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[JCWeb]

This report covers fistic action from the first half of February 1944; no WBA title bouts are covered in this report. In fact, there is a dearth of any title bouts set for February (only four for the entire month, all of which are for regional titles).

Feb. 4, 1944: The month commences with a relatively thin Friday night card at Atlantic City. No titles at stake, and the main event showcases the talents of MW contender Freddie Apostoli, aka “the Boxing Bellhop,” who takes on Antonio Fernandez of Chile, a former LABF MW titleholder. First meeting of the two and, unfortunately for Apostoli, it doesn’t last long as Fernandez’s first hard punch rips open a gash over the left eye of Apostoli. Blood spurts forth, and the ref, after consulting with the ring physician, order an immediate halt. Fernandez is declared the TKO 1 victor, despite protests from Apostoli’s corner that the cut was caused by an accidental head butt, which would have resulted in a technical draw. Nonetheless, the result stands, and Fernandez, whose career record improves to 38-18-4 (13), receives a big boost in the MW rankings as a result. On the other hand, it has to be a disappointing result for Apostoli, who was hoping to land a title shot later in the year; his post-bout career mark drops to 32-11-2 (24).

Feb. 5, 1944: Next card is at Havana, Cuba’s Gran Stadium. In the main event, top 10 WW contender Jackie Wilson meets, for the first time, Cuban WW Joe Legon, who recently regained the LABF WW title; so for Wilson, it’s a tough opponent in front of a hostile crowd. Solid start for Wilson, who grabs an early lead in terms of the punches landed stats. Legon works his way into the fight with a strong round in the fourth and, at the midway point, the unofficial scorer has a very slight lead (48-47) for Wilson. Into the second half of the bout, and the stamina factor shows a slight edge for Wilson. As the bout wears on, Legon is unable to break through Wilson’s very solid defense; in fact, Wilson eases up a bit in the final few rounds, confident of victory. By round eight, there is noticeable swelling around the right eye of Legon. The bout goes the rest of the way without incident and, while one judge calls the bout even, the other two have Wilson the winner, so Jackie takes a MD 10 (97-93, 95-95, 96-94). Post-bout career marks: Wilson, 29-7-2 (17); Legon, 27-10-6 (12).

Feb. 5, 1944: Next up is a card at Chicago. MWs are featured in the main event, with veteran MW contender Teddy Yarosz facing Coley Welch, who is looking to break into the top echelon against the now, Post-Prime Yarosz. First meeting of the two, and not much in the way of action as the two boxers circle each other, probing for openings. At the midway point, the unofficial scorecard has Yarosz with a slim points lead (49-48). As the bout heads into the later rounds, the stamina factor favors the younger man, Welch. Coming down to the final few rounds, the bout remains extremely close, with neither man making headway. No surprise to see some disagreement among the judges, who find Yarosz to be a SD 10 winner (98-92, 94-96, 97-93), even though Welch had a slight edge in the punches landed stats. With the win, Yarosz maintains his top 10 MW ranking and improves to 42-18-5 (14). The loss drops Welch to 25-7-3 (12).

Feb. 11, 1944: Next is a Friday Nights “Down Under” fight card, this time at Sydney, Australia. Topping the agenda is a Commonwealth LW title bout, with Aussie Vic Patrick defending the belt for the second time. His opponent is “His Satanic Majesty,” Lefty Satan Flynn. First meeting of the two, and a rough start for Patrick, who sustains a cut over his left eye in the very first round as a result of a couple of sharp jabs landed by Flynn. The cut is patched up between rounds, but suddenly, in round four, it is reopened; this time, it leads to an immediate stoppage. To the dismay of the pro-Patrick crowd, the title changes hands as the bout goes into the books as a TKO 4 for Flynn, lifting his career totals to 31-13-2 (17); the loss, only the second for Patrick, wraps up the pre-Prime stage of his career at 18-2 (14).

Feb. 12, 1944: To Europe and Gothenburg, Sweden for the next card. Only bout of interest is the main event, matching veteran and five-time former WBA BW Champ Panama Al Brown with the lightly regarded Romanian BW, Aurel Toma, who is in the first main event of his career. First meeting of the two, and Toma is hoping that the age factor enables him to pull off an upset over one of the division’s all-time greats, now nearing the end of his illustrious career. Turns out to be kind a boring bout, with both boxers circling each other, feinting and probing for openings, but not much in the way of exciting action. Then, suddenly, with less than a minute remaining in round five, Brown drops Toma with a short, clean uppercut. Toma is able to resume after a brief respite on the canvas, and, surprisingly, the unofficial scorecard has Toma ahead (48-47), awarding Brown the fifth round by a narrow 10-9 count. Into the second half of the bout, and the stamina factor seems to favor Toma, as the 42-year old Brown begins to show signs of weariness in the ring. Headed into the later rounds, the bout remains close, with the punches landed stat favoring Toma. Early in the ninth round, a Brown hook decks Toma for a second time. Although Toma bounces back and has time to recover (after covering up), the damage has been done, perhaps enough to turn the bout in Brown’s favor. The contest goes the distance, and the two KDs were enough for the judges to declare Brown a UD 10 victor (95-92, 96-91, 96-92) to run his career record, in his 90th bout, to an impressive 72-16-2 (26). Toma ends the bout at 29-16-8 (13). Despite his advancing age, Panama Al retains his position as a top five BW contender.

Feb 12, 1944: To Phoenix’s Dodge Stadium for the next fistic action. In a rematch, the main event sees Dado Marino challenging Jackie Jurich for Jurich’s NABF Flyweight title. In their prior meeting, Jurich took a UD 12 verdict. This time around, Jurich gets off to a comparatively slow start but comes alive, working from the outside with a strong round three. Marino bounces back with a strong round in the fifth. Then, with the bout nearing the halfway point, a glancing, overhand right from Marino rips open a severe gash over Jurich’s right eye. The cut is in a bad spot and, with the blood flowing, it leads to an immediate stoppage. In a surprising turn of events, Marino is awarded the NABF title (adding to his USBA Fly belt) via a TKO 6 as a result of the cuts stoppage. Post-bout career marks: Marino, 20-1 (13); Jurich, 28-6-1 (17). Tough loss for Jurich, who had a narrow one-point lead on all three cards at the time of the stoppage.

[JCWeb]

This report covers fistic action from the second half of February 1944; no WBA title bouts are covered in this report.

Feb. 18, 1944: Next is a Friday night card at the Rizal Arena in Manila. In the main event, two regional titleholders do battle, as OPBF FW Champ Tsuneo “Piston” Horiguchi faces Brit Dave Crowley, who simultaneously holds the GBU, Commonwealth and EBU FW belts, and none of these are at stake in this 10-round, non-title contest. First meeting of the two, but Horiguchi looks sharp early, particularly late in the second round, when he drops Crowley with a nice combination. The bell sounds before Crowley can arise and, more importantly, before Horiguchi can follow up and possibly inflict more damage. Early in round three, Crowley manages to rip open a cut over Horiguchi’s left eye, changing the complexion of the fight dramatically. At the midway point, the unofficial card has Horiguchi well ahead (49-45) and, thus far, the cut has been kept under control with some good cornerwork. Late in round six, the cut is reopened, but again, some good cornerwork has the cut closed before the start of the next round. Meanwhile, Horiguchi, working mainly from the outside, has been on target with his punches, so much so that there is some swelling under the right eye of Crowley. A minute into round eight, Crowley connects with a solid uppercut that drops Horiguchi to the canvas. After taking a seven count, the Japanese fighter arises and wisely covers up to last the round. Crowley, trailing on points, goes all out in the final two rounds, but Horiguchi’s defense remains strong, and the Japanese fighter hangs on for a MD 10 win (97-91, 94-94. 96-92), as one judge thought Crowley had done enough in the second half of the bout to secure a draw. Horiguchi’s career record improves to 35-10-2 (18) while Crowley slips to 37-27- 1 (15) with the loss.

Feb. 19, 1944: Next card is in Boston, and, in the feature bout, it matches HW contender Lou Nova, fresh off a three-round demolition of Max Baer, challenging Jersey Joe Walcott for Walcott’s NABF HW crown. Both fighters enter the ring full of confidence, Walcott having won his last six since a WBA title loss to Joe Louis, while Nova has remain unbeaten in his last four, having last tasted defeat at thehands of #1 HW contender Max Schemling in late 1942. First meeting of the two, and it is a sluggish start from Nova, who struggles with his timing in the early going, conceding the first few rounds to Walcott. Nova finally begins to find the range in the fourth round and, in fact, late in the round, Walcott gets careless and goes down from a Nova hook, with the bell sounding just as the ref initiates the count. Walcott shakes off the effects of the knockdown and recovers with and couple of strong rounds and, at the midway point of the bout, the unofficial scorecard has him ahead (59-55) with only a 10-9 round for Nova in the fourth. Into the second half of the bout, and Walcott’s superior talent begins to show, added to the fact that Nova is coming up short on the stamina factor as the bout wears on. By the 11th round, there is noticeable swelling around the left eye of Nova, signs that Walcott’s accurate punching has had a significant long-term effect. The bout goes the full 12 rounds and, to no great surprise, Walcott retains the belt with a UD 12 (116-111, 117-110, 116-111). Post-bout career marks: Walcott, 48-7 (29); Nova, 29-12-1 (24).

Feb. 19, 1944: To New Orleans’ Coliseum Arena for the next fight card. LHs are featured in the main event, as Tony Shucco faces former WBA LH Champ Gus Lesnevich for the third time. In their two prior meetings, one ended in a draw but the other saw Shucco retain the NABF LH title via a controversial DQ call in the final round of 12. This time around, in a 10-round, non-title bout, Lesnevich feels confident of victory, given that Shucco has recently hit Post-Prime career stage. After a strong opening round for Lesnevich, both boxers settle in for a grinding type affair. In round three, Lesnevich moves inside and begins to deliver some punishing body shots that have the effect of neutralizing his opponent. At the midway point, the unofficial scorecard has Lesnevich with a solid points lead (49-46). As the bout heads into the later rounds, the stamina factor works in Lesnevich’s favor, as Shucco seems to tire noticeably. By round seven, a mouse has formed under Shucco’s left eye, the result of some well placed punches landed by Lesnevich. With Shucco lacking the firepower to mount an effective comeback, Lesnevich eases up in the final few rounds and takes a convincing UD 10 verdict (98-92, 96-94, 98-92), running his record to 35-10-3 (15) and retaining his status as a top LH contender. The loss drops Shucco, whose days as a top LH contender seem numbered, to 38-18-4 (14).

Feb. 25, 1944: A good crowd has gathered for a Friday night card in Mexico City to see hometown favorite Luis Castillo, the “Pocket Battleship”, defends his LABF BW title against Cuban challenger Humberto Espinosa. The two have met once previously, with Castillo taking a split decision, but this time a title is on the line. After a quiet couple of opening rounds, Castillo tries to work his way inside, but a sharp exchange early in round three results in a cut over the left eye of the Champion. Some good cornerwork is able to repair the damage between rounds, but the cut is in a bad spot and could cause problems as the bout wears on. Espinosa has taken advantage of the situation to keep the bout close, at least in the punches landed category. At the midway point of the bout, the unofficial scorecard has Espinosa ahead (58-56) after winning both the fifth and six rounds. With the cut apparently under control, Castillo takes on the role of aggressor, stalking his opponent. However, near the end of round seven, the cut is reopened and, this time, it is deemed too serious to allow the bout to continue. To the dismay and disapproval of the pro-Castillo crowd, the bout goes into the books as a TKO 7 for Espinosa, who captures the LABF title for the first time, lifting his career totals to 31-10-5 (12); the loss, a disappointing one, leaves Castillo at 18-6 (10).

Feb. 26, 1944: London’s Harringay Arena sets the scene for the next fistic action. British fighters are featured up and down the card, which is topped by a WW confrontation matching current GBU and Commonwealth WW Champ Ernie Roderick with veteran American Wildcat O’Connor. One prior meeting, back in 1938, saw Roderick walk away a UD 10 winner. This time around, it is a solid start from Roderick who gradually piles up points as well as a substantial advantage in the punches landed stats. By round five, O’Connor, the heavier hitter of the two, has worked his way into the bout, but, at the midway point, he still trails Roderick on the unofficial card by a wide margin (49-46). In round six, Roderick manages to open up a cut over O’Connor’s left eye. Into the later rounds of the bout and, while the cut does not seem to be a factor, O’Connor finds himself unable to make progress in attempting to penetrate Roderick’s defense. By the end of the bout, O’Connor’s left eye is swollen as well as cut, and, when the judges’ cards are read, it is a huge surprise that one judge had O’Connor as the winner, but he was overruled by the others, who had Roderick the winner by a wide margin, albeit via a SD 10 (94-96, 99-91, 99-91). Post-bout career marks: Roderick, 30-16-3 (7); O’Connor, 34-24-1 (22). O’Connor, who was at Post-Prime career stage entering the bout, now slips to End, while Roderick, still at Prime, has a few good years remaining.

Feb 26, 1944: The month wraps with a card at New York City’s Madison Square Garden. On the undercard, hot MW prospect Jake LaMotta runs his record to a perfect 14-0 (14) with a sixth round TKO of Paul Lewis. Then, another top prospect, WW Billy Graham, takes to the ring, and Graham finishes off fellow WW prospect Dave Andrews with a cuts stoppage for a TKO 5 win, to lift Graham to 14-1 (8). Then, in the main event, two top 10 LH contenders square off as Melio Bettina faces Harry Matthews. Kind of a crossroads encounter for both of these guys, who have not met before, with Bettina having won his last three, while Matthews has won five of his last six (with the one recent loss at the hands of Tiger Jack Fox, a former WBA LH titleholder). After a long feeling out process, the bout remains extremely close, with neither man able to break through and dominate the action. With less than a minute remaining in the fifth round, Bettina connects with an overhand right that sends Matthews toppling to the canvas. After taken a six count, a shaken Matthews arises and continues, covering up to last the round. At the midway point, the unofficial scorer has Bettina ahead by a healthy margin (49-45, after awarding him a 10-8 round in the fifth). Into the second half of the scheduled 10-rounder, and telltale signs of swelling appear around the left eye of Matthews. As the rounds tick off, Bettina gradually begins to wear down Matthews, who chances dwindle as the bout heads towards a conclusion. Bettina eases up some in the later rounds, focusing more on defense and preserving his lead. The bout lasts until the final bell, and Bettina takes a well deserved UD 10 (97-92, 98-91, 97-92), enhancing his prospects for a title shot later in 1944. Post-bout career marks: Bettina, 32-6-6 (13); Matthews, 23-3 (16). A bit of an upset as the higher rated Matthews (a “10”) lost to Bettina (rated a “8”).

[JCWeb]

This report covers fistic action from the first half of March 1944; one WBA title bout is included in this report.

Mar. 3, 1944: The month kicks off with a Friday night card at Johannesburg, South Africa’s Rand Stadium. The feature matches two regional titleholders: EBU and Commonwealth Fly Champ Peter Kane and OPBF Fly Champ Small Montana in a 10-round, non-title affair. First meeting of these two, and, less than two minutes into the opening round, a hard shot from Kane decks Montana, who resumes after taking an eight count, covering up to survive the round. Kane continues to hammer away in the second round, dominating the action. When it becomes clear that Montana is unable to fend for himself, the ref steps in to call a halt to the action. Kane is awarded the win via a TKO 2. Kane’s career mark improves to 28-5-1 (12) with the win. Montana, who is on the downside of his career arc, slips to 28-18-6 (10) with the loss.

Mar. 4, 1944: Two former WBA MW Champions do battle in the featured bout in a nice card at Philadelphia, as Marcel Cerdan, the “Casablanca Clouter,” meets Tony Zale, the “Man of Steel,” in a 10-rounder. These two have not met before, and the winner is hopeful for a WBA title shot later in the year. The action picks up a minute into the third round, when Cerdan nails Zale with a big uppercut; Zale is forced to cover up to avoid further damage and last the round. Despite another good round for the Frenchman in the fourth, the bout remains close; in fact, at the halfway point, the unofficial scorer at ringside has it even (48-48). Into the second half of the bout, and, with the punches landed and stamina factors favoring Cerdan, Zale decides to step up the pace and become more aggressive. Midway through round seven, a Cerdan combination drops Zale to the canvas for the bout’s first knockdown. Zale takes a seven count, continues, but cannot last the round as Cerdan follows up with a powerful overhand right that puts Zale down and out. Impressive KO 7 for the Frenchman. Post-bout career marks: Cerdan, 37-5-2 (26); Zale, 36-5-1 (22).

Mar. 10, 1944: To Miami for the next fight card. Twin feature bouts top the agenda. In the first co-feature, it is a non-title contest in the FW division as up-and-coming FW star Willie Pep puts his gaudy 21-1 record on the line; his opponent is LABF FW Champ Diego Sosa. First meeting of the two, and Pep establishes early control with his superior jab. Pep’s accurate punching causes some initial swelling to appear under the right eye of Sosa as early as the end of round two. As the bout wears on, Sosa struggles with his timing and is unable to find the range as Pep simply dominates the action, winning every round to forge a huge lead on the unofficial card by the midway point (49-45, with Pep losing one point due to a low blow in round five). Then, in round six, Pep is once again called for hitting below the belt and, this time, the fouling is ruled to be blatant, and Sosa, writhing in pain, is declared the winner via a DQ-6, advancing his career record to 19-3-1 (14) as a result. For Pep, now 21-2 (13) this is his second DQ loss and, indeed, the only two losses of his career have come via the DQ route. In the second co-feature, Benny Goldberg defends the NABF BW title he captured earlier in the year; his opponent is Tommy Forte, a former USBA BW titleholder. First meeting of the two, and the bout devolves into a classic boxer versus slugger confrontation with Goldberg as the boxer, Forte as the slugger. The bout is close through the opening rounds, and, by round six, Goldberg’s right eye has begun to puff up as a result of some accurate punching by the challenger. Checking the unofficial card at the halfway point, Forte has a slim one-point edge (58-57). Into the second half of the bout, and Forte also holds a slight edge in punches landed as well as the stamina factor. Goldberg, sensing his title slipping away, moves inside and is generally more aggressive than in the earlier rounds. In round nine, his aggressiveness produces some results, as blood spurts forth from a newly opened gash over Forte’s left eye. Some good work from Forte’s corner and some good defense from Forte prevent Goldberg from doing further damage, although the cut is reopened late in round 11. The bout goes the distance and, after the cards are read, Forte is declared a MD 12 winner (115-113, 114-114, 115-113), and he lifts the belt in triumph. Post-bout career marks: Forte, 30-5-2 (11); Goldberg, 26-4-2 (13).

Mar. 11, 1944: A huge throng has gathered at Montreal’s Forum for a stellar card, topped by a WBA title clash. First of all, in the main supporting bout, two LWs take to the ring as a one-time WBA Champ, popular Canadian LW Dave Castilloux takes on Chester Rico, a newcomer to the top 20 LW ranks. It is the first meeting of the two, and Castilloux is looking to rebound from losses in his last two outings, both for major titles, while Rico is contemplating further advancement in the LW rankings. Castilloux looks sharp early and, after just a couple of rounds, there is a trace of swelling around Rico’s right eye. More trouble for Rico in round five, when Castilloux rips open a gash over the partially swollen right eye. Then, late in the round, Castilloux gets careless and falls victim to a solid uppercut from Rico. The Canadian fighter goes down and, just before the bell sounds, he is counted out with no time remaining. To the dismay of the pro-Castilloux crowd, the bout goes down as a KO 5 for Rico, who improves to 23-6-4 (10) with the rather startling result. Meanwhile, Castilloux’s third straight loss leaves him at 31-13-3 (9) and drops him out of the top echelon of LW contenders, at least for the time being. After this surprising result, it is time for the main event, and the WBA LW title is on the line as Jack Kid Berg faces Bob Montgomery, the NABF LW titleholder and a top LW contender. The bout is a rematch of a 1943 encounter that went the way of Montgomery, who took a UD 10 in a non-title contest. This time around, some solid boxing in the opening rounds puts Montgomery ahead in terms of the punches landed stats. Berg, now at Post-Prime, struggles with his timing and is unable to make much of an impression on Montgomery, who continues to land repeatedly. After the first five rounds are in the books, a peek at the unofficial card shows a solid points lead (49-46) for Montgomery. Into the middle rounds, and Berg begins to settle in, but he is unable to make much of an impression on a very determined challenger. By round eight, Berg’s right eye has begun to puff up, and the LW Champ is beginning to show signs of fatigue. Midway through round nine, however, a positive sign for Berg, as a cut appears over the left eye of Montgomery. Late in the round, Berg is staggered by a Montgomery uppercut but manages to remain upright, so no further damage was inflicted. In round 10, with the cut now closed, Montgomery lands a right that stuns Berg, who covers up. This time, Montgomery’s killer instinct has kicked in, and he follows up with a strong combination that puts Berg on the deck for an eight count, but a vulnerable looking Berg is able to avert further damage and last the round. After 10 rounds, Montgomery’s points lead has widened (to 98-91), according to the unofficial card. Montgomery appears to be on his way to victory when, suddenly, in round 12, the cut over his eye is reopened and, this time, it leads to an immediate stoppage, and Berg is declared the TKO 12 winner via the cuts stoppage. Post-bout records: 52-20-5 (17) for Berg; 24-2-2 (15) for Montgomery.

Mar. 11, 1944: Next is a card at Denver’s Mammoth Gardens. Headliner matches two WWs: Lew Jenkins, the “Sweetwater Swatter,” with Beau Jack, a recent newcomer to the LW ranks. First meeting of the two, and not much in the way of action until, late in round one, Jenkins lands a big hook flush that seems to stagger Jack. Jack is able to recover between rounds and, in round three, he rocks Jenkins with an uppercut that opens a cut over Jenkins’ left eye. Unfortunately for Jenkins, the cut is in a bad spot and, when it is reopened in the very next round, an immediate stoppage is ordered. Jack is declared the winner by a TKO 4, due to the cuts stoppage. Post-bout career marks: Jack, 22-2 (15); Jenkins, 28-6-3 (13). Tough loss for Jenkins, but the win puts Jack in position to challenge for a top 10 spot in the LW rankings.

