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LW Title Bouts

WBA: Tony Canzoneri began the year with the title and defended once, defeating Pedro Montanez (UD 15). Then, Henry Armstrong successfully challenged Canzoneri (TKO 14) to capture the belt and remained WBA LW Champion at year-end.

NABF: Wesley Ramey carried this belt into 1939 and made one successful defense, versus Tony Chavez (D 12). Then, Al Roth defeated Ramey (MD 12) to take the belt. Finally, Lou Ambers challenged for the belt and dethroned Roth (UD 12).

USBA: Lou Ambers started the year with this title and defended it against challengers Sammy Fuller (UD 12) and Tony Chavez (TKO 11). Then, Ambers vacated the title after moving up to take the NABF belt. In a contest for the vacant belt, Lew Jenkins prevailed over Tommy Spiegel (UTD 6).

CBU: Jack Kid Berg retained the belt, making two successful defenses during the year, defeating Harry Mizler (UD 12) and Laurie Stevens (UD 12).

GBU: Harry Mizler keeps this title for another year, but made no defenses for the second year in a row (due to lack of credible challengers).

EBU: Jack Kid Berg kept this belt, making one successful defense, defeating Aldo Spoldi (UD 12).

OPBF: Not active in this division yet.

LABF: Pedro Montanez retained this belt for another year, making one successful defense versus Justo Suarez (UD 12).

LW Division Profile

Total: 140 RL: 86 TC: 54

RL by Career Stage:
End - 8
Post - 20
Prime - 29
Pre - 19
Beginning - 10 (7 New)

Rated: 60
800+: 21
500+: 42
200+ : 59

Jan 1940 Rankings (Perf Points and Changes from Jan. 1939 in Parens):

Champ: Henry Armstrong 31-3-3 (25) (1799) (new)
1. Tony Canzoneri 49-5-4 (17) (1783) (-1)
2. Lou Ambers 31-2-1 (18) (1344) (+1) (NABF)
3. Jack Kid Berg 42-14-5 (14) (1340) (+1) (EBU, CBU)
4. Pedro Montanez 33-7 (16) (1317) (+3) (LABF)
5. Al Roth 33-7-1 (11) (1145) (+6)
6. Tony Chavez 27-8-2 (11) (1137) (+3)
7. Wesley Ramey 30-10-6 (10) (1124) (-4)
8. Chino Alvarez 34-11-4 (22) (1107) (+8)
9. Sammy Fuller 48-16-1 (11) (1082) (-7)
10. Cecil Payne 41-14-4 (9) (1022) (-2)

Others: 13. Lew Jenkins 21-0-2 (11) (976) (+7) (USBA)
38. Harry Mizler 20-11-4 (5) (527) (-5) (GBU)

Comments: All the above at Prime except for Canzoneri, Montanez, Fuller and Payne, who enter 1940 at Post-Prime career stage. Henry Armstrong had a stellar year, winning WBA titles in two divisions (WW and LW) and, as noted, he was held to a draw at WW by Cocoa Kid. Canzoneri recovered from his title loss to Armstrong to record a UD win over Fuller, going 2-1 for the year. Ambers stepped up to claim the NABF title but also suffered his second career loss, via MD, to Montanez; his three title bout wins plus a MD over Laurie Stevens were sufficient to maintain the #2 spot in the rankings. Berg went 4-0 for the year, taking three title bouts and a UD over Ramey. Montanez suffered the WBA title loss, but rebounded with three wins, including the MD over Ambers and a UD against Frankie Klick. Roth won and lost the USBA title, then registered a trio of UD wins versus Payne, Benny Bass and long-time JLW Champion Tod Morgan to go 4-1 for the year; a concomitant rise in the rankings was his reward. Chavez managed wins over Klick and Payne but struggled in title bouts, drawing one and losing the other. Ramey had a draw and a loss in title bouts, a UD win over Alvarez but then lost to Berg. Alvarez had a busy 1939, with TKO wins over Loayza, Fuller and Klick but lost to Ramey and was held to a draw by Emory Cabana. Fuller was also active in five bouts during the year, but lost three of them, causing a precipitous drop in the rankings as his two wins (both by UD) came against lower-rated guys (Castilloux and Loayza). Payne managed to hang on to a top 10 spot by virtue of a DQ win over Benny Bass; he lost his two other 1939 outings (both UD losses to Roth and Chavez). Just missing on the top 10 was Laurie Stevens, who finished up at #11 after going 3-2 for the year. Jenkins maintained his unbeaten status despite a second career draw, this versus Lefty Satan Flynn and scored impressive wins over Roger Bernard and Lew Kirsch (both via UD) to set up his successful bid for the vacant USBA title. Davey Day rode a four-bout winning streak to the #15 spot, including a UD win over the hapless Bass. Bass dropped all the way from #6 to #16 after a miserable year in which he lost all three of his bouts. Italy’s Aldo Spoldi slid seven spots to #17, going 2-2 for the year, with UD wins over Mizler and Hirsch Demsitz to his credit, but there was also a TKO loss to Bernard as well as the EBU title loss. Mizler lost ground in the rankings after a poor year in which he won just once (a UD 10 over Billy Townsend) in four outings. Top newcomer to the list at #40 is George Latka, who reeled off 14 straight wins before dropping a split duke to Luther White in his last outing; Latka, who impressed with a stoppage of Canadian Billy Marquart and a UD over Brit Eric Boon, ended the year at 14-1 (9). Also new to the rankings this year is Jimmy Tygh, whose only career loss was to Latka in 1938 but in 1939 he reeled off four straight wins, including a UD over Lenny Mancini, to end up at 13-1-1 (9), good for the #42 spot.

