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This report covers a total of 48 bouts taking place during the first half of November 1941. Two WBA title bouts are included in this report.

Nov. 1, 1941: Excitement level is high at the Montreal Forum tonight, as the WBA Flyweight title is contested, with Jackie Jurich facing the #1 contender and long-time former Champ, veteran Midget Wolgast. It is the first meeting of the two and Jurich’s fourth title defense since capturing the belt back in 1940. Not much in the way of ring rust, as Wolgast takes firm control and wins the opening round. Things tighten up in round two, as Jurich begins to find his timing. Not much action in round three, and Jurich tries to battle his way inside in round for, taking the fight to Wolgast. In round five, it is Wolgast who moves inside, with little success. After five, the unofficial card has Jurich up by two points (49-47). The two battle away on the inside in round six, and Jurich sustains a cut over his right eye that is caused by an accidental clash of heads. While the bout remains close, the cut continues to ooze blood for another round before it is finally closed by Jurich’s corner at the end of round seven. Through the middle rounds, it continues to be a slight edge for Jurich in terms of punches landed, plus he appears to have a stamina advantage over the older Wolgast. After 10 rounds, Jurich’s lead on the unofficial card has stretched to four (97-93). Into the later rounds, a tired looking Wolgast tries to up the pressure, feeling his chances of winning a decision slipping away. In round 12, Jurich has landed sufficient blows to cause significant bruising around the left eye of the challenger. On the other hand, the cut over Jurich’s eye has reopened. The final few rounds tick off without incident, with Jurich assuming a more defensive posture, protecting the cut as much as a points lead. In the end, Jurich retains the belt, but it’s a SD 15 as one judge went for Wolgast, who did come on strong to claim the final round (scores: 143-144, 145-140, 146-139). Post-bout career marks: 23-3-1 (17) for Jurich; 54-8-1 (19) for Wolgast.

Nov. 7, 1941: The Rand Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa, for a relatively abbreviated Friday night card. Only highlight is the main event, a 10-round, non-title affair matching two different regional titleholders: newly crowned NABF BW Champ David Kui Kong Young and his EBU counterpart, Tom Smith, from the UK. No prior meetings, so there’s long feeling-out process that lasts several rounds. Starting in round three, Kui Kong Young, the more aggressive of the two, moves forward inside but is unable to inflict much major damage due to some solid defense from Smith. Near the end of round four, Smith rocks the American fighter with a huge cross. In round five, some toe-to-toe action on the inside, and late in the round, Kui Kong Young gets in a quick hook to the head that stuns Smith. Smith’s right eye already shows some telltale signs of swelling, and the unofficial scorer at ringside, impressed with Kui Kong Young’s aggressiveness, has him ahead on points (49-46) at the midway point. Not much changes in the second half of the bout, with Kui Kong Young initiating most of the action, gradually wearing down a weary-looking Smith. In round eight, Smith leaves himself open and goes down from a nice combination from Kui Kong Young. He beats the count, but the damage is done. Smith manages to last the distance, but it’s an impressive UD 10 for Kui Kong Young (98-92, 98-93, 98-92) who moves to 23-1-1 (14) with the win, his ninth in a row. Smith slips to 21-9-6 (11) with the loss.

Nov. 8, 1941: To the Boston Garden for the next card, featuring an interesting main event matching up-and-coming LH contender Herbie Katz, winner of his last six bouts, with aging veteran and former WBA Champ John Henry Lewis. Lewis, who is still among the top 10 in the division, will be Katz’s toughest task to date. Midway through the opening round, Katz learns the hard way as an overhand right from the fists of Lewis decks him; Katz bounces up after taking a count of two and does manage to last the round with adroit use of the “cover up” strategy. In round two, Katz strikes back, opening a minor cut below Lewis’ right eye. Lewis is unable to follow up on his early first round success, and Katz seems to be comfortably working his way into the bout. At the midway point, after a big round five for Katz, the unofficial scorer at ringside has the bout even (48-48). Near the end of round six, Katz rocks Lewis with a solid combination, and this time Lewis’ left eye begins to swell. Into the later rounds, and Lewis looks both lethargic and fatigued, while Katz appears fresh and energetic. A Katz uppercut catches Lewis on the button in the final round, and the ex-Champ takes a tumble to the canvas. Nonetheless, the bout goes the full 10, and a strong second half enables Katz to walk away a UD 10 winner (95-93, 96-93, 97-91) to move up the LH ranks, running his record to 23-4-1 (14); the shopworn Lewis drops to 28-10-3 (19).

Nov. 8, 1941: Next fistic action takes place at Denver’s Mammoth Gardens. No titles at stake, but two top 10 WW do battle as LABF WW Champ Cocoa Kid, currently ranked #1, faces Jimmy “Mud Flats Kid” Garrison, who is attempting to bounce back after a pair of recent losses in title bouts, to Henry Armstrong for the WBA title, and more recently, a loss to Jackie Wilson for the NABF belt. The two have met twice before, with each man winning once, both bouts going the distance. Not much action in the first two rounds, but in round three, a flurry of blows from Kid catches Garrison leaning forward, and a cut is opened over his right eye. The cut is reopened in round five, and Kid is well ahead on points (50-45 on the unofficial card) at the midway track. Into the later rounds, Garrison begins to tire and, trailing in the bout, he is forced to become more aggressive – a fighting style that is largely contrary to his more defensive nature. Finally, in round nine, the cut proves decisive after being reopened a second time – and a TKO 9 for Kid is the outcome, as the ref calls a halt, but Garrison was well behind on points anyway. Another strong performance by Kid, while it is a third defeat in a row for Garrison, whose hopes for a WBA title are dwindling. Post-bout career marks: Kid, 41-7-4 (13); Garrison, 26-6-3 (12).