Mar. 17, 1944: Next, it is time for some “Friday Night Fights Down Under” action, this time in Melbourne, where, in the main event, Aussie crowd favorite and current Commonwealth LH Champion Jack A. Johnson is matched with a tough foe, as visiting from the States is former WBA LH Champion Tiger Jack Fox. First meeting of the two, and Fox is on the comeback trail after losing the WBA title to Billy Conn in his most recent outing. However, since Fox is now at Post-Prime, there is some hope for Johnson, who while a decided underdog will have the backing of an appreciative hometown crowd. A close opening round sees Fox warned for excessive use of his elbows, but no points are deducted. Late in round two, a Fox uppercut finds the range and Johnson finds himself on the canvas as a result. Johnson is able to beat the count, and he attempts to cover up, but Fox’s killer instinct has kicked in, and Tiger Jack is able to force the ref to step in and call a halt with just seconds left in the round. The TKO 2 for Fox, an unpopular result here Down Under, boosts Fox’s career totals to 58-9-1 (42); the loss leaves Johnson at 20-6 (16).

[JCWeb]

This report covers fistic action from the second half of March; four WBA title bouts are included in this report.

Mar. 18, 1944: Next fistic action takes place at Gotheburg, Sweden. The card is topped by a EBU LH title contest, with Adolf Heuser defending that belt against the Greek, Anton Christoforidis. Although Heuser has won all three of their prior meetings, he has recently reached Post-Prime career stage and his coming off three successive losses, so there is some room for optimism in the challenger’s corner. After a solid start from the Greek challenger, Heuser suffers a cut lip midway through round two. The cut is patched up between rounds and does not seem to be a major factor as the bout wears on. However, Heuser seems to be unable to make much of an impression on the determined challenger and, at the midway point, Christoforidis has a commanding lead (60-54) on the unofficial scorecard. Into the second half of the bout, and Heuser, feeling the title slipping away, tries to be more aggressive, but with little success. The stamina factor as well as the punches landed favor the challenger, who continues to dominate most of the action. By the end of round eight, Heuser’s right eye begins to puff up, as it has been a big target for Christoforidis for much of the bout. e the round. Kane continues to hammer away in the second round, dominating the action. Some minor difficulty for the challenger in the form of a cut lip in round 10, but it is quickly brought under control. The bout goes the distance, and Christoforidis is rewarded with a UD 12 (117-111, 115-113, 118-110). Christoforidis lifts the belt and improves to 27-11-2 (13) with the win. Heuser slips to 41-15-2 (19) with the loss.

Mar. 18, 1944: Detroit’s Briggs Stadium sets the scene for a WBA title fight matching two current WBA titleholders. First, on the undercard, it is the end of the line for Barney Ross, who ended his career as a KO 8 victim at the hands of George Costner, finishing with a less than stellar 39-18-4 (11) record in an underperforming career in which he only briefly held a WBA WW title. In the main support, unbeaten LH Ezzard Charles looks to continue his climb up the LH ranks as he faces veteran Herbie Katz. Kind of a rough start for Charles, who is staggered by a hard cross from Katz right before the bell in the opening round. Charles gets going in the subsequent rounds, working to establish his jab and mixing an outside and inside attack. Late in round four, a Charles cross rips open a gash over Katz’s right eye. Midway through round five, a rapid fire combination from Charles sees Katz hitting the deck briefly, and, at the same time, some swelling appears around his cut right eye. At the midway point, Charles has a solid points lead (49-45) on the unofficial card. Weakened by the knockdown, Katz has little to offer in the second half of the bout, and Charles grows in confidence as the bout wears on. The end comes in round eight, when, first, Charles puts Katz down a second time with a hard cross, and Katz barely manages to beat the count and, then, later in the round, a Charles hook puts Katz down and out. Impressive KO 8 for Charles, lifting him to 19-0 (16). Katz slips to 24-11-1 (14) post-bout. Then, in a rare occurrence, two WBA Champions face each other, as WBA WW king Henry “Homicide Hank” Armstrong steps up to challenge Charley Burley for Burley’s WBA MW title. No prior meetings between the two. This represents Armstrong’s fourth attempt to add a fourth WBA title to his accomplishments, having held the FW and LW crowns in the past, and having come up short in three prior efforts versus Freddie Steele, Tony Zale and Holman Williams who all managed to retain the MW belt. In this encounter, slight edge to Burley in the early going, as he appears to be more on target with his punches than Armstrong. In round three, Armstrong attempts to establish control on the inside, but Burley unleashes some punishing blows to win the round convincingly. Rounds four and five are close and, after the first five, the unofficial scorecard has Burley ahead on points (49-46). Into the middle rounds, and Armstrong is the more aggressive of the two, while Burley is content to wait on the outside and counterpunch. As the bout wears on, the stamina factor works in Burley’s favor. Armstrong continues to work his way inside, pressuring his opponent, but Burley’s defense remains solid. After 10 rounds are in the books, Burley has widened his lead (to 98-92) on the unofficial card. Into the final few rounds, and a tired and desperate looking Armstrong decides to gamble, going all-out for a knockout. Burley eases up, adopting a more defensive posture. Nonetheless, in round 13, Burley puts Armstrong down with a strong hook. Armstrong is able to resume; in the meantime, an angry looking cut has appeared over his right eye. In the final round, Armstrong goes down a second time, this from a Burley hook. Then, after Armstrong regains his footing, the cut is reopened, and the result is a late stoppage and a TKO 15 for Burley, who was headed toward a lopsided points win. Post-bout career marks: Burley, 35-1 (24); Armstrong, 43-7-3 (36).

Mar. 24, 1944: Next is a Friday night card at the Olympia in London, and a huge crowd is on hand for the feature bout, for the WBA Flyweight title, as defending Champ Jackie Paterson faces the man he defeated to capture the WBA title, former Champ Midget Wolgast. This is a rematch of their 1943 encounter, also for the WBA title, that ended in an unusual stoppage due to swelling, rather than a cut, around Wolgast’s eye. The bout is relatively close through the opening rounds, with a slight edge for Paterson, perhaps taking advantage of Wolgast’s status at End career stage. Late in round four, a barrage of blows from Paterson puts Wolgast down, but the ex-Champ is fortunate as the bell sounds before the count can reach two. After the first five rounds, the 10-8 round in the fourth looms large on the unofficial card, which has Paterson up by two (48-46). Into the middle rounds, and Paterson remains the aggressor, keeping the pressure on his older opponent. By the end of round seven, these tactics begin to pay off, as there are traces of swelling under Wolgast’s right eye as Paterson’s punches have been finding the target. At this point, the stamina factor strongly favors Paterson, the younger man, but Wolgast has a slight edge in terms of punches landed. Then, working from the outside, Paterson seeks to wear down his opponent and again, this time late in round 10, he puts Wolgast on the deck with a sharp combination; and, once again, Wolgast is saved by the bell. After 10, the unofficial scorecard has Paterson ahead (by a count of 97-93). Into the final few rounds, and Wolgast tries to become more aggressive, but he cannot find the range as Paterson exhibits some good defensive skills, slipping punches against a very tired adversary. The bout goes the rest of the way without incident, and the two KDs are sufficient to enable Paterson to retain the title via a UD 15 (147-138, 146-139, 147-138). Post-bout career marks: Paterson, 21-3-1 (14); Wolgast, 58-11-1 (19).

Mar. 25, 1944: New York’s Madison Square Garden sets the scene for the next fistic action, with title bout action topping the card. In the first of the dual main events, LHs take to the ring, as Archie Moore defends his USBA LH title versus challenger Nate Bolden. It is the first meeting of the two, and Bolden has slowly worked his way up the LH ranks, going unbeaten (three wins, one draw) in his last four outings to set up this, his third title shot, having fallen short on both prior occasions. As for Moore, he has won his last four and is looking for another win to build momentum for a WBA title shot later in the year. Moore looks sharp early and in round three he presses forward to seize control on the inside. A huge round three for Moore, as Bolden seems to have difficulty finding a way to blunt Archie’s power. Midway through round four, a Moore cross gets through and sends Bolden crashing to the canvas. Bolden arises at the count of three and is able to last the round after covering up. Moore continues pressing the action, and later in round four, he does more damage with a winging right hand and, while Bolden remains upright, a mouse has formed under his right eye, demonstrating the effectiveness of Moore’s blows. After the first six rounds are in the books, Moore has a healthy points lead (59-54) on the unofficial scorer’s card. More trouble for Bolden in round seven, as he absorbs a crippling right to the head, then goes down a second time from a Moore uppercut. This time, he is unable to beat the count, and it’s an impressive KO 7 for Moore, who improves to 29-3-4 (21), thus retaining his belt while solidifying his position as the #1 contender for the WBA title currently held by Billy Conn. Bolden, who seems unable to break through to the upper echelon in the LH ranks, is now 26-6-2 (12). Then, New York fight fans are on their feet for the finale, as the “Brown Bomber,” Joe Louis, makes yet another defense of his WBA HW title. This time, having fought almost all of the major contenders, he has reached outside the top 10 to give an opportunity to one Lee Q. Murray, who enters the bout as the challenger and a decided underdog. Murray, whose 23-5 record includes a couple of losses to Bill Poland, seems overmatched from the opening bell and, before the bell sounds in the opening round, Louis has already landed sufficient leather to cause noticeable puffiness under the left eye of the challenger. After another dominating round for Louis in round two, Joe moves inside, looking to finish Murray, in round three. Late in the round he connects with an overhand right that lands flush, and Murray drops to the canvas. The count reaches seven, but Murray is saved by the bell. Early in round four, to almost everyone’s surprise, Murray begins fighting back, and Louis finds himself on the deck, felled by a Murray cross. A wobbly Louis regains his footing, but he goes down a second time, this the result of a nice combination from the challenger. Down twice in one round, Louis is able to cover up and clear his head, lasting the rest of the round without further damage being done. In round five, both fighters are eager to mix it up, and this time it is Louis who is able to put Murray down for a second time. Once again, Murray is able to beat the count, regain his footing, and then cover up to last the round. By the this time, the crowd is eager with anticipation as to what might happen next; after the first five rounds, the unofficial scorer at ringside (rarely consulted because most of Louis’ bouts don’t last this long) has the Brown Bomber with a nice lead (48-44), with the last three rounds going 10-8 in favor of the fighter scoring the knockdown. The action slows a bit in the sixth round, with Louis landing more punches than his opponent. Then, in round seven, Louis uses his jab to set up a couple of big right hands, and then a powerful hook later in the round rocks Murray, who is already tiring and not used to going this distance or absorbing this much punishment. With less than 20 seconds left in the round, and Murray looking vulnerable and defenseless, the ref steps in to call a halt. Louis is declared the TKO 7 winner in a very exciting bout. Possible fight of the year candidate given the fact that both men were down in the fight. Post-bout records: 48-1-1 (46) for Louis; 23-6 (20) for Murray. Interesting sidenote: after checking the post-fight perf points, Murray (who was far below Louis in the points as well as the rankings), ended up gaining a few points, despite the loss. On the other hand, Louis did not lose points, but gained only two, moving from 2172 to 2129, which is an all-time record for this universe. (Seeing both fighters gaining points is something I have observed only in drawn bouts to this point.)

Mar. 25, 1944: To the West Coast, specifically Los Angeles’ Olympic Auditorium, and, again, a WBA title bout is on tap, supported by a 10-round MW contest matching “Belter” Ben Brown with Cuban and former LABF MW Champion Kid Tunero. No prior meetings, and, even though Tunero is at Post-Prime, this looks to be a good test for Brown, who is seeking a title shot some time later in the year. (Brown’s only previous title bout, for the USBA MW title, ended in a technical draw with Allen Matthews.) In the early going, Brown struggles with his timing, as Tunero proves to be an elusive target. By round four, though, Brown lands some hard shots and begins to dominate the action. At the midway point of the bout, after another strong round in the fifth, Brown has opened up a nice lead (49-46) on the unofficial scorer’s card, plus there is some noticeable swelling under the left eye of Tunero, a sure sign that Brown’s punches are having an impact. Brown finally breaks through late in round six when a barrage of blows puts Tunero on the deck; the Cuban is able to regain his footing, and there is not enough time remaining in the round for Brown to follow up. Both fighters take an aggressive approach in round seven, a good action round but neither man is able to hurt the other. Both fighters begin to tire in the final few rounds, with Brown content to remain on the outside, expecting for his points lead to hold up. The bout goes the distance, and Brown prevails, taking a UD 10 (97-92, 99-90, 96-93). Post-bout career marks: Brown, 32-8-3 (19); Tunero, 37-19-5 (10). Then, in the feature, “Homicide Hal” Harold Hoshino makes his third defense of the WBA FW title, taking on former Champ and #3 ranked contender Petey Scalzo. This is the third meeting of these two, each having won once, the most recent matchup, back in 1941, saw Scalzo prevail by a fourth round knockout. In this meeting, with a WBA title on the line, it is a cautious start by both men, with neither risking much in the opening few rounds. Then, early in round three, Scalzo announces his serious intentions by landing a big hook flush on Hoshino’s chin; Hoshino remains upright, but covers up to avert further trouble. The round ends but there is some puffiness under Hoshino’s right eye as he returns to his corner. Then, a minute into the fourth round, Hoshino nails Scalzo with a quick uppercut, and Scalzo drops to the canvas and is unable to beat the count. KO 4 for Hoshino, avenging the KO loss (also in round four) in their earlier bout, and Hoshino’s record improves to 33-3-2 (18) with the win. Scalzo, who is already at Post-Prime, slips to 26-6-2 (15) with the loss.

Mar. 31, 1944: The month wraps up with a Friday night card at San Juan, Puerto Rico. No titles at stake, some skilled Latin boxers fill the card, and the main event features a top WW contender, Izzy Jannazzo, facing a popular Puerto Rican WW Cocoa Kid, also a long-time WW contender. Both of these guys have had better days as both have held regional titles, and in 1938 Kid briefly held the WBA WW title. This will be their second meeting, with the first encounter, back in 1939 for the NABF WW title then held by Kid, having ended in a draw. The bout is a close, tight defensive struggle with little to choose between the two through the opening rounds. At the midway point, the unofficial scorer at ringside has Jannazzo with a slim, one-point lead (58-57). Kid, buoyed by the support of a boisterous hometown crowd, picks up the pace in the second half and seems to have pulled ahead as the bout enters the later stages. No cuts or knockdowns as this one goes the distance, but it turns out the Puerto Rican fight fans in attendance are going to have to go home disappointed, as the MD 10 nod goes to Jannazzo (97-94, 95-95, 96-94) as the hometown advantage did not seem to factor into the outcome. A peek at the scorecards showed Jannazzo winning two of the last three rounds to secure the victory. The win boosts Jannazzo’s career totals to 38-7-4 (13); the loss leaves Kid at 45-10-5 (13). Jannazzo is now the clear #1 contender for Henry Armstrong’s WBA WW title, should Armstrong elect to defend it as opposed to the seeking another title at MW.

[JCWeb]

This report covers fistic action from the first half of April 1944; no WBA title bouts in this report but three are scheduled for the second half of the month.

Apr. 1, 1944: The month’s action kicks off with a card at Havana’s Gran Stadium. Twin feature bouts, neither offering a title, top the card, and both feature Cuban fighters. In the first of these, former WBA WW Champion “Irish” Eddie Dolan takes on crowd favorite and reigning LABF WW Champion Joe Legon; these two met once before, also in Havana, in 1940, and Dolan came away with a UD 10 win. This time around, Dolan gets off to a strong start in the opening round but, to the delight of the Cuban fight fans, Legon bounces back with an equally strong showing in the second. Good action in the next two rounds, with a slight edge to Legon, who is the more aggressive of the two. At the midway point of the bout, Legon has a slim one-point lead (48-47) on the unofficial scorecard. Into the second half of the bout, and the stamina factor begins to tell as Dolan, who has recently hit Post-Prime career stage, begins to show signs of fatigue. Nonetheless, Dolan manages to keep the bout close, and he even has a slight edge in terms of the punches landed stat. By the end of round eight, Legon is also beginning to tire, carrying his hands low. The bout goes the distance and, despite a late surge by Dolan who wins the final round, Legon takes a MD 10 (97-93, 95-95, 98-92) – possibly with some favorable hometown judging – and advances to 29-10-6 (12) with the win. Dolan slips to 39-12-5 (14) with the loss. In the second co-feature, FWs take to the ring as National Kid, another Cuban fight fan favorite, faces aging veteran Battling Battalino. First meeeing of the two, and Kid (who is 12 years Battalino’s junior) looks by far the fresher fighter in the early going. However, Battalino manages to keep up with the pace and even has a slight edge in the punches landed stats after the first three rounds. Then, in round four, Kid does some major damage, landing sufficient punches to cause Battalino’s right eye to puff up. Midway through round five, a hard shot landed by the Cuban fighter drops Battalino to the deck. “Bat” regains his footing and shakes it off, covering up to last the round. Despite a 10-8 round, the unofficial scorer only has Kid up by one (48-47) at the halfway point. Huge stamina edge for Kid as the bout wears on, and Battalino, looking tired and haggard, attempts to become more aggressive in the later rounds. The bout goes the rest of the way without incident, and Kid takes a fairly lopsided UD 10 (99-92, 98-92, 99-92) to run his career record to 24-4-2 (10). Battalino, who is just one bout away from retirement after an impressive 18-year career, ends the bout at 47-21-3 (16).

Apr. 7, 1944: Next is a Friday night card at Manila’s Rizal Arena. The main event sees two Filipino fighters vie for the OPBF BW title currently held by Pablo Dano. Dano’s opponent is Little Pancho, a familiar foe as the two have met four times previously, with Dano winning twice, Pancho winning once, and one draw. Both are on the downside of their respective careers, with Dano at End career stage, and Pancho at Post-Prime. Pancho previously held this title for three years, from 1937 through 1940, and this is Dano’s second stint as OPBF Champion. In the early rounds, the action is slow to develop, as both boxers take a cautious approach to the bout. The bout seems close, with little to choose between the two; however, at the midway point, a check of the unofficial scorecard sees Dano with a nice points advantage (59-56). Into the second half of the bout, and the stamina factor favors Pancho, who has begun to focus on working on the inside, while Dano favors staying on the outside. Neither of these guys possesses a lot of power, and the bout appears headed to a rather placid conclusion when, all of a sudden, a jab from Pancho puts Dano on the canvas near the end of round 11. Dano beats the bout, and there is not enough time remaining in the round for the challenger to follow up. The bout goes the rest of the way without incident, and the one KD proves crucial as Pancho regains the title, taking a MD 12 (115-114, 114-114, 116-113). Post-bout career marks: Pancho, 46-13- 8 (10); Dano, 43-20-7 (18).

Apr. 8, 1944: Next up is action at the Amor Bahn in Munich, Germany, and the main event is a rematch, as Gustav Eder defends the EBU WW title for the second time against Italian Egisto Peyre, the man he defeated for the belt in his most recent defense, back in December at Rome. In this rematch, not much in the way of action until the third round, when an accidental clash of heads opens a nasty looking cut over Eder’s left eye. Some excellent work from Eder’s corner and the cut is patched up between rounds, and Eder rebounds quickly, dominating the action with a strong round in round four. However, Peyre presses home the attack in round five, and he lands a cross that puts Eder down for a count of seven. Eder covers up, but as he returns to his corner, a new problem has cropped up, as there is some initial swelling under his right eye. Despite his struggles, at the halfway point, the unofficial scorecard favors the Champ, Eder (by a count of 58-55). Into the second half of the bout, and Peyre continues to press home the attack as the aggressor in the fight. In round eight, the cut over Eder’s left eye is reopened but, otherwise, Peyre is unable to make much progress. By round nine, both boxers are looking fatigued, and the punches landed stat favors Eder. In round 10, a frustrated Peyre is deducted a point for holding and hitting, and Eder is able to ease up a bit in the final two rounds, confident of retaining his title despite the one knockdown suffered in round five. The bout goes the rest of the way without incident, and Eder takes a fairly comfortable UD 12 (116-110, 117-109, 116-110) despite some uncomfortable moments in the first half of the bout. Post-bout career marks: Eder, 44-11-10 (9); Peyre, 17-2 (9). Both of Peyre’s losses have come at the hands of Eder.

Apr. 8, 1944: To Miami for the next fistic action, where the main event matches two top 10 MW contenders in a non-title bout. The protagonists are Al Hostak, aka “the Savage Slav,” and Jose Basora, the current LABF MW titleholder. First meeting of the two. Hostak gave a good accounting of himself in his most recent outing, a draw with ex-WBA MW Champ Holman Williams. For Basora, this is his first bout of 1944; late in 1943 he was stopped by Tony Zale, another former WBA MW Champ. The bout takes a turn to the worse for Hostak, as late in the opening round he gets careless, and an overhand right from Basora puts him on the deck. Hostak takes a five count, then covers up to give himself additional time to recover. In subsequent rounds, Hostak is able to steady himself and works his way into the bout, which becomes a close contest. Then, in round five, a hard shot from Hostak sends Basora to the canvas. The Puerto Rican fighter is able to arise at the count of eight, and he likewise covers up and manages to last the round. Thus, with the score at one knockdown apiece, the unofficial scorecard at the halfway point has it even (47-47). With the issue in doubt, both fighters take an aggressive approach in the second half of the fight, which provides for some exciting action for the fight fans here in Miami. Less than a minute into round seven, Basora rocks Hostak with a hard hook, and the “Slav” covers up for the second time in the fight. Nonetheless, the issue remains very much in doubt, and both fighters appear exhausted from their earlier exertions as the bout heads into the final few rounds. The bout goes this distance and, while one of the judges calls it even, the other two have it for Hostak, who is declared a MD 10 victor (95-94, 94-94, 95-93). With the win, Hostak improves to 38-9-2 (28). The loss leaves Basora at 23-4 (16).

