[JCWeb]

Division Profile:

Total Boxers: 136
Real-Life: 73
Tomato Can: 63

RL by Career Stage:
Beginning: 17 (11 new for 1912)
Pre: 30
Prime: 18
Post: 5
End: 3

Rated: 34
800+: 7
500+: 10
200+: 28

A word about what these numbers mean: "Rated" now refers to any boxer (RL or TC) with 15 or more bouts and a non-negative numerical rating in performance points (0 or greater). The career stage numbers refer only to real-life fighters whom I am obviously more interested in tracking than TCs.

Jan 1912 Top Ten Ratings (Perf Pts and changes from 1911 in parens):

Champ: Sam Langford 39-5-1 (30) (1437) (NC)
1. Jack Johnson 64-6-3 (50) (1269) (NC)
2. Joe Jeannette 31-2 (23) (1158) (NC)
3. Tommy Burns 36-7-3 (27) (1104) (+1)
4. Sam McVey 31-8-2 (21) (1036) (-1)
5. James Jeffries 51-9-3 (45) (997) (NC)
6. Denver Ed Martin 29-17-2 (24) (877) (+5)
7. Jeff Clarke 18-3-1 (15) (659) (+1)
8. Gunboat Smith 15-1 (10) (649) (new)
9. Frank Moran 17-5 (10) (594) (-3)
10. Al Kaufmann 24-8-1 (15) (470) (NC)

Comments: Everyone listed here at Prime except for Johnson and Jeffries who are at Post and Gunboat who is still at Pre. Langford has emerged as a dominant champ, defending five times in 1911 and piling up a very impressive performance points total. He has met and defeated about all the top contenders (except for Tommy Burns whom he lost to by DQ) and has not been defeated since 1908. Jeannette is probably is the second best right now, giving that aging is likely to take its toll on Johnson. Burns is still a factor, not having lost in his last 7 bouts (which include a draw with McVey). McVey has stumbled a bit, 1-1-1 in just three bouts in 1911. Denver Ed Martin's rollercoaster career continued on a upnote, as he won all three bouts including a win over LH champ O'Brien to move back into the Top 10. Clarke was overmatched with Langford but may be a strong contender for a lesser title. Smith needs more seasoning against better second-tier opposition. Moran's career suffered some setbacks with losses to Johnson and O'Brien. Kaufmann rebounded after an early year loss to McLaughlin to retain his Top 10 status. Dropping out of the Top 10 from 1911 were Bob Armstrong, 0-3 for the year (losses to Langford, Kaufmann and McVey) and, now at End career stage, he's unlikely to bounce back, and Aussie Bill Squires, who took a big nose dive all the way to #23 after losses to Tony Ross and Mike Schreck.

Other Notables: GBU Champ Gunner Moir checks in at #16 with a 20-12-3 (10) mark and 360 pp -- his only setback in 1911 was a UD 10 loss to Clarke. Joe Grim lurks outside the Top 10 at #11, coming off a close SD10 win over youngster Charley Miller. Miller is at #13, one spot below the fading Armstrong. Newcomer Jim Savage is at #14, having held Kaufmann to a draw. Aussie Colin Bell is 13-2 and rated #15 despite his loss to Burns for the CBU belt. Aging vet Marvin Hart is still mired well outside the top group at #22 and only 299 perf pts.

Prospects: Quite a few around, but none have distinguished themselves. Perhaps the top new guy to watch is Canadian Arthur Pelkey, who is 11-0 (6) but mostly versus TCs. Tom McMahon is 11-1-2 (4), his only loss to Soldier Kearns. Aussie Ern Waddy was 9-2 but then lost to Willie Meehan, another prospect. Still unbeaten at 9-0 (6) is Carl Morris, surviving a SD 8 win over Charles Horn, now he prepares to start 10-round bouts. Tom Cowler 7-0 (5) handed fellow Brit "Bandsman" Rice his only defeat. Harry Wills at 7-0 (6) may well be the best long-term prospect, having already secured wins over Al Benedict and Sailor Jack Carroll. Al Palzer is 7-0 (4) but all wins were versus TCs. Best of the remaining 1911 debutants was Irishman Jim Coffey at 5-0 (3), while Jess Willard got off to a 3-0 (2) start, but Luther McCarty won his first three all by KO, as did Germany's Otto Flint.

Retirements: John "Klondyke" Haines, a former Top 10 boxer, hung it up in 1911. His career numbers:

1899-1911 25-21-3 (12) No Titles highest rank: #7 (Jan 1907)

Looking Ahead: More quantity than quality among the division's newcomers for 1912, as Ireland's Bartley Madden and USA's Charley Weinert appear to be the best of the bunch. Look for a possible Langford-Burns WBA title match. The initial EBU heavyweight bout is probably a couple of years off, as possible contenders (like Otto Flint) need a couple of more years to develop and hone their skills.