My Universe - Page 4

Lee · 05-06-2006, 02:05 PM

I have to agree with Mike, I really like what you are doing with this Universe. For a project as ambitious as recreating a 100 year plus History it is so much more manageable than what I am doing now......I am seriously thinking of stealing your format for my RCB Universe.

JCWeb · 05-14-2006, 06:32 PM

Thanks, Lee, for the kind words in the prior post (imitation is the sincerest form of something or other). While I am only about one third of the way through the next year (1910) I am going to deviate from my usual practice of not reporting results until the end of the year due once again to a memorable bout, this one being a Middleweight title bout between two Hall of Famers ...

Background: Stanley Ketchel held the WBA Title in my Uni from late 1907 until early 1909 when he lost the title in a huge upset to Charles (Kid) McCoy. McCoy, who then entered End career stage, was dethroned in his next title bout by Billy Papke and, actually, retired after a loss to Ketchel and another loss in early 1910. Papke went on to defend twice in 1909 and had compiled an impressive 19-1 career mark by the end of the year, the only blemish on his record being a TKO loss to Ketchel. Ketchel, of course, was eager to regain the title. However, because Papke had enough bouts under his belt (20) to reach Prime career stage (versus Pre-Prime in the earlier bout) plus the fact that Ketchel was moving from Prime to Post starting in 1910 (his last year of fighting) and throw in the "defending champion" judging bias, everything about this rematch suggested Papke could well do much better than the first time around (a TKO 6 for Ketchel). Nonetheless, the betting public installed Ketchel as a slight favorite.

Records: Billy Papke (19-1) CH vs Stanley Ketchel (30-2) #1

Ketchel, as usual, came out full of fight and worked Papke on the inside while the champ tried to keep his distance. Papke then moved inside by round 3, initiating what turned out to be a huge Pier 6 brawl. The all-out war as predicted by many observers heated up in round 4 when a big left hand by Ketchel sent Papke reeling. Ketchel banged away at Papke's head and body, and in round 6 he put Papke down and the champ struggled to last the round. Ketchel remained in control as round 7 saw Papke in full retreat, trying to stay away from Ketchel's punishing blows. But wait, an unpleasant surprise was in store for the ex-Champ as Ketchel ran into a big right hand from Papke and went down. Ketchel was forced to cover up to survive the round. With the outcome now definitely up for grabs, both men came out looking to land a big knockout punch in round 8. The result was a great action round, and the combined weight of Ketchel's blows caused Papke's left eye to swell up. Finally, at the end of the round, Ketchel landed a clean shot that put Papke on the canvas for a 6-count. In round 10 it's all Ketchel as he hammered away from the inside, landing numberous body shots. Round 11 saw both men tiring, with Ketchel gaining the edge and carrying a points lead into the final rounds. Round 12 saw more problems for the champ as Ketchel opened a cut over Papke's right eye. Ketchel kept up the pressure in round 13, and midway through the 14th he had Papke down for the second time in the bout. Stanley Ketchel is not to be denied, as he regains the WBA MW crown with a UD 15 (146-136, 144-139, 145-137). This was a great action bout between two of the legends of the MW division.

JCWeb · 05-26-2006, 05:12 PM

Just concluded the action from 1910 in my uni and will start as usual with the HW Division. As a new feature, I will add some commentary on other than World title bouts as appropriate (which may make these reports a tad longer). Big news from the division was that a boxer who never got a World HW title shot in real life did so and thereby ascended to the WBA HW title.

WBA Title Bouts

Jack Johnson CH (59-4-3) vs Marvin Hart #22 (24-17-1)

Unusual to see such a low-ranked boixer get a title shot, but Hart had won his last bout, held the title in real life, and there was a paucity of other viable contenders available the month Lil' Arthur's number came up. Jack Johnson had won two prior meetings by TKO and was looking to make it three in a row.
Johnson piled up an early lead, and Hart started defensively but became more aggressive as he fell behind on points. Jack was called for a low blow in the 5th but staggered Hart who remained upright to last the round. Hart was cut in round 7, then totally dominated by Johnson in the 8th and 9th. The 9th proved decisive as a barrage of blows floored Hart, and not much later the ref moved to stop the bout. Johnson by TKO 9.

Jack Johnson CH (60-4-3) vs Al Kaufmann #10 (23-6)

Johnson picks journeyman fringe contender Kaufmann for his next opponent, and once again he's the heavy favorite. In round 2 the challenger scores with a strong uppercut, and Johnson is forced to cover up to avoid further damage. Kaufmann also holds his own in round 5, a good action round. Both are on the inside in the 6th and Johnson connects with a big right hand to take the round. Johnson steps it up in rounds 7 and 8 as he repeatedly catches a flat-footed Kaufmann. The end comes in the 12th when a game but tired challenger is floored with a right hook, and staggers to his feet only to have the bout halted shortly thereafter. Johnson by TKO 12.

Jack Johnson CH (61-4-3) vs Sam Langford #2 (33-5-1)

This is Johnson's first defense against a top-line contender since the Burns and O'Brien bouts a year ago. Langford had lost a SD 15 to Jack for the title in 1907 and had been clamoring for a rematch.
Langford moved to the inside from the start, crowding the champ -- a strong first round for the Boston Tar Baby. Round 2 Johnson works outside, but Langford shows good ring movement and again comes out on top. Langford continues to control the bout in the third through fifth rounds, and it becomes apparent that the champ is not in the best condition for this defense. Johnson, trailing, becomes more aggressive and more frustrated as the bout goes on. Langford continues to pile up the points and is able to coast to a surprisingly easy UD 15 verdict. (146-138, 147-139, 148-136)

NABF: Four NABF title bouts in 1910. James Jeffries defends versus Sam McVey, whom he had beaten once before. This time it was different as McVey opened a cut above Jeff's left eye in round 2, and then after surviving a KD by Jeff that put him down for a 6-count in round 4, managed to reopen the cut which led to a 7th round TKO. McVey then defended versus Frank Moran, where he got off to a great start and his superior boxing skills led to a lopsided UD 12 verdict. Then next up was Joe Jeannette, with whom he had split two earlier bouts (one of which was Jeannette's only loss so far), and Jeannette boxed well to take an early lead, McVey moved inside to try to launch a comeback, but was foiled by a big hook from Jeannette in the hard-fought 7th round. Jeannette went on to register a fairly comfortable but close UD 12 win. Late in the year Joe defended versus Jeff "Joplin Ghost" Clarke, who was making his first appearance in a title bout. Jeannette established his jab early to take the points lead and cause swelling on Clarke's face. Clarke was also suffering from a cut eye as well, but Jeannette's face was also bruised about the right eye. Jeannette drilled the challenger with a solid combo for the bout's only KD in round 8 en route to a comfortable UD 12 win.

USBA: Four title bouts here also. Jeannette started the year as champ, and defended versus aging vet Bob Armstrong who he easily disposed of with a KO 1. Jeannette vacated the crown and two veterans, Joe Grim and Denver Ed Martin, fought for the vacant title. In their first meeting, the result was a draw and a rematch was order two months later. This time Grim prevailed by a SD 12 as a late surge by Martin fell short. Late in the yeat Grim defended against two-time former USBA champ McVey, who prevailed after an intense struggle where both men suffeered bruising and swelling about the right eye (and McVey's corner had to deal with a cut). McVey by UD 12 to take the USBA belt for the third time.

CBU: Tommy Burns defended versus Langford in a marquee matchup where both men had their moments, but the key blow was a Langford uppercut which floored Burns in the 12th and the scorecards showed a lopsided UD 12 win for Langford. Then Sam defended versus Englishman Gunner Moir, a bout he dominated and where Moir suffered from a cut and swelling. TKO 7 (cut) win for Langford. Of course, the CBU Belt will be up for grabs in early 1911 after Langford's surprise win over Johnson for the WBA crown.

GBU: William Hague defended twice, first against Victor McLaglen, in a good action fight where neither man was shy about mixing it up. Result was a MD 12 for Hague (116-112, 114 all, 116-112). Next up was Moir, who surprised Hague with a KD in the 2nd but "Iron" Hague came back to put Moir on the canvas with a wicked cross in the 9th. The bout ended abruptly in the 10th when Moir was DQ'ed for a low blow. Hague WF 10. It was Moir's fourth try for the British title belt, all of them unsuccessful.

Jan 1911 Rankings (Perf Pts and change from prior year in parens)

Champ: Sam Langford 34-5-1 (26) (1217) (up 5)
1. Jack Johnson 61-5-3 (48) (1216) (down 1)
2. Joe Jeannette 30-1 (22) (1174) (up 1)
3. Sam McVey 30-7-1 (20) (1039) (up 3)
4. Tommy Burns 32-7-2 (25) (1027) (NC)
5. James Jeffries 48-8-3 (42) (970) (down 4)
6. Frank Moran 15-3 (9) (573) (new)
7. Bob Armstrong 40-21-2 (33) (573) (NC)
8. Jeff Clarke 15-2-1 (12) (568) (new)
9. Bill Squires 21-16 (16) (489) (up 3)
10. Al Kaufmann 23-7 (15) (478) (down 1)

Comments: Of the Top 10, all at Prime except for Jeff and Armstrong (at Post) and newcomers Moran and Clarke who are still at Pre. Langford who has won 6 in a row and is 10-0-1 in his last 11 bouts, may be on a collision course with Jeannette, who has won 13 straight. McVey is also on the upsurge winning 4 of 5 bouts in 1910. Burns is still holding his own but may be a cut below the top contenders. Jeff is beginning to show his age, losing his only two tilts in 1910. Moran and Clarke advanced to the elite group but both faltered when given their initial title shots. Squires moved up by winning 4 of 5 bouts, all by KO, versus Hague, Palmer, Jim Johnson and Porky Flynn. Dropping out from last year were O'Brien (ranked 2, returned to LH ranks), Barry (was #8, lost to Haines and McLaglen) and Denver Ed Martin, who narrowed failed to snare a lesser title when he lost the USBA belt clash with Grim. British champ "Iron" Hague is rated 13th, with a 12-4 (9) mark, and 419 pp.

Prospects: Gunboat Smith is now 11-0 (8), going 5-0 for the year but his only non-TC opponent was Charley Miller. Denver Jack Geyer won four in a row, including a KO win over Andy Morris, which is Morris' only loss. Tom McMahon is still unbeaten at 8-0-1 (4), albeit all versus TCs. Successful debuts in 1910 were registered by Charles Horn (6-0 with 3 KOs), Arthur Pelkey (6-0 with 2 KOs), Bandsman Dick Rice (5-0 with 3 KOs). Noteworthy was the 5-0 start by Carl Morris, all by KO. Al Benedict is now 4-0, and Brits Tom Cowler and Bombadier Billy Wells are both 3-0.

Looking Ahead: Two all-time greats, Jess Willard and Harry Wills, join the HW ranks in 1911 along with the ill-fated Luther McCarty. More great white hopes will also swell the ranks.

Division Profile: 121 total boxers, 63 real-life and 58 TCs
RL by career stage: End: 2 (Haines and Palmer), Post-Prime: 6, Prime: 14, Pre-Prime: 25, Beginner: 16 (including 12 new for 1911).
Rated: 31
800+: 6
500+: 9
200+: 24

NOTE: I made a slight recent change in how I do my rankings. I pumped the default minimum bout value up from 10 to 12, but what I report here is for those with 15 or more bouts, with the sole exception of where a boxer has won some kind of a title belt before his 15th bout, in which case that boxer will be rated as well. (As I get further along and more bouts, I expect to up the minimum bout value to 15 across the board but right now I need to allow for these types of exceptions.)

Top TC is #29 Chris Bridger (AUS) at 12-10-1 (3) (37 pp).

Retirements in 1910: None

Romdawg88 · 05-27-2006, 02:20 AM

Good stuff as always JC, must say I'm shocked that Sam beat Johnson so easily.I've got a feeling that a rematch won't go quite so easy for Sam. On a slightly different note, I would to see a fighter nowadays try and get away with a nickname like Boston Tar Baby, Jesse Jackson head would be probably explode.

JCWeb · 05-27-2006, 02:32 PM

Thanks, Romy. I believe Johnson may have been at a lower conditioning level for the Langford fight which may have contributed to his poor (based on his rating level) performance. It will be interesting to see if it's he or Jeannette who gets the first crack at Langford in 1911.

Now, on to the Light Heavyweights where the major storyline in 1910 was the return to the division of Philadelphia Jack O'Brien, a three-time WBA champ at Light Heavyweight (in addition to holding the HW crown for about a year).

WBA Title Fights

George Gardner CH (43-10-2) vs Leo Houck #1 (24-5-3)

Houck is given a real shot at capturing the WBA crown here, as he is going against an aging champion in Gardner. Their only prior meeting in 1908 was a 10-round draw, back when Gardner was still in his Prime and Houck was much younger and less experienced.
Houck moves on top in round 3, staggering the champ with a good straight right hand. Gardner responded by trying to outmuscle the challenger on the inside. Round 7 saw matters get worse for the Champ as he was cut on the forehead. The wiry Houck extended his points advantage by working well on the outside and the inside. The cut was reopened in the 9th and in the 10th it was all Gardner could do to cover up and hang on versus Houck's barrage. It looked like the title belt was about to change hands when Houck was called for a flagrant low blow at the start of round 14 which resulted in his disqualification. A quick check of the cards showed Houck was well ahead on all three. Gardner by WDQ 14.

