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This report covers fistic action from the second half of March 1945. Two WBA title bouts are included, along with quite a few regional title contests.

Mar. 17, 1945: Two European title bouts top the next card at the Ullevi Stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden. In the first co-feature, Aldo Spoldi makes the first defense of the EBU LH title belt in over three years, accepting a challenge from journeyman Hirsch Demsitz. One prior bout, in Rome in 1939, resulted in a UD 10 for Spoldi. This time around, the action picks up midway through round two, when Demsitz decks Spoldi with an overhand right that lands flush on the chin; Spoldi picks himself off the canvas and manages to last the round after successfully covering up. Demsitz keeps up the pressure, aided by the fact that Spoldi has recently hit Post-Prime career stage. Demsitz goes on to forge a points advantage (58-55 on the unofficial card) at the midway point. Spoldi bounces back with a strong round in the seventh, after which Demsitz returns to his corner with a rapidly swelling right eye. Spoldi continues to press the action on the inside, forcing Demsitz into a defensive position as he piles an impressive lead in terms of the punches landed stat. The bout takes a turn in round 10, when Demsitz is able to rip open a cut over Spoldi’s right eye. With both fighters battling to the end, the bout goes the distance, and Spoldi is able to escape with the belt, retaining the title via a narrow SD 12 (114-113, 113-114, 115-112). Post-bout career marks: Spoldi, 46-12-6 (17); Demsitz, 31-16-5 (6). In the second co-feature, former WBA MW Champ, Marcel Cerdan, the “Casablanca Clouter,” is back in action, defending his EBU MW title versus Luc Van Dam, in a re-run of their 1944 bout contesting the same belt that resulted in a UD 12 win for Cerdan. In this rematch, Cerdan wastes little time, finding the range with a big right hand that puts Van Dam on the canvas late in round two. When Van Dam arises, there is not enough time remaining in the round for Cerdan to finish matters. Midway through round five, another hard shot from Cerdan sends the Dutch challenger to the deck for a second time; once again, an effective use of the cover up strategy enables Van Dam to remain in the fight. A the midway point, it is apparent that Cerdan has matters well in hand; he has a large lead (60-53) on the unofficial scorer’s card. In the second half of the bout, Cerdan continues to hammer away at his hapless and overmatched opponent, effectively stamping out all resistance. In the final few rounds, the Dutch challenger is hampered even further by a badly swollen right eye. A third KD late in round 10 helps nail down a dominating points win, as the lopsdided UD 12 for Cerdan (118-107, 117-108, 118-106) lifts the Frenchman to 40-6-3 (27), setting him up for a possible WBA title shot later in the year. The loss leaves Van Dam with a career mark of 21-7 (11).

Mar. 17, 1945: The scene shifts to New Orleans, and the Coliseum Arena for a solid card topped by a HW contest as, Jack Trammell, who has held the USBA HW title since 1941, has finally been forced into a mandatory title defense against the recently dethroned NABF HW Champ, Jersey Joe Walcott. Walcott, who prevailed in their one prior encounter when Trammell unsuccessfully challenged for the NABF belt, is a huge favorite in this rematch. A sluggish start from Trammell gives Walcott an opportunity to demonstrate his superior boxing skills, dominating the action in the early rounds. Then, in round five, Walcott goes on the offensive, ripping open a cut under Trammell’s right eye, and Walcott continues hammering away until the ref steps in to call a halt. The bout goes in the books as a TKO 5 for Walcott, who captures the USBA title he held once previously, from 1938 to 1940 and improves to 51-8 (30) overall. Trammell, who will be at Post-Prime with his next outing, ends the bout at 35-17-1 (17).

Mar. 23, 1945: Next is a Friday night card at Havana’s Gran Stadium. A pair of top 10 FW contenders are matched in the main event, with former WBA FW Champ Simon Chavez facing, for the third time, Leo Rodak, with Chavez having prevailed in both their prior meetings. After a fairly indifferent start by both fighters, the bout devolves into a taut, tactical battle. At the midway point, the unofficial scorecard shows a slight edge (48-47) for Rodak. In the second half of the bout, Chavez becomes more and more aggressive, but in the end, he is unable to break through Rodak’s defenses. The end result is a solid UD 10 (98-93, 97-94, 97-94) for Rodak. Post-bout career records: Rodak, 33-15-1 (8); Chavez, 37-22-4 (9) – a fairly routine if uninspiring win for Rodak, aided by the fact that Chavez was at Post-Prime career stage.

