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[JCWeb]

This report covers fistic action from the first half of September 1943; no WBA title bouts are covered in this report. Unlike August, this will not be a great month for title bouts, as no WBA title contests are planned, and fewer than usual regional titles will be at stake as well.

Sep. 3, 1943: The month kicks off with a rather modest Friday night card in Canada, at Vancouver’s Exhibition Gardens. Featured, in the main event, are two MWs: ex_LABF MW Champion Kid Tunero and George Henry, both of whom are hoping to move up in the MW ranks. First meeting of the two, and while that action is slow to develop, Tunero gradually builds a solid edge in the punches landed department, which translates into a points lead (49-47) on the unofficial card, after the first five rounds are in the books. As the bout wears on, Henry tries to become more aggressive, and midway through round nine, he stuns Tunero with a hard hook but, otherwise, Tunero’s defense remains solid, and he goes on to pick up a UD 10 (98-93, 100-91, 98-93). Post-bout career marks: Tunero, 37-17-5 (10); Henry, 19-18-2 (7).

Sep. 4, 1943: Next is another light card at Johannesburg’s Rand Stadium. The main event takes place in the LH division, and EBU LH Champ Adolf Heuser, aka “the Bulldog of the Rhine,” takes on a one-time WBA LH Champ, Gus Lesnevich, who has fallen on hard times recently, winning only once in his last seven outings, tumbling out of the top 10 as a result of those poor performances. Gus has traveled to South Africa in hopes of recovering his status in the LH ranks, taking on Heuser, himself a TKO victim of Harry Matthews and Tony Shucco in his last two outings. Thus, a crucial matchup in the careers of both men, enhanced by the fact that this is the first meeting of the two. The bout appears relatively even but comes to a sudden and surprising end midway through round two when Heuser starts hitting below the belt, and the following is ruled to be blatant enough to warrant an immediate disqualification. Thus, Lesnevich is the lucky DQ-2 winner – a result that is roundly protested by Heuser’s corner, but to no avail. With this “gift” win, Lesnevich improves to 33-10-3 (15) and likely will regain his status as a top 10 LH contender. Tough loss for Heuser, who drops to 41-14-2 (19); this was also his last bout at Prime, but he would have hit Post-Prime with his next bout regardless.

Sep. 4, 1943: Two FWs do battle in the main event on the next card, at the Uline Arena in Washington, D. C. The two protagonists are Petey Scalzo and Battling Battalino. First meeting of these two, both of whom are on the downside of their respective careers, with Scalzo at Post-Prime and Battalino, in his first bout at End career stage. The bout is a close one, a tactical battle without much in the way of hard hitting. At the midway point, the unofficial scorer has the bout even (48-all), but just before the bell in round five, a cut appears over the right eye of Scalzo. “Bat” Battalino targets the cut, but some good cornerwork between rounds seems to have closed the cut and kept matters under control. Two minutes into round six, Scalzo uncorks a cross to the head that puts Battalino down and out. KO 6 for Scalzo. Post-bout records: Scalzo, 26-4-2 (15); Battalino, 46-19-3 (17).

Sep. 10, 1943: Next is a Friday night card at Havana’s Gran Stadium. Headlining the card is a LABF title bout, but first up in the co-feature are two ranked LWs, with Willie Joyce facing Lefty Satan Flynn in a 10-rounder, non-title contest. Since it is the first meeting of the two, the action is slow to develop, and the bout remains close through the opening few rounds. Early in round five, Joyce catches Flynn with a clean combination, and the Jamaican fighter topples to the deck as a result. Flynn arises as the count reaches eight and, although shaken, he manages to cover up to last the round without further damage. At the midway point of the bout, the unofficial scorer at ringside has Joyce in front (49-47), the margin based on a 10-8 round due to the knockdown. Into the later rounds, and it is clear that Joyce has the upper hand, and, by round eight, there is a welt forming under Flynn’s left eye – the result of the accumulated impact of Joyce’s blows. With Flynn lacking the firepower to mount an effective rally, Joyce goes on to take a UD 10 (97-95, 98-93, 97-93). Post-bout, Joyce improves to 24-5-3 (12), while the loss drops Flynn to 29-13-2 (15). Then, in the main event, Cocoa Kid makes the first defense of his LABF WW title in over a year, and his opponent is a familiar foe, Cuban Joe Legon, who previously held this time in the 1939-40 time frame. The two met twice previously for this same title, and both times (in 1940 and 1941), Kid came out on top as a UD 12 winner. This time around, Kid lands a hard hook in round two that rips open a cut over Legon’s left eye. The cut is closed by Legon’s corner, only to be reopened in round four. In round five, Legon surprises Kid, flooring the Champ with a hard shot” Kid arises after taking a count of four and resumes, covering up to last the round. At the midway point, the one KD has had an effect on the unofficial scorer, who has Legon ahead (58-56). In round seven, Kid manages to reopen the cut over Legon’s eye, and this gives him a target to attempt to hold onto the belt. Then, in round nine, Kid sustains a cut under his right eye. The battle of the cuts continues in round 10, with the cut over Legon’s eye reopened a second time. The bout comes down to the final round and, with both cuts under control, goes the distance. Tough one to call for the judges, with Kid holding the edge in punches landed, but Legon, who had the rabid support of the Cuban crowd, scored the bout’s only knockdown. Final result is well received, a narrow UD 12 for Legon (114-113, 115-112, 115-112) who regains the LABF title and defeats Kid in his third try. Post-bout career records: Legon, 27-9-6 (12); Kid, 45-9-4 (13).

Sep. 11, 1943: Next card at Detroit’s Briggs Stadium is an ample one but no title bouts and only one – the main event – of note. Nearing the end of his career and in the spotlight for perhaps the last time is “the Roman Warrior,” Tony Canzoneri, continuing to campaign as a WW; his opponent, still on his way up in the WW ranks, is Marty Servo. Not much to choose between the two through the opening few rounds, and Servo, the younger of the two by 11 years, picks up the mantle of the aggressor by moving inside in round three. Despite some solid defense, Canzoneri appears to be a shadow of his former self, allowing Servo, the more active of the two, to compile an early points lead. By the midway point of the bout, the unofficial scorer has Servo well ahead (50-46). At this point, Canzoneri shifts tactics and tries to work his way inside, putting the pressure on his younger opponent. However, it is apparent that Canzoneri’s skills have diminished to the point that he poses little threat to the confident Servo, who goes on to take a UD 10 (98-93, 97-94, 98-93) over the long-time WBA LW Champ. With the win, Servo boost his career record to 24-3 (9), putting his career back on track after a WBA title loss to Henry Armstrong earlier in the year. For Canzoneri, now 54-11-4 (17), he is only a bout or two away from hanging up the gloves after a distinguished career.

Sep. 11, 1943: Twin barrel, double feature action, but no title bouts, as the next card at the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles. In the first co-feature, former WBA BW Champion Manuel Ortiz faces Tony Olivera, who has won his last six in a rapid advance into the top 20 in the BW ranks. Olivera, who enters the bout as a decided underdog, manages to hold his own for the opening few rounds, and Ortiz has trouble dominating, finally pulling in front with a big round five; at the midway point, the unofficial card has Ortiz with a two-point advantage (49-47). After another good round for Ortiz in the sixth, Olivera returns to his corner sporting a welt around his right eye. At this point, Olivera, despite running low on stamina, has no choice but to open up and take a more aggressive stance. However, Ortiz’s defense remains solid, and he goes on to take a fairly comfortable UD 10 (99-92, 99-93, 98-93) to run his career record to 23-4-2 (14); the loss leaves Olivera at 23-6-1 (16). In the second co-feature, is a matchup of two top 10 ranked HWs, as Roscoe Toles and Nathan Mann square off for the second time. In one prior bout, back in 1939, Toles defeated Mann to capture the NABF HW title. This time, with no title at stake, Not much happening in the first two rounds, then Mann moves inside to try to force the action in round three, and Toles is fortunate to remain upright after being on the receiving end of some heavy blows from a determined Mann. More difficulty for Toles in round four, in the form of a rapidly swelling right eye. After the first five rounds are in the books, the unofficial card has Mann well ahead (by a count of 50-46). Into the second half of the bout, Toles begins to step up the pace, but he can make little impression on the more defensive minded Mann. Mann goes on to take a UD 10 (96-94, 97-93, 96-94); post-bout records are 28-9-3 (22) for Mann; 36-13-3 (6) for Toles. This boost Mann’s chances for a title shot, probably for a regional belt (NABF or USBA) by the end of the year.

[JCWeb]

This report covers fistic action from the second half of September 1943; no WBA title bouts are covered in this report.

Sep. 17, 1943: Next is a Friday night card at Manila’s Rizal Arena. The feature matches reigning OPBF FW Champion Tsuneo Horiguchi with ex-WBA and ex-LABF FW titleholder Simon Chavez. Some good counterpunching by Chavez plus a cut over the right eye cause serious problems for Horiguchi in the opening rounds. The cut is quickly patched up but reopened in round five; at the same time, a mouse is formed under Chavez’s right eye. A peek at the unofficial card at the halfway point shows a narrow one-point lead for Chavez (48-47). In the second half of the bout, Horiguchi becomes more aggressive, trying to put more pressure on his opponent. In round nine, the cut over Horiguchi’s eye was reopened a second time. The bout goes the rest of the way without incident. The end result – a majority draw (95-95, 96-94 Horiguchi, 95-95) is a dissatisfying outcome to both boxers and their supporters. Post-bout career marks: Horiguchi, 33-10-2 (17); Chavez, 33-20-4 (5).

Sep. 18, 1943: To Gothenburg, Sweden for the next card, featuring a bunch of European fighters, and it’s fitting that the main event is for the EBU MW title, recently vacated by Marcel Cerdan, who successfully challenged for the WBA belt. Matched for the vacant belt are veteran German MW Jupp Besselmann and Dutchman Luc Van Dam. The two met earlier in the year, and Besselmann came away a TKO 8 victor and, while still at Prime, he is giving up 11 years to his younger opponent, so it’s definitely a contest of youth versus experience for the vacant belt. Besselmann, who has lethal power in both hands (as demonstrated by a record of 27 career knockouts), begins to find the range in round three, stunning Van Dam with a couple of good shots; the Dutchman wisely covers up and manages to last the round. As the bout progresses, Van Dam shows some good tactical awareness and manages to exhibit some clever boxing moves that keep his veteran opponent off guard. It’s a reasonably close bout and, at the midway point, the unofficial scorecard has Besselmann with a slight points advantage (58-56). Into the second half of the bout and, with the stamina factor favoring the younger man, Besselmann continues to plod forward as the aggressor in the bout. Van Dam remains calm, however, picking his spots and firing away from the outside. By the end of round eight, there is a trace of puffiness around the Besselmann. Undaunted, the German veteran continues to press the attack, leaving it to his corner to work on reducing the swelling between rounds. Then, in round 10, the German gets careless and is dropped to the canvas by a sharp Van Dam combination. After taking a six count, Besselmann regains his footing and covers up, but a second KD from another Van Dam combination follows before the round comes to an end. The bout goes the rest of the way without incident and, based on the two KDs in the 10th round, Van Dam is declared a UD 12 winner (115-111, 114-112, 115-110) and new EBU MW Champion. With the win, Van Dam improves to 19-4 (11), while the loss drops Besselmann to 36-14-6 (27). Impressive win for Van Dam, and a tough loss for Besselman, who has being trying for the EBU MW belt since 1933 (this representing his fifth unsuccessful try) and, since he is hitting Post-Prime career stage with his next bout, it could be his last serious challenge for that title.

Sep. 18, 1943: Next is a solid card in Boston; featured is a USBA title clash preceded by a supporting bout matching two former WBA MW Champions: Holman Williams and Ken Overlin. Third meeting of the two, with both prior bouts ending with Williams on top (including a 1937 encounter in which he took the WBA title from Overlin). This time around, Williams’ superior boxing talents are in evidence by the end of the second round; he moves inside to do more damage in round three. Both the punches landed stats and stamina factor work in Williams’ favor and, at the halfway point, it’s no surprise to see him ahead on the unofficial scorecard (by a count of 49-47). Into the second half of the bout, and it is Overlin who strives to become more aggressive, banging away on the inside, all of which has little effect on a focused Williams. The bout goes the rest of the distance without Overlin making much of an impression, and Williams takes a UD 10 (98-92, 99-93, 99-92). Post-bout records: Williams, 42-9 (21); Overlin, 40-13-5 (14). The win puts Williams back on track to attempt to regain a WBA or regional time, but it is a tough loss for Overlin, his third in a row, and not at a good time as he’s about to hit Post-Prime career stage. In the feature, one of the hottest prospects in the FW division in recent memory, Willie “Will O the Wisp” Pep, graduates to Prime career stage and also is thrust into his first title bout, facing veteran Chalky Wright for Wright’s USBA FW title. Wright, slow and plodding – and some 10 years Pep’s senior – is the aggressor, whereas Pep hangs back on the outside, preferring the role of counterpuncher in this contest. Midway through round three, Pep gets Wright’s attention when he connects with a hard hook, and Wright uses his years of experience to cover up and last the round – a strong one for Pep. At the midway point, Pep is well ahead (60-55) on the unofficial card. Wright comes to life in round eight, going on the attack and landing a couple of sharp blows to the head and body that cause Pep to cover up. While Wright continues to press home the attack, Pep wisely stays on the outside, dancing out of range and piling up points with accurate long distance jabs. In the final few rounds, Wright appears to be tired and out of energy, whereas Pep is fresh and full of fight. Then, suddenly, less than a minute into the 11th round, Pep is called for low blows and the bout is halted. Stunningly, the ref awards the bout to Wright via an extremely controversial and unpopular DQ-11 result. With the win, Wright keeps the belt, and improves to 42-14-4 (15) as a result. For Pep, his first career loss leaves him at 20-1 (13). Given that Pep was well ahead on all three cards at the time of the stoppage, many in the boxing fraternity are calling for a rematch, which is likely to take place some time later in 1943.

Sep. 24, 1943: Next is a Friday night card at Panama City, and featured in the main event is Panama’s finest, Panama Al Brown, the five-time WBA BW titleholder, now at the downside of his career, facing another veteran BW, Georgie Pace, in a 10-round, non-title contest. These two have met twice before, each winning once, including a WBA title clash in which Brown prevailed, back in San Francisco in 1941. This time around, Pace surprises Brown by landing a tremendous shot midway through the opening round. To the surprise of many, Brown hits the deck and is unable to beat the count. Shocking KO 1 for Pace, who improves to 30-13-2 (20) with the win. Brown, who will reach End career stage with his next outing, ends the bout at 70-16-2 (25).

Sep. 25, 1943: Next card takes place at London’s Harringay Arena. The featured draw is a GBU title bout, amply supported by two top flight supporting bouts matching British fighters with highly ranked visiting pugilists from across the sea. In the first of these, GBU LH Champ Freddie Mills faces top 10 LH Melio Bettina; the two met once before, with the bout ending in a draw. Mills starts off well, sending Bettina reeling with a hard uppercut in the bout’s opening round; Bettina covers up and is able to last the round. Then, a minute into round two, a Bettina hook finds the range, and down does Mills. The British Champ regains his footing at the count of six, and this time, it is his turn to cover up. After such a hectic start, the bout settles into a more sedate pattern, with Bettina pulling ahead in points (48-46) at the midway point, according to the unofficial card. Cheered on by the hometown crowd, Mills becomes more aggressive and mounts a rally in the second half of the bout. Then, in round eight, the two exchange blows in a free-for-all, with Bettina landing another big shot to send Mills to the canvas for a second time. Again, thanks to the cover up strategy, Mills finishes the round on his feet but the second KD has halted his second half comeback. The bout goes the full 10, and Bettina takes the UD 10 (95-94, 95-93, 97-94), with the two 10-8 rounds from the knockdowns playing a major role in the outcome. Post-bout career marks are 29-6-6 (11) for Bettina; 24-8-1 (14) for Mills. For Mills, it is his fourth consecutive loss, leaving him perilously close to falling out of the top 20 in the LH rankings. In the second supporting bout, HWs are on display, with NABF HW Champ Jersey Joe Walcott taking on his CBU counterpart, “the British Brown Bomber,” Tommy Martin, in another non-title 10-rounder. These two had not met before, so a long feeling out process was in order. In round three, Walcott moves inside and does some good work, piling up points; this translates into a two-point lead for Walcott (49-47) at the midway point, according to the unofficial scorer at ringside. Into the second half of the bout, and the stamina factor favors Walcott, and Jersey Joe uses his defense and counterpunching skills to squelch any efforts by Martin to mount a rally. The bout goes the rest of the way without incident, and Walcott takes a MD 10 (97-94, 96-96, 99-93), with one judge – obviously influenced by the pro-Martin hometown crowd – calling it a draw despite a lopsided advantage for Walcott in terms of the punches landed stats. The win lifts Walcott to 46-7 (28), and sets him up for a possible WBA title challenge to Joe Louis. The loss leaves Martin, now on the downside of his career, at 29-14-3 (17). Then, in the main event, the vacant GBU BW title (previously held by current WBA BW Champ Johnny King) is up for grabs, and Ritchie Tanner and Dick Corbett are on hand to contest for the vacant belt. Tanner is confident, by virtue of a TKO win over Corbett back in 1940, plus the fact that Corbett is now at Post-Prime career stage. Solid start from Tanner, who outlands Corbett in most of the early action. Then, two thirds into round five, Tanner hurst Corbett with a big hook; Corbett covers up and manages to last the round. At the midway point, Tanner has a dominant points lead (60-54) on the unofficial card. In round eight, a cut appears over Corbett’s right eye. The cut is patched up but is reopened in round 10. Corbett, ignoring the cut and tiring badly, goes on the offensive in the final two rounds, but to no avail. Tanner takes a lopsided UD 12 (118-110, 118-111, 119-109) to win the GBU title. Post-bout career marks: Tanner, 21-9-2 (10); Corbett, 40-27-4 (13).

