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Another division with a change of titleholders at the top, and a two-time champion (also a champ now in two divisions) who never held either World title belt in real life ...

WBA Title Bouts

Battling Nelson CH (49-8) vs Freddie Welsh #4 (17-3-1)

This was the first meeting of the two, and the first title defense for the Durable Dane against the British champ. After some good action in the opening stanza, both men fired away from the outside in round 2. The Welshman moved inside in round 4, opening a cut over the Dane's right eyebrow. Nelson came back to drop Welsh early in round 6, and the Welsh Wizard was forced to hang on. In round 7, Welsh was in full retreat as the Champ pressed forward, looking for a KO. Welsh recovered enough by the 9th to launch a counterattack, reopening the cut about Nelson's eye, but near the end of the round Nelson tagged Welsh, opening a cut over the challenger's right eye. Going into the final rounds, the champ was ahead on the scorecards but those dangerous cuts were re-opened on both men in the 11th. A sharp left by the Dane reopened Welsh's cut, and in the 13th Welsh was cut again, this time leading to a stoppage. Nelson by TKO 13 (cuts).

Battling Nelson CH (50-8) vs Jem Driscoll #1 (36-6)

Driscoll, who lost the title to Nelson in late 1909 via MD 15, gets a rematch as he tries to reverse a 0-3 lifetime record against the Durable Dane. The start of the bout does not look promising for the British ex-champ as he sustains a cut over the right eye in round 2. However, Nelson is cut over his left eye in the 3rd to return the favor. Driscoll aggressively moves forward in the 4th, causing the cut over Nelson's eye to worsen. The Driscoll onslaught continues in the 5th, and the Dane's eye becomes a bloody mess. Round 6 is another big round for the Brit, and the Champ is forced to cover up. Driscoll continues to target the Dane's cut eye in the middle rounds until the ref steps in and rules the cut is too severe for the bout to continue. Driscoll by TKO 10 (cut) to regain the WBA Title.

Jem Driscoll CH (37-6) vs Jewey Cooke #3 (59-11-1)

The American vet (winner of his last 6 bouts) earns another WBA Title shot, the 5th of his career. No prior meetings, and Driscoll is installed as the betting favorite. Driscoll moves inside in round 3 to establish early control against the defense-oriented Cooke. This enables the champ to build an early points lead, so Cooke tries moving inside in round 6. Cooke can't make much impression and Driscoll scores the bout's only KD when he drops Cooke in the 10th with a wicked right. Cooke makes a huge comeback effort in the late rounds which falls just a little short. Driscoll by MD 15 (146-140, 143-143, 145-141).

Jem Driscoll CH (38-6) vs Matty Baldwin #8 (25-9-2)

"Peerless Jim" defends against Baldwin, whom he TKO'd in a non-title clash in 1908 -- it is Baldwin's third shot at the WBA crown, having loss previously to Gans and Blackburn. Driscoll looks sharp early, drilling Baldwin from both an inside and outside position. The challenger's left eye starts to swell, and the rest of the bout is fairly one-sided as at least Baldwin is able to make it the distance. Driscoll by UD 15 (146-140, 145-140, 145-141).

NABF: Jack Blackburn is quite active during the year, making five defenses of the NABF crown. First up was Young Otto, where early aggression by Blackburn paid off as he opened a cut over Otto's right eye in round one and this led to an early stoppage--Blackburn by TKO 6. Then it was rugged Harlem Tommy Murphy who waged an all-out war and Blackburn was lucky to escape with a MD 12 win. Then the previously unbeaten Charley White (17-0 coming in) proved no match for the wily ring vet as two KDs in the 10th by Blackburn proved decisive in a UD 12 win. Then USBA champ Young Erne tried for Blackburn's belt, but again Jack dominated for another UD12 verdict. Finally, Blackburn finished the year with a stern test versus CBU champ Fighting Dick Hyland, winning by opening an early cut on the challenger, whom he held off for a close UD 12 win.

USBA: Young Erne was much less active than Blackburn, defending once against Young Donahue, and the champ proved equal to the task, converting an early points lead to a routine UD 12 win.

CBU: Fighting Dick Hyland started the year as champ, then took on Driscoll who pummeled him, scoring a KD in the 8th en route to a UD 12 verdict. After Driscoll annexed the WBA crown (thereby vacating the CBU title), Hyland got another shot when he took on aging an obviously shot Mike Ward (a fellow Canadian at the end of his career) and one clean shot in the 3rd was all it took to regain the belt. Hyland by KO 3.

