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This report includes bouts from the second half of January 1949. Two WBA title bouts are included.

Jan. 21, 1949: To the Earls Court in London for the next card, and topping the action is an EBU title contest. Preceding the featured bout is a main support matching a pair of top 10 BWs, as Canadian Lou Alter faces Brit Gus Foran in a 10-round, non-title affair. This is a rematch of a bout from October 1948 in which Alter prevailed via a MD 10 before a hometown crowd in his native Canada. This time around, the bout is an extremely close ones and, after the two take turns exchanging blows on the inside in rounds three and four, Alter is able to forge a two-point lead (49-47) according to the unofficial scorecard at the halfway point of the bout. In the second half of the contest, Foran becomes more aggressive, plugging away and hoping to cut into Alter’s lead. In round seven, a nice short hook on the inside by Foran lands cleanly, drawing blood from a cut under Alter’s right eye. However, the Canadian continues to hold a nice edge in the punches landed count, so Foran elects to throw caution to the wind, looking for a knockout or at least a knockdown in the final two stanzas. Foran manages to reopen the cut in the ninth round, but Alter’s corner patches things up and, in the final seconds of the bout, an Alter uppercut drops an overly aggressive Foran to the canvas; Foran is saved by the bell, but the damage has been done. Alter goes on to repeat his earlier win, and this time he takes a close but UD 10 (96-95, 96-96, 96-94), with the late knockdown proving vital. Post-bout records: Alter, 25-8-2 (14); Foran, 26-9-3 (14). The main event is another rematch, with Ronnie Clayton defending his EBU FW title against a challenge from Emile Famechon, against whom he eked out a split duke just two months previously. This time, in the third meeting of the two (Clayton had racked up a UD 10 in an earlier encounter), it is a rough start for Clayton. Famechon gains the upper hand with a big round in round two, landing a sharp jab that causes a split, then generally landing sufficient blows to cause initial puffiness to appear under Clayton’s right eye. The cut continues to pose problems for Clayton and his corner, as it is reopened in both the third and fourth rounds. By the halfway point of the bout, Famechon has a narrow points lead (58-57) on the unofficial card, this despite a larger edge in the punches landed stats. With the cut reopening once again and the swelling worsening in round seven, Clayton appears to be on borrowed time before the ref decides to call a halt. Despite the best efforts of Clayton’s corner, the cut lip continues to ooze blood into the later rounds. Then, after a sharp exchange in the 10th round, a cut appears under Famechon’s right eye. However, a round later, the battle of the cuts comes to its final conclusion, with Famechon’s cut being patched up, while Clayton’s in reopened and, this time, the ref has seen enough. Famechon is able to regain the EBU title for a second time, via a TKO 11 on the cuts stoppage, boosting his career totals to 22-3-1 (9). Clayton, who still retains the Commonwealth and GBU FW titles, drops to 29-4 (14) with the loss.

Jan. 22, 1949: Next up is a card at Detroit, with WBA HW Champ Joe Louis on hand to make another title defense. First up, on the undercard is a young HW prospect who, in a few years, may be challenging for Louis’ title, one Rocky Marciano, who improves his career record to a perfect 9-0 (9) with a 51 second blowout of another hapless TC opponent. Later in the card is the main supporting bout, and two young LW contenders, Freddie Dawson and Santa Bucca, take to the ring in a rematch of an earlier bout that ended in a draw. The action heats up in round two, when a Bucca right draws blood, opening a cut over Dawson’s left eye. The cut, which does not seem to be in a bad spot, is patched up between rounds but is reopened in the fourth round. Just before the bell sounds to end the fifth round, Dawson drops Bucca with a hard shot, but Bucca is saved by the bell just as the count gets underway. At the halfway point, the unofficial scorer has the bout scored as even (48-48). The two battle on even terms into the final rounds of the contest, and Dawson, who seems to get stronger as the bout wears on, has a big round in the eighth. Despite having the cut reopened for a second time in round nine, Dawson is able to carve out a UD 10 win (98-92, 99-93, 97-92) to run his career record to 23-2-3 (5). The loss leaves Bucca at 19-6-3 (8). Finally, in the main event, Joe Louis faces a new challenger to his WBA HW title: Brit Bruce Woodcock, who holds the EBU, Commonwealth and GBU HW titles. Not much in the way of action in the opening round, as Louis takes advantage of a sluggish start from Woodcock to build an early lead in the punches landed count. However, a minute into round two, and Woodcock uncorks a hard cross that puts Louis on the canvas; Joe is quick to regain his feet at the count of three, and he wisely covers up to last the round. Louis bounces back quickly with a strong third round, dominating the action and finally forcing Woodcock, who is barely able to remain afoot, into submission. Late in the round, the ref steps in to save the challenger from further punishment. Despite the short length, the fans were treated to an exciting action bout, with Louis coming off the canvas to register a TKO 3 victory. Post-bout career marks: Louis, 62-1-1 (60); Woodcock, 30-4 (25).

Jan. 22, 1949: Next card is at Los Angeles, and the main event sees Dado Marino facing fellow Flyweight Mustapha Mustaphaoui. The two met once before, seven years earlier, also in Los Angeles when both were at Pre-Prime, and Marino took a points win. This time around, Marino dominates the action in the first couple of rounds before Mustaphaoui gets going with a strong round three. By round four, Marino is back in charge, landing sufficient leather to cause a mouse to form under Mustaphaoui’s left eye. At the halfway point, Marino has a two-point edge (49-47), according to the unofficial card. Nothing much changes in the second half of the bout, as Marino continues to grind away to a UD 10 triumph (97-94, 99-93, 97-94), improving to 33-9 (14) with the win. The loss leaves Mustaphaoui at 28-11-6 (7).

