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This report includes bouts from the first half of November 1949. No WBA title bouts are included in this report.

Nov. 4, 1949: The month commences with a Friday night card at New Orleans. Two top 10 HW contenders are paired in the featured bout, with Turkey Thompson facing Joe Baksi. This is the first meeting of the two, and the bout is reasonably close until round three, when Thompson moves inside with some effective tactics to pull in front in the punch count stats. Then, in round four, Baksi responds, also working his way inside to win the round. At the halfway point, Baksi has edged in front (48-47) on the unofficial scorecard. The two continue to trade blows into the second half of the bout; the contest remains close with both men tiring badly in the later rounds. It is Baksi who manages to eke out a SD 10 (97-95, 95-97, 97-95), as the judges could not agree on the winner. Post-bout career marks: Baksi, 32-10 (19); Thompson, 30-12-2 (23).

Nov. 5, 1949: Back to Europe for a card at the Sports Palace in Rome. In the main event, Egisto Peyre defends his EBU WW title against and up-and-coming Brit, Eddie Thomas, who has tasted defeat just once in 21 bouts in his young career. The two have not met before; for Peyre, it is his third defense of the title he won in late 1948. Plenty of action in the opening round, as Peyre is able to open a cut over Thomas’ left eye with his first punch of the fight – a big right. Undaunted, Thomas bounces back, connecting with a surprisingly effective uppercut midway through the round that puts Peyre on the deck; the Italian Champion takes an eight count, then wisely covers up after recovering quite quickly. The cut over Thomas’ eye is reopened in round three, but the punch count stats in the early rounds favor the British challenger. Early in the fifth round, Thomas connects with a big hook, and Peyre covers up to avert further trouble. At the halfway point, Peyre has pulled back to even (57-57) on the unofficial scorer’s card, and the cut over Thomas’ eye is bleeding once again. Once again, the cut is patched up between rounds and, starting in round seven, there is noticeable puffiness under Peyre’s left eye. With the issue very much in doubt, Peyre steps up the pace and is the aggressor in the later rounds. Near the end of the ninth, Peyre finally breaks through, decking Thomas with a sharp combination. Thomas quickly regains his footing, arising at the count of two, but the damage has been done. Thomas is able to regain his composure and avoid danger the rest of the way and, to the dismay of the Italian fight fans in attendance, he takes a close but UD 12 (114-112, 115-113, 115-114) to lift the belt. Post-bout records: Thomas, 19-1-2 (4); Peyre, 32-7-3 (15). A rematch in early 1950 is in the offing.

Nov. 5, 1949: Next is a card at Chicago, and the featured bout sees George Costner challenging Tommy Bell for Bell’s USBA WW title. In one prior encounter, back in 1945 when Bell was still at Pre-Prime, Costner won by knockout. After a strong opening round for Bell, Costner recovers with a solid round in the second, landing a strong cross late in the round that stuns Bell. In round three, the advantage swings back to Bell, who floors Costner for an eight count. Into the middle rounds, and Bell has a huge edge in terms of stamina as well as a comfortable lead in the punches landed stats. At the halfway point, the unofficial scorer has Bell ahead (58-55). In round seven, Costner manages to open a cut over Bell’s right eye and, by the end of the round, there is some swelling accompanying the cut around the same injured eye. Late in round eight, Bell drops Costner for the second time, and this time Costner barely manages to beat the count. The cut is in a bad spot and, when it is reopened in the ninth round, the ref steps in to call an immediate halt – this coming at a time when Bell was ahead on all three cards. TKO 9 for Costner, who improves to 30-11-2 (18). Tough loss for Bell, who ends the bout at 32-5 (16).