Sep. 25, 1943: Final card of the month takes place at New York City. Topping the card is a USBA title bout, but a couple of bouts on the undercard are also of interest. In one of these, the talents of unbeaten LH prospect Ezzard Charles are on display, taking on Jimmy Reeves, an experienced journeyman fighter. Charles puts Reeves down in the opening round, and a Charles combination results in a second KD in round five. Two more KDs follow in round seven, and Reeves cannot beat the count on the last knockdown, so it goes in the books as a KO 7 for Charles, lifting his career record to a perfect 17-0 (15). In the main supporting bout, two top 10 WWs do battle, as Fritize Zivic faces Freddie “Red” Cochrane in a 10-round, non-title bout. One prior meeting of the two, back in 1941, resulted in a points win for Zivic. After a couple of lackluster opening rounds, Zivic moves inside to try to establish control in round three; he gains a slight upper hand, but Cochrane manages to keep the bout close. In subsequent rounds, Zivic continues to hammer away, keeping Cochrane off balance. After the first five rounds are in the books, the unofficial card has Zivic in front (by a count of 49-46). Into the second half of the bout, and it falls on Cochrane to take on the role of aggressor, and in round seven, he manages to rip open a cut over his left eye. Cochrane, invigorated, targets the cut, and late in round nine he staggers Zivic with a straight right, but Zivic remains upright and makes it to the bell without further damage. The bout goes the distance, and Zivic manages to eke out a SD 10 (96-94, 93-96, 96-93). Post-bout records are 34-11-6 (15) for Zivic; 36-11-10-4 (9) for Cochrane. The main event is for the USBA LH title, currently held by Archie Moore. Challenging Moore is aging 39-year old veteran ex-WBA LH Champ “Slapsie Maxie” Rosenbloom, hoping for a last hurrah. First meeting of the two, and Moore starts cautiously, and Rosenbloom, despite being near the end of his long, illustrious career, mounts an effective challenge, frustrating the more offensive-minded Moore. As the bout wears on, it becomes apparent that Moore is the stronger and fresher of the two, and he has a very solid points lead (59-55) on the unofficial card after the first six. As the bout wears on, it becomes clear that Rosenbloom is unable to seriously trouble Moore, and in round 10, a weary-looking Rosenbloom walks into a hook from Moore, hits the deck and takes a six-count before resuming. Moore’s killer instinct kicks in, and he floors Rosenbloom with an uppercut later in the round, but there is not enough time for Archie to finish matters. With seconds remaining in the final round, another KD punctuates Moore’s obvious superiority, but Rosenbloom is saved by the bell. Thus, the bout goes to decision, and Moore takes a one-sided UD 12 (117-108, 119-106, 114-111) – not sure where the 114-111, which was incredibly generous to Rosenbloom, came from – anyway, Moore improves to 26-3-4 (18) with the win. The loss drops Rosenbloom to 55-19-6 (18).

[JCWeb]

This report covers fistic action from the first half of September 1943; one WBA title bout is covered in this report.

Oct. 1, 1943: The month’s fistic activities kick off with a Friday night card at Havana’s Gran Stadium. Featured in the main event are two FWs, including Cuban Diego Sosa, in his first outing after winning the LABF FW title. His opponent is American Leo Rodak, and this is the first meeting of these two. After a couple of rounds of sparring on the outside seem to favor Rodak, Sosa moves inside in round three but Rodak continues to dominate much of the action. Sosa finally recovers with a strong round four, but after five, the unofficial scorer at ringside has Rodak in front (48-47). In the second half of the bout, Sosa – cheered on by a favorable hometown crowd – is the more active of the two, while Rodak appears to be holding on, biding his time until the final bell. Sosa continues to pile on the pressure as the bout heads into the later rounds, and he appears to be the fresher of the two as well as the most aggressive. No cuts or knockdowns in this one, and, in a decision that is not well received by the pro-Cuban fight fans, Rodak is awarded a MD 10 (95-95, 98-93, 96-94). Post-bout career marks: Rodak, 30-13-1 (7); Sosa, 17-3-1 (14).

Oct. 2, 1943: The next card, in Miami, features a pair of MWs in a non-title contest, as “the Boxing Bellhop” (Freddie Apostoli) faces “the Fighting Iceman” (Coley Welch). First meeting of these two in a key “crossroads” bout in their respective careers, with Apostoli seeking to bounce back after losing the WBA MW title to Marcel Cerdan, while Welch is still looking to move up in the highly competitive MW ranks with a big win over an established top contender. Welch, who is competent as either a boxer or a slugger, is the more aggressive of the two in the opening few rounds. However, in round three, Apostoli manages to connect with a couple of good shots and, with time ticking down near the end of the round, suddenly Welch is in trouble. Apostoli lands an uppercut, a hard cross, and then a devastating uppercut that causes the ref to step in to save Welch from further punishment – this, with only five seconds remaining in the round. The bout goes in the books as a TKO 3 for Apostoli, improving his career record to 32-10-2 (24) and seriously boosting his prospects for another title shot. For Welch, now 25-6-3 (12), it is back to the drawing board.

Oct. 8, 1943: Next is a Friday night “Down Under” card in Sydney, Australia. The main event is for the Commonwealth BW title, recently vacated by Johnny King upon winning the WBA BW crown. Aussie Mickey Miller is matched with a British prospect, Gus Foran, for the vacant belt. First meeting of the two, and Foran sets up shop outside and demonstrates some solid boxing talents to gain an early upper hand. After a slow start, Miller gets on track and, according to the unofficial scorecard, has pulled ahead on points (58-56) by the midway point. The bout had been progressing without incident until, suddenly, midway through the ninth round, Miller lands a hard shot that sends Foran to the canvas. After taking a three-count, Foran regains his footing and lasts the round by effectively covering up. Miller, sensing victory, eases up a bit in the final few rounds, and coasts to a UD 12 victory (116-112, 115-112, 115-112). Post-bout records: Miller, 33-12-2 (19); Foran, 16-2 (11).

Oct. 9, 1943: Next up is a highly abbreviated card (only three bouts total) at the Amor Bahn in Munich, but two of them are worthy of note. In the first co-feature, former WBA and current EBU HW Champ Max Schmeling is back in action, facing one of the lower ranked of the top 20 HWs, journeyman Bob Pastor. It is the first meeting of the two. A strong start by Schmeling has Pastor back on his heels, even in the opening round, and there is a trace of swelling under Pastor’s left eye by the end of the opening stanza. In round two, Max continues to dish out more punishment, and by the end of the second, there is swelling under Pastor’s other eye as well. Pastor continues to absorb substantial punishment but remains upright until late in round four, when Schmeling decks him with a hard shot. Pastor barely beats the count but is shaky on his feet, also bleeding from a cut over his left eye, and mercifully the ref steps in to call a halt before the bell can sound to end the round. TKO 4 for Schmeling, lifting his career totals to an impressive 67-6-1 (45). Pastor ends the bout at 2-8-3 (11). In the second co-feature, the EBU WW title is at stake, as Gustav Eder defends this belt versus Michele Palermo. These two have met three times before, with Eder winning all three. However, in their more recent encounter, a non-title affair, Eder only managed to win via split decision, so Palermo enters the bout with some hope. Eder, however, is sharp early and, by the end of round three, he has landed enough blows to cause some puffiness to appear around the right eye of the challenger. As the bout heads into the middle rounds, Eder continues to press the initiative, but Palermo settles in and begins making a contest of it. At the midway point, the unofficial scorer has Eder with a slight one-point lead (57-56). Into the later rounds, and Eder’s superior stamina begins to show and, with the bout going the distance, Eder manages to keep the title but again, a split duke, so a SD 12 for Eder (112-114, 115-111, 114-112), a bit of a surprise as Eder had a wide advantage in terms of the punches landed stats. Anyway, a repeat of their most recent meeting, and post-bout records were 43-11-10 (9) for Eder, and 34-12-8 (10) for Palermo.

Oct. 9, 1943: Next card takes place at Atlantic City’s Convention Hall. No title bouts on the card, and the main event matches a top 10 MW, Al Hostak, “the Savage Slav,” faces Glen Lee, a career journeyman and fringe MW contender. Not much action in the first few rounds, with Hostak, a slugger, initiating most of the action. Three rounds in, Hostak has a huge lead in punches landed, while Lee’s corner must deal with a split lip, damage obviously caused by the hard-hitting Hostak. In round four, Lee walks into a Hostak cross and goes down; he arises after taking a three-count, then covers up and manages to last the round, but the damage has been done. The end comes late in round five, after two more KDs for Hostak, and the ref steps in to save Lee from further punishment. The result, a rather one-sided TKO 5 for Hostak, who improved to 36-9-1 (28), obviously enhances his prospects for a possible title shot in the future. Meanwhile, Lee, who drops to 31-11-2 (21) with the loss, will be at Post-Prime for his next outing, sometime in 1944, giving him time to heal his wounds from this encounter.

Oct. 15, 1943: Next is a huge Friday night card at Montreal, and it features a WBA title bout amply supported by two main supporting bouts. In the first of these, recently deposed WBA Flyweight Champ (now the NABF Fly titleholder) Jackie Jurich takes on Little Dado in a 10-round, non-title matchup. Second meeting of the two, with Dado having recorded a UD 10 win in their first bout, back in 1939, when both were at Pre-Prime. In this rematch, the action picks up early in round three, when Jurich connects with a vicious cross to the head; the blow sends Dado to the canvas, and the Filipino boxer arises after taking an eight count. Although groggy, Dado uses the cover up strategy to clear his head and manages to last the round. From this point onward, Jurich seems to have a firm grip on matters, but Dado bounces back in round five, firing a quick left hook that catches Jurich off balance, and Jurich, while remaining upright, covers up to avoid further damage. At the halfway point, the unofficial card has Jurich ahead (48-46), the margin based on the 10-8 third round knockdown. Dado follows up with a strong round six, so the outcome is very much in doubt at this point. Into the later rounds, and some stubborn defense has enabled Jurich to keep Dado at bay, plus some superior stamina that also favors the American. The bout goes to decision, and, despite some anxious moments, Jurich takes a solid UD 10 (97-92 on all cards), winning the last four rounds. Post-bout records are 28-4-1 (17) for Jurich; 29-6-1 (13) for Dado. Next main supporting bout is a Commonwealth LW title bout, which sees Aussie Vic Patrick traveling to defend the title he captured earlier in 1943 against a Canadian challenger, Harry Hurst. No prior meetings between these two younger fighters, both new to title bouts, with Patrick still at Pre-Prime in his young career. The action heats up in round three, with Patrick firing an uppercut that rips open a cut over Hurst’s right eye; on the other hand, Hurst has landed some effective punches, enough to cause some initial swelling to appear around Patrick’s left eye. The cut patched up by Hurst corner, midway through round four an uppercut from the Canadian challenger drops Patrick to the deck. The Australian Champ bounces back quickly, at the count of two, and covers up to last the round. By the midway point, there is puffiness under the right eye of Hurst, and the unofficial card indicates a close bout, with Hurst up by one (57-56). However, the cut over Hurst’s eye continues to be a cause for concern; reopened in round six, Hurst’s corner was unable to close it completely headed into round seven. Patrick continues to press the action, targeting the cut. Less than a half minute into round nine, and crippling right to the head from Patrick finds the range, and Hurst, who is staggered, elects to cover up and almost makes it to the end of the round. Patrick’s killer instinct kicks in, and he manages to reopen the cut over Hurst’s eye, as well as causing some initial puffiness around the other (left) eye. With just one second before the bell, the ref calls a halt – much to the dismay of the pro-Hurst crowd – and Patrick is awarded the win via a TKO 9. Tough loss for Hurst, who was ahead on two of the three cards at the time of the stoppage. At any rate, it was a good action bout among two up-and-comers in the LW division. The win lifts Patrick’s career totals to 18-1 (14); the loss leaves Hurst at 18-3-1 (9). Finally, in the main event, the “Casablanca Clouter,” Marcel Cerdan, travels to Montreal to face #1 contender, NABF MW Champion Charley Burley, for Cerdan’s WBA MW title. First meeting of the two, and first WBA title shot for Burley who has been among the division’s top contenders for several years now. In the opening stanza, Burley announces his presence with a sharp combination that has Cerdan tumbling to the deck. The Frenchman arises at the count of three, but is felled by a Burley cross for a second KD late in the round but is able to cover up, clear his head and survive the opening round. Cerdan gets on track in round three, snapping Burley’s head back with a hard uppercut, but Burley remains upright and covers up to last the round. Early in round four, another hard shot by Burley puts Cerdan down again. Just when Burley appears to be dominating the action, late in the round Cerdan catches him with a winging right hand that causes the challenger’s knees to buckle. After the first five rounds, based largely on the three knockdowns thus far, the unofficial scorer at ringside has the challenger, Burley, up by three (48-45). With both men bombing away from the outside, Burley has a good round six, and there is a trace of swelling under the left eye of the Champ as a result. Cerdan moves forward in round seven, looking to challenge Burley, who responds with some aggressive counterpunching. Cerdan has better results banging away on the inside in round eight, but by now the stamina factor, which favors Burley, has begun to kick in. More hard hitting in round nine, a good action round, and in the tenth, a Burley combination sends Cerdan crashing to the deck for a fourth time. Once again, the Frenchman is able to resume but, with 10 rounds in, the unofficial card has Burley even further ahead (96-91). Into the final few rounds, and Burley adopts a more defensive posture, comfortable allowing Cerdan to fire away with punches that, for the most part, land harmlessly off target. Midway through round 13, Cerdan does connect with a big hook but, once again, Burley senses danger and covers up, remaining upright while also avoiding further damage and lasting the round. As the rounds tick off, a frustrated Cerdan comes to the realization that the title is slipping away. The bout goes the full 15 and, based on the four KDs, Burley is able to garner a UD 15 (145-136, 143-138, 145-136) to lift the belt. Post-bout career marks: Burley, 34-1 (23); Cerdan, 36-5-2(25). Definitely an entertaining bout and, had it been a bit closer, a possible Fight of the Year candidate.

[JCWeb]

This report covers fistic action from the second half of October 1943; one WBA title bout is covered in this report.

Oct. 16, 1943: Next card comes from Gothenburg, Sweden, a popular venue given its neutrality during the war years. Anyway, the main event sees the EBU BW title, recently vacated by Johnny King (who moved up to win the WBA title once again), being contested by a former titleholder, Baltazar Sangchili, and Belgian Joe Cornelis, to date a relative unknown journeyman who has been thrust into the spotlight with an opportunity to win a regional title belt. First meeting of the two; for Sangchili, nearing the end of his career, it is one final chance for glory while Cornelis, fresh off a win over Theo Median, is hoping to pull off the upset. With much at stake, it is a fairly cautious approach by both fighters through the bout’s opening rounds. Then, out of the blue, early in round five, Cornelis uncorks a vicious uppercut that puts Sangchili down and out. The KO 5 for Cornelis earns him his first title in his initial attempt and boosts his career record to 17-5-1 (9). The loss leaves Sangchili, who doesn’t have many bouts left before retirement time, at 37-19-3 (19).

Oct. 16, 1943: To the West Coast for the next fistic action, a solid card at San Francisco, topped by a USBA title bout. In the main event, Manuel Ortiz is on hand to defend his USBA BW title versus challenger Lou Salica, himself a former USBA BW Champ. As it is the first meeting of these two, normally one would expect a long feeling-out process, but Ortiz looks sharp early, landing repeatedly to announce his intentions with a solid opening round. Salica takes a bit longer to get going, finally finding the range with some sharp counterpunching from the outside. As the bout devolves, Ortiz continues to set the pace and, by the end of the fifth round, he has inflicted enough punishment to cause some initial puffiness to appear around the left eye of the challenger. By the midway point, Ortiz has a solid lead (59-55), according to the unofficial scorer at ringside. Late in round seven, a cut is opened above Salica’s injured left eye, apparently as the result of an accidental clash of heads. The bout is allowed to continue and, with everything trending in his favor, Ortiz eases up in the later rounds. Salica has some good moments late in round 10, and he manages to cause a minor welt to appear under Ortiz’s left eye – not enough to seriously trouble the Champ, who goes on to take a UD 12 (116-113, 117-112, 117-112) to keep the title. Post-bout career marks: Ortiz, 24-4-2 (14); Salica, 29-11-4 (12). Could be the end for Salica as far as being a top flight contender, as he is set to hit Post-Prime with his next outing, sometime in early 1944.

Oct. 22, 1943: To London’s Harringay Arena for a rare Friday night card. At stake in the main event is the GBU Flyweight title, recently vacated by Jackie Paterson after his successful challenge for the WBA Fly title. Contesting the vacant belt are ex-Champ Jackie Brown and a career journeyman, lightly regarded Tut Whalley, who is in his first title bout of any kind. Both boxers are at End career stage, so it is a chance at a last hurrah for one of them. Brown establishes control early on with some sharp tactics, taking advantage of his less talented opponent. By the midway point, Brown has established a nice points lead (59-55) on the unofficial card. A game Whalley continues to compete as the bout heads into its later stages, ignoring signs of fatigue as well as the fact that he is unable to match his opponent’s superior skill. Midway through the final round, Whalley connects with his best punch of the fight – a hook – that sends Brown reeling, but the veteran remains upright, lasts the round and so no further damage is done. No cuts or knockdowns, and the bout goes to decision, and Brown emerges the victor in a much closer than expected result, a MD 12 (117-112, 115-115, 118-111) in which one judge gave Whalley much more credit than his lack of top level experience would indicate. At any rate, Brown has regained the title he held on four previous occasions, improving to 41-21-5 (12) as a result. The loss drops Whalley to 26-22-2 (10).