Rematch: G Gardner CH (44-10-2) vs Houck #1 (24-6-3)

After the dissatisfying ending to the prior bout, Houck was granted an immediate rematch three months later. This time both men were content to trade blows from long range for the first few rounds, then Gardner moved inside, scoring with a big uppercut in round 5 that stuns Houck. Round 7 saw both men working inside with Houck gradually gaining the upper hand. Gardner then runs out of gas in the later rounds, mirroring the previous bout in which Houck carried the points lead to later rounds. This time there is no foul and no comeback by Gardner. Houck wins Title by UD 15 (145-139, 145-139, 144-140).

Leo Houck CH (25-6-3) vs Phila Jack O'Brien #1 (48-5-3)

One tune-up win and O'Brien is installed as the #1 contender and strong favorite to regain the LH crown for the fourth time. O'Brien won both prior meetings, but that was before Houck reached the Prime career stage.
Both keep their distance early, probing for openings but neither can build a lead. In Round 4, Houck moves inside and O'Brien defends well, but sustains some swelling around his right eye. Houck gets more aggressive in the middle rounds, but O'Brien is content to pile up a points lead by staying on the outside. Round 11 sees the Champ mount a bit of a comeback by targeting O'Brien's right eye to take the round against the ultra-defensive O'Brien. Houck tries hard in the later rounds, but O'Brien thwarts his every effort and wins the title. O'Brien by MD 15 (144-142, 143-143, 145-141)

Phila Jack O'Brien CH (49-5-3) vs Fred Cooley #5 (22-9-1)

Cooley, a "1" rated boxer, gets a WBA title shot as the newly-crowned USBA champion (see below). This is the first meeting of the two, and it turns out to be as predicted, a one-sided blowout win for O'Brien. Cooley develops swelling after just three rounds and the bout is mercifully halted in the 6th. There were no KDs, however, as Cooley at least managed to stay on his feet the whole time. O'Brien by TKO 6.

NABF: Title was vacated by Houck once he secured the WBA belt from Gardner and Jack "Twin" Sullivan and TC Hank Newhart faced off in October for the vacant crown. Newhart had his moments early in the bout (particularly round 4 when he stunned Sullivan with a short hook) but in the end it was a dominant UD 12 win for Sullivan.

USBA: Three bouts in 1910 resulted in three different new champs as the belt got passed around a bit. First Jack "Twin" Sullivan defended against Charlie Haghey in their 7th (!) career meeting, and despite a 5-1 career edge for Sullivan, it was time for Haghey to shine as he decked the Twin with a big hook in the 7th and again in the 8th en route to a TKO 10 to take the title. Then Haghey was forced to defend versus John Wille, a fighter with a career 2-0-1 mark versus Haghey. Wille dominated from the start in a good action fight where the two sluggers really mixed it up. Bout ended with a KO 7 result for Wille. Wille then defended against lightly regarded Fred Cooley, who earned his first title shot despite a loss to Jack Dillon earlier in the year. Wille had Cooley down in the second, and stunned him early in the 7th. However, he could not finish the game challenger who then came back to win with a shock knockout blow in the 11th. Cooley by KO 11.

CBU: TC Chuck Carrick defended once, visiting Canada to defeat hometown favorite and fellow TC Paul Healey via UD 12. Carrick did not defend his GBU belt in 1910, due to lack of suitable contenders.

EBU: After remaining dormant for two years, Irishman George Gardner (having lost his WBA Title earlier in the year) returned to best Carrick winning by a TKO 9 (stoppage on cuts).

Jan 1911 Rankings (Perf Pts and change from prior year in parens)

Champ Phila Jack O'Brien 50-5-3 (27) (1175) (was #2 in HW)
1. Leo Houck 26-7-3 (10) (895) (NC)
2. George Gardner 46-11-2 (30) (889) (down 2)
3. Jack Sullivan 33-16 (16) (683) (NC)
4. Charlie Haghey 29-17-3 (23) (599) (NC)
5. John Wille 31-9-3 (19) (493) (NC)
6. Fred Cooley 22-10-1 (16) (466) (up 1)
7. *Chuck Carrick 25-19-1 (6) (465) (down 2)
8. Jack Dillon 13-1-1 (11) (new) (442) (new)
9. *Hank Newhart 10-8 (2) (100) (NC)
10. *Lee Harmon 21-23 (6) (87) (down 2)

Comments: O'Brien, who is now riding a four-match win streak, is back on top in the LH division and has one more good year before reaching his retirement year in 1912. Houck had an up and down year, while Gardner lost his title and is in decline (Post-Prime career stage). Cooley -- the big surprise of 1910 by rising to #5 after his upset US title win -- also hits Post-Prime in 1911, as that was his final year IRL. Best bet to succeed O'Brien as champ is Jack "The Giant Killer" Dillon, who is still at Pre-Prime and, despite wins over Cooley and McAllister, had his surge to the top derailed when he could only manage a draw with Haghey. Carrick still remains a force and is the top-rated TC in this still relatively thin division as far as real-life talent is concerned. Dropping out of the Top Ten in 1910 were #6 Jack Root (retired) and TC Clifford Marvine, who went 0-2 on the year and dropped from #10 to #12 (the worst of the rated boxers).

Prospects: Fortunately, the newer talent in the division looks quite promising. Frenchman Georges Carpentier is perfect in his 11 bouts thus far (all versus TCs, of course) registering 11 wins and 11 KOs. He looks to be at least a future contender for the EBU crown (in real life he was European title holder in four of the classic eight weight classes, from WW up through HW). Aussie Dave Smith is similarly perfect with a 9-0 (9) mark, and he could be a future CBU title holder down the road. American boxers are also making a mark. Real-life future champ Battling Levinsky is 8-0 (3), whereas Bob McAllister at 9-1 (6) has only lost to Dillon and Howard Morrow at 10-1 (7) has only lost to McAllister.

Looking Ahead: Expect to see O'Brien hold off the contenders for another year or two until he reaches Post-Prime. Sullivan is probably in line for a title shot soon, and Dillon needs to move up and at least claim a lesser title before challenging for the World belt. Carpentier, though still very young, may soon be ready to contend for the EBU title as the top-level talent is still very thin in this division. Help will be on the way in 1911, however, as five boxers make a debut, led by Tommy Gibbons, and including Bob "KO" Sweeney and a Brit, Harry Reeve, who might be in a position to end the TC dominance of the GBU title picture.

Division Profile: 47 total boxers, 18 real-life and 27 TCs
RL by Career Stage: End-0 Post-2 (Gardner and Cooley) Prime-5 (all these guys are in the Top 10) Pre-6 (includes Dillon who is Top 10) Beginner-5 (all 5 newcomers in 1911)
Rated: only 13
800+: 3
500+: 5
200+: 9

Retirement:
Jack Root (USA) 1897-1910 34-17-1 (25) WBA Champ (briefly in 1905)

JCWeb · 05-28-2006, 03:09 PM

Big storyline in the MW Division from 1910 was, as previously chronicled here, the return of Stanley Ketchel as the WBA champ but then there was the emergence of a surprise new champ by year's end.

WBA Title Bouts

Papke vs Ketchel -- see post #62 above for a description of the bout -- Ketchel by UD 15 to regain Title

Stanley Ketchel CH (31-2) vs Hugo Kelly #7 (23-12)

Ketchel defends against the Italian, Kelly, against whom (like almost everyone else) he holds a KO win. Ketchel, ever the aggressor, comes out strong but slick defense by the challenger wins round 1. The Michigan Assassin takes round 2 and then lauches an all-out assault for a KO win. Despite a strong uppercut by the Champ near the end of round 3, Kelly remains standing. Kelly is forced to give ground again in round 4 but holds his own. Ketchel shifts tactics to fight outside in the 5th and it works, as a powerful hook floors Kelly just 30 seconds into the round. Ketchel by KO 5.

Stanley Ketchel CH (32-2) vs Cyclone Johnny Thompson #3 (26-9)

Ketchel enters into this defense with confidence, having thrashed Thompson with KO wins in the first and second in two prior meetings, but Thompson has won six in a row since the last loss and Ketchel of course has hit the Post-Prime career stage. Thompson makes a good start, holding off Ketchel's opening surge in round 1 and winning the 2nd. Bout turns into a classic slugger versus boxer matchup: Ketchel presses forward, stunning Thompson with a strong right near the end of round 4. Ketchel is able to land but not put Thompson away like he did in the earlier two bouts. A key moment occurs in round 7 when Ketchel sustains a cut over his left eye, and Thompson thens targets the cut for much of the rest of the bout. Ketchel, behind on the scorecards as well, digs deep and lands a huge right cross to score the bout's first KD near the end of the 10th. Thompson, battered, shows some swelling developing around his right eye as the bout enters the late rounds. In round 14, the cut above Ketchel's eye is reopened and the bout is stopped. It's a controversial call, as it turns out Ketchel was ahead on 2 of the 3 scorecards after 13. Cyclone Johnny Thompson is the surprise new champion by a TKO 14 (cuts).

Cyclone Johnny Thomson CH (27-9) vs Paddy Levin #5 (23-6-1)

Despite the loss of his EBU crown, Levin gets a WBA title shot as other higher rated contenders are unavailable. Levin likes his chances, though, having defeated Cyclone Johnny (UD 10) in a previous matchup in 1906. Lots of action in round 1 but neither man takes control. Both work outside in the second, where the action favors the champ. Round three sees Levin move more to the inside, and more good action. In round 5 Levin's blows cause some swelling around the left eye of the champ. Thompson then moves inside in round 6 but Levin is consistenly getting off first. Round 7 also goes the way of the Irish challenger. In round 8, Cyclone Johnny bulls his way forward, Levin's knees are buckled, and the challenger is forced to retreat. A roundhouse punch in round 9 floors Levin for a 7-count, and Paddy must cover up to survive. In round 10, both men are looking for the KO punch and Thompson gets there first, scoring a second KD of Levin, who is pummeled for the rest of the round and sustains a cut above the right eye. Levin is patched up for the 11th but the cut is reopened a round later. A great effort by both men results in a stoppage on cuts win by the champ with just one minute left in the bout. Thompson by TKO 15 (cuts).

NABF: Frank Klaus who has held the belt since 1906 starts off with a defense versus Eddie McGoorty (Klaus comes into the bout with 7 wins and a draw since his most recent loss to Ketchel in 1908). Klaus is nailed by a McGoorty hook in round 3 for the bout's first KD, but Klaus recovers to hammer the challenger in the 5th, and swelling about the eye of McGoorty bothers him as Klaus registers a SD 12 win, securing the victory with a strong 12th round effort. Klaus then defends versus Walter Coffey, establishing control early and dominating in later rounds after the challenger was cut above the left eye and visibly tired. Easy UD 12 win for Klaus in his 12th defensive of the NA crown. Then, in a memorable bout, Klaus defended versus ex-WBA champ Billy Papke, who had recovered from his loss to Ketchel earlier in the year. Papke dropped Klaus for a 8-count in the 5th, then Klaus came back to stun Papke in the 7th with a hook, then floored him with a late round barrage of punches. The bout was close and tense into the final rounds when Papke came on strong in the 11th with a second KD of Klaus and finished him near the end of the round. Papke by KO 11.

USBA: Title was vacated by Ketchel (who won WBA crown) going into the year and Cyclone Johnny Thompson fought "Wild Bill" Fleming, a relative newcomer, for the vacant crown. Fleming was the early aggressor and looked sharp, stunning Thompson in round 6 and also causing some swelling to occur. But Cyclone Johnny clawed his way back, registered a big round 9 that resulted in a stoppage but there were no KDs. Like Ketchel before him, Thompson went on to claim the WBA belt and another bout for the vacant title was arranged. This time it was Walter Coffey against Joe Thomas, both competing for their first title of any kind. Coffey, who had won the only previous bout, was aggressive early, nailing Thomas with a huge shot in the 3rd and generally dominating until a TKO 8 stoppage to claim the vacant crown.

CBU/GBU: Both titles still the province of TCs, as Canadian Will Carney became the Commonwealth champ and defended twice, and Brit Quinton Wade successfully defended the GBU belt once.

EBU: Paddy Levin began as European champ but ran into a tough challenger in Kid Locke, a former WBA champ. Levin was cut over the left eye in the 8th, as a high punch count took its toll on both men. Levin launched a comeback in the late rounds but when the cut above his eye reopened in round 11 the bout was stopped and Locke was the new EBU champ. Locke defended against German Frank Mantell (the two had fought to a 10-round draw earlier in 1910). A close bout tipped in the challenger's favor as Mantell caused Locke's eye to start swelling after round 5. Mantell continued to dominate despite a cut above his right eye. Mantell by UD 12 to take the EBU crown.

