[JCWeb]

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

Apr. 20, 1945: Continuation of the Friday night fights “Down Under” series with what proves to be a rather thin card (just three bouts) at Melbourne. In the featured main event, the OPBF WW title is at stake, with former Champ Jack McNamee attempting to regain the title, challenging Alan Westbury for the belt. Third meeting of the two, with each having won once previously. This time around, in the second round, McNamee draw first blood (literally) when he rips open a cut over Westbury’s right eye. After the cut is closed between rounds, Westbury strikes back late in round three, flooring McNamee with a solid cross. The count reaches seven before McNamee struggles to his feet; fortunately for him, the bell sounds before Westbury can inflict further damage. Late in round four, a second KD occurs, this time the result of a Westbury hook that finds its target. Then, in round five, more trouble for McNamee as Westbury connects with an uppercut that causes a cut to appear over McNamee’s right eye. More surprises to come in round six, however, as McNamee is able to turn things around, ripping open a cut over Westbury’s left eye, then a re-opening of the original cut over the right eye proves too much. The ref, after consultation with the ring physician, calls a halt, and McNamee is declared a TKO 6 victor, due to the cuts stoppage, despite the two knockdowns that had Westbury ahead on points. Post-bout records: McNamee, 36-13-1 (23); Westbury, 28-11-3 (15).

Apr. 21, 1945: The scene shifts to Europe, specifically the Ullevi Stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden. Twin bill main events top the agenda; the first of these matches the recently crowned LABF HW Champion, Arturo Godoy, who has reached top 10 contender status as a result. Godoy’s opponent is rugged Swedish HW Olle Tandberg, who will enjoy the support of the hometown crowd in this 10-round, non-title bout, representing the first meeting of the two. Tandberg looks sharp in the opening few rounds, forcing Godoy into a more aggressive posture. However, midway through the fifth round, Tandberg is warned for hitting low, but then, in a surprising move, the German ref rules the fouling to be blatant, and Tandberg is immediately disqualified. The DQ-5 lifts Godoy to 37-17 (15). The loss leaves Tandberg at 16-4-3 (5). Next is the second co-feature, which matches Bep Van Klaveren and Ernie Roderick for the EBU WW title, currently held by Van Klaveren. In two prior meetings, the Dutchman, Van Klaveren, has not lost, winning once and drawing once. Two boxers doing battle, and therefore a slow development with little in the way of aggressive action through the opening rounds. Roderick gradually builds a solid edge in the punches landed stat and, at the midway point, he is up by one (58-57) on the unofficial scorecard. In the second half of the bout, Van Klaveren, sensing his title slipping away, goes on the offense, while Roderick is content to stay on the outside. The bout proceeds the rest of the way without incident, as Roderick’s defense remains solid, so he takes the title belt with a UD 12 (116-112, 116-112, 115-113). Post-bout records: Roderick, 33-16-4 (7); Van Klaveren, 40-19-10 (12). It should be noted that Van Klaveren was at Post-Prime for this bout, which greatly increased Roderick’s chances for success.

Apr. 21, 1945: Back to the West Coast for the next card, this time at the Cow Palace in San Francisco. The NABF BW title is on the line in the featured bout, with Tommy Forte facing challenger Manuel Ortiz, a former WBA BW Champion. Second meeting of the two; in 1943, Ortiz came out on top via a MD 12 for the USBA BW title. This time around, with the NABF title at stake, Ortiz gets off to a solid start, putting Forte on the back foot for most of the opening few rounds. In round four, Forte moves inside and begins to have better success with a more aggressive posture. Then, midway through the fifth round, a combination from Ortiz sends Forte toppling to the canvas; Forte is able to beat the count, and then he covers up in an attempt to last the round. However, Ortiz’s killer instinct has kicked in, and he finishes off Forte with a picture perfect combination that puts Forte down and out with less than half a minute remaining in the round. KO 5 for Ortiz, who captures the NABF belt and improves to 27-6-2 (16) with the win. Forte ends the bout at 33-6-2 (12).

Apr. 27, 1945: To Manila’s Rizal Arena for the next card, and the main event pits Filipino veteran Little Dado, now at Post-Prime, against unbeaten British Flyweight prospect Terry Allen. It is the first meeting of the two, and a strong start by the younger fighter, Allen, puts the pressure on Dado. By round four, there is noticeable swelling under Dado’s right eye. By the midway point, Allen’s early pressure has paid off, enabling him to fashion an early points lead (49-46) on the unofficial card. As the bout wears on, things only get worse for Dado, as midway through round eight, Allen rips open a cut over Dado’s left eye. Then, in the final round, Allen rains a combination of blows to the head and bogey, dropping Dado for a six count. The bout goes to decision, and, to no surprise, Allen takes a fairly comfortable UD 10 (98-91, 98-91, 96-93) to remain undefeated. Post-bout marks: Allen, 18-0 (3); Dado, 31-8-1 (13). Many see Allen, now two bouts away from hitting Prime, as poised to challenge for a title soon.