Oct. 23, 1943: A huge crowd as gathered for the next card, at Detroit’s Briggs Stadium, to see popular HW Champ Joe Louis back in title bout action. In the main supporting bout, the talents of hot young LH prospect, 17-0 Ezzard Charles, the “Cincinnati Cobra,” are on display, as the takes on veteran LH contender Danny Devlin in a 10-round, non-title bout. Rough start for Charles, who suffers a split lip after being on the receiving end of most of the punches in the opening round. Charles gets on track in rounds two and three, and begins the pressure Devlin by working his way inside and throwing some heavy leather. By the fifth round, there is puffiness under Devlin’s left eye and, by the midway point of the bout, Charles has a slight points lead (48-47) on the unofficial card. The bout remains close as it enters the second half, and two minutes into round seven Charles breaks down Devlin’s defenses and staggers his opponent with a sharp, quick three-punch combination. With two rounds remaining and the issue still very much in doubt, Devlin starts swinging wildly, while Charles prefers a more deliberate, conservative approach, laying back on the outside while awaiting any opportunity to pounce. The bout goes the distance with no knockdowns, and only the one cut on Charles’ lip which proved not to be a factor. The result is a narrow UD 10 win for Charles (96-94 on all three cards), who did just enough to keep his unbeaten streak alive, improving to 18-0 (15) and a top 10 LH ranking with the win. Devlin sinks to 37-18-6 (16) with the loss. Then, in the main event, Joe Louis takes to the ring for another defense of his WBA HW title. This time the opponent is 23-1 Pat Comiskey, who has worked his way gradually up the HW ranks to a top 10 contender status with an impressive 13-bout winning streak, compared to 20 in a row for Louis, not counting the one technical draw in an abbreviated title defense versus Tommy Farr, who himself came out on the short end of a split decision versus Comiskey in Comiskey’s most recent outing. First meeting of the two, and Louis wastes little time, backing Comiskey into a neutral corner and dropping the challenger for a three-count just before the two-minute mark of the opening round. A groggy Comiskey arises and covers up to last the round. The “Brown Bomber” continues to hammer away at Comiskey in round two, inflicting sufficient punishment to cause some initial swelling to appear under the right eye of Comiskey. Early in round three, a Louis hook sends Comiskey to the canvas for a second time. Comiskey struggles to regain his footing and, once again, attempts to cover up, but this time Louis zeroes in, dropping his man with a hard shot for the third knockdown, and this time, Comiskey cannot beat the count but the bout continues as he is saved by the bell. After this reprieve, Comiskey actually does better in round four, landing a huge cross near the end of the round that actually has Louis covering up. Round five sees both men maneuvering for position on the inside, and this favors Louis. While Comiskey does manage to remain upright, near the end of the round, the ref steps in to save Comiskey from further punishment. Another impressive outing by Louis against a game challenger, and it goes into the books as a TKO 5 for Louis. Post-bout career marks: Louis, 46-1-1 (44); Comiskey, 23-2 (15). Louis’ connections are aiming for one more title defense before the end of the year, while Comiskey won’t be back until mid-1944, and will be setting his sights a bit lower, perhaps looking a challenge for a lesser, regional title belt.

Oct. 29, 1943: Next is a Friday night card at Johannesburg, South Africa’s Rand Stadium. No title bouts on the agenda, and the main event matches EBU LW Champ Aldo Spoldi with an up-and-coming contender from the States, one Lenny “Boom Boom” Mancini. First meeting of the two; after an uneventful couple of opening rounds, Mancini works his way inside and tries to do some damage. Solid defense from Spoldi, and the bout remains relatively close through the first half, with the unofficial scorer favoring Spoldi (49-46) after the first five. Mancini remains the aggressor in the second half of the bout, but the stamina factor favors the more experienced Italian fighter. While Mancini remains the more active of the two through the final few rounds, his punches lack steam and thus, he is unable to seriously trouble Spoldi. The bout goes the distance with no cuts or knockdowns and neither man in serious trouble, and Spoldi grinds out a solid but unspectacular UD 10 (98-93, 97-94, 98-93) to up his career record to 45-11-5 (17), while Mancini ends the bout at 22-7-3 (6).

Oct. 30, 1943: Final event of the month takes place at the Polo Grounds in New York City, and the featured contest sees “Sugar” Ray Robinson facing Canadian Sammy Luftspring; at stake is Robinson’s NABF WW title won earlier this year; already, the very active “Sugar Ray” has made two successful defenses, this being his third. First meeting of the two, and Luftspring, a career journeyman who has never risen above the mid-20s in the WW rankings, is close to the end of his rather unsuccessful career and thus expected to offer little to trouble the smooth and skilled Robinson, who at 20-0 is just hitting the Prime of his career. After dominating the action for the first two rounds, Robinson unloads with a barrage of blows near the end of round three and, while Luftspring remains upright, with seconds remaining in the round the ref calls a halt to the one-sided affair, saving the hapless Canadian challenger from further punishment. The bout goes into the books as a TKO 3 for Robinson, whose record remains unblemished at 21-0 (15) post bout. The loss leaves Luftspring at 24-11-1 (14), and Luftspring decides to call it quits after this last payday. On the other hand, the future is bright for Robinson, who is slated to make one more outing, some time in December, and he is shaping up as a potential challenger for Henry Armstrong’s WBA title challenger some time in 1944.

[JCWeb]

This report covers fistic action from the first half of November 1943; one WBA title bout is covered in this report.

Nov. 5, 1943: The month commences with a Friday night card at Miami. No title bouts on the card, but the main event matches two top 10 LHs, Tony Shucco and Harry Matthews. It is the first meeting of the two; Shucco is looking to bounce back after a brief reign as WBA LH Champ but has been struggling recently, winning only one of his last six after winning the WBA belt. Matthews, who has won five of his last six, is moving in the other direction, but he has yet to be tested in the pressure cooker of a title bout. Not much happens until midway through round two, when Matthews stuns Shucco with a hard uppercut. Shucco is rattled but remains on his feet, covering up to avoid further damage. Late in round five, Matthews, the harder hitter of the two, breaks through Shucco’s defenses again, landing a hard shot, and this time, Shucco goes down and takes an eight count before arising. Fortunately for Shucco, there is not enough time left in the round for Matthews to finish matters; at the halfway point of the bout, the unofficial scorecard shows Matthews with a wide (50-44) points lead. As the bout wears on, Shucco, who is more of a boxer-counterpuncher type, is forced to go on the attack as Matthews seems well ahead; additionally, Shucco seems to be running low on stamina as well. Matthews manages to capitalize on his early advantage and takes a fairly comfortable UD 10 (96-93, 98-91, 98-91) to run his career record to an excellent 23-2 (16). The loss leaves Shucco at 38-17-4 (14) and, given the fact that he will be hitting Post-Prime in his next outing, it seems highly unlikely he will be contending for a WBA title again in the future.

Nov. 6, 1943: It’s around the globe for the next fight card, which is an abbreviated one at the Rizal Arena in Manila, Philippines. Only bout of note is the main event, which matches former Commonwealth Flyweight titleholder Teddy Gardner against Yoichiro Hanada in a 10-round, non-title affair. First meeting of these two, and the action is slow to develop. Gardner seems to have the upper hand until suddenly, late in the fifth round, Hanada rips open a cut over his right eye. Nonethess, the unofficial card has Gardner with a wide points lead (50-46) at the midway point, so at this point Gardner’s focus is on protecting the cut and preventing further damage while sitting on this early points lead. Late in the bout, with the cut under control, Gardner lands a couple of strong shots and puts Hanada on the deck twice in round nine, but cannot finish off the Japanese fighter. With Hanada unable to respond in a lackluster final round, Gardner takes a lopsided UD 10 (99-90, 97-92, 100-89). Post-bout career marks: Gardner, 21-3-1 (10); Hanada, 30-15-3 (8).

Nov. 6, 1943: A pair of co-main events top the next fight card, at Chicago’s Comiskey Park. Both bouts feature MWs, and in the first co-feature, Al Hostak, the “Savage Slav,” is matched with Walter “Popeye” Woods. Second meeting of the two, and Hostak prevailed via a first round KO, five years previously, in 1938. This time around, Woods survives the opening round, but only after sustaining a cut under his right eye. A second cut appears on Woods’ mouth in round four; the cuts make for juicy targets for the aggressive Hostak, who likes to pound away on the inside. Hostak has the better of the inside exchanges in round five, and he manages to hurt Woods with a straight right hand. At the midway point, Hostak has a solid points lead (49-46) on the unofficial card. Great action round in round seven, with Hostak reopening the cut under Woods’ right eye, but Woods opens up a cut over Hostak’s right eye. The bout comes down to the final rounds, with both boxers firing away, but without much effects as both are exhausted, and both showing the scars from this brutal battle. The bout goes to decision, and Hostak takes a UD 10 (97-94, 96-94, 96-94), with Woods battling back to do much better in the second half of the bout. With the win, Hostak extends his career totals to 37-9-1 (28), and Woods ends the bout at 27-11 (15). Then, in the second co-feature, former WBA MW Champion Holman Williams takes on the reigning USBA MW Champ Allen Matthews, for the vacant NABF MW title recently held by Charley Burley, who moved up to capture the WBA MW title. The two met once previously, with back in 1935, with Williams coming away a UD 10 winner. In this rematch, Williams looks sharp early, doing well in the opening couple of rounds, but then Matthews does some good work on the inside in round three, forcing Williams to drop his hands, weakening his defense. However, Williams remains the more active of the two, gradually building a solid edge in terms of the punches landed stats. At the midway point, a check of the unofficial card has Williams winning all but one round, with a commanding lead (59-55) on points. By this point, Matthews is also carrying his hands low and showing signs of fatigue. As the bout wears on, Matthews becomes more and more desperate, but also ineffective as he cannot penetrate Williams’ defenses, allowing Williams to capture the NABF title belt via a UD 12 (119-109, 119-109, 118-110), improving to 43-9 (21) as a result – could another WBA title shot be in the offing? The loss drops Matthews, who will be at Post-Prime starting with his next outing, to 36-15-5 (25).

Nov. 12, 1943: Next up is a Friday night card at Havana, Cuba’s Gran Stadium. The feature match pairs a top FW contender, Cuba’s National Kid, with Jackie Wilson, in a 10-round, non-title bout. First meeting of the two, and Kid is seeking to rebound after an unsuccessful challenge for the WBA FW title in his most recent outing. With the support of the hometown crowd, Kid gets off to a good start but Wilson bounces back with a strong round three, inflicting sufficient punishment to cause some puffiness to appear around Kid’s right eye. The two lock horns on the inside in round five, and the bulk of this action favors Kid. At the halfway point of the bout, Kid has a slight points lead (48-47) on the unofficial card, and he has also caused some initial swelling under Wilson’s left eye. In the second half of the bout, Wilson picks up the pace, winning decisively in round seven. Kid comes back to take round eight, and, late in round nine, he catches Wilson with a hook, scoring the bout’s first knockdown. Wilson is saved by the bell, but the damage has been done; Kid goes on to take a comfortable UD 10 (97-93, 98-91, 98-91), running his career record to 23-3-2 (10). Wilson sinks to 38-20-4 (11) with the loss.

Nov. 13, 1943: Next card takes place at Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens. In the main event, “Bobcat” Bob Montgomery is on hand to put his NABF LW title on the line, facing recently dethroned WBA LW Champion, hometown Canadian fan favorite, Dave Castilloux, in Montgomery’s first title defense. This is the first meeting of the two, Castilloux’s first bout since losing the WBA title to Baby Arizmendi, while Montgomery, comes into the bout riding a four-bout winning streak and is looking for another big win to further enhance his prospects for a WBA title shot some time in early 1944. The bout is fairly close through the opening few rounds, with Castilloux, buoyed by the support of the Canadian crowd, putting in a very impressive performance. A minute into round five, the fight fans here in Toronto are on their feet, as a Castilloux combination sends Montgomery to the canvas. Montgomery arises after taking a four-count, and he manages to finish the round without further damage by wise use of the cover-up strategy. Late in round six, an accidental clash of heads draws blood from a cut over Montgomery’s left eye. Despite the cut and the knockdown, at the midway point of the bout, the unofficial card has Montgomery in front (by a narrow 58-57 count). The bout remains very close headed into the second half, with Castilloux holding a slim edge in the punches landed stats, with the stamina factor essentially even. Montgomery’s chances are helped by a big round in the eighth, where he lands repeatedly, causing a welt to form under the right eye of the challenger. Castilloux keeps swinging away, but he seems to be fading badly in the final two rounds. As the bout winds down, Montgomery also shows the signs of a brutal struggle, as his right eye has puffed up as well. The bout goes to decision, and, in a result that is roundly booed by the pro-Castilloux crowd, Montgomery takes a very close SD 12 (116-113, 114-115, 115-114) to retain the NABF title. Post-bout career marks: 24-1-2 (15) for Montgomery; 31-12-3 (9) for Castilloux.

Nov. 13, 1943: To the West Coast for a top flight card at San Francisco. Featured is a WBA title bout, amply supported by a NABF title bout and, in another supporting bout, visiting Commonwealth LH Champ Jack A. Johnson comes from faraway Australia to face Melio Bettina, a long-time LH contender who, until recently, was a USBA LH titleholder. First meeting of the two, and Bettina, after taking a round and a half to settle in, begins firing away at the end of round two, dominating the action and ripping open a gash over the right eye of Johnson. The cut is in a bad spot, and while it is closed by Johnson’s corner at the end of round three, it is re-opened and bleeding even more severely the next round, leading to an immediate stoppage. TKO 4 for Bettina, running his career record to 30-6-6 (12). The loss leaves Johnson at 20-5 (16). In the second supporting bout, David Kui Kong Young is back in action, making his fifth defense of the NABF BW title; the challenger this time around is Luis Castillo, recently crowned LABF BW titleholder who is coming off a recent WBA BW title loss (via TKO) to Benny Goldberg. It is the first meeting of the two, and Castillo’s LABF title is not at stake in this 12-rounder. Once the bout gets started, Kui Kong Young wastes little time, dropping Castillo with a short, clean hook in the opening minute. Castillo struggles to his feet, barely beating the count but managing to last the round by covering up. Some solid boxing keeps Castillo in the match and, at the midway point, the unofficial card has Kui Kong Young with just a one-point lead (57-56) over the Mexican challenger. A solid boxing display in round seven sees Castillo’s stock surge, and there is some initial swelling under the right eye of the Champ as a result. Sensing his title reign in jeopardy, Kui Kong Young steps up the pace and as the bout heads into the later rounds. Likewise, Castillo decides not to wrest on his laurels, and thus, with both fighters moving forward, there is some good action for the fight fans in the last two rounds. Castillo ends the bout with a welt under his left eye, so neither of the two combatants emerged unscathed. The bout goes to decision, and Kui Kong Young manages to retain his title via a close but UD 12 (114-113, 115-112, 115-113). Post-bout career marks: Kui Kong Young, 29-1-4 (16); Castillo, 18-5 (10). The card wraps up with a WBA FW title bout, with Harold “Homicide Hal” Hoshino defending the belt versus challenger and two-time former WBA Champion Chalky Wright. Wright, the current USBA FW Champ, is coming off a controversial DQ win over Willie Pep in his most recent outing, plus he took a UD over Hoshino in their one prior encounter, for the USBA FW title, back in 1940. The action picks up in the final minute of the opening round, when a Wright jab opens a cut over the right eye of the Champ. However, Hoshino comes right back and drops Wright with a devastating cross to the head but, after Wright regains his footing, there is not enough time left in the round for Hoshino to follow up. Great start to the bout, and the fans are on their feet as the bell sounds. After a lackluster round two, Hoshino moves inside in round three, but all he gets for his trouble is a re-opening of the cut over his right eye. Into round four, and the cut continues to ooze blood, and Wright scores with a big left, putting the Champion on the defensive. At the end of the round, in addition to the cut, there is now noticeable swelling under Hoshino’s injured eye so, thus far, a tough night for the Champion. Early in round five, Hoshino connects with a hard shot to the top of Wright’s head; Wright remains upright but covers up in order to clear his head. Undeterred, Hoshino continues to dish out punishment and, later in the round, with Wright literally out on his feet, the ref steps in to call a halt. Hoshino prevails via a TKO 5, improving his career record to 32-3-2 (17). For Wright, this turns out to be his last bout at Prime, and he slips to 42-15-4 (15) with the loss.

[JCWeb]

This report covers fistic action from the second half of November 1943; two WBA title bouts are covered in this report.

Nov. 19, 1943: This month’s edition of Friday night fights “Down Under” features some twin bill title action, as regional titles in two weight classes are at stake with Australian boxers involved in both title encounters. In the first of these, Jack McNamee is back in the ring, making the fifth defense of his OPBF WW title he won back 1939. His opponent is the lightly regarded Flashy Sebastian, a Filipino with an overall record of just over .500 who dropped a previous UD loss to McNamee for this very same belt in 1942. In this rematch, McNamee starts strongly, inflicting sufficient blows to the extent that a trace of swelling appears under Sebastian’s right eye as early as round two. The bout proceeds as expected, with McNamee gradually wearing down his lesser opponent. However, Sebastian has managed to hang in there; by the midway point of the bout, McNamee’s points advantage is only two (59-57), according to the unofficial scorer at ringside. However, midway through round nine, McNamee catches up to Sebastian and decks him with a big cross. Instant knockout, as Sebastian makes no effort to beat the count. Impressive KO 8 for McNamee, who improves to 33-10-1 (20) with the victory. The loss evens Sebastian’s record at a very unimpressive 16-16 (5). In the second co-feature, a somewhat more interesting bout is expected as veteran Englishman Jock McAvoy defends the Commonwealth MW title he won earlier in the year, facing another veteran of the ring wars, Aussie Ron Richards, a one-time WBA MW Champ who still holds the OPBF MW title. These two have a combined total of 124 bouts in the books, and Richards is seeking to do better than their one previous meeting, a first round KO back in 1941. This time around, with a title at stake, it’s a more cautious start by both men, and Richards manages to survive the opening round without much difficulty. In the third round, McAvoy nails Richards with a hard cross, and the Aussie challenger wisely covers up and manages to avoid further damage and lasts the round. The two tangle on the inside in round five, and less than a minute into the round, McAvoy is unable to uncork a sharp combination that puts Richards down and out. Like the previous bout, this one ends via a knockout, this time a KO 5 for McAvoy, who retains the CBU title as a result. Post-bout career marks: McAvoy, 40-18-6 (26); Richards, 37-23-2 (24). Shortly after the bout, Richards announces his retirement, bringing down the curtain on a 16-year ring career.

