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This report covers a total of 58 bouts taking place during the first half of September 1942. No WBA title bouts are included in this report.

Sep. 4, 1942: The month’s action commences with a card at “the Aud” in Buffalo. No titles at stake, and the main event showcases two LH contenders who are meeting for the first time. One of these, Lloyd Marshall, a former WBA LH Champ, is looking to re-establish his credentials as a top flight contender after suffering losses in two of his last three bouts since losing the title. Nate Bolden has won six non-title fights in succession but faltered in two recent attempts to wrest the USBA and NABF LH belts. In the early going, there is not much to choose between the two, as Bolden serves notice that he will be another tough opponent for the higher-ranked Marshall. By round five, however, the tide turns in Marshall’s favor as Bolden suffers from a cut and swollen right eye, and the unofficial scorer at ringside has Marshall in front, albeit by a narrow one-point margin (48-47). Into the second half of the bout, and Marshall takes advantage of the situation and pulls even further ahead, piling up points as the bout wears on. Bolden’s camp struggles to deal with the cut and swollen eye, and Bolden himself lacks the stamina and firepower to mount a late rally, having to be saved by the bell in the final round after Marshall drops him with a big shot. Thus, it is no surprise that the UD 10 goes the way of Marshall (98-91, 97-92, 96-93), who regains his status as a top LH contender, improving to 22-4-2 (20) with the win. The loss drops Bolden to 23-5-1 (12).

Sep. 5, 1942: The action shifts to Havana’s Gran Stadium where a pair of co-feature bouts, again no titles at stake, top the agenda. In the first of these, Cuba’s fast-rising FW contender, National Kid, faces a veteran of the ring wars, Freddie Miller; these two have not met before and Miller, now in a Post-Prime career state, is more vulnerable, particularly when facing a hometown fighter in a hostile arena. However, in the second round, Kid is slowed when he suffers a cut lip. The cut is promptly closed, only to be re-opened two rounds later. In round five, Kid uses his jab effectively and gains control of the bout, backing Miller up and forcing the American to cover up. Despite some swelling around his left eye, Miller has the edge (49-47) on the unofficial scorecard at the halfway point of the bout. Into the later rounds, and both men are showing signs of fatigue as early as round eight. Into the final few rounds, and Kid goes on the offensive, hoping to catch a weary-looking Miller with a good shot. In the final round, Miller retreats to a defensive shell, hanging on and hoping his success in the earlier rounds will carry him forward to victory. The bout goes to decision, and, to the dismay of the Cuban fight fans, Miller takes a razor-thin UD 10 (96-95 on all cards) – a tough loss for Kid, who has a seven-bout unbeaten streak snapped. Post-bout career marks: Miller, 42-16-1 (15); Kid, 20-2-1 (10). In the finale, two HWs square off as Elmer “Kid Violent” Ray faces Walter “Der Blonde” Neusel, with a prominent top 10 ranking at stake. Ray is looking to avenge a TKO loss to Neusel in their one prior meeting, in Caracas in early 1941. Action is slow to develop, but Neusel is the more active of the two and seems to have the upper hand in the early going. In round four, Ray gets going and lands some telling shots, causing a trace of swelling to appear around Neusel’s left eye. Right before the bell sounds to end round five, Neusel lands a crushing right – his best punch of the bout; the German leads (by a 49-46 margin) on the unofficial card at the halfway point. Into the later rounds, and Ray is the more aggressive of the two, landing a few good blows but also running into some solid defense from Neusel. In the final two rounds, the punches landed stats swing in favor of the American fighter and, with the bout going to decision, it is not surprising to see the bout being called a majority draw (95-95, 94-96 Neusel, 95-95), with Ray winning the last three rounds from a majority of the judges. Post-bout, Ray is 47-15-1 (32); Neusel, 30-13-3 (21).

