debut against challenger Jack “Bright Eyes” Delaney in Rosenbloom’s first title defense. Rosenbloom gets off to a great start against the shopworn Delaney, an ex-Champ who is slowed by the effects of aging (having hit Post-Prime career stage). The end comes suddenly in round five when Rosenbloom delivers an uppercut that puts the Canadian challenger down and out. KO 5 for Rosenbloom, who improves to 36-10-6 (15) by winning his first title defense. Delaney, who is now nearing the end of his long career, ends up at 46-13-3 (30).

June 8, 1935: Next up is a card at the Stadium in Liverpool. No titles at stake, and only one notable bout: the main event, which pits veteran Canadian Bobby Leitham against GBU and EBU BW Champion Dick Corbett. Leitham, a former NABF and CBU titleholder who has slipped in the rankings after losing both belts recently, is looking to re-establish his position as a top contender. He holds a prior UD 12 win over Corbett for the Commonwealth belt, but now things may be more difficult for the Canadian who has hit Post-Prime and is facing a hostile, pro-Corbett crowd. The two boxers start cautiously, but before long Corbett is on top, building a solid points lead while Leitham seems unable to get on track. When Leitham tires badly in the later rounds, Corbett goes on to a relatively easy UD 10 win (98-92, 97-93, 96-94). Post-fight, Corbett moves to 30-9 (10) and is now established as a top five BW and potential challenger to WBA BW Champ Johnny King. For Leitham, who is now 29-8-1 (12), things do not look so bright.

June 8, 1935: A solid card at Chicago’s Comiskey Stadium is headlined by a WBA title clash. Newly crowed WBA MW Champion Vince Dundee makes his first defense, taking on Commonwealth Champion, Canada’s Frank “Fireball” Battaglia. Dundee seems confident but is issued a wake-up call at the end of round three when Battaglia stuns the Champ with a hook to head right before the bell. Dundee settles into a groove a builds a fairly substantial lead in the punches landed stats. Battaglia gets more aggressive in the middle rounds, but he is unable to penetrate Dundee’s defenses and just falls even further behind. He does get a break when Dundee suffers a cut under his left eye in round 10, but the cut is not in a dangerous spot and is quickly brought under control by Dundee’s corner. Late in the bout Battaglia suffers a split lip that is also not a factor in the outcome. Dundee, who retreated into a defensive shell in the later rounds, takes a lopsided UD 15 (147-137, 146-138, 148-136), proving his win over long-time WBA MW kingpin Mickey Walker was no fluke. Post-fight career records: Dundee, 37-8-4 (15); Battaglia, 24-5-1 (13).

June 14, 1935: Friday night card at Havana’s Gran Stadium includes a pair of title bouts headlining an intriguing card. First up is a NABF BW title affair, with Bobby Green defending that belt against Bushy Graham. It’s a rematch of a bout back in 1928, which resulted in a UD win for Graham, but now both men are older, in their thirties, and things have changed – but have they? Graham moves inside after a big round two, but he cannot follow up and ends up with a split lip for all his troubles. In round four, Green also suffers some punishment, coming away with a cut lip and a swollen left eye. Graham takes a slight points lead into the later rounds of the bout, with Green working hard to step up the pace in an effort to retain his title. Green’s other eye begins to puff up, but his persistence pays off – he escapes with a draw (115-114 Green, 114-114, 114-115 Graham) to retain the title. Post-fight marks are 36-16-8 (15) for Green, and 35-18-2 (11) for Graham; it is the second straight title defense that Green has managed to escape with a draw. Then, in the main event, it is the Cuban “Bon Bon,” Kid Chocolate, defending his WBA FW crown against newly-crowned GBU FW Champion Dave Crowley, in what most observers predict will be an easy win for the heavily-favored Chocolate. Both men enter the bout riding three-bout winning streaks. Crowley starts cautiously and does well to keep the bout reasonably close for the first three rounds. Then, Kid Chocolate goes on the attack, landing repeatedly in a huge round four that results with Crowley suffering the effects of a rapidly swelling left eye. A round later, things get even worse for the British challenger as he suffers a cut forehead. However, Crowley hangs in there, and the end comes as a shocker in round 10 when Kid Chocolate gets careless with some low blows and – to the great disappointment of the hometown crowd – he is DQ’ed based on the flagrant foul call. DQ-10 for Crowley, who is surprised as anyone when he is awarded the WBA FW title, to move his career totals to 22-11-1 (11). A disappointed Kid Chocolate ends the bout at 28-5-5 (14).

[JCWeb]

This is a summary of ring action from the second half of June 1935, covering a total of 54 bouts.

June 15, 1935: Double-barrel OPBF title action headline a card at Manila’s Rizal Arena. First of the co-features is for the OPBF Flyweight title, with Small Montana making his first defense of that belt against countryman Young Dencio, the same opponent against whom Montana won the re-instituted title via a MD 12 back in early 1934. In the opening stanza, Montana succeeds in bloodying the challenger’s nose, and the cut continues to ooze blood throughout most of the early rounds of the bout. Then, in round seven, the cut is reopened and spurts out enough blood to force the ref to call an early end to the proceedings. TKO 7 for Montana on the cuts stoppage, but not much in the way of protest from Dencio’s corner, as Montana was ahead on at least two of the three judges’ cards. Post-fight records are 18-4-1 (7) for Montana and 35-26-3 (16) for Dencio, who will now be at End career stage. Following this is the second co-feature, with Young Tommy facing Korean Jo Teiken for Tommy’s OPBF BW title belt. It is Tommy’s second defense, and Teiken’s first title bout. Teiken falls behind early, and midway through the bout he is suffering the effects of a rapidly swollen left eye as Tommy’s punches are repeatedly finding their target. The Korean tries to pick up the pace in the later rounds, but it is to no avail as Young Tommy retains the belt with a fairly routine UD 12 win (117-111, 116-112, 116-114). Tommy improves to 26-3 (13) with the win, with Teiken dropping to 20-3 (15) after being handed his third loss.

June 15, 1935: Next card is at the Ullevi Stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden. It’s a fairly light card, and the main event has two Brits – Tommy Farr and Jack Peterson – squaring off for Farr’s EBU HW title. It’s the first meeting of the two, and Peterson’s first title shot of any kind after racking up three straight wins once he hit Prime career stage. (Since the bout is taking place outside of Britain, Farr’s GBU HW title is not at stake.) Even though he is the more experienced fighter, Farr is actually three years younger than Peterson, who got a much later start to his pro career. Farr puts forth a solid boxing exhibition, leaving the more aggressive Peterson with just a few opportunities to land some heavier blows. In round six, he does so, and Farr comes away from the exchange with a cut lip. Then, in round nine, Peterson manages to bloody Farr’s nose. However, none of these cuts pose serious problems for the defending Champ, and by the later rounds Peterson is looking very fatigued and also sporting some noticeable swelling under his left eye. The bout goes decision and Farr takes a MD 12 (118-110, 114-114, 116-112) with one judge being impressed enough with Peterson’s aggressiveness to award the challenger a draw. At any rate, Farr keeps the EBU belt and moves to 33-9-1 (13) overall. It is just Peterson’s third career setback, leaving him at 21-3 (14) and in position to challenge for another title in the future.

June 21, 1935: Friday night fights “Down Under,” this time in Melbourne, Australia, and it is a series of rather desultory bouts on the undercard leading to an OPBF WW title clash between two familiar foes – defending Champ Lope Tenorio and challenger, Aussie Jack Carroll. The two have met no less than five (!) times before, with Tenorio holding a 3-1-1 lead in prior bouts, including several OPBF title encounters. This time, however, Tenorio – now at Post-Prime – comes out a bit sluggish while Carroll looks sharp early. Midway throught the bout, Tenorio exhibits some swelling under his right eye as Carroll’s punches are finding the range. Carroll goes on to coast to a surprisingly easy UD 12 (117-111, 119-110, 119-109) to take the OPBF title he last held back in 1926, before losing it to Tenorio for the first time. Post-fight career marks: Carroll, 31-15-5 (13); Tenorio, 29-15-8 (8).

June 22, 1935: Next up is a card at the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles. Two featured bouts, one for a USBA title preceded by a co-feature involving a pair of top LW contenders: Sammy Fuller and Stanislaus Loayza. The one prior meeting between these two ended in a UD 10 for Loayza. This time around, Fuller was able to squeeze a narrow points lead from the first few rounds, but Loayza gradually became more aggressive, intensifying the pressure on Fuller into the later rounds – and this approach eventually paid off, with Loayza taking a SD 10 (97-94, 95-96, 96-95) to move up the LW rankings. Post-fight career marks: 34-19-5 (13) for Loayza, 38-10 (9) for Fuller. Then, in the main event, USBA MW Champion Johnny “Bandit” Romero makes his first title defense, facing Eddie “Babe” Risko, who has earned his first title shot of any kind. Risko is the aggressor from the early going, and in round five he drops Romero with an overhand right that finds its mark. Romero shrugs off the knockdown and tries to mount a comeback, but then in round eight Risko lands a big cross that puts Romero on the deck for a second time, and this time he cannot beat the count. KO 8 for Risko, earning him his first title; he improves to 24-3-1 (11) with the win. Romero is 29-8 (19) after the loss.