Nov. 20, 1943: It’s around the globe to Gothenburg, Sweden for the next fight card. Two bouts of note on the agenda. The first of these matches two WWs: Fritzie Zivic, the “Croat Comet” and Bep Van Klaveren, the “Dutch Windmill,” both of whom are looking to improve their prospects for future title shots in this 10-round, non-title bout. First meeting of the two, and Van Klaveren connects with a straight right in the opening round, and Zivic covers up to avoid further trouble. Zivic recovers quickly, and is the aggressor through the first half of the bout. At the midway point, the unofficial card has Van Klaveren in front (by a 49-47 count). With the Dutchman also leading in the punches landed stats, Zivic steps up the pace as the bout heads into the later rounds. As the bout wears on, Van Klaveren only seems to get stronger and stronger, gradually wearing down his American opponent. The bout goes the full 10, and, while one judge was impressed with Zivic’s aggressiveness, the other two have Van Klaveren winning, so he takes a SD 10 (94-96, 96-94, 96-94). Post-bout career marks: Van Klaveren, 39-16-9 (12); Zivic, 34-12-6 (15). Topping the card is an EBU MW title bout, with Luc Van Dam back in action, defending the belt he won here in September. The challenger is Spaniard Ignacio Ara, a career journeyman, who lacks the weapons to seriously challenge Van Dam. First meeting of the two, and Ara, despite being near the end of his career, manages to make a fight of it, staying with the Dutchman through the opening few rounds. Then, suddenly, midway through round four, Van Dam drops Ara with a hard shot, and the Spaniard does not arise until the count of eight, lasting the round after effectively implementing the cover up strategy. At the midway point, Van Dam has a comfortable lead (59-54), according to the unofficial card. As the rounds tick off, Van Dam gradually wears down the game Spaniard, who lacks the skills and the stamina to mount an effective rally. A Van Dam hook floors Ara for a second time in round nine. Confident of victory, Van Dam eases up in the final few rounds and goes on to record a UD 12 (116-108 on all cards), running his career totals to 20-4 (11). The loss leaves Ara at 38-28-4 (28).

Nov. 20, 1943: A pair of co-main events top the next fight card, at Pittsburgh’s Forbes Field. In the first co-feature, top 10 HW Roscoe Toles, a one-time NABF HW Champ and WBA title challenger, faces Lou Nova, a fringe contender who is looking to move up the HW ranks. It is a 10-round, non-title bout and the first meeting of the two; Toles, the better boxer of the two, looks sharp early, while Nova, the slugger, struggles with his timing and cannot find the range in the early going. By the fifth round, Nova has begun to land a few punches, and the unofficial card at the halfway point indicates a close bout, with Toles holding a narrow lead (48-47). Into the second half of the bout and Nova, despite running low on energy, continues to take the initiative, looking for an opening. Steady, firm defense from Toles keeps Nova at bay for the rest of the bout, but – in a huge surprise, Nova is able to secure a majority draw (95-95, 95-95, 96-94 Nova), despite the fact that Toles had a huge edge in the punches landed stats. Post-bout career marks: Toles, 26-13-4 (6); Nova, 28-11-1 (23). Then, in the second co-feature, Everett Rightmire is making the first defense of the NABF FW title won earlier in 1943. His opponent is a familiar foe, Petey Scalzo; these two battle for 15 rounds for the WBA FW title a year ago, with RIghtmire coming out on top, dethroning Scalzo as part of the musical chairs of WBA FW Champions in recent years. In this rematch, after a couple of close opening rounds, Scalzo seeks to assert himself by moving inside in round three. Some crisp counterpunching by Rightmire is sufficient to deter Scalzo, and Rightmire moves inside to return the favor in round four. By the midway point of the bout, Rightmire has a solid lead (59-55) on the unofficial card. Into the second half of the bout, and Rightmire is content to trade blows from the outside, while Scalzo attempts to mix up an inside and outside approach. By the ninth round, a welt has formed under the right eye of Scalzo, indicative of the punishment Rightmire has been able to dish out throughout the fight. Finally, with seconds remaining in round nine, the ref steps in and calls a halt – a bit of a controversial call as Scalzo was still on his feet and seemingly able to defend himself. Nonetheless, it goes into the books a successful defense for Rightmire via a TKO 9. The win lifts Rightmire to 36-13-3 (15) compared to 26-5-2 (15) post-bout for Scalzo, but it should be noted that Scalzo has recently hit Post-Prime career stage, so his ranking will likely be slipping soon. A check of the judges’ cards showed Rightmire well ahead on points on two of the three cards, so the stoppage probably did not impact the overall outcome.

Nov. 26, 1943: South of the Border for some Friday night action at Mexico City. No title bouts on the card, and the feature matches two ranked LWs, the “Sweetwater Swatter” Lew Jenkins versus the “Patent Leather Kid” Chino Alvarez in a 10-round, non-title affair. First meeting of these two; although Alvarez is an American fighter, he is hoping his Hispanic name earns him some support from the Mexican fight fans. After a couple of close opening rounds, Alvarez clocks Jenkins with a well-timed cross midway through round three, forcing Jenkins to cover up. Alvarez continues to hold a slight edge in points (48-47), according to the unofficial scorecard at the midway point of the bout. In the second half of the bout, Alvarez begins to exert control from the outside, and, by round seven, there is noticeable puffiness around the left eye of Jenkins, who begins to struggle with lack of stamina and an inability to find the range with his punches. Not finished, Jenkins manages to rebound with a strong eighth round and, as a result, there is some puffiness around Alvarez’s left eye as well. Alvarez stiffens his defenses in the final few rounds and, while Jenkins continues to battle, his other eye also begins to puff up. The bout goes the distance, and Alvarez walks away a UD 10 winner (97-94 on all three cards), running his career record to 42-16-5 (23); Jenkins falls to 28-5-2 (13) with the loss. However, some bad news for Alvarez, as he will hit Post-Prime career stage with his next bout.

Nov. 27, 1943: To London for a very impressive fistic card at the Olympia, featuring a WBA title clash amply supported by a couple of supporting bouts featuring former and current regional champions. In the first of the two main supports, recently dethroned WBA BW Champion Benny Goldberg is on the comeback trail; his opponent, Brit Ritchie Tanner, is the reigning GBU BW titleholder. Early edge to Goldberg, who manages to draw blood early in round two with a sharp uppercut that opens a cut over Tanner’s left eye. The bout devolves into a tactical battle and, for the most part, favors the more experienced but younger fighter, Goldberg. By the midway point, the unofficial scorecard has Goldberg with a nice points lead (49-46). In round six, the cut over Tanner’s eye is reopened. Into the later stages, Tanner tries to become more aggressive but lacks the firepower to seriously challenge Goldberg. A minute into round eight, a Goldberg hook catches Tanner unawares, and the British boxer goes down in a delayed reaction to the blow. Tanner arises after taking a count of four, and then covers up to last the round. Trailing badly and exhausted, Tanner throws caution to the wind in the final round of the bout, and he ends up taking a ten-count after Goldberg drops him for a second and final time with a vicious cross. The KO 10 lifts Goldberg to 25-3-2 (12), and sets him up for a possible WBA title rematch. The loss leaves Tanner at 21-7-2 (10). In the next main support, HWs are featured, as the “British Brown Bomber,” Tommy Martin, current Commonwealth HW titleholder, faces US-based Curtis “Hatchetman” Sheppard, an eager foe who is looking to move up the HW ranks. First meeting of the two, and a good opportunity for Sheppard, who is facing a current top 10 guy who is already past his prime. However, in the opening stanza, Martin serves notice he is still competitive, flooring Sheppard with a strong combination. Sheppard struggles to one knee but then falls back down, unable to beat the count. Surprisingly strong showing for Martin, who adds a KO 1 to his list of accomplishments. Post-bout career marks: Martin, 30-14-3 (18); Sheppard, 19-5-1 (12). Third straight KO loss for Sheppard, who definitely needs to rethink his future plans. Finally, the WBA Flyweight title is at stake with two British fighters vying for the belt: defending Champ Jackie Paterson and Peter Kane, #1 ranked Flyweight contender who also happens to be the reigning EBU and Commonwealth Champion. Despite being from the same country and in a relatively thin division talent-wise, this turns out to be the first meeting of the two. Near the end of a slow paced opening round, Paterson shows some zip with a three-punch combination that stuns Kane, who manages to remain upright and covers up to avert further damage. As the bout progresses, Kane sets up shop on the inside, trying to break down Paterson’s excellent defense. After the first five, Paterson, who is relying on a more balanced approach, has the early points lead (50-47), according to the unofficial scorecard. Into the middle rounds, and Paterson continues his tactics of mixing up aggression with solid defense, while the less versatile Kane continues to hammer away on the inside. After 10, the unofficial card has Kane pulling even (96-96) on points, although the punches landed and stamina factors both seem to favor Paterson. The Champ rebounds with a strong round 11, with his counterpunching skills on display, causing some initial puffiness to appear under Kane’s right eye. Undeterred, Kane continues to press forward, taking the bout to Paterson as the rounds tick off. In round 13, Kane rocks Paterson with a hard cross; Paterson covers up and lasts the round, although there is some noticeable swelling around his right eye as he returns to his corner after the bell. However, near the end of the round, the ref steps in and takes away a point from Kane for holding and hitting – tough break for the challenger at a key moment when his killer instinct had kicked in. The bout goes the distance without further incident and remains very close right until the final bell. As it turns out, the judges agree, and Paterson is a UD 15 winner (144-142, 145-141, 144-142) to , enabling him to retain the WBA title. Post-bout, Paterson improves to 20-3-1 (14), while Kane slips to 27-5-1 (11) with the loss.

Nov. 27, 1943: Final card of the month is another big one at New York’s Madison Square Garden. One WBA title contest, two regional title bouts, and a plethora of supporting bouts featuring rising stars like Jake “the Bronx Bull” LaMotta, who improves to 13-0 (13) with a TKO 9 demolition of fellow MW prospect Herbie Kronowitz. Following LaMotta into the ring is FW Willie Pep, back in action after a controversial DQ loss; Pep’s opponent is a former NABF FW titleholder, Georgie Hansford. Working mostly on the outside, Pep starts well, building a solid lead in the punches landed stats but, near the end of round four, he is warned for low blows. Then, in the fifth round, both fighters suffer cuts – Pep, over his left eye; Hansford, over his right. The unofficial scorer at ringside has the bout scored as even (48-48). In round six, some sharp blows from Pep re-open the cut over Hansford’s injured right eye, plus the eye begins to puff up as a result of the accumulated impact of Pep’s accurate punches. As the bout wars on, Pep continues circling the ring, an elusive target, firing away with a very accurate jab. The bout almost goes the distance, with the cut over Hansford’s eye – ruled the result of an unintentional butt -- leading to a late stoppage, so the scorecards after the ninth round are used to determine the winner, and Pep takes a UTD 10 (89-92, 89-82, 88-83). The win enables Pep to run his career record to 21-1 (13). The loss leaves Hansford at 35-16-2 (11). Next up, Jersey Joe Walcott makes his sixth defense of his NABF HW title; challenging Walcott for the belt is Gus Dorazio, a career journeyman who has put together a couple of good recent wins to move up the HW ranks and earn this title shot. First meeting of the two. Walcott starts well, winning the opening rounds and then moving inside to do more damage in round three. Late in the fourth round, Walcott crashes through, dropping Dorazio with a sharp combination. Dorazio tumbles to the canvas, arises, but is in no condition to continue, and the ref waves the fight off with just four seconds left in the round. It goes in the books as a TKO 4 for Walcott, who runs his record to 47-7 (29). Dorazio dips to 26-9-4 (7). In the next co-feature, the USBA LH title is on the line, as Archie Moore is defending versus challenger Eddie Booker. These two have met once before, when both were at Pre-Prime, and Booker was a surprise KO 3 victor. Thus, Moore is looking to avenge this defeat. For the first four rounds, the two circle each other, probing for openings. Then, early in round five, Moore connects with a short, clean cross, and Booker goes down. He arises after a seven-count, attempts to cover up, but Moore puts him down a second time, with Booker barely surviving he round. Despite a 10-8 round for Moore in the fifth, the unofficial card has just a one-point lead (58-57) for Moore at the halfway point of the bout. Into the second half of the bout, and Moore continues pressing the action, while Booker appears to be more comfortable keeping his distance. Two-thirds of the way through the bout, Booker has managed to land sufficient leather to cause some initial swelling around the right eye of Moore. However, in the ninth round, Moore once again goes on the offensive, dropping Booker after a couple of strong shots: Booker is able to recover by covering up, but his right eye also begins to puff up as a result of the accumulated blows landed by Moore. Early in round 11, Moore catches Booker with a three-punch combo; Booker, shaken, remains upright and attempts to cover up; this time, Moore continues to pursue his foe, and he finally forces Booker into submission with just under half a minute left in the round. TKO 11 for Moore, who retains the USBA title and avenges his earlier loss. Post-bout career marks: Moore, 27-3-4 (19); Booker, 28-5-2 (15). Despite being the younger of the two (by a year), Booker has a lot of mileage on him and will be at Post-Prime with his next bout. Final bout of this packed card is for the WBA WW title, with Henry “Homicide Hank” Armstrong facing a familiar foe in challenger Eddie “Irish Red” Dolan, the current USBA WW Champ. The two have met three times previously; all three had Armstrong as the victor. This time around, it’s a cautious approach by both boxers, with a slight early edge to Armstrong. After the first five rounds are in the books, the unofficial scorecard has Armstrong up (by a count of 50-46). The fifth round saw the action pick up and, as a result, Dolan sustained a cut over his right eye, while a welt appeared to be forming under Armstrong’s right eye. Into the middle rounds, and Dolan’s corner has difficulty keeping the cut over Dolan’s eye under control. Even though the cut remains and issue and the stamina factor shows a huge edge for Armstrong, punches landed stats are approximately even. In round nine, the cut over Dolan’s eye is re-opened, and the bleeding is beyond control. The bout is halted, and Armstrong is declared a TKO 9 winner – his 10th successful defense (all 10 by stoppages) of the WBA title he won back in 1939. A peek at the judges’ cards showed Dolan ahead on one, behind on the other two, but only by a point on one of these. The win lifts Armstrong’s career totals – and remember he has won WBA titles in three different weight classes – to an impressive 43-6-3 (36). For Dolan, who will hit Post-Prime in 1944, his record is now 39-11-5 (14) with the loss.

[JCWeb]

This report covers fistic action from the first half of December 1943; one WBA title bout is covered in this report, with three more to follow later in the month.

Dec. 3, 1943: The month kicks off with a Friday night card at Jersey City’s Roosevelt Stadium. In the main event, Brit Dave Crowley, the holder of three titles (the EBU, GBU and Commonwealth FW belts) travels to the US to engage Mike “the Bronx Spider” Belloise, who briefly held the WBA FW title in 1940, in some non-title action. First meeting of these two, and the action is slow to develop as a result. Belloise, who is more comfortable firing away from long range, sets up shop on the outside and seems to have the edge through most of the early rounds. By the midway point of the bout, the unofficial scorer has Belloise with a slim, one-point lead (49-48). By the end of round six, there is some noticeable swelling around Crowley’s left eye. Into the second half of the bout, and the stamina factor favors Belloise, who is also the crowd favorite. Trailing, Crowley steps up the pressure in the later rounds, but Belloise seems well on his way to a solid points win. The bout goes the distance and, to the surprise of many, one judge has Crowley as the winner, while the other two pick Belloise, who prevails by a much closer SD 10 (95-96, 97-94, 96-95) as might otherwise have been indicated. Post-bout career marks: Belloise, 32-15-7 (11); Crowley, 37-26-1 (15).

Dec. 4, 1943: To Europe, for the next card at Rome, and the EBU WW title is on the line in the featured bout. Gustav Eder, the titleholder, takes on an unbeaten young Italian challenger, Egistro Peyre. First meeting of the two and, although Peyre is still at Pre-Prime career stage, he has been thrust into the spotlight of his first main event and his first title bout. First meeting of the two, and Eder, who is 12 years Peyre’s senior, starts well, and has the initiative in much of the early going. It is kind of a dull bout until midway through round five when Eder exhibits his dominance, stunning Peyre with a hard hook. Peyre covers up and is able to stay upright for the remainder of the round. Eder has a large edge in points (60-54) at the halfway point, according to the unofficial scorer at ringside. Into the second half of the bout, and Eder continues to dominate, as Peyre begins to show signs of fatigue as well as sporting a welt under his right eye. Peyre tries to become more aggressive in the later rounds, throwing caution to the wind, but he is no match for Eder. The bout goes the full 12 and, as expected, Eder retains the title via a lopsided UD 12 (116-111, 118-110, 117-110), running his career totals to 44-11-10 (9). The loss, Peyre’s first, leaves him at 16-1 (9).

Dec. 10, 1943: The scene shifts to San Juan, Puerto Rico and a Friday night card that sees 22-year old “Sugar” Ray Robinson, still unbeaten, making the fourth defense of the NABF WW title he won earlier in the year, facing a hostile crowd and a tough opponent, hometown favorite Cocoa Kid, a one-time WBA WW Champion and long time contender and LABF WW Champ who was recently dethroned by Joe Legon. First meeting of the two, and a stern test for Robinson, as Kid is an experienced and accomplished opponent who is still in the prime of his career arc. Solid start by Kid, who does well to parry Robinson’s initial thrusts in the opening few rounds. Into the middle rounds, and the punches landed stats still show a slight edge for the challenger; at the midway point of the contest, the unofficial scorer has the bout even (57-57). Headed into the second half of the bout, and Robinson, who has been attempting to force the action on the inside, relaxes a bit and begins boxing on the outside, where Kid has been comfortable since the beginning. However, Kid remains poised, continuing to pile up points, and by round eight, “Sugar Ray” is showing signs of fatigue. After nine rounds are in the books, the unofficial card has Kid in front (86-85), so the title – as well as Robinson’s unbeaten record – may be slipping away. The bout remains extremely close and, in the last few rounds, Robinson abandons his conservative tactics and elects to go on the attack, hoping for a knockout or, at the least, to impress the judges with his aggressiveness. The bout goes the distance, no cuts or knockdowns, and it’s a long wait before the judges’ scorecards are read. The end result is a split verdict, with one judge finding for Robinson, one for Kid and a third, calling it a draw – which is how it goes down in the books (115-113 Robinson, 114-116 Kid, 114-114), so – despite what seems to be an off-night -- Robinson retains the belt and his unbeaten status, although the draw is no doubt a blemish on his record, which is now 21-0-1 (15). Tough loss for for Kid, who was cheered loudly by the crowd throughout; his post-bout career mark stands at 45-9-5 (13), and there is talk of a possible rematch, some time in 1944, at a site to be determined (although it is unlikely “Sugar Ray” will want to face Kid in San Juan again).