Apr. 14, 1944: To Sydney for another Friday Night fights “Down Under,” with the featured match for the OPBF WW title, as two Aussies battle for the belt, in a rematch between defending Champ Jack McNamee and challenger Alan Westbury. Sixth defense for McNamee, who has held this belt since 1939, and he counts Westbury as a TKO 7 victim in their earlier encounter a year ago. This time, the bout is marred by an accidental clash of heads early in round two; this results in a cut being opened over the left eye of McNamee. In round three, looking to do take advantage, Westbury moves inside and stuns McNamee with a big uppercut that causes the Champ to cover up, but he remains upright so little damage is done. After a couple of pedestrian rounds, the action picks up late in round five, when McNamee connects with a big hook and, by the end of the round, both of Westbury’s eyes are beginning to show signs of swelling. In round six, the cut over McNamee’s eye is reopened; after six, the unofficial scorecard gives McNamee a narrow one-point lead (58-57). After round even, a good one for Westbury, McNamee’s corner has to deal with some swelling under his right eye in addition to the cut over the left, which is still bleeding. As the rounds tick off, signs of fatigue begin to show on both fighters. As the challenger seeking to capture the belt, Westbury is the more aggressive of the two in the later rounds. Nonetheless, neither man can make much progress, and the bout goes to decision. To the surprise of many, Westbury’s persistence pays off, as he takes a MD 12 (117-112, 114-114, 115-113) to lift the belt. Post-bout career marks: Westbury, 27-8-3 (14); McNamee, 34-11-1 (21).

Apr. 15, 1944: To Europe and Gothenburg’s Ullevi Stadium for the next fight card. Topping the action is a EBU title contest; preceding this is a main supporting bout matching two top five ranked LWs, as former WBA LW Champ Laurie Stevens, in his first bout back since losing the title in December, faces Tony Chavez, a long-time top LW who has held the USBA and LABF LW titles but never the WBA belt. It is the second meeting of these two, with Chavez having won via a TKO back in 1940. Stevens gets off the mark early, with a big opening round. However, things turn around quickly, as late in round two, Chavez connects with a hard hook that draws blood from a cut over Stevens’ right eye. The cut continues to ooze blood in round three, demanding much attention from Stevens’ corner. In round five, another hard blow sends Stevens to the canvas; he is able to arise at the count of eight, but he covers up and is also pawing at the cut that has been re-opened. In addition, there is now swelling under the other (left) eye for Stevens’ corner to deal with. At the halfway point, the unofficial scorer at ringside has a nice lead for Chavez (49-46) after a 10-8 round due to the KD in round five. Stevens, trailing in the bout, continues to take an aggressive approach, while Chavez patiently works on the outside, biding his time. Into the later rounds, and the cut, plus the fact he is running low on stamina, are major issues for Stevens. Finally, less than a minute into round eight, with the cut still bleeding, the ref has seen enough, and Chavez (who was well ahead on all three cards) is declared a TKO 8 victor via the cuts stoppage. The win boosts Chavez’s career totals to 37-12-4 (14); the loss leaves Stevens at 34-11-1 (21). The EBU BW title is at stake in the second co-feature, with Belgian Joe Cornelis defending versus challenger Ritchie Tanner. First meeting of the two, and Tanner enters the ring as the reigning GBU titleholder. With two boxers doing battle, the action is slow to develop as both men take a cautious approach in the early going. By round three, Tanner has managed to connect with sufficient blows to cause a trace of swelling to appear under Cornelis’ left eye. In round five, a hard shot from Tanner sends Cornelis crashing to the canvas. The Belgian fighter manages to bounce to his feet quickly, taking a three count, and covers up for the rest of the round to avoid further difficulty. At the midway point, Tanner is ahead by two (58-56) on the unofficial card. Cornelis bounces back with a strong round in the eighth, and both men tire significantly as the bout heads into the later rounds. Tanner, who seems well ahead on points, gets careless in round 11 when he loses a point from the ref for excessive holding and hitting. Cornelis lands a big cross at the outset of round 12, but he lacks the energy to follow up and launch a sustained attack. The bout goes to decision, and Tanner takes the belt with a fairly comfortable UD 12 (116-110, 115-110, 115-111), this despite the point deduction for the foul in round 11. Post-bout marks: Tanner, 22-7-2 (10); Cornelis, 17-6-2 (9).

[JCWeb]

This report covers fistic action from the second half of April 1944; as promise, and it turns out there are two (not the three as promised in last post) WBA title bouts that are included for the second half of the month.

Apr. 15, 1944: To the Cow Palace in San Francisco for an exciting card, with the main event being a NABF FW title matchup, as Everett Rightmire defends against challenger Carlos Chavez, and up-and-coming contender who fell short in his first title try, for the USBA FW belt. No prior meetings, and the pre-fight predictions favor the vastly more experienced Rightmire, a former WBA FW Champion. Rightmire starts well, inflicting sufficient punishment in the opening two rounds to cause some initial swelling under the right eye of Chavez. Chavez’s corner does a good job keeping the swelling under control, and Chavez is able to gradually work his way into the fight. After a couple of good rounds in the fifth and sixth, and Rightmire has pulled ahead (58-56) on the unofficial card as the bout hits the halfway point. Into the second half of the bout, and Chavez, naturally a boxer, begins to take a more aggressive approach to the fight, but the stamina factor as well as the experience factor weighs heavily in Rightmire’s favor. In the final few rounds, Chavez is reduced to headhunting, hoping to land a lucky punch to knock out the Champ, but it doesn’t happen. Rightmire goes on to win a fairly comfortable UD 12 (116-112, 117-111, 116-112) to run his career record to 37-13-3 (15). With the win, Rightmire strengthens his position as #1 FW contender, enhancing his claim for a WBA title rematch with Harold Hoshino, the man who took away his WBA title via a split decision. For Chavez, this is just his third career loss (two coming in title bouts), leaving him at 20-3 (7) overall.

Apr. 21, 1944: Next is a Friday night card at Mexico City. Mexican and other Latin American and Hispanic fighters are featured on the card. There are twin feature bouts. In the first of these, two guys from the second echelon of HW contenders square off, as Roscoe Toles faces Abe Simon for the second time. In their one prior meeting, Simon took a SD put has struggled since then, with only one win in his last four bouts. Even worse, Toles has not won since before that bout, going 0-4-1 in his last five, the only bright spot being a draw with Lou Nova that kept him among the top 10 in the HW ranks. This time, Toles starts strongly, landing some good shots in the opening two rounds to keep Simon off balance. Simon, the more aggressive of the two, takes some time to get going, but midway through round three he doubles up on his hook, hurting Toles, who covers up and lasts the round without going down. At the midway point, the unofficial scorer at ringside gives Toles a very narrow one-point lead (48-47). While the stamina factor favors Toles, Simon is relentless in trying to hunt down his opponent and land a telling blow. However, Toles is able to keep Simon in check, flicking out his jab and gradually wearing his opponent down. The bout goes the distance and, while one judge gives the nod to Toles by a wide margin, for some reason the two other two call it even, so the end result is a majority draw (95-95, 97-93 Toles, 95-95). Post-bout career marks: Toles, 36-13-5 (6); Simon, 31-9-2 (22). Then, in the second co-feature, the Mexican fight fans have something to cheer as their favorite, former WBA FW and LW Champ Baby Arizmendi, takes to the ring to face off against Aldo Spoldi, the reigning EBU LW Champ. Interestingly, the two met once before, in Rome on Spoldi’s home turf, and Arizmendi came away a UD 10 winner. After a couple of lackluster opening rounds, Spoldi tries to force his way inside but is met by some stubborn resistance and strong counterpunching from Arizmendi, who takes the round. At the halfway point, the bout remains close and, in fact, the unofficial card has Spoldi leading (48-47) after awarding him a couple of close rounds four and five. However, the punches landed and stamina factors tell a different story – a huge edge for Arizmendi. Into the second half of the bout, Spoldi continues as the aggressor but finds himself running low on energy by round seven of the scheduled 10-rounder. Arizmendi goes on to grind out a solid UD 10 win (99-91, 99-91, 98-92), repeating his earlier success versus the Italian, to the delight of the Mexican fight fans. Post-bout career marks: Arizmendi, 50-10-4 (11); Spoldi, 45-12-5 (17).

Apr. 22, 1944: London’s Harringay Arena is the venue for the next fight card, and topping the action is a WBA title bout featuring a British fighter. In fact, British boxers dominate the card, including the main support which has veteran HW Tommy Farr, the reigning GBU HW titleholder, locking horns with his LABF counterpart, Alberto Santiago Lovell in a 10-round, non-title affair. No prior meetings between these two, and just as the crowd has settled in for a long feeling-out process, midway through the second round, Lovell connects with a hard shot that sends Farr down and out -- a shocking KO 2 for Lovell and a devastating loss for Farr, who days as an effective HW contender may be over (he hits End career stage with his next bout). The win lifts Lovell to 30-15-1 (24) and, almost immediately, there is talk of a WBA HW challenge to Joe Louis, with whom Farr lasted about three rounds longer. The loss leaves Farr at 52-20-4 (16). After recovering from this shocking result, British fight fans here hope for a better outcome in the main event, in which Johnny King defends the WBA BW title against another LABF titleholder, challenger Humberto Espinosa from Cuba. First meeting of the two, and while Espinosa has impressed in recent outings (five wins and a draw in his last six), most experts think taking on four-time WBA Champ King might be a step too far at this point in his career. It is a workmanlike performance from King for the opening four rounds, but nothing dominant or spectacular, as Espinosa is able to keep pace and stay in the fight. However, the fifth round is a different story, as King stuns Espinosa with a hard hook, then his killer instinct kicks in as he lands some powerful follow up shots as the hapless Cuban challenger attempts to cover up. With less than 20 seconds remaining in the round, the ref steps in to save Espinosa from further punishment. Perhaps the stoppage was a bit premature, but Espinosa was doing little to fend off King’s hammer-like blows. Post-bout career marks: King, 59-9-3 (24); Espinosa, 31-11-5 (12). Despite the impressive TKO 5 win, King is just a bout or two away from hitting Post-Prime career stage, so his days as WBA Champion may be numbered, but it certainly did not show in this particular bout.

Apr. 22, 1944: To New Orleans for the next fistic action, and the agenda includes a NABF title bout, preceded by a 10-round, non-title bout matching two top Flyweight contenders, Ireland’s Rinty Monaghan and fast-rising star Dado Marino. First meeting of the two, matching Monaghan, a former Commonwealth Fly titleholder, with Marino, who just captured the NABF Flyweight title from former WBA Champ Jackie Jurich in his most recent outing. The bout is an extremely close one, with both boxers circling each other, probing for an opening. Little to choose between the two and, after the opening five rounds, the unofficial scorecard has a slim lead for Monaghan (48-47). Monaghan, the more experienced of the two, holds a slight edge in stamina and punches landed, but Marino continues to press forward, taking the fight to Monaghan in the second half of the bout. There are several sharp exchanges, but no cuts or knockdowns as neither man is in serious danger of going down, so the bout goes to decision, and Monaghan pulls out a MD 10 win (98-92, 95-95, 97-95). With the win, Monaghan ups his career totals to 34-9-1 (11), while handing Marino, now 20-2 (13), his second career loss; Monaghan’s success in this bout stamps his credentials as a likely challenger for Jackie Paterson’s WBA Fly title in the near future. Then, in the main event, the NABF LH title is on the line, as Lloyd Marshall defends against a tough challenger, former WBA LH Champion Tiger Jack Fox. The two met once before, in 1941, and Fox scored a 7th round KO. This time around, Marshall is hoping to avenge that loss, buoyed by the fact that Fox has since hit Post-Prime career stage. Marshall gets off to a strong start, and by the end of the second round, there is a trace of swelling around the left eye of Fox, who was on the defensive for most of round two. Both fighters continue grinding away through the opening few rounds, with Marshall being the more active of the two. At the midway point, Marshall is up by two (58-56) on the unofficial card. Midway through round seven, Marshall catches Fox with a short, clean cross that sends the challenger, however briefly, to the canvas. Fox pops up quickly and is able to recover while covering up to last the round. Meanwhile, the swelling around Fox’s eye has worsened, giving his corner additional cause for concern. In round eight, Marshall dominates the action, and Fox is offering little in return. With less than 15 seconds left in the round, the ref steps in to call a halt. Marshall is declared a TKO 8 victor, avenging the earlier loss to Fox and retaining his title. Post-bout career marks: Marshall, 25-5-3 (21); Fox, 58-10-1 (42).

Apr. 28, 1944: Next is a Friday night card, this time in St. Louis, with twin co-features but no title action. In the first of these, fight fans will be saying farewell to Freddie Steele, the “Tacoma Assassin,” a former WBA MW Champ who will be hanging up the gloves after one final outing against another veteran MW, Teddy Yarosz. This is the fourth meeting of these two, with Steele holding a 2-1 edge in their prior encounters. This time around, after a tentative start by both men, Steele works inside to open things up in round three. After a decent round for Steele in the third, Yarosz decides to work his way inside, and he roughs up Steele with some solid body shots. After another strong round for Yarosz in the fifth, a peek and the unofficial scorecard at the midway point sees Yarosz ahead on points (49-47). Into the second half of the bout, and both fighters are showing signs of fatigue as early as the end of round six. The pace slows as the bout reaches the final few rounds, with Yarosz showing a significant edge in the punches landed stats. Steele digs deep and, in round eight, he produces results, decking Yarosz with a hard cross. Yarosz covers up and manages to last the round, but the crowd is on its feet cheering wildly for the retiring former Champ. The final round sees both fighters going for a knockout, but Yarosz is the more accurate puncher and it shows in the final outcome, as he takes a UD 10 (97-93 on all cards), despite a 10-8 round for Steele in the eighth. The win lifts Yarosz to an overall mark of 43-18-5 (14), while Steele closes out his career at 54-14-1 (37). In the second co-main event, two LW contenders take to the ring, as Sammy “Clutch” Angott faces up-and-comer Ike Williams, who recently hit Prime career stage and is off to an impressive 20-1 career start. After a couple of fairly even opening rounds, Williams takes up the mantle of the aggressor in round three, pressing Angott in the inside and landing some good shots. Consequently, when Angott returns to his corner at the end of round three, he is sporting some puffiness under his right eye. Things appear to be going smoothly for the 21- year old Williams until, with a minute left in round five, Angott finds the range with a hard shot that puts Williams down for a count of four. Williams is able to resume and covers up to last the round and avoid further damage. The 10-8 round for Angott tightens up the bout considerably, and the unofficial scorer at ringside has it even (47-all) after the first five rounds are in the books. Into the second half of the bout, and both the stamina and punches landed factors weigh in favor of the younger man, Williams. Angott is unable to recreate his one moment of success in round five, and Williams seems on his way to winning on points when Angott is able to steal the final two rounds, resulting in a flat-footed draw (95-95 on all three cards), a bit of a surprising result since Williams, except for round five, seemed to dominate much of the fight. Post-bout career marks: Angott, 28-7-6 (10); Williams, 20-1-1 (18). A bump in the road for young Williams, whose future still looks bright, and a gutsy performance from Angott to keep his place among the top 10 LW contenders.

Apr. 29, 1944: Final card of the month takes place at the Polo Grounds in New York. A WBA title contest tops the card, but first up is a main supporting bout matching a post-Prime Max Baer versus Gus Dorazio. Dorazio, who has gradually worked his way into a top 10 ranking, has a win over Max’s brother Buddy, but this will be his first meeting with Max. Despite being past his prime, Max is still a formidable foe, which he demonstrates versus Dorazio by putting his opponent on the deck with a hard shot late in the third round. Dorazio, shaken, arises and beats the count to last the remaining seconds until the bell sounds to end the round. Baer seems content to rest on his laurels and his reputation after scoring the one knockdown, as Dorazio seems to lack the power to seriously trouble Max. At the halfway point, Baer is in front (48-46) on the unofficial card, a sizable but not insurmountable points lead. In round six, Baer goes to work and by the end of the round, he has inflicted enough damage to cause some initial swelling under the left eye of Dorazio. Late in the ninth round, Baer uncorks a nice combination to put Dorazio down a second time; Dorazio arises at the count of seven, and there is not enough time remaining in the round for Baer to follow up. The bout goes the distance, and Baer, with the two KDs, takes a fairly straightforward UD 10 (95-93, 95-93, 96-92) in a bout that certainly would have been much closer on the cards were it not for the two KDs. The win boosts Baer’s career totals to 37-12-4 (14); the loss leaves Dorazio at 26-10-4 (7). Max will slip to End career stage with his next outing. In the main event, popular LW Champion Billy Conn puts his WBA LH title on the line against Gus Lesnevich, a former WBA LH titleholder. It is the first meeting of the two. Conn looks sharp in the early going, and in the opening round, he is able to bloody Lesnevich’s nose. While the cut is not in a bad spot, it proves difficult for Lesnevich’s corner to close, and Conn takes advantage to build an early points advantage. By round five, the cut is closed, and Conn is beginning to show signs of swelling under his right eye, indicating that Lesnevich’s punches are having an impact. After five rounds, Conn has a narrow one-point edge (48-47) on the unofficial card. Into the middle rounds, and Conn’s superior boxing skills begin to tell, with Lesnevich being distracted by the cut, which continues to ooze blood. In round eight, with the cut apparently closed, Lesnevich settles in and lands some telling blows to take the round decisively. However, two minutes into the ninth round, the cut on Lesnevich’s nose is reopened and, this time, the blood flows freely and leads to an immediate stoppage. Over the protests from Lesnevich’s corner and many in the crowd, Conn is declared a TKO 9 victor due to the cuts stoppage. Post-bout career marks: Conn, 33-6-3 (14); Lesnevich, 35-11-3 (15). A peek at the judges’ cards after eight revealed that all three had Conn ahead on points.

[JCWeb]

This report covers fistic action from the first half of May 1944; unfortunately, no WBA title bouts scheduled for this month.

May 5, 1944: The month’s action kicks off with a Friday night card at Atlantic City. No title bouts on the card, and the main event sees LH contender Eddie Booker stepping up in class and taking on HW Nathan Mann. Decent start by Booker, who just hit Post-Prime career stage, and Mann has a tough opening round, where he suffers a split lip. In round three, Mann gets going, dropping Booker with a short, clean cross. Booker quickly regains his footing and covers up to give himself time to recover. With the cut not seeming to be a factor, Mann has a large points lead (50-44) on the unofficial card as the bout reaches the halfway point. Into the second half of the bout, and Booker, who is already showing signs of fatigue, makes an effort to force the action, taking a more aggressive stance, but to no avail as Mann’s defense remains solid. In the final seconds of round seven, Mann puts Booker on the deck for a second time. After the second knockdown, Mann eases up and goes on to record a lopsided UD 10 victory (99-90, 9-90, 100-89) to run his career record to 30-10-3 (22). Booker, now 28-6-2 (15), is likely to rethink his plans to move up to HW and return to the somewhat easier level of competition in the LH division, where he retains his top 10 status.

May 6, 1944: North of the border for the next card at Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens. Canadian LW Harry Hurst is in his first main event, taking on the more established LW contender, Lenny “Boom Boom” Mancini. First meeting of the two, and Mancini is in charge early with a couple of solid opening rounds. After another good round for Mancini in the third, Hurst works his way inside in round four, doing damage with a two-fisted attack that causes some puffiness around both eyes of his opponent. After another good round for the Canadian, the unofficial card has Mancini holding a narrow one-point lead (48-47) at the halfway point. Both sluggers continue to fire away as the bout wears on, but neither can stage a significant breakthrough. The bout goes the distance, and Mancini walks away a UD 10 winner (98-92, 97-93, 96-94). Post-bout career marks: Mancini, 24-8-3 (6); Hurst, 19-4-1 (9).

May 6, 1944: Chicago’s Comiskey Park is the venue for the next fight card. Topping the agenda is a USBA title, with Lou Ambers, a former NABF and USBA LW titleholder who once battled Tony Canzoneri to a draw in a WBA title bout, challenging Willie Joyce for Joyce’s USBA LW title. However, Ambers is now at Post-Prime career stage and, obviously, a step or two slower in the ring. Joyce appears the fresher and more active of the two as he builds a points lead in the early rounds. Late in round three, a hard punch from Joyce draws blood, ripping open a gash over the right eye of the challenger. Although the cut is in a bad spot, it is quickly patched up between rounds and does not play a major role at this point in the fight. At the halfway point, the unofficial card shows a two-point edge for Joyce (58-56). With a nice edge in punches landed, Joyce eases up and allows Ambers to take the initiative as the bout heads towards the later stages. The cut over Ambers’ eye, which has been reopened a couple of times, contributes to his desperation as the rounds tick off. Finally, in round nine, the cut is reopened a third time, leading to an immediate stoppage. The TKO 9 win lifts Joyce to 26-5-3 (14) overall, while the loss leaves Ambers, who will hit End career stage soon, at 40-10-2 (19). A peek at the judges’ cards at the time of the stoppage had Joyce ahead on two of them, while a third card had it even.

May 12, 1944: Next card takes place at San Juan’s Escobar Stadium. No titles but twin co-feature bouts top the agenda. In the first of these, top 10 MW Mike Belloise travels to face a homegrown favorite son in Puerto Rican Pedro Hernandez. The bout devolves into a kind of tactical battle, with both boxers probing for an opening. Consequently, there is very little in the way of action but a close bout through the opening few rounds. Hernandez breaks through with a dominant round in the fifth and, after the opening five rounds, the unofficial scorer calls the bout even (48-48). Hernandez, who at 23 is 10 years younger than his veteran opponent, continues to hold his own and seems to have a slight edge in terms of stamina as the bout wears on. After a big round in round seven for Belloise, Hernandez switches tactics and decides to go all-out aggressive. Belloise defense remains solid, but Hernandez, buoyed by the support of the Puerto Rican fight fans, continues to press the attack, battling on until the final bell. In the end, Hernandez is able to pull off the upset, taking a close but UD 10 (96-94, 97-93, 96-94). With this impressive win, Hernandez ups his career totals to 21-5 (7), and he is sure to move up in the FW ranks. The loss, a disappointing one for the heavily favored Belloise, leaves him at 32-16-7 (11), and he tumbles out of the top 10 in the HW rankings where he has been for the past five years. Then, in the second co-feature, another Puerto Rican fighter, WW Cocoa Kid, takes on “the Croat Comet,” Fritizie Zivic. It is the third meeting of the two, and Zivic is looking to avenge two prior points losses to Kid. Classic boxer vs slugger matchup with Zivic as the slugger, and some strong counterpunching by Kid enables him to take a narrow points lead (49-48) at the midway point of the bout. As the bout wears on, solid defense from Kid continues to frustrate Zivic, who is wild with his punches, plus he is running low on stamina. The bout goes the distance with no cuts or knockdowns, and Kid repeats his earlier success versus Zivic, taking a fairly comfortable UD 10 (98-94 on all three cards). Post-bout career marks: Kid, 46-10-5 (13); Zivic, 35-13-6 (15).

