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This report covers fistic action from the first half of March 1945. One WBA title bout is included.

Mar. 2, 1945: First card is a Friday night affair at Boston Garden. No titles at stake, but a twin bill of co-main events tops the card, with American figthers taking on some of the best from overseas. In the first of these, Jimmy Bivins, “the Cleveland Spider Man,” is in action versus Adolf Heuser, the “Bulldog of the Rhine,” a former WBA and EBU LH Champ. First meeting of the two, and Bivins sees this as an opportunity to build on a 20-2-2 career start by claiming a big scalp if he can defeat the ex-Champ. Bivins looks sharp early, keeping Heuser off guard with a strong, two-fisted attack. Thus, Bivins is able to forge a solid early lead on the unofficial card (49-46) by the midway point of the bout. Into the second half of the bout, and Heuser becomes increasingly frustrated by Bivins, who exhibits the ring savvy of a veteran as he manages to negate Heuser’s power with some solid defense. In a workmanlike performance, Bivins is able to grind out an impressive UD 10 win (99-91, 100-90, 99-91) over the ex-Champ, who was at Post-Prime for this bout and clearly showing the effects of too many ring battles. Post-bout career marks: Bivins, 21-2-2 (16); Heuser, 41-18-2 (19). In the second co-feature, another former WBA Champ, MW Charley Burley, still on the comeback trail, tests his mettle against unbeaten Aussie Dave Sands, who (if one checks a couple of posts back) was honored as the top Newcomer of the Year in 1944. With no prior meetings, it’s a long feeling out process as the two get acquainted. Sands tries to work his way inside but his efforts prove futile as Burley exhibits solid defensive technique to sidestep the blows and land some good countershots of his own. By the end of round four, there is a welt forming under the left eye of Sands which has been a target of Burley’s accurate punches. At the halfway point of the bout, the unofficial card has Burley up by two (48-46), which seems generous to Sands, who trails badly in the punches landed count. Burley continues to move around the ring, providing an elusive target for the flat-footed Sands. Then, late in round seven, a two-fisted assault from Burley drops the Aussie to the deck, but Sands is saved by the bell, denying Burley a KO victory. However, Sands has managed to land a few good shots, enough to cause of trace of puffiness around Burley’s left eye. The bout proceeds to decision without further incident, as Burley (confident of victory) eases up in the final few rounds; he is rewarded with a well earned UD 10 (97-91, 97-91, 97-90) to run his career totals to an impressive 37-2 (25), and perhaps another title shot will be in the offing. For Sands, his first career loss leaves him at 22-1 (15), and he still has the Commonwealth MW title to fall back on.

Mar. 3, 1945: The scene shifts to the UK and specifically, the Stadium in Liverpool which has been rarely used in recent years. Featured in the main event are two FWs competing for the GBU FW title, with veteran Dave Crowley defending against the “Aldgate Tiger,” Al Phillips. This is the third meeting of the two, who split their earlier two bouts, each winning once. In their most recent meeting, in London in November, Crowley prevailed via a controversial DQ stoppage. In this rematch, Crowley moves inside and is the aggressor in the early rounds. Phillips is able to hold his own, and the action heats up in round five, with Crowley opening up a cut over Phillips’ left eye, but at the same time, Phillips has been able to cause some initial swelling under both of Crowley’s eyes. A peek at the unofficial card after six rounds are in he books reveals a close bout, as the scores are even (57-57). Into the second half of the bout, and Crowley continues trying to bull his way inside, while Phillips adroitly mixes attack and defensive postures. In round 10, Crowley is able to reopen the cut over Phillips’ eye, but the cut is not a factor, as Phillips’ defense remains solid, and he walks away with the title, a UD 12 winner (115-113, 115-113, 116-113) to improve to 24-5-1 (11) overall. Crowley, who still has two other title belts (Commonwealth and EBU) to hang on to, ends the bout at 39-28-1 (15).

