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1947 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), 2267 (NC) (11) (1936)
2. Marcel Cerdan, MW (WBA Champion), 1799 (+3) (4) (1942)
3. Tony Zale, MW (USBA Champion), 1696 (+6) (6) (1941)
4. Henry Armstrong, WW (#1 contender), 1675 (+6) (8) (1939)
5. Roscoe Toles, HW (NABF Champion), 1668 (-2) (3) (1945)
6. Bob Montgomery, LW (WBA Champion), 1638 (new)
7. Archie Moore, LH (NABF Champion), 1619 (back) (2) (1944)
8. Ray Robinson, WW (WBA Champion), 1615 (-6) (3) (1946)
9. Lloyd Marshall, LH (#2 contender), 1598 (back) (2) (1945)
10. Billy Conn, LH (#3 contender), 1591 (-3) (4) (1943)

Dropped Out from Last Year:

BW David Kui Kong Young (was #4)
MW Charley Burley (was #6)
MW Freddie Apostoli (was #8)

Comments: While Joe Louis continues to the rule to roost (on a record run of 34 successive title defenses), a bump in the career of “Sugar” Ray Robinson dropped him in the standings as he suffered his second career setback before bouncing back to regain the WBA WW belt from Tommy Bell. It will be interesting to see if and when Robinson makes the move to MW with an eye to challenging some of the top guys (like Cerdan, Zale and Burley) for titles in that division. Four of the eight WBA titleholders are represented, but among those missing are Willie “Will O the Wisp” Pep, who just missed out on the PFP list despite 11 successive title defenses; this demonstrates the lack f solid challengers among the top contenders in the FW division in the recent past, something that could change with the arrival in the top 10 of Pep’s real-life rival, one Sandy Saddler. Also missing from the list is Melio Bettina, who is the most recent to wear the WBA LH crown, which has passed from Marshall (who remains in the top 10 PFP list) to Charles to Bivins. In reality, it seems as if Louis, Pep and Robinson are the three dominant performers across all weight classes currently in the Uni, but the Perf Point based PFP numbers do not reflect that.

ANNUAL YEAR-END AWARDS

FIGHTER OF THE YEAR: Joe Louis (HW)
FIGHT OF THE YEAR: Vic Patrick KO 9 Ike Williams (for WBA LW title) (May 16, see post 1521)
TOP NEWCOMER: Sandy Saddler (FW)
UPSET OF THE YEAR: Tommy Bell UD 15 Ray Robinson (for WBA WW title) (Mar. 22, see post 1516)
COMEBACK FIGHTER OF THE YEAR: Manuel Ortiz (BW)

Comments:

Looking at the candidates for Fighter of the year of the year honors, the nod goes for the third time to Joe Louis, who won all four of his 1947 defenses inside the distance, including wins over regional titleholders Roscoe Toles and “Tampa” Tommy Gomez. Also worthy of consideration were Pep and MW Champ Marcel Cerdan, whose three title defenses all ended in stoppage victories. Louis becomes the second three-time FoY award winner, with Tony Canzoneri being the first.

There were three strong contenders for Fight of the Year honors, all three with WBA titles changing hands, and the nod went to the “brawl Down Under” that saw Aussie Vic Patrick take the WBA LW crown from Ike Williams. This action packed see-saw battle saw both fighters on the canvas and several momentum swings before Patrick put Williams down and out for good in the ninth stanza. Another title clash that saw both men on the canvas is the first Robinson-Bell encounter for the WBA WW title that did manage to snag “Upset of the Year” honors. Then, in the final month of action, December saw a shift of titleholders in the Flyweight division, with Yoshio Shirai coming off the deck to take the title from Peter Kane. (see post #1535, Dec.19.

Top Newcomer was a tough call between a couple of guys who moved smartly up the ranks to claim regional titles. One of these was LW Freddie Dawson, who won his last six in a row (going back to early 1946) and took the USBA LW belt via a DQ over Joe Brown. However, a DQ win doesn’t signal the kind of potential greatness as does the rise of the other strong candidate who is the recipient of this honor, still unbeaten FW prospect Sandy Saddler, whose four 1947 wins were all inside in the distance, topped by a final round KO of Phil Terranova to capture the USBA FW belt, marking him as a WBA title contender in the near future. Honorable mention should go to BW Luis Romero, who has fashioned an eight bout unbeaten run (six wins and two draws) taking him to the upper echelon of the BW ranks, with one of the wins coming over a regional (OPBF) titleholder in Tirso Del Rosario. However, draws are not as good as wins, and the now 19-0 Saddler gets the nod for this award. .

Next is the Upset of the Year and, this time, it’s a clearcut winner, the Bell-Robinson encounter in which Sugar Ray was defeated for the WBA WW crown, only to bounce back and regain the belt a few months later.

Comeback Fighter of the Year goes to Ortiz, who had fallen from grace (and a #1 contender ranking) after losing the NABF BW title on a technical decision to Luis Galvani, then followed a loss to Del Rosario and a draw with Luis Castillo. However, in May Ortiz took a points win in a key “crossroads” battle with Harold Dade, settling up a WBA title contest in which he managed to dethrone Luis Galvani, conqueror of David Kui Kong Young. Another solid contender for this honor is Melio Bettina, who took the WBA LH title after a few years in the wilderness, but Bettina did not have any notable losses on his ledger coming into 1947, as was the case with Ortiz.

Finally, if there were an “overachiever” or persistence award, it might go to new WBA Fly titleholder Shirai, who worked the system, defending his OPBF title, preserving after a points loss to Champion-in-waiting Rinty Monaghan, then made the most when presented with a WBA title shot later in the year, dethroning Peter Kane.