Sep. 5, 1942: Detroit is the scene for the next fistic action. Only one bout of note, and it is the main event, for the USBA LH title. Melio Bettina makes his second defense of this belt, facing off against ex-WBA LH Tony Shucco. No prior meetings of these two, and, while Bettina is riding a five-bout unbeaten streak (including two draws), Shucco is trying to bounce back after a couple of losses, including his WBA title loss to Archie Moore in late 1941. Shucco is on target early, and there is a trace of swelling around Bettina’s right eye as early as the second round. In round four, Bettina strikes, using a lead right to stagger Shucco, who backs up against the ropes and covers up. Bettina takes charge and, at the midway point, the unofficial card has him ahead (by a count of 58-56). Into the second half of the bout, and Shucco battles back by moving inside and scoring heavily in a big round eight. More solid shots land for the challenger in the ninth round, and the swelling around Bettina’s eye worsens. Into the later rounds and Bettina – feeling his title slipping away – gradually becomes more and more aggressive. The bout goes the distance, and – to the surprise of many observers, all three judges call the bout a draw (114-114 on all cards), enabling Bettina to retain the title. Post-bout career marks: Bettina, 28-5-5 (11); Shucco, 37-16-2 (13).

Sep. 11, 1942: Next up is a Friday night card at San Juan, showcasing one of Puerto Rico’s most talented fighters, WW Cocoa Kid, who faces Johnny Wilson in the main event. The two have not met before. Kid is coming off a successful defense of his LABF title, while Wilson is looking to rebound from a couple of recent losses to ex-Champ Eddie Dolan and EBU WW Champ Bep Van Klaveren. Action is slow to develop as there is a long feeling-out process. Kid gradually pulls ahead on points, outboxing Wilson to the extent he has forged a solid lead (50-46 on the unofficial card) by the midway point. It is not until the later rounds that Wilson, trailing badly, tries to become more aggressive, and while Wilson manages to cut into Kid’s lead, the hometown fighter holds on to record a MD 10 win (96-94, 95-95, 96-94) that turned out to be quite a bit closer than his supporters would have liked, after Wilson rallied to win both of the final two rounds on all three cards. However, Kid remains a top WW contender despite the closeness of the result. Post-bout career marks: 43-8-4 (13) for Kid; 24-5-2 (15) for Wilson.

Sep. 12, 1942: Next is a fairly limited card at Liverpool – only four bouts on the agenda. Main event matched GBU and CBU WW Champion Ernie Roderick as a hometown favorite versus rising US fighter Marty Servo, who carries an impressive 22-2 record into a bout where he hopes to continue his rise up the WW ranks. First meeting of the two, and the action heats up in the opening seconds, as Roderick stuns Servo with a huge hook that forces the American boxer to cover up. Servo lasts the round, and he recovers to gradually pile up points and is in front (by a count of 48-47, according to the unofficial scorer at ringside) at the halfway point of the 10-rounder. Both men tire badly down the stretch, and Roderick – trailing on points – tries to go on the offensive, but with little success. Servo goes on to take a MD 10 (97-94, 95-95, 97-93), with one judge dissenting, to give a bit of a hometown boost to Roderick. Post-bout career records: Servo, 23-2 (9); Roderick, 26-15-3 (7).

Sep. 12, 1942: To the Pacific Southwest for the next fight card, which takes place at the Dodge Theatre in Phoenix. Headliner is a matchup for the vacant USBA FW title, recently vacated by Everett Rightmire who moved up to capture the WBA FW title. The combatants, meeting for the first time, are ex-USBA Champ Harold Hoshino and, making his first title try for any belt, Harry Jeffra who enters the bout as a decided underdog. Some solid boxing from Hoshino, but Jeffra does well to keep the bout close (58-57 for Hoshino at the midway point, on the unofficial card), plus there is a trace of swelling under Hoshino’s right eye as a result. In round seven, Hoshino steps in and tags Jeffra with a hard hook, forcing his opponent to cover up. He follows up with a sharp combination, and soon thereafter Jeffra is helpless against the ropes, as Hoshino lands blow after unanswered blow, causing the ref to step in and call a halt. The TKO 7 enables Hoshino to regain his status as USBA FW Champ, running his career totals to 29-3-2 (16), while the loss leaves Jeffra at 29-11-1 (12).