May 13, 1944: Back to Europe of the next fistic action, and at Gothenburg, Sweden, Marcel Cerdan, having lost the WBA MW title, is back to attempt to reclaim the EBU MW title he held from 1938 to 1943, and he faces his successor, Dutchman Luc Van Dam. First meeting of these two. After a few non-descript opening rounds, Cerdan nails Van Dam with a hard left in round four that forces the Dutch fighter to cover up. Van Dam remains upright and lasts the round, but Cerdan has the upper hand and continues to press the action in the fifth, where he hurts Van Dam with a hard cross. Van Dam covers up, but another Cerdan cross puts him on the deck with seconds remaining – not enough time for Cerdan to finish matters. By the start of round six, Van Dam’s left eye shows signs of swelling. However, late in the sixth, Cerdan gets careless and Van Dam uncorks a big hook that lands flush, causing the ex-Champ to cover up in order to last the round. At the midway point, the unofficial scorer has Cerdan ahead on points (58-55). Into the second half of the bout, and there is a huge stamina advantage for Cerdan, who eases off in the final few rounds as a frustrated Van Dam tries in vain to break through. Van Dam goes down twice in round 11, but the ref allows the bout to continue and Cerdan, for his part, is content to allow the bout to go the distance, regaining the EBU belt via a lopsided UD 12 (117-106 on all three cards). The win lifts Cerdan to 38-5-2 (26), while Van Dam slips to 20-5 (11) with the loss. Still highly regarded as the #2 MW contender, Cerdan will turn his focus to a possible WBA title matchup, hopefully before the year is out.

May 13, 1944: Back to the States for a card at Miami matching a couple of LW contenders in the main event, as Beau Jack faces Julie Kogon. First meeting of these two, and no titles at stake, just LW rankings points, in this 10-rounder. Late in round two, a hard shot from Kogon sees Jack tumble to the canvas, and he barely beats the count, covering up to last the remaining seconds of the round. In round three, Kogon continues to press forward but is unable to follow up, and Jack battles back and inflicts sufficient damage to cause some puffiness to appear under Kogon’s left eye. Jack continues to dominate in round four, and a minute into round five, a Jack combination forces Kogon to cover up. By the midway point of the bout, the unofficial scorecard has Jack ahead (49-46), winning every round except the second. Jack continues dominating the action in the second half of the bout, and in round seven, a straight right stuns Kogon who covers up for the second time. With Jack well on his way to a lopsided points win, Kogon goes all-out for the knockout in the final stanza, and he leaves himself open and Jack lands blow after unanswered blow until the ref steps in to call a halt with thirty seconds remaining. Jack takes a TKO 10 win to push his career totals to an excellent 23-2 (16); the loss leaves Kogon at 23-5-2 (7). A peek at the judges’ cards confirmed that Jack was well ahead on all three cards at the time of the stoppage.

[JCWeb]

This report covers fistic action from the second half of May 1944; as mentioned previously, no WBA title bouts on the agenda.

May 19, 1944: Down Under to Melbourne, Australia for some more Friday night fight action. The headliner is a CBU title bout, but worth noting on the undercard is the performance of unbeaten MW Dave Sands, who ran his record to a perfect 20-0 (14) with a UD 10 win over the veteran journeyman Sheik Rangel; Sands will be at Prime career stage and a thread to move up the MW ranks. The main event features another Aussie, BW Mickey Miller, who puts his Commonwealth BW title on the line, facing challenger Tom Lewis. First meeting of the two and, for Lewis, who is nine years Miller’s junior, it is the first title bout of any kind for the young Brit. After an indifferent couple of opening rounds, Miller tries to work his way inside in round three, with limited success and, with the round coming to a close, he is decked by a wicked hook to the head from Lewis, just before the bell. Miller recovers but two rounds later, in the fifth, another Lewis hook puts him down for a second time. Miller picks himself up on the canvas and manages to last the round by covering up, but at this point he is in serious jeopardy of losing his title. Later in round six, another KD, this time from a Lewis cross, so at the midway point, a large points lead for the challenger (60-51) spells trouble for Miller, who gamely battles on, hoping to turn things around. Into the second half of the bout, and Miller is looking for a knockout, but he is showing signs of fatigue as well as wear and tear from being knocked down three times in the bout. In the final few rounds, Miller is also battling a rapidly swelling right eye as well. Three more KDs in rounds 11 and 11 and the bout is halted, saving Miller from further punishment, and Lewis is declared a TKO 12 victor, running his career record to 19-4 (14). Miller is 33-14-2 (19) after the loss. Surprising result, given that both fighters had similar ratings and both were at Prime career stage.

May 20, 1944: Next card takes place at the Boston Garden. No titles at stake, and the main event features two ranked MW contenders, as Ben “Belter” Brown faces Allen Matthews, who recently held the USBA MW title. In fact, the two were matched once before for that USBA title, and the result was a technical draw. In this rematch, Brown may have the upper hand as Matthews has recently hit Post-Prime career stage. Brown takes an aggressive posture in the early rounds, and he succeeds in penetrating Matthews’ defenses to land a few good shots, but Matthews manages to keep the bout close into the middle rounds. At the midway point, Brown has a narrow lead (48-47) on the unofficial scorer’s card, but the punches landed stats are very close, plus Matthews has the edge in terms of the stamina factor. Midway through round seven, Brown connects with a big hook, and he follows up with a hard cross that puts Matthews down and out. The KO 7 lifts Brown to 33-8-3 (20); the loss drops Matthews to 36-17-5 (25). A good, solid win that should solidify Brown’s position as a top 10 MW contender.

May 20, 1944: A nice crowd is on hand at the Cow Palace in San Francisco for the next fight card, which matches Manuel Ortiz with David Kui Kong Young in a 12-round bout for Ortiz’s USBA BW title. There is some history between these two: in 1941, when Ortiz was still at Pre-Prime, Kui Kong Young took a split decision, then moved up the ranks by capturing the NABF BW title later that same year. Then, in 1943,with Kui Kong Young’s BW title on the line, the two battled to a draw. Since that encounter, their fortunes have been reversed, as Kui Kong Young suffered a TKO loss to Benny Goldberg to lose the NABF title, while Ortiz, who captured the USBA title in 1943, has defended it twice and been unbeaten in his last six, including the 1943 draw for the NABF belt. This time around, another close bout appears to be in the offing as the two spar with each other through the opening rounds. While the punches landed stats appear to be roughly even, Kui Kong Young, who is the more aggressive of the two, is landing the heavier blows. A check of the unofficial card at the midway point, however, has Ortiz in front (by a count of 59-55). Into the second half of the bout, and the stamina factor appears to favor Kui Kong Young. Midway through round seven, a hard shot from Kui Kong Young puts Ortiz on the deck, and he barely manages to beat the count. Kui Kong Young is unable to follow up but, by the end of round seven, there is noticeable puffiness around Ortiz’s right eye. After a couple of more good rounds for the challenger, Ortiz switches tactics and becomes more aggressive as the bout enters its later stages. However, the momentum has swung in favor of Kui Kong Young, who continues to pile up points. The bout goes the rest of the way without incident, and Kui Kong Young scoops up the title belt with a solid UD 12 win (116-109, 116-110, 117-109). Post-bout career marks: Kui Kong Young, 30-2-4 (16); Ortiz, 25-5-2 (15).

May 26, 1944: Next card takes place at a seldom used venue, Buenos Aires’ Luna Park. There is excitement in the arena, as the main event in this Friday night card sees Argentinian HW Alberto Santiago Lovell defend his LABF HW title against the hot Cuban prospect, Nino Valdes. It is the first meeting of the two. Lovell recently drew attention to himself by offering some stiff resistance to the top two HWs, Joe Louis and Max Schmeling, and then, in his most recent outing, registering a second round KO over Commonwealth HW Champ Tommy Farr. Valdes has shown plenty of power, with all of his wins coming via knockout, but he fell short in his most recent outing versus Lou Brooks, losing a split decision, so there is some question as to whether he can hold his own (while still at the Pre-Prime stage of his career) against a savvy veteran such as Lovell. The action in this bout heats up early in round two, when Lovell drops Valdes with a barrage of blows; the Cuban challenger manages to beat the count and then covers up. However, Lovell’s killer instinct has kicked in, and he puts Valdes down a second time with a vicious hook, then lands repeatedly until the ref steps in to call a halt, with just two seconds remaining in the round. Another impressive win, this time via a TKO 2, to up Lovell’s record to 31-15-1 (25). For Valdes, it is his second straight loss, leaving him a 13-2-1 (13), and those who thought it was too soon for Valdes to be thrown into a title fight proved to be correct.

May 27, 1944: Back to Europe for a Saturday afternoon card at the Earls Court in London. A GUB title bout tops the agenda, but in the co-feature, two top 10 Flyweights do battle as Hungarian Istvan Enekes faces “the fighting jockey,” Jimmy Gill. The two met once before, in 1942, and Gill scooped up a UD 10, yet he remains ranked below Enekes due to some inconsistent performances. In this rematch, Enekes gains the upper hand in the early going, and, in round three, Enekes rips open a cut over the left eye of Gill. The cut continues to be an issue as the bout proceeds. By round five, bleeding from the cut becomes too severe to allow the bout to continue, and Enekes is declared a TKO 5 victor. Post-bout career records: Enekes, 42-14-2 (13); Gill, 35-13-4 (11). Then, in the second co-feature, “Fearless” Freddie Mills defends his GBU LH title against a familiar foe, Bert Gilroy, whom he has defeated twice before, both in GBU title matchups. Mills wastes little time getting down to business, decking Gilroy with an uppercut in the opening stanza. Gilroy is able to beat the count, and he wisely covers up to last the round. Gilroy recovers and he shocks his opponent by flooring Mills with a short, clean combination just before the bell sounds to end round five. Mills regroups but Gilroy continues with a strong round in the sixth; nonetheless, at the midway point of the 12-rounder, the unofficial card has Mills in front (by a count of 57-55) but with the momentum favoring the challenger who won both rounds five and six. Into the second half and the bout and, while Mills has steadied himself, Gilroy continues to swing away and is generally taking an aggressive posture to the bout. Late in round nine, Gilroy staggers Mills with a hard cross. By round 10, both fighters are looking for a knockout, and both are visibly tired. Gilroy strikes again, using an uppercut to set up a hard right hand; again, Mills appears to be hurt, but he does not go down and eschews a cover up strategy. Gilroy dominates the action, and, later in the round, another straight right jars Mills, who this time elects to cover up to avoid further damage. Gilroy follows up with another strong round in the 11th, and Mills is beginning to look desperate as the title appears to be slipping away. Not much action in the final round, and the bout goes to decision, and Gilroy’s strong showing from the fifth round onwards was enough to convince the judges, and Gilroy he captures the belt with a UD 12 (115-111, 114-112, 115-111) to improve to 28-10-3 (16). The loss leaves Mills at 24-10-1 (14). Definitely a candidate for the “upset of the year,” given that Mills has won twice before and was a heavy favorite to defend this time around as well.

May 27, 1944: The month’s fistic action concludes with a solid card at New York’s Polo Grounds, headlined by a NABF title bout as the main event. On the undercard are three popular young fighters: LH Joey Maxim, and MWs Rocky Graziano and Jake LaMotta. While the latter two come through with impressive wins – LaMotta is now 15-0 (15) – Maxim has struggled to a 12-4 (5) start, and loses his third straight split decision to an unheralded prospect, Joe Kahut. Anyway, on to the main event, which has Holman Williams defending his NABF MW title against Georgie Abrams, who just captured the USBA MW title (for the second time). First meeting of these two, and the action takes a long time to develop, with a lot of blocked punches and feints through the opening few rounds. By the midway point of this rather boring bout, the unofficial card has Williams ahead (58-56). Into the second half of the bout, and the punches landed factor favors Williams, while both fighters appear to be in good shape to go the distance. By the end of round eight, there is a slight amount of swelling under the right eye of Abrams. A frustrated Abrams becomes more and more aggressive as the bout wears on, but he lacks the firepower to seriously trouble Williams, who is content to stay on the outside, quietly piling up points with the judges. Abrams’ best moment of the fight comes early in round 11, when he stuns Williams with a straight right, but the savvy veteran covers up and lasts the round without further damage. The bout goes the rest of the way without incident, no cuts or knockdowns, and Williams takes a reasonably comfortable MD 12 (116-112, 114-114, 116-112) to push his career totals to 44-9-1 (21). Workmanlike performance from Williams against a credible challenger, Abrams, who ends the bout at 25-7-2 (10).

[JCWeb]

This report covers fistic action from the first half of June 1944; no WBA title bouts are included in this report.

June 2, 1944: The month kicks off with a Friday night card at Atlantic City. On the undercard, unbeaten LH Ezzard Charles continues to impress, wrapping up the Pre-Prime stage of his career with a TKO 8 over a hapless Booker Beckwith, flooring his opponent four times. Charles is now 20-0 (17), and there is talk of him moving up to the HW division, working toward an eventual bout with HW Champ Joe Louis. Speaking of HWs, #2 ranked HW Jersey Joe Walcott is featured in the main event, putting his NABF HW title on the line against challenger Pat Comiskey. First meeting of the two, and Comiskey had been making a solid run up the HW rankings, fashioning a six-bout winning streak, before taking on Joe Louis for the WBA title, where he was destroyed in three. For Walcott, who still hopes for another WBA title shot versus Louis, it is a good test in this, his sixth defense of the NABF HW title belt he won back in 1940. The bout is close through the opening rounds, then Walcott breaks through with a good round in the fifth to seize the upper hand. Just before the end of the sixth, Walcott clocks Comiskey with a hook to the head; fortunately for Comiskey, the bell sounds before the ref can begin his count. At the midway point, the unofficial scorecard has Walcott ahead (by a count of 58-55), largely on the strength of his showing in the fifth and sixth rounds. As the bout wears on, Walcott maintains control, staying mostly on the outside, while Comiskey becomes gradually more frustrated as Walcott proves to be an elusive target to hit when focused on defense. By round 11, all Comiskey has for his troubles is a cut lip and a rapidly swelling right eye. The bout goes the distance and, as expected, Walcott retains the belt with relative ease, taking a comfortable UD 12 (115-112, 116-111, 117-110). For Walcott, this is his eighth successive win since his 1941 title loss to Joe Louis, leaving him with a post-fight record to 49-7 (29). For Comiskey, this is only his third pro defeat, leaving him at 23-3 (15), but two of those defeats have come against top-flight opposition (Louis, and now Walcott), but it seems he should realistically set his sights a bit lower in terms of his future opposition. .

June 3, 1944: To Cuba and Havana’s Gran Stadium, and a couple of Cuban fighters holding regional (LABF) titles are featured at the top of the card. In the first of these, LABF WW titleholder Joe Legon faces rising WW contender Marty Servo in a 10-round, non-title affair. First meeting of the two, and thus, the action takes awhile to develop. While the bout is close for the first three rounds, starting in round four, Servo’s superior boxing skills begin to tell, and, by the halfway point, he has forged a solid lead (50-46) on the unofficial scorecard. In the second half of the bout, urged on by the Cuban fight fans, Legon tries to be more aggressive, but some very slick defense from Servo prevents him from making much progress. Not much excitement the rest of the way, as Servo pounds out a UD 10 win (97-94, 98-94, 96-95) – fairly routine, but kind of close on one judge’s card. Post-bout records: Servo, 27-4 (11); Legon, 28-11-6 (12). In the main event on the card, Diego Sosa makes the second defense of the LABF FW title he won in 1943. His opponent, a dangerous foe, is Simon Chavez, a veteran Venezuelan boxer who briefly held the WBA FW title win a surprising win over Baby Arizmendi but has never held the LABF belt. First meeting of these two so, as usual, a long feeling out process takes place through the opening few rounds. After the first four rounds, the bout appears to be extremely close, with a slight edge to the much more experienced challenger. At the midway point of the bout, the unofficial scorer at ringside has it even (57-57). Cheered on by a hometown crowd, Sosa, the more aggressive of the two, pressures his opponent, forcing the action on the inside. Not much to choose between the two as the bout enters its final rounds, with neither able to break through and land a decisive blow. No cuts or knockdowns and the bout goes to decision. With the possible benefit of some hometown judging, Sosa squeaks out a MD 12 win by the thinnest of margins (115-114, 115-115, 115-114), lifting him to 20-3-1 (14) overall. The loss leaves Chavez at 31-21-4 (9).

June 9, 1944: North to Montreal for a Friday night card at the Forum. Two notable bouts on the agenda, including a CBU title action which features on this card. In the main supporting bout, Aussie Eddie Miller, who briefly held the OPBF FW title, comes from a long distance to face Georgie Hansford, a two-time NABF FW titleholder and long time top FW contender. No prior meetings. Solid start from Miller, and there is some puffiness surrounding the left eye of Hansford as early as the end of round one. In round three, Miller moves inside and does more damage; there is noticeable swelling and a cut under Hansford’s other (right) eye. At the midway point of the bout, Miller is up two (49-47) on the unofficial card. In round seven, the cut under Hansford’s eye is reopened, slowing his efforts to stage a rally in the second half of the fight. Miller, confident of victory, eases up in the later rounds. The bout goes to decision and, when the cards are read, the UD 10 goes to Miller (98-94, 98-94, 97-95) by a healthy margin. Post-bout career marks: Miller, 24-8-1 (10); Hansford, 36-17-2 (11). Then, in the main event, Canadian fan favorite Dave Castilloux is back in action in front of an appreciative hometown crowd, as he takes on Lefty Satan “his Satanic Majesty” Flynn for Flynn’s Commonwealth LH title belt. The two met once before, in 1940, with Flynn taking a UD 10, and Castilloux is looking for revenge as well as adding another title belt to his collection. Castilloux gets off the mark early, landing sufficient leather to cause some initial puffiness to appear under the left eye of Flynn. Flynn is unfazed, and he responds well, flooring Castilloux with an uppercut midway through the third round. Castilloux is unfazed, arising at the count of three, then covering up to survive the round. Castilloux recovers quickly and manages to keep the bout close through the halfway point, which sees Flynn with a slim one point edge (57-56) on the unofficial scorecard. Midway through round nine, Castilloux’s persistence pays off, as he clocks Flynn with a hard cross. Flynn, staggered, remains upright, and manages to last the round by covering up. The bout goes down to the wire in the final few rounds, with Flynn, thinking his title is slipping away, aggressively pursuing Castilloux around the ring. Not much happens, and the bout goes to decision, with Flynn taking a UD 12 (115-112, 115-112, 116-111), in a decision that is roundly booed by the pro-Castilloux crowd. The win lifts Flynn to 32-13-2 (17), and the loss drops Castilloux to 31-14-3 (9).

June 10, 1944: To war-torn Berlin and the Sportpalast for a rather – pardon the pun – lightweight card consisting of German and Italian boxers, but the main event has drawn attention, for Max Schmeling is back in the ring, defending his EBU HW title against a familiar foe, countryman and rival Walter “Der Blonde” Neusel. It is the sixth meeting of the two, and Schmeling has won four of their previous encounters (all for the EBU title) with one draw way back in 1936. Schmeling has compiled an impressive 22-bout winning streak over the five years since his title loss to Joe Louis, but Neusel has done well also, rising to the #3 spot among HW contenders. In this encounter, Schmeling gets off to a sluggish start, and Neusel is able to compile an early lead in terms of the punches landed stats. Max recovers somewhat in the next two rounds, taking control with some punishing body shots on the inside in round four. The bout is very close and, at the midway point, the unofficial card has the challenger, Neusel, up by one (58-57). Into the second half of the power, and Neusel wisely elects to stay on the outside, negating Schmeling’s power. By round nine both men are beginning to tire noticeably, and there is a trace of swelling around Schmeling’s right eye. Suddenly, late in round nine, Neusel connects with a wild overhand right that sends Schmeling tumbling to the canvas; despite his best efforts, Schmeling cannot beat the count. KO 9 for Neusel. Another strong candidate for upset of the year, the second in less than a month – but maybe a bit less shocking due to the fact that Schmeling, at 39, had hit Post-Prime in his career and had struggled against Alberto Santiago Lovell his last time out. Post-bout, Neusel improves to 34-15-3 (23) with the win, and Schmeling is 68-7-1 (45) with the loss.

June 10, 1944: Two top five MWs face each other in the next main event, at Chicago’s Comiskey Park. Former WBA MW Champ Tony Zale, the “Man of Steel,” still on the comeback trail, faces Al Hostak, the “Savage Slav,” in a 10-round, non-title bout. The two met once before, battling to a draw in early 1943, a bout that was also held in Chicago. This time around, Zale appears to have the upper hand in the early going, but a couple of sharp exchanges in round two favor Hostak. However, Zale bounces back with a strong round in the third, after which Hostak returns to his corner sporting a split lip and a puffy right eye. After another good round for Zale in round four, Hostak bounces back, landing an overhand right that drops Zale to one knee. After taking a count of three, Zale is able to resume, wisely covering up to avoid further damage. After the first five, the unofficial scorecard has the bout, an exciting one, as even (47-47). The two continue to battle away into the second half of the bout, with the stamina factor favoring Zale, but only slightly. The action reaches its peak in round eight, with both men swinging away, when Zale finds the target with a short, clean cross, putting Hostak down. A groggy Hostak arises after taking an eight count, but effective use of the cover up enables him to last the round. Round nine, and the crowd is on its feet once again, as Zale goes down a second time from a Hostak cross. Another effective use of the cover up enables Zale to recover. Into the final round, and both fighters are going all out, looking for a knockout punch. Hostak gets there first, decking Zale with a strong combination; while Zale is able to regain his footing, this time Hostak is able to follow up, with another KD (from a cross) and finally, a third (from an uppercut) that results in a TKO 10 for Hostak due to the three KDs in one round rule. Post-bout career marks: Hostak, 39-92 (25); Zale, 36-6-1 (22). Exciting bout with lots of action, knockdowns for both fighters, with the outcome in doubt until the final round – in other words, a strong “Fight of the Year” candidate.