Jan. 1911 Rankings (Perf Pts and Changes from Prior Year in parens):

Champ: Cyclone Johnny Thompson 28-9 (20) (879) (up 5)
1. Billy Papke 20-2 (17) (958) (-1)
2. Frank Klaus 26-4-2 (14) (890) (NC)
3. Stanley Ketchel 32-3 (30) (832) (-2)
4. Eddie McGoorty 21-5 (18) (670) (+2)
5. Frank Mantell 18-3-1 (10) (543) (+3)
6. Paddy Levin 23-7-1 (11) (533) (-3)
7. Kid Locke 24-14-3 (6) (519) (+3)
8. Hugo Kelly 23-13-2 (13) (488) (+7)
9. Walter Coffey 19-7 (11) (487) (+5)
10. Sailor Burke 21-7 (13) (470) (+1)

Comments: Everyone in the Top 10 is at Prime career stage except for Ketchel, who must labor on in Post-Prime condition which may make it difficult for him to retake the title. Thompson has now won 9 in a row, but the top two contenders (Papke and Klaus) sill have higher Perf Pts numbers. McGoorty is still near the top despite a title by virtue of wins over Fields (KO 5) and Mantell (UD 10). Dropping out of the Top 10 were Kid McCoy (#4 in 1909, retired in 1910); Frank Fields (dropped from #7 to #13 with losses to McGoorty and Kelly); and Billy Kramer (down 2 from #9 to #11 after losses to Coffey and Buffalo Iron Man Al Rogers). Kelly moved up after defeating McCoy in the latter's farewell bout and then held his own in draws with Bob Moha and Locke. Coffey defeated Kramer and vet Frank Craig in addition to annexing the USBA belt. Burke was 3-1 on the year, downing Moha and "Kid" Carter. Top-ranked TCs are the CBU champ, Will Carney, who checks in at #18 at 18-13-1 (5) and 216 pps followed at #19 by the GBU champ, Quinton Wade, at 10-8-5 (1) with 32 pps.

Prospects: The MW divison has had perhaps the largest influx of new talent in the past two years compared to any other, so there are prospects-a-plenty. Bill Fleming, who challenged for the USBA crown, is 12-1 (6), with three in a row over Burke, George Chip and Willie "KO" Brennan. Brennan had won his first 11, 10 by KO, before his TKO loss to Fleming. Ditto for Chip, who stands at 11-1 (8). Buffalo Iron Man Al Rogers is now 11-2 (8) after defeating Kramer but losing to Joe Thomas. Mike Gibbons is 11-1 (7), his only loss by MD10 to Kramer but he bounced back with a TKO 1 over previously unbeaten Al McCoy, who now is 10-1 (7). KO Brown was also a perfect 10-0 before losing by TKO to Brennan. Among the more recent crop, Jake Ahearn of UK is 7-0 (5), all versus TCs, as is Jack McCarron, who has a win over Terry Mitchell. Aussie Jeff Smith is 6-0 (5), also versus TCs. Buck Crouse is a perfect 4-0, all by KO. Aussie great Les Darcy has commenced his career with 2-0 KO wins as well.

Looking Ahead: The future looks bright, and expect to see the CBU and GBU crowns to be handed off by the TC incumbents to some of these newer MW prospects in the next few years. Ketchel, dominant a few years back, will have trouble holding his own against such a vibrant, youthful group of talented fighters as he continues to age. There will be another 10 newcomers to the division in 1911, all but one (Gus Platts of the UK) of which are US fighters, including Joe Borrwll, Eddie Revoire, George Robinson and Johnny Wilson.
.
Division Profile: 105 total boxers, 50 real-life and 55 TCs
RL by Career Stage: Post-3 (Ketchel, Carter and Craig); Prime-13; Pre-14; Beginner-20 (including 10 New in 1911)
Rated: 21
800+: 4
500+: 7
200+: 19

Retirement:
Charles (Kid) McCoy (USA) 1891-1910 54-17 (46) four-time WBA Champ

JCWeb · 05-29-2006, 01:51 PM

Storyline here was a continuation of the changing of the guard at the top of the division, with Jack Britton's continued dominance as WBC Champ along with the emergence of Packey McFarland and Waldemar Holberg as likely stars of the future, while the "Old Guard" (guys like Walcott and Gans) are reaching the twilight of their careers.

WBA Title Fights

Jack Britton CH (21-3) vs Johnny Summers #4 (27-8-2)

Britton travels to London to take on the CBU/GBU champ, Summers. The Boxing Marvel took charge early, as his accurate long range bombs caused swelling around the challenger's right eye as early as round 3. A ferocious uppercut by Summers rocked the champ in round 5, but Britton successfully covered up and stayed on his feet. Britton re-established control of the bout in rounds 6 and 7, using superior ring movement. Summers launched an assault in the 8th and 9th but Britton held him off and went on to dominate in a huge 10th round. In the late rounds Summers did not give up, nailing the champ with a strong uppercut in the 11th, but Britton came right back to open a cut over the challenger with another strong round in the 12th. Summers had run out of gas by the late rounds and Britton scored an easy win. No KDs. Britton by UD 15.

Jack Britton CH (22-3) vs Kyle Whitney #13 (17-3-1)

Britton dips down the ranks of challengers to take on Whitney, a deserving contender on the verge of reaching the top echelon of the division. First meeting of the two. After a close round one, Britton dominates from outside in round 2. Whitney counters by trying to work inside, but great defense by the Boxing Marvel prevents this. The champ's blows staggered Whitney in round 4, and he had a huge points lead already after the first five rounds. By the 7th the sting was already gone from Whitney's punches, and Britton coasted to another easy win in a bout with no knockdowns. Britton by UD 15.

Jack Britton CH (23-3) vs Young Peter Jackson #1 (45-9-2)

Britton defends against the top-ranked contender, Jackson, winner of his last four bouts, while the Champ was one a 7-bout win streak. Jackson's most recent loss was a TKO loss in his only prior bout with Britton.
Jackson charged out to try to work from the inside but ran into a strong Britton cross, round one clearly went the champ's way. Round 2 the tide shifted to the challenger who floored Britton with a strong shot. Jackson continued as the aggressor for the initial rounds, with Britton managing to avoid most of the heavy leather. The two went toe-to-toe for some good action in the 6th, and in round 8 it was Britton who sent Jackson to the canvas as well as causing some swelling about the challenger's left eye. The champ seemed to get stronger and stronger as the bout went on, but the veteran Jackson did not go away, rallying in the bout's final round to drop Britton for the second time as the champ got careless. That late effort secured a draw and possible rematch for the challenger. Britton is fortunate to retain his title by Majority Draw (139-143 for Jackson, 141-141, 141-141).

NABF: Mike "Twin" Sullivan tried to shake off several months of ring rust when he defended agains top prospect Packey McFarland, who came into the bout with an excellent 14-0-1 mark. The dangerous McFarland was the aggressor in the early rounds, fighting mostly on the inside but Sullivan used some slick defense to avoid any lasting damage. In round 8 McFarland launched a whirlwind attack which put the Twin on the canvas, and after that Sullivan tired noticeably, and a second KD in the 10th finished him. McFarland took the title by KO 10. Later in the year McFarland showed his mettle by defending against former World Champ Dixie Kid and Packey ended it early when the Kid got careless in round 2. This led to 2 KDs by McFarland in the round, the second of which was lights out for the Kid. McFarland by KO 2 to keep the NABF title and an unbeaten record.

USBA: Young Peter Jackson made two defenses during the year, first against Kid Graves where his vastly superior experience overwhelmed the young challenger, resulting in a TKO 6 win. Next up was veteran journeyman Dave Deshler, fighting in his first title bout of any kind, and once again it was an early exit as Jackson won by TKO 3 to set up the title clash with Britton.

CBU: Brit Johnny Summers defended once, versus TC Mark Ringell, registering a TKO 3 win in a one-sided bout.

GBU: Summers defended versus Young Joseph, earning a UD 12 win in a close, hard-fought bout with no KDs. Summers then vacated the crown in searh of bigger and better things and Joseph met Arthur Evernden for the vacant title. Joseph started well but the younger Evernden rallied to make it close. Joseph by MD 12.

EBU: Jimmy Gardner of Ireland, the only EBU WW champ since the belt was first awarded in 1906, made three defenses in 1910. First up was Evernden, the hard-hitting Brit whom Gardner dominated for a UD 12, aided by an early KD. Then it was the Dane, Dick Nelson, who hoped for better than in his TKO 7 loss in 1906 but again it was Gardner who dominated, reigning blow after blow for an 8th round stoppage. Finally, a younger Dane, Waldemar Holberg, was Gardner's next challenger, and surprisingly the more experienced Gardner tired early in a tight bout that Holberg won with a strong final round. Waldemar Holberg becomes the new EBU champion by MD 12 (115-113, 114-114, 115-113).

Jan. 1911 Rankings (Perf Pts and changes from 1910 in parens):

Champ: Jack Britton 23-3-1 (12) (1045) (NC)
1. Young Peter Jackson 45-9-3 (32) (927) (+1)
2. Packey McFarland 17-0-1 (13) (908) (new)
3. Dixie Kid 35-10-2 (16) (857) (+1)
4. Mike Sullivan 29-11-3 (16) (784) (-3)
5. Willie Lewis 28-13 (17) (778) (+3)
6. Waldemar Holberg 15-1 (9) (757) (new)
7. Johnny Summers 28-11-2 (14) (719) (-4)
8. Honey Mellody 28-10-1 (9) (708) (+4)
9. Dick Nelson 23-8-1 (17) (675) (+1)
10. Joe Walcott 62-21-2 (21) (659) (-4)

Comments: Everyone in this group is at Prime except newcomers McFarland and Holberg (both at Pre) and aging vet Walcott (at Post-Prime). Britton is on an 8-bout unbeaten streak, Jackson on a 5-bout unbeaten streak, and negotiations are underway for a title rematch. Top prospects McFarland and Holberg registered huge breakthroughs, each winning a lesser title before hitting the Prime career stage. McFarland has won 6 in a row and Holberg 5, the Dane's only loss coming by way of a DQ against fellow Dane, Dick Nelson. Mellody moved back into the Top 10 with wins over Gardner, Connolly and Queenan. Dropping out of the list from Jan. 1910 were Rube Ferns (former #5), who retired; Joe Gans (former #9), who lost three more in succession to drop all the way to #16 -- Gans has now lost 6 in a row and it has been two years since his last win in Jan. 1910; and dethroned EBU champ Gardner (former #7) who dropped to 11th after losses to Holberg and Mellody. New GBU champ Young Joseph is nowhere near the top group, rated #24 with a record of 27-11-1 (12) and 282 pp. No tomato cans have good enough records to be ranked at this time.

Prospects: Doesn't look like any will break out in 1911 the way McFarland and Holberg did in 1910. Tommy Howell had won his first 10 against TCs but then loss to his first "real" opponent, veteran journeyman Cy Flynn. Eddie Shevlin is 9-0 (6) and Brit Matt Wells is 8-0 (1), all versus TCs. Johnny Alberts and Willie Schaeffer fought to a draw after defeating all their TC opponents, Alberts is now 8-0-1 (7) and Schaffer, 6-0-1 (5). Ted Kid Lewis is off to a fine start, 5-0 (2), including a win over Sid Burns. Frenchman Albert Badoud is also unbeaten, at 5-0 (3)

Looking Ahead: McFarland and Holberg should continue to surge toward the top, possibly toward an eventual title clash with Britton, who still seems to be the dominant force despite a slight stumble in his last title bout. Fading vets like Gans, Mysterious Billy Smith and Walcott look like their best days are well behind them. It will be awhile before the younger prospects like Wells, Kid Lewis and Badoud will be contending for titles, and this time there will be only one new addition to the division slated for 1911-- Art Magirl. Still, it's a fairly deep and talented division, as judged by the closeness of the rankings and the high number of 500+ rated guys (see stats below).

Division Profile: 84 total, 40 RL and 44 TCs.
RL by Career Stage: End: 2 (Gans, MB Smith), Post (Walcott, Matty Matthews), Prime-20, Pre-13, Beginner-3 (1 new)
Rated: 28
800+: 4
500+: 17
200+: 27

Retirements: 2 in 1910. Career stats for both:

Rube Ferns (USA) 1896-1910 41-20 (30) WBA Champ
Perry Queenan (USA) 1899-1910 27-23-2 (4) USBA Champ

JCWeb · 05-30-2006, 03:42 PM

Another division with a change of titleholders at the top, and a two-time champion (also a champ now in two divisions) who never held either World title belt in real life ...

WBA Title Bouts

Battling Nelson CH (49-8) vs Freddie Welsh #4 (17-3-1)

This was the first meeting of the two, and the first title defense for the Durable Dane against the British champ. After some good action in the opening stanza, both men fired away from the outside in round 2. The Welshman moved inside in round 4, opening a cut over the Dane's right eyebrow. Nelson came back to drop Welsh early in round 6, and the Welsh Wizard was forced to hang on. In round 7, Welsh was in full retreat as the Champ pressed forward, looking for a KO. Welsh recovered enough by the 9th to launch a counterattack, reopening the cut about Nelson's eye, but near the end of the round Nelson tagged Welsh, opening a cut over the challenger's right eye. Going into the final rounds, the champ was ahead on the scorecards but those dangerous cuts were re-opened on both men in the 11th. A sharp left by the Dane reopened Welsh's cut, and in the 13th Welsh was cut again, this time leading to a stoppage. Nelson by TKO 13 (cuts).

