[JCWeb]

This report covers a total of 62 bouts taking place during the second half of July 1941. Just one WBA title bout – the only one during the month – is included in this report.

July 18, 1941: Next is a Friday night card at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. Twin bill topping the agenda, with a pair of non-title bouts, each featuring a pair of ranked contenders. First up is the LW duo of Eddie “Pride of Taxony” Cool versus Tommy “Swift” Spiegel. The two have met once before, in 1937, which resulted in a TKO win for Cool. In this meeting, with both at Post-Prime career stage, Cool has the upper hand in the early going, quietly outboxing Spiegel and gradually building a solid points edge. At the midway point, the unofficial scorer at ringside has Cool up by a couple of points (48-46). Cool has a large stamina edge, and Spiegel struggles to battle back in the later rounds. Cool neatly counters any effort by Spiegel to apply pressure, and he manages to rip open a cut over the left eye of Spiegel in round nine. Spiegel does manage to get in a big hook in the final stanza, but it’s a case of too little, too late, and Cool takes a UD 10 (96-94 on all three cards) to improve his career record to 38-16-5 (12). The loss drops Spiegel to 27-8-4 (6). In the second co-feature, two top 10 MWs meet for the first time, as Teddy Yarosz faces Ben “Belter” Brown. Brown, a slugger, is the aggressor through the early rounds, putting Yarosz under pressure but landing no big shots. Slight edge for Yarosz, the boxer, at the midway point (48-47 on the unofficial card). Brown continues as the aggressor in the second half of the bout, and he begins to tire badly in the later rounds. Round eight sees Brown pay for his aggressiveness, with a cut suddenly opening up over his left eye. The cut is patched up, but Brown is unable to make much of an impression on the defensive-minded Yarosz, who picks up the UD 10 win (97-94, 97-93, 97-93). Post-bout records: Yarosz, 38-15-3 (13); Brown, 26-5-1 (16).

July 19, 1941: Next fistic action is in Europe at Gothenburg’s Ullevi Stadium. It’s another twin feature topping the bill, and again, no title bouts. First of the co-main events highlights former WBA Flyweight Champion Midget Wolgast, still highly ranked and on the comeback trail, taking on Italian Enrico Urbinati, who is not even ranked in the top 20. On paper, it looks to be a mismatch, but a good tune-up for Wolgast, who appears to be biding his time until a title bout opportunity develops. As anticipated, Wolgast quickly gains the upper hand on his overmatched Italian opponent. Urbinati has some moments in the fourth and fifth round, and it’s a somewhat narrow points lead for Wolgast at the midway point (49-47, on the unofficial card). By round six, however, Wolgast is back on target with his punches, and Urbinati is showing signs of swelling around his right eye. In round eight, more trouble for Urbinati as Wolgast rips open a cut over the same right eye. Wolgast goes on to record another solid points win, a UD 10 (96-94, 98-93, 98-92) to run his impressive career totals to 54-7-1 (19). For Urbinati, the loss leaves him at 17-10-2 (10). It remains to be seen if Wolgast will get another crack at the WBA title any time soon. In the second co-feature, two top five LWs do battle, as the “Whitechapel Whirlwind,” Jack Kid Berg, the reigning CBU and EBU LW titleholder, ventures away from his native United Kingdom to face current LABF LW Champion Chino Alvarez, another veteran of the LW ring wars, in a non-title clash. First meeting of the two, both of whom are angling for a WBA title shot, with both men entering the bout having gone unbeaten (two wins apiece) in 1941. The bout is highly competitive through the first four rounds, with both men trading blows, and neither is giving an inch. In round five, Alvarez seems to have the best of the inside exchanges, gaining the upper hand but, surprisingly, the unofficial card at ringside has Berg ahead (49-47) with five rounds remaining. Berg’s corner urges him to step up the pace but, by the end of round seven, his punches begin to lack steam as he begins to tire. By the end of round nine, with both men near exhaustion, Berg has battled back, and Alvarez’s right eye is beginning to puff up. Into the final round, and the fight is still very close,with Berg appearing to have gained a second wind. In the end, the cards are read, and it’s a slim MD 10 for Alvarez (97-96, 96-96, 96-95). Post-bout career marks: 38-13-4 (22) for Alvarez; 47-16-5 (15) for Berg, whose skills seem to have diminished somewhat, given he has recently hit Post-Prime career stage. On the other hand, a good win for Alvarez; it remains to be seen if it will help put him at the top of the heap of those contending for a shot at Tony Canzoneri’s WBA LW crown.