Dec. 11, 1943: Fight fans have gathered in Johannesburg, South Africa and, while there are multiple bouts on the card, the only one that matters is hometown fan favorite Laurie Stevens, who is back in action before an appreciative crowd to defend his WBA LW title. Stevens faces a difficult foe in challenger Jack Kid Berg, the “Whitechapel Whirlwind,” a former WBA LW Champion and a fighter who has defeated Stevens twice before (with one draw) in three prior meetings. This time around, the slate is wiped clean and some favor Stevens, given that Berg has hit Post-Prime and the South African, still full of fight, is before a raucous hometown crowd. Berg starts well, circling the ring and proving an elusive target for Stevens, who does not have a good start and, early in round three, is warned for hitting after the break in frustration as Berg ties him up as he attempts to make progress by working inside. Stevens recovers with a strong round four, but the unofficial card has Stevens with a slight points edge (48-47) after five. Into the middle rounds, and Stevens appears to have recovered from his slow start and is dictating the pace of the bout to the challenger. Stamina factor appears to be roughly even, and a slight punches landed edge still for the challenger. In round nine, the complexion of the bout changes dramatically as a Berg punch rips open a cut over Stevens’ right eye. Berg, with a couple of good rounds in the ninth and tenth, continues to hold a narrow lead (96-95) on the unofficial scorecard headed into the final five rounds. Into the final few rounds, and there is some swelling around the left eye of the challenger, indicating that Stevens’ punches are having some effect. Stevens continues as the aggressor, but Berg manages to hold his own, despite showing signs of fatigue. Neither the cut over Stevens’ eye or the swelling under Berg’s eye are factors as the bout goes to decision. To the dismay of Stevens and his supporters, the MD 15 goes to Berg (145-141, 144-144, 145-141), who regains the WBA belt with a solid performance in a highly hostile environment. Post-bout career marks: Berg, 51-20-5 (16); Stevens, 34-10-1 (21).

Dec. 11, 1943: Next card is at Chicago, and the main event sees former WBA MW Champion Tony Zale, “the Man of Steel,” continuing on the comeback trail, facing LABF MW Champ Jose Basora in a 10-round, non-title bout. No prior meetings, and both fighters enter the bout riding nice winning streaks: Zale, has won his last two, while Basora has won his last four. After a couple of pedestrian opening rounds, Zale steps up the pace and does some damage by moving inside in round three. Zale follows up with a couple of more strong rounds, decking the overmatched Basora with a combination midway through the fifth round. Basora arises after taking an eight count, but his attempt at covering up to last the rounds falls just a couple of seconds short – as the ref steps in to save the Puerto Rican boxer from further punishment. Impressive TKO 5 for Zale, who improves to 36-4-1 (22) with the win, and Zale is now hoping to a chance to regain the WBA MW title in 1944. For Basora, who ends up the bout at 23-3 (16), perhaps some easier competition can be found for his next outing.

Dec. 17, 1943: The scene shifts to the Far East for a Friday night card at Manila’s Rizal Arena. Twin feature bouts top the agenda, with each bout showcasing a Filipino fighter before an appreciate hometown crowd. In the first of these, Flyweight Little Dado, now in the Post-Prime of his career arc, faces Frenchman Valentin Angelmann in a non-title affair. First meeting of the two, and it will be interesting to see what Dado has left in the tank. In the early rounds, Angelmann has a slight edge in terms of the punches landed stats, but Dado is holding his own, cheered on by the Filipino fight fans at ringside. By the midway point, the bout has settled into a rhythm, with both boxers exchanging blows but largely avoiding danger; the unofficial scorer at ringside has a slight lead for Angelmann (49-47), but the bout remains close headed into the second half. As the bout wears on, Dado begins to show signs of fatigue, but he connects with some sharp blows in round eight, and Angelmann’s left eye begins to puff up as a result. Another good round in the ninth, and Dado has done enough to put the issue in doubt. In the end, it’s a split verdict and, with the benefit of some hometown judging (perhaps), Dado is ruled a SD 10 victor (97-94, 95-96, 97-94) due to his late surge in the final three rounds, running his career record to 30-6-1 (13). The loss leaves Angelmann, who will join Dado at Post-Prime with his next bout, at 42-24-2 (13). In the second co-feature, another veteran Filipino fighter, Pablo Dano, puts his OPBF BW title on the line, facing challenger and current Commonwealth BW titleholder Mickey Miller. The two have met twice before for this same belt, each winning once, so this bout becomes the rubber match. Both fighters look sharp and Miller, the more aggressive of the two, initiates most of the action in the early going. The bout remains close into the middle rounds; at the midway point, the unofficial card favors Miller (by 58-56), but the punches landed stats favor Dano. Into the second half of the bout, and Miller continues to press forward, pressuring Dano and continuing to land some effective blows. By the end of round eight, there is a trace of swelling under Dano’s right eye, which has been the target of many of Miller’s blows. In round nine, some hope for Dano’s chances, as he is able to rip open a cut under Miller’s right eye. The issue remains in doubt until the final few rounds, and, in the end, Dano retains his belt via a MD 12 (116-112, 114-114, 116-112). Post-bout career marks: Dano, 43-19-7 (18); Miller, 33-13-2 (19).

[JCWeb]

This report covers fistic action from the second half of December 1943; three WBA title bouts are covered in this report, with three more to follow later in the month.

Dec. 18, 1943: Next card is at New York City’s Madison Square Garden, with a WBA HW title bout topping the agenda. In the co-feature, two ranked WWs take to the ring in a 10-round, non-title affair, as Freddie Cochrane faces Marty Servo. It is the first meeting of the two, and Servo is coming off a win over an aging Tony Canzoneri, long-time LW Champ who has struggled after moving up in weight. Action is slow to develop, as both boxers take a cautious approach in the early rounds. By the end of round three, Servo begins to find the range, and Cochrane begins to show the effects, with some redness around his right eye. Then, in round four, Cochrane suffers a cut over his injured right eye. With Cochrane forced to deal with the injured eye, Servo steps up the pace and, according to the unofficial scorer at ringside, has the edge in points (49-46) at the halfway point. Into the second half of the bout, and stamina becomes an issue for both fighters. Cochrane struggles with his timing, and the end comes in round eight, after the cut is re-opened, leading to an immediate stoppage. TKO 8 for Servo, who was well ahead on points at the time of the stoppage. Post-bout career marks: Servo, 25-3 (10); Cochrane, 31-11-4 (9). Then, in the main event, Joe Louis enters the ring to defend his WBA HW title against a fighter he has, in the past, been accused of ducking: Elmer “Kid Violent” Ray. However, this opportunity may have come too late for Ray, who has hit End career stage, despite winning his last two outings to earn this, his first ever WBA title shot. Louis wastes little time, seizing the initiative in the opening round and hammering away, landing repeatedly, and generally putting Ray on the defensive. Then, in the final minute of round two, a wicked Louis hook to the head puts Ray down and out. Another impressive win, this one a KO 2 for Louis, to improve his record to 47-1-1 (45). Ray decides to call it quits after the loss leaves him at 49-17-1 (33).

Dec. 18, 1943: The scene shifts to the West Coast, specifically the Cow Palace in San Francisco, for the next fistic action. No titles at stake, but HWs top the card, with Max Baer facing Lee Ramage in the featured bout. The two have met once before, with Baer taking a UD 10. This time, Baer wastes little time, going straight at his opponent, flooring Ramage twice in the opening stanza. Ramage, who is obviously hurt, tries to cover up but Baer is persistent, and a third KD late in the round results in an automatic TKO 1 for Baer. Impressive performance, although one needs to temper it with the fact that Ramage was nearing the end of his career; in fact, he called it quits after this fight, ending up with a final ledger of 40-17-3 (11). For Baer, also in the twilight of his career but apparently with a few good outings left, it was his 32nd KO, lifting him to 37-18 (32) overall.

Dec. 24, 1943: Next is a Christmas Eve card at Pittsburgh, packed with a WBA title clash and a USBA title contest as the main supporting bout. In the supporting feature, Sammy “Clutch” Angott is on hand to make the fourth defense of his USBA LW title. His opponent is the man he defeated to win the USBA crown, Willie Joyce. In this rematch, Joyce is looking to regain the title but has two prior losses to Angott on his record. In the first minute of the opening round, a stiff jab from Joyce draws blood, ripping open a cut over Angott’s right eye. The cut is closed in between rounds but it is in a bad spot and, when it is reopened in round three, an immediate stoppage is ordered. The bout goes into the books as a TKO 3 for Joyce, the challenger, so the title changes hands. Post-bout career marks: 25-5-3 (13) for Joyce; 28-7-5 (10) for Angott. Then, in the eagerly awaited finale, hometown fan favorite, the “Pittsburgh Kid,” Billy Conn, defends the WBA LH title he recently captured for the third time. Conn’s opponent is Lloyd Marshall, a one-time WBA LH titleholder and the current NABF LH Champion. The two met once before, in 1941, with Conn winning a narrow SD 10. In an action-packed opening round, both fighters are cut over the right eye. In the second round, the cut over Marshall’s eye is still oozing blood, while Conn is warned by the ref for low blows. Some good cornerwork manages to keep the cut under control, but the bloodbath – literally – continues in round four, when both cuts are reopened. Again, the cut men in both corners go to work between rounds and, one again, both cuts are closed. By round five, Conn has the definite advantage in terms of punches landed and, after five, he holds a wide lead (50-45) on the unofficial card. Late in round six, the cut over Conn’s eye is reopened, so more work for the corner but, suddenly, in the waning seconds of the round, a gash appears on Marshall’s forehead -- this, the result of an accidental butt. At this point, with both fighters bleeding profusely, the ref calls a halt. Since the most recent cut was due to an accidental clash of heads, the scorecards are consulted; this enables Conn to retain the belt via a UTD 6 (50-45, 49-46, 49-46) – all in line with the unofficial card. The “win” lifts Conn’s career totals to 32-6-3 (13), while the loss leaves Marshall at 24-5-1 (22). There is already talk of a possible rematch after both fighters have had sufficient time to recover from the wounds suffered in this encounter.

Dec. 25, 1943: Next is a Christmas Day card at Panama City. In the main event, two veteran BWs nearing the end of their respective careers do battle one last time. Hometown fan favorite Panama Al Brown is once again matched with Puerto Rico’s Sixto Escobar, this time in a non-title bout. It is their seventh (!), meeting, and Panama Al has won five of the prior six. Action is slow to develop, and Brown, in particular, struggles with his timing in the early going. Brown gets on track with a strong round four, and his punches have an effect on Escobar, whose left eye begins to swell as a result. At the midway point, the bout is a close one, with unofficial card giving a slight edge to Escobar (by a count of 48-47). Into the second half of the bout, Escobar continues to be performing at surprisingly high level, to the dismay of Brown and his supporters. Finally, in the final minute of the eighth round, Brown breaks through Escobar’s defenses and drops his opponent with a hard cross to the head. Escobar regains his footing after taking an eight count, but Brown pounces on a hurt opponent; despite use of the cover up strategy, Escobar does not last the round, and it goes down as a TKO 8 for Brown, as the stoppage occurs with just seconds remaining in the round. Post-bout career marks: Brown, 71-16-2 (26); Escobar, 36-16-5 (11). Escobar decides to hang up the gloves immediately after this bout, whereas Brown, in his third decade of ring competition, will continue on into 1944.

Dec. 26, 1943: Time for the traditional Boxing Day card, taking place at the Olympia in London. A packed card, headlined by a WBA title bout, a GBU title clash, and Flweights are featured in a supporting bout, as former WBA Fly Champ Jackie Jurich faces Rinty Monaghan. Jurich is looking to avenge a prior defeat, a MD 10 upset, at the hands of Monaghan, back when both were at Pre-Prime, back in 1938. This time around, Monaghan seizes the initiative in the early going, taking advantage of a slow start by Jurich. At the midway point, with Jurich still struggling with his timing, the unofficial scorecard has Monaghan with a surprisingly large points lead (49-46). In the second half of the bout, it is Jurich who steps up the pace and finally, in round eight, he does some damage, causing some puffiness to appear under the left eye of Monaghan. However, that is the extent of the progress Jurich is able to make and, in the end, it is not enough to compensate for his poor start, as the bout goes to decision, and Monaghan repeats his earlier upset win, taking another MD 10 (96-94, 95-95, 96-94) to improve to 33-9-1 (11) with the win, and Jurich ends the bout at 28-5-1 (17). The next bout on the card is another rematch, as Tommy Farr takes on Jack London, whom he defeated once before, via a UD 10, but this time, Farr’s GBU HW title is on the line. Cautious start by both men and, for the first few rounds, London seems to be holding his own against the Farr, who has also held the Commonwealth and EBU titles in addition to being a top HW contender for most of the past decade. By round four, London has assumed the role of aggressor and, with the two battling on the inside in round five, he traps Farr in the corner and drops the GBU Champ with a strong combination but, fortunately for Farr, the bell sounds before the count can reach 10. At the midway point of the bout, the unofficial scorer at ringside has it even (56-56), despite a 10-8 round for London in the fifth. Into the second half of the bout, and Farr bears down, focusing on controlling the action from the outside, while London assumes the role of aggressor. Both fighters begin to tire, but the punches landed stats pile up in Farr’s favor as the bout wears on. In round nine, a London cross rips open a cut over Farr’s right eye. It turns out the cut proves not to be a factor, as the bout goes the rest of the way without incident, and Farr does just enough to squeak through with a SD 12 (113-112, 112-115, 113-112) by taking the last two rounds from the two judges who ruled in his favor. Post-bout records: Farr, 52-19-4 (16); London, 30-15-2 (16) – a great effort from London that fell just short. In the final bout on the card, two familiar foes: Johnny King and K. O. Morgan, do battle for the fifth time, with King’s WBA BW title at stake. Prior matches resulted in two wins for King, one win for Morgan and one draw. In this meeting, King moves inside in round three and lands some telling blows, gaining the upper hand in the early going. After five rounds, the unofficial scorecard has King well ahead (50-46). In the middle rounds, Morgan makes an effort to step up the pace, working inside in an effort to seize the initiative. However, as the rounds tick off, King’s defense remains solid, and Morgan is gradually worn down, running low on energy. The unofficial scorer awarded King four rounds in a row for a nearly unassailable points lead (100-92) after 10 rounds. The action picks up early in round 12, when King stuns Morgan with a hard uppercut; Morgan eschews the cover up and manages to last the round, but he ends up with noticeable swelling under his left eye as he returns to his corner at the end of the round. Midway through round 13, Morgan goes down from another King uppercut. This time, Morgan tries to cover up but he is felled by a King cross and, this time, he barely manages to beat the count. The end comes a round later when an exhausted Morgan appears to be out on his feet; no further knockdowns, but the ref steps in to call an end to the one-sided affair. The TKO 14 lifts King to 58-9-3 (23). The loss leaves Morgan at 38-15-8 (17).

Dec. 31, 1943: The year wraps with a New Year’s Eve card at Miami. A couple of bouts of note, neither of which involves a title at risk, but each of which pits two veteran performers against each other. First, on the undercard, a couple of unbeaten HW prospects – Nino Valdes and Phil Muscato – battle to a draw. Then, in the first co-feature, former WBA MW Champion Ken Overlin faces long-time LABF MW Champ Kid Tunero. This is the second meeting of these two, with Overlin taking a MD in their one prior meeting, in in Havana in 1942; back on home turf, Overlin hopes to repeat his earlier success. The bout remains close through the opening few rounds, then Overlin’s superior boxing skills begin to show in a strong round four. After the first five rounds are in the books, the unofficial scorer at ringside has a slight one-point edge for Overlin (49-48). As the bout wears on, both boxers show signs of fatigue, with Overlin sticking to his plan of staying outside, whereas Tunero adopts a riskier strategy of pressing forward in an effort to open up the action. In the end, neither man is able to dominate, no cuts or knockdowns, as the bout remains extremely close headed into the final few rounds. In the end, it’s a split verdict, and the SD 10 nod goes to Overlin (97-94, 95-96, 98-95), who wins the final round on all three cards to escape with the win, upping his career totals to 41-13-5 (14). The loss leaves Tunero at 37-18-5 (10); both Tunero and Overlin will hit Post-Prime in their next outings. In the second co-feature, WWs take to the ring, as Jackie Wilson faces long-time WBA LW Champ Tony Canzoneri, as Canzoneri continues his efforts to make his mark in the higher weight class. First meeting of the two, and Wilson has the advantage of still being in Prime condition, whereas Canzoneri is nearing the end of his long and illustrious career. After an indifferent opening round, Canzoneri takes charge in round two, then does some damage working on the inside in round three. In the fourth round, Wilson tries to counter by moving inside, but he ends up with a cut over his left eye from a Canzoneri counter. Then, in round five, Canzoneri suffers a cut under his right eye. At the halfway point, the unofficial scorer has Wilson with a surprising three-point lead (49-46). Canzoneri takes a breather in round six, then moves inside and starts targeting the cut over Wilson’s eye. The action picks up in the eighth round, where Canzoneri is successful in his aim of re-opening the cut, but Wilson, with blood streaming down his face, responds by knocking Canzoneri down with a strong combination. Canzoneri stumbles to his feet, attempts to cover up, but goes down a second time as Wilson’s killer instinct has kicked in. Canzoneri survives the round but is a desperate fighter as he seeks to corner Wilson, going all out for a knockout in the final two rounds. Wilson wisely backs off, adopting a more defensive posture, and he walks away with a UD 10 (97-92, 96-93, 97-92) as Canzoneri is unable to stage a rally. Post-bout career marks: Wilson, 28-7-2 (17); Canzoneri, 54-12-4 (17). This bout brings down the curtain not only on 1943, but also on Canzoneri’s career, as the all-time great “Roman Warrior”elects to hang up the gloves after a 19-year career.

So, with another year in the books, expect to see some year-end reports coming next.