June 28, 1935: Next up is a rare Friday night card at London, staged at the Earls Court. Two Flyweights headline the card, with Jackie Brown taking on Benny Lynch for Brown’s GBU Flyweight title. (The Commonwealth belt, which Brown also holds, is not up for grabs.) Lynch is coming into this bout on a roll, having won his last five in a row since dropping a tech decision loss in an earlier title matchup with Brown back in 1934, Meanwhile, Brown is nursing his wounds after an upset loss via a DQ that cost him his EBU title. The bout starts poorly for Brown, who suffers a cut under his right eye in the opening stanza. Lynch exhibits some accurate punching, and by the end of round four Brown is also feeling the effects of a rapidly swelling left eye as well. Brown, who struggled with his timing in the early going, begins to have more success in the middle rounds, and the bout turns into a bruising battle – with Lynch also feeling the effects of some swelling under his left eye by the midway point. In round seven, the cut under Brown’s eye is reopened, but some good corner work prevents it from being a factor. In round nine, Lynch suffers a split lip. The challenger is able to nurse the cut and a narrow points lead into the final rounds. The bout goes the distance, and both men draw a well deserved round of applause. When, the cards are read, Lynch comes away a MD 12 winner (117-111, 114-114, 115-113) to capture the belt in a bout that is worthy of a fight of the year candidate. Can anyone say rematch? Post-fight records: Lynch, 20-3 (12); Brown, 26-10-3 (9).

June 29, 1935: Final card of the month is at the Garden in Boston. A good, solid, packed evening of fistic encounters. On the undercard, a pair of MW prospects entering with identical perfect records (11 KO wins in 11 pro bouts) do battle, as Ben “Belter” Brown faces Glen Lee. The two battle on a fairly even level for the first seven rounds, then the pace quickens in the final few rounds. Lee nails Brown with a hook to the midsection near the end of round eight, but Brown battles on and is rewarded with a SD 10 verdict (96-94, 94-96, 96-94) to run his record to 12-0 (11); Lee is now 11-1 (11). Then, in the co-feature, two top LW contenders square off as #2 ranked Ray Miller faces #4 Wesley Ramey. Miller emerges as the steadier of the two boxers, landing repeatedly and causing some puffiness under Ramey’s right eye by the end of the fourth round. Ramey is unable to mount a rally and, late in the fight, he suffers a cut over his left eye. Miller takes a SD 10 (95-97, 98-94, 97-95) although most observers had him winning by a healthy margin. Post-fight marks are 40-11 (17) for Miller, and 21-4-4 (10) for Ramey. The main event is a good one, with Tiger Jack Fox facing challenger John Henry Lewis for Fox’s USBA LH title – each man has lost just one loss on their career slates. After a cautious opening round, Lewis takes charge in round two, assaulting Fox with a blistering attack that leaves the Champ helpless along the ropes. The ref steps in and calls a halt with Fox unable to fend off the blows, but just one second short of the bell. TKO 2 for Lewis, who takes the USBA LH belt and moves to 19-1-2 (16) overall. Fox suffers just his second career setback, leaving him at 34-2 (26).

[JCWeb]

This is a summary of ring action from the first half of July 1935, covering a total of 54 bouts.

July 4, 1935: The month commences with a traditional Fourth of July card, this one in Philadelphia. Co-main events, first up is a non-title affair featuring unbeaten HW Roscoe Toles who faces a former NABF Champ, veteran Joe Sekyra. First meeting of the two, and it is Toles’ stiffest test to date. Toles begins by producing some excellent boxing, enabling him to snag an early points edge. Sekyra gradually picks up the pace, landing some heavy leather in the later rounds. By round nine, Toles is showing signs of swelling under his left eye from the effect of being on the receiving end of Sekyra’s blows. The bout goes to decision, and the judges call it a draw (96-94 Toles, 95-95, 95-95). Post-fight records are 20-0-1 (5) for Toles, who remains unbeaten, and 30-9-3 (22) for Sekyra. Following this is the second co-feature, which sees Barney Ross defending his USBA WW title belt against challenger Young Corbett III. Ross moves inside and is the aggressor for much of the earlier going, but he finds Corbett’s defense a tough nut to crack. Corbett gains the upper hand in the middle rounds with a strong boxing exhibition that leaves Ross flatfooted and surprisingly, flabbergasted. No knockdowns and neither man is marked, as Corbett does just enough to take a SD 12 (117-111, 112-116, 115-113) to lift the belt – with the 115-113 score count seeming closest to the mark. Corbett improves to 45-11-5 (12) with the win, with Ross dropping to 26-4-2 (9) after taking a tough loss.

July 5, 1935: Next up is a Friday night card at Seattle’s Sicks Stadium. Solid card, but no title bouts on the agenda. Co-main events feature some up-and-coming young fighters, including two recently crowned LABF titleholders. In the first of these, veteran WW contender Ruby Goldstein faces Cocoa Kid; Goldstein holds a prior win (via TKO) while Kid has recently captured the LABF WW title. The action heats up in the opening stanza, when Kid catches Goldstein with a good shot that puts Goldstein down for a count of eight. Goldstein survives the onslaught and comes out swinging a couple of rounds later. He puts Kid down and out with a wicked cross to end matters. KO 3 for Goldstein, moving his career stats to 35-9-3 (23); Kid is now 23-4-2 (10). In the second main event, LABF FW Champ Baby Arizmendi faces “Homicide Hank” Armstrong in a key crossroads career matchup for both. In the early rounds, it is the solid boxing of the Mexican that gains him the upper hand. However, Armstrong gets on track, countering with a big round four. Armstrong gradually becomes more and more aggressive as the bout heads into the later rounds. By the end of round eight, Arizmendi is battling a rapidly swelling right eye as the result of some heavy leather landed by Armstrong. In round nine, Armstrong stuns the Mexican with a big cross, but Arizmendi covers up to last the round. Armstrong is cut over his right eye. The two battle to the end, and the result – a draw (96-96 on all three cards) seems justified. Post-fight career marks: Arizmendi, 26-5-2 (10); Armstrong, 18-1-2 (16).

July 6, 1935: Next card is at the Stadium in Liverpool, in the UK. It’s a fairly light card, with no title contests, headlined by a matchup of two ranked BW contenders as British Champ Dick Corbett plays host to Lew Farber, who is visiting from America to take on the Brit. Farber starts well and seems in command through the early rounds. Corbett is forced to battle from behind, and in round seven he has his best moment, ripping open a cut over Farber’s right eye. However, the cut proves to be no factor in the outcome as a solid effort from Farber is rewarded with a UD 10 (98-93, 100-91, 98-93) that is sufficient to lift him to a top 10 status among BW contenders. Post-fight career marks: Farber, 25-4-2 (12); Corbett, 30-10 (10).

July 12, 1935: Next up is a Friday night card at a new venue, Luna Park in Buenos Aires. The card is sponsored by the new LABF federation and features a pair of HW encounters, topped by the initial LABF HW title bout. The first of these is a rematch, with the “Ambling Alp,” Primo Carnera, facing Jack Gross, whom he defeated via TKO in 1934. This time, Gross is cut over his right eye in round two, giving Carnera a juicy target. However, a round later Gross bounces back, nailing Carnera with a big hook; the Italian fighter takes a seat on the canvas before arising at the count of eight. In round four, a big hook from Carnera returns the favor; Gross is down briefly before arising after a four-count. Gross also appears to be experiencing some swelling under his cut right eye. In round five, Carnera looks to pressure Gross, coming in behind his jab. But, once again, the “Alp” gets careless, and he leaves himself open for a Gross uppercut that lands right on the button. Carnera goes down and, this time, he is counted out. KO 5 for Gross. Post-fight career marks: 26-12 (15) for Gross, 21-7-1 (16) for Carnera. Then, in the main event, Jose Domingo Carattoli faces Chilean Arturo Godoy for the newly-minted LABF HW title. Carattoli, buoyed by the support of a hometown crowd, takes charge early, and by round two Godoy is struggling, having suffered a split lip. A round later, telltale signs of swelling appear under the Chilean’s left eye. Carattoli continues to dominate the action, piling up a huge points lead through the middle rounds of the bout. Godoy is unable to cope with the swollen eye and Carattoli’s superior skills, so the Argentinian goes on to coast to a fairly comfortable UD 12 win (117-111, 119-111, 115-113) to emerge as the first LABF HW titleholder. Carattoli improves to 23-8-1 (10) with the win; the loss leaves Godoy at 18-5 (9).

July 13, 1935: Back to Europe and the Sportpalast in Berlin where a raucous crowd is on hand for Max Schmeling’s next defense of the WBA HW crown. His opponent is Commonwealth Champ Don McCorkindale, who has turned in some surprising results in recent outings – including three successive wins over Sharkey, Stribling and Braddock -- to qualify for the title shot. Schmeling gets off to a strong start, bloodying the challenger’s lip in the opening round. In round two, McCorkindale connects with a big hook, backing up the German Champion. Schmeling covers up to last the round, but by round three he is back on the attack – reopening the cut and connecting with a big left. More punishment from the Champ is dished out in round four, causing some swelling to appear around the left eye of the challenger. By the end of round six, the cut is reopened but Schmeling is called for a low blow. Schmeling keeps up the pressure in the middle rounds, rocking McCorkindale with a sharp combination in round nine, and at this point there is noticeable swelling around the right eye of the challenger as well as the left. Then, in round 12, a second cut opens in a dangerous spot – over McCorkindale’s left eye. The cut proves to be difficult to control, and it leads to a stoppage a round later as the game challenger’s effort comes to an end. TKO 13 for Schmeling, making it 10 successful title defenses in a row for the German Champion, who is now 39-3 (29) overall. McCorkindale, who has the CBU HW belt to fall back on, is 28-7-1 (16) after the loss.