Battling Nelson CH (50-8) vs Jem Driscoll #1 (36-6)

Driscoll, who lost the title to Nelson in late 1909 via MD 15, gets a rematch as he tries to reverse a 0-3 lifetime record against the Durable Dane. The start of the bout does not look promising for the British ex-champ as he sustains a cut over the right eye in round 2. However, Nelson is cut over his left eye in the 3rd to return the favor. Driscoll aggressively moves forward in the 4th, causing the cut over Nelson's eye to worsen. The Driscoll onslaught continues in the 5th, and the Dane's eye becomes a bloody mess. Round 6 is another big round for the Brit, and the Champ is forced to cover up. Driscoll continues to target the Dane's cut eye in the middle rounds until the ref steps in and rules the cut is too severe for the bout to continue. Driscoll by TKO 10 (cut) to regain the WBA Title.

Jem Driscoll CH (37-6) vs Jewey Cooke #3 (59-11-1)

The American vet (winner of his last 6 bouts) earns another WBA Title shot, the 5th of his career. No prior meetings, and Driscoll is installed as the betting favorite. Driscoll moves inside in round 3 to establish early control against the defense-oriented Cooke. This enables the champ to build an early points lead, so Cooke tries moving inside in round 6. Cooke can't make much impression and Driscoll scores the bout's only KD when he drops Cooke in the 10th with a wicked right. Cooke makes a huge comeback effort in the late rounds which falls just a little short. Driscoll by MD 15 (146-140, 143-143, 145-141).

Jem Driscoll CH (38-6) vs Matty Baldwin #8 (25-9-2)

"Peerless Jim" defends against Baldwin, whom he TKO'd in a non-title clash in 1908 -- it is Baldwin's third shot at the WBA crown, having loss previously to Gans and Blackburn. Driscoll looks sharp early, drilling Baldwin from both an inside and outside position. The challenger's left eye starts to swell, and the rest of the bout is fairly one-sided as at least Baldwin is able to make it the distance. Driscoll by UD 15 (146-140, 145-140, 145-141).

NABF: Jack Blackburn is quite active during the year, making five defenses of the NABF crown. First up was Young Otto, where early aggression by Blackburn paid off as he opened a cut over Otto's right eye in round one and this led to an early stoppage--Blackburn by TKO 6. Then it was rugged Harlem Tommy Murphy who waged an all-out war and Blackburn was lucky to escape with a MD 12 win. Then the previously unbeaten Charley White (17-0 coming in) proved no match for the wily ring vet as two KDs in the 10th by Blackburn proved decisive in a UD 12 win. Then USBA champ Young Erne tried for Blackburn's belt, but again Jack dominated for another UD12 verdict. Finally, Blackburn finished the year with a stern test versus CBU champ Fighting Dick Hyland, winning by opening an early cut on the challenger, whom he held off for a close UD 12 win.

USBA: Young Erne was much less active than Blackburn, defending once against Young Donahue, and the champ proved equal to the task, converting an early points lead to a routine UD 12 win.

CBU: Fighting Dick Hyland started the year as champ, then took on Driscoll who pummeled him, scoring a KD in the 8th en route to a UD 12 verdict. After Driscoll annexed the WBA crown (thereby vacating the CBU title), Hyland got another shot when he took on aging an obviously shot Mike Ward (a fellow Canadian at the end of his career) and one clean shot in the 3rd was all it took to regain the belt. Hyland by KO 3.

GBU: Freddie Welsh had not defended at all in 1909, and in 1910 it was just one defense, an easy affair with TC Stan Nash whom he TKO'd in 4.

EBU: Driscoll began the year as EBU champ but vacated the title after defeating Nelson for the WBA crown. Frank Erne and German Rudy Unholz were paired together for the vacant title, and the underdog Unholz turned in the performance of the lifetime against the Swiss vet, winning via SD 12. Unholz's reign was destined to be short-lived, as he traveled to London for his first defense versus the Welsh Wizard, and Welsh bloodied the German's nose early on, and dominated before a TKO 10 (cuts) stoppage so the year ended with Welsh holding the EBU belt as well as the GBU title.

Jan. 1911 Rankings (Perf Pts and change from Jan 1910 in parens):

Champ: Jem Driscoll 39-6 (29) (1254) (+1)
1. Battling Nelson 51-9 (28) (1183) (-1)
2. Jack Blackburn 39-5-1 (17) (1132) (+2)
3. Jewey Cooke 59-12-1 (28) (1005) (-1)
4. Freddie Welsh 19-4-1 (12) (893) (-1)
5. Lockport Jimmy Duffy 17-0 (10) (863) (new)
6. Young Otto 25-7-2 (12) (782) (-1)
7. Young Erne 32-13-3 (12) (642) (+1)
8. Matty Baldwin 25-10-2 (17) (631) (+4)
9. Fighting Dick Hyland 22-10-3 (15) (622) (-2)
10. Willie Ritchie 18-3-1 (8) (621) (+1)

Comments: Everyone listed here is at Prime except Duffy who is Pre-Prime for three more fights. Driscoll is riding a 5-bout win streak, bouncing back after losing his title in 1909 to Nelson. Nelson recovered from the WBA title loss with a MD10 win over Otto to remain a top contender. Blackburn went 6-0 in 1910 and is contemplating a WBA title shot in 1911. Welsh added the EBU title to his GBU belt. Prospect Duffy continued his unbeated run into the Top 10, with wins over Leach Cross, Paul Koehler, Charley White and Harlem Tommy Murphy. Baldwin moved up with wins over Ritchie and Cross. Ritchie made the Top 10 by beating Unholz and Jack Curley while posting a 4-1 mark for the year. Notable Top 10 dropout was White, who ran up a 17-0 mark only to then lose three in a row to Blackburn, Duffy and Otto, dropping 5 spots to #11. Tommy Murphy fell 2 from #10 to #12 by losing two of three during the year. But Ray Bronson slid all the way from #9 to #21, losing all three bouts, a SD loss to Donahue along with KO defeats by Parker and Kid Black. Brit Stan Nash is the only ranked TC at LW, all the way down at #36 with a 8-8-1 (1) mark and 5 pps.

Prospects: Some of the prospects ran into trouble when first paired with name opponents in the talent-rich LW division. Terry Brooks split a pair of bouts with fellow prospect Willie Beecher and loss to vet Jimmy Britt to end the year at 9-2 (6). Beecher is 9-1 (2). Aussie Herb McCoy is unbeaten at 9-0 (5), all versus TCs. Also fed a steady diet of TCs to start off unbeatend are Phil Cross at 7-0 (5) and Mexican Joe Rivers at 5-0 (3).

Looking Ahead: Welsh might be positioning himself to earn a third belt, the CBU crown, to go with his GBU and EBU titles. Lockport Jimmy Duffy is probably going to be tested with a top-ranked opponent, possibly for a title belt. Making debuts in 1911 are all-time great Benny Leonard, along with another real-life LW champ, Rocky Kansas. Frenchman Louis de Ponthieu and Canadian Gilbert Gallant will join the LW ranks as well.

Division Profile: 106 total, 53 real-life and 53 TCs.
RL distribution: End-2 (F Erne, Fredericks); Post-Prime: 4; Prime: 25;
Pre-Prime: 12. Beginning: 10 (including 7 New in 1911)
Rated: 38
800+: 6
500+: 16
200+: 34

Retirement:

Mike Ward (CAN) 1900-1910 28-15-1 (18) CBU Champ

JCWeb · 05-30-2006, 10:04 PM

Storyline here was the continued dominance of Abe Attell, as well as the parity among the remaining fighters in the division as former greats such as Terry McGovern, Harry Lyons and Young Corbett continue to age.

WBA Title Fights

Abe Attell CH (41-2-1) vs Young Corbett #2 (34-14-1)

Attell's 8th successive defense is against ex-WBA champ and current NABF title-holder Corbett, whom Abe defeated via SD in their only prior encounter. Corbett, however, is no longer at Prime, and that proves to be a factor as Attell starts out strong, taking round 1 and thwarting Corbett's efforts when the latter tries to take the initiative. The bout ends quickly when Abe connects with a right cross in the 5th to fell Corbett for the count. Attell by KO 5.

Abe Attell CH (42-2-1) vs Billy Snailham #4 (24-13-2)

Attell has a prior win versus Snailham, who is fighting for the WBA belt for the first time. Both men are cautious in the early rounds, and some swelling around the eye of the Lil Champ by the end of round 2 gave Snailham a boost of confidence. Snailham works inside in the next few rounds, doing well until Attell nailed him with a combination late in round 4. Attell continues with a strong 5th and 6th, and by round 7 it is Snailham's right eye that needs some ice. A big hook by Attell puts Snailham down near the end of round 8. In round 9, a last-gasp effort by the tiring challenger is met with a cross by Attell for the bout's second KD and then Abe ends it with a barrage late in the round. (NOTE: The point-tracker had Attell at 40 when Snailham was counted out.) Attell by KO 9.

Abe Attell CH (43-2-1) vs Brooklyn Tommy Sullivan #1 (37-12-2)

Attell holds a 2-1 career mark versus Sullivan, the most recent being a TKO win two years prior to the bout. Attell gets off first, tagging Tommy in the 3rd with a right cross for the bout's first KD. Good ring movement and counterpunching keep Attell on top, but Brooklyn Tommy keeps it close when he stunds the champ in the 7th with a strong cross. Attell's right eye then starts swelling, as this time the Champ is in for a battle. Abe comes back with a hard left hook to stun Sullivan in round 9, and there is noticeable swelling under the left eye of Brooklyn Tommy after a huge round for Attell. Attell takes a points lead into the late rounds but a game Sullivan sticks around to make the final count surprisingly close. Attell by UDS 15 (143-142 on all three cards).

Abe Attell CH (44-2-1) vs Percy Cove #3 (22-9-2)

Abe comes in having won 12 in a row for his first meeting with the Canadian who holds the CBU title belt. Cove is able to land some meaningful blows early, but it is once again Attell who manages to keep the challenger off balance while scoring well. Cove's lip is split in round 10 and Abe turns in another masterful performance to register an easy UD 15 win.

NABF: Corbett defends versus another aging veteran, Bernstein, against whom he is 3-1 lifetime. Corbett puts Joe down with a nice uppercut in round 2 but Joe recovers well, and "The Pride of the Bowery" takes the NABF title when a severe cut opens over Corbett's eye, forcing a stoppage. Bernstein by TKO 10 (cut). Bernstein then defends against the ex-USBA champ, Jimmy Walsh, and rips open an early cut over the challenger's right eye in the initial round -- the cut proves decisive as it is reopened and gradually worsens to cause a late round stoppage event though Walsh had Bernstein on the canvas. Bernstein by TKO 11 (cuts).

USBA: Walsh defends the USBA title against a very tough foe in the youthful Johnny Kilbane. Kilbane's long-range bombs find their target and result in swelling about Walsh's right eye after the first four rounds. The bout is fairly close, with plenty of sharp exchanges, and a late 12th round KD by Kilbane proves decisive as he wins a 12-round split decision. Kilbane elects to defend against Brooklyn Tommy Sullivan, and another close bout ensues. Sullivan starts well, forcing Kilbane to cover up in round 1. Kilbane does well in the middle rounds but is forced to battle a gradually swelling right eye. A late rally by Brooklyn Tommy is enough to win a MD 12 verdict.

CBU: Canadian Percy Cove defended against previously unbeaten Aussie prospect, Jimmy Hill, who clearly lacked the experience or ring savvy to stay with Cove. Hill was cut early and Cove went on to a TKO 7 win.

GBU: Veteran Brit Owen Moran had a challenger for the first time since 1908 when he took on previously-unbeaten prospect Billy Elliott. Moran built an early points lead when the challenger stunned him in the 6th. In the later rounds, though, it was all Moran as Elliott tired. Moran by UD 12.

EBU: Italian Patsy Kline and Britain's Billy Elliott fight for the inaugural EBU FW belt. Elliott had KO'd Kline in a prior bout but a recent win over aging vet Benny Soloman gave Kline some confidence coming into the clash. After several close early rounds Elliott pulled ahead by establishing his jab in round 5. Kline tired early, and Elliott stepped up the pace to take a UD12 win and a new title.