Nov. 14, 1941: To Panama City, and excitement is in the air as hometown fan favorite Panama Al Brown is set to defend his WBA BW title in the feature on this Friday night card. First up, in the co-feature, two HWs do battle as Jimmy Mendes is set to defend the LABF HW title belt he has held since 1937. Stepping into the ring to challenge Mendes is Argentinian Alberto Santiago Lovell; it is Lovell’s second try to win this belt, having lost via a KO to Mendes in his hometown of Buenos Aires two years previously. This time around, Lovell seems to be well prepared, hurting Mendes with a big left early in the third. Mendes is forced to cover up, and, while he manages to last the round, he returns to his corner with a big welt under his right eye that is going to demand some immediate attention. At the midway point, the challenger appears to be in complete control, and the unofficial card shows him with a wide points lead (60-54). Mendes tries to become more aggressive in the second half of the bout, and seems to be having some success until round eight, when Lovell puts him on the deck with a short, clean combination, finishing the job with a hook later in the round. KO 8 for Lovell, which was precisely the same result two years earlier, except the KO 8 went to Mendes. At any rate, Lovell ends Mendes’ four-year reign as LABF HW Champion, lifting the belt and improving his career stats to 28-9-1 (22), while the loss leaves Mendes – who will move from Post-Prime to End career stage with his next outing -- at 37-15-4 (30). Next, in the main event, crowd favorite Panama Al Brown takes on #1 challenger K. O. Morgan, for Brown’s WBA BW title, a belt he has held periodically – and on four different occasions – all the way back to 1927. Morgan, also a former WBA BW Champ, has split two prior meetings with Brown, most recently capturing the WBA title in early 1940. So, this is the rubber match as the two men square off for the third time. Solid boxing, but nothing spectacular, from both men through the first three rounds. Slight early edge for Morgan, who did take advantage of his superior strength, outmuscling Brown on the inside to win round three. Both fighters mix it up on the inside in round five, with neither coming out with a huge advantage. The unofficial scorer at ringside has the challenger up by two (49-47) after the first five rounds are in the books. Panama Al struggles with his timing in the middle rounds, allowing Morgan to pull even further ahead. Brown, clearly frustrated and beginning to show signs of fatigue, becomes more aggressive in rounds nine and 10, while Morgan, uncharacteristically, adopts a more defensive-minded approach. After 10 rounds, Morgan still holds the same two-point edge (97-95) on the unofficial scorer’s card. Into the later rounds, and Brown – feeling that the title may be slipping away – throws caution to the wind in favor of an all-out attack. However, Panama Al is unable to break down the defenses of an ultra-cautious Morgan, and – in a bout with no cuts or knockdowns, it goes the distance, with Morgan once again defeating the veteran Brown to take the title, via a solid UD 15 (145-142, 146-141, 148-140), capturing the WBA BW belt for the second time. Post-bout records: Morgan, 35-12-8 (17); Brown, 66-12-2 (25). While Morgan has a few more good years remaining, not so for Brown – who turns 40 next year – and is unlikely to feature in WBA title action again.

Nov. 15, 1941: To London for the next fistic action, staged at the Earls Court. No titles at stake, and the feature matches the Commonwealth and GBU HW Champ Tommy “the British Brown Bomber” Martin with Yank Nathan Mann. A confident looking Martin enters the bout riding a three-bout winning streak, while Mann is coming off a long layoff after suffering a TKO defeat to Joe Louis, the real “Brown Bomber,” for the WBA HW title. The two have not met before, and Mann surprises Martin by landing some serious leather to take the opening round. More trouble for the British Champ in round three when Mann puts him down with a short, clean hook; Martin scrambles to his feet at the count of eight and covers up to last the round. By the end of the third, there is noticeable puffiness under the left eye of Martin. Martin does better in round four, zeroing in with a combination that puts Mann on the deck, but there is not enough time for Martin to follow up after Mann regains his footing. Tough bout to judge, and at the midway point, Martin has a slim lead (47-46) on the unofficial scorer’s card. The bout remains close heading into the later rounds, with both men showing signs of fatigue as early as round seven. By the end of round eight, it is Mann’s right eye that is showing the effects from the bruising battle. The bout goes into the final round, with Mann holding a narrow edge in punches landed, as well as aggressive. However, the hometown crowd hopes to see Martin’s hand raised in triumph. In the end, neither man gets his wish, as the bout is ruled a majority draw (94-94; 95-93 Mann; 94-94). Post-bout career records: Martin, 28-8-3 (17); Mann, 23-7-3 (18). Turns out this will be Martin’s last bout at Prime, as he hits Post-Prime next year (1942).