July 13, 1935: Next fight action is back in the States at Detroit’s Briggs Stadium. It’s a solid card, headlined by a USBA title bout amply supported by a pair of main supporting bouts. Two unbeaten HW prospects battle, as Joe Louis, the “Brown Bomber,” steps up to the world of 10-rounds and faces 12-0 Lee Savold, the “Battling Bartender.” Louis gains the upper hand in a relatively uneventful opening round. Louis goes on to dominate with his superior hand speed, moving inside in round three. In the fourth, he connects with an uppercut and follows up with a combination, and suddenly Savold is in big trouble. He is unable to survive the round, as the ref steps in to save him from further punishment. TKO 4 for Louis, who is now a perfect 10-0 (10) and the hottest new prospect to hit the HW ranks in a long time. Savold drops to 12-1 (7). Then hot young MW prospect Holman Williams takes to the ring, facing veteran Young Terry. Williams demonstrates some strong boxing skills and appears to be headed to victory when, in round five, he is decked by a Terry combination. Williams barely beats the count, arising at nine, and covers up to last the round. Williams is able to recover, and he gradually wears Terry down as the bout heads into the later rounds. In round nine, Williams suffers a bloody nose and experiences some swelling under his left eye, but he soliders on to take a UD 10 (97-92, 95-94, 96-93), with his better overall boxing skills outweighing the impact of the one knockdown. Post-fight, Williams is now 20-1 (15); Terry falls to 30-12-3 (10); the win is sufficient to secure Williams a spot among the top 20 ranked MWs. Then, in the main event, K. O. Morgan makes the fourth defense of his USBA BW title, facing a tough opponent in former WBA BW Champ Archie Bell. The bout devolves into a tactical battle, with both men taking an initial cautious approach. The bout remains close into the middle and later rounds, with Morgan taking on the role of aggressor. Morgan responds with a big round 11, but he becomes too complacent and allows Bell to rebound and capture the final round. This results in a draw (115-115, 115-113 Bell, 114-114), enabling Morgan to escape with the title belt. Post-bout career marks: Morgan, 22-3-5 (14); Bell, 35-11-6 (10).

[JCWeb]

This is a summary of ring action from the second half of July 1935, covering a total of 58 bouts.

July 19, 1935: Next is a Friday night “Down Under” card in Sydney, Australia. Two bouts of note, including a Commonwealth title bout. First up, however, is a non-title affair matching OPBF MW Champ, Aussie Ambrose Palmer, with newly-crowned LABF MW Champ, Cuba’s Kid Tunero. The edge in the early rounds goes to the slick boxing Cuban. No cuts and KDs, and Palmer lacks the stamina and the firepower to mount a comeback. UD 10 for Tunero (99-91, 97-93, 98-92) to run his career totals to 24-4-4 (8). Palmer’s record remains a creditable 23-8 (15) despite the loss. In the feature, Commonwealth BW Champion Benny Sharkey defends the title against unbeaten Canadian prospect Horace Gwynne, who has won all 17 of his career starts thus far. The two sluggers do battle, with Gwynne holding a slight edge through the early going. Sharkey steps up the pace and becomes the aggressor in the middle and later rounds. Then, in round 10, the Champ is slowed by a cut over his left eye. Gwynne escapes with a MD 12 (118-115, 115-115, 118-114) and captures the belt. Gwynne remains unbeaten at 18-0 (12), while Sharkey slips to 25-7-1 (16) after the loss.

July 20, 1935: The Palais des Sports in Cannes, France is the scene of the next fistic action. Topping the card is an EBU Flyweight title fight, with Hungarian Istvan Enekes defending for the fourth title against aging veteran Kid Socks. It’s the first meeting of the two, and Enekes starts well – by the end of round three, Socks is showing the effects with some signs of swelling developing under his left eye. More problems develop for Kid Socks when, in the fourth round, as cut appears over that same left eye. The cut continues to ooze blood and, just as the bout nears the halfway point, Kid Socks is already running low on stamina. The end comes in round six, when a cut is opened over Socks’ other eye, and the ref decides to call an early end. TKO 6 for Enekes on the cuts stoppage. Post-fight career marks: Enekes, 24-2-1 (10); Socks, 34-23-3 (9). While Socks appears to be near the end of his lengthy career, Enekes is being touted as a potential challenger for Midget Wolgast’s WBA title.

July 20, 1935: Back to the states for a big card at the Polo Grounds in New York City. A WBA title clash headlines a solid card. On the undercard is LH prospect Billy Conn, aka “the Pittsburgh Kid,” who is making his fourth pro start. Conn takes a couple of rounds to settle in before dispatching his TC opponent via a TKO 3 in a scheduled six-rounder. The win lifts Conn to a perfect 4-0 (4). Then, in the main event, WBA LW Champ Tony Canzoneri, in his third defenses of 1935 and his 13^th defense overall, faces long-time JLW Champ Tod Morgan. First meeting of the two. It turns out to be a typical workmanlike performance for the “Roman Warrior,” who piles up an early points lead with a strong boxing performance. Morgan tries to get more aggressive in the later rounds but is unable to bother Canzoneri. No cuts, KDs or swelling, as Canzoneri takes a fairly routine UD 15 (144-141, 146-139, 146-140) to keep the title. Post-fight career marks: Canzoneri, 37-4-3 (15); Morgan, 44-13-1 (12).

July 26, 1935: Next up is a Friday night card at Atlantic City. The main event is a NABF LH title contest, with Jimmy Slattery defending that belt against challenger Young Firpo. Firpo holds a prior win (a KO 4) over Slattery from 1933. The action commences early in round three, when Firpo rips a three-punch combo, forcing a shaken Slattery to cover up. More punishment is dished out in round four, and by the end of that round Slattery’s right eye is showing telltale signs of swelling. Firpo continues to land the heavier blows through the middle rounds of the bout, building a points edge in the process. Slattery bounces back to stage a late rally. In round 10, with both men mixing it up, Firpo connects with a nice shot that puts Slattery on the deck briefly. The KD is enough to secure Firpo the title, but only by a narrow SD 12 verdict (114-113, 113-114, 114-113) as one judge actually had Slattery as the winner. Young Firpo improves to 28-12-3 (16) with the win; the loss leaves Slattery at 35-17-3 (12).

July 27, 1935: Back to the UK for a end-of-the-month card at the Olympia in London. Main event is a GBU title clash, preceded by a non-title affair matching two top ranked LHs: Gustave Roth, former EBU LH Champ, and Battling Bozo, one-time USBA LH titleholder. Bozo takes charge early, and by the end of round three Roth is sporting some puffiness around his left eye. Then, in the fifth round, Bozo connects with a an uppercut that staggers the Belgian. By this point, Bozo has compiled a sizable points lead and Roth lacks the firepower to mount an effective comeback. The bout goes the distance, with Bozo taking a routine UD 10 (99-91, 97-93, 98-92). Bozo moves to 24-8-3 (10) with the win; the loss leaves Roth at 31-7-2 (12). In the main event, Harry “Leeds” Mason puts his GBU LW title on the line (but not his other two belts – EBU and Commonwealth), facing the challenge of young Harry Mizler, who is still at Pre-Prime. By the end of round three, Mason is suffering from a split lip. The cut proves to be of little moment, and Mason quietly builds a points edge through the opening and middle rounds. Mizler battles back, becoming more aggressive in the later rounds, and closing the points gap as well. In round 11, the challenger suffers a cut forehead – again, the cut proves to be no factor in the outcome. The bout goes the full 12 rounds, and Mason escapes with a SD 12 (116-113, 114-115, 115-113) to retain the GBU title. Post-fight records: Mason, 37-22-4 (5); Mizler, 12-2-2 (4).

July 27, 1935: The month wraps up with a card at Los Angeles’ Olympic Auditorium. Only bout of note is the main event, for the USBA Flyweight title, with Fidel LaBarba defending against Ruby “Dark Cloud” Bradley. It is LaBarba’s fifth defense of the belt he won back in 1932, but it has been over a year since his last title defense. Bradley has won his last three to set up the title tilt. The bout devolves into a subtle boxing contest, with Bradley putting forth a strong challenge to the veteran but now aging LaBarba. LaBarba is forced out his comfort zone and tries to be more aggressive in the later rounds. Bradley settles in to a comfortable defensive role and manages to escape with the title, taking a close MD 12 (115-113, 114-114, 115-113). Post-bout career marks: Bradley, 28-12-6 (6); LaBarba, now at Post-Prime, 37-9-1 (9).

[JCWeb]

This is a summary of ring action from the first half of August 1935, covering a total of 53 bouts.

Aug. 2, 1935: The month starts with a Friday night card north of the border at the Edmonton Gardens. No titles at stake, but the main event matches a pair of former titleholders, as ex-WBA BW Champ Speedy Dado faces “the Verdun Flash,” Bobby Leitham, a former Commonwealth and NABF BW Champion. The two met for the WBA title then held by Dano back in 1931, with Dado walking away a UD 15 winner. This time, the Filipino grabs the early points lead with some accurate punching. In round five, Dado staggers Leitham with a big uppercut. In round six, Dado deals with a cut under his right eye. Leitham targets the cut but some good cornerwork prevents it from becoming a major factor in the bout. Late in the bout, Leitham is forced to deal with fatigue and a swollen left eye. No cuts or KDs, and the bout goes the distance. Repeating the earlier result, it goes down as a UD 10 for Dado (97-93, 96-94, 97-93) to improve his career totals to 27-12-2 (13). Leitham’s record remains an excellent 29-9-1 (12) despite the loss.

Aug. 3, 1935: Next card is at the Palazzo del Sport in Rome, Italy. Topping the card is an EBU MW title fight, with German Hein Domgorgen, in his second stint with the belt, facing GBU Champ Jock McAvoy. Domgorgen, who holds a prior TKO win over McAvoy, is favored to successfully defend. However, this time McAvoy appears to be ready, as he drops the German Champ with a nice combination in round three. Domgorgen bounces back, throwing some heavy leather and causing some swelling to appear under the left eye of the challenger in the fourth round. In round six, Domgorgen is slowed by a cut under his right eye. More action in round eight, with McAvoy putting the German down for a second time. McAvoy is cut over his left eye in round nine, giving Domgorgen a target. However, the British Champ is not to be denied, descking Domgorgen in the 11^th and again in the 12^th and final round. Domgorgen is unable to beat the count after the fourth and final knockdown. KO 12 for McAvoy, who moves to 26-7-4 (18) with the win. Domgorgen drops to 38-15-1 (19) after the loss.