GBU: Freddie Welsh had not defended at all in 1909, and in 1910 it was just one defense, an easy affair with TC Stan Nash whom he TKO'd in 4.

EBU: Driscoll began the year as EBU champ but vacated the title after defeating Nelson for the WBA crown. Frank Erne and German Rudy Unholz were paired together for the vacant title, and the underdog Unholz turned in the performance of the lifetime against the Swiss vet, winning via SD 12. Unholz's reign was destined to be short-lived, as he traveled to London for his first defense versus the Welsh Wizard, and Welsh bloodied the German's nose early on, and dominated before a TKO 10 (cuts) stoppage so the year ended with Welsh holding the EBU belt as well as the GBU title.


Jan. 1911 Rankings (Perf Pts and change from Jan 1910 in parens):

Champ: Jem Driscoll 39-6 (29) (1254) (+1)
1. Battling Nelson 51-9 (28) (1183) (-1)
2. Jack Blackburn 39-5-1 (17) (1132) (+2)
3. Jewey Cooke 59-12-1 (28) (1005) (-1)
4. Freddie Welsh 19-4-1 (12) (893) (-1)
5. Lockport Jimmy Duffy 17-0 (10) (863) (new)
6. Young Otto 25-7-2 (12) (782) (-1)
7. Young Erne 32-13-3 (12) (642) (+1)
8. Matty Baldwin 25-10-2 (17) (631) (+4)
9. Fighting Dick Hyland 22-10-3 (15) (622) (-2)
10. Willie Ritchie 18-3-1 (8) (621) (+1)

Comments: Everyone listed here is at Prime except Duffy who is Pre-Prime for three more fights. Driscoll is riding a 5-bout win streak, bouncing back after losing his title in 1909 to Nelson. Nelson recovered from the WBA title loss with a MD10 win over Otto to remain a top contender. Blackburn went 6-0 in 1910 and is contemplating a WBA title shot in 1911. Welsh added the EBU title to his GBU belt. Prospect Duffy continued his unbeated run into the Top 10, with wins over Leach Cross, Paul Koehler, Charley White and Harlem Tommy Murphy. Baldwin moved up with wins over Ritchie and Cross. Ritchie made the Top 10 by beating Unholz and Jack Curley while posting a 4-1 mark for the year. Notable Top 10 dropout was White, who ran up a 17-0 mark only to then lose three in a row to Blackburn, Duffy and Otto, dropping 5 spots to #11. Tommy Murphy fell 2 from #10 to #12 by losing two of three during the year. But Ray Bronson slid all the way from #9 to #21, losing all three bouts, a SD loss to Donahue along with KO defeats by Parker and Kid Black. Brit Stan Nash is the only ranked TC at LW, all the way down at #36 with a 8-8-1 (1) mark and 5 pps.

Prospects: Some of the prospects ran into trouble when first paired with name opponents in the talent-rich LW division. Terry Brooks split a pair of bouts with fellow prospect Willie Beecher and loss to vet Jimmy Britt to end the year at 9-2 (6). Beecher is 9-1 (2). Aussie Herb McCoy is unbeaten at 9-0 (5), all versus TCs. Also fed a steady diet of TCs to start off unbeatend are Phil Cross at 7-0 (5) and Mexican Joe Rivers at 5-0 (3).

Looking Ahead: Welsh might be positioning himself to earn a third belt, the CBU crown, to go with his GBU and EBU titles. Lockport Jimmy Duffy is probably going to be tested with a top-ranked opponent, possibly for a title belt. Making debuts in 1911 are all-time great Benny Leonard, along with another real-life LW champ, Rocky Kansas. Frenchman Louis de Ponthieu and Canadian Gilbert Gallant will join the LW ranks as well.

Division Profile: 106 total, 53 real-life and 53 TCs.
RL distribution: End-2 (F Erne, Fredericks); Post-Prime: 4; Prime: 25;
Pre-Prime: 12. Beginning: 10 (including 7 New in 1911)
Rated: 38
800+: 6
500+: 16
200+: 34

Retirement:

Mike Ward (CAN) 1900-1910 28-15-1 (18) CBU Champ