July 19, 1941: It’s fight night in Mexico City, and a large throng is on hand to witness a title defense by Baby Arizmendi, Mexico’s own WBA FW Champion. In the co-feature, two ranked FWs square off – both hoping to earn a WBA title shot against the winner of the main event – they are Mike Belloise, who has been rapidly arising through the ranks, and LBAF FW Champion Filio Julian Echevarria. Echevarria holds a prior win, via a split duke, two years earlier, in Havana before a pro-Echevarria crowd, and Belloise, who has has rapidly risen through the ranks since then – including a brief reign as WBA FW Champion – hopes to reverse that result. Echevarria, who has hit Post-Prime, has struggled in recent months but is still viewed as a dangerous opponent. Early in round three, an accidental clash of heads causes a cut to appear over the right eye of Echevarria. The cut is reopened later in the round, but some good cornerwork from the Venezuelan’s cut man keeps things under control. It’s a close bout, with the unofficial card having Echevarria slightly ahead (48-47) at the halfway point. Into the later rounds, and Belloise does his best to keep his opponent on his toes, alternately mixing an inside and outside attack. In round seven, the cut is reopened, and it leads to an immediate stoppage. The scorecards after six rounds are tallied, and the result is a majority TD 7 (57-57, 56-58 Echevarria, 57-57). Post-bout career marks: Belloise, 28-11-6 (11); Echevarria, 38-15-5 (12). It remains to be seen if this result could derail B Belloise’s hopes for a WBA title challenge later in the year. Finally, the Mexican fight crowd welcomes its own World Champion, as Baby Arizmendi steps into the ring to defend his WBA FW title, facing #1 challenger, American Harold “Homicide Hal” Hoshino. The two have not before, and Hoshino is stepping up for this, his first WBA title try, having won three straight since his first career loss to Chalky Wright in 1940. His opponent, the slick-boxing four-time Champion, Arizmendi, is making his third defense since winning the title from Belloise in mid-1940. The bout is extremely close for the first two rounds, then Hoshino takes the initiative and moves inside in round three; he is able to land a few good shots, but the Champ manages to hold his own. After another close round in round four, Arizmendi manages to gain the upper hand after a series of inside exchanges in round five. At this point, the unofficial card has the Mexican Champ with a narrow lead in points (48-47). Arizmendi continues to fire away in round six, doing some more damage, and Hoshino’s right eye begins to puff up, and he is carrying his hands low – a bad sign. In round seven, fatigue begins to set in for Hoshino, and Arizmendi continues to drill him with punch after punch. Round eight, more of the same, but Hoshino is able to remain upright and active, just losing by a wide margin at this point. A minor rally for Hoshino in round nine, as Arizmendi eases up a bit. After round 10, the unofficial scorer now has Arizmendi well ahead on points (98-94). Into the final rounds of the bout, and Arizmendi remains content to wage battle from the outside, not giving his opponent any openings. In the final few rounds, Arizmendi adopts a more defensive posture as a desperate Hoshino looks for a knockout. Instead, the bout goes the distance and, to no surprise, it’s a UD 15 for Arizmendi (146-141, 148-139, 145-141). With the win, Arizmendi improves to 44-9-3 (10); for Hoshino, his second career loss leaves him at 28-2 (15). Looks like Arizmendi plans to take a long vacation before arranging his next title defense (or possibly a move to LW?).

July 25, 1941: It’s a Friday night fight card at Havana’s Gran Stadium, featuring a 10-round, non-title clash among two former WBA LH Champions, Eddie “Black Dynamite” Booker and Adolf ”Bulldog of the Rhine” Heuser. No prior meetings, and both are fresh from wins in previous bouts leading into this encounter. Action is slow to develop, as there is a long feeling-out process. In rounds four and five, Booker begins to gain the upper hand, and he has a comfortable points lead at the halfway point (49-46, according to the unofficial scorer at ringside). The trend continues into the second half of the bout, and by round seven, Heuser is already showing signs of exhaustion. Heuser recovers with a couple of good rounds late in bout, as Booker seemed to ease up when he should have been sustaining the pressure. Still, the result – a majority draw (96-94 Booker, 95-95, 95-95) comes as a surprise to many observers, who had Booker winning the fight. Post-bout records: Booker, 24-3-1 (15); Heuser, 38-10-2 (18). There’s talk of a rematch later in the year, although both men were hoping for a better result, as a win might put either in line for a WBA title shot.