[JCWeb]

HW Division Profile

Total: 170 RL: 91 TC: 79

RL by Career Stage:
End - 6
Post - 16
Prime - 27
Pre - 19
Beginning - 11 (8 New)

Rated: 67
800+: 17
500+: 37
200+ : 58

Jan 1944 Rankings (Perf Points and Changes from Jan. 1943 in Parens):

WBA Champ: Joe Louis 47-1-1 (45) (2127) (NC)
1. Max Schmeling 67-6-1 (45) (1992) (NC) (EBU)
2. Jersey Joe Walcott 47-7 (29) (1675) (NC) (NABF)
3. Max Baer 37-18 (32) (1143) (+5)
4. Walter Neusel 32-15-3 (21) (1140) (+3)
5. Tommy Farr 52-19-4 (16) (1138) (NC) (GBU)
6. Pat Comiskey 23-2 (15) (1104) (+10)
7. Elmer Ray 49-17-1 (33) (1090) (+4)
8. Roscoe Toles 36-13-4 (6) (1071) (-4)
9. Tommy Martin 30-14-3 (18) (977) (+1) (CBU)
10. Nathan Mann 29-10-3 (22) (956) (-4)

Other Notables: 11. Gus Dorazio 26-9-4 (7) (949)
12. Lou Nova 28-11-1 (23) (937)
13. Abe Simon 30-9-1 (21) (901)
14. Jack Trammell 33-15 (16) (843) (USBA)
19. Harry Bobo 20-2 (15) (767)
22. Alberto Santiago Lovell 29-14-1 (23) (681) (LABF)

Top Prospects: Nino Valdes 13-0-1 (13)
Lou Brooks 12-0-2 (12)
Bruce Woodcock 11-0 (11)
Herb Narvo 11-0 (7)
Phil Muscato 10-0-1 (7)
Freddie Beshore 8-0 (2)

Retirements:

Larry Gains (CAN) 1923-1943 46-25-2 (26) NABF, CBU Champ Highest Rank: 1
Leroy Haynes (USA) 1920-1943 29-15-2 (21) No Titles Highest Rank: 12
Jimmy Mendes (USA) 1927-1943 38-17-4 (31) NABF, LABF Champ Highest Rank: 4
Jorge Brescia (ARG) 1935-1943 20-13-1 (11) No Titles Highest Rank: 75
Ford Smith (USA) 1931-1943 29-21-1 (18) No Titles Highest Rank: 48
Frankie Edgren (USA) 1932-1943 24-18-5 (6) No Titles Highest Rank: 21
Ernie Collins (USA) 1934-1943 19-19-1 (13) No Titles Highest Rank: 65
Phil Brubaker (USA) 1935-1943 26-15-3 (11) No Titles Highest Rank: 45
Rex Romus (RUS) 1936-1943 18-11-4 (7) No Titles Highest Rank: 66
Tony Galento (USA) 1928-1943 37-22 (31) No Titles Highest Rank: 27
Abe Feldman (USA) 1932-1943 32-16-5 (13) No Titles Highest Rank: 35
Elmer Ray (USA) 1926-1943 49-17-1 (33) NABF, USBA Champ Highest Rank: 2
Lee Ramage (USA) 1930-1943 40-17-3 (11) No Titles Highest Rank: 9

Outlook for 1944: Joe Louis continues his domination; indeed, there is a large gap in talent and results between the top three (Louis, Schmeling and Walcott) and everyone else in the division. Recently, there has been a shifting in the second tier as guys like Baer, Farr, Martin and Ray (the latter of whom just retired, but is still listed in the rankings) fade, to be replaced by younger contenders such as Comiskey, Dorazio, Nova, Simon, etc. As long as the top three guys remain at Prime, it is unlikely they will be unseated until the debut of younger challengers, with Rocky Marciano still a couple of years away. Best of the prospects include KO artists like Nino Valdes and Bruce Woodcock. None of the 1944 debutants is rated above a “4,” so it will still be quite a wait until dramatic changes at the top take place, but there is room for guys like Archie Moore and Ezzard Charles, both of whom are ranked among the top 10 LH contenders, should they choose to move up and test the waters in the HW division.

[JCWeb]

LH Division Profile

Total: 103 RL: 56 TC: 47

RL by Career Stage:
End - 7
Post - 7
Prime - 23
Pre - 15
Beginning - 4 (2 New)

Rated: 42
800+: 16
500+: 29
200+ : 40

Jan 1944 Rankings (Perf Points and Changes from Jan. 1943 in Parens):

WBA Champ: Billy Conn 32-6-3 (13) (1501) (NC)
1. Archie Moore 27-3-4 (19) (1499) (NC) (USBA)
2. Tiger Jack Fox 57-9-1 (41) (1456) (NC)
3. Lloyd Marshall 24-5-3 (22) (1196) (+3) (NABF)
4. Eddie Booker 28-5-2 (15) (1185) (-1)
5. Melio Bettina 30-6-6 (12) (1157) (+3)
6. Harry Matthews 23-2 (16) (1150) (+4)
7. Tony Shucco 38-17-4 (14) (1149) (-2)
8. Maxie Rosenbloom 55-19-6 (18) (1086) (-4)
9. Gus Lesnevich 34-10-3 (15) (966) (+2)
10. Ezzard Charles 19-0 (15) (953) (new)

Other Notables: 11. Danny Devlin 37-18-6 (16) (952)
12. Nate Bolden 26-5-2 (12) (942)
13. Adolf Heuser 41-14-2 (19) (904) (EBU)
15. Freddie Mills 24-8-1 (14) (802) (GBU)
16. Jack A. Johnson 20-5 (16) (788) (CBU)
30. Jimmy Bivins 19-2 (16) (473)
32. Tommy Yarosz 13-2-1 (8) (411)

Top Prospects: Joe Kahut 13-1 (12)
Joey Maxim 12-2 (5)
Frankie Best 11-0 (3)
Rusty Payne 9-0 (5)
Alex Buxton 4-0-1 (2)
Billy Fox 3-0 (1)

Retirements:

Pal Silvers (USA) 1925-1943 42-22-7 (15) No Titles Highest Rank: 8
Joe Knight (USA) 1928-1943 36-17-3 (19) WBA Champion 1935-36
Charley Belanger (CAN) 1925-1943 45-29 (20) NABF, CBU Champ Highest Rank: 2
Harry Balsamo (USA) 1935-1943 22-13-2 (15) No Titles Highest Rank: 31
Oscar Rankin (USA) 1929-1943 23-20-8 (12) No Titles Highest Rank: 28
John Henry Lewis (USA) 1930-1943 31-14-3 (20) WBA Champion 1936-37, 1940

Outlook for 1944: Conn and Moore have kind of separated themselves from the rest of the group. Tiger Jack Fox, an ex-WBA Champ and long-time top contender, has hit Post-Prime and is unlikely to remain among the top contenders. Ditto for guys like Booker, Shucco and Rosenbloom, who are on the downside of their career arcs. On the other hand, Ezzard Charles moved from the top of the prospect list to the top 10 in his first year in the official rankings. Two other highly rated guys, Jimmy Bivins and Tommy Yarosz, struggled have run into difficulty earlier in their respective careers and have a lot of ground to cover to reach their potential. Highest rated among the more recent prospects is Joey Maxim, who already has two losses on his ledger, having fallen short against Charles and Yarosz in those two losing efforts. Not much is expected from the two new additions to the LH ranks in 1944, neither of whom is rated above a “3.”

[JCWeb]

MW Division Profile

Total: 147 RL: 87 TC: 60

RL by Career Stage:
End - 8
Post - 15
Prime - 33
Pre - 18
Beginning - 13 (10 New)

Rated: 60
800+: 19
500+: 43
200+ : 56

Jan 1944 Rankings (Perf Points and Changes from Jan. 1943 in Parens):

WBA Champ: Charley Burley 34-1 (23) (1767) (+1)
1. Holman Williams 43-9 (21) (1727) (-1) (NABF)
2. Freddie Apostoli 32-10-2 (24) (1620) (+1)
3. Marcel Cerdan 36-5-2 (25) (1547) (NC)
4. Tony Zale 36-4-1 (22) (1546) (NC)
5. Al Hostak 37-9-1 (28) (1222) (NC)
6. Jose Basora 23-3 (16) (1193) (+5) (LABF)
7. Teddy Yarosz 41-18-5 (14) (1187) (-1)
8. Jock McAvoy 40-19-6 (26) (1124) (+4) (CBU, GBU)
9. Ken Overlin 41-13-5 (14) (1077) (-1)
10. Ben Brown 30-8-3 (19) (1052) (+3)

Other Notables: 11. George Abrams 24-6-2 (10) (1041)
12. Lou Brouillard 37-19-3 (17) (1038)
13. Kid Tunero 37-18-5 (10) (977)
16. Allen Matthews 36-15-5 (25) (886) (USBA)
18. Freddie Steele 53-13-1 (37) (850)
26. Dave Sands 16-0 (13) (663)
29. Luc Van Dam 20-4 (11) (656) (EBU)

Top Prospects: Jake LaMotta 13-0 (13)
Sergeant Lou Woods 13-0 (7)
Joe Carter 12-1 (6)
Leon Fouquet 10-0 (8)
Rocky Graziano 9-0 (8)
Tommy Sullivan 9-0 (7)
Billy Arnold 2-0 (2)

Retirements:

Johnny Romero (USA) 1927-1943 40-21 (24) USBA Champion Highest Rank: 4
Jackie Aldare (USA) 1927-1943 35-26-3 (12) No Titles Highest Rank: 45
Ron Richards (AUS) 1928-1943 37-23-2 (24) WBA Champ 1936-37 Highest Rank: 3

Outlook for 1944: This has developed into one of the most competitive divisions, and the top five spots in the current year-end rankings are held by the five most recent WBA titleholders. In fact, this represents the first time the five highest ranked boxers have a Perf Point total in excess of 1500. Unbeaten prospect Dave Sands, highest ranked newcomer to the ratings list, is a likely successor to the retired Ron Richards as a future Commonwealth and OPBF MW titleholder. A rejuvenated GBU and current Commonwealth Champ Jock McAvoy made his return to the top 10. Furthermore, with guys like Jake LaMotta and Rocky Graziano on their way up, the future remains bright. Rocky Castellani, Bert Lytell, Bobo Olson and Artie Towne are the best of a large bunch of newcomers set to join the ranks in 1944.

[JCWeb]

WW Division Profile

Total: 136 RL: 93 TC: 43

RL by Career Stage:
End - 7
Post - 13
Prime - 38
Pre - 23
Beginning - 12 (6 New)

Rated: 66
800+: 21
500+: 41
200+ : 61

Jan 1944 Rankings (Perf Points and Changes from Jan. 1943 in Parens):

WBA Champ: Henry Armstrong 43-6-3 (36) (1901) (NC)
1. Izzy Jannazzo 36-7-4 (13) (1500) (+1)
2. Eddie Dolan 39-15-5 (14) (1467) (+2) (USBA)
3. Ray Robinson 20-0-1 (15) (1339) (+18) (NABF)
4. Gustav Eder 44-11-10 (9) (1311) (+3) (EBU)
5. Jackie Wilson 28-7-2 (17) (1209) (+6)
6. Bep Van Klaveren 39-16-9 (12) (1209) (+4)
7. Fritzie Zivic 34-12-6 (15) (1208) (-6)
8. Cocoa Kid 45-9-5 (13) (1169) (-5)
9. Marty Servo 25-3 (10) (1164) (+4)
10. Joe Legon 27-9-6 (12) (1158) (+8) (LABF)

Other Notables: 11. Freddie Cochrane 31-11-4 (9) (1135)
12. Jack McNamee 33-10-1 (20) (1127) (OPBF)
14. Ernie Roderick 29-16-3 (7) (1023) (CBU, GBU)
16. Norman Rubio 21-4 (12) (925)
19. Barney Ross 39-17-4 (11) (810)
28. George Costner 16-2 (10) (648)
30. Egisto Peyre 16-1 (9) (629)

Top Prospects: Billy Graham 13-1 (7)
Danny Kapilow 12-2 (9)
Tommy Bell 10-1 (9)
Jimmy Doyle 10-0 (5)
Tony Pellone 9-0 (4)
Bernard Docusen 5-0 (2)
Kid Gavilan 2-0 (1)

Retirements:

Cleto Locatelli (SUI) 1926-1943 38-26-1 (11) EBU Champ Highest Rank: 1
Paul Junior (USA) 1928-1943 30-25-7 (15) No Titles Highest Rank: 17
Andy Callahan (USA) 1928-1943 36-21-7 (12) NABF Champ Highest Rank: 11
Werther Arcelli (USA) 1930-1943 33-24-6 (10) No Titles Highest Rank: 31
Sammy Luftspring (CAN) 1936-1943 24-11-1 (14) No Titles Highest Rank: 24

Outlook for 1944: Henry “Homicide Hank” Armstrong has been comfortably entrenched at the top of the WW division for the past few years, but this is likely to change with the arrival of unbeaten “Sugar” Ray Robinson, who has just hit the Prime of his career while, in another year, Armstrong is set to decline. Beyond these two, a lot of volatility among the contender ranks as illustrated by the relative closeness in performance points all the way down to Ernie Roderick at #14; plus, only one of the top 10 contenders (Eddie Dolan) will be at Post-Prime. Looking ahead, while this division is not stacked with talent to the same degree as the MWs, there are still some highly regarded prospects on their way up, notably Billy Graham, Tommy Bell and, still just getting their careers underway, are the likes of Bernard Docusen and Kid Gavilan. Johnny Bratton, Jimmy Sherrer and Charley Fusari are the best of the half dozen newcomers slated to join the division in 1944.

[JCWeb]

LW Division Profile

Total: 143 RL: 89 TC: 54

RL by Career Stage:
End - 12
Post - 12
Prime - 32
Pre - 23
Beginning - 10 (8 New)

Rated: 64
800+: 20
500+: 38
200+ : 61

Jan 1944 Rankings (Perf Points and Changes from Jan. 1943 in Parens):

WBA Champ: Jack Kid Berg 51-20-5 (16) (1328) (NC)
1. Baby Arizmendi 48-10-4 (10) (1408) (NC) (LABF)
2. Aldo Spoldi 45-11-5 (17) (1371) (NC) (EBU)
3. Laurie Stevens 34-10-1 (21) (1327) (+4)
4. Bob Montgomery 24-1-2 (15) (1295) (+9) (NABF)
5. Dave Castilloux 31-12-3 (9) (1214) (+1)
6. Chino Alvarez 42-16-5 (23) (1187) (-2)
7. Tony Chavez 36-12-4 (13) (1161) (-4)
8. Willie Joyce 25-5-35(13) (1144) (+3) (USBA)
9. Sammy Angott 28-7-5 (10) (1142) (-4)
10. Lew Jenkins 28-5-3 (13) (1090) (-2)

Other Notables: 11. Lou Ambers 39-9-2 (19) (1088)
12. Lenny Mancini 22-7-3 (6) (1011)
13. Julie Kogon 22-4-2 (7) (914)
18. Beau Jack 20-2 (14) (836)
22. Ike Williams 19-1 (17) (783)
25. Vic Patrick 18-1 (14) (694) (CBU)
44. Harry Mizler 25-19-6 (6) (412) (GBU)

Top Prospects: Joe Brown 12-1 (11)
George LaRover 11-1 (9)
Jimmy Warren 10-1 (3)
Enrique Bolanos 10-0 (10)
Freddie Dawson 6-0 (1)

Retirements:

Herb Bishop (USA) 1930-1943 35-22-1 (17) No Titles Highest Rank: 30
Sammy Fuller (USA) 1924-1943 50-23-3 (12) NABF, USBA Champ Highest Rank: 2
Benny Bass (USA) 1919-1943 52-34-7 (16) USBA Champ Highest Rank: 6 (also competed at FW and JLW)
Bobby Pacho (USA) 1929-1943 33-22-5 (12) No Titles Highest Rank: 35
Eddie Zivic (USA) 1932-1943 24-19-2 (8) No Titles Highest Rank: 45
Tony Canzoneri (USA) 1925-1943 54-12-4 (17) WBA Champion 1932-39, 1940-42

Outlook for 1944: With the top three spots indicating no change from the prior year, one might get the impression of little change at the top of the LW division in 1943 – nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, it was a volatile year of musical chairs at the top, with the WBA title changing hands four times in as many title bouts, with the crown finally resting on the head of Jack Kid Berg, where it began, after being passed around to Castillouz, Arizmendi and Stevens. With Berg now at Post-Prime, look for this volatile situation at the upper echelons of the division to continue. Bob Montgomery and Willie Joyce leapfrogged into contention by winning regional titles, and guys like Beau Jack and Ike Williams are poised to make a run at top 10 status in 1944. Joe Brown and Freddie Dawson are the best of the current crop of prospects, with Brown suffering an upset loss at the hands of George LaRover. 1944 welcomes a solid group of newcomers to the division, paced by Art Argaon, Maxie Docusen and Wesley Mouzon.

[JCWeb]

FW Division Profile

Total: 119 RL: 76 TC: 43

RL by Career Stage:
End - 8
Post - 14
Prime - 30
Pre - 14
Beginning - 10 (7 New)

Rated: 52
800+: 12
500+: 32
200+ : 50

Jan 1944 Rankings (Perf Points and Changes from Jan. 1943 in Parens):

WBA Champ: Harold Hoshino 32-3-2 (17) (1226) (+2)
1. Everrett Rightmire 36-13-3 (15) (1147) (-1) (NABF)
2. Chalky Wright 42-15-4 (15) (1106) (+2) (USBA)
3. Willie Pep 21-1 (13) (1019) (+16)
4. Petey Scalzo 26-5-2 (15) (967) (-3)
5. Freddie Miller 45-17-2 (15) (932) (NC)
6. Mike Belloise 32-15-7 (11) (924) (-3)
7. National Kid 23-3-2 (10) (921) (NC)
8. Leo Rodak 30-13-1 (7) (887) (+1)
9. Georgie Hansford 35-16-2 (11) (874) (+4)
10. Dave Crowley 37-26-1 (15) (871) (+2) (EBU, GBU, CBU)

Other Notables: 11. Tsuneo Horiguchi 33-10-2 (17) (819) (OPBF)
12. Battling Battalino 46-19-3 (16) (796)
13. Carlos Chavez 19-2 (7) (795)
17. Eddie Miller 22-8-1 (9) (665)
20. Diego Sosa 17-3-1 (14) (628) (LABF)
28. Phil Terranova 14-1 (9) (537)

Top Prospects: Ronnie Clayton 13-0 (10)
Steve Kronis 11-0 (8)
Jackie McCoy 10-0 (2)
Chico Rosa 6-0 (2)
Ciro Morasen 2-0 (0)

Retirements:

Kid Chocolate (CUB) 1927-1943 43-14-7 (17) WBA Champion 1934-35, 1937, 1940
Frankie Covelli (USA) 1929-1943 35-18-9 (7) USBA Champ Highest Rank: 6
Maurice Holtzer (FRA) 1925-1943 45-24-5 (16) EBU Champ Highest Rank: 3
Benny Bass (USA) 1919-1943 52-34-7 (16) NABF, USBA Champ Highest Rank: 2 (also competed at LW and JLW)
Lew Massey (USA) 1928-1943 34-23-6 (8) No Titles Highest Rank: 30

Outlook for 1944: Without the depth of talent as many other divisions (note only four guys with 1000+ Perf Points at the moment), there has been a lot of volatility at or near the top for the past few years. However, with the arrival of a superb talent in Willie Pep, that is likely to change. Expect Pep to contend and capture titles, including the WBA crown, in the next year or so. Furthermore, expect top 1944 debutante Sandy Saddler to rise quickly through the ranks to become Pep’s #1 protagonist. The rest of the division, both current and future, lags far behind these two in terms of talent. In addition to Saddler, the only other newcomer of note is Eddie Compo, an “8” rated guy; by way of comparison, Pep is a “14,” and Saddler, a “13.”