Mar. 9, 1945: Next is a Friday night card at Johannesburg, with a double feature in terms of the main events, although no titles are at stake. In the first co-feature, a pair of top 10 WWs take to the ring, as Izzy Jannazzo travels from the States to face German Gustav Eder. Each of these guys have held regional titles in the past, and, in their one prior meeting, in Mexico City back in 1940, the two battled to a draw. Lots of probing and feinting as the two circle each other, looking for openings, in the opening stages of the bout, which is a close one. At the midway point, the unofficial scorecard shows a slight edge (48-47) for Jannazzo. In the second half of the bout, Eder steps up the pace, becoming more and more aggressive as the rounds tick off. However, the punches landed stats as well as the stamina factor strongly favor Jannazzo, who sticks and moves his way to a close but UD 10 (96-95, 96-95, 97-94). Post-bout career records: Jannazzo, 41-8-4 (13); Eder, 45-14-10 (9). Heavyweights take to the ring in the finale as former WBA and EBU HW Champ Max Schmeling, now in the twilight of his career, faces Bob Pastor, in a 10-round, non-title affair. The two met once before, in 1943 in Berlin, with Schmeling prevailing via an early stoppage. This time around, with Schmeling now at Post-Prime career stage, Pastor hopes to reverse that result. In the early rounds, Schmeling is able to turn back the clock, landing repeatedly until some puffiness appears under Pastor’s left eye in round four. After the first five, the unofficial card has the bout as even (48-48), as Pastor has done well to hold his own. By round six, Schmeling’s left eye has begun to puff up, as Pastor, who has been working from the outside for most of the bout, has proved to be fairly effective in countering Schmeling’s jab. It is not until round nine when Max finally breaks through Pastor’s defense, dropping the American fighter with a strong combination. Pastor scrambles to his feet and is able to survive the round without further damage by effective use of the cover up strategy. The bout goes the distance, due to the late KD and the German’s aggressiveness, Schmeling is rewarded with a UD 10 (98-94, 99-93, 98-94) to push his career record to 69-8-1 (45). The loss drops Pastor to 30-10-3 (13).

Mar. 10, 1945: A huge crowd has assembled for the next fistic action at Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens. A WBA title bout tops the card, amply supported by an NABF title bout featuring Canada’s former WBA LW Champion Dave Castilloux, who once again is challenging Bob Montgomery for the latter’s NABF LW title. The Montgomery-Castilloux bout is a rematch of a late 1943 encounter for this very same belt which saw Montgomery walk away as a SD 12 victor. Starting in round three, Castilloux seizes the initiative as he works his way inside, angling for an advantage; some good defensive technique from Montgomery manages to keep the Canadian challenger at bay. In round five, a devastating hook from Montgomery forces Castilloux to take a seat on the canvas. After bouncing up at the count of two, Castilloux covers up to last the round – but the damage has been done. The 10-8 in the fifth round contributes to a wide points advantage for Montgomery at the midway point (60-53 on the unofficial card, which has the American titleholder winning all six rounds). Into the second half of the bout, and there is a trace of swelling around the right eye of Castilloux, who has been taking a beating to this point. Even some encouragement from the crowd is insufficient to rally the Canadian challenger, and Montgomery goes on to take a rather convincing UD 12 (118-109, 120-108, 119-108) to retain the belt. Post-bout records: Montgomery, 27-2-2 (15); Castilloux, 33-15-3 (9). After this, the crowd is treated to a WBA BW title contest, with Brit Johnny King defending that title, facing a challenge from reigning USBA BW Champ David Kui Kong Young. This represents the third meeting of the two, and there has yet to be a decisive result, as the prior two bouts both ended in draws. This time, there is hope in the challenger’s corner for a better result, as King has finally hit Post-Prime career stage. At the outset of the third round, Kui Kong Young finds the range with a sharp combination; King hits the deck but recovers in time, regaining his footing as the count reached six and then wisely covering up to last the round. By the end of the third round, there is already a bit of puffiness under the right eye of the Champion. After a couple of more rounds of action, the unofficial card has the challenger with a nice points lead (49-45) a third of the way into the bout. In the middle rounds, the swelling under King’s eye worsens, but in round seven, the ref deducts a point from Kui Kong Young for repeated low blows. Working mostly on the inside, King has managed to stabilize the situation and close the gap somewhat in the middle rounds; after 10, the unofficial scorer has Kui Kong Young still in front, however (this time by a count of 96-92). Sensing his title slipping away, an aggressive King continues to press in the final rounds, but by this time, fatigue has set in, and Kui Kong Young hangs on to lift the belt via a UD 15 (144-139, 143-141, 142-141), running his career record to 33-3-4 (17) in the process. The loss leaves King at 60-10-4 (25).

