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This report covers a total of 64 bouts taking place during the second half of April 1941. As in the first half of the month, two WBA title bouts are included.

Apr. 18, 1941: Next is a Friday night card at San Juan’s Escobar Stadium. No titles at stake, and the feature matches Elmer “Kid Violent” Ray with GCU and CBU titleholder, the “British Brown Bomber,” Tommy Martin, in a 10-round rematch of an earlier encounter, back in 1938 in London, that resulted in a TKO win for Ray. Ray is on target early, while Martin struggles with his timing through the opening three rounds. In fact, early in round three, Ray rocks Martin with a sharp combination that forces the British fighter to cover up. From this point, Martin’s corner has to deal with a rapidly swelling left eye. Martin rallies by winning rounds four and five and, at the halfway point, the unofficial scorer has it even (48-48), and there is a trace of swelling under the left eye of Ray, who has begun to drop the pace from his aggressive posture in the early rounds. Then, after a lull in round six, in round seven, Martin breaks through, connecting with a sharp combination that sends Ray tumbling to the canvas. Ray arises at the count of eight, and survives the rest of the round after covering up. The issue remains in doubt until the final few rounds, with both men tiring, and Ray looking for the knockout. In the final round, Martin seizes control, ripping open a cut on Ray’s forehead, and then another Martin combination drops Ray for a second time, and this time, Ray cannot beat the count. KO 10 for Martin, who improves to 27-8-2 (17) with win, while the loss drops Ray – who is now at Post-Prime -- to 45-13 (31).

Apr. 19, 1941: North of the border to the Forum in Montreal, with a pair of key bouts headlining the agenda. In the first of these, top ranked MW contender, Marcel Cerdan, the reigning EBU MW Champion, visits from France to take on Lou Brouillard, the current CBU MW titleholder, in non-title action. Nothing spectacular as there is a long feeling-out process between these two first-time opponents; gradually, Cerdan builds a comfortable points lead; midway through round five, he traps Brouillard in the corner and drills the Canadian fighter with a hard cross. Brouillard covers up and manages to last the round; after five, the unofficial card has Cerdan well ahead (50-45). Cerdan patiently bides his time, gradually wearing down Brouillard, then finding the range with a combination of blows to the head and body that dropped Brouillard in the ninth. Solid performance by “the Casbalanca Clouter,” who gave his opponent few chances. UD 10 for Cerdan (97-92, 99-90, 99-90) pushes his career totals to 29-2-2 (22). Brouillard ends the bout at 32-14-3 (14). In the finale, the NABF LW title is on the line, with Lou Ambers defending against Canadian fan favorite Dave Castilloux. First meeting of the two, and it’s the first outing at Post-Prime for the veteran Ambers, aka “the Herkimer Hurricane,” who is making his first ring outing since a WBA title loss to Tony Canzoneri last November. Solid start from the challenger, who looks to give Ambers a tough bout. Solid boxing by Ambers, but nothing spectacular, yet he emerges with a points edge (58-56, on the unofficial card) at the midway point. The Canadian challenger steps up the pace in the second half of the bout, but he finds himself running low on stamina as the bout heads into the later rounds. Late surge from Castilloux enables him to win a big round 10, and he continues to press the attack against the defensive-minded Ambers. The bouts go the distance, with Ambers sporting a slightly swollen left eye as a result of some hard shots landed by Castilloux in the final round. In the end, though, to the dismay of the Canadian fight fans, Castilloux’s late surge falls just short, as Ambers keeps the belt by a narrow MD 12 (115-113, 114-114, 115-113); had a couple of close rounds gone the other way, Castilloux might have lifted the belt. Post-bout career marks: Ambers, 34-4-1 (18); Castilloux, 24-9-3 (9).

Apr. 19, 1941: Next is a huge card, headlined by a WBA title contest, at Soliders Field in Chicago. Two of the sport’s top stars, Joe Louis and young WW prospect Sugar Ray Robinson, are on the agenda. In a preliminary bout, Robinson runs his career record to a perfect 7-0 (7) with a fourth round TKO over a hapless TC opponent. Then, in the feature, Joe Louis takes on the #6 ranked HW contender, Jack Trammell, for Louis’ WBA HW title. First meeting of the two and Trammell, a slugger, appears willing to mix it up on the inside with the Champion. Most of the exchanges favor Louis, who builds a solid points lead (50-46 on the unofficial card, after five rounds) in the early going. Heading into the middle rounds, there is a trace of swelling under the left eye of the challenger. After just eight rounds, Trammell is already running low on stamina. Finally, in round nine, Louis catches Trammell with a hard uppercut follows up with a cross and decks Trammell. Even though Trammell manages to scramble back to his feet after the count reaches in eight, he is in no condition to defend against the ferociousness of Louis’ attack, and the ref calls a halt to save Trammell from further damage. The TKO 9 runs Louis’ record to 34-1 (32), making it a string of nine successive KO or TKO stoppage wins, all in WBA title bouts. For Trammell, now 30-10 (14), it is back to the drawing board and some easier competition after a game effort to carry the Champ into the second half of the bout.