[JCWeb]

BW Division Profile

Total: 88 RL: 52 TC: 36

RL by Career Stage:
End - 6
Post - 11
Prime - 19
Pre - 11
Beginning - 5 (4 New)

Rated: 40
800+: 16
500+: 29
200+ : 39

Jan 1944 Rankings (Perf Points and Changes from Jan. 1943 in Parens):

WBA Champ: Johnny King 58-9-3 (23) (1320) (+4)
1. Manuel Ortiz 24-4-2 (14) (1399) (+1) (USBA)
2. David Kui Kong Young 29-1-4 (16) (1391) (+1) (NABF)
3. K. O. Morgan 38-15-8 (17) (1301) (-2)
4. Benny Goldberg 25-3-2 (12) (1284) (+1)
5. Panama Al Brown 71-16-2 (26) (1252) (-5)
6. Georgie Pace 30-13-2 (20) (1198) (NC)
7. Little Pancho 45-13-7 (10) (1069) (NC)
8. Pablo Dano 43-19-7 (18) (1055) (+1) (OPBF)
9. Tommy Forte 29-5-2 (11) (975) (+4)
10. Mickey Miller 33-13-2 (19) (949) (NC) (CBU)

Other Notables: 11. Ritchie Tanner 21-7-2 (10) (930) (GBU)
12. Lou Salica 29-11-4 (12) (922)
13. Pete Sanstol 44-21-6 (9) (868)
15. Tony Olivera 24-6-1 (17) (849)
16. Luis Castillo 18-5 (10) (738) (LABF)
19. Lou Alter 15-0-1 (12) (636)
23. Joe Cornelis 17-5-1 (9) (578) (EBU)

Top Prospects: Harold Dade 11-0 (5)
Fernando Gagnon 10-0 (10)
Luis Galvani 9-0 (6)
Stan Rowan 8-0 (5)
Tirso Del Rosario 7-0 (2)
Luis Romero 5-0 (3)

Retirements:

Star Frisco (USA) 1933-1943 26-16-4 (8) No Titles Highest Rank: 17
Chris Pineda (PHI) 1929-1943 239-28-4 (8) No Titles Highest Rank: 16
Lew Farber (USA) 1928-1943 37-19-5 (14) USBA Champ Highest Rank: 8
Benny Sharkey (UK) 1928-1943 37-23-3 (20) EBU, CBU, GBU Champ Highest Rank: 9
Sixto Escobar (PUR) 1930-1943 36-16-5 (10) NABF, LABF Champ Highest Rank: 2

Outlook for 1944: This is definitely a division in transition, with aging veterans like Panama Al Brown, Morgan, Filipino greats such as Pancho and Dano, gradually giving way to younger talents. Still hanging on is four-time Champ Johnny King, back on top but just a few bouts away from Post-Prime career stage. Expect guys like Ortiz and Kui Kong Young – both of whom have higher Perf Point totals – and Goldberg, who had a brief spell as WBA Champ – to dominate in the next year or so. Looking further down the rankings list, new GBU Champ Ritchie Tanner and Tony Olivera are well positioned to contend for a top 10 ranking in 1944. Some promising young prospects (Dade, Gagnon, Galvani, Del Rosario and Romero) – all “8” and “9” rated guys – bodes well for the next few years. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the four newcomers to the BW ranks for the coming year, none of whom is rated above a “5.”

[JCWeb]

FLY Division Profile

Total: 63 RL: 36 TC: 27

RL by Career Stage:
End - 4
Post - 5
Prime - 18
Pre - 7
Beginning - 2 (1 New)

Rated: 28
800+: 7
500+: 17
200+ : 23

Jan 1944 Rankings (Perf Points and Changes from Jan. 1943 in Parens):

WBA Champ: Jackie Paterson 20-3-1 (14) (962) (+17)
1. Rinty Monaghan 33-9-1 (11) (991) (+8)
2. Jackie Jurich 28-5-1 (17) (990) (-2) (NABF)
3. Peter Kane 27-5-1 (11) (961) (-1) (EBU, CBU)
4. Midget Wolgast 58-10-1 (19) (880) (-3)
5. Teddy Gardner 21-3-1 (10) (846) (+1)
6. Istvan Enekes 40-14-2 (12) (815) (-1)
7. Little Dado 30-6-1 (13) (789) (-4)
8. Jimmy Gill 34-12-4 (11) (735) (-4)
9. Dado Marino 19-1 (12) (705) (+3) (USBA)
10. Small Montana 28-16-6 (10) (701) (+3) (OPBF)

Other Notables: 11. Ernst Weiss 31-13-1 (16) (643)
13. Hans Schiffers 20-6-4 (8) (607)
14. Jackie Brown 41-21-5 (12) (586) (GBU)
15. Raoul DeGryse 23-9-2 (15) (553)

Top Prospects: Maurice Sandeyron 11-2-1 (3)
Otilio Galvan 12-1 (5)
Emile Famechon 12-0 (11)
Terry Allen 11-0 (11)
Black Pico 5-0
Yoshiro Shirai 4-0 (2)

Retirements:

Kid David (BEL) 1932-1943 20-23- 2 (10) No Titles Highest Rank: 21
Mickey McGuire (UK) 1928-1943 30-28-1 (8) No Titles Highest Rank: 18

Outlook for 1944: Still one of the thinner divisions talent-wise, things have been a bit more volatile since the end of the long title reign of Midget Wolgast in 1940. Things appeared to settle with the three-year reign of Jackie Jurich, who defended seven times before losing the belt to Wolgast, who in turn lost it to the current titleholder, Jackie Paterson. Yet Jurich and Irishman Rinty Monaghan, an upset victor over Jurich in his last outing, see the upper echelon of the division in a bit of a muddle headed into 1944. Two of the most talented guys, Wolgast and Little Dado, are past their Prime, and Hungarian veteran Enekes seems incapable of stepping up to the occasion and win an important bout. There’s no one rated about an “8” on the immediate horizion, indicating that things are likely to remain in a state of flux for some time. Brit Terry Allen, and “8,” is the best of the current group of prospects, but the only newcomer to the division in 1944, Italian Nazzareno Gianelli, is only a “4.”

[JCWeb]

HW

WBA: Joe Louis (Feb. 1939) (22)
NABF: Jersey Joe Walcott (Dec. 1940) (6)
USBA: Jack Trammell (Jan. 1941) (0)
CBU: Tommy Martin (Dec. 1939) (1)
GBU: Tommy Farr (Feb. 1942) (1)
EBU: Max Schmleing (Sep. 1939) (7)
OPBF: Vacant
LABF: Alberto Santiago Lovell (Nov. 1941) (1)

LH

WBA: Billy Conn (May 1943) (1)
NABF: Lloyd Marshall (Apr. 1943) (1)
USBA: Archie Moore (Jun. 1943) (1)
CBU: Jack A. Johnson (Jul. 1941) (2)
GBU: Freddie Mills (Jan. 1940) (2)
EBU: Adolf Heuser (Oct. 1941) (2)
OPBF: Inactive
LABF: Inactive

MW

WBA: Charley Burley (Oct. 1943) (0)
NABF: Holman Williams (Nov. 1943) (0)
USBA: Allen Matthews (Jun. 1942) (3)
CBU: Jock McAvoy (Aug. 1943) (1)
GBU: Jock McAvoy (Oct. 1930) (13)
EBU: Luc Van Dam (Sep. 1943) (1)
OPBF: Vacant
LABF: Jose Basora (Feb. 1942) (3)

WW

WBA: Henry Armstrong (Dec. 1939) (10)
NABF: Ray Robinson (Mar. 1943) (4)
USBA: Eddie Dolan (Apr. 1943) (1)
CBU: Ernie Roderick (Sep. 1941) (1)
GBU: Ernie Roderick (May 1935) (2)
EBU: Gustav Eder (Feb. 1943) (1)
OPBF: Jack McNamee (Feb. 1939) (5)
LABF: Joe Legon (Sep. 1943) (0)

LW

WBA: Jack Kid Berg (Dec. 1943) (0)
NABF: Bob Montgomery (Jun. 1943) (1)
USBA: Willie Joyce (Dec. 1943) (0)
CBU: Vic Patrick (Aug. 1943) (1)
GBU: Harry Mizler (Feb. 1937) (5)
EBU: Aldo Spoldi (Oct. 1941) (1)
OPBF: Inactive
LABF: Baby Arizmendi (Oct. 1942) (0)

FW

WBA: Harold Hoshino (Feb. 1943) (2)
NABF: Everett Rightmire (Jun. 1943) (1)
USBA: Chalky Wright (May 1943) (1)
CBU: Dave Crowley (Oct. 1941) (0)
GBU: Dave Crowley (Jun. 1941) (2)
EBU: Dave Crowley (Apr. 1943) (0)
OPBF: Tsuneo Horiguchi (May 1943) (0)
LABF: Diego Sosa (Aug. 1943) (0)

BW

WBA: Johnny King (Aug. 1943) (1)
NABF: David Kui Kong Young (Aug. 1941) (5)
USBA: Manuel Ortiz (May 1943) (1)
CBU: Mickey Miller (Oct. 1943) (0)
GBU: Ritchie Tanner (Sep. 1943) (0)
EBU: Joe Cornelis (Oct. 1943) (0)
OPBF: Pablo Dano (Feb. 1943) (1)
LABF: Luis Castillo (Jan. 1943) (0)

FLY

WBA: Jackie Paterson (Jun. 1943) (1)
NABF: Jackie Jurich (Jun. 1943) (0)
USBA: Dado Marino (Jun. 1943) (0)
CBU: Peter Kane (Jul. 1943) (0)
GBU: Jackie Paterson (Nov. 1942) (0)
EBU: Peter Kane (Dec. 1940) (3)
OPBF: Small Montana (May 1943) (0)
LABF: Inactive

Comments: New Champs in just over half (32 of 58) the active titles. Bucking the trend was the HW division, where no titles changed hands during the year. Jock McAvoy (British Champ for 12 + years) remains as the senior titleholder; Joe Louis (with 15 title defenses in the last three years) remains the longest serving as well as the most active WBA Champ. Burley (at MW), Hoshino (at FW) and Paterson (at Fly) are the only new, first-time WBA titleholders.

[JCWeb]

1943 YEAR-END PFP RANKINGS (based on Perf Points, with change from last year, number of years on list, first year on list in parens)

1. Joe Louis, HW (WBA Champion), 2127 (NC) (7) (1936)
2. Max Schmeling, HW (EBU Champion), 1992 (NC) (11) (1932)
3. Henry Armstrong, WW (WBA Champion), 1901 (NC) (5) (1939)
4. Charley Burley, MW (WBA Champion), 1767 (+1) (2) (1942)
5. Holman Williams, MW (NABF Champion), 1727 (-1) (3) (1940)
6. Jersey Joe Walcott, HW (NABF Champion), 1675 (NC) (4) (1940)
7. Freddie Apostoli, MW, 1620 (new to list)
8. Marcel Cerdan, MW, 1547 (+1) (2) (1942)
9. Tony Zale, MW, 1546 (new from last year) (3) (1940)
10. Billy Conn, LH (WBA Champion), 1501 (new to list)

Dropped Out from Last Year:
WW Fritzie Zivic (was #7)
WW Izzy Jannazzo (was #8)
LW Baby Arizmendi (was #10)

Comments: Not surprising to see Louis top this list for the third consecutive year. In fact, the only change among the top six was the two MWs (Burley and Williams) switching places as a result of Burley winning the WBA title. Two divisions – HW and MW – dominate the list, with the WBA Champions from four of the eight weight classes represented.

On to the annual awards

FIGHTER OF THE YEAR: Joe Louis
FIGHT OF THE YEAR: Jack A. Johnson KO 12 Freddie Mills (for CBU LH title) (Mar. 19, see post 1366)
TOP NEWCOMER: Ray Robinson
UPSET OF THE YEAR: Joe Legon UD 12 Cocoa Kid (for LABF WW title) (Sep. 10, see post 1381)
COMEBACK FIGHTER OF THE YEAR: Johnny King

Comments:
Louis wins the Fighter of the year for the second time, having been a solid contender for the award for the past three years. Six title defenses, all dominating wins inside the distance, were sufficient to clinch the award for “the Brown Bomber.” Henry Armstrong deserved some consideration, as he also won all his three title defenses inside the distance as well, but he was less active and less dominant than Louis. Charley Burley (new MW Champion) and Harold Hoshino (new FW Champ) also deserved honorable mention.
Fight of the Year was a tough choice as there were no clearcut standouts. I went for the Jack Johnson-Freddie Mills bout based on the excitement of a last round KO scored by Johnson, who had blood streaming down his face from a cut that could have led to a stoppage the other way. Other contenders that did not quite match this level of excitement were the Burley UD 15 Cerdan WBA MW title bout (Oct. 15, post 1383); Montgomery SD 12 Castilloux NABF LW title bout (Nov. 13, post 1385); and Berg MD 15 Stevens WBA LW title bout (Dec. 11, post 1387)
For top newcomer, there were three serious contenders who made major strides forward during 1943. One was FW Willie Pep, who rapidly rose through the FW ranks but suffered a very tough DQ loss in his first ever title contest that eventually derailed his chances. Ezzard Charles who debuted among the top 10 LHs and kept a clean slate was another top contender. However, the award went to WW “Sugar” Ray Robinson, who managed not only to break through to the top 10, but also captured a NABF title and then retained it under some difficult circumstances; his level of competition was considered slightly better than that faced by either Pep or Charles.
Upset of the year went to an LABF WW title clash that saw Joe Legon, who had held the belt from 1939 to 1940, regain it in a very close contest with Cocoa Kid. Both boxers were still at Prime, and Legon, a “7,” managed to pull out the points win over Kid, rated a “10.” Another upset of a “7” over a “10” was Jackie Paterson’s defeat of Midget Wolgast for the WBA Fly title (June 19, post 1376), but calling this an “upset” is a bit of a misnomer given the fact that Wolgast was well past his Prime, so the nod goes to Legon.
Comeback Fighter of the Year: Once again, we look to the BW division where veteran Brit Johnny King captured the WBA BW title for the fourth time. (Last year, it was Panama Al Brown, who became a five-time WBA BW Champ.) Other candidates were Legon, who regained the LABF WW title, and Gustav Eder, who once again was EBU WW Champ.

[JCWeb]

Pleased to announce that fistic action from 1944 is now underway …
This report covers fistic action from the first half of January 1944; no WBA title bouts are covered in this report.

Jan. 1, 1944: The year kicks off with a New Year’s Day card at Buenos Aires’ Luna Park. Twin feature bouts top the action on a very abbreviated (five bout) card. In the first co-main event, newly crowned EBU BW Champion Joe Cornelis faces Little Pancho, a former OPBF BW Champion, in a 10-round, non-title affair. First meeting of the two and, despite being at Post-Prime career stage, Pancho still is a formidable opponent. After a cautious start by both men, the action picks up in round four, when Pancho moves inside and takes charge. Nonetheless, the bout remains close and Cornelis bounces back with a big round in the fifth, an, according to the unofficial scorer at ringside, Cornelis has a slim lead in points (48-47) at the halfway point. Into the second half of the bout, and the bout remains extremely close, with both boxers looking for an opening against some solid defense, but neither is able to break through. Thus, the bout goes to decision without incident, and the end result – a majority draw (95-95, 95-95, 96-94 Cornelis) – seems an appropriate result. Post-bout career marks: Cornelis, 17-5-2 (9); Pancho, 45-13-8 (10). In the second co-feature, former WBA and current EBU HW Champ Max Schmeling takes on the reigning LABF HW Champ, Alberto Santiago Lovell, in a scheduled 10-rounder. As in the prior bout, it is the first meeting of the two, and Lovell brings the crowd to its feet when he launches a two-fisted attack in round two that causes Schmeling to exhibit signs of puffiness under both eyes as a result. Schmeling recovers from the slow start, gradually working his way into the bout. After the first five, however, the unofficial scorer at ringside, has an upset brewing, with Lovell well ahead on points (50-45). Into the second half of the bout and Schmeling, already showing signs of fatigue, seems unable to battle back. Both fighters get in some good shots in an action-packed seventh round. Schmeling, listless for most of the bout, becomes increasingly desperate as the rounds tick off, and he is unable to dominate his opponent. A career performance by Lovell, in front of an appreciate hometown crowd, but has the Argentinian done enough to pull off a huge upset? The bell sounds, and, while the crowd and the unofficial scorer are prepared to declare Lovell the winner, the three judges that count are in agreement – it’s a narrow UD 10 for Schmeling (96-95 on all three cards). Schmeling escapes by virtue of winning the final round (10-9 on all three cards) to run his career totals to 68-6-1 (45); the loss leaves a disappointed Lovell at 29-15-1 (23). One bout into the season, and Schmeling was almost the victim of an “Upset of the Year.”

Jan. 7, 1944: Two WWs do battle in the next featured bout, this topping a Friday night card at the “Aud” in Buffalo. The two protagonists are Fritzie Zivic, the “Croat Comet,” and Norman Rubio. First meeting of the two. Solid start from Zivic, who dominates the action from the opening bell with a stellar first round. Things settle down a bit, but Rubio struggles with his timing, while Zivic continues to swing away, piling up points if not doing enough to seriously hurt his opponent. Midway through round four, however, Rubio begins to find the range, landing a hard hook to the body that causes Zivic to cover up to avoid further damage. The two lock horns on the inside in the fifth round and, at the midway point, the unofficial scorecard has Zivic well ahead (by 49-46). After another strong round for Zivic in the sixth, Rubio tries to become more aggressive in forcing the action; however, he begins to tire badly as Zivic continues to dominate. Late in round seven, Zivic manages to rip open a cut over Rubio’s left eye. Zivic continues to dish out more punishment before easing up in the final two rounds of the bout. In the end, it’s a very impressive UD 10 for Zivic (99-92 on all cards), lifting him to 35-12-6 (15). The loss leaves Rubio at 21-5 (12). With the win, Zivic hopes for another title shot in the near future.