Jan. 1911 Rankings (Perf Pts and changes from 1910 in parens):

Champ: Abe Attell 45-2-1 (19) (1456) (NC)
1. Brooklyn Tommy Sullivan 37-13-2 (22) (842) (+2)
2. Johnny Kilbane 17-2-1 (10) (763) (+6)
3. Eddie O'Keefe 17-1 (12) (762) (new)
4. Percy Cove 22-10-2 (8) (741) (NC)
5. Grover Hayes 28-7 (20) (710) (+1)
6. Harry Lyons 51-15-2 (26) (709) (-5)
7. Jimmy Walsh 21-8-1 (6) (659) (+4)
8. Billy Snailham 24-15-2 (11) (639) (-3)
9. Owen Moran 31-11 (15) (636) (-2)
10. Joe Bernstein 35-22-2 (16) (635) (+4)

Comments: The gap between Attell and everyone else is probably as great as any time since I have been tracking the Perf Pts data. O'Keefe makes an impressive debut after a very busy year in which he foguht 9 times, ringing up wins over Love, Moran, Crowe, Decker, Snailham and Lyons before his first loss, a SD10 verdict against Kilbane. Walsh reached the top 10 with wins over Moran, Santry and Lyons but stumbled in losses to Kilbane and Bernstein. A resurgent Bernstein claimed the NABF belt and won three in a row versus Santry, Corbett and Walsh before a setback SD 10 loss to Moran. Dropping out of the top group for the first time in a long while were Terry McGovern, who fell from #9 to #11, losing to Lyons; Corbett, whose 0-3 record in 1910 meant a tumble from #2 to #12; and Herrera, whose TKO loss to McGovern placed him at #13, down from #10 last year. Checking in at #14 was the newly-crowned EBU titleholder, Billy Elliott, with a 11-1 (6) mark and 521 pp. (Elliott is the major exception to the 15 bouts to get rated rule.) No TCs had good enough records to merit a ranking.

Prospects: Aside from Elliott, who claimed a title in his 12th bout, there is Aussie Jimmy Hill, who sports a 12-2 (1) mark after suffering his second loss to Kid Julian (the first one being to Cove in the CBU Title tilt). Julian has come back with 6 wins in a row to run his record to 10-1-1 (4), and he may be a future EBU title contender. Aussie Joe Russell is now 8-0 (4), all versus TCs. Patsy Brannigan is 7-0-1 (4), the only blemish being a draw with Julian. Ty Cobb is 8-3 (4). Topping the list of the newer guys is George KO Chaney with 4 wins, all by KO, and Johnny Dundee, who is also 4-0 with 2 KOs. Tommy Dixon recovered from two earlier draws to remain unbeaten at 4-0-2 (1). Enrique Criqui, a real-life FW champ, started out at 3-0 (2).

Looking Ahead: Kilbane, now that he has 20 bouts under his belt, is at Prime and perhaps the logical guy to perhaps take the title from Attell. O'Keefe has done well , much better than expected, but has yet to face the pressure cooker of a real tough title fight. Julian may challenge for the EBU belt and Hill may make another try at the CBU crown. Two slated to debut in 1911 are Battling Reddy and Steve Sullivan.

Division Profile: 69 total boxers, 34 real-life and 35 TCs
RL by Career Stage: End-3 (McGovern, Santry and Soloman); Post-7; Prime-8 (all in Top 10); Pre-9; Beginning-7 (2-newcomers)
Rated: 21
800+: 2
500+: 15
200+: 20

Retirement:

Jimmy Devine (USA) 1897-1910 25-27-3 (19) No Titles

JCWeb · 05-31-2006, 01:22 AM

In the BW division, a bizarre twist in a championship fight led to a surprise new champion by the end of the year.

WBA Title Bouts

Johnny Coulon CH (23-2) vs Frankie Conley #7 (17-4)

First meeting of the two and first WBA title shot for Conley, the reigning USBA champion. Conley surprised the champ with a flash knockdown in the second, but Coulon came back strong, staggering Frankie with an uppercut in the 5th. Conley did well in the 6th, a good action round where the challenger came on at the end. In the middle rounds Coulon re-established control as Conley started to show signs of fatigue. Conley 's left eye showed signs of puffiness and Coulon was cut late in the bout. The result was a solid UD 15 verdict for Coulon.

Johnny Coulon CH (24-2) vs Harry Harris #1 (46-7-2)

Coulon puts it on the line against the aging but skilled Harris, still a threat at 38. Coulon established an early lead as Harris' timing was off. Harry finally started connecting in round 4, the result being some redness around Coulon's left eye. Coulon presses home the attack and dominates the middle rounds. Harris' left eye shows noticeable swelling and both boxers battle hard, with Coulon coasting to another UD 15 win. (146-139 on all three cards in favor of Coulon.)

Johnny Coulon CH (25-2) vs Phila. Pal Moore #3 (15-0-2)

This is the first title shot of any kind for the unbeaten 19-year old Moore, who is thought by many to be moving up too soon. The Chicago Spider is more effective in the early rounds, but Moore does enough to keep the bout close. Round 7 sees some swelling start around Moore's right eye. In round 9, a huge surprise -- Coulon badly injures his hand and cannot continue. The title thus goes to Moore by TKO 9. (A huge upset as Coulon was comfortably ahead on all 3 cards.)

NABF: Hugh McGovern defends the title twice in 1910, first against the higher-ranked Kid Murphy against whom McGovern is 2-0 in prior meetings. A crushing uppercut from the champ forces the Kid to cover up in round one. After several uneventful rounds, Murphy decides to go for broke in the 5th but McGovern gets there first, repeatedly drilling the hapless challenger. A late surge by Murphy falls short and it's a UD 12 win for McGovern. Next up is Biz Mackey, and on paper this one doesn't look good for the champ who is 0-3 lifetime versus Mackey. McGovern keeps it close in the early rounds and a strong fifth has Mackey gasping for air and with puffiness under the left eye. Biz comes back strong in two good action rounds, 7 and 8, opening a cut above McGovern's left eye. Mackey works the cut, but McGovern's defense is solid as he registers another UD12 win.

USBA: Frankie Conley took on Kid Beebe in an effort to repeat his earlier KO win. This time Conley built up an early points lead and was content with a UD12 win. Next Conley defended against Frankie Neil in a rematch of the 1909 bout in which Conley won the USBA title on a controversial foul call. Each had moments in the early going, and then Conley forged a lead by working inside to the head and body in the 5th. Conley went on to prevail by a MD12, the scorecards had the bout surprisingly close. Conley rounded out 1910 by taking on Al Delmont, an ex-USBA champ seeking to establish his credentials for a WBA title shot. Conley worked both inside and outside to establish an early lead after four rounds. In round 5, Delmont was cut under the left eye. Delmont rallied in the late rounds and the decision was another close one that went for Conley by SD12 (116-112, 113-115, 116-112)

CBU: Joe Bowker did not defend the belt in 1910.

GBU: Digger Stanley defended once, and once again for the sixth time he took on Pedlar Palmer, with whom he was 3-2 lifetime, Stanley having won the last three. Palmer manages to keep the bout close for four rounds, but then Stanley works well from both outside and inside to take command. Despite a cut over one eye, Stanley drops Palmer in the 11th and takes an easy UD 12 win.

EBU: No defenses of the EBU crown by Stanley in 1910.

Jan 1911 Rankings (Perf Pts and Changes from 1910 in parens):

Champ: Phila. Pal Moore 16-0-2 (8) (846) (new)
1. Johnny Coulon 25-3 (13) (845) (-1)
2. Harry Harris 47-8-2 (30) (791) (NC)
3. Hugh McGovern 27-9-1 (12) (717) (+3)
4. Biz Mackey 30-9-3 (12) (696) (-3)
5. Frankie Conley 20-5 (12) (691) (+3)
6. Kid Murphy 22-9-1 (16) (661) (-3)
7. Al Delmont 27-10-1 (14) (542) (NC)
8. Frankie Burns 12-2-1 (6) (526) (new)
9. Tommy Feltz 27-16-1 (17) (522) (+2)
10. Digger Stanley 24-15-2 (8) (522) (-6)

Comments: All at Prime except for Moore and Burns (still at Pre) and Harris and Feltz (both at Post). New champ Moore paced the newcomers, moving from prospect to contender with wins over Goldman and Beebe (both SDs) and a draw with Bowker to set up the title bout with Coulon. Coulon had won five in a row until the controversial loss to Moore. Another former prospect, Frankie Burns, reached the top 10 despite losses to Neil and M. Attell by defeating Phil McGovern and Harry Forbes. Feltz rebounded with wins over Attell and P. McGovern but his progress was thwarted when he suffered a loss to Harris. Dropping out of the top 10 from 1910 were Neil (down from #5 to #11), who lost three straight to Conley, Forbes and Delmont; Harry Forbes (down from #9 to #12), who lost to Bowker and Burns; and Monte Attell (down from #10 to #13), whose career stalled with two losses to Mackey and Feltz. Joe Bowker, the CBU champ, checks in at 28-13-4 (14), good for 14th spot with 441 pp. Stanley, who managed to stay in the Top 10 at #10, is the top-ranked non-American. No TCs grace this year's rankings list for the BW division.

Prospects: All four in the prospects category are undefeated, all versus TCs. Charles Ledoux is a perfect 10-0, all by KO. Young Oliver is 6-0 (4), while Eddie Campi and Kid Williams sport identical 5-0 (4) marks.

Looking Ahead: There is already a great clamoring for a Coulon-Moore rematch, but others are seeking a shot as well. NABF champ McGovern would like to succeed and take a World BW crown, something his brother Terry could not accomplish. Charles Goldman and "Louisiana" are still at Pre-Prime and could make a move at the Top 10 soon. Ledoux could well contend for the EBU belt in a year or two. Jack Kid Wolfe and Brit Joe Fox will join the BW ranks in 1911.

Division Profile: 59 total boxers, 25 real-life, 34 TCs
RL by career stage: End-0 Post-4 (Feltz, Forbes, Harris, Neil) Prime-11 Pre-8 Beginning-2 (both newcomers)
Ranked - 19
800+: 2
500+: 11
200+: 19

Retirements: Two boxers in the BW ranks called it quits in 1910. Their career stats:

Thomas Pedlar Palmer (UK) 1891-1910 31-32-3 (20) EBU, CBU, GBU Champ
Morris Rauch (USA) 1897-1910 25-22-2 (10) USBA Champ

Romdawg88 · 05-31-2006, 02:00 AM

Ha, thats the second boxer today I've seen lose a title fight by breaking their hand in a fight they were winning, the other being George Dixon in Mike's LBA funnliy enough it was to Johnny Coulon funny how karma works even in a game.

JCWeb · 05-31-2006, 08:41 PM

Not much to report on the Flyweight Division as there is so far only one active title (the British GBU belt) and a paucity of fighters although that will be changing in the next few years of the sim.

Bill Ladbury went into 1910 holding the GBU belt which he successfully defended against Trial Horse/TC Joe Wilson winning via TKO 9. Then next up was a rematch with Sid Smith, the other top real-life boxer in the division, against whom Ladbury had split their two prior bouts. Ladbury had to be somewhat apprehensive about the rematch with Smith and lacking confidence, as he came off a loss to veteran BW journeyman Kid Beebe. The first round was all Sid Smith as he caused swelling under Ladbury's right eye -- Smith went on from this good start to establish a big points lead while Ladbury gradually tired. The swelling about the eye got worse and it finally resulted in a late round stoppage. Sid Smith by TKO 11 (swelling). Then Smith took on TC Wilson for the GBU belt and successfully defended, opening a gash above Wilson's left eye that led to an eventual stoppage. The stoppage occurred right when the bout was getting interesting, as Smith had just suffered a flash knockdown by Wilson earlier in the 9th round. Smith by TKO 9 (cuts).

Jan. 1911 Flyweight Rankings (Perf Pts in parens):

1. Sid Smith 16-2 (9) (519)
2. Bill Ladbury 13-3-1 (6) (269)

Comments: Not much to analyze here. Smith bounced back from a subpar 1909 to go 4-0 and take over the top spot. Ladbury lost to Smith and Kid Beebe and slipped in the rankings as a result. Both took care of all the TCs (BW or FLY) which they have faced. Smith and Ladbury have traded the GBU belt back and forth and will likely do the same with the WBA title in a few year's time.

Prospects: Frankie Mason is 6-1 (5), all versus TCs, and he has posted four wins since losing to a TC in his third bout due to a foul. Jimmy Wilde won his first bout by KO late in the year.

Looking Ahead: Three more join the FLY ranks in 1911 -- Percy Jones, Tancy Lee and Joe Symonds. In a couple of years there may be enough real-life boxers to start with some meaningful title bouts.

Division Profile: 18 total boxers, 7 real-life, 11 TCs
RL by Career Stage: Pre-3 Beginning-4 (3 new)
Rated: 2
800+: 0
500+: 1
200+: 2

And last but not least, the pound-for-pound ratings for 1910 (the fourth annual such ratings):

1. Abe Attell, FW (WBA Champ) 1456 (NC)
2. Jem Driscoll, LW (WBA Champ) 1254 (+3)
3. Sam Langford, HW (WBA Champ) 1217 (+6)
4. Jack Johnson, HW (ex-Champ) 1216 (-2)
5. Battling Nelson, LW (ex-Champ) 1183 (-1)
6. Phila Jack O'Brien, LH (WBA Champ) 1175 (NC)
7. Joe Jeannette, HW (NABF Champ) 1174 (NC)
8. Jack Blackburn, LW (NABF Champ) 1132 (new)
9. Jack Britton, WW (WBA Champ) 1045 (new)
10. Sam McVey, HW (USBA Champ) 1039 (new)

Dropping out of the Top 10:

James Jeffries, HW (was #3)
Tommy Burns, HW (was #8)
Jewey Cooke, LW (was #10)

Comments: Subject to checking, this seems like the most WBA champs (5 of 7) in the list at any one time. (Only MW champ Cyclone Thompson and new BW champ Pal Moore are missing from the list.) Also, there seems to be a bit of ratings inflation or creep or whatever you want to call it as this is the first time there have been over 10 boxers with ratings at 1000 or higher. Of the three "newcomers" to the list, Blackburn is not really new, having been on the first two lists for 1907 and 1908. Attell's 1456 is probably the highest rating ever under the new ratings system--can he push it above 1500?