Aug. 3, 1935: Back to the states for a solid card at Chicago’s Comiskey Park. Two top prospects are on the card, with a USBA HW title bout topping the agenda. First up is MW Tony Zale, aka “the Man of Steel,” who faces Glen Lee in a 10-rounder. Zale takes awhile to break down his opponent’s defenses, scoring big on the inside in round three before delivering a knockout blow midway through the fifth. KO 5 for Zale keeps his unbeaten slate at 11-0 (10); Lee’s second career setback leaves him at 11-2 (11). Then, in the co-feature, the “Brown Bomber,” Joe Louis, faces another young HW prospect, Phil Brubaker. Brubaker proves to be a tough opponent, taking Louis past the fourth round for the first time in his career. Louis manages to put Brubaker down near the end of the eighth round and again in the 10^th and final round, but Brubaker’s chin is good enough for him to become the first to last the distance with the highly touted “Brown Bomber.” Louis goes on to take a lopsided UD 10 (98-89, 100-87, 99-89) to run his record to 11-0 (10), while Brubaker drops to 10-3 (7). Finally, in the main event, Tommy Loughran, still campaigning at HW, makes the first defense of the USBA HW belt he won back in September 1934, facing veteran Joe Banovic. Loughran’s boxing skills are on display through the early rounds, and the former LH Champ builds a points edge as a result. Banovic, trailing, is forced to pick up the pace in the second half of the bout. No cuts or knockdowns, and the bout goes the distance and, to the surprise of many, a late surge from Banovic is enough to secure him a MD 12 (115-113, 114-114, 115-113) to lift the belt in a huge upset, making him the sixth new USBA HW Champion in as many title bouts. Loughran got way too defensive, allowing Banovic to win the last three rounds to steal the decision. Post-fight career marks: Banovic, 32-10 (9); Loughran, 53-8-4 (18).

Aug. 9, 1935: Next up is a Friday night card at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. Good card, and on the undercard is fan favorite Jimmy Braddock, the “Cinderella Man,” facing George Godfrey, “the Leiperville Shadow.” Godfrey, a former top 10 HW, has fallen on hard times recently and feeling the effects of aging, and Braddock hopes to take advantage of this unique opportunity to move up in the HW ranks. Braddock is content to stay outside for the opening few rounds, doing well although Godfrey gets his hands free on the inside and produces some good results in round three. Braddock’s corner must deal with some swelling around his right eye as a result. However, by round five, Braddock is doing damage with some body shots that are taking the wind out of the veteran Godfrey, who begins to tire badly in the second half of the scheduled 10-rounder. Braddock continues with his strategy of staying outside, and he builds an unassailable points lead, staying away from Godfrey’s power shots, to take a decisive UD 10 victory (99-92, 99-92, 98-93) in what could be a big turnaround bout career-wise for the journeyman Braddock. Post-fight career marks are 28-12-2 (6) for Braddock, and 47-20-2 (35) for Godfrey. The main event is a USBA MW title fight, with Eddie “Babe” Risko making his first defense of that belt against Teddy Yarosz. First meeting of these two, and it is a cagey start by both men with little difference through the first three rounds. Starting in round four, Risko begins to connect with some heavy leather and gradually builds a solid points lead. Risko’s superior stamina and punching power prove to be a winning combination that is too much for the challenger, Yarosz, to overcome. However, to the surprise of many, Yarosz’ defensive-minded style is enough to impress the judges and to earn him a draw (114-114, 115-114 Risko, 114-115 Yarosz) so, while Risko retains the belt, a rematch is ordered. Post-fight, Risko is now 24-3-2 (11) compared to 26-7-1 (11) for Yarosz.

Aug. 10, 1935: Back to the UK for a relatively light card at the Stadium in Liverpool. Only one key match – the main event – matching veteran Dom Volante with Nel Tarleton for the GBU FW title vacated by Dave Crowley who moved up to claim the WBA title belt. First title shot for Tarleton who, like Volante, is at Post-Prime career stage. Tarleton gets off to a strong start, and by the end of the second round Volante is feeling the effects, with some noticeable puffiness appearing just under his left eye. Things get even worse for Volante, who suffers a cut over the damaged left eye in round six. Tarleton holds a nice points lead headed into the later rounds, but one of the judges actually scored it for Volante, with Tarleton taking a surprisingly narrow SD 12 (115-113, 113-115, 115-113) to take his first belt, the GBU FW title. Post-fight records: Tarleton, 26-10-4 (12); Volante, 31-16-2 (20).

Aug. 16, 1935: A traditional Friday night “Down Under” card with Melbourne, Australia as the venue; featured is a non-title matchup with top 10 HW and ex-Champ Jack Sharkey facing the “Hard Rock from Down Under,” New Zealand’s Tom Heeney, current OPBF HW titleholder. One prior meeting, seven years earlier, was for the WBA title that ended in a UD 15 for Sharkey. However, recently both men have been struggling, with Heeney losing three of his last four and Sharkey losing two of his last three. This time Heeney moves inside in round three, taking on the role of aggressor through most of the early going. Sharkey, despite a rapidly swelling right eye, demonstrates strong boxing and counterpunching skills to pull ahead slightly in the middle rounds. Heeney tires badly in the later rounds, allowing Sharkey to take a fairly comfortable UD 10 (98-92, 98-91, 96-94), taking advantage of the fact that Heeney has hit Post-Prime whereas Sharkey has not. Post-bout career marks: Sharkey, 33-12 (19); Heeney, 36-22-1 (12). Heeney, who still holds the OPBF HW belt, will be moving to End career stage for his next outing.

[Mark42661]

Just getting caught up on all your results. Great project! Will continue to follow with much interest.

Mark

[JCWeb]

Thanks, Mark. Glad to hear you are following the Uni. Continuing with the most recent activity ...
This is a summary of ring action from the second half of August 1935, covering a total of 63 bouts. Two WBA title bouts are included in this report.

Aug. 17, 1935: Back to Europe for a card at the Ullevi Stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden. Topping the card is a non-title bout, featuring two top Flyweights: NABF Champ Frankie Genaro and his OPBF counterpart, Small Montana. Close through the opening rounds, with Genaro sustaining a cut under his left eye in the third round; the cut proves not to be a factor as the bout wears on. Genaro, now at Post-Prime, begins to show the effects and gradually wears down in the second half of the bout, while Montana remains sharp. However, the issue remains in doubt right until the end, as Montana begins to show signs of swelling under his right eye. Surprisingly, the scorecards are tallied and the result is a majority draw, with one judge going for the Filipino (95-95, 94-96 Montana, 95-95) who seemed to have the advantage for most of the bout. Post-fight career marks: Genaro, 43-15-5 (18); Montana, 18-4-2 (7).

Aug. 17, 1935: Next card is at the Cow Palace in San Francisco. Vying for his first title in the main event is Max Baer, who faces Elmer “Kid Violent” Ray for the latter’s NABF HW title – it is Ray’s fourth title defense. Ray starts well, dominating the action in the opening stanza. However, Baer gears up for the second round, opening up with a crushing uppercut that puts Ray on the deck for an eight-count. Ray arises slowly and attempts to cover up, but Baer’s killer instinct has kicked in, and the challenger delivers a second KD with a big hook. Ray takes a count of nine, arising slowly, but the ref senses he is defenseless and quickly calls a halt before Baer can do more damage. TKO 2 for Baer, who captures the NABF HW belt, improving to 23-5 (22) overall and moving into the top 10 in the HW rankings. Ray drops to 30-7 (18) after the loss.

Aug. 23, 1935: Next Friday night card is at the states at the Uline Arena in Washington, D. C. No titles on the line, and the main event is a 10-rounder showcasing two top 10 LWs: Stanislaus “el Gato” Loayza and Cecil Payne, aka “the Kaintuck Colonel.” It is the third meeting of this duo, with Payne holding a win and a draw in the prior encounters although Loayza currently has the higher ranking. Payne is on target early, and by the end of the fourth round there is noticeable swelling around both eyes of Loayza. Loayza bounces back quickly and, in round five, he decks Payne with a surprising shot. Payne gets off the deck, survives the round, and manages to take a slight points lead into the later rounds. It still comes down to the 10^th and final round, and a focused effort by Payne is enough to take the final round and a very close UD 10 (95-94 on all three cards). Post-fight career marks: Payne, 34-7-4 (8); Loayza, 34-20-5 (13).

Aug. 24, 1935: New York’s Madison Square Garden is the scene of the next fistic action. Two bouts of note, a co-feature followed by the main event for a WBA title. In the co-main event, long-time MW Champ Mickey Walker, now on the downside of his career, faces Ken Overlin in a 10-round, non-title affair. Both men are coming off recent losses in title bouts and are looking to re-establish themselves as top MW contenders. It is a typical slugger versus boxer confrontation, but this time the “Toy Bulldog” seems frustrated by his inability to break down Overlin’s defenses. Walker, showing the signs of aging, begins to tire badly in the second half of the bout. In round 10, Overlin suffers a cut over his left eye but some good corner work means the cut is not a factor in the outcome. The bout goes to decision, and Overlin – who has only lost once in his pro career – takes a UD 10 (98-95, 96-95, 96-95) to continue the upward trajectory of his career path. Post-fight career marks are 25-1-2 (11) for Overlin, and 54-7-1 (40) for Walker. The main event features another popular fighter, WBA LH Champion “Slapsie Maxie” Rosenbloom, who makes his second defense facing Joe “Cairo Calamity” Knight. First meeting of the two. Knight adopts the role of aggressor in the early rounds, and in round three Rosenbloom suffers a cut over his right eye. The cut proves problematic, and Knight takes advantage to score some points. Finally, in round six, the cut proves too serious to allow the bout to continue. In an unpopular move, Knight is declared the new WBA Champion via a TKO 6 on the cuts stoppage. Knight improves to 26-4-2 (15) with the win, while Rosenbloom drops to 36-11-6 (15) with the loss. A peek at the judges’ cards showed Rosenbloom was ahead on two of three cards at the time of the stoppage, and his connections are pushing for a rematch.