Jan. 8, 1944: Next card at Miami is topped by a NABF MW bout, with former WBA MW Champ Holman Williams defending that belt versus challenger Al “Savage Slav” Hostak. First meeting of the two and, no surprise, it takes awhile for the action to develop. Near the end of round two, Hostak’s punches begin to find the range and, as a result, there is a trace of swelling around the right eye of Williams. Near the end of round four, Hostak tags Williams with a hard cross but Williams remains upright, and the bell sounds before Hostak can inflict further damage. Williams fires back with a strong round in the sixth, and Hostak’s left eye shows signs of puffiness as a result. At the midway point, the unofficial card has Williams in front (59-56). Midway through round seven, the first knockdown takes place, as Hostak drops Williams with a quick combination. Williams barely beats the count but is able to cover up and last the round. With the momentum clearly in the challenger’s favor, Williams looks to change matters by seizing the initiative and stepping up the pace in the later rounds. Late in round 10, a solid cross from Williams puts Hostak down for a five count. While there is time remaining in the round after the KD, Williams is unable to follow bout. The bout goes the rest of the way without incident, and, at one KD apicee, the end result – a draw (113-114 Hostak, 113-113, 114-112 Williams) – seems justified. Post-bout career marks: Williams, 43-9-1 (21); Hostak, 37-9-2 (28). A peek at the judges’ cards reveals that Hostak won the final round on all three cards to secure the draw.

Jan. 14, 1944: Time for a Friday Night Fights “Down Under” card at Sydney, Australia. No titles at stake, but two feature bouts of note matching fighters from around the globe. In the first co-feature, OPBF FW Champion Tsuneo Horiguchi faces a top 10 FW contender in American Leo Rodak. Interestingly, these two have met twice before, each winning once, so this is the rubber match. It’s a sluggish start from Rodak and Horiguchi seizes the initiative, causing some initial swelling to appear around Rodak’s left eye as early as round three. Midway through round five, a hard shot from Horiguchi finds its target, and Rodak crumples to the canvas, barely managing to beat the count. At the midway point, Horiguchi has a comfortable points lead (50-45) on the unofficial card. Into the second half of the bout, and Rodak is able to recover and bounce back with a strong round in the seventh. In round eight, however, Horiguchi puts Rodak down a second time and late in the round, Horiguchi catches an overly aggressive Rodak with a nice combination, putting Rodak down a third time. Despite being able to beat the count, Rodak appears unable to fend for himself, so the ref wisely steps in and calls a halt. TKO 7 for Horiguchi, lifting his career totals to 34-10-2 (18); the loss leaves Rodak at 30-14- 1 (7). In the second co-feature, WWs take to the ring, as Aussie fan favorite, reigning OPBF WW Champ Jack McNamee, takes on the well traveled Dutchman, Bep Van Klaveren. In the opening stanza, McNamee connects with a hard jab that draws blood, opening a cut over Van Klaveren’s left eye. The action continues to heat up in round two, with Van Klaveren landing sufficient blows to cause some initial puffiness to appear under McNamee’s right eye but, in the waning seconds, McNamee connects with a hard shot that sends Van Klaveren to the deck, but only briefly, and the bell sounds before McNamee can do further damage, but the Aussie fight fans are aroused by this development. It turns out the bout doesn’t last much longer, as early in round three, the cut over Van Klaveren’s eye is re-opened and deemed to serious to allow the bout to continue. Thus, McNamee is declared the TKO 3 victor, via a cuts stoppage. Post-bout career marks: McNamee, 34-10-1 (21); Van Klaveren, 39-17-9 (12). McNamee is now angling for a WBA title shot, while Van Klaveren will, unfortunately, hit Post-Prime career stage in his next outing.

Jan. 15, 1944: Next card takes place in Detroit, at the Briggs Stadium. Featured in the main event are two young LWs, both of whom recently have hit Prime, and both are looking to move up in the LW ranks, as Lenny “Boom Boom” Mancini faces Beau Jack. First meeting of the two, and the action picks up in round three, with Jack doing some damage by doing some good bodywork on the inside. With Mancini on his back foot, Jack continues to pile up points and has a huge lead on the unofficial card (50-45) at the midway point of this 10-rounder. Into the second half of the bout, and “Boom Boom,” somewhat belatedly, tries to step up the pace and become more aggressive, but fatigue has begun to set in, plus Jack has proved to be an elusive target. Late in round seven, Jack traps Mancini in the corner and hammers home a hook to the head; on wobbly legs, Mancini manages to cover up, clear his head and last the round. By round nine the left eye of Mancini has begun to close, showing the effects of Jack’s very accurate counterpunching. The bout goes to decision, and Jack takes a comfortable UD 10 (98-91, 95-94, 97-92) to improve to 21-2 (14), helping him move up the LW ranks. Mancini ends the bout at 22-8-3 (6).

Jan. 15, 1944: To the West Coast for the next fistic action in Los Angeles. Twin feature bouts, the first of which brings long-time HW contender Max Baer into the ring, where he faces the “Alameda Assassin,” Lou Nova. First meeting of the two, and the action heats up early in round two, when Nova catches Bear coming in with a sweet uppercut. Dazed, Max covers up and avoids trouble for the rest of the round. In round three, Max elects to stay outside, hoping to negate Nova’s power, and he almost succeeds until late in the round, when Nova connects with an overhand right that puts Baer down and out. Probably the end of Baer’s time as a top-flight HW contender, but for Nova, the KO 3 win is his first important victory, improving his record to 29-11-1 (24), and also earning him a spot among the top HWs. The loss leaves Baer at 37-19 (32). In the second co-feature, the USBA BW title is at stake as #1 ranked BW contender, Manuel Ortiz, defends the belt versus Georgie Pace. First meeting of the two and a key match for both who, as former WBA BW Champions, are looking to get back to the top. However, it may be a tough matchup for Pace, who hit Post-Prime career stage last year and appears to be at a significant disadvantage versus Ortiz, who certainly appears to be the fresher of the two. Ortiz looks sharp early and, by the end of the second round, there is some noticeable puffiness under the left eye of the challenger. In round three, Ortiz continues to hammer away until it is clear that Pace is clearly overmatched and offering little in the way of resistance. The ref steps in and calls a halt to the one-sided affair, so Ortiz keeps the title via a TKO 3 win. Post-bout career marks: Ortiz, 25-4-2 (15); Pace, 30-14-2 (20).

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This report covers fistic action from the second half of January 1944; no WBA title bouts are covered in this report.

Jan. 21, 1944: To Cuba’s Gran Stadium for a Friday night card. Featured is a LABF FW title bout, with two Cuban boxers locking horns, as National Kid challenges Diego Sosa for the belt Sosa won last year. No prior meetings, and a cautious start by both men who spend the opening few rounds probing for an opening. In fact, there is very little in the way of action until the waning seconds of round five, when Sosa connects with a perfect cross that sends Kid to the canvas. Kid barely makes it back to his feet after taking a seven count, and there is not enough time left in the round for Sosa to finish matters. By the midway point of the 12-rounder, there is a welt under right eye of the challenger and, despite the KD, Sosa trails Kid (57-56) on the unofficial scorecard. Into the second half of the bout and, while the stamina factor favors Sosa, the punches landed stats indicate a very close bout. Sosa seems to grow in confidence as the bout wears on, and Kid decides to apply more pressure as the bout heads into the later rounds. Early in round 11, Kid gets careless and goes down for the second time, this time from a strong combination fired by Sosa. Kid is able to resume, but the impact of a second KD is to put the bout almost out of reach at this late stage. Sosa eases up in the final round, and he coasts to a UD 12 (115-111, 114-112, 116-111) to keep the title against a highly regarded opponent. The win enables Sosa to run his career record to 18-3-1 (14); it also enables him to leapfrog several spots up the FW rankings. The loss leaves Kid at 23-4-2 (10).

Jan. 22, 1944: A pair of 10-round, non-title bouts top the next card, held at Johannesburg, South Africa. In the first co-feature, Flyweights do battle as Istvan Enekes, a long-time EBU Flyweight Champ, faces Small Montana, the reigning OPBF Fly titleholder. The two met once previously, with Enekes taking a UD 10, but that was over 10 years ago, when both were still at Pre-Prime. This time around, neither man seems to have the upper hand as the bout is quite close, at least in the opening few rounds of action. Beginning in round four, the bout begins to turn in Enekes’ favor, as he is the fresher of the two, with Montana having recently hit Post-Prime in his career. At the midway point, the unofficial card has Enekes ahead (by 49-46), and Montana is already showing signs of fatigue. In the later rounds, a frustrated Montana gets more and more aggressive, but it is not his style, and Enekes’ defense remains firm. Enekes goes on to take a comfortable UD 10 (98-92, 100-92, 98-92), lifting him to 41-14-2 (12) overall. The loss leaves Montana at 28-17-6 (10). In the second co-main event, two HWs take to the ring, as current Commonwealth HW Champion, Tommy Martin, the “British Brown Bomber,” takes on Junior “Indian” Munsell, a journeyman who has gradually worked his way up to a top 20 spot in the HW ranks. First meeting of these two and, for this bout, both are at Post-Prime. There is some decent action in the first couple of rounds, punctuated by a three-punch combo just before the bell in round two that stunned Martin. Encouraged, Munsell begins to take the fight to Martin, who is by far the more experienced of the two. By round five, Martin has worked his way into the fight, and he lands a hard cross that causes Munsell to cover up. After five, the unofficial scorecard has the bout even (48-48). Some hard-hitting action in round seven sees both fighters trying to manuever on the inside, with Munsell coming out on top, as Martin returned to his corner with a partially swollen right eye. Early in round eight, blood appears from a cut over Munsell’s right eye; however, the cut appears to have been caused by an accidental butt, and not a punch. Munsell’s focus shifts to defense, with Martin targeting the cut eye, and both men are exhausted as the bout heads to its conclusion. Munsell finishes strongly, and he does just enough to take a close UD 10 (96-95, 96-95, 97-94), winning the crucial final round on all three cards. Post-bout career marks: Munsell, 28-8 (21); Martin, 30-15-3 (19). Martin will hit End career stage after this bout.

Jan. 22, 1944: Next up is a card at New Orleans, with twin feature bouts, including a NABF title clash. In the first co-feature, two top 10 WW contenders take to the ring, as Izzy Jannazzo faces up-and-comer Marty Servo. It is the first meeting of the two and, for Servo, who has been rapidly moving up the ranks, it is a chance to take a big step up and solidify a spot as a legitimate title threat. (Servo arrives at this point having won six of his last seven, the only loss coming via a TKO to WBA Champ Henry Armstrong.) Jannazzo, on the other hand, is on the comeback trail after having lost his USBA WW title late last year to Eddie Dolan. The bout is an extremely close one through the first few rounds, with both fighters looking for an opening and finding none. At the midway point, the unofficial scorer at ringside has the bout even (48-48), with the momentum in Jannazzo’s favor, having awarded him the last two rounds. Both the punches landed stats and stamina factors give a slight edge to the more experienced Jannazzo. Jannazzo takes command with a strong round in round seven, and he seems to be getting stronger as the bout wears on. The bout goes the distance, and a late surge from Servo keeps the outcome in doubt until the cards are read, and Jannazzo escapes as a SD 10 winner (97-95, 94-98, 97-95). With the win, Jannazzo improves to 37-7-4 (13). The loss drops Servo to 25-4 (10). In the finale, the NABF BW title is on the line, with David Kui Kong Young defending versus challenger Benny Goldberg, a former WBA BW Champion. It is the first meeting of the two, and it is Kui Kong Young’s sixth defense he won in 1941. A solid start by Goldberg combined with a sluggish start by Kui Kong Young suggests that the title may be in jeopardy. A huge action round in the fifth sees both men landing some telling blows, and Goldberg’s right eye showed signs of swelling as Kui Kong Young seemed to be getting on the right track after the slow start. At the midway point, the unofficial scorer at ringside has Goldberg ahead (59-56). Into the second half of the bout, Kui Kong Young tries to be more aggressive, but he struggles with his timing, plus Goldberg is proving to be an elusive target. Late in round nine, a Goldberg cross rocks Kui Kong Young back on his heels, all while drawing blood from a cut over the left eye of the Champ. Despite the best efforts from Goldberg’s corner, the cut continues to ooze blood in round 10. In round 11, the cut over Kui Kong Young’s eye is reopened and, this time, it results in an immediate stoppage. Goldberg is awarded the belt via a TKO 11. Post-bout career marks: Goldberg, 26-3-2 (13); Kui Kong Young, 29-2-4 (16). A peek at the judges’ cards showed Goldberg well ahead on all three, so it is unlikely that the cut affected the overall outcome.

Jan. 28, 1944: South of the border for a Friday Night card at Mexico City. In the main event, Mexican fan favorite Baby Arizmendi is in action, making his first defense of the LABF LW title against Pedro Montanez, who was the man Arizmendi defeated to capture the belt in 1942. Since that time, Arizmendi moved up to win the WBA LW title but then lost it, while in the meantime, he has been allowed to keep the lesser LABF title. In the rematch, Arizmendi’s superior boxing skills are apparent from the beginning, and he dominates most of the action in the early going. At the midway point, a check of the unofficial scorecard shows a solid points edge (59-56) for Arizmendi. By round seven, there is noticeable swelling under the left eye of the challenger. The second half of the bout follows a similar pattern to the first, with Arizmendi’s boxing and defensive skills negating the power of Montanez. However, the bout does not go the distance; the swelling around Montanez’s eye worsens, and a late stoppage results in a TKO 11 for Arizmendi, lifting his career totals to 49-10-4 (11); for Montanez, the loss signals the end of a 14-year ring career, ending with a final record of 35-18 (17).

Jan. 29, 1944: To London for a packed card at the Earls Court. Twin features top the agenda, and, in the first of these, long-time GBU MW Champ (and now also the Commonwealth MW titleholder) Jock McAvoy, the “Rochdale Thunderbolt,” faces visiting American MW contender Ben “the Belter” Brown. First meeting of these two in a non-title contest scheduled to go 10 rounds. After a couple of placid opening rounds, Brown comes out firing, assuming the role of aggressor for most of the early going. Brown has the early edge in terms of the punches landed and, after a huge round four, he has the (now at Post-Prime) McAvoy on the defensive. At the halfway point, the unofficial scorecard also favors Brown by a fairly substantial margin (50-46). Looking to turn things around, McAvoy steps up the pace, going on the attack in the second half of the bout. Brown switches tactics, laying back on the outside, moving out of range, while McAvoy tires himself out and is ineffective as bout reaches the later rounds. The contest goes the distance, with Brown a well deserved UD 10 victor (99-90, 97-93, 98-91) to run his career record to 31-8-3 (19), lifting him even higher up in the MW ranks. McAvoy, who seems like a shot fighter at this point, ends the bout at 40-19-6 (26). In the second co-feature, the GBU Flyweight title is at stake, as Jackie Brown, now a five-time holder of this particular belt, defends it versus challenger Jimmy Gill, the “Fighting Jockey.” Interestingly, the two met once before – back in 1942 – with Gill prevailing via a UD. This time around, with a title on the line and Brown nearing the end of his career, Gill’s chances seem excellent. After a couple of pedestrian opening rounds, Gill moves inside to do some major damage in round three. More of the same in the next few rounds, and Gill has a solid edge in the punches landed stats and, at the midway point, the unofficial scorer has him way in front (60-54), winning all six rounds. Into the second half of the bout and it’s more of the same, with Brown gradually reaching the point of exhaustion as he is unable to break through Gill’s excellent defense. The bout goes the rest of the distance without incident and, to the surprise of many observers, one judge has Brown as the winner, but the other two combine to award Gill the title via a SD 12 (118-111, 113-116, 117-112), scores that indicate a much closer bout that the punches landed stats would indicate. Post-bout career marks: Gill, 35-12-4 (11); Brown, 41-22-5 (12).

Jan. 29, 1944: The month’s action wraps up with a card at New York City’s Madison Square Garden. The co-features headlining the agenda include a USBA title bout, preceded by some non-title action involving two top LH contenders, each of whom holds a regional title. But first, in one of the preliminary bouts, it is the end of the line for long time LH contender “Slapsie Maxie” Rosenbloom, who falls to Melia Bettina via a KO 6, wrapping up a distinguished 22-year ring career with an overall record of 55-20-6 (18). Then, in the first co-feature, USBA LH titleholder Archie Moore takes on GBU LH Champ Freddie Mills. After a couple of non-descript opening rounds, Moore moves inside and takes charge with a strong round three. After another good round in the fifth, Moore is well on his way to a points win, according to the unofficial card (which has him well ahead by a 50-45 count). Near the end of round six, Moore snaps Mills’ head back with a hard hook and, with Mills unable to fend for himself, the ref steps in to call a halt. TKO 6 for Moore, improving his record to 28-3-4 (20), and also solidifying his position as #1 LH contender. The loss leaves Mills at 24-9-1 (14) and further underscores his inability to compete against the upper echelon of LH contenders. In the final bout on the card, Allen Matthews makes his fourth defense of the USBA MW title, facing George Abrams, the man he defeated to capture the belt in 1942. Given the fact that Matthews recently hit the Post-Prime stage of his career, Abrams is hoping for a different result this time around. The action heats up early, when, midway through the opening round, Abrams decks Matthews with a hard shot; after taking an eight count before arising, an obviously hurt Matthews covers up and manages to last the round. Abrams continues to hammer away in round two, dominating the action and causing some puffiness to appear around Matthews’ right eye. However, a minute into round three, the tables are turned as Matthews gets in a hook that sends Abrams tumbling to the canvas. With the KD count now tied at one apiece, the battle between these two continues into the middle rounds, with Abrams holding a wide lead in the punches landed stats. At the midway point, the unofficial scorecard has Abrams with a narrow one-point lead (58-57). Heading into the second half of the bout, Matthews is the aggressor, but it is clear that Abrams is the fitter of the two, as he gradually begins to wear down his opponent. With stamina now a key factor, Matthews is simply unable to mount a rally, so the bout goes the full 12, and the UD 12 goes to Abrams (118-108, 117-109, 117-109) who regains the title he once held previously. Post-bout career marks: Abrams, 25-6-2 (10); Matthews, 36-16-5 (25).