This will probably be the last report for awhile. This month the press of other events (including watching a few soccer games starting late next week) will likely cause me to take a bit of a hiatus, but expect to see 1911 results posted here, I'm just not able to predict the time frame just yet.

JCWeb · 07-11-2006, 01:41 PM

Well it took a bit longer than anticipated, but the bouts for 1911 are in the books and this time I will break the reports into two parts, at least for the more active divisions (i.e. Heavyweights). First part of each report will lead off with the title bouts from 1911.

WBA Title Bouts

Sam Langford CH (34-5-1) vs Bob Armstrong #7 (40-21-2)

Langford starts off 1911 with a defense vs veteran warhorse Armstrong--the bout should be a routine win but Sam is looking to avenge a KO loss to Armstrong earlier in his career, back in 1906. Now 38, Armstrong is not expected to put up much resistance this time around.
Langford starts off well in round 1, causing puffiness around the right eye of the challenger. Langford goes on to dominate the early action, landing a devastating hook to put the challenger on the canvas in round 5. A second KD occurs later in the round and Armstrong barely survives. In round 6, more of the same as Armstrong is down again. Bob battles on for a few more rounds before another lightning strike ends it in the 9th. Langford by KO 9.

Sam Langford CH (35-5-1) vs Joe Jeannette #2 (30-1)

A long awaited title bout for Jeannette, who beat Langford (UD 10) in their only previous encounter. Both come into the fight with long unbeaten streaks: Langford has won 7 in a row and is unbeaten in his last 12, while Jeannette has won 13 in succession.
The challenger gets off to a good start in round 1 as both men are probing for openings. A big uppercut and piston-like jab score for the champ in the third, and swelling about the right eye of Jeannette is noticeable as he returns to his corner. A big overhand right in the next round connects for Langford, and Jeannette is on the canvas. Langford gets more aggressive, stalking his opponent, while Joe stays on the outside. More pressure from Langford leads to a strong round in the 6th. The challenger suffers a cut lip in the 7th. Round 9 Jeannette recovers by trying to outhit the champ, but Langford stays outside to avoid the more serious blows. Round 10 sees a slick Langford combination floor Jeannette, and Sam follows up with a second KD late in the round, which leads to a stoppage. Langford by TKO 10.

Sam Langford CH (36-5-1) vs Jack Johnson #1 (63-5-3)

A rematch of last year's title bout where Langford upset Johnson to win the crown. 2-1 lifetime edge for Johnson, who is a slight favorite to regain the crown.
Langford is the aggressor in early rounds, asserting himself to take the 3rd after two close opening stanzas. Both are content to stay outside as the bout enters the middle rounds. Johnson tries to be more aggressive in round 7 but Langford minimizes the damage. The Galveston Giant works the jab to take the 8th. In the 10th, it is Langford looking to land the heavy blows while Johnson shows signs of fatigue. The final rounds are close, but the Champ does well, remaining aggressive throughout. This is Johnson's last bout at prime. Langford retains Title by SD 15 (141-144, 144-140, 146-142).

Sam Langford CH (37-5-1) vs James Jeffries #3 (51-8-3)

Langford is back against ex-Champ Jeffries, who lost to Sam (UD 10) in a prior bout. Jeffries is at Post-Prime, so this makes Langford the clearcut favorite.
Langford is sharp from the opening bell, and Jeff looks vulnerable in the early going. Jeff works the inside, but Langford is able to land more punches that lead to swelling under the challenger's left eye by the end of the third. Jeffries struggles with his timing while Langford seems able to move and score at will. Heavy shots from the Champ force Jeff to cover up to survive in round 8. More heavy blows are landed in the 9th but a game Jeffries remains upright. Jeffries' eye is worse by the end of the 10th and Langford, who could coast the final rounds, elects not to, landing a vicious cross to put Jeffries down midway through round 11. A second KD late in the round ends it for Jeffries. Langford by KO 11.

Sam Langford CH (38-5-1) vs Jeff Clarke #7 (18-2-1)

Langford wraps up a busy 1911 with his fifth defense of the year against up and coming young Jeff "The Joplin Ghost" Clarke. Clarke has successive wins over Haines, Grim and Moir to earn the title shot after losing a bid for Jeannette's NABF crown in late 1910.
Both men start working from inside, and Langford staggers Clarke with an overhand right in an otherwise very close opening round. Both retreat to the outside for round two, and the champ lands a big left late in the round to force Clarke to cover up. Rounds 3 and 4 see Langford backing the challenger up, scoring well but no KDs. Langford looks confident as he coasts through the middle rounds, and Clarke is frustrated by his inability to land a big shot on the inside. Round 6 sees a cut opening over Langford's left eye, but some good corner work closes it. Round 7, Clarke targets the cut, but Langford targets Clarke. The cut is reopened in a good round for the challenger. Round 8 though sees Clarke walk into a Langford left hook, putting him down for a 7-count, and then Langford wastes no time in putting Clarke down twice more to wrap up the fight. Langford by TKO 8.

NABF: Only one defense by Jeannette, against the previously unbeaten Gunboat Smith, winner of 15 in a row at the start of his career. Jeannette wastes no time going to work in the opening round, and there is redness around Smith's right eye at the end of the round. Smith scores with a big hook in the fourth but otherwise it is the veteran Jeannette who schools the younger fighter, scoring two KDs in the 10th to end it. (KO 10)

USBA: Sam McVey defends versus ex-Champ Jack Johnson, who nails McVey with a flash KD in round one and goes on to dominate, opening a cut over McVey's right eye that leads to a late round stoppage (TKO 11). Johnson defends versus White Hope Frank Moran later in the year, dominating the bout with a strong jab where a game Moran has a few good moments, including a KD of Lil Arthur in the 7th. Jack comes back with a strong final two rounds to secure the UD 12 victory.

CBU: Tommy Burns claims the belt (vacated by Langford after he ascended to the WBA throne) with a TKO 6 over Aussie Bill Lang, scoring with a big overhand right that led to Lang's early demise. Burns then took on Brit William (Iron) Hague, scoring two KDs in the third for another early stoppage win (TKO 3). Finally, it was young Colin Bell of Australia, aka "The Moree Mountain," who was able to last the distance with Tommy but lacked the experience to do much more. Burns by UD 12.

GBU: Hague started off the year with the belt, but he lost it to Gunner Moir, who avenged a loss by DQ in late 1910 with a TKO 8 win as Hague as but early in the bout after having Moir down early. Moir then defended twice, versus Victor McLaglen, against whom he eked out a SD 12 verdict and then had a much easier time of it with a KO 8 win over TC Ray Farquahr.

mh2365 · 07-11-2006, 02:26 PM

good to see you back at it JC

mh2365 · 07-11-2006, 02:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JCWeb

Thanks, Lee, for the kind words in the prior post (imitation is the sincerest form of something or other). While I am only about one third of the way through the next year (1910) I am going to deviate from my usual practice of not reporting results until the end of the year due once again to a memorable bout, this one being a Middleweight title bout between two Hall of Famers ...

Background: Stanley Ketchel held the WBA Title in my Uni from late 1907 until early 1909 when he lost the title in a huge upset to Charles (Kid) McCoy. McCoy, who then entered End career stage, was dethroned in his next title bout by Billy Papke and, actually, retired after a loss to Ketchel and another loss in early 1910. Papke went on to defend twice in 1909 and had compiled an impressive 19-1 career mark by the end of the year, the only blemish on his record being a TKO loss to Ketchel. Ketchel, of course, was eager to regain the title. However, because Papke had enough bouts under his belt (20) to reach Prime career stage (versus Pre-Prime in the earlier bout) plus the fact that Ketchel was moving from Prime to Post starting in 1910 (his last year of fighting) and throw in the "defending champion" judging bias, everything about this rematch suggested Papke could well do much better than the first time around (a TKO 6 for Ketchel). Nonetheless, the betting public installed Ketchel as a slight favorite.

Records: Billy Papke (19-1) CH vs Stanley Ketchel (30-2) #1

Ketchel, as usual, came out full of fight and worked Papke on the inside while the champ tried to keep his distance. Papke then moved inside by round 3, initiating what turned out to be a huge Pier 6 brawl. The all-out war as predicted by many observers heated up in round 4 when a big left hand by Ketchel sent Papke reeling. Ketchel banged away at Papke's head and body, and in round 6 he put Papke down and the champ struggled to last the round. Ketchel remained in control as round 7 saw Papke in full retreat, trying to stay away from Ketchel's punishing blows. But wait, an unpleasant surprise was in store for the ex-Champ as Ketchel ran into a big right hand from Papke and went down. Ketchel was forced to cover up to survive the round. With the outcome now definitely up for grabs, both men came out looking to land a big knockout punch in round 8. The result was a great action round, and the combined weight of Ketchel's blows caused Papke's left eye to swell up. Finally, at the end of the round, Ketchel landed a clean shot that put Papke on the canvas for a 6-count. In round 10 it's all Ketchel as he hammered away from the inside, landing numberous body shots. Round 11 saw both men tiring, with Ketchel gaining the edge and carrying a points lead into the final rounds. Round 12 saw more problems for the champ as Ketchel opened a cut over Papke's right eye. Ketchel kept up the pressure in round 13, and midway through the 14th he had Papke down for the second time in the bout. Stanley Ketchel is not to be denied, as he regains the WBA MW crown with a UD 15 (146-136, 144-139, 145-137). This was a great action bout between two of the legends of the MW division.

Suprisingly enough it appears I am set for my first Ketchel-Papke bout in my uni also. Looks like it will happen in March of 1911

JCWeb · 07-11-2006, 02:52 PM

Division Profile:

Total Boxers: 136
Real-Life: 73
Tomato Can: 63

RL by Career Stage:
Beginning: 17 (11 new for 1912)
Pre: 30
Prime: 18
Post: 5
End: 3

Rated: 34
800+: 7
500+: 10
200+: 28

A word about what these numbers mean: "Rated" now refers to any boxer (RL or TC) with 15 or more bouts and a non-negative numerical rating in performance points (0 or greater). The career stage numbers refer only to real-life fighters whom I am obviously more interested in tracking than TCs.

Jan 1912 Top Ten Ratings (Perf Pts and changes from 1911 in parens):

Champ: Sam Langford 39-5-1 (30) (1437) (NC)
1. Jack Johnson 64-6-3 (50) (1269) (NC)
2. Joe Jeannette 31-2 (23) (1158) (NC)
3. Tommy Burns 36-7-3 (27) (1104) (+1)
4. Sam McVey 31-8-2 (21) (1036) (-1)
5. James Jeffries 51-9-3 (45) (997) (NC)
6. Denver Ed Martin 29-17-2 (24) (877) (+5)
7. Jeff Clarke 18-3-1 (15) (659) (+1)
8. Gunboat Smith 15-1 (10) (649) (new)
9. Frank Moran 17-5 (10) (594) (-3)
10. Al Kaufmann 24-8-1 (15) (470) (NC)

Comments: Everyone listed here at Prime except for Johnson and Jeffries who are at Post and Gunboat who is still at Pre. Langford has emerged as a dominant champ, defending five times in 1911 and piling up a very impressive performance points total. He has met and defeated about all the top contenders (except for Tommy Burns whom he lost to by DQ) and has not been defeated since 1908. Jeannette is probably is the second best right now, giving that aging is likely to take its toll on Johnson. Burns is still a factor, not having lost in his last 7 bouts (which include a draw with McVey). McVey has stumbled a bit, 1-1-1 in just three bouts in 1911. Denver Ed Martin's rollercoaster career continued on a upnote, as he won all three bouts including a win over LH champ O'Brien to move back into the Top 10. Clarke was overmatched with Langford but may be a strong contender for a lesser title. Smith needs more seasoning against better second-tier opposition. Moran's career suffered some setbacks with losses to Johnson and O'Brien. Kaufmann rebounded after an early year loss to McLaughlin to retain his Top 10 status. Dropping out of the Top 10 from 1911 were Bob Armstrong, 0-3 for the year (losses to Langford, Kaufmann and McVey) and, now at End career stage, he's unlikely to bounce back, and Aussie Bill Squires, who took a big nose dive all the way to #23 after losses to Tony Ross and Mike Schreck.

Other Notables: GBU Champ Gunner Moir checks in at #16 with a 20-12-3 (10) mark and 360 pp -- his only setback in 1911 was a UD 10 loss to Clarke. Joe Grim lurks outside the Top 10 at #11, coming off a close SD10 win over youngster Charley Miller. Miller is at #13, one spot below the fading Armstrong. Newcomer Jim Savage is at #14, having held Kaufmann to a draw. Aussie Colin Bell is 13-2 and rated #15 despite his loss to Burns for the CBU belt. Aging vet Marvin Hart is still mired well outside the top group at #22 and only 299 perf pts.