June 16, 1944: Next is a Friday night card at Manila’s Rizal Arena. Twin feature bouts top the agenda. In the first of these, current EBU and Commonwealth Flyweight Champ Peter Kane faces Little Dado, a former OPBF Flyweight titleholder, in a non-title bout. First meeting of these two. The bout remains close through the opening few rounds, with Kane pressing the action as the more active of the two. Midway through round five, a cross from Kane gets through, and Dado goes down. The Filipino fighter manages to scramble to his feet and covers up to last the round. Nonetheless, the damage has been done, and the unofficial card at the halfway point has Kane in front (by a 49-46 margin). Despite holding the edge in stamina and punches landed, Kane continues aggressively to press forward into the second half of the bout. Dado, who has recently hit Post-Prime, has little to offer in the way of resistance. In the end, it goes into the books as a MD 10 for Kane (96-93, 95-95, 96-93), as it appears some hometown favoritism may have come into play on the part of the one judge who called it a draw. At any rate, Kane improves to 29-5-1 (12) with the win; the loss leaves Little Dado at 30-7-1 (13). The finale is the inaugural bout for the newly constituted OPBF LW title; the contestants are Aussie Vic Patrick and a Japanese fighter, Masashi Akiyama, who is still in the Pre-Prime stage of his career. The two are facing each other for the first time; Patrick is the only one with prior title bout experience, as he held the Commonwealth LW title from August 1943 until losing it to Lefty Satan Flynn in February. Solid start from Patrick, and Akiyama is showing signs of suffering from a rapidly swelling left eye as early as the end of round two. Akiyama recovers a bit with a strong round in the fifth. However, the momentum remains with Patrick who bludgeons his way forward and forces a stoppage late in round six. TKO 6 for Patrick, who lifts the OPBF LW title belt in triumph. Post-bout records: Patrick, 19-2 (15); Akiyama, 12-5-1 (7). While there are some suggesting Akiyama needs more seasoning before another title fight, others are calling for a rematch.

[JCWeb]

This report covers fistic action from the second half of June 1944, and there is one WBA title bout included in this report.

June 17, 1944: To Europe for a card at the Ullevi Stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden. The main event matches two BWs, with EBU and GBU BW Champ Ritchie Tanner taking on top 10 contender Georgie Pace in a 10-round, non-title bout. No titles at stake, and Tanner hopes to take advantage of the fact that Pace has hit Post-Prime career stage. Less than a minute into the bout, Tanner rips a combination to the head and body of Pace, dropping the American fighter, who arises at the count of seven, then covers up and manages to avert further damage and lasts the round. By the end of the second round, there is noticeable puffiness under Pace’s right eye as Tanner continues to dominate the action. The bout ends less than a minute into round three, when Tanner lands a hard shot that puts Pace down and out. Impressive KO 3 for Tanner, who improves to 23-7-2 (11) with the win. The loss leaves Pace at 30-15-2 (20).

June 17, 1944: To the West Coast and the Cow Palace for the next fight card, which sees the top two FW contenders square off in a 12-round bout for the NABF FW title, currently held by Everett Rightmire, who is challenged by Chalky Wright. Both these guys are former WBA FW titleholders looking to get back into some WBA title bout action. First meeting of the two, and Rightmire uses some clever boxing technique to forge an early lead. Wright, who has recently hit Post-Prime career stage, appears a step slower but is taking an aggressive approach, willing to miss a few punches in hopes of working his way inside to land a big shot. In round five, the two mix it up on the inside, and Rightmire uncorks a devastating hook to the head that puts Wright on the canvas. Chalky arises after taking a count of seven, but the damage has been done, although Wright is able to effectively cover up to last the round. By the midway point of the bout, the unofficial scorer has Rightmire with a huge lead (60-53), and Wright is already showing signs of fatigue. With a comfortable points advantage, Rightmire is content to keep his distance, staying out of trouble as Wright runs low on energy. By round nine, a mouse has formed under Wright’s right eye that has required some attention by his cornermen. In the end, Rightmire takes a fairly comfortable UD 12 (115-112, 116-111, 116-111), with the margins a bit lower due to Wright winning a few rounds later in the bout as Rightmire was coasting. The win lifts RIghtmire’s career totals to 38-13-3 (15), while the loss leaves Wright at 42-16-4 (15).

June 23, 1944: Next is a Friday night card in Panama City. Twin featured bouts top the agenda, but no titles at stake. In the first co-feature, two LW contenders do battle, as veteran Tony Chavez faces, for the first time, Lulu Costantino, a recent newcomer to the top 20 ranked LWs. Costantino has been climbing up the rankings, winning his last four, including a UD over Chino Alvarez, to set up this matchup with the highly regarded Chavez, a fighter who, at different times throughout his career, has held the NABF, USBA and LABF titles, all in the LW division, and has been ranked among the top 10 LWs in each of the past eight year-end ranking lists. In this encounter, the bout remains close through the early rounds, with Chavez doing some good work on the inside to win round three. By the midway point of the bout, the unofficial card has Chavez up by three (49-46). Costantino bounces back in round six, coming out the best after some sharp exchanges, and he lands sufficient leather to cause some puffiness around Chavez’s right eye. With both boxers beginning to tire badly, the issue remains in doubt until the final few rounds. In round eight, Chavez decks Costantino with an overhand right. Although Costantino manages to recover and regain his footing, his right eye has begun to puff up, showing the effects of some hard punches landed by Chavez. Chavez appears to be on his way to victory but, in the final round, Costantino connects with a sharp combination, and it is Chavez who drops to the canvas. Chavez is able to resume after taking an eight count, and this will be the last action seen by the judges as the bell sounds, ending the bout. To no surprise, in such a close bout with one KD apiece, the result is a split decision, with Costantino taking the SD 10 (95-93, 93-94, 95-93), with the final round KD making the difference. Post-bout career marks: Costantino, 21-3-2 (10); Chavez, 37-13-4 (14). With his fifth straight win, Costantino is sure to continue his move up in the LW ranks. In the second co-main event, the aging but still wily veteran BW Panama Al Brown, is on hand before an appreciative hometown crowd, taking on another top BW and long-time rival, K. O. Morgan. This marks the fourth meeting of these two, with Morgan holding a 2-1 edge in their prior encounters. Although both are past their prime (in fact, Brown is at End career stage), an entertaining action fight is anticipated. Morgan is the more active of the two through the opening rounds, but Panama Al has managed to keep the bout close. At the halfway point, the unofficial scorecard has Morgan ahead (by a 49-47 count). Into the second half of the bout, and Brown’s corner is urging him to pick up the pace. This has some immediate impact, as Brown lands some punishing blows in round six that cause some initial swelling to appear under Morgan’s right eye. Then, late in round seven, a cut appears over Brown’s left eye – the apparent result of an accidental clash of heads. The bout goes the rest of the way without incident and, with a strong second half, Brown manages to eke out a narrow but UD 10 win (96-95 on all three cards), and the Panamanian fight fans go away happy. The veteran Brown, now 42, moves his career mark to 73-16-2 (26) with the win, and the loss drops Morgan to 38-16-8 (17).

June 24, 1944: A huge crowd has gathered for an exciting card in London, at the Olympia, where a WBA title bout headlines the action. First, in the main supporting bout, it is the “Boxing Bellhop” against the “Rochdale Thunderbolt” as former WBA MW Champion Freddie Apostoli has traveled from the States to face reigning Commonwealth and British MW Champ Jock McAvoy. First meeting of these two, so there is the usual feeling-out process, Not much to choose between the two in the early going, although the unofficial scorer at ringside favors Apostoli (by a 49-46 count) when his card is checked at the midway point. McAvoy, urged on by a partisan hometown crowd, takes a more aggressive posture as the bout heads into the later stages, but Apostoli is able to box effectively from the outside, limiting McAvoy’s progress in the bout. Midway through round seven, Apostoli connects with a short, clean cross that sends an overly aggressive McAvoy to the canvas. McAvoy recovers after taking an eight count, covers up to last the round, but damage has been done, as demonstrated by the puffiness around the left eye of the long-time British MW Champ. More trouble for McAvoy in round eight, as he goes down for a second time, this from an Apostoli combination, but he scrambles back to his feet, and there is not enough time remaining in the round for Apostoli to do further damage. A third KD follows in round nine and, after that, Apostoli eases up in the final two rounds, focusing on defense. Nonetheless, two more KDs follow in the final round, and Apostoli goes on to take a one-sided UD 10 (98-87, 99-86, 99-86). The win, a much needed one after a tough TKO loss in his other 1944 outing, lifts Apostoli to 33-11-2 (14) overall. The loss leaves McAvoy, who is definitely on the downside of his long career, at 40-20-6 (26). After a brief respite, it is time for the main event, and Jackie Paterson takes to the ring to defend his WBA Flyweight title against Irishman Rinty Monaghan, who handed Paterson one of his three prior defeats in a non-title bout back in 1942, when Paterson was still at Pre-Prime career stage. In this rematch, Monaghan starts strongly, with a big opening round, and is the aggressor for much of the early going. In round five, Monaghan decks Paterson for a six-count; the champ covers up, and the rest of the round proceeds without further incident. After the first five, the unofficial scorer at ringside has the challenger ahead by three (48-45); this, after awarding Monaghan a 10-7 for his dominant performance in the fifth round. Into the middle rounds, and Paterson is content to set up shop on the outside, not risking much, but also not causing much difficulty for his more aggressive opponent. By the end of round seven, there is a trace of swelling under the right eye of Paterson. As the bout wears on, both the stamina factor and the punches landed stats favor the challenger. After 10 rounds are in the books, the unofficial card has Monaghan in front (96-92). Into the final few rounds, Paterson is urged by his corner to take the initiative and become more aggressive. In round 12, Paterson manages to rip open a cut on Monaghan’s lip. However, the cut is not an issue, and Paterson, seeing his title slipping away, is unable to make further progress in breaking down Monaghan’s defenses. The bout goes the full 15, and Monaghan is able to repeat his earlier success, taking a UD 15 (142-141, 144-139, 143-140) to lift the belt while also handing Paterson his first defeat since the latter reached Prime career stage. Post-bout marks: Monaghan, 35-9-1 (11); Paterson, 21-4-1 (14).

June 24, 1944: To New York for a nice card at Madison Square Garden, where the feature attraction is hot new WW contender “Sugar” Ray Robinson. First up, in the main supporting bout, it is a rematch two highly ranked LH contenders, Melio Bettina and newly crowned EBU MW Champ Anton Christoforidis. In their one prior meeting, also in New York City, back in 1937, when both were still at Pre-Prime, Bettina managed to eke out a SD 10 win. This time around, it is another close bout, with neither fighter seeming to gain an upper hand through the first four rounds. After a strong round for Christoforidis in the fifth, the unofficial scorecard has the Greek fighter up by two (49-47) at the midway point. After another good round for Christoforidis in round six, Bettina moves inside and tries to become more aggressive. As the bout heads into the later rounds, Bettina keeps swinging away, but with little impact, as Christoforidis’ defense remains solid. No cuts or knockdowns and, unlike their earlier bout, it is a fairly comfortable UD 10 win for Christoforidis (98-92, 99-92, 99-91), lifting him to 28-11-2 (13). The loss snaps a four bout winning streak, leaving Bettina at 32-7-6 (13). Then, in the main event, Ray Robinson defends his NABF WW title, facing a former NABF WW Champ, Jackie Wilson. Robinson gets on top early with a strong opening round, and he lands a sharp cross just seconds before the bell sounds to end round two. Robinson continues to dominate the action for the first half of the bout, and while Wilson continues to remain upright, he is taking a beating, as indicated by a rapidly swelling right eye. At the midway point of the bout, the unofficial scorer at ringside has Robinson winning by a shutout (60-53). The swelling around Wilson’s eye continues to worsen, particularly as he attempts to press the action on the inside, desperately looking for an opening, but Robinson is giving him no quarter. In round eight, a hard shot from Robinson drops Wilson for a six-count. The end comes less than a minute into round nine, when Robinson lands a combination that puts Wilson down and out. Impressive KO 9 for Robinson, adding to the anticipation of a possible WBA title matchup between the undefeated Robinson and Henry “Homicide Hank” Armstrong. Post-bout career marks: Robinson, 22-0-1 (16); Wilson, 29-8-2 (17).

June 30, 1944: Final card of the month a Friday night affair at Johannesburg’s Rand Stadium. In the main event, Bep Van Klaveren, the “Dutch Windmill,” faces, for the second time, Commonwealth and GBU WW Champion Ernie Roderick. Van Klaveren came out on top in their one prior meeting, in 1942, for the EBU WW title. Big difference this time around is the fact that Van Klaveren, now 37, has slowed a step while Roderick is still in the Prime of his career. However, Van Klaveren looks sharp and appears to have the edge, at least in the early going. By the middle rounds, Roderick has seemed to steady himself, despite being warned a couple of times from the ref for fouling. At the midway point of the bout, the unofficial scorer at ringside has Van Klaveren up by just one (48-47). Into the second half of the bout, and Van Klaveren seems content to stay on the outside, boxing occasionally, seeming relying on the judges to hand him the decision. Roderick, who begins to tire as early as the eighth round, seems willing to press the action, but he seems to lack the weapons that can seriously trouble the Dutchman. The bout goes to decision and, to the surprise of many, Roderick’s aggressiveness is enough to secure him a draw (95-95, 96-95 Roderick, 95-95), as Van Klaveren may have eased up too early. Post-bout records: Van Klaveren, 39-17-10 (12); Roderick, 30-16-4 (7).

[JCWeb]

This report covers fistic action from the first half of July 1944 – no WBA title bouts this time.

July 1, 1944: The month kicks off with a card at St. Louis’ Kiel Auditorium. The main event brings together two ranked LW contenders, Sammy “Clutch” Angott and Lenny “Boom Boom” Mancini, in a 10-round, non-title affair. The two met once before, in 1941, with Angott taking a UD 10. Typical boxer vs slugger matchup, with Mancini in the role of slugger, who is the aggressor from the outset of the match. The action picks up in round three, when Mancini moves inside and does some damage, gaining the early edge in the punches landed stat. By the midway point of the bout, the unofficial card has Mancini up by one (48-47), but Angott has gradually worked his way into the bout, exhibiting some skilled boxing and defense. The pattern set in the early rounds remains unchanged in the second half of the bout, with Mancini continuing as the aggressor, pressing the action. Angott manages to keep his poise as he must parry repeated thrusts from “Boom Boom,” who is looking to end the fight with one big punch as the bout heads into the final few rounds. In the end, Angott appears to have done enough to merit another points win; the final round sees the action slow, and the fighters touch gloves after the final bell – no cuts or knockdowns in this one. The judges’ cards are read, and this time it goes as a SD 10 in favor of Mancini (by scores of 95-96, 97-93, 97-93), who was the more aggressive throughout the fight. Post-bout career marks: Mancini, 25-8-3(6); Angott, 28-8-6 (10). Nice effort by “Boom Boom” – his third successive win -- which should be enough to reach the top 10 in the LW rankings.

July 4, 1944: Next is a Fourth of July celebration, accompanied by an interesting card, at the Philadelphia Stadium. Topping the agenda is a NABF Flyweight title bout, which newly crowned Champion Dado Marino facing a very experienced challenger in former WBA Flyweight Champ Midget Wolgast. First meeting of the two, and Marino, who dethroned another former WBA titleholder, to capture the NABF title, takes on another former Champ in Wolgast. After a couple of close opening rounds, Marino gets his jab working in round three, keeping Wolgast pinned on the outside. Nonetheless, Wolgast proves to be a tough opponent, working mostly from the outside, exhibiting solid defensive and counterpunching skills. At the midway point of the bout, the unofficial scorer has Wolgast with the edge (58-56), although the punches landed count is almost even. Into the second half of the contest, and while Wolgast prefers to work from the outside, Marino is more willing to take risks in initiating much of the action. After a strong round for Marino in round seven, a mouse appears under Wolgast’s right eye. In addition, the stamina factor favors Marino, the younger of the two. As the rounds tick off, Marino looks more confident, as Wolgast begins to tire. In round 11, a Marino jab rips open a cut over Wolgast’s swollen right eye. The bout goes the rest of the way without incident, and Marino retains the belt with a UD 12 (116-112, 115-113, 116-112). The win lifts Marino’s career totals to 21-2 (13); Wolgast, who is now a bout or two away from retirement, ends the bout at 58-12-1 (19).

July 7, 1944: Next is a Friday night card at San Juan, Puerto Rico’s Escobar Stadium. The featured bout is for the LABF MW title, with Cuban Jose Basora defending against the man he defeated to capture the belt in 1942, Chilean Antonio Fernandez. In fact, this is the fourth meeting of these two, and Basora has won all three, all for the LABF title, although the most recent encounter (a year ago in July 1943) was the closest, with Basora squeaking through via a split decision. This time around, after a couple of nondescript opening rounds, Basora moves inside and does some damaging, landing a hard right to the jaw that gets Fernandez’s attention; Fernandez bounces back quickly, with a strong round in the fourth. Basora is back on target with some solid punches in round five, and there is noticeable swelling around the right eye of Fernandez as a result. At the midway point of the bout, the unofficial card has Basora up by four (59-55); however, the Champ’s corner must deal with a cut which has appeared over Basora’s right eye. Late in round seven, Basora drops Fernandez with a hard shot; Fernandez is back on his feet at the count of three, and there is not enough time left in the round for Basora to follow up. In round eight, the cut over Basora’s eye is reopened, and Fernandez takes this as a signal to become more aggressive. With his corner keeping an eye on the cut, Basora exhibits some solid defense in the second half of the bout, into the final few round, but Fernandez rallies with a strong round 11, reopening the cut a second time, plus there is noticeable swelling around both of Basora’s eyes; the cut is closed between rounds, but reopened again in the final round, with the bout being allowed to continue after the ref called in the ring physician for a look. The bout goes the distance and, with the issue in doubt the judges were perhaps influenced by the impact of the cut, and they reward Fernandez with a SD 12 by the narrowest of margins (114-113, 113-114, 114-113), proving that the fourth time is a charm, as Fernandez lifts the LABF belt for the third time in his career. Post-bout career marks: Fernandez, 39-18-4 (13); Basora, 23-5 (16). Solid Fight of the year candidate, as Fernandez got off the deck and came from behind, winning the last two rounds on all three cards, to secure the win. With two close battles in their last two fights, fans are wondering if a fifth meeting of these two will take place.

July 8, 1944: To Vancouver, and the Exhibition Gardens, for the next fight card, which features two regional LH Champions doing battle in the main event, as USBA LH Champ Archie Moore takes on Commonwealth LH Champ Jack A. Johnson in a non-title bout. As it is the first meeting of the two, the action is slow to develop, A heavy favorite, Moore seems to have the upper hand in the early going, outpunching Johnson by a two-to-one margin. By round three, Moore’s two fisted attack has caused some puffiness to appear around both of Johnson’s eyes. Johnson’s defense stiffens in the middle rounds and, at the midway point, the unofficial scorecard has Moore with only a one-point edge (48-47), although the punches landed stats show a much bigger margin. As the bout proceeds, Moore continues to dominate, landing punches at will, and Johnson offers little resistance. Late in round nine, Moore decks the Australian with an uppercut, and Johnson is barely able to beat the count. In the final round, Archie eases up, and he coasts to a comfortable UD 10 win (98-90, 98-90, 97-91). The win lifts Moore to 30-3-4 (21) and solidifies his position as the #1 LH contender. Creditable effort from Johnson, who dips to 20-7 (16) after the loss.

July 14, 1944: All the way around the globe for a rather limited Friday night card at Manila’s Rizal Arena. The only bout of note, the main event, sees two Filipino boxers contest the OPBF BW title, currently held by Little Pancho. His challenger, Speedy Dado, held this title in the early to mid-1930s as well as (briefly) the WBA title. Surprisingly, despite a total of over 140 bouts between them, the two, despite both being from the Philippines, have not met previously. Not much in the way of action for the opening few rounds, as both boxers set up shop on the outside and take a very cautious approach to the initial rounds. The two switch tactics and opt to work inside in round five, and Dado comes out ahead, having bloodied Pancho’s nose. The unofficial card at the halfway point, with six rounds in the books, has the challenger with a substantial points edge (59-55). Pancho, however, still has a slight edge in the stamina category, despite a deficit in the punches landed stats. He decides to become more aggressive in the second half of the bout, However, any progress is thwarted by the cut on his nose, which reopened in round seven. Then, in round nine, things begin to turn around as Pancho rips open a cut over Dado’s right eye. In round 10, however, the cut on Pancho’s nose is reopened once again, so more problems for the defending Champ. The cut is patched up once again, but it is reopened a third time late in round 11, leading to an immediate stoppage. Dado reclaims the belt, over 14 years after he first won it, via a TKO 11 on the cuts stoppage. Tough loss for Pancho, big win for Dado who is in the twilight of his long career. Post-bout career marks: Dado, 42-22-6 (17); Pancho, 46-14-8 (10).

July 15, 1944: Next card is in Gothenburg, Sweden, and the main event pits former WBA MW Champ, still on the comeback trail, Marcel Cerdan, now once again the EBU MW titleholder, against 20-0 Dave Sands who has come all the way from Australia to take this fight. No prior meetings and no titles at stake in this 10-round bout; it’s a tough test for the undefeated Sands, this in his first bout at Prime career stage. Sands gives a good accounting of himself, and the bout is fairly close through the opening three rounds. In fact, at the midway point of the bout, there is a possible upset brewing as the unofficial scorer at ringside has Sands in front (49-46). Into the second half of the bout, and Cerdan is urged by his corner to pick up the pace and begin applying pressure on his young (18 years old) Australian opponent. Cerdan manages to stage a minor rally, but is it enough to turn the bout around in his favor? No cuts or knockdowns, and the bout goes the distance without incident, and Sands walks away with a MD 10 (96-95, 95-95, 96-94), scoring a major upset over a former WBA Champ, also keeping his unbeaten record intact. Post-bout records: Sands, 21-0 (14); Cerdan, 38-6-2 (26).

[JCWeb]

This report covers fistic action from the second half of July 1944 – with two WBA title bouts on the agenda this time.