Aug. 30, 1935: Back to the UK for a rare Friday night card at the venerable Harringay Arena in London. The featured matchup has British HW Tommy Farr making his third defense of the EBU HW title, facing Portugese challenger Jose Santo. Farr starts well and piles up an early points lead. Santo closes the gap when he decks Farr with a nice combination in round five. Farr arises at the count of seven and covers up to last the round. Then, in round six, Santo’s progress is halted when he sustains a cut over his left eye. From this point on, Santo is unable to follow up and deal with Farr’s defenses as well as managing the cut. The bout goes the distance, with Farr taking a UD 12 (115-111, 115-111, 116-110) and retaining the EBU HW belt. Post-fight records: Farr, 34-9-1 (13); Santo, 29-13 (22).

Aug. 31, 1935: The month wraps up with a card at Havana’s Gran Stadium. The main event is a WBA title contest, with the co-feature being a non-title bout matching two ranked FWs, as Filio Julian Echevarria faces Frankie Covelli, Covelli being lured to Echevarria’s hometown ring by the prospect of a top 10 FW ranking should his efforts prove to be successful. Echevarria is a bit more aggressive in the early rounds, and it pays off as he builds slight points edge through the first half of the bout. Covelli mounts a rally in rounds seven and eight, closing the gap. However, buoyed by the hometown crowd, the Cuban rocks Covelli with a winging right hand in round nine; Echevarria then goes on to claim a UD 10 (98-92, 97-93, 99-91) although the bout seemed a bit closer than at least two of the three scorecards indicated. The main event is for the WBA WW title, with Jimmy McLarnin facing challenger Barney Ross for the third time – with Ross hoping to reverse the earlier setbacks. This time Ross is hopeful because the prior defeats occurred on McLarnin’s home turf in Canada while the third meeting is at a neutral site here in Havana. Ross is the aggressor in rounds two and three, but in round four he pays a price as McLarnin becomes the more effective inside puncher. In the fifth round, with both men whaling away on the inside, Ross leaves himself open for a big combination and, after taking a nine-count, Ross covers up to last the remaining two minutes left in the round. McLarnin eases up the pressure in the middle rounds, allowing Ross to close the points gap. However, the stamina edge favors the Champion, and McLarnin takes most of the later rounds to retain the belt via a UD 15 (145-139, 144-139, 145-138). Post-bout career marks: McLarnin, 44-5-1 (23); Ross, 26-5-2 (9).

[JCWeb]

This is a summary of ring action from the first half of September 1935, covering a total of 54 bouts.

Sep. 6, 1935: The month opens with a Friday night card at Atlantic City. Main event is a NABF FW title bout, with Freddie Miller – who won the belt in 1933 – making just his third defense, facing challenger Petey Sarron, who recently won the USBA FW title belt. It is the first meeting of the two. The bout remains close in the early rounds, but Miller begins to pull ahead in the middle rounds, demonstrating some superior boxing skills. Sarron finally becomes more aggressive in the later rounds, but Miller is able to comfortably remain on the outside. The bout goes the distance, and Miller takes a fairly routine UD 12 (117-114, 118-113, 117-114) to move to 27-5-1 (12) overall. Sarron drops to 28-12-5 (8) after the loss.

Sep. 7, 1935: Next card is at the Palazzo del Sport in Rome, Italy. No title bouts on the agenda, but the main event has two top ranked Flyweights, as EBU Flyweight Champ Istvan Enekes (winner of his last eight bouts) faces USBA Champ Ruby “Dark Cloud” Bradley, who has won his last four. The two have not met before. Enekes gets off to a strong start and compiles an early points lead. Enekes proves to be the powerful puncher while also exhibiting some strong defensive skills as well. Bradley lacks the firepower to mount an effective comeback, and another strong performance from Enekes results in a UD 10 for the Hungarian (97-93, 97-93, 96-94). Post-fight career marks: Enekes, 25-2-1 (10); Bradley, 28-13-6 (6).

Sep. 7, 1935: Next up is a fairly abbreviated card at Vancouver’s Exhibition Gardens. Headlining the card is a 10-round, non-title bout featuring OPBF MW Champion, Aussie Ambrose Palmer, taking on Ben Jeby, an up-and-coming American fighter, with a spot in the top 20 MW rankings on the line; both men have the capability to bounce back and forth between boxer and slugger. Palmer gains the upper hand in the early going. Jeby is able to keep the bout reasonably close. There are no cuts or knockdowns, so the bout goes the distance. Palmer takes a close but UD 10 (96-95, 97-95, 98-93). Post-fight career marks: Palmer, 24-8 (15); Jeby, 22-8-3 (9).

Sep. 13, 1935: Another LABF sponsored card, returning to Buenos Aires’ Luna Park. Emory Cabana, reigning LABF LW Champion, defends against Argentina’s Justo Suarez. Suarez had two prior wins over Cabana, back in 1931, but lost via a DQ in 1932 and, more recently, has slipped into Post-Prime career stage. Not much happens until round four, when Suarez connects with a big hook that lands flush, forcing Cabana to cover up to last the round. The Cuban is able to recover between rounds, and does well for the rest of the bout, outboxing Suarez to take a SD 12 (115-113, 113-115, 115-113) to retain the LABF LW crown. Post-fight career marks are 36-16-4 (12) for Cabana, and 26-8-1 (17) for Suarez.

Sep. 14, 1935: Next card is in the Far East, at Manila’s Rizal Arena. A strong support bout precedes the main event, with OPBF BW Champ Young Tommy paired with another top 10 BW, Lew Farber. First meeting of these two; Young Tommy has won his last 11 and is unbeaten since February 1933. It turns out to be a battle of the cuts, as Tommy is cut over the right eye in round three, then Farber is cut over the left eye in round four. Good cornerwork by both prevents the cuts from deciding the outcome, and it comes down to the end with Tommy (backed by a strong hometown crowd) taking a narrow UD 10 (96-95 on all three cards) to improve his career mark to an excellent 23-3 (13). Farber is 25-5-2 (12) despite the loss. In the main event, OPBF WW Champion Jack Carroll defends against a former WBA Champion, Filipino Irineo Flores. Flores holds a 2-0 advantage in prior matchups but is now at Post-Prime career stage, so it is a good opportunity for Carroll to reverse the prior results. Carroll builds a slight points lead in the first half of the bout. Spurred on by the hometown crowd, Flores battles back, and the issue remains in doubt until the final few rounds. Carroll takes the final round and emerges victorious, taking a narrow but UD 12 (115-114 on all three cards) to retain the OPBF title. Post-fight records: Carroll, 32-15-5 (13); Flores, 42-17-2 (20).

Sep. 14, 1935: Next up is a huge card at Los Angeles: lots of preliminary bouts, but the only notable one is the main event, for the WBA MW title, with Vince Dundee facing challenger Jack McVey. The two have not met before; it is Dundee’s second defense of the WBA title he won from Mickey Walker earlier in the year, while McVey has won three in a row to move to a top five position in the MW rankings to set up the title challenge. A good action bout is spoiled when a cut is opened over Dundee’s left eye in round three. Despite some good cornerwork, the cut is reopened in round five, patched up, and reopened a second time in round six – this time leading to an immediate stoppage. It goes as a TKO 6 for McVey who succeeds Dundee as WBA MW Champion. Post-fight career marks: McVey, 40-19-2 (19); Dundee, 37-9-4 (15).

[JCWeb]

This is a summary of ring action from the second half of September 1935, covering a total of 54 bouts.

Sep. 20, 1935: It’s time for another Friday night card “Down Under,” this time in Sydney, Australia, with Commonwealth FW Champion Merv “Darky” Blandon featured in the main event; the Aussie is making his first defense of this title against the challenge of veteran British FW Johnny Cuthbert. Early edge to the challenger, who connects in the first two rounds enough to cause some initial swelling under the left eye of Blandon. Neither man is able to grasp a significant edge until the sixth round, when Blandon scores repeatedly to pull ahead on points. Cuthbert, suffering from the effects of aging, begins to tire and Blandon, ever the opportunist, takes advantage when he connects with a cross to the head of Cuthbert, putting the challenger down in the ninth round for a count of nine. Despite time running out, Blandon scores a second KD later in the round with a big hook. Cuthbert recovers but is sporting a swollen left eye in round 10. In the end, Cuthbert is unable to overcome the huge impact the two knockdowns had, and Blandon goes on to take a UD 12 win by a fairly comfortable margin (118-109, 116-111, 117-110) to improve his career totals to 19-4 (14). Cuthbert is 33-27-1 (10) after the loss.

Sep. 21, 1935: Back to Europe for a big card at the Sportpalast in Berlin. Huge crowd on hand to watch Max Schmeling make another defense of his WBA HW title, but first in the co-feature two top 10 WWs meet as German Gustav Eder faces Baby Joe Gans. Eder appears to gain the upper hand in the opening two rounds as the men battle to outbox each other. In round four, Eder moves inside to carry the fight to his American visitor, and he stuns his opponent with a three-punch combo near the end of the round. Late in the fifth round, Eder rocks Gans again with a big uppercut. Eder appears to be well on his way to a points win, and he eases up the pressure in the later rounds. Turns out to be a mistake, as the judges call the bout a draw (96-96, 96-94 Eder, 95-96 Gans), a result which is greeted by a chorus of boos from the pro-Eder crowd. There is already talk of a rematch before the end of the year. Post-fight career marks: Eder, 26-3-6 (9); Gans, 48-11-2 (24). Then, in the main event, the WBA HW title is on the line as Schmeling faces ex-Champ Young Stribling in his 12^th title defense. Stribling, in his one stint as WBA Champion, kayoed Schmeling in five but is now at Post-Prime career stage. In this rematch for the title belt, action is slow to develop. By round four, there is noticeable swelling under the left eye of Stribling. In that same fourth round, Schmeling misses with a hook and leaves himself open to a cross from Stribling. Schmeling goes down, but arises at the count of four. A round later, with both men mixing it up on the inside, Stribling is called for repeated low blows. In a drastic move, the German referee takes the drastic step of DQ’ing the American challenger. DQ-5 for Schmeling, who retains the WBA title belt, moving him to 40-3 (29) overall. Stribling, now at 48-11-2 (24), will be at End career stage for his next outing.