July 26, 1941: London’s Olympia is the scene for the next fight card, and there is a twin bill of exciting title bout action topping the agenda. In the first co-feature, it is the GBU WW title that is on the line, as Ernie Roderick makes only his second defense of the belt he won back in 1935. The challenger, still a couple of bouts away from Prime career stage, is Arthur “the Irish Guardsman” Danaher. No prior meetings of the two, and the veteran Roderick is a heavy favorite to retain his title. After a slow start by both men, Roderick gradually takes charge and begins piling up points, mainly through a rather passive tactic of remaining outside. Danaher appears to lack the experience and also the punching power to seriously trouble the British Champion. By the midway point of the bout, Roderick is clearly in charge, and he has a large lead on the unofficial card as well (by a count of 59-55). Roderick has the best of a series of inside exchanges in round seven, then he is content to retreat to the outside, while his opponent shows signs of tiring with several rounds remaining. In round 11, Danaher suffers a nick under his right eye, but he continues right to the final bell, but the outcome is a foregone conclusion – it’s a lopsided UD 12 for Roderick (119-110, 118-110, 118-110). Roderick improves to 25-12-3 (7) with the win, and having made the mandatory defense against an overmatched challenger, he is free to take on greater challenges in an effort to improve his world ranking. Danaher, now 16-3 (10), was obviously not ready for this level of competition at this stage of his career, but, after one more bout, he will be at Prime career stage, and perhaps another title shot may be in the offing in future years. Then, after a brief pause, it is time for the finale, with Marcel Cerdan facing another young British hopeful, Dick Turpin, for Cerdan’s EBU MW title, a belt he won back in 1938 and has already successfully defended on five occasions. No prior meetings, but Turpin had a bounceback win after losing his first title try, for the GBU MW title, this past November. Cerdan has won five in a row since suffering his only career defeats, two losses in succession, back in 1939; a win here will re-establish his credentials as a likely challenger for the WBA MW title. After some good action in the opening two rounds, Cerdan moves inside in round three to assert control over his younger opponent. Not much in the way of action, but Turpin’s defense remains solid. Cerdan gradually gains the upper hand and, by the end of round five, there is a trace of swelling under Turpin’s right eye. Solid points lead for Cerdan (60-56) at the midway point, and the “Casablanca Clouter” continues to hammer away as the bout heads into the later rounds. Late in round 10, Cerdan lands a hard shot, sending Turpin to the canvas, but the British fighter is saved by the bell. Turpin manages to recover and last the distance, but the UD 12 goes to Cerdan by a wide margin (117-110, 119-108, 119-108). Post-bout career marks: Cerdan, 30-2-2 (22); Turpin, 18-3 (8). After this very impressive title defense, Cerdan’s connections are clamoring – even more loudly – for a matchup with WBA MW Champion Tony Zale.

July 26, 1941: The month wraps with a final card at New York’s Madison Square Garden. Future stars Jake LaMotta and Willie Pep appear in preliminary bouts on the undercard, both having their way with hand-selected TC opponents. In the first co-feature, long-time HW contender Art Lasky, reeling off two straight KO losses (include a one-round blowout by Joe Louis for the WBA title), takes on Abe Simon, who has also struggled in the past few years, with losses to the likes of Nathan Mann, Jimmy Mendes, Jersey Joe Walcott (no surprise there) and, most recently, Lou Nova. A true crossroads bout with both men looking to regain some lost form, and Lasky is in danger of slipping out of the top 10 in the HW ranks, a spot he has resided for over two years. No prior meetings, and it’s a cautious start by both men through the opening few rounds. The powerful Lasky bulls his way inside and lands some big shots to dominate the action in round three. Simon, who is sporting a mouse under his left eye, battles back with a good round in round four, also managing to work inside, and he decks Lasky with a perfectly timed cross midway through the fifth. Lasky is unable to beat the count, and the KO 5 improves Simon’s career stats to 27-5-1 (21) . The loss leaves Lasky, who has not won since July of 1940, at 28-12-2 (26). Final bout of the evening matches two ex-WBA LH Champions as “Slapsie” Maxie Rosenbloom takes on Gus Lesnevich. The two met once before, for the WBA title, in 1939, with Rosenbloom walking away a UD 15 winner. Since that time, the title has changed no fewer than seven (!) times, with Lesnevich picking up the belt from Eddie Booker but then losing it to Lloyd Marshall earlier in 1941. This is Lesnevich’s first bout since losing the title, and, similarly, Rosenbloom is coming off a loss as well – an unsuccessful foray into the HW ranks, losing to EBU and ex-WBA title holder Max Schmeling. Not much action in the early going, as both men seem to adopt a “defense first” posture. Lesnevich is the more active of the two and, late in round three, he opens a cut over the left eye of Rosenbloom. The cut is patched up, but even more worrisome for Maxie is the fact that Lesnevich’s punches are also causing some initial swelling around Rosenbloom’s right eye. At the midway point, the unofficial scorer has Lesnevich out in front (by a count of 49-47). The cut is reopened in round six, but a cautious Lesnevich continues to avoid taking unnecessary risks, sitting on his points lead. In the later rounds, Rosenbloom, sensing defeat looming, takes more chances, but he is unable to connect with any degree of regularity. The cut is reopened a second time in round eight, but good cornerwork prevents further problems. The bout goes the distance, and Lesnevich takes a lopsided UD 10 (98-92, 97-94, 100-90), a dominating performance that serves to re-establish his credentials as a top LH contender. Post-bout career marks: Lesnevich, 31-5-2 (14); Rosenbloom, 51-15-6 (18).