Mar. 24, 1945: A huge crowd has assembled for the next fistic action at New York City’s Madison Square Garden. A WBA title fight tops the card, amply supported by a couple of regional (NABF and USBA) title bouts. Before these bouts take place, unbeaten MW Jake LaMotta runs his record to 21-0 (17) with a lopsided UD 10 (96-94, 97-93, 97-93) over fellow prospect Al Priest. Then, in the first the two main supporting bouts, Holman Williams faces Freddie Apostoli for Williams’ NABF MW title. This bout is the fourth meeting of these two, with Williams having won twice before, although Apostoli prevailed in their most recent encounter, in which the WBA MW title was at stake. This time around, Williams takes a careful and methodical approach, grinding his way to a solid points lead (59-55) at the midway point, and, by the midway point, there is a trace of swelling under Apostoli’s left eye as a result. Then, in round seven, a sharp jab from Williams rips open a cut over the right eye of the challenger. The cut remains to be a problem and worsens until it is reopened, leading to a stoppage midway through the ninth round. The TKO 9 enables Williams to avenge the prior defeat, retaining his NABF belt while improving to 46-9-1 (22); the loss leaves Apostoli at 34-13-2 (24). In the second of the two main supports, Archie Moore puts his USBA LH title on the line, facing challenger Harry Matthews. First meeting of the two, and late in round one, Moore serves notice when he stuns Matthews with a sharp combination. Matthews is able to survive the round by covering up. After the opening round fireworks, the bout settles into a tactical battle and, by the end of round four, Matthews has recovered and landed sufficient leather to cause some initial puffiness under the left eye of Moore. A peek at the unofficial scorecard at the halfway point of the bout shows Moore is in jeopardy of losing his title, as it had Matthews up by three (59-56). By round eight, Moore had begun to apply more pressure, causing noticeable swelling under the left eye of the challenger. Then, suddenly, near the end of round eight, Moore lands a hard shot that decks Matthews; the challenger barely beats the count, arising on wobbly legs, but – fortunately for Matthews -- the bell sounds before Moore can do further damage. Into the final few rounds, and it is clear that Moore has done enough to turn the bout around. In round 10, Matthews goes down a second time, this the result of a Moore combination. The bout goes the rest of the way without incident, and the two KDs are sufficient to enable Moore to retain the title via a UD 12 (116-110, 118-108, 116-110). Post-bout records: Moore, 33-3-4 (23); Matthews, 24-5 (17). After this, the crowd is treated to a WBA WW title contest, with Henry “Homicide Hank” Armstrong facing challenger Marty Servo in Armstrong’s 13th defense of the WBA WW title he has held since late 1939. The two met once before, in 1943, with a 13th round TKO for Armstrong enabling him to keep the title at that time. Servo, who previously handed “Sugar” Ray Robinson his first career loss. This time around,a strong start from Servo serves notice to the now Post-Prime Armstrong that the outcome of this bout could well be different. Armstrong recovers from his slow start and is able to forge a points lead (49-47) on the unofficial card at the five round mark. However, at this point, the punches landed stats favor the challenger, so Armstrong bears down and attempts to apply more pressure in the middle rounds. By the end of round 10, a more energized Armstrong has pulled further ahead (99-93 on the unofficial card). In the final third of the bout, Servo assumes the role of aggressor, and he manages to cause some swelling under Armstrong’s right eye. The bout goes the distance and, to the surprise of many, Servo’s aggressive in the final few rounds pays off, as he takes a SD 15 (144-141, 142-143, 144-141), bringing an end to Armstrong’s six-year run as WBA WW Champion. Post-bout, the win enables Servo to improve to 24-5 (11). The loss drops Armstrong to 45-8-3 (38). Another Fight of the Year candidate for its historical importance, but it lacked some of the dramatic action in past title bouts that were close.

