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Old 07-29-2006, 10:30 PM   #92
JCWeb
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Join Date: Jun 2005
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1912-Heavyweights

1912 action is completed and I will start, as usual, with the Heavyweights.

WBA Title Bouts

Sam Langford CH (39-5-1) vs Jack Johnson #1 (65-6-3)

Third title bout in three years among these ring greats, they come into this one at 2-2 lifetime but Langford has won the last two. With Johnson now at Post-Prime career stage, Langford has to be considered the favorite.

Langford comes out strong, nailing Jack with a vicious hook that puts Johnson on the canvas for an 8-count near the end of round one. Langford continues to press forward as Johnson tries to stay away, avoiding further punishment. There is a lull in the action until round 6, when Langford catches Johnson with some strong shots but this time Jack manages to stay upright. Johnson, trailing, forces the action in round 9, and it is the Champ who gets tagged and must struggle to remain upright. Round 10, a clean hook floors an overly-aggressive Johnson, and then the Boston Tar Baby follows up with a big uppercut in the 11th, another huge round for the champ as Jack is down for the third time in the bout. Langford eases up near the end, but adds a 4th KD in round 14. Langford looked very impressive in a UD 15 win (146-135 on all three cards) and seems at the height of his powers as HW champion.

Sam Langford CH (40-5-1) vs Joe Jeannette #2 (33-3)

Langford defends agains the man who last defeated him, a UD 10, back in 1908. The two are 1-1 lifetime.

Jeannette is off first, firign repeatedly and drops Langford with a barrage of blows near the end of the first. The Champ bounces back quickly to take the second, boxing beautifully. Lots of action in round 5, as Langford steps up the attack, scoring well but is unable to put Jeannette on the canvas. Jeannette's right eye starts to swell up as a result. The middle rounds see Langford building a points lead, and the swelling around the challenger's eye gets worse. Jeannette works the inside to score well enough to take the 11th, but Joe begins to tire in the later rounds and in the 14th a wicked hook by Langford puts Jeannette down for only the second time in his career. Langford goes on to another lopsided UD 15 win.

Sam Langford CH (41-5-1) vs Tommy Burns #2 (40-7-3)

Finally, the bout everyone in Canada had been awaiting -- Langford versus Burns, who by now had added the NABF belt to his Commonwealth title. Careerwise, the edge coming in was 2-1 for Langford, Burns' only win coming on a foul. Both men are riding huge unbeaten streaks, Langford having won 13 in a row, 18 without a loss while Burns had won his last 5, and unbeaten in his last 11 (his last loss was to Langford in 1910).

Both started cautiously, but in round two a hook to the head of Burns scored well for Langford. Burns bounced back well to score points in rounds 3 and 4, but by the end of the 4th he was sporting a mouse near the right eye. Langford was carrying his hands low, making a tempting target for Tommy. It was a close bout to the middle rounds, with both men mixing outside and inside attacks well, when Langford finally found his target in the 8th, dropping Tommy for the count. Langford by KO 8. (Note: two of three judges had the bout even going into the 8th and the third had Langford ahead by a single point, indicating the closeness of the bout.)

NABF: Jeannette began as NABF champion and defending against Burns, the first meeting of the two. Burns' aggressive approach to the early rounds paid dividends as he landed repeatedly, causing swelling about the right eye of the champ. Burns takes the belt by UD 12 with a comfortable margin. Later in the year, Tommy defends against aging ex-Champ James Jeffries, and the result (UD 12) is a foregone conclusion as Jeff tires quickly after putting up a good fight for the first half of the bout.

USBA: Jack Johnson defended twice, first verus the always rugged Joe Grim, whom we defeated by UD 12. Then it was another UD 12 verdict over Charley Miller, the "Fighting Motorman", an up-and-comer who had upset Jeffries to earn the title shot. Miller pressed the attack versus Johnson but could not do much in the way of damage.

CBU: Burns went down under twice to defend versus Aussies Bill Squires and Ern Waddy, flooring Squires four times in a lopsided KO 8 win and then taking the measure of the younger Waddy, this time via KO 7.

GBU: No title bouts. Gunner Moir retains the title.

EBU: The initial belt was awarded in a bout between GBU champ Gunner Moir and Irishman Matthew "PO" Curran. It wasn't much of a contest, as Moir put Curran down and out midway through the opening stanza. Moir by KO 1.
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