Jan. 28, 1949: Next is a Friday night card at San Juan. Twin feature bouts top the agenda. In the first co-feature, Two FWs do battle, as American Eddie Compo faces Cuban Miguel Acevedo in a 10-round, non-title contest. It is the first meeting of the two and Compo, who has suffered defeat only once thus far in his young career, is seeking to pad his credentials for a future title shot. Compo is on target in the early going, and he is able to compile an early lead in the punches landed count. After a slow start, Acevedo finally gets in gear with a strong showing in round four, working his way inside and managing to cause some initial puffiness to appear around the left eye of Compo. At the midway point of the bout, a peek at the unofficial scorer’s card shows Acevedo has pulled in front (by 48-47) after a pair of strong rounds in the fourth and fifth. Compo adopts a more aggressive posture in the second half of the contest, but he only makes his injured eye a more attractive target for Acevedo’s rather active counterpunching. Despite a solid round eight for Compo, Acevedo manages to maintain his composure and, with the bout going the distance, he holds on to take a MD 10 (98-92. 95-95, 97-93) to run his career record to 27-10-1 (13). The loss, only the second in his career, leaves Compo at 19-2-3 (5). The second co-feature is for the LABF MW title, currently held by Argentinian Raul Rodriguez. His opponent is hometown favorite Jose Basora, a Puerto Rican fighter who previously held the title and, in fact, stopped Rodriguez in two of three prior encounters, with a third bout ending in a draw. In this rematch, just one minute into the opening round Basora serves notice, landing a sharp uppercut that stuns Rodriguez, forcing the defending Champ to cover up. Basora continues to dominate the early action, and by the end of round two, there is noticeable puffiness under the left eye of Rodriguez. In the middle rounds, Basora continues to dominate, and he lands another sharp uppercut just before the bell sounds to end round five. At the halfway point, the unofficial scorer at ringside has Basora well ahead on points (59-55). A game Rodriguez soldiers on in the second half of the bout, but he is unable to make much of an impression on a determined challenger. In round 11, Basora decks Rodriguez with a hard shot, and the Argentinian barely manages to beat the count. The bout goes the full 12, and ends in a lopsided UD 12 for Basora (119-107 on all three cards), enabling Basora to regain the LABF title belt. Post-bout records: Basora, 34-9-1 (23); Rodriguez, 25-12-1 (14).

Jan. 29, 1949: Final card of the month takes place in New York City, and the main event sees Sandy Saddler back in the ring to make an initial defense of the WBA FW title he won in capturing the belt from Willie Pep. First up, though is a supporting bout matching two veteran MWs; former Champs Holman Williams and Tony Zale do battle for the fifth time in their long careers, with each having one twice before in previous encounters. This time around, with no titles at stake, Zale seizes the early initiative, moving inside in round three after a strong round two. Williams battles back with a couple of good rounds, so the two are on even terms as the bout heads into the middle rounds. Near the end of the fifth, Zale bludgeons his way inside, dropping Williams twice, first with a combination, then with a hook. Williams regains his footing but the damage has been done. Despite a 10-8 round for Zale in round five, the unofficial scorer has the bout as even (47-47) at the halfway point. The two veterans of the ring wars bear down in the second half of the bout, with Williams regaining his composure, while Zale continues to press forward on the attack. Late in round seven, Zale tags Williams with a sharp uppercut and follows up with a straight right, and Wiliams covers up to avoid a third trip to the canvas. Some accurate counterpunching by Williams in round nine results in a swollen right eye for Zale, who is throwing caution to the wind in an effort to land a telling blow. Undeterred, Zale keeps hammering away, and in the final round, he lands a perfect hook to send Williams toppling to the canvas a third time. Williams does well to regain his footing after taking a count of four, and he manages to last until the final bell. However, the three KDs are sufficient to propel Zale to a UD 10 victory (98-90, 95-91, 95-92) although the unofficial scorer had the bout quite a bit closer. Post-bout, Zale improves to 47-11-2 (27). The loss leaves Williams at 56-16-1 (24). In the finale, unbeaten Champ Sandy Saddler puts his WBA FW title on the line, facing Ciro Morasen, who holds the NABF and LABF FW title belts. The two have not met before. Midway through the opening round, Saddler serves notice when he rocks Morasen with a quick hook to head, forcing the challenger to cover up. Saddler seems to have things well in hand until, at the outset of the fourth round, Morasen connects with a combination that draws blood, opening a cut over Saddler’s right eye. With some good cornerwork to patch up the cut between rounds, Saddler gets back on track in round five and, after the first five rounds, he is well ahead (49-46) on the unofficial scorer’s card. Round six sees the cut over Saddler’s eye reopened. After a couple of nondescript rounds, in round nine Saddler catches Morasen with a big hook that puts the challenger down for a four count. Saddler follows up with an uppercut, putting Morasen on the deck a second time, but he is saved by the bell. Saddler pushes forward in an effort to finish the job in round 10; while Morasen manages to remain upright, he is on the receiving end of some hard shots and, with less than a minute remaining in the round, the ref steps in to save him from further punishment. The bout goes into the books as a TKO 10 for Saddler. Post-bout career marks: Saddler, 25-0 (20); Morasen, 23-4-3 (4).