Mar. 30, 1945: Final Friday night card of the month takes place at Phoenix’s Dodge Theatre. In the main event, two LWs take to the ring, as Lenny “Boom Boom” Mancini faces Lew “Sweetwater Swatter” Jenkins. One prior meeting, in Atlantic City in 1942, saw Jenkins way away a UD 10 victor. Since that time, Mancini has moved ahead of Jenkins in the LW rankings. In this rematch, the punches landed stats favor Jenkins as the bout’s early rounds are in the books. By the midway point, the unofficial scorecard has Jenkins ahead (59-56); however, Mancini has managed to land some telling blows, enough to cause an initial trace of swelling under Jenkins’ left eye. In the second half of the bout, Mancini works inside, seeking to penetrate Jenkins’ defenses with rapier-like thrusts. In round nine, Mancini connects with a hard cross that causes Jenkins’ knees to buckle, but he covers up and remains upright and lands the round. However, in the final round, it is Jenkins who lands a hard shot, sending an off-balance Mancini tumbling to the deck. Mancini manages to regain his footing and finish the bout, but the damage has been done. Jenkins goes on to take a UD 10 (99-91, 96-93, 98-92) in a bout that was much closer than the final scorecards might indicate. Post-bout marks: 30-7-3 (14) for Jenkins; 25-10-3 (6) for Mancini.

Mar. 31, 1945: The month wraps with a WBA title fight topping a big card at London’s Harringay Arena. First up is the main supporting bout, a 10-round non-title matchup of Commonwealth and GBU HW Champ Tommy Farr, who faces Belgian veteran Karel Sys for the first time. Sys gets off to a strong start when he decks Farr with a hard shot near the end of the opening round. Farr is able to beat the count, and there is not enough time left in the round for Sys to finish matters. By the end of round three, Farr has managed to steady himself, working his way into the bout. By the midway point, the unofficial scorecard has Sys ahead (48-47), largely the result of the first round knockdown. In the second half of the bout, Sys remains the more aggressive of the two, keeping the pressure on the more-defensive minded Farr. Farr’s defense holds up until the final minute, when a barrage of blows from Sys sends him to the canvas for the second time. Farr is able to resume, and the bout goes to decision. On the strength of the two knockdowns, Sys walks away a UD 10 winner (98-92, 97-91, 96-92), running his career record to 40-16- 1 (18), and the loss leaves Farr, now one step closer to retirement, at 53-22-4 (16). The main event, for the WBA Flyweight title, is a rematch of a recent encounter that saw Ireland’s Rinty Monaghan prevail by a split duke in October 1944; since then, Kane turned back a challenge from Frenchman Valentin Angelmann to retain the EBU Flyweight title. Kane, with two prior wins over Monaghan earlier in their respective careers, is confident of victory. Some good power punching on the inside by both fighters in the early rounds, and Kane seems to have the upper hand. After the first five rounds, Kane has a solid points lead (50-45) on the unofficial scorer’s card. Midway through round six, Kane jolts Monaghan with a quick hook to the head, forcing Monaghan to cover up. By round seven, with Kane continuing to attack, there is some initial swelling under the left eye of the defending Champ. Monaghan bounces back with a strong round in the eighth, causing some initial swelling around the right eye of the challenger. While Monaghan has managed to gradually work his way into the bout, the unofficial card still favors Kane (by a count of 98-92) headed into the final five rounds. In the final few rounds, Monaghan is clearly the aggressor, but he is unable to put Kane on the canvas or to land a telling blow. By round 14, an increasingly frustrated Monaghan has resorted to some fouling tactics and, after being warned repeatedly, he is called for holding and hitting, and Kane is awarded the title via a controversial DQ 14. Post-bout career marks: Kane, 32-6-1 (13); Monaghan, 36-10-1 (11). A peek at the scorecards after 13 round indicated a close bout, with Kane well ahead on one judge’s card, but the bout was close to even on the other two, so a tough way to lose a WBA title for Monaghan.