Apr. 25, 1941: Pittsburgh’s Forbes Field is the venue for the next fight card, and the one notable matchup is the main event, a non-title clash of two top MW contenders: Teddy Yarosz and former WBA MW Champion Holman Williams. Both men are coming off losses in title bouts, and Yarosz is seeking to avenge an earlier loss, via a UD, back in 1939. Solid start for Williams, who dominates the action in the early rounds, building a solid points lead by the halfway point (49-46 on the unofficial card). In the second half of the bout, Yarosz tries to become more aggressive, while battling a rapidly swelling left eye. The bout goes the distance and, to the surprise of many, Yarosz snags a SD 10 verdict (96-95, 95-96, 96-95) despite the fact that Williams held a fairly sizable edge in the punches landed stats. Post-bout career records: Yarosz, 37-15-3 (13); Williams, 33-8 (20).

Apr. 26, 1941: Back to the UK for a packed card at the Earls Court in London, topped by a twin bill of title bout action. In the first co-main event, the Commonwealth Flyweight title is on the line, with Benny Lynch making his third defense of that belt, versus challenger Joe Curran. Lynch hopes to repeat a previous UD win, back in 1938, over Curran, for the GBU Flyweight belt. Lynch is the aggressor throughout much of the early going, while Curran prefers a more defensive-minded approach. After a few rounds, the bout devolves into a tactical struggle, which appears to favor Curran, who holds a stamina edge over the veteran Lynch, now in the twilight of his career. Midway through round six, Curran fires a three-punch combo that staggers the Champion, forcing Lynch to cover up. By the midway point, Curran is well ahead on points (59-56, according to the unofficial card), plus Lynch is suffering from a cut under his left eye. The eye continues to worsen, puffing up a bit as the bout reaches the later stages. After easing up for a few rounds, Lynch begins to apply pressure, feeling the title slipping away as Curran’s defense remains solid. In the end, Curran’s conservative approach to the bout pays off, as he takes a well-earned UD 12 (117-114, 117-113, 118-114) to secure his first title after three previous attempts, all unsuccessful, to wrest either the GBU or CBU belt. With the win, Curran runs his career totals to 26-12-2 (10). Lynch – now at End career stage -- slips to 33-12 (17) with the loss. Then, in the finale, France’s Maurice Holtzer faces veteran Dave Crowley for Holtzer’s EBU FW title. Holtzer holds two prior wins over Crowley but, given the fact the Frenchman is now at Post-Prime career stage, Crowley’s supporters hope for a different outcome this time around. The bout remains close for the first few rounds, with the more aggressive Crowley moving inside and gaining a slight advantage in round three. By the midway point, the unofficial scorer has Crowley ahead (by a count of 58-56) and, to the delight of the British fans, he continues to press forward in the second half of the bout. It isn’t until the final few rounds that Holtzer abandons his defense-first approach but, by then, Crowley has matters well in hand, coasting to a solid UD 12 triumph (117-111, 115-113, 116-113) to capture the EBU FW belt (having previously held the GBU belt) for the first time. Post-bout records: Crowley, 30-23-1 (13); Holtzer, 42-20-4 (15).

Apr. 26, 1941: Final card of the month, and it’s in New York, at the Polo Grounds, featuring another WBA title clash. Defending the WBA WW title belt is Henry “Homicide Hank” Armstrong, facing challenger Freddie “the Croat Comet” Zivic. It is Armstrong’s fifth title defense, and Zivic’s second title try, having been a KO victim of Armstrong’s in the prior title bout, early in 1940. Armstrong looks sharp early, but Zivic impresses with a big round three when he catches Armstrong trying to work his way on the inside. Armstrong regains control, scoring well to take round four. Then, in round five, Armstrong connects with a vicious hook, and Zivic drops to the canvas. After taking a six count, Zivic arises and, on wobbly legs, attempts to cover up. Armstrong continues to apply the pressure, and there is no escape as, with plenty of time remaining in the round, the ref steps in to call a halt. TKO 5 for Armstrong, who improves to 36-4-3 (30) with the win. The loss drops Zivic to 28-10-4 (15).