Sep. 21, 1935: Next up is a packed card at Denver’s Mammoth Gardens: the card is heavy in quantity but not in terms of quality, except for the main event, which features K. O. Morgan defending the USBA BW belt against challenger Pete Sanstol. It is Morgan's fourth defense, and he accepts the challenge from the higher ranked Sanstol, but Morgan feels confident based on a prior KO win in 1933. However, from the start there are all sorts of problems for Morgan, who suffers a nick under his right eye in the opening round, then by round three Sanstol has connected enough to cause swelling under his left eye, followed by a cut over that same left eye in round four. Sanstol is able to parlay an early points lead into a UD 12 (117-111, 115-113, 115-113) to lift the USBA title. Post-fight records: Sanstol, 30-8-2 (9); Morgan, 27-4-5 (14).

Sep. 27, 1935: Friday night card at New Orleans is next. No titles at stake, but co-main events that are of interest. In the first of these, unbeaten LH prospect Jimmy Adamick takes on ranked (top 20) LH veteran Ray Pelkey in an effort to move up in the LH ranks. After a cautious start, Adamick opens up in round three with a two-fisted assault, and Pelkey returns to his corner showing some puffiness around his left eye. In round five, Adamick drops Pelkey for a five-count, then follows up with a second KD for a seven-count. Pelkey is able to last the round and remain on his feet until the final round, when Adamick launches a series of blows, first an uppercut, then a hook to the head, and finishing with a big cross that causes an early stoppage. TKO 10 for Adamick, who runs his career totals to 17-0 (16). Pelkey is 34-21-4 (16) after the loss. Then, in the second co-feature, a pair of former WBA BW Champions do battle, with Bushy Graham facing Archie Bell. Bell holds a prior UD 10 win over Graham, but that was back in 1930 and now Bell is at Post-Prime. The bout is not a scintillating one, to say the least, as Graham gradually wears Bell down to grind out a UD 10 win (97-95 on all cards) in a bout with no cuts, knockdowns or other notable events. Post-fight career marks are 36-18-2 (11) for Graham, who retains a top 5 ranking and title aspirations, and 35-12-6 (10) for Bell, who is facing the downside of his career.

Sep. 28, 1935: Back to the UK for a nice card at the Olympia in London. No titles at stake, but in the main event JWW WBA Champ Jack Kid Berg, the “Whitechapel Whirlwind,” steps up to WW to face Young Corbett III, the newly-crowned USBA WW titleholder, in a 10-rounder. It is the first meeting of the two. Corbett outboxes Berg to gain the upper hand in the early rounds. Berg gets more aggressive in the later rounds with some success, but his late rally falls just short. MD 10 for Corbett (97-94, 95-95, 97-95). Post-fight records: Corbett, 46-11-5 (12); Berg, 31-11-4 (14).

Sep. 28, 1935: Final card of the month is at St. Nicholas Arena in New York City. Main event is for the NABF WW title, a belt that has been held for more than a year by Seargant Sammy Baker, and Sarge is just now making his first defense (a mandatory one) against challenger Tony Vaccarelli. The two met once before, ten years earlier (back in 1925), with Baker taking a TKO win. Since then, Baker has hit Post-Prime career stage while Vaccarelli is still at Prime. Vaccarelli has a big opening round, landing repeatedly and causing some minor swelling to develop around Baker’s left eye. In round three, a severe cut appears on Baker’s forehead. While the cut is patched up, it becomes a major factor as it is reopened a round later and proves difficult to control. When the cut is reopened a second time in round five, the ref orders an immediate stoppage. TKO 5 for Vaccarelli on the cuts stoppage – there is little protest from Baker’s corner, as their man was trailing badly on all three cards. Post-fight career marks: Vaccarelli, 32-16-3 (14); Baker, 32-14-1 (14).

[JCWeb]

This is a summary of ring action from the first half of October 1935, covering a total of 57 bouts. Overall, October 1935 is shaping up as a good month for fistic action, with no fewer than five (!) WBA title bouts on the agenda.

Oct. 4, 1935: The month commences with a huge Friday night card outdoors, under the lights at Chicago’s Comiskey Park. Joe Louis, the unbeaten young HW prospect, makes his 12^th pro start on the undercard, facing a TC who previously had beaten Eddie Mader and drawn with Ray Impellietere. Against Louis, however, his suspect chin becomes a target. Louis establishes the jab in the opening round and then opens up in round two, finishing nicely with an overhand right less than a minute into the round. KO 2 moves Louis to 12-0 (11), with Louis’ next matchup set for December. The co-feature, the prelude to a WBA title clash, matches two, young unbeaten MW prospects with a combined pre-fight record of of 23-0 (21 KO): Ben “the Belter” Brown versus Tony “Man of Steel” Zale. Nothing much happens until round four, when Brown cxatches Zale with a cross, putting him down for a count of seven. Zale recovers, but Brown takes advantage to build a points lead. Zale battles back to keep the bout reasonably close, but he is bothered by some swelling under the left eye that appears in round nine. The UD 10 goes to Brown (95-93 on all cards), and both men have a bright future, with post-fight career marks of 13-0 (11) for Brown, versus 11-1 (10) for Zale. Then, in the main event, Tony Canzoneri, the “Roman Warrior,” makes the 14^th defenses of his WBA LW title; his opponent, Benny “Little Fish” Bass, has recently moved up from JLW and claimed the USBA LW title to become the latest challenger for Canzoneri’s belt. The two have not met before, and Canzoneri boasts a long unbeaten streak dating back to 1930; he has held the WBA title since 1932. Bass is the aggressor in the early going, landing some shots and keeping the score close. Then, in the middle rounds, Canzoneri bears down and pulls ahead. By the end of round nine, Bass is suffering the effects of a rapidly swelling left eye. Canzoneri walks away with another UD 15 win (145-140, 145-140, 144-141) although the scores on at least one of the cards seemed a lot closer than the punches landed count would indicate. The win, Canzoneri’s 15^th in his last 16 outings, moved him to 38-4-3 (15). Bass, now 42-19-5 (14), remains a credible challenger in the LW division despite the loss.

Oct. 5, 1935: Rome, Italy is the scene of the next fight action. No title contests on the agenda this time, and the feature is a 10-round Flyweight contest matching long-time NABF Flyweight Champ Frankie Genaro with Young Perez, who is coming off a close but unsuccessful challenge for the EBU Flyweight belt. The two boxers trade blows from the outside, with Genaro gaining a slight upper hand through the early rounds. Perez tries to become more aggressive in the second half of the bout, but the veteran Genaro remains in control throughout. Despite being a Post-Prime, Genaro takes a fairly comfortable UD 10 win (99-92, 97-94, 98-93) over the younger and in-form Perez. Post-fight career marks: Genaro, 44-15-5 (18); Perez, 22-5-3 (10).

Oct. 5, 1935: More fight action, this time at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. Only notable matchup is the main event, for the Commonwealth BW title now held by a Canadian, Horace Gwynne. Gwynne’s opponent in his first title defense is his GBU counterpart, Dick Corbett, who also recently won the EBU BW title as well. For the first four rounds, the bout is a defensive struggle, and it remains fairly even through the middle rounds. Then, in round nine, each man suffers a cut: Gwynn, over the right eye; Corbett, on the mouth. Gwynne, feeling the title slipping away, becomes more aggressive in the last three rounds. Corbett, sitting on a points lead, wisely takes a defensive posture and walks away with a UD 12 (116-112, 116-112, 115-113) to add the CBU title to his other belts. Post-fight career marks: Corbett, 31-10 (10); Gwynne, 18-1 (12).

Oct. 11, 1935: A Friday night card at Seattle’s Sicks Stadium is next. The main event is a NABF LW title contest that sees long-time WBA JLW Champion moving up to challenge Jack Portney for this belt; it is Portney’s second defense of the NABF belt, and the first meeting of these two. Both take a cautious approach in the early rounds, boxing from the outside. The bout is close for the first four rounds, then Morgan appears to gradually pull ahead in the middle rounds. Portney picks up the pace in the later rounds, doing enough to secure a draw (114-116 Morgan, 115-114 Portney, 115-115) in a bout with no cuts or knockdowns. Post-fight career marks are 29-7-3 (16) for Portney, who remains a top LW contender, and 44-13-2 (12) for the well-traveled Morgan, who is still hoping to make his decision to move up to LW pay off.

Oct. 12, 1935: Next up is an abbreviated but high quality card back in the UK at Liverpool, headlined by a WBA title contest. First, in a 10-round main support, LABF WW Champ Cocoa Kid faces newly-crowned GBU WW titleholder Ernie Roderick in a non-title contest. Cocoa Kid is on target early, and midway through the bout Roderick is struggling with a rapidly swelling left eye. In the end, he is no match for Cocoa Kid, who takes a lopsided UD 10 (100-90, 100-90, 99-91) as the bout between these two new titleholders turns into a bit of a mismatch. After the bout, Kid improves to 24-4-2 (10). Roderick drops to 15-4-2 (5). In the co-feature, new GBU FW Champ Nel Tarleton puts the belt on the line, facing challenger Jim Kelly. The bout is close for the first few rounds; Kelly pulls ahead with a big round five, and as a result Tarleton begins to show signs of puffiness under his right eye. Tarleton decides to get more aggressive in rounds seven and eight, but strong counterpunching from Kelly keeps the veteran at bay. Tarleton, now at Post-Prime, runs out of gas in the later rounds as the title slips away. UD 12 to Kelly (116-112, 115-113, 117-111). Post-fight marks: Kelly, 19-2-1 (7); Tarleton, 26-11-4 (12). Then, in the main event, British WBA FW Champion, Dave Crowley, makes his initial defense a tough one, facing highly regarded Baby Arizmendi. The Mexican is on top early, and he outclasses the hapless Crowley for most of the bout, turning a WBA title clash into a mismatch. Crowley is unable to battle back and suffers a badly cut nose in the final round for all his troubles. Arizmendi is crowned the new WBA FW Champion via a UD 15 (148-137 on all three cards. Post-fight records: Arizmendi, 27-5-2 (10); Crowley, 22-12-1 (11).