July 15, 1944: To New Orleans for the next card, and the main event sees USBA BW Champ David Kui Kong Young trying another step up, as he challenges Tommy Forte for the NABF BW title, currently held by the latter. Kui Kong Young, who held this belt for three years from 1941 to early 1944, hopes to regain the belt, going against Forte, a fighter he successfully outpointed in a 1942 title matchup for this very same belt, when the shoes were on the other feet, so to speak, as Kui Kong Young was the defending Champion, with Forte as the challenger. After a couple of uneventful opening rounds, Kui Kong Young moves inside and unleashes some powerful punches in round three, but Forte, a clever boxer, is able to fend off most of these blows and hold his own. In rounds four and five, Forte proves that he can deliver some sharp blows while working inside, gaining a slight edge in the punches landed stats. At the midway point, the unofficial card has Forte up by two (58-56). As the bout heads into the later rounds, the stamina factor favors Forte, who seems to be gradually wearing down his opponent. Finally, midway through the 11th round, a straight right from Kui Kong Young connects, but Forte remains upright, and he wisely covers up to avoid further difficulty. Despite a puffy right eye, Forte is able to persevere, and the bout goes the full 12 rounds. The UD 12 goes to Forte by a comfortable margin (116-113, 117-111, 117-111), running his career record to 31-5-2 (11). The loss, only the third of Kui Kong Young’s career, leaves him at 30-3-4 (16).

July 21, 1944: Next is a Friday night card as part of the Friday night fights “Down Under” series, this time at Melbourne, Australia. Featured bout is for the OPBF FW title, currently held by Tsuneo “Piston” Horiguchi. Challenging Horiguchi for the title is Aussie Eddie Miller. These two have met three times previously, all for this same title, with Horiguchi winning twice and Miller, once. This time around, both boxers get off to a sluggish start, although the action does pick up when Miller, cheered on by a hometown crowd, lands some good shots. Early in round five, Miller staggers Horiguchi with a sharp combination, but he is unable to follow up despite dominating most of the action that round. By the midway point, the unofficial card has Miller in front by two (58-56). Into the second half of the contest, and both fighters remain active, pressing the action. Punches landed stat favors Miller, and the stamina factor is about even, as both boxers begin to tire as early as round eight. In the final few rounds, Horiguchi, sensing the title slipping away, becomes even more aggressive, looking for the knockout. However, Miller’s defense remains solid, and the bout goes the distance, no cuts or knockdowns, with the end result being a SD 12 for Miller (114-115, 117-111, 115-113) who lifts the OPBF FW title for the second time. Post-bout records: Miller, 25-6-1 (10); Horiguchi, 35-11-2 (18).

July 22, 1944: London’s Harringay Arena is the venue for the next fistic action, which features a pair of title bouts topping the agenda, including a WBA title clash in the main event. In the co-feature, the two top British HWs, Tommy Farr and Tommy Martin, do battle for the fifth time, with both the Commonwealth HW title (current held by Martin) and the GBU HW title (held by Farr) at stake. Prior results show a 2-1-1 (two wins, one draw, one loss) in favor of Farr. With both these veteran HWs nearing the end of their long, distinguished careers, the action in the opening few rounds is slow to develop. Not much to choose between the two titeholders through the first half of the bout, as indicated by the unofficial scorer’s card after the first six rounds – he scores the bout even (57-57). Into the second half of the bout, and it is Martin who seeks to deviate from the pattern of the opening six rounds, by moving inside and generally taking a more aggressive approach. By round eight, both fighters are showing signs of fatigue. By the end of round eight, Martin’s strategy has begun to pay dividends, as a mouse has formed under Farr’s left eye. As the bout heads into the final few rounds, Farr shifts to a more aggressive approach as well, with Martin easing up a bit. The bout, not a particularly exciting contest with two HWs, each well past his Prime, goes the distance, and the UD 12 goes to Farr (115-113 on all three cards), who wins the last two rounds on all three cards to secure the win. Post-bout career marks: Farr, 53-20-4 (16); Martin, 30-16-3 (18). Thus, Farr now holds both the Commonwealth and GBU HW title belts. In the final bout, Jack Kid Berg, the “Whitechapel Whirlwind,” faces challenger Chester Rico in his second defense of the WBA LW title he won in late 1943. First meeting of the two, and the first title bout for Rico, who has won his last three, the most recent being a fifth round KO of ex-WBA Champ Dave Castilloux, to set up this title shot. Decent start by Rico, while it takes awhile for Berg to work his way into the fight. Late in round four, things begin to turn around for Berg, when he rips open a cut over Rico’s right eye. However, Rico’s corner is able to patch up the cut between rounds and he bounces back with a strong round five, to pull ahead (by a narrow one-point margin, 48-47) on the unofficial card after five. At this point, there is some noticeable puffiness around the left eye of Berg, indicating that Rico’s punches have had some effect. Berg bounces back with a strong round in the sixth, re-opening the cut over the challenger’s eye which continues to ooze blood into round seven. Berg hammers away at the cut with pinpoint accuracy, and late in the round, the ref steps in to call a halt. Despite protests from Rico’s corner, the bout goes down as a TKO 7 for Berg due to the cuts stoppage. The win lifts Berg, now at Post-Prime career stage, to 53-20-5 (18). Tough loss for Rico, now 23-7-4 (10), as he was leading on one judge’s card and even on two others at the time of the stoppage.

July 22, 1944: To Los Angeles for the next fight card and, as at London, a WBA title bout headlines the action. But first up, in a main supporting bout, two HWs do battle as long-time top 10 contender Max Baer, now at End stage of his career, faces Bob Pastor, another veteran HW now at Post-Prime. The two met once before, in 1941, also in Los Angeles, with Baer winning via a fourth round TKO. This time around, not much happens for the first two rounds, then Baer works his way inside but leaves himself open for some solid counterpunching by Pastor, who stops Baer in his tracks, landing several unanswered blows, leading to an early stoppage. Surprising TKO 3 for Pastor, bringing the bout, and Baer’s career, to an early end. Pastor ends the bout at 29-8-3 (12), while Baer calls it quits after an overall career mark of 39-20 (32). In the main event, “Homicide Hal” Harold Hoshino makes the fourth defense of his WBA FW title; his challenger, Puerto Rico’s Pedro Hernandez, is making his first title try. No prior meetings, yet Hoshino wastes little time going on the attack, and he decks Hernandez with a vicious cross late in the opening round, but Hernandez is saved by the bell, so no opportunity for Hoshino to follow up. After having time to recover between rounds, Hernandez gradually works his way into bout. After the first five rounds, the unofficial scorer at ringside has Hoshino up by two (48-46), but awarded rounds four and five to Hernandez. In round six, a cut is opened over Hoshino’s right eye, and the cut appears to be the result of an accidental clash of heads. The cut is closed between rounds, and Hoshino drills Hernandez with a sharp combination early in round seven, forcing the challenger to cover up. Hernandez gets through the round and manages to keep the bout reasonably close through the middle rounds, as both boxers begin to show signs of fatigue. The cut over Hoshino’s eye is reopened in round 10, but the unofficial card shows an even larger points edge for the Champion (96-93) at the two thirds point of the bout. Into the final five rounds, Hoshino’s corner is kept busy dealing with the cut, which is reopened a second time, and Hernandez takes advantage of the situation by becoming more aggressive as the rounds tick off. By round 14, there is puffiness around Hoshino’s right eye, indicating that Hernandez’s late surge is having an effect. The bout goes the distance with the issue very much in doubt, and Hernandez’s late rally is good enough only for a majority draw, although one judge declared the challenger the winner, the other two called it even (140-144 Hernandez, 142-142, 142-142). Post-bout records: Hoshino, 33-3-3 (18); Hernandez, 21-5-1 (7). Good effort from Hernandez, whose connections are already calling for a rematch, but it will take some time for Hoshino’s injured eye to heal.

July 28, 1944: The scene shifts to Pittsburgh for a Friday night card. No titles at stake, but two MW contenders looking to move up in the rankings face off in 10-round, non-title bout. The two protagonists are Ben “the Belter” Brown and Mike “Spider” Belloise. The two have not faced each other before. There’s plenty of action in the opening round, with Brown seemingly gaining the upper hand, landing sufficient leather to cause some initial swelling under Belloise’s right eye. However, late in the round, Belloise lands a right hook that forces Brown to take a step backward. Both men continue to adopt an aggressive posture through the early rounds, making for an entertaining fight. Brown seems to pull ahead with strong showings in rounds three and four, while in the fifth round, Belloise has the momentum until he has a point deducted for hitting below the belt. At the midway point, taking into account the one-point deduction, the unofficial card has Brown in front (by a 48-46 count). In the second half of the bout, despite showing signs of fatigue, both fighters continue to swing away and continue to work inside to apply more pressure on the opponent. In round eight, a series of sharp combinations enables Brown to assert control in an intense battle which sees both men looking to land a big punch. By round nine, Brown’s left eye begins to puff up, as Belloise has been able to land some sharp blows as well. With the issue very much in doubt, the bout goes the distance with – in a bit of surprise – no cuts or knockdowns. The end result is a SD 10 in favor of Belloise by the thinnest of margins (95-94, 94-96, 95-94). The win lifts Belloise to 24-5-1 (12) overall. The loss snaps a four-bout winning streak for Brown, leaving him at 33-9-3 (20) post-bout.

July 29, 1944: The month wraps with a card at New York’s Madison Square Garden. Former USBA WW Champion Izzy Jannazzo, on the comeback trail after losing that title to Eddie Dolan in 1943, faces Vic Dellicurti. First meeting of the two, and it is a slow, cautious start by Dellicurti, enabling Jannazzo to dominated the early action. By the midway point, with Dellicurti still struggling with his timing, Jannazzo has pulled ahead to a commanding points lead (50-46) on the unofficial scorecard. Into the later rounds, Dellicurti tries to become more aggressive, but he lacks the firepower to seriously trouble Jannazzo. The bout goes the full 10, with no cuts or knockdowns, and Jannazzo wins handily, taking a lopsided UD 10 (100-91, 100-90, 100-90) to retain his status as a top WW contender. Post-bout records: Jannazzo, 39-7-4 (13); Dellicurti, 25-5 (12).

[JCWeb]

This report covers fistic action from the first half of August 1944 – including one WBA title bout.

Aug. 4, 1944: The month kicks off with a Friday night card at Atlantic City’s Convention Hall. In the feature, the NABF LH title is on the line, as Lloyd Marshall makes his third defense, facing challenger Melio Bettina. This is the first meeting of these two, despite both being among the top 10 in the LH rankings in recent years. Not much to report in the way of action for the first few rounds, as both fighters are probing for openings and taking few risks. Bettina, the challenger, has held his own through the opening rounds and even has a slight early edge in the punches landed stats. At the midway point of the bout, the unofficial scorer at ringside has Bettina up by one (58-57). However, Marshall comes to life with a strong round in the seventh. As the bout heads into the later rounds with the outcome still in the balance, both men take an aggressive approach, battling away on the inside. Bettina comes back with a solid round nine, keeping Marshall off balance. Late in round 10, a hook from Marshall connects and sends Bettina to the canvas. Although the challenger is able to regain his footing, he seems weary at this point and an easy target for Marshall. The bout goes into the 12th and final round, when Marshall floors Bettina with an overhand right, then follows up with another knockdown, this time from an uppercut, to seal a UD 12 win (117-110 on all three cards) in a bout that was definitely closer than the final scores indicate. With the win, Marshall runs his career totals to 26-5-3 (23) and looks forward to a possible WBA title shot. For Bettina, this is his second consecutive loss (after losing on points to Anton Christoforidis), so he slips to 32-8-6 (13).

Aug. 5, 1944: Next, fight fans have gathered for a huge card at Chicago, with WBA HW Champ Joe Louis as the main attraction. First up, in the supporting bout, two top 10 WWs take to the ring, as Fritzie Zivic, the “Croat Comet,” faces Freddie “Red” Cochrane. Third meeting of the two (with Zivic having won both prior encounters), and this bout is a non-title contest, scheduled for 10 rounds. The early edge goes to Zivic, whose punches are punishing enough to cause some initial puffiness to appear under Cochrane’s left eye by the end of the second round. Then, early in round five, a Zivic hook sends Cochrane to the canvas. Cochrane regroups after taking a two-count, then covers up and manages to last the round. However, at this point, the damage has been done, and with plenty of time remaining in the round, Zivic is able to rain additional blows to force an early stoppage. TKO 5 for Zivic, running his record to 36-13-6 (16); the loss leaves Cochrane at 31-12-5 (9). After this, the celebrated HW Champ Joe Louis enters the ring to loud applause, making his 24th defense of the WBA HW title he won from Max Schmeling back in 1939. By the midway point, the unofficial card has Miller in front by two (58-56). This time, the challenger is Abe Simon. First meeting of the two and frankly, Simon has not looked all that impressive recently, with just one win and a draw in his last five outings, but still enough to remain among the top 10 HW contenders, which is good enough to earn this title shot. Louis, however, wastes little time, knocking Simon down in the opening minute, then forcing an early end to matters by dominating the rest of the action until the ref steps in with half a minute remaining in the opening stanza. Another successful defense via a TKO 1 for Louis against an overmatched opponent. Post-bout career records: Louis, 49-1-1 (47); Simon, 31-10-2 (22). Not one of Louis’ title defenses has gone the distance (including a three-round technical draw with Tommy Farr). Interesting side-note: when checking the Perf Points situation after this bout, while Louis didn’t lose any (which happens occasionally when there’s a wide discrepancy, even if the guy wins), Simon actually gained a point despite not making it out of the first round.

Aug. 5, 1944: To Western Canada for the next fistic action, at the Edmonton Gardens where the feature bout is for the Commonwealth BW title, with Brit Norman Lewis making the trip from across the pond to face homegrown challenger Lou Alter. No prior meetings of these two, and there are some who think that Alter (who is still at Pre-Prime career stage) may be in over his head in facing a more accomplished fighter in Lewis, despite the fact that Alter is a couple of years older than Lewis. Tough start for Alter, who gets pummeled by Lewis in the opening round, so much so that his left eye begins to puff up as a result. Lewis, a natural slugger with 14 knockouts to his credit (among 19 wins) continues in an aggressive manner, but Alter bounces back, landing some good countershots in round three. After a couple of action packed rounds, the bout settles into a predictable pattern, with Lewis pursuing Alter around the ring, while the Canadian challenger emphasizes defense and stays on the outside for most of the bout. After the first six rounds, the unofficial card has the Champ, Lewis, up by a narrow one-point margin (58-57). Into the second half of the bout, and the stamina factor seems to favor the Canadian challenger. Punches landed stats are a virtual tossup. Into the later rounds, and the hard hitting Lewis seems frustrated by his inability to break through against some solid defense from Alter. Into the final few rounds, and Alter is put to the test, having to withstand some maximum pressure applied by an increasingly desperate Lewis, looking to hold on to his belt. The bout goes the distance, and to the dismay of the Canadian fight fans, Lewis ekes out a narrow SD 12 victory (116-114, 114-116, 116-115), the difference being an impressive surge from Lewis that was just enough to win the final round from two of the three judges. Post-bout, the win improves Lewis’ career stats to 20-4 (14). Tough loss for Alter, now 16-2-1 (12), who certainly earned a repeat title shot based on this performance, perhaps he will do better once he hits Prime career stage after his next bout.

Aug. 11, 1944: Next is a Friday night affair at Mexico City. Topping the card is a former two-division WBA Champ, Baby Arizmendi, now campaigning as a LW; his opponent in a 10-round, non-title bout is an up-and-coming young Italian boxer, Roberto Proietti. Arizmendi, the vastly more experienced of the two, wastes little time and takes the fight to Proietti, battering his opponent and dropping him for a three-count just before the bell sounds to end round one. Arizmendi continues to dominate most of the early action, while Proietti just tries to stay out of trouble, hoping to gradually work his way into the fight. However, the Italian appears to be overmatched, and Arizmendi is inspired to do well in front of an appreciative hometown crowd. By the midway point, the unofficial card has Arizmendi way ahead on points (50-44). By round six, Proietti is suffering from a swollen left eye as Arizmendi’s accurate punches have done some damage. Late in the bout, a tired and desperate Proietti throws caution to the wind and starts swinging away, hoping for a miracle knockout, but Arizmendi’s defense remains solid. The bout goes the distance, and Arizmendi takes a comfortable UD 10 (98-91, 97-92, 97-92) that would have been even more lopsided had not the Mexican ace eased up in the second half of the bout, allowing Proietti to win a few rounds. Post-bout career marks: 51-10-4 (11) for Arizmendi; 18-3 (8) for Proietti.

Aug. 12, 1944: Next up is a card at the Sports Palace in Rome, and the featured bout has Walter Neusel, who recently dethroned long-time EBU HW Champ Max Schmeling, making his first defense of the EBU HW title against countryman Ernst Klein. Neusel has prevailed in both of their two prior encounters and is favored to repeat, although Klein did manage to keep the bout close in their most recent meeting, in late 1943, with Neusel prevailing via a MD 10. After a lackluster opening round, Neusel goes to work in round two, stunning Klein with a right hook near the end of the second round. Neusel takes this early advantage into the middle rounds as both men settle in for a longer bout, given that both their prior encounters went the distance. Klein gets going with a big round in the fifth, his best round of the fight and, at the midway point, the unofficial card has Neusel with a narrow one-point edge (58-57). After some words of encouragement from his corner, Neusel is back on target in round seven, causing some significant swelling to appear under the right eye of his opponent. Midway through the ninth round, a hard shot from Neusel lands on top of Klein’s head, causing the challenger to cover up. Klein bounces back with a big round 11, and the final round of the bout sees some intense action as both fighters go all out for the knockout – but both are too fatigued to launch effective attacks at this point. The bout goes to decision, and the result is a closer than expected UD 12 for Neusel (116-112, 115-114, 115-113) who improves to 35-15-3 (23) with the win. The loss leaves Klein at 29-11-5 (12).

Aug. 12, 1944: To Miami where twin feature bouts top the card, but no titles are on the line. In the first co-feature, two ranked HWs take to the ring, with Nathan Mann facing up-and-coming “Tampa Tommy” Gomez. First meeting of the two, and Mann is on target early, causing some initial puffiness to appear under the right eye of Gomez. Late in round three, Gomez is on the offensive, and he manages to rip open a cut over Mann’s right eye. While the cut is closed in between rounds, Gomez continues with another strong round in the third. More of the same in round four, and late in the round, the ref steps in to call a halt to save Mann from further punishment. TKO 4 for Gomez, who improves to 23-3-1 (21) with the win and continues his rise up the HW ranks. The loss leaves Mann, who is still at Prime career stage, at 30-11-3 (22). In the second co-feature, it is a rematch as LABF FW Champ Diego Sosa takes on Willie Pep, whose career stalled after an unfortunate DQ loss to Pep here in Miami five months earlier. This time around, Pep is on target early, popping his jab and generally keeping Sosa off guard. Sosa tries to become more aggressive, working his way inside, but Pep’s defense keeps him at bay through most of the early going. In round five, despite being warned for hitting low, Pep wins most of the inside exchanges and, at the midway point, has a commanding (50-45) points lead. Into the second half of the bout, and it is more of the same with Pep bouncing around the ring, staying mainly on the outside, negating Sosa’s power. Pep continues to build on his early points lead, focusing on defense in the final few rounds. The bout goes the full 10, with no cuts or knockdowns, and Pep takes a solid UD 10 (99-89, 100-89, 98-91) to avenge the earlier loss. Post-bout records: Pep, 22-2 (13); Sosa, 20-4-1 (14). Despite the two losses, Pep remains highly ranked and is a definite title contender in the FW division.

[JCWeb]

This report covers fistic action from the second half of August 1944 – including one WBA title bout. More than a few surprises in the results this time around ...

Aug. 18, 1944: More Friday night “Down Under” action, this time at Sydney, and two familiar foes square off in the main event. The Commonwealth WW title is at stake as Brit Ernie Roderick defends that title against Aussie Jack McNamee, a long-time rival. In five prior meetings, Roderick has won three times, McNamee twice. In this, their sixth encounter, the bout remains a tense, close contest through the opening rounds, with both men having their moments, though neither is able to dominate or land a telling blow. By the midway point, the unofficial scorecard has McNamee, the challenger, in front (by a count of 58-56). Despite this, the punches landed and stamina factors appear to favor Roderick, and McNamee takes an aggressive approach in the second half of the fight. The issue remains in doubt as the rounds tick off, with neither man giving an inch. Despite some obvious fatigue, McNamee continues to pursue Roderick right up until the final bell. No cuts or knockdowns, and Roderick walks away with a close but UD 12 (115-113 on all three cards) against a very determined opponent. With the win, Roderick improves to 31-16- 4 (7) compared to a post-bout career mark of 34-12-1 (21) for McNamee.

Aug. 19, 1944: To Europe for the next card at Gothenburg, Sweden’s Ullevi Stadium, with an EBU LH title bout topping the agenda. In the headliner, Anton Christoforidis defends the title he won earlier in the year, facing challenger and ex-EBU LH Champ Heinz Lazek. First meeting of the two, and the action heats up late in the opening stanza, when Christoforidis nails Lazek with big hook; the Austrian is fortunate enough to remain upright, and he covers up to last the remaining seconds of the round. After this poor start, Lazek steadies himself and keeps the bout reasonably close through the first half of the bout. Lazek’s best round of the fight comes in the fifth, when he dominates the action and, late in the round, he catches Christoforidis with an uppercut that puts the Greek fighter down and out. Shocking KO 5 for Lazek, who regains the EBU title he held twice before (in 1938 and 1940). Post-bout career records: Lazek, 42-12-1 (24); Christoforidis, 28-12-2 (13). Big win for Lazek that helps jump start his career; tough loss for Christoforidis, as the fight was even (38-38) on all three cards after the first four rounds.

