[JCWeb]

This report covers a total of 52 bouts taking place during the first half of February 1942. One WBA title bout is included in this report.

Feb. 6, 1942: The month’s fistic action commences with a Friday night card at Syracuse’s War Memorial Auditorium. Featured bout matches a former WBA LH Champ, Lloyd Marshall, who is on the comeback trail after two straight losses, and his opponent is a much lower ranked, and aging fighter, one-time NABF LH Champ Bob Olin – a good opportunity for Marshall to get his career on track. First meeting of these two. Marshall wastes little time, stunning Olin with a big hook two minutes into the opening stanza. Then, early in the second, Marshall racks Olin with a big left, forcing another resort to the cover up strategy. The end comes via a stoppage after Marshall sends Olin to the canvas twice in round three. The TKO 3 lifts Marshall’s career record to 21-3-2 (20). For Olin, it is the end of the line, and his final career stats, after hitting the 60-bout plateau, are a somewhat disappointing 34-23-3 (11).

Feb. 7, 1942: The scene shifts to the Rand Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa for a fairly abbreviated, five-bout card. Only bout of note is the main event, matching two post-Prime MW contenders: former WBA MW Champ Freddie Steele, the "Tacoma Assasin," who is still on the comeback trail, against veteran Frenchman Edouard Tenet, a former EBU MW titleholder, whose career has been overshadowed by the man who defeated him for the EBU title back in 1938, fellow Frenchman Marcel Cerdan. Even though Tenet’s reign as EBU titleholder was concurrent with Steele’s run as WBA MW Champion, the two have not met before this 10-round, non-title bout here in South Africa. After an indifferent opening round, Steele unloads with a big left in round two that causes the Frenchman to cover up, lasting the round without further damage. Another huge round for Steele in round four, with Tenet lucky to remain on his feet after the “Tacoma Assassin” landed some powerful blows. Tenet goes down from a wicked cross to the head in round five, and it is no surprise that Steele holds a lopsided points lead at the midway point (by a count of 49-45 on the unofficial card). Steele continues to fire away in round six, landing several unanswered blows until the ref finally steps in to call a halt. Such an impressive TKO 6 win for Steele against a credible opponent is likely to enhance prospects for a title bout in a division crowded with impressive title contenders (i.e., Burley, Cerdan, Williams, Yarosz and, more recently, WW Champ Henry Armstrong). Post-bout career totals: Steele, 50-8-1 (34); Tenet, 43-26-8 (11).

Feb. 7, 1942: Next card takes place north of the border in cold, snowy Montreal at the Forum. Canadian fight fans are present in numbers for the main event, which features homewgrown LW Dave Castilloux, who faces veteran LW contender Benny “Little Fish” Bass in a 10-round, non-title bout clash. It is the first meeting of the two, and Castilloux, who is riding a three bout winning streak, is looking for another win over the 38-year old Bass, who is approaching the end of his long career (dating back to his debut in 1919 as a 15-year-old). Despite his advancing years, Bass manages to hold his own and builds a nice points edge (49-47 on the unofficial card) at the halfway point. Into the later stages, and Castilloux forces the action, gradually wearing down his older opponent. After a couple of strong rounds for the Canadian, Bass switches tactics and becomes the aggressor, but lack of stamina and advanced age prevent a turnaround. Solid UD 10 win for Castilloux (97-94, 97-94, 97-95), who – with his fourth consecutive win – pushes his career record to 28-9-3 (9). The loss drops Bass to 52-30-7 (15).

Feb. 13, 1942: To Manila’s Rizal Arena for next fistic action, and the abbreviated card features a top Filipino Flyweight contender, Little Dado, the reigning OPBF Flyweight Champion, facing Brit Joe Curran, whose main claim to fame is having briefly held the Commonwealth Fly belt, in a non-title affair. No prior meetings of these two, and the action develops slowly with the Filipino fan favorite outboxing Curran through the opening rounds, causing some initial puffiness around the right eye of the British visitor. Curran, finding himself trailing at the midway point (by a count of 48-47 on the unofficial card), tries to ramp up the pace in the second half of the bout. His efforts prove unsuccessful, and Dado gradually wears down his opponent, settling for relatively routine UD 10 win (98-93, 97-94, 99-92). Post-bout career marks: Dado, 26-3-1 (13); Curran, 27-14-2 (10).