Prospects: Quite a few around, but none have distinguished themselves. Perhaps the top new guy to watch is Canadian Arthur Pelkey, who is 11-0 (6) but mostly versus TCs. Tom McMahon is 11-1-2 (4), his only loss to Soldier Kearns. Aussie Ern Waddy was 9-2 but then lost to Willie Meehan, another prospect. Still unbeaten at 9-0 (6) is Carl Morris, surviving a SD 8 win over Charles Horn, now he prepares to start 10-round bouts. Tom Cowler 7-0 (5) handed fellow Brit "Bandsman" Rice his only defeat. Harry Wills at 7-0 (6) may well be the best long-term prospect, having already secured wins over Al Benedict and Sailor Jack Carroll. Al Palzer is 7-0 (4) but all wins were versus TCs. Best of the remaining 1911 debutants was Irishman Jim Coffey at 5-0 (3), while Jess Willard got off to a 3-0 (2) start, but Luther McCarty won his first three all by KO, as did Germany's Otto Flint.

Retirements: John "Klondyke" Haines, a former Top 10 boxer, hung it up in 1911. His career numbers:

1899-1911 25-21-3 (12) No Titles highest rank: #7 (Jan 1907)

Looking Ahead: More quantity than quality among the division's newcomers for 1912, as Ireland's Bartley Madden and USA's Charley Weinert appear to be the best of the bunch. Look for a possible Langford-Burns WBA title match. The initial EBU heavyweight bout is probably a couple of years off, as possible contenders (like Otto Flint) need a couple of more years to develop and hone their skills.

JCWeb · 07-11-2006, 07:55 PM

LH Title Bouts in 1911

WBA:

Phila Jack O'Brien CH (50-5-3) vs George Gardner #2 (46-11-2)

This would be the 6th meeting of these two early century LH warriors; O'Brien has a 3-2 career edge, and a 3-1 edge in WBA title bouts. Most recent (1907) was a UD 15 for O'Brien.

A strong start by a in-form O'Brien as his clever defense and sharp counters prove too much for the aging Irish veteran, Gardner. By the start of round 5, there is significant swelling around Gardner's left eye as O'Brien's stinging blows are taking their toll. A frustrated Gardner goes for the quick KO in the 7th, only to be pummeled even further by the Champ. Gardner is starting to tire by the 10th and his swollen eye has become nothing more than a slit. A dominating win for O'Brien in what may prove to be Gardner's final shot at the World title belt. O'Brien by UD 15.

Phila Jack O'Brien (51-5-3) vs Jack Sullivan #4 (33-17)

O'Brien won (UD 12) in their only previous encounter. O'Brien is on a 5-bout win streak, four of those since returning to the LH division. "Twin" Sullivan is coming off a loss to Houck for the NABF title.

Close for the first couple of rounds, then the superior boxing skills of O'Brien begin to show, enabling the champ to build up a huge points lead. Swelling about the left eye further hampers the challenger. O'Brien evades an all-out attack by Sullivan in the 11th and hammers out a lopsided victory. O'Brien by UD 15.

(After this bout, O'Brien moves up to HW for his next two tilts as once again the competition in the LH division is not challenging enough for the long-time LH champ.)

NABF: Jack "Twin" Sullivan began the year as the titleholder, but lost it when he defended against Leo Houck. Sporadic fits of good action, Houck suffers swelling around right eye, but came on strong in middle and late rounds to take the crown via UD 12 (115-113 on all three cards). Houck defended against Fred Cooley and was dominating the bout when called for a flagrant foul (rabbit punching) in round 8 and Cooley was awarded the belt by a controversial win by DQ. Cooley then defended versus Jack "The Giant Killer" Dillon, the fighter who had just won Cooley's vacated USBA crown. Dillon followed in Cooley's footsteps, this time with far less controversy, scoring two KDs en route to a UD 12 in about where he survived a cut over the left eye. Dillon then took on Houck later in the year in a very. close exciting fight where Dillon was cut earlier, had the cut reopened, and Houck was called for foul that in the end cost him a point. Final result: a majority draw (114-114 on two cards, 115-113 Houck on the third) and Dillon barely hangs on to the belt.

USBA: John Wille and Jack Dillon square off for the belt vacated by Cooley when he took the NABF title from Houck. Dillon established the jab early to take the points lead, but Wille stunned the younger fighter with a big hook in round 5. Dillon tired noticeably, but battled to the end, putting Wille down in the last round to seal the victory (SD 12 for Dillon, by scores of 115-113, 116-113, 114-115) with a strong final two rounds. Dillon vacated the crown, leading to a matchup of veteran Charlie Haghey and young Bob McAllister for the vacant title. McAllister does well, seeking to reverse an earlier loss to Haghey, but in the 9th round he gets careless and Haghey nails him with a clean hook for the bout's only knockdown. Haghey goes on to win a close decision by MD 12 (114-112 on two cards, 113 all on the third).

CBU, GBU: TC Chuck Carrick continues to hold both these crowns, but only defends the GBU belt in 1911, which he retains with a KO 5 over fellow veteran TC Clifford Marvine.

EBU: George Gardner defended once, versus TC Carrick, and stepped up the pace after a slow start to put Carrick on the canvas twice in the 6th round, the second time for good. Gardner by KO 6.

JCWeb · 07-11-2006, 08:18 PM

Division Profile

Total Boxers: 52
Real-Life: 22
Tomato Cans: 30

RL By Career Stage:
Beginner: 8 (4 New in 1912)
Pre: 6
Prime: 3
Post: 4
End: 1

Rated: 15
800+: 2
500+: 9
200+: 14

Jan 1912 Rankings (Perf Pts and Changes from 1911 in Parens)

Champ: Phila Jack O'Brien 53-6-3 (27) (876) (NC)
1. George Gardner 49-12-2 (32) (916) (+1)
2. Leo Houck 28-8-4 (10) (741) (-1)
3. Jack Dillon 17-1-2 (13) (660) (+5)
4. Fred Cooley 24-11-1 (16) (651) (+2)
5. Georges Carpentier 15-0 (14) (644) (new)
6. Jack Sullivan 34-19 (17) (581) (-3)
7. Charlie Haghey 31-19-3 (23) (566) (-3)
8. Battling Levinsky 14-1 (9) (525) (new)
9. Bob McAllister 14-3 (10) (489) (new)
10. John Wille 34-11-3 (22) (487) (-5)

Comments: New talent arrives to replace three TCs in the top ten: CBU and GBU Champ Carrick, who drops 4 spots to #11, is now 26-21-1 (7) with 387 pp. TCs Newhart and Harmon drops four spots also to the #13 and #14 slots, respectively. O'Brien, who had 7 bouts in a row without a loss, moved up to take on two HWs, beating Frank Moran but losing to Denver Ed Martin which accounts for his big drop in the perf pts numbers. Gardner, who is at the End career stage, has won three in a row (versus Sullivan and 2 TCs) after losing his last title bout with O'Brien. Houck recovered from his upset loss to Cooley by defeating Haghey and drawing with Dillon for the NABF title. Dillon remains the top young talent, now at Prime at 20 bouts, with 9 wins and 2 draws since his sole loss back in 1909. Cooley, 2-1 for the year, remains high up in the ranks despite hitting Post-Prime career stage. In fact, of the Top list, only three (Houck, Dillon and Sullivan) will be at Prime heading into 1912, as O'Brien (likely to return to LH after his latest foray into the HW ranks proved unsuccessful) hits his retirement year. Haghey and Wille also hit Post-Prime in 1912 as well, so despite the new blood, the division is showing its age. Carpentier, top hope to succeed Gardner as EBU champ, won 14 in a row all by KO versus TC before stepping up to Wille, who took him the distance (UD in 10 rounds) for the first time. Levinsky's only loss was to McAllister, who seemed overmatched in his USBA title shot versus Haghey.

Other Notables: Howard Morrow debuts at #12, with a 12-3 (9) record, with losses to McAllister, Levinsky and TC Newhart via a DQ).

Prospects: Dave Smith of Australia has now won 14 straight, 13 by KO, to remain undefeated, and is a likely challenger for Carrick's CBU title in early 1912. From there he is expected to test the waters against some real-life fighters. Looking down the road, Brit Harry Reeve, 5-0 (3) all versus TCs, may have his eye on Carrick's GBU belt. Tommy Gibbons is off to a 4-0 (2) start, and Bob Sweeney is 3-0 (2).

Retirements: None in 1911. Gardner is expected to hang up the gloves some time in 1912.

Looking Ahead: Four new boxers enter the ranks in 1912, led by Battling Siki, a Senegalese who will fight in the European ranks.

JCWeb · 07-11-2006, 10:57 PM

Title Bouts for 1911

WBA Title Bouts

Cyclone Johnny Thompson CH (28-9) vs Billy Papke #1 (20-2-1)

Thompson puts his crown on the line against Papke, who beat him (KO 1) in their only prior bout. Papke, the NABF champ, is still ranked #1 despite being held to a draw by Frank Mantell in his last outing. Papke is a huge favorite.

Not much between the two in the opening salvos; Papke tries to crowd his opponent in rounds two and three, but the fight is still fairly close. Bout really opens up in round 4 and midway through Papke gets in a combination of blows which floors the Champ, and an overhand right scores a second KD but Papke can't finish. In round 5, Papke looks for the KO, staggering Thompson and an accumulation of blows leads to a stoppage late in the round. The Illinois Thunderbolt is once again the MW king. Papke by TKO 5.

Billy Papke CH (21-2-1) vs Hugo Kelly #6 (25-13-2)

Kelly, the European Champ, has an awkward style which chould pose problems for Papke -- both men are cautious in the early rounds, where there is alot of feinting but not much action. Papke works the inside, finally finding the range with a strong hook to domination action in the 4th. Papke tries to put away a stubborn Kelly in the 5th, but the Italian perserves despite some swelling around the left eye. In the middle rounds, Papke continues as the aggressor but Kelly's strong defensive showing is keeping the bout close. More sharp exchanges in the 11th and 12th, after which Papke is clearly running out of steam. Kelly makes a strong showing in the final two rounds to register an upset win. Kelly by MD 15 (144-143, 143-143, 144-143).

Hugo Kelly CH (26-13-2) vs Kid Locke #15 (25-15-4)

Kelly defends against his countryman, former WBA champ, Kid Locke. In three prior meetings, it's a win, draw and a loss for each.

Kelly starts out aggressive from the start, while Locke prefers a more laid back approach. The champ asserts himself to take the early lead with a strong third round. Locke comes back to move inside and take round 4. Kelly opens a cut above the left eye of the challenger in the 7th, but Locke retuns the favor, putting the leather to Kelly in round 8, after which Kelly's right eye starts swelling. The cut over Locke's eye is reopened in round 10, and Kelly clings to a slim lead in the final rounds. It's Hugo Kelly's last bout at Prime as he hangs on despite a valiant effort by Locke in the last three rounds. Kelly by UD 15 (142-141, 143-140, 143-140).

NABF: Papke vacated the belt after winning the WBA crown, and Bob Moha and Joe Thomas are matched up, Thomas having beaten Moha (UD 10) back in 1907. This time it is Moha who takes the early lead and hangs on for a SD 12 verdict. Moha then defends versus Sailor Burke, who is on target early, cutting Moha above the left eye, and the cut eventually leads to a stoppage. No KDs as Burke takes the crown via TKO 11 (cuts).

USBA: Walter Coffey begins 1911 with the belt which he risks against Wild Bill Fleming, who lands some big shots in round five en route to a MD 12 victory. Fleming defends versus Sailor Burke, whom he dominates with a knockdown in the 4th before putting the Sailor down for the count in round 7. Fleming gives Eddie McGoorty a shot at the belt, and McGoorty overcomes an early cut to dominate as Fleming has nothing left in the later rounds. McGoorty by TKO 9 (McGoorty was 0-5 in previous title fights coming in).

CBU: Canadian TC Will Carney starts out as Champ but loses the belt to Brit and fellow TC Quinton Wade via UD 12, and Wade prevails in a rematch later in the year.

GBU: Rick Rolfe continues the succession of TCs to wear this belt by downing Wade (TKO 1) and defending versus ex-champ, TC Arthur Nyland (UD 12).

EBU: German Frank Mantell started the year with the EBU belt, and took on Hugo Kelly (whom he defeated previously) in front of the hometown fans at the Ernst Merck Halle in Hamburg. Mantell started well, but Kelly gradually outboxed him, and a confused Mantell was unable to come from behind, being put on the canvas late in the bout. A lopsided UD 12 win for Kelly. Kelly vacated the belt after winning the WBA title, and Mantell stepped into the breach, easily dominating TC Rolfe (the new GBU beltholder), with a dominating UD 12 win, to regain the EBU Title.