Aug. 19, 1944: The scene shifts to the West Coast and the Cow Palace in San Francisco for the next fistic action, and a solid card with a NABF title bout as the headliner. First up, in the co-feature, two top five BWs do battle in a 10-round, non-title clash as Manuel Ortiz faces K. O. Morgan, both of whom are former WBA BW Champions. In fact, this bout is a rematch of their 1942 WBA title encounter, won by Ortiz who hopes to repeat that success – perhaps with another World title shot in the offing – against a Post-Prime Morgan. Not a lot of action in the early going, as Morgan’s punches lack sting, and Ortiz appears to be biding his time, waiting for the older boxer to wear himself out. In round four, Morgan is able to bloody Ortiz’s nose in a sharp exchange near the center of the ring. Ortiz bounces back with a strong round in the fifth, and there is a trace of swelling under Morgan’s left eye as K. O. returns to his corner. At the halfway point, the unofficial card has Ortiz in front (49-47). In round six, however, the cut on Ortiz’s nose is reopened, and, with blood spurting freely, the ref steps in to call an early end to the action. Despite protests from Ortiz’s corner, the bout goes down as a TKO 6 for Morgan, by virture of the cuts stoppage. Post-bout, the win improves Morgan’s career stats to 39-16-8 (18). Tough loss for Ortiz, now 25-6-2 (15), whose plans for a title shot must be put on hold, at least until 1945, as it will take some time for the cut to heal. In the main event, newly crowned USBA LW Champ Willie Joyce is back in action, challenging Bob “Bobcat” Montgomery for Montgomery’s NABF LW title. First meeting of the two, and Joyce is riding the crest of a three-bout winning streak, including capture of his first title, while Montgomery is seeking to rebound from only his second career loss in an unsuccessful effort to capture the WBA LW crown (losing on a cuts stoppage to Jack Kid Berg). Starting in round three, Montgomery, a slugger, worms his way inside and starts hammering a two-fisted attack to the head and body, all in an effort to wear down his opponent. By the end of round five, a huge mouse has formed under Joyce’s left eye, as Montgomery continues to dish out punishment. After six, the unofficial scorer has Montgomery well ahead on points (by 59-55). Into the second half of the bout, and Montgomery’s superior stamina begins to tell, as he gradually wears down his opponent. In the later rounds, a desperate and exhausted Joyce continues to flail away, but with little success, as Montgomery’s defense remains rock solid, allowing no chance for Joyce to turn the bout around. No cuts or knockdowns, and the bout goes to decision, with Montgomery taking a lopsided UD 12 (119-110 on all three cards) to retain the NABF title with his second successful defense. Post-bout career records: Montgomery, 25-2-2 (15); Joyce, 26-6-3 (14). The win puts Montgomery at the front of the line for another WBA title shot, since he had given the Champ, Jack Kid Berg, all he could handle before the unfortunate cuts stoppage.

Aug. 25, 1944: To Havana for a Friday night card featuring twin LABF title bouts as to co-features, with Cuban fighters defending titles in each. In the first of these, Cuba’s Joe Legon puts his LABF WW title on the line against Cocoa Kid; the two have met three times previously, all for this title, with Kid winning twice, before Legon defeated him for the belt a year ago. The bout remains close through the opening rounds, with a slight edge in punches landed in favor of Kid, who is the better boxer of the two. At the midway point, the unofficial scorer at ringside has Legon with the upper hand (by a count of 58-56). Midway through round seven, Legon connects with a sharp combination, ripping open a cut over Kid’s left eye, while Kid must cover up to last the round and avoid further damage. The cut continues to trickle blood well into the next round but, fortunately for Kid, it is not re-opened and ceases to be a factor as the bout wears on. Legon continues to have a slight edge, but the issue remains in doubt into the final few rounds. The bout goes the full 12, and, to the dismay of the pro-Legon Havana crowd, Kid regains the belt via a very unpopular SD 12 (112-116, 116-114, 115-114) to run his career record to 48-10-5 (13). A disappointed Legon slips to 26-12-6 (12) with the loss. In the nightcap, aging former Champ Panama Al Brown challenges another Cuban Champion, Humberto “Kid” Espinosa, for Espinosa’s LABF BW title. First meeting of the two, and Espinosa is seeking to bounce back with a signature win over the veteran Brown after failing short in his bid for the WBA BW title. For Brown, it is a desire to return to his former glory, but obviously his days in the ring are numbered now. Action is slow to develop, with both men feinting and probing for openings in the early rounds. Brown is able to hold his own, and the unofficial card at the halfway point indicates a close bout, with Espinosa up by one (58-57). Early in round seven, Brown connects with a hard shot that sends Espinosa tumbling to the canvas. The Cuban fighter is able to regain his footing at the count of four, and he wisely covers up to last the round. Espinosa’s right eye is puffing up as a result of the accumulated impact of Brown’s punches. Thus, while Brown’s skills have diminished, he remains a dangerous opponent at any time. The bout goes to decision, and Brown has once again overcome the ravages of time to take a SD 12 (114-113, 113-115, 115-112). Post-bout career marks: Brown, 74-16- 2 (26); Espinosa, 31-12-5 (12). Tough night for Cuban fight fans, as both their Champions come out on the losing end of two extremely close split decisions. The big hero of the night was, once again, Panama Al Brown, who at 42 turned back the clock to claim another title belt.

Aug. 26, 1944: To London for the next fight card, which takes place at the Earls Court. A Commonwealth title bout is the headliner, but first up is the main supporting bout matching three-title holder (CBU, GBU and EBU FW titles) Dave Crowley versus a visitor from the States, National Kid, in a scheduled 10-round, non-title bout. As the two have not faced each other previously, a long feeling-out process takes place, with neither fighter able to gain an early edge. As the bout reaches the middle rounds, Kid gradually gains the upper hand, outboxing the more aggressive Crowley. By the midway point, the unofficial card has the bout even (48-48). Into the second half of the bout, and Crowley continues to press the action on the inside, while Kid prefers to fire away from the outside. In round seven, Crowley rips open a cut over the right eye of Kid. Despite the cut, the bout remains extremely close into the final few rounds. The bout goes to the judges, and Crowley emerges a UD 10 victor (98-93, 96-95, 96-94), running his career totals to 38-27-1 (15) compared to a post-bout mark of 24-5-2 (10) for Kid. After this, it is time for the main event, which sees Peter Kane defend the Commonwealth Flyweight title he won in 1943. His opponent is Teddy Gardner, the main he defeated to gain the title. This time around, Gardner, a clever boxer, piles up the early lead in the punches landed stats against Kane, a hard-hitting slugger who is struggling with his timing in this particular bout. In round five, the complexion of the bout changes as an accidental clash of heads opens a cut over the left eye of Gardner. At the midway point of the bout, the two are deadlocked on points (57-57), according to the unofficial scorer’s card. More head-butting in round seven, and a newly-opened cut appears on Kane’s forehead. Meanwhile, the cut over Gardner’s eye is bleeding, plus there is a mouse under Gardner’s other (right) eye, so both corners are kept busy. Into the later rounds, and the bout still remains close. In round nine, Kane fires a volley of punches that drop Gardner for the bout’s first knockdown. Gardner is able to regain his footing and covers up, but the cut over his eye has been re-opened. After consulting with the ring physician, the bout is waved off, and it goes as a TKO 9 for Gardner, the result being a TKO despite earlier indications that the cut which led to the stoppage was initially inflicted by an accidental butt. In any event, the result had the cards been checked would have been the same, as Kane was ahead on all three. Post-bout career records: Kane, 30-5-1 (13); Gardner, 22-4-1 (11).

Aug. 26, 1944: Finally, it’s a fairly substantial card to wrap up the month’s action; this meeting, at the Polo Grounds in New York City, boasts a WBA title fight amply supported by an NABF title clash. In the supporting title bout, “Sugar” Ray Robinson defends his NABF WW title against Marty Servo, another up-and-coming young WW contender. First meeting of the two, and Robinson, who won his title in 1943, is already making his sixth defense. Robinson takes command in the early going and, by the end of round two, there is a mouse forming under the left eye of Servo. However, Servo gradually works his way into the fight, and he seems to be holding his own as it nears the midway point. After six rounds are in the books, the unofficial card shows Robinson up by two (58-56) – not the runaway win that some had predicted. Into the second half of the bout and, while Servo remains competitive, both men are showing signs of fatigue from their exertions in the early rounds. Servo has a nice edge in the punches landed stat, but he does not seem to have had much effect on Robinson, who seems the more flexible of the two, switching between boxer and slugger and working both inside and outside. After a big round for Robinson in round 10, Servo changes tactics and tries to become more aggressive in the final two rounds, but to no avail as Robinson’s defense remains solid. The bout goes the distance and, to the surprise of many, Servo is awarded the title via a SD 12 (115-113, 113-115, 115-113), handing “Sugar Ray” his first career loss in what has to be viewed as a major upset. The win lifts Servo to 28-4 (11), and immediately enhances his status as a serious WBA WW title contender. The loss, Robinson’s first, leaves him a 22-1-1 (16). In the main event, the WBA MW title is on the line, as Charley Burley faces “the Boxing Bellhop,” Freddie Apostoli, in his second title defense. The two met once before, with Burley winning easily (via a third round KO back in 1939), so he enters the ring a heavy favorite for this rematch. Not much in the way of action until midway through round three, when Apostoli drops Burley with a sharp combination. A shocked Burley arises after taking a five count, then manages to last ther round by covering up. In the following few rounds, Burley is able to steady himself, and Apostoli is unable to follow up on his early success. After the first five rounds, the unofficial scorecard has Apostoli with just a one-point advantage (48-47), despite the one knockdown. Into the middle rounds, and the bout remains a close one; while the punches landed stats favor Apostoli, the stamina factor is roughly even. Some solid boxing in the middle rounds sees Burley pull even (95-95) on the unofficial card after the first 10. However, another good round for Apostoli in the 11th, and there is some noticeable swelling under Burley’s right eye, which has become the target of many of Apostoli’s punches. By round 13, both fighters are visibly tired, and the action has slowed considerably. Apostoli continues to hold an advantage in terms of punches landed, and Burley’s punches, when effective, seem to lack steam. The bout appears to be headed toward a decision when, in the final round, Apostoli connects with a hard cross that sends Burley to the deck a second time. Although Burley was once again able to beat the count, the damage has been done, and Apostoli is crowned as WBA MW Champion (for the second time in his career) via a MD 15 (145-141, 142-142, 145-140). Post-bout career records: Apostoli, 34-11-2 (24); Burley, 35-2(24). New York area fight fans were privileged to bear witness to two entertaining bouts, with some surprising results as the two titles changed hands.

[JCWeb]

This report covers fistic action from the first half of September 1944. No WBA title bouts this time around.

Sep. 1, 1944: The month commences with a card at Johannesburg’s Rand Stadium. No titles at stake, and the main event matches two FWs seeking to move up in the ranks: from Japan, Tsuneo “Piston” Horiguchi, a former OPBF FW Champion, and Puerto Rican Pedro Hernandez, who impressed in his most recent outing, where he battled WBA FW Champ Harold Hoshino to a draw. First meeting of these two, and not much happens in the first couple of rounds. In round three, Horiguchi moves inside, and he lands a hook that causes blood to appear over the right eyebrow of Hernandez. The cut is closed up quickly and does not factor in the rest of the bout. At the midway point, the unofficial card has Horiguchi in front (49-47). Not much changes in the second half of the bout, as Horiguchi settles in, mixing offense and defense, looking to control the action, while remaining mainly on the outside. Hernandez finishes strongly and, while Horiguchi ends up with fairly solid margins on two of the three cards, the other judge has the Puerto Rican winning, so it goes down as a SD 10 for Horiguchi (97-94, 97-94, 94-98), running his career totals to 36-11-2 (18). Hernandez ends the bout at 21-6-1 (7).

Sep. 2, 1944: To the Uline Arena in Washington, D. C. for the next card, which matches a couple of highly ranked LH contenders in the main event, with Tiger Jack Fox facing Gus Lesnevich. Both are former WBA LH Champions seeking for another shot at the title, but no titles on the line. Not much to choose between the two, who are meeting for the first time, as the early rounds are ticked off. At the midway point, the count on the unofficial card favors Fox (49-46) although the punches landed stats favor Lesnevich by a narrow margin. Into the second half of the bout, and the stamina factor also favors Lesnevich, whose punches have caused a mouse to form under Fox’s left eye by round six. In round eight, Fox’s other eye begins to puff up. Then, in the final round, a solid punch from Lesnevich drops a weary looking Fox to the canvas. With just seconds remaining and Fox unable to defend himself, the ref steps in to call a halt. TKO 10 for Lesnevich on the late stoppage, moving him near the front of the list of LH contenders. Post-bout career records: Lesnevich, 35-11-3 (15); Fox, 58-10-1 (42). Interestingly, two of the three cards at the time of the stoppage had Fox ahead by three, indicating that Lesnevich needed a stoppage or knockout to pull out the win. Additionally, Fox now moves to End career stage for his next outing, which will not take place until 1945.

Sep. 8, 1944: The scene shifts to Detroit’s Briggs Stadium for the next fistic action, and a Friday night card that is topped by a matchup of two top 10 LWs in a non-title affair. In the main event, Lulu Costantino takes on Lenny “Boom Boom” Mancini; this is a rematch of their 1941 encounter, which took place at a time when both were at Prime, and that bout resulted in a MD win for Mancini. This time around, the bout remains close through the opening few rounds. In round two, a cut appears over the right eye of Costantino – the apparent result of an accidental butt. At the halfway point, the unofficial card has Mancini with a narrow one-point edge (48-47). In round six, the cut over Costantino’s eye is reopened, and the bout remains an extremely close one. The cut is patched up but reopened again in round eight, and it continues to be a problem for Costantino, who tries to take a more aggressive approach as the bout winds down in the final two rounds. With both fighters continuing to fire away in the final round, the bout goes to decision, and Costantino takes a close but UD 10 (96-94 on all three cards). Post-bout, the win – his sixth in succession – lifts Costantino’s career stats to 22-3-2 (10). The loss leaves Mancini at 25-9-3 (6).

Sep. 9, 1944: Next card is North of the Border at Montreal. Featured is a bout between the reigning EBU and former WBA MW Champion Marcel Cerdan, who faces Canadian veteran Lou Brouillard, a former Commonwealth MW Champ. It is a rematch of a 1941 encounter between the two, also in Montreal, that went the way of Cerdan (via a UD 10). Cerdan starts well, dominating the action with a strong round two. Then, suddenly, midway through round three, blood spurts forth from a cut over Brouillard’s eye, bringing an early end to the festivities. The cut is ruled the result of an accidental butt, meaning the bout goes into the books as a three-round technical draw. Post-bout career marks: Cerdan, 38-6-3 (26); Brouillard, 37-19-4 (17). While Cerdan will move on to fight another day, this is the end of the line for Brouillard, who announces his retirement a few days after the bout.

Sep. 15, 1944: To Buenos Aires’ Luna Park for a Friday night card at this little used venue. The main event is a 12-round bout for the LABF HW title, which for the past three years has been held by Alberto Santiago Lovell. His challenger, for the second time, is Chilean Arturo Godoy. In their one prior meeting, back in 1942, it was an early end as Godoy was forced to retire with a hand injury, and the abbreviated bout went into the books as a TKO win for Lovell. This time around, after a couple of quiet opening rounds, Lovell works his way inside and scores well in round three. By the midway point of the bout, Lovell has forged a three-point lead (59-56), according to the unofficial scorer’s card. Into the second half of the bout, and, while the punches landed stats are relatively close, the stamina factor seems to favor Lovell. Nonetheless, Godoy keeps battling into the final rounds of the bout, and is the more active of the two as the bout heads into the later rounds. The bout goes the distance and, in a minor surprise, Godoy manages to win the last three rounds and scoop up a SD 12 (116-115, 116-113, 114-115) and take the title from Lovell. Post-bout career records: Godoy, 34-17 (14); Lovell, 31-16- 1 (25).

Sep. 16, 1944: Next card takes place in Sweden, at the Ullevi Stadium in Gothenburg. In the main event, two familiar foes – German Gustav Eder and Bep Van Klaveren, the “Dutch Windmill” – meet for the seventh (!) time to contest the EBU WW title, current held by Eder. Prior meetings of the two produced an even split of three wins apiece. In this encounter, the bout remains close through the opening rounds, with a slight edge for Eder in terms of the punches landed stat. Working on the inside, Van Klaveren bounces back with a strong round in round four. In round six, Eder has a point deducted for repeated fouling and, at the midway point, the unofficial card has Van Klaveren up by three (58-55). Into the second half of the bout and Eder, sensing his title may be in danger, elects to move inside, applying more pressure on his opponent. Despite a slight disadvantage in the stamina factor, Van Klaveren is content to stay outside, as the punches landed stats have swung in his favor. As the rounds tick off, ome strong defense and counterpunching enable the Dutch challenger to add to his punches landed and presumed points lead. By the end of round 10, there is noticeable swelling under the left eye of Eder, indicating that Van Klaveren’s approach to the second half of the bout has been paying off. Van Klaveren goes on to take a UD 12 (116-111, 113-15-112, 115-112), regaining the EBU title and running his career record to 40-17-10 (12). The loss leaves Eder, now a two-time former EBU WW Champ, at 45-12-10 (9).

[Lee]

I have said it before a couple of years back, but props for staying the course with this. I have been a follower since day 1 and still enjoy it!

[JCWeb]

Lee, thanks for the kind words but now I have to do a mea culpa and admit I screwed up and overwrote part of the report from the second half of September '44 before posting it. Here's what's left:

Sep. 23, 1944: To the West Coast for the next fistic action, this time at Los Angeles’ Olympic Auditorium. Meeting in a title confrontation for the second time in less than a year are two top BWs, David Kui Kong Young and Benny Goldberg. At stake is Kui Kong Young’s USBA BW title, and their prior meeting (for the NABF BW title) ended in a late TKO via a cuts stoppage in favor of Goldberg, who since lost that belt to Tommy Forte, who in turn fended off another challenge from Kui Kong Young. In this rematch, and Goldberg looks sharp, getting the best of the exchanges between the two in the opening rounds. However, by the end of round four, there is a trace of swelling under the right eye of Goldberg, as Kui Kong Young recovers from a slow start. Then, late in the fifth round, Goldberg stuns Kui Kong Young with a hook to the head, and Kui Kong Young covers up to avoid further difficulty. At the midway point of the match, the unofficial card has Goldberg in front (58-56), which roughly tracks the punches landed stat which also favors the challenger. Into the second half of the bout, and Kui Kong Young remains aggressive, seeking to work his way inside; he manages to pick up some points but still trails in the punches landed stat. The title remains up for grabs into the final few rounds, and the bout goes the full 12 with no cuts or knockdowns. In the end, Kui Kong Young’s aggressiveness is rewarded, as he takes a UD 12 (115-113, 118-110, 115-113), retaining the belt by winning the last five rounds on all three cards. Post-bout career marks: Kui Kong Young, 31-3-4 (16); Goldberg, 26-5-2 (13). Impressive second half rally by Kui Kong Young, who certainly boosted his chances for a WBA title shot with this win.

Sep. 29, 1944: Into the final weekend of the month, and next is a Friday card at San Juan, Puerto Rico’s Escobar Stadium. Featured as the main event is an interregional contest in the Flyweight division, with NABF and USBA Flyweight Champ Dado Marino facing Jimmy Gill, the “Fighting Jockey” and the reigning GBU Flyweight titleholder. First meeting of the two and, as such, the action was slow to develop in the opening stanzas. The two boxers take turns trying their luck on the inside, but neither has much success. In round five, the inside exchanges Marino breaks through Gill’s defenses, and he drops the Brit for a six-count. Gill arises slowly, then adopts a cover up strategy to clear his head and last the round. At the midway point, the 10-8 round in the fifth catapulted Gill to a solid lead (49-45), according to the unofficial scorer at ringside. Gill tries to battle his way back into the fight, but an accidental clash of heads in round seven opens a gash over his right eye, slowing his progress. With the cut patched up by his corner, Gill goes on the attack in the final few rounds, but he lacks both the stamina and the firepower to land a telling blow. The bout goes the full 10, and Marino takes a fairly comfortable UD 10 (97-92, 97-93, 98-92) to lift his career totals to an impressive 22- 2 (13). The loss leaves Gill at 35-14-4 (11).

Sep. 30, 1944: The month wraps with an excellent card at New York City’s Yankee Stadium. On the undercard, popular MW Jake LaMotta remains unbeaten, running his record to 17-0 (15), taking a UD 10 over Joe Carter as the “Bronx Bull” is forced to go the distance for only the second time in his young career. Then, in the main event, WBA LH Champ Billy Conn moves up in weight, challenging Jersey Joe Walcott for Walcott’s NABF HW title. Solid start from Walcott, who dominates most of the action in the early rounds. By the end of round four, a mouse has formed under the left eye of Conn, indicating that Walcott’s accurate punching has had an impact. Conn recovers with a strong round five but, at the midway point of the bout, the unofficial scorecard has Walcott ahead (by a count of 58-56). While Conn does well to keep the bout reasonably close, Walcott continues with a workmanlike performance that keeps the LH Champ from penetrating his defenses. Conn, a consummate boxer, switches tactics and tries to become more aggressive in the final two rounds and, in the final round, he connects with a hook that puts Walcott on the deck. Walcott arises after taking an eight count, and he manages to last to the final bell without further incident. The bout thus goes to decision and, to the surprise of many, Conn captures the NABF HW belt with a close but UD 12 (115-112, 116-111, 114-113), with the final round KD having an important impact on the outcome. Post-bout career marks: Conn, 34-6-3 (14); Walcott, 49-8 (28). Walcott’s almost four year reign as NABF HW Champ comes to an end, and Conn makes a case for another shot at Joe Louis’ WBA HW belt.

Will add an addendum to this post if I'm able to reconstruct some of the other action.

[JCWeb]

Well, I was able to dig up the bout logs and can provide a few details on the missing fights from the second half of September 1944, one of which was a WBA title contest.

Sep. 16, 1944: At the Coliseum Arena in New Orleans, the main event matched hot WW prospect Billy Graham in his first title shot of his career, taking on Eddie Dolan for Dolan’s USBA WW title. Graham, despite still being a Pre-Prime career stage, gave a good accounting of himself, nearly taking Dolan out when he knocked him down late in round nine, but the Champ was saved by the bell. A determined Dolan battled back, winning the last two rounds on all three cards to secure a close but UD 12 victory (115-113, 115-114, 115-113). Post-bout, Dolan moves to 40-13-5 (14) while Graham wraps up the Pre-Prime stage of his career at 18-2 (9).