Prospects: Willie Joyce checks in at 12-1 (9); he suffered his first career loss (a UD to Julie Kogon) but did record a win over Maxie Shapiro (also a UD). Larry Cisneros remains unbeaten, at 12-0 (9), with a win over Pete Nebo in addition to a string of TC wins. Al “Bummy” Davis ended the year at 10-2 (8) after dropping a MD to Tygh (his second career loss). Shapiro, now 10-1-1 (6), had his record marred by the loss to Joyce and a draw with Lenny “Boom Boom” Mancini. Mancini suffered his first career loss, to Tygh, and ended up at 9-1-2 (5). Still perfect are Julie Kogon, 11-0 (5); Allie Stolz, 10-0 (8); and Bob Montgomery, 9-0 (9). Beau Jack got off to a good start with two stoppage wins to build a 2-0 (2) record thus far.

Retirements: Ten retirements from the LW ranks in 1939; three of these were also active in the now defunct JLW division (including one former WBA Champion there).

Harry Mason (UK) 1920-39 37-31-5 (5) EBU, CBU, GBU Champ Highest Rank: 17
George Rose (UK) 1926-39 26-21-3 (7) No Titles Highest Rank: 41
Francois Sybille (BEL) 1924-39 30-28-3 (11) No Titles Highest Rank: 28
Leslie Wildcat Carter (USA) 1925-39 38-21-4 (12) No Titles Highest Rank: 3 (as JLW)
Tod Morgan (USA) 1920-39 50-21-5 (13) WBA JLW Champ 2927-28, 1931-34 NABF LW Champ Highest Rank (as LW): 5
Pete Nebo (USA) 1925-39 25-23-2 (14) No Titles Highest Rank: 2 (as JLW)
Billy Townsend (CAN) 1926-39 28-23-1 (16) NABF, CBU Champ Highest Rank: 5
Baby Sal Sorio (USA) 1925-39 32-21-1 (18) No Titles Highest Rank: 19
Justo Suarez (ARG) 1928-39 30-17-1 (17) No Titles Highest Rank: 4
Harry Dublinsky (USA) 1926-39 31-19-3 (10) No Titles Highest Rank: 18

Looking Ahead: Armstrong is expected to vacate the LW title soon, leaving Ambers and Berg as the top contenders for the vacant belt, given that Canzoneri is already on the downside of his very impressive career that included a seven-year reign as WBA LW Champion. It remains to be seen how much longer Jenkins can remain unbeaten; while he has managed to win a lesser title, he has not faced much in the way of tough competition yet. This is an aging group; there are almost as many fighters at Post and End career stage as there are at Prime. Right now, Willie Joyce and Bob Montgomery are the best of the many prospects, and Ike Williams and Aussie Vic Patrick top the incoming class of 1940 debutants.