Mar. 10, 1945: Chicago’s Comiskey Park sets the scene for the next fight card. The main event is a NABF LH title clash, with Lloyd Marshall defending versus challenger Young Joe Louis, who has been rising steadily through the LH ranks; it is the first meeting of the two, and the first title bout of any kind for Louis. Louis, who won his last five and 13 of his last 14 coming into the bout, gives a good accounting of himself, holding his own through the early stages of the bout. After a sluggish start, Marshall gets on track with a strong fifth round, landing some heavy leather that causes some initial swelling under the right eye of the challenger. By the midway point, Marshall has the points lead (59-56) on the unofficial card. Louis manages to keep the bout close but, as the rounds tick off, Marshall’s superior stamina begins to tell. In round 11, Marshall manages to rip open a cut over Louis’ injured eye. The bout goes the distance, and Marshall takes a well earned UD 12 (117-113, 118-111, 118-111) for his fifth successful defense of the NABF title. With the win, Marshall improves to 28-5-3 (24); the loss leaves Louis at 28-11-1 (14).

Mar. 16, 1945: Next up is another Friday night fight “Down Under” card at Melbourne, Australia. This time, twin OPBF title contests are on the agenda, both at the lighter weight classes. In the first co-feature, Small Montana faces Japanese challenger Yochiro Hanada for the fourth time, with Montana’s OPBF Flyweight title at stake; in their three prior meetings, all three results (a win, a draw and a loss for each) have taken place. Strong start from the challenger, who gains the upper hand in the early going, taking advantage of the fact that Montana has reached End career stage. At the midway point, Hanada has a nice points lead (59-56), according to the unofficial scorecard. Montana aggressively presses forward in the second half of the bout, but Hanada’s defense remains firm. Hanada takes a UD 12 (116-114, 115-114, 118-111), securing the win with a strong finish in the final few rounds. Post-bout records: Hanada, 33-16-4 (8); Montana, 28-20-6 (10). In the second co-feature, it’s another matchup of two familiar foes, as Aussie Mickey Miller faces Little Pancho for Miller’s OPBF BW title. This is the fifth meeting of the two, with Pancho having won in all four of their prior contests. However, this time around, Miller has the advantage of (1) a favorable hometown crowd; (2) the fact he is defending a title; and (3) that Pancho is now at Post-Prime career stage. Miller is the aggressor from the early stages of the bout, and he has the upper hand which translates into a points advantage on the unofficial card (59-56) at the halfway point. In the second half of the bout, Miller continues to apply pressure by working on the inside. Additionally, the Aussie has a definite stamina advantage over his Filipino challenger. However, some strong counterpunching by Pancho in round 10 result in some swelling around Miller’s right eye, so the Filipino is keeping his hopes alive. The bout goes down to the wire and, to the great disappointment of the pro-Miller crowd, Pancho is able to come from behind to take a controversial SD 12 (115-112, 113-114, 114-113) to capture the OPBF title belt for the third time, running his career record to 49-14-8 (10); the loss drops Miller to 34-15-2 (19). A crucial call from the referee in the final round of the bout, deducting a point from Miller for hitting low, contributed to Miller’s narrow points loss.