Apr. 28, 1945: London’s Earls Court is the venue for the next fistic action, and twin GBU title bouts in the lower weight classes top the agenda. First of the two co-features is for the GBU Flyweight title, with “the Fighting Jockey,” Jimmy Gill, facing challenger Teddy Gardner, a former Commonwealth Flyweight Champ. One prior meeting, back in 1943, resulted in a UD 12 for Gardner. Solid start from Gill, who piles up an early points lead. By the midway points, Gardner has worked his way into the bout, and a solid uppercut from Gardner rips open a cut over Gill’s right eye. The unofficial scorer has the bout even (57-57) at the midway point. More problems for Gill in round seven, as some initial swelling emerges around the left eye of the defending Champ. The issue remains in doubt until the final few rounds; in round 10, the cut over Gill’s eye is reopened, and Gardner goes on the offensive in rounds 11 and 12, while Gill focuses on protecting the injured eye. The bout goes the rest of the way without further incident, and Gill ekes out a SD 12 (115-114, 114-115, 116-113) and barely manages to keep the belt. The win lifts Gill to 37-14-4 (12); the loss leaves Gardner at 23-5-1 (10). In the second co-feature, it is another re-match, with Ritchie Tanner making the first defense of his GBU BW title in over a year, facing Norman Lewis, who holds both the EBU and Commonwealth BW titles, neither of which is at stake in this particular contest. In one prior meeting, for the EBU title, Lewis came out on top. In the opening rounds, Lewis is the more aggressive of the two, but Tanner is the more accurate puncher. By the midway point, Tanner has forged a solid points lead (59-55), according to the unofficial scorecard. In the second half of the bout, Lewis tries to be more aggressor, but the bout comes to a sudden end when, just seconds into the eighth round, Lewis twists his hand and is forced to abandon the bout. Tanner thus retains the title via a TKO 8, and a peek at the judges’ cards showed him well ahead after the seven rounds that were completed. Post-bout career marks: 25-8-2 (12) for Tanner; 21-5-1 (14) for Lewis.

Apr. 28, 1945: Final card of the month takes place at New York City’s Yankee Stadium, and a WBA title clash is the headliner, amply supported by a meeting of two top 10 BW contenders, with ex-Champ K. O. Morgan facing Benny Goldberg. First meeting of the two, and the bout is fairly even for the opening few rounds. After a big round four, Goldberg does more damage as both men battle away on the inside in round five. At the midway point, Goldberg is ahead on the unofficial card (49-46), and Morgan is bothered by a rapidly swelling left eye. Morgan, who is at Post-Prime, tries to put on the pressure as the bout heads into the later rounds, but he is unable to break through versus some excellent defense from Goldberg. No cuts or knockdowns as the bout goes the full 10, and Goldberg takes a UD 10 (98-92, 97-93, 99-91), running his career record to 28-5-2 (13). The loss leaves Morgan at 40-18-8 (19). The main event, for the WBA LH title, sees “the Pittburgh Kid,” Billy Conn, the current titleholder, facing challenger Ezzard Charles, “the Cincinnati Cobra.” First meeting of the two, and it is the first title shot of any kind for the still unbeaten challenger. Lots of excitement in the opening round, with Charles warned for holding and hitting. Then, a hook from Conn snaps back the head of Charles, and rips open a cut over the right eye of the challenger. However, Charles keeps swinging away, and Conn’s left eye, which has become a target, shows signs of puffiness by the end of the round. After this, the bout settles in to a predictable pattern, with Charles applying more pressure, while Conn is content boxing on the outside. However, this interesting encounter comes an early and sudden end in round three, after the cut over Charles’ eye is reopened, leaving to an immediate stoppage. Thus, Conn is able to keep the belt via a TKO 3 on the cuts stoppage. Post-bout career marks: Conn, 35-7-3 (14); Charles, 21-1 (18). While it was disappointing to see the bout come to such a premature end, this was an important win for Conn, who returned to the LH division after a brief foray into the HW ranks. Looking ahead, it will be interesting to see if either Conn or Charles elects to move up to HW, where credible challengers to Joe Louis are needed to rekindle interest.