Feb. 14, 1942: Next card, in Miami, features a WBA title matchup, amply supported by a USBA LW title bout, with Tony Chavez facing challenger Johnny Bellus. These two have met twice before, both prior bouts going the distance, with Chavez recorded a win and a draw in those encounters. The bout remains close for the first four rounds, with Chavez’s punches having a bit more sting, to the extent that they induce some initial swelling around the left eye of the challenger. In round five, Chavez is called for some low blows, and a point is deducted. At the midway point, the issue remains very much in doubt, with the unofficial card showing a slight edge for Chavez (by a score of 57-56). In the second half of the bout, Chavez gains control of the situation, taking advantage of his ring savvy as well as a stamina edge to frustrate an ineffective Bellus. The bout goes the full 12 and, in the end, in a major surprise, the end result is a draw (113-113, 112-114 for Bellus, 113-113) – a result that sees Chavez keep the belt by a razor-thin margin, with the low blow and the one-point deduction playing its part in the final outcome. Post-bout, Chavez is 33-10-4 (12) compared to 32-13-6 (12) for Bellus, who is angling for a rematch. In the main event, the WBA FW title is on the line, after being vacated by Baby Arizmendi, who recently moved up to campaign at LW. Thus, the #1 and #2 contenders are matched for the vacant belt, with Chalky Wright facing the fast-rising Petey Scalzo. No prior meetings, and Wright enters the bout having won two in a row, while Scalzo has won his last five. Not much happening in the opening two rounds, as the two men just circle each other, probing for an opening. Much of the same with little incisive action, and after five rounds, while the punches landed stats seem close, the unofficial scorer has Scalzo well in front (50-45). By late round six, there is a mouse under the left eye of Wright. In the middle rounds, Wright – who still seems to hold a stamina edge – tries to pick up the pace, becoming more aggressive. After 10, it’s still a fairly sizable lead for Scalzo on the unofficial card (98-92), although a much closer contest if looking at the punches landed stats. In the final few rounds, Wright, fearing a title loss staring him in the face, really begins to apply more pressure, stepping up his attack. In round 13, a cut is opened over Wright’s right (injured eye), requiring some attention from his cornermen between rounds. Scalzo, for his part, stays mostly on the outside, and out of trouble, hoping to be rewarded with a points win. A minute into the final round, a Wright combination finds the range and drops Scalzo, who is back up at the count of three, but covering up to prevent more damage. The bout then goes to decision and, despite the KD for Wright in the final round, Scalzo is crowned Champion via a UD 15 (143-141, 144-140, 144) to run his career record to 22-2-2 (13), and a perfect 6-0 since hitting Prime career stage. The loss drops the veteran Wright to 38-13-4 (15).

Feb. 14, 1942: Next card, at the Cow Palace in San Francisco, features a pair of interesting bouts. In the first co-feature, two ranked WWs do battle as Johnny Wilson, currently in the top 10, faces an unbeaten young prospect in 21-0 Vic Dellicurti. The fans don’t have long to wait for the action to heat up, as late in the o London’s Harringay Arena for an evening of exciting fisticuffs action, headlined by a pair of EBU title opening round Wilson lands a hard hook that forces Dellicurti to cover up. Wilson, a former NABF WW Champ, goes on to dominate the action in round two. More of the same over the next few rounds and, suddenly, by the midway point, Wilson has forged a solid points lead (50-45, according to the unofficial scorer at ringside). Into the later rounds, and Wilson is content to sit on his lead, with some solid boxing, while Dellicurti, facing a stamina deficit, begins to labor as he is frustrated by an inability to penetrate Wilson’s defenses. In the end, an overmatched Dellicurti goes down to his first career setback as Wilson takes a fairly one-sided UD 10 (98-92, 99-91, 99-91) to run his career totals to 24-2-2 (15). For Dellicurti, his first career loss leaves him at 21-1 (11). In the second co-feature, the USBA BW title is on the line, as Manuel Ortiz makes his first defense of that belt, facing challenger Benny Goldberg. Goldberg holds a pair of wins in prior bouts, when both men were at Pre-Prime. In this encounter, Goldberg starts well, dominating the action through the first few rounds, which sees Ortiz’s corner forced to deal with a rapidly swelling left eye as a result. Goldberg continues to dominate most of the action until late in round six, when Ortiz lands a hard hook, rocking the challenger. However, no damage done, since the punch landed late in the round, allowing Goldberg to cover up and last the round. Nonetheless, the unofficial card at the midway point favors Goldberg (58-56). Second half of the bout, and Ortiz takes the initiative, trying to force the action on the inside. However, with fatigue setting in, he makes little progress, as Goldberg manages to stay out of trouble while continuing to land some good shots here and there. It isn’t until round 11 until Ortiz has made an impression, as some puffiness appears around the right eye of Goldberg, but it does not seem to be enough to alter the overall picture, and the bout goes the distance, but - surprise, the end result is a majority draw (114-114, 114-114, 114-116 Goldberg) – a stunning result as it enables Ortiz to hang on to the belt. Post-bout records: Ortiz, 18-3-1 (13); Goldberg, 18-2-2 (10). While many are clamoring for a rematch (which would be the fourth matchup of these two), word from Ortiz’s camp is that he is done taking on Goldberg.