Nov. 11, 1949: Next is a Friday night card at Havana’s Gran Stadium. The main event is for the LABF HW title, with Cuban fan favorite Omelio Agramonte making his first defense, facing challenger Cesar “Silverio” Brion of Argentina. The two have not met before, and this is the first title shot for Brion, who just hit Prime career stage with a 17-3 record Pre-Prime. With two sluggers going at it, there is plenty of action in the early rounds. After seizing the initiative by moving inside in round three, Agramonte edges ahead in the punch count stats. At the halfway point of the contest, the unofficial scorer has Agramonte with a solid points lead (59-55). Then, in round eight, Brion breaks down Agramonte’s defenses, crashing through with a big hook that puts the Cuban fighter on the deck. Agramonte recovers quickly, arising at the count of three, then wisely covers up to last the round. In round nine, a sharp exchange results in Agramonte suffering a split lip. Brion, who has closed the gap in the punch landed count, continues to apply pressure as the bout heads into the later rounds. More trouble for Agramonte in round 11, after Brion rips open a second cut over the Cuban Champion’s left eye, then he follows up with a second knockdown late in the round. The bout goes the distance, and Agramonte is lucky to retain the title with a draw (113-113, 112-114 Brion, 113-113) – a result that satisfies neither side. Post-bout records: Agramonte, 24-9-1 (14); Brion, 17-3-1 (7). A rematch some time in early 1950 is in the offing.

Nov. 12, 1949: Next card takes place in Philly. No titles on the line, and the main event features a top five LW contender, Beau Jack who, unable to line up a title shot, faces Chester Rico in a 10-rounder. The two have not met previously, and Jack is coming off a WBA title loss to Ike Williams. Midway through round two, Jack begins to assert himself, landing a big uppercut that forces Rico to cover up and, by the end of the round, there is a trace of swelling under Rico’s left eye. By the midway point, Jack has built a solid points lead (50-45) on the unofficial card, and the swelling around Rico’s eye is significantly worse. Solid boxing exhibition by Jack, who continues to dominate and, late in the bout, Rico’s injured eye becomes swollen to the point it is almost closed, so eventually the ref steps in to call a halt, and Jack takes a TKO 9 to run his career record to 35-8 (22). Rico ends the bout at 28-17-5 (12).

Nov. 12, 1949: To Western Canada for the next card at the Exhibition Gardens in Vancouver. A twin bill of feature bouts tops the agenda and, in the first of these, two WW contenders do battle as Bernard “Big Duke” Docusen faces Canadian Johnny Greco. No titles are at stake, the two have not met before, and the bout is scheduled for 10 rounds. After a solid start by both men, Greco does well to keep the bout close through the opening few rounds. Docusen gradually pulls ahead in the middle rounds and, at the halfway point, Docusen is up by two (49-47) on the unofficial scorer’s card. In the second half of the bout, Greco adopts a more aggressive posture, but he ends up on the receiving end of many strong counterpunches from Docusen, such that a mouse appears under his right eye by the end of round eight. However, Docusen is not unmarked, as he has suffered some minor bruising around his right eye. The bout goes the distance, and Greco is fortunate to manage a draw (96-96, 96-94 Docusen, 95-96 Greco), winning the last two rounds on all three cards after trailing through most of the contest. Post-bout records: Docusen, 23-4-6 (4); Greco, 26-12-3 (15). In the finale, the vacant Commonwealth BW title previously held by Fernando Gagnon (now the WBA BW Champ) is on the line, with Canadian Lou Alter matched with Brit Frankie Williams. No prior meetings of the two, and, for Williams, it is his first title shot of any kind. Near the end of the opening round, Alter serves notice, decking Williams with a big shot, but Williams is saved by the bell just as the ref commences with the count. After the flash knockdown, Williams, the slugger, is the more aggressive of the two, but Alter gives him few openings. As the bout heads into the middle rounds, Williams gradually gains the upper hand, taking a solid lead in the punches landed stats. At the halfway point, this translates into a points advantage for Williams, according to the unofficial scorer’s card (58-55). More trouble for Alter when, late in round seven, a glancing blow from an overhand right by Williams opens a cut over Alter’s right eye. The cut is quickly patched up, and Alter soldiers on, but Williams manages to keep Alter at bay for the remainder of the bout. In the end, the UD 12 and the title belt go to Williams (116-111 on all three cards). With the win, Williams moves to 21-4-2 (13) overall, compared to a post-bout record of 26-10-2 (14) for Alter.