Oct. 12, 1935: Next is a solid card at Jersey City’s Roosevelt Stadium. Jersey Joe Walcott is on the card in one of the main support bouts, and he faces a tough test in unbeaten young HW prospect Roscoe Toles. Walcott is on target early, and by the midway point of this 10-rounder, Toles is suffering from a rapidly swelling left eye. Walcott also presents a solid defensive posture, such that Toles is unable to mount an effective rally. UD 10 for Walcott (98-91, 97-93, 99-90) to run his career totals to 25-2 (20). Toles takes his first career defeat in stride; he is 20-1-1 (5) after the loss. The second main support also matches two HWs, with USBA Champ Joe Banovic facing former CBU Champ Larry Gains in a non-title affair. Gains holds a prior UD win over Banovic from 1934, but Banovic is determined to reverse that result in front of a favorable crowd. Banovic holds a slight punches landed advantage in the early going, but Gains is landing the heavier blows, causing some noticeable swelling under Banovic’s left eye by the fifth round. Then, in round eight, Gains appears to be in trouble, when a cut appears under his left eye along with some swelling around his right eye. Then, in the final round, Gains puts Banovic on the deck with a nice uppercut, and that enables the Canadian to escape with a SD 10 (94-95 Banovic, but the other two judges have it 96-93 for Gains). Post-fight records: Gains, 39-10 (21); Banovic, 32-11 (9). Then, in the main event, it’s another 10-round, non-title affair, as two top five MWs do battle, with Johnny “Bandit” Romero, the former USBA MW Champ, taking on Kid Tunero, the newly-crowned LABF MW Champ. In round three, Romero suffers a split lip, and he watches as Tunero gradually builds a points lead through the middle rounds. Then, a late surge by Romero leaves the issue in doubt. The result is another split duke, with the SD 10 going to Romero (96-94, 96-97, 96-95) in a really close decision. Post-fight career marks: Romero, 30-8 (19); Tunero, 24-5-4 (8).

[JCWeb]

This is a summary of ring action from the second half of October 1935, covering a total of 60 bouts. Key bouts include a trio of WBA title matchups.

Oct. 18, 1935: Next is a Friday night “Down Under” card, this time in Melbourne, Australia. The headliner is a Commomwealth title bout, preceded by a 10-round co-feature. In the co-main event, two regional HW titleholders square off in a non-title bout, as veteran OPBF Champ Tom Heeney, the “Hard Rock Down Under,” faces newly crowned LABF HW Champ Jose Domingo Carattoli. Heeney has the advantage of the crowd but the disadvantage of being on the downside in the aging cycle as he has finally hit End career stage. Carattoli dominates most of the action, and a lethargic looking Heeney is fortunate to keep the bout reasonably close. The judges give the UD 10 nod to Carattoli, but the margins (96-94, 95-94, 95-94) seem much more generous to Heeney that the punch-count stats would have indicated. Post-fight, Carattoli is moves to 24-8-1 (10) while Heeney is 36-23-1 (12). In the main event, CBU MW Champ Frank “Fireball” Battaglia makes his second defense against the man he took that title from a year ago, Aussie Ron Richards. Richards seeks a reversal of the earlier result, a controversial DQ result that cost the Aussie the CBU MW title. There’s plenty of action starting from the opening bell in this rematch. In round one, Battaglia is cut over his right eye. In round two, Richards pounds away, dropping Battaglia with a hook to the head; the Canadian bounces back quickly, after taking only a three-count. In round three, Battaglia seizes the initiative, landing some heavy blows and causing some initial swelling under the right eye of Richards. Then, in the fourth round, the cut over Battaglia’s eye reopens. As the bout heads into the middle rounds, Richards is able to pull ahead on points while Battaglia’s corner is preoccupied with the cut. The cut reopens in round seven, leading to a stoppage. Because it is ruled caused by an accidental butt, this abbreviated bout goes to the scorecards. It’s ruled a UTD 7 win for Richards (60-53, 58-55, 59-54) who takes advantage of Battaglia’s misfortune to regain the belt, reversing the earlier result. Richards improves to 27-6-2 (20) with the win. Battaglia’s career stats dip to 24-6-1 (13) after the loss.

Oct. 19, 1935: It’s back to Europe for a card at the Palais des Sports in Cannes, France. Only one bout of interest on the card, but it’s an important one, as long-time WBA Flyweight Champ Midget Wolgast puts the title on the line against hometown crowd favorite, France’s Valentin Angelmann. It’s the first meeting of the two, and Wolgast’s 13^th defense of the belt he won back in 1931, but only in first defense in over a year, since he last retained the belt in August 1934 (he has been dabbling with some BW competition thus far in 1935). Wolgast, a steady boxer, is in the process of building a solid points edge when he is bothered by a cut sliced open over his right eye in round four. Anglemann, however, is unable to take advantage and, by the end of the fifth round, he is showing the effects with a rapidly swelling right eye. In round eight, the tide shifts again when Angelmann catches Wolgast with a big hook, forcing the Champ to cover up. At the same time, the cut over Wolgast’s eye is reopened. Despite a healthy lead in points, it looks like the long-time Champ’s four-year reign could be in jeopardy. The cut is reopened again in round 11, giving Angelmann some hope, but good cornerwork and solid defense from Wolgast enable the Champ to avert further damage. In the end, the bout goes the full 15 and Wolgast takes a very convincing UD 15 (150-136, 148-137, 147-138) to retain the title and also adding to his all-time high Perf Point total (now over 1200) for the Flyweight division. Post-fight career marks: Wolgast, 38-4-1 (17); Angelmann, 25-12-1 (12).

Oct. 19, 1935: Next card is back in the States in Miami. The co-feature matches two familiar foes, both among the top five LWs, #1 contender Ray Miller and #3 Sammy Fuller. It’s the fourth meeting of these two, with Miller holding a 2-1 career edge in prior encounters. In a shocking result, at the end of the opening round Miller uncorks an overhand right that drops Fuller, who cannot beat the count which reaches 10 just as the bell sounds. KO 1 for Miller, who runs his career totals to 41-11 (18). Fuller, now 1-3 versus Miller, continues to struggle against top-flight competition and sinks to 39-11 (10) overall. In the main event, Eddie “Babe” Risko makes the second defense of his USBA MW title; the challenger is Young Terry. Typical boxer versus slugger confrontation, with Risko taking on the role of the slugger versus Terry as the boxer. Not much going on in the early rounds, but by the end of round four Risko shows signs of swelling under his right eye. However, Risko compensates with a higher work rate and holds a sizable edge in the punches landed stats. In a reasonably close bout, Risko goes on to take a close UD 12 (115-114, 116-113, 117-115) to retain the title and solidify his position among the top 10 MWs. Post-fight career marks: Risko, 25-3-2 (11); Terry, 31-13-3 (10).

Oct. 25, 1935: Back to the UK for a rare Friday night card at Earls Court in London, with a WBA title clash as the main attraction. However, the co-feature offers an enticing contest between boxer Tommy Farr and slugger Max Baer, both now among the top HW contenders. Farr, the “Tonypandy Terror,” holds the EBU and GBU title belts, while Baer, the “Livermore Larupper,” is the current NABF Champion. The two are squaring off for the first time in a 10-round, non-title affair. Baer wastes little time, nailing Farr in the second round with a hard cross; the British favorite covers up and manages to last the round. Farr begins to turn the tide in round three when he gets in some good shots of his own, and as a result there is some noticeable swelling under the right eye of Baer. Things get worse for the American slugger in the fourth, when he sustains a nasty looking cut over the same eye. An uppercut from Farr puts Baer on the deck. Max scrambles to his feet, beating the count, but a round later the cut is reopened. The corner works feverishly to patch up the damage but, when the cut is reopened a second time in round six, the ref had seen enough, so Farr was declared the winner: a TKO 6 via the cuts stoppage. After the bout, Farr improves to 35-9-1 (14) while Baer sinks to 23-6 (22) and must await another opportunity to climb in the HW ranks and perhaps garner a coveted WBA title shot. Speaking of WBA titles, the main event has WBA BW Champ Johnny King making his his fifth title defenses against Bobby Green, another Yank who, like Baer, holds a NABF title. The two have not met before; entering this title bout, King is riding a 10-bout winning streak while Green has been held to draws in three of his last four bouts. Starting in just the opening round, King is on target and Green, having been on the receiving end of some punishing blows, begins to show signs of swelling under his right eye. Then, in round three, Green is cut under his right eye. The challenger, facing an uphill challenge in any event, finds his situation even more difficult due to the cut and swollen eye. A confident Johnny King takes a healthy points lead into the later rounds, sealing it with a combination and KD in the final round. Green barely manages to hang on until the final bell, but King’s dominant performance results in a lopsided UD 15 win (145-137, 146-135, 146-135). Post-fight career marks are 37-3-1 (15) for King, and 36-17-8 (15) for Green, who still retains a title having won only once in his last five outings.