Sep. 22, 1944: Friday night card at Atlantic City features two ranked HWs, as Bob Pastor faces Jack Trammell in the main event; no titles at stake in this 10-round contest. Trammell serves notice when he decks Pastor with an overhand right in the opening round, but Pastor covers up and the bout continues. More action in round four, when Trammell suffers a cut from an unintentional butt, and Pastor has a point deducted for repeated fouling. The bout, a close one, goes the distance, and Trammell hangs on, despite a late surge from Pastor, to take a close but UD 10 (95-94 on all cards). Post-bout career marks: Trammell, 35-26 (17); Pastor, 29-9-3 (12).

Sep. 23, 1944: Johnny King is on hand to defend his WBA BW title against a fellow Brit, Tom Smith, before an appreciate crowd in London, England. The bout is a one-sided affair, with King gradually building a solid points lead. However, it is not until the final round that King breaks through Smith’s defenses, knocking the challenger down twice before the ref steps in to call a late stoppage. TKO 15 for King, who improves to 60-9-3 (25) with the win. Smith is 23-15-7 (12) after the loss.

[JCWeb]

This report covers fistic action from the first half of October 1944. One WBA title bout is included in this report.

Oct. 6, 1944: The month commences with a Friday night card at the Nuevo Circa in Caracas, Venezuela. In the feature, former WBA FW Champ Simon Chavez faces Aussie Eddie Miller, who currently holds the OPBF FW title. The two have not met previously. In the opening round, Chavez is on target, and Miller suffers a split lip. Fortunately for the Aussie and his corner, the cut does not appear to be a serious issue that could cause a stoppage and is not a factor for the remainder of the bout. The two take turns working on the inside, with Chavez the more effective of the two in terms of connecting with his punches. By the midway point of the bout, the unofficial scorecard has Chavez with a slight lead (48-47), although the punches landed stat would indicate an even larger margin for the Venezuelan ex-Champion. Miller takes an even more aggressive posture as the bout heads into the later rounds; however, he shows signs of fatigue and carelessness, and is warned for fouling by the ref. Chavez’s defense remains solid the rest of the way to take a UD 10 (98-92, 97-93, 96-95), thus running his career record to 36-21-4 (9). The loss leaves Miller at 25-9-1 (11). Both guys are slated to return to action in early 1945.

Oct. 7, 1944: Next is a very abbreviated card (only four bouts) held at the Sportpalast in Berlin, Germany. However, the featured bout is an important one, for the EBU LH title, as Heinz Lazek defends that belt against “the Bulldog of the Rhine,” Adolf Heuser. This is the fifth meeting of the two, and Heuser, a former WBA LH Champ, has won all four of their prior encounters. However, this time around Lazek holds the belt and Heuser is at Post-Prime, although he is performing in front of a supportive hometown crowd here in Germany. Lazek, seeking to avenge those prior losses, looks sharp early, as he puts in a strong opening round. Not much in the way of action until midway through the fifth round, when Lazek stuns Heuser with a quick hook to the head; the challenger covers up in order to avoid further difficulty. At the midway point, it is no surprise that Lazek has a large points advantage (59-54) on the unofficial card. Into the second half of the bout, and Lazek continues hammering away, gradually wearing down his opponent, who faces a huge stamina deficit in addition to the points deficit. In round seven, Lazek is cut under his left eye, but he manages to drop Heuser with a hard cross and, with seconds remaining in the round, he forces the challenger to submit. The game goes into the books as at TKO 7 for Lazek, who retains the belt, avenging his prior defeats at the hands of Heuser. Post-bout career records: Lazek, 43-12-1 (25); Heuser, 41-17-2 (19).

Oct. 7, 1944: Next card is at Chicago, and it matches two top WW contenders who would ordinarily be considered as title contenders but, in this case, it’s simply a 10-round, non-title contest matching Izzy Jannazzo versus Jackie Wilson. In their one prior meeting, in 1942, Jannazzo took a split decision to retain the USBA WW title belt. The bout is extremely close through the opening few rounds, with both boxers probing for openings. After a couple of good rounds in the fourth and fifth, the unofficial scorecard has Wilson in front (by a count of 49-47) at the halfway point. Despite a stamina deficit, Jannazzo battles back, keeping the punched landed stat close as the bout heads into the later rounds. No cuts or knockdowns as the bout goes the distance and, in a similar result to their earlier meeting, Jannazzo ekes out a SD 10 (96-95, 95-96, 96-94), winning the final round on two of the cards to secure the win. The win lifts Jannazzo’s career stats to 40-7-4 (13). The loss drops Wilson to 29-9-2 (17).

Oct. 13, 1944: To the Gran Stadium in Havana, Cuba where, in the featured bout, two Cuban fighters do battle for the LABF FW title, currently held by Diego Sosa. His opponent, National Kid, is making his third try for this title, having lost to Sosa earlier in the year despite holding his own for the first half of the bout. This time around, the action is slow to develop as the two Cuban pugilists circle each other, with the opening few rounds consisting of much feinting and probing for openings. The punch counts remain almost even through the first half of the bout, and the unofficial card after six has an edge for the Champion, Sosa, by a surprisingly sizable margin (59-55). Into the second half of the bout, and Kid begins to show some signs of swelling around his right eye, indicating that Sosa’s punches have had a definite impact. Into the later rounds, the stamina factor also tilts strongly in favor of the defending Champ. In round nine, Sosa catches Kid with a hard shot; Kid drops to his knees and takes a five count, then resumes and covers up to last the round. Despite Kid’s best efforts, he is unable to turn things around, and the bout goes the full 12. Sosa goes on to retain the belt via a MD 12 (115-112, 114-114, 116-111), with Kid taking the last three rounds as Sosa coasted a bit after his success in round nine. Post-bout career marks: Sosa, 21-4-1 (14); Kid, 24-6-2 (10).

Oct. 14, 1944: Twin feature bouts top the next card, at Gothenburg, Sweden, both featuring British fighters from the lighter weight classes. In the first co-feature, recently dethroned WBA Flyweight Champ Jackie Paterson starts on the comeback trail, facing a much lower ranked opponent, Belgian Raoul DeGryse, whom he defeated handily at an earlier stage in his career. In this rematch, a solid start from the ex-Champ propels him to an early lead. In round four, a cut appears over DeGryse’s left eye and, at the same time, his right eye is starting to swell. In spite of this, at the halfway point, the unofficial scorecard has the bout even (48-48) – hard to see how this is accurate given that Paterson holds an almost two-to-one lead in punches landed, plus the stamina factor also weighs in heavily in the Brit’s favor. DeGryse tries to become more aggressive, but when the cut is reopened midway through round seven, it is adjudged too dangerous to allow the bout to continue, so it goes down as a TKO 7 for Paterson on the cut stoppage. With the win, Paterson improves to 22-4-1 (15) and is seeking some tougher competition and possibly a title bout, for his next outing. On the other hand, DeGryse slips to 24-11-3 (14) with the loss; having lost four of his last six, the Belgian’s career is definitely on the skids. In the second co-feature, the EBU BW title is on the line, with Ritchie Tanner making his first defense of that belt against a fellow Brit, Norman Lewis. First meeting of these two and, while each holds another title belt (Lewis, the Commonwealth title and Tanner, the GBU title), only the EBU title is at stake in this 12-round encounter. Less than two minutes into the opening round, Lewis serves notice when he stuns Tanner with a nice uppercut, forcing the Champ to cover up. Some more solid punching from the challenger leaves Tanner returning to his corner with a mouse under his right eye. Lewis continues firing away, landing some good shots here and there, but Tanner gradually works his way into the bout, exhibiting superior boxing skills, all while driving up his punch count totals. By the midway point, Tanner has settled in and forged a two-point advantage on the unofficial scorecard (58-56). In the eighth round, a Tanner right cross draws blood as a cut appears under the right eye of the challenger. Later in the round, Tanner is penalized for hitting below the belt. For the remainder of the bout, Tanner seems content to stay outside, picking off Lewis’ punches as the latter continues to press the action. The bout goes the distance and, in something of a minor surprise, Lewis claims the belt via a SD 12 (114-113, 113-115, 114-113), as Tanner’s passiveness in the latter stages may have cost him the title. Post-bout records: Lewis, 21-4 (14); Tanner, 23-8-2 (11).

Oct. 14, 1944: Sixth and final card of the first half of the month takes place in sunny Miami. In the main event, the ageless veteran Panama Al Brown is once again the feature attraction, facing an old, familiar foe in fellow top 10 BW Georgie Pace. The two have met three times before, with Brown winning all three; however, now that Brown is at End career stage, Pace (who is at Post-Prime) is hoping for a better result in this, a 10-round, non-title clash. In this, their fourth encounter, there is not much to choose between the two in the early going. However, by the end of round three, there is a trace of swelling under the right eye of Panama Al. Brown seems a shadow of his former self, putting up token resistance as Pace easily outboxes him to a solid lead (50-45 on the unofficial card) at the halfway point. The second half of the bout sees Brown tiring noticeably and while he is never in danger of going down, his punches lack sting. Thus, Pace takes no chances and goes on to a solid UD 10 win (97-93, 96-94, 98-92) and ups his career record to 31-15-2 (20); Brown, now one bout closer to retirement, ends the bout at 74-17-2 (26).

[JCWeb]

This report covers fistic action from the second half of October 1944. Two WBA title bouts are included in this report.

Oct. 20, 1944: Friday night fights “Down Under” features a limited card of just four bouts, topped by an OPBF WW title bout, with Alan Westbury making his first defense, facing a challenge from New Zealand’s Vic Caltaux. Second meeting of these two, who battled to a draw in their first encounter. The action heats up in early in third round, when Westbury decks Caltaux with a hard shot. Caltaux struggles to his fee, then covers up and manages to last the rest of the round. Caltaux steadies himself with a strong round in the fourth, but Westbury regains control with a couple of really good rounds to forge a solid points lead (58-55) at the midway point, according to the unofficial scorecard. In the second half of the bout, Caltaux goes on the offensive, but it takes until round nine before his efforts show some tangible results, as a cut appears over Westbury’s right eye. However, a second KD by Westbury later in the same round, plus some good cornerwork patching up the cut, cause Caltaux’s late surge to falter. Then, after an accidental clash of heads that results in a gash appearing on Caltaux’s forehead, midway through round 11, Caltaux walks into a Westbury cross and takes another tumble to the canvas. This time, he is unable to beat the count. KO 11 for Westbury, who keeps the belt and improves his career record to 28-9-3 (15). The loss leaves Caltaux at 23-6-4 (16).

Oct. 21, 1944: Next card is at the Montreal Forum. On tap is a WBA title tilt, which is preceded by a top 10 MW confrontation, a 10-round, non-title affair featuring the “Casablanca Clouter,” Marcel Cerdan, and American George “Georgie” Abrams. No prior meetings, with Cerdan, now the EBU MW Champ (and a former WBA MW titleholders) squaring off versus Abrams, the current USBA MW Champ. Cerdan, who is seeking to re-establish his credentials for another WBA title shot, wastes little time, dominating the action from the opening bell. By the end of round two, Cerdan has dished out enough punishment to cause some initial swelling to appear under the left eye of Abrams. Abrams seems unable to cope with Cerdan’s aggressive style and, at the midway point, it is no surprise that the unofficial card shows Cerdan with a large points advantage (50-45). Not much changes in the second half of the bout, and Cerdan is able to finish off a weary Abrams with an overhand right in the final round. The KO 10 lifts Cerdan to 39-6-3 (27); the loss drops Abrams to 25-8-2 (10). After this, it is time for the main event, as Jack Kid Berg defends his WBA LW title, taking on former WBA FW and LW Champ, the Mexican Baby Arizmendi, who currently holds the LABF LW title and is the #1 contender for the WBA belt. Having spent most of their careers in different weight classes, this will be the first meeting of these two Champions. Although he is stepping up in weight class to face an established Champion, Arizmendi does have one advantage in the fact that Berg is past his Prime, while Arizmendi, despite having 65 bouts under his belt, is still at Prime. Judging purely by the number of punches landed, Arizmendi appears to have the upper hand in the early stages of the bout. After five rounds are in the books, the unofficial scorer at ringside has Arizmendi with the points lead (49-46). Into the middle rounds, and Arizmendi continues to dominate most of the action, sniping away effectively from the outside, and a mouse has formed under Berg’s right eye, demonstrating the effectiveness and accuracy of Arizmendi’s punches. After 10, Arizmendi is even further ahead (99-90), with Berg having won only one round on the unofficial card, plus Berg had a point deducted for excessive fouling in round six. Into the final few rounds, and the situation remains bleak for Berg, who is tired and increasingly frustrated by his inability to cut off the ring and land some effective blows. The bout goes the distance, and Arizmendi takes a very comfortable UD 15 (149-136, 148-136, 148-137) to become a two-time WBA LW Champion after four stints as WBA FW Champ. Post-bout career records: Arizmendi, 52-10-4 (11); Berg, 53-21-5 (18).

Oct. 21, 1944: The scene shifts to the West Coast, specifically the Cow Palace in San Francisco, for the next fistic action. An NABF title bout tops the agenda, but first up in an interesting co-feature that matches two former Champs in the lower division, as long time WBA Flyweight king Midget Wolgast once again moves up to try his luck at BW, where he faces K. O. Morgan, a two-time WBA BW Champ. As the two have not met before, the action is slow to develop. Midway through round two, however, a Morgan uppercut rips open a cut over the right eye of Wolgast. The cut is reopened in round four, and it remains bleeding at the outset of round five. Otherwise, the bout seems reasonably close, although the unofficial scorer has Morgan up by three (49-46) at the halfway point of this 10-rounder. Into the second half of the bout, and the punches landed stats favor Wolgast, with stamina being about even. Round seven sees the cut over Wolgast’s eye reopened a second time. The cut is patched up between rounds but, in round eight, another Morgan uppercut rips open another cut over Wolgast’s other eye. This cut does not appear to be that serious, but it continues to ooze blood as the bout enters the ninth round. With the issue in doubt, both fighters go head-hunting in the final round. The bout ends midway through the round, with both cuts now bleeding, and the ref calls a halt, declaring Morgan a TKO 10 victor on the cuts stoppage. A peek at the judges’ cards showed Morgan leading on two but Wolgast ahead on one headed into the 10th and final round. Morgan moves to 40-16-8 (19) with the win. For Wolgast, this marks the end of a distinguished 20-year ring career, including nearly a decade (from 1931 to 1940) at the top of the Flyweight division; he ends his career at 58-13-1 (19). In the second co-feature, “Bobcat” Bob Montgomery makes his third defense of the NABF LW title he captured in mid-1943. This time, his challenger is Pete Lello, a guy who has been a fringe contender at best for most of his career. This marks the first meeting of the two and, for Lello, it is only his second title bout of any kind, having lost a bid for the USBA LW belt to Sammy Angott in 1943. Not much happening for the first few rounds, but what little action there is seems to favor the Champion, Montgomery. Montgomery is initiating most of the action and, by the midway point, he has forged a solid lead (59-55) on the unofficial scorer’s card. In the second half of the bout, Montgomery continues to press the action, and Lello simply lacks an answer and seems overmatched in this bout. Midway through round seven, Lello goes down from a Montgomery combination and, his right eye swollen, he continues to take a beating for the rest of the fight. No surprise to see Montgomery retain the title via a UD 12 (114-113, 116-111, 116-113), but the closeness of the margin on a couple of the cards was surprising, given that Lello never really was in the bout (it should be noted that Lello won the last two rounds as Montgomery eased up on his level of aggressiveness). Post-bout records: Montgomery, 26-2-2 (15); Lello, 28-7-5 (17). Probably Lello’s last chance for the brass ring, as he hits Post-Prime career stage with his next fight, in early 1945.

Oct. 27, 1944: Next is a Friday night card at Johannesburg’s Rand Stadium. Featured in the main event are the talents of two top HW contenders, notably EBU HW titleholder Walter Neusel (who recently took that title from countryman Max Schmeling) and American Roscoe Toles, a former NABF and USBA HW Champ. The two met once before, at Gothenburg in 1943, with Neusel taking a UD 10. In this rematch, also slated for 10 rounds, Toles has the upper hand through the first few rounds. Neusel bounces back with a strong round four and, at the halfway point, the unofficial scorer at ringside has the bout even (48-48). Into the second half of the bout, and Neusel, the more aggressive of the two, begins to take the fight to Toles. However, some solid boxing and defense from Toles prevents Neusel from breaking through. No cuts or knockdowns as the bout goes the distance, and Toles is able to turn the tables on Neusel, avenging the earlier defeat by taking a hard-earned SD 10 (94-96, 97-93, 97-93), as one judge was more impressed with Neusel’s aggressiveness despite a huge edge for Toles in the key punches landed stat. Post-bout career marks: Toles, 37-14-6 (6); Neusel, 35-16-3 (23). Neusel will hit Post-Prime, starting with his next bout.

Oct. 28, 1944: Twin feature bouts top the next card, at the Olympia in London, headlined with a WBA title tilt. In the first co-feature, Harry Mizler, who has held the GBU LW title for the past seven years, makes his first defense in over a year against Eric Boon, aka “the Fen Tiger,” who is making his third try for Mizler’s belt, having fallen short (losing by a SD 12 and a UD 12) in their two prior meetings. Boon is the aggressor from the early rounds, having registered 23 KO wins in his career, and he attempts to take the fight to Mizler. Mizler, who is at Post-Prime for this bout, responds with a big round in the fourth and manages to do well enough to hold a slim one-point lead (58-57) on the unofficial card as the bout hits the midway point. Boon continues on the attack into the second half of the bout, taking advantage of a stamina edge. However, Boon is unable to break through, and Mizler continues to cling to a slight lead in terms of the punches landed count. The bout remains a close one into the final rounds, and it goes to decision. All in all, a relatively boring bout, with no cuts, knockdowns, or swelling to report, and, in the end, Boon’s aggressiveness was rewarded, as he walks away a UD 12 winner (116-114, 117-113, 116-114), ending Mizler’s long reign as GBU Champion. With the win, Boon improves to 27-12-2 (23) compared to Mizler’s post-bout mark of 25-22-6 (6). In the second co-feature, the WBA Flyweight title is at stake as Rinty Monaghan defends this title against EBU and CBU titleholder Peter Kane, who is also the #1 ranked contender. A tough challenger for Monaghan, who lost on points in both prior meetings with Kane. For Kane, it is his fourth attempt to win the WBA title, having lost twice to Jackie Jurich and once, to fellow Brit Jackie Paterson. The action picks up in round four, when Kane connects with a hard cross that forces Monaghan to cover up. For his part, Monaghan has done enough to cause some initial puffiness to appear around Kane’s left eye. After the first five, the unofficial card has Monaghan slightly ahead (48-47) in a very close contest. In round six, Kane drops Monaghan with a sharp combination; the Irishman arises slowly, after taking a count of seven, then covers up once again. In spite of the knockdown, Monaghan comes back with a strong round nine. Then, in round 10, the bout takes another turn as a cut appears over the left eye of Monaghan. With 10 rounds in the books, the count on the unofficial card favors Monaghan by a narrow margin (95-94). Into the final few rounds, and both fighters tire badly, with Monaghan still managing to hold his own, while his corner keeps the cut under control. The bout goes the distance and, to no great surprise, the judges cannot agree on a winner. Kane’s aggressiveness impressed one judge, but the other two find for Monaghan, who keeps the title via a SD 15 (143-141, 141-143, 144-141). Post-bout career marks: Monaghan, 36-9-1 (11); Kane, 30-6-1 (13). Monaghan took the last two rounds on all three cards to seal the win.

Oct. 28, 1944: Wrapping up the fistic festivities for the month is a huge card at New York’s Polo Grounds. After a slew of rather desultory preliminary bouts, New York fight fans are in their seats for one of the two main supporting bouts, featuring unbeaten MW prospect Jake LaMotta who takes on journeyman Glen Lee. In this bout, scheduled for 10, LaMotta, aka the “Bronx Bull,” charges out from the opening bell and dominates the early action; Lee is sporting a welt under his left eye as early as round one, such is the devastating impact of LaMotta’s blows. After the first five, LaMotta has a large points lead (49-45), according to the unofficial scorecard. In round seven, LaMotta dishes out even more punishment, cutting Lee around the mouth, then decking his hapless opponent near the end of the round with a hard cross. In the final few rounds, Lee adopts a defensive posture, content just to survive, as only two fighters have gone the distance with Jake thus far. However, LaMotta zeroes in on his target and finishes matters via a 9th round stoppage. The TKO 9 lifts LaMotta to 18-0 (16); the loss leaves Lee at 31-13-2 (21) – impressive win by LaMotta over a guy who had been a fringe contender for most of the past decade but was clearly past his prime and overmatched in this bout. In the second supporting bout, former WBA MW Champ Holman Williams – current NABF MW titleholder -- is back in the ring, facing another regional titleholder in reigning LABF MW Champ Antonio Fernandez of Chile. These two, who have not met previously, are scheduled to go 10 in a non-title clash. Williams starts well, winning most of the exchanges in the early going, but Fernandez has got his licks in as well, given that Williams’ right eye was beginning to puff up as early as round two. At the midway point, the unofficial card has Williams up by one (48-47). By the end of round six, Williams has inflicted sufficient damage to cause Fernandez’s right eye to swell up. Into the later rounds, and, while both men are tired, the punches landed stats favor Williams. The bout goes to decision, despite a desperate effort by a very tired Fernandez, Williams takes a fairly routine UD 10 (97-93 on all three cards) to advance his career mark to 45-9-1 (21). Fernandez ends the bout at 39-19-4 (13). In the finale, the NABF WW title is on the line, and it’s a rematch between Marty Servo and “Sugar” Ray Robinson, with Servo defending after having captured the belt over Robinson via a controversial SD 12 – the first loss of Robinson’s young pro career. This time around, a determined Sugar Ray looks sharp early, outpointing Servo in most of the early rounds. At the halfway point, the unofficial scorer has Robinson up by just two (58-56), having given one or two of the close rounds to Servo. Midway through round eight, a Robinson combination sends Servo to the canvas; a weary looking Servo arises at the count of four and covers up to last the round, but by this point it is clear that Robinson is well on his way to regaining the title. Robinson coasts the rest of the way, avenging the prior defeat and regaining the title with a fairly comfortable UD 12 (117-109, 118-109, 117-109). Post-bout career marks: Robinson, 23-1-1 (16); Servo, 28-5 (11). Looking ahead to 1945, Robinson is hoping for a WBA title shot and perhaps even contemplating a move up to MW.