Oct. 26, 1935: Next card is a good one, at New York City’s Madison Square Garden, and LHs are featured. Good supporting card leading up to a WBA title tilt, with a solid undercard as well. Young LH prospect Billy Conn, the “Pittsburgh Kid,” is featured in one of the preliminary bouts in just his fifth pro start. Matched with a TC, he is content to work outside for the first couple of rounds before moving inside in round three. Conn drops his opponent with a solid hook for a KO 3 win to run his career record to a perfect 5-0 (5). The co-main event is a NABF LH title bout, and Young Firpo is defending that belt against Tiger Jack Fox, one-time WBA LH Champ who is seeking to re-establish his position at the top the of division despite suffering his only two career losses in recent times. Fox is on target early, and by the end of round one Firpo is already feeling the effects, sporting a rapidly swelling right eye. Firpo is cut over the forehead in round two, and things get even worse with some initial swelling under the other eye in round three. Fox carries a big points lead into the middle rounds, and in round seven he connects with an overhand right that puts Firpo down and out. KO 7 for Tiger Jack Fox, who once again is NABF LH Champion. He improves to 35-2 (27) with the win; Young Firpo drops to 28-13-3 (16) after the loss. Then, in the feature, Joe “Cairo Calamity” Knight puts his WBA LH title on the line, facing a formidable foe in John Henry Lewis, the current USBA LH Champ who has only one loss to this point in his career. Lewis starts out mixing it up, turning boxer some rounds, slugger in others. He is up against an in-form Knight, however, and the Champ is able to quietly build a slight points edge in the early rounds. Lewis steps up the pace, becoming more aggressive in the middle rounds as Knight proves to be a tough opponent. In round 10, a big hook from Knight lands flush, staggering Lewis and forcing the challenger to cover up. Things get even worse for Lewis in the 12^th when he suffers a cut over his right eye. The cut tunrs out not to be an issue, and Lewis is able to stage a late rally that is enough to give him the nod from one of the three judges. The other two go for Knight, however, who retains his title via a SD 15 (143-141, 142-143, 144-142). Post-fight records: Knight, 27-4-2 (15); Lewis, 19-2-2 (16).

Oct. 26, 1935: The month wraps up with a LABF-sponsored card at Mexico City. Lots of bouts featuring Latino fighters, but the big one is the main event for the initial LABF BW belt; Puerto Rican Sixto Escobar faces an unbeaten young Mexican, Raul Casanova, for the honor of becoming the first ever LABF BW Champion. The two have not met before, and Escobar is coming off a WBA title loss to Johnny King. However, early, it is trouble for the more experienced Puerto Rican -- he walks into a Casanova uppercut in round two, dropping to one knee and taking a full nine-count before arising to resume. In rounds three and four, Escobar battles back, landing frequently and causing some noticeable swelling under the right eye of his Mexican opponent as a result. Escobar continues to hold the upper hand through the middle rounds, and in round nine he punctuates his superiority by landing a huge shot that puts Casanova down. The Mexican regains his footing, arising at the count of nine, but from here on he is clearly a spent fighter, just looking to survive the 12-round distance. Escobar coasts to a UD 12 (117-109, 116-110, 116-110) to claim the inaugural LABF BW title belt. Post-fight career marks: Escobar, 22-4 (10); Casanova, 17-1 (13).

[JCWeb]

This is a summary of ring action from the first half of November 1935, covering a total of 54 bouts. Two WBA title contests are included in this report, but what is personally pleasing to me is the debut of the first fighter I can remember who was still active when I was growing up in the late 50s and early 60s, LH Archie Moore, whose initial pro bout is covered in the Nov. 8 card at Pittsburgh.

Nov. 1, 1935: The month commences with a Friday night card at the War Memorial Auditorium in Syracuse, New York. Two top LHs – both angling for a title shot – are matched in the main event, as ex-USBA Champ Battling Bozo faces George Courtney. Courtney, however, is at Post-Prime, and Bozo takes advantage, gradually building a points lead through the early rounds. Then, in round five, Courtney suffers a severe cut over his left eye, which leads to an immediate stoppage. Thus, it goes down as a TKO 5 for Bozo on the cuts stoppage. Bozo improves to 26-8-3 (11) with the win. Courtney’s career stats slip to 29-15-4 (23) after the loss.

Nov. 2, 1935: Action is back in Europe at the Sports Palace in Rome. A big card, but just one bout of note, with Brit Harry Mason visiting to put his EBU LW title on the line for the first time in over two years. Mason will retain his other two titles (the CBU and GBU belts) but he is matched with Italian challenger Aldo Spoldi in a hostile environment for the European belt. After a close pair of opening rounds, Spoldi dominates in rounds three and four. Mason continues to battle, but Spoldi is by far the more active of the two combatants. Just past the midway point, Mason shows signs of swelling under both eyes. Seeing the EBU title on the verge of slipping away, Mason finally gets more aggressive in the last two rounds but is too tired to have much of an effect on a determined Spoldi. The crowd roars at the finish, and Spoldi lifts the belt via a SD 12 (117-111, 112-116, 118-110) with one judge apparently giving Mason the champions’ edge in all close rounds. Nonetheless, the Italian fight fans go home happy as one of their own is crowned as a new EBU Champion. Post-fight career marks: Spoldi, 25-2-3 (12); Mason, 27-23-4 (5).

Nov. 2, 1935: Next card is at Havana’s Gran Stadium. No titles on the line, but two co-features matching up top-flight Latin fighters with highly rated opposition. In the first of these, Cuban Filio Julian Echevarria takes on former USBA FW Champ Tommy Paul. It is the fourth meeting of these two, and Echevarria enters the bout holding a 2-1 edge in prior encounters. It turns into a close, bruising bout, with Echevarria sporting some swelling under his left eye, while Paul’s right eye begins to puff up. When the Cuban pulls out a slight lead, Paul steps up the pace headed into the later rounds. In round nine, Echevarria is cut over the left eye. Paul continues his aggressive posture, and it pays off as the American takes a MD 10 nod from the judges (97-93, 95-95, 97-93). The win lifts Paul to 27-8-4 (6) overall; Echevarria’s post-fight record is 25-8-4 (11). The second co-feature pairs together two top LW talents, as LABF LW Champ Emory Cabana, another crowd favorite, takes on Canadian Billy Townsend. Cabana, who is angling for a shot at a higher level title belt, gets careless in the opening round when he walks into a combination from Townsend; he takes an eight-count before arising, then covers up to last the two minutes remaining in the round. Cabana patiently battles his way back into the bout, and Townsend is unable to repeat his success in round one. Cabana has a big round seven, and Townsend returns to his corner with a rapidly swelling left eye as a result. The end result is a SD 10 for Cabana (95-94, 95-96, 96-94). Post-fight career marks: Cabana, 37-16-4 (12); Townsend, 25-12-1 (15).

Nov. 8, 1935: Friday night card at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, and there’s a notable debut on the undercard as LH Archie Moore makes his initial pro appearance. Moore survives a rugged opening round that included an accidental head butt, then he puts his TC opponent away with a big hook in round two. KO 2 for Archie Moore in his pro debut. Then, two unbeaten young prospects take to the ring in separate bouts on the undercard. First up is LH Gus Lesnevich who runs his career record to 14-0 (10) with a solid UD 10 win over journeyman Abie Bain. Next, LW Lou Ambers, the “Herkimer Hurricane,” is up against veteran Al Singer, a former USBA LW titleholder who is on the downside of his career. For the first four rounds, a few punishing blows from Ambers penetrate Singer’s defenses, causing some major swelling to develop under Singer’s left eye. Then, in round five, Ambers dominates the action, dishing out even more punishment until the ref calls a halt. TKO 5 for Ambers, running his career totals to 18-0 (14), and a top 20 spot in the LW rankings beckons. Singer is now 26-13-1 (15). The main event matches two young MW contenders, both of whom have bright futures: Ken Overlin and Teddy Yarosz. First blood to Overlin, as Yarosz suffers a split lip in round four. Overlin holds an early points edge, but then Yarosz unloads with a big round five, and as a result, Overlin's left eye begins to puff up. In the second half of the bout, Yarosz becomes more aggressive and, in the end, he is able to secure a draw (97-94 Overlin, 96-96, 95-97 Overlin) as the judges' cards are all over the place. Post-fight career marks are 25-1-3 (11) for Overlin, and 27-7-2 (11) for Yarosz.

Nov. 9, 1935: Back to the UK for the next card at the Stadium in Liverpool. Headliner is a GBU Flyweight title contest, with Benny Lynch defending that title against the man he defeated for the belt, Jackie Brown, in a rematch of their June encounter that ended in a MD 12 win for Lynch. Things start poorly for Lynch, who suffers a severe cut over his right eye in the opening round. Lynch recovers quickly, and in round two he puts Brown down briefly with a nice uppercut. Despite the knockdown, the cut proves to be decisive as it is reopened in round three, causing an immediate stoppage. TKO 3 for Brown, who regains the GBU belt via the cuts stoppage. Post-fight records: Brown, 27-10-3 (10); Lynch, 20-4 (12).

Nov. 9, 1935: Action moves to the Forum in Montreal. Featured is a WBA WW title clash, with Canadian Jimmy “Baby Face” McLarnin defending the belt against top-contender and current USBA WW Champ Young Corbett III. Corbett is on a hot streak, having won his last five bouts and having gone unbeaten in his last ten. For McLarnin, it is his fifth title defense in his second run as WBA Champ; previously, in his first stint as WBA Champion, he took the measure of Corbett in a UD 15, back in 1931. This time around, McLarnin does a good job of mixing an inside and outside attack to pull ahead in the early rounds. In the middle rounds, McLarnin is content to drop back on the outside, as Corbett lacks the firepower to mount an effective comeback. However, he does get in a few shots and, by the end of round 10, there is some swelling under the left eye of the Champ, but nothing major to bother McLarnin. In round 11, he lands some heavy shots, causing some noticeable swelling to appear under the right eye of the challenge. McLarnin battles all the way to the end, and he repeats his earlier win with a similar UD 15 triumph (146-139 on all three cards). This, however, will be McLarnin’s last outing at Prime as he hits Post-Prime in 1936, having ended the year at 45-5-1 (23) overall. Corbett, who still has several good years remaining, ends the bout at 46-12-5 (12) and with hopes of another title shot in the future.