JCWeb · 07-11-2006, 11:27 PM

Division Profile

Total Boxers: 115
Real Life: 55
Tomato Can: 60

RL by Career Stage:
Beginning: 10 (5 New)
Pre: 27
Prime: 14
Post: 2
End: 2

Rated: 27
800+: 5
500+: 13
200+: 23

Jan 1912 Rankings (Perf Pts and changes from 1911 in parens)

Champ: Hugo Kelly 27-13-2 (14) (824) (+8)
1. Frank Klaus 27-4-3 (14) (948) (+1)
2. Cyclone Johnny Thompson 29-10 (20) (891) (-2)
3. Billy Papke 22-3-1 (19) (823) (-2)
4. Stanley Ketchel 33-4-2 (30) (807) (-1)
5. Mike Gibbons 14-2-1 (7) (617) (new)
6. Al McCoy 14-2 (9) (610) (new)
7. George Brown 14-2 (11) (575) (new)
8. Eddie McGoorty 23-6 (20) (565) (-4)
9. Joe Thomas 17-8 (10) (559) (+3)
10. Bill Fleming 14-3-1 (7) (557) (new)

Comments: Quite a changing of the guard, as four new contenders emerge to claim spots in the Top 10. All four newcomers are at Pre, and Kelly (whose retirement year was 1912) will join Ketchel at Post while everyone else listed is at Prime. Kelly moved to the title despite not having the highest rating and has won four in a row, six in succession without a loss, with wins overs Mantell, Papke and Locke. Klaus registered a draw with Ketchel and remains highest rated despite no title bout in 1911. Cyclone Johnny bounced back from his title loss to Papke by downing Ketchel (UD 10). Ketchel's age is beginning to show, as he won only once in four outings (with two draws), that being a SD 10 over Billy Kramer. Gibbons lost to Klaus after wins over Carter, Rogers and Brennan propelled him to Top 10 status. McCoy's only loss of the year in five outings was to Joe Thomas, and he scored a big TKO 8 over Willie (KO) Brennan. George (KO) Brown also won 4 of 5, losing to Thomas while beating George Chip, Frank Craig, Buffalo Iron Man Al Rogers, and Frank Fields. McGoorty dropped in the ranks because of a TKO loss to Bob Moha, but he captured the USBA belt so things are looking up. Fleming had an up and down year, barely holding on to a Top 10 spot.

Other Notables: NABF Champ Sailor Burke dropped out of the Top 10 after a loss to Fleming, his record is now 25-8 (17) with 534 pps. EBU Champ Mantell dropped from #5 to #13 after being TKO'd in 8 by Papke, his record is at 19-5-3 (10) with 488 pp. Ireland's Paddy Levin, #6 last year, fell to #12. Billy Kramer, who defeated both Chip brothers (George and Joe) is ranked #14. Bob Moha is #15. George Chip debuts at #19, Al Rogers at #20. CBU Champ Quinton Wade is #24 with a 13-9-5 (1) mark and 156 pps. GBU Champ Rolfe (another TC) has negative pps and a 8-9-2 (1) mark and thus is not rated.

Prospects: Quite a few, but most remain untested. Jeff Smith is 12-0 (9), all versus TCs. Ditto for Jake Ahearn, at 11-0 (8). Albert "Buck" Crouse has been very impressive, with 9 wins in 9 bouts, all by KO, including wins versus three real-life boxers (Tommy Gavigan, Terry Mitchell, and Sailor Ed Petroskey). Aussie Les Darcy has won all seven of his bouts inside the distance. Joe Borrell has impressed, winning 6 bouts all by KO and all in four rounds or less. Willie KO Brennan was doing fine at 11-0 until he lost his last three, to Fleming, Gibbons, and McCoy, all now ranked in the Top 10.

Retirements: None in 1911 -- Frank Craig and Kid Carter are at End career stage and likely to hang up the gloves soon.

Looking Ahead: Look for Kelly to be severely tested in his next title bout, and for Jake Ahearn to eventually challenge for the GBU belt, and for Les Darcy to take over the CBU title from the TCs. It will be real interesting to see who among the four new Top 10 guys will succeed in winning title fights in the upcoming year. Top debutants in 1912 will be Happy Littleton of the USA and Australia's Mick King.

05-26-2006, 05:12 PM	#63
JCWeb Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 2,063	1910-Heavyweights Just concluded the action from 1910 in my uni and will start as usual with the HW Division. As a new feature, I will add some commentary on other than World title bouts as appropriate (which may make these reports a tad longer). Big news from the division was that a boxer who never got a World HW title shot in real life did so and thereby ascended to the WBA HW title. WBA Title Bouts Jack Johnson CH (59-4-3) vs Marvin Hart #22 (24-17-1) Unusual to see such a low-ranked boixer get a title shot, but Hart had won his last bout, held the title in real life, and there was a paucity of other viable contenders available the month Lil' Arthur's number came up. Jack Johnson had won two prior meetings by TKO and was looking to make it three in a row. Johnson piled up an early lead, and Hart started defensively but became more aggressive as he fell behind on points. Jack was called for a low blow in the 5th but staggered Hart who remained upright to last the round. Hart was cut in round 7, then totally dominated by Johnson in the 8th and 9th. The 9th proved decisive as a barrage of blows floored Hart, and not much later the ref moved to stop the bout. Johnson by TKO 9. Jack Johnson CH (60-4-3) vs Al Kaufmann #10 (23-6) Johnson picks journeyman fringe contender Kaufmann for his next opponent, and once again he's the heavy favorite. In round 2 the challenger scores with a strong uppercut, and Johnson is forced to cover up to avoid further damage. Kaufmann also holds his own in round 5, a good action round. Both are on the inside in the 6th and Johnson connects with a big right hand to take the round. Johnson steps it up in rounds 7 and 8 as he repeatedly catches a flat-footed Kaufmann. The end comes in the 12th when a game but tired challenger is floored with a right hook, and staggers to his feet only to have the bout halted shortly thereafter. Johnson by TKO 12. Jack Johnson CH (61-4-3) vs Sam Langford #2 (33-5-1) This is Johnson's first defense against a top-line contender since the Burns and O'Brien bouts a year ago. Langford had lost a SD 15 to Jack for the title in 1907 and had been clamoring for a rematch. Langford moved to the inside from the start, crowding the champ -- a strong first round for the Boston Tar Baby. Round 2 Johnson works outside, but Langford shows good ring movement and again comes out on top. Langford continues to control the bout in the third through fifth rounds, and it becomes apparent that the champ is not in the best condition for this defense. Johnson, trailing, becomes more aggressive and more frustrated as the bout goes on. Langford continues to pile up the points and is able to coast to a surprisingly easy UD 15 verdict. (146-138, 147-139, 148-136) NABF: Four NABF title bouts in 1910. James Jeffries defends versus Sam McVey, whom he had beaten once before. This time it was different as McVey opened a cut above Jeff's left eye in round 2, and then after surviving a KD by Jeff that put him down for a 6-count in round 4, managed to reopen the cut which led to a 7th round TKO. McVey then defended versus Frank Moran, where he got off to a great start and his superior boxing skills led to a lopsided UD 12 verdict. Then next up was Joe Jeannette, with whom he had split two earlier bouts (one of which was Jeannette's only loss so far), and Jeannette boxed well to take an early lead, McVey moved inside to try to launch a comeback, but was foiled by a big hook from Jeannette in the hard-fought 7th round. Jeannette went on to register a fairly comfortable but close UD 12 win. Late in the year Joe defended versus Jeff "Joplin Ghost" Clarke, who was making his first appearance in a title bout. Jeannette established his jab early to take the points lead and cause swelling on Clarke's face. Clarke was also suffering from a cut eye as well, but Jeannette's face was also bruised about the right eye. Jeannette drilled the challenger with a solid combo for the bout's only KD in round 8 en route to a comfortable UD 12 win. USBA: Four title bouts here also. Jeannette started the year as champ, and defended versus aging vet Bob Armstrong who he easily disposed of with a KO 1. Jeannette vacated the crown and two veterans, Joe Grim and Denver Ed Martin, fought for the vacant title. In their first meeting, the result was a draw and a rematch was order two months later. This time Grim prevailed by a SD 12 as a late surge by Martin fell short. Late in the yeat Grim defended against two-time former USBA champ McVey, who prevailed after an intense struggle where both men suffeered bruising and swelling about the right eye (and McVey's corner had to deal with a cut). McVey by UD 12 to take the USBA belt for the third time. CBU: Tommy Burns defended versus Langford in a marquee matchup where both men had their moments, but the key blow was a Langford uppercut which floored Burns in the 12th and the scorecards showed a lopsided UD 12 win for Langford. Then Sam defended versus Englishman Gunner Moir, a bout he dominated and where Moir suffered from a cut and swelling. TKO 7 (cut) win for Langford. Of course, the CBU Belt will be up for grabs in early 1911 after Langford's surprise win over Johnson for the WBA crown. GBU: William Hague defended twice, first against Victor McLaglen, in a good action fight where neither man was shy about mixing it up. Result was a MD 12 for Hague (116-112, 114 all, 116-112). Next up was Moir, who surprised Hague with a KD in the 2nd but "Iron" Hague came back to put Moir on the canvas with a wicked cross in the 9th. The bout ended abruptly in the 10th when Moir was DQ'ed for a low blow. Hague WF 10. It was Moir's fourth try for the British title belt, all of them unsuccessful. Jan 1911 Rankings (Perf Pts and change from prior year in parens) Champ: Sam Langford 34-5-1 (26) (1217) (up 5) 1. Jack Johnson 61-5-3 (48) (1216) (down 1) 2. Joe Jeannette 30-1 (22) (1174) (up 1) 3. Sam McVey 30-7-1 (20) (1039) (up 3) 4. Tommy Burns 32-7-2 (25) (1027) (NC) 5. James Jeffries 48-8-3 (42) (970) (down 4) 6. Frank Moran 15-3 (9) (573) (new) 7. Bob Armstrong 40-21-2 (33) (573) (NC) 8. Jeff Clarke 15-2-1 (12) (568) (new) 9. Bill Squires 21-16 (16) (489) (up 3) 10. Al Kaufmann 23-7 (15) (478) (down 1) Comments: Of the Top 10, all at Prime except for Jeff and Armstrong (at Post) and newcomers Moran and Clarke who are still at Pre. Langford who has won 6 in a row and is 10-0-1 in his last 11 bouts, may be on a collision course with Jeannette, who has won 13 straight. McVey is also on the upsurge winning 4 of 5 bouts in 1910. Burns is still holding his own but may be a cut below the top contenders. Jeff is beginning to show his age, losing his only two tilts in 1910. Moran and Clarke advanced to the elite group but both faltered when given their initial title shots. Squires moved up by winning 4 of 5 bouts, all by KO, versus Hague, Palmer, Jim Johnson and Porky Flynn. Dropping out from last year were O'Brien (ranked 2, returned to LH ranks), Barry (was #8, lost to Haines and McLaglen) and Denver Ed Martin, who narrowed failed to snare a lesser title when he lost the USBA belt clash with Grim. British champ "Iron" Hague is rated 13th, with a 12-4 (9) mark, and 419 pp. Prospects: Gunboat Smith is now 11-0 (8), going 5-0 for the year but his only non-TC opponent was Charley Miller. Denver Jack Geyer won four in a row, including a KO win over Andy Morris, which is Morris' only loss. Tom McMahon is still unbeaten at 8-0-1 (4), albeit all versus TCs. Successful debuts in 1910 were registered by Charles Horn (6-0 with 3 KOs), Arthur Pelkey (6-0 with 2 KOs), Bandsman Dick Rice (5-0 with 3 KOs). Noteworthy was the 5-0 start by Carl Morris, all by KO. Al Benedict is now 4-0, and Brits Tom Cowler and Bombadier Billy Wells are both 3-0. Looking Ahead: Two all-time greats, Jess Willard and Harry Wills, join the HW ranks in 1911 along with the ill-fated Luther McCarty. More great white hopes will also swell the ranks. Division Profile: 121 total boxers, 63 real-life and 58 TCs RL by career stage: End: 2 (Haines and Palmer), Post-Prime: 6, Prime: 14, Pre-Prime: 25, Beginner: 16 (including 12 new for 1911). Rated: 31 800+: 6 500+: 9 200+: 24 NOTE: I made a slight recent change in how I do my rankings. I pumped the default minimum bout value up from 10 to 12, but what I report here is for those with 15 or more bouts, with the sole exception of where a boxer has won some kind of a title belt before his 15th bout, in which case that boxer will be rated as well. (As I get further along and more bouts, I expect to up the minimum bout value to 15 across the board but right now I need to allow for these types of exceptions.) Top TC is #29 Chris Bridger (AUS) at 12-10-1 (3) (37 pp). Retirements in 1910: None Last edited by JCWeb; 05-27-2006 at 01:29 PM.

05-27-2006, 02:20 AM	#64
Romdawg88 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Belle Glade, FL Posts: 4,182	Good stuff as always JC, must say I'm shocked that Sam beat Johnson so easily.I've got a feeling that a rematch won't go quite so easy for Sam. On a slightly different note, I would to see a fighter nowadays try and get away with a nickname like Boston Tar Baby, Jesse Jackson head would be probably explode. __________________ Romy "Iceman" Alvarez First TBCB Forum Tournament Champion, 10-6 (5). IBL: 13 - 4 (7) Henry Armstrong > You.

05-27-2006, 02:32 PM	#65
JCWeb Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 2,063	1910-Light Heavyweights Thanks, Romy. I believe Johnson may have been at a lower conditioning level for the Langford fight which may have contributed to his poor (based on his rating level) performance. It will be interesting to see if it's he or Jeannette who gets the first crack at Langford in 1911. Now, on to the Light Heavyweights where the major storyline in 1910 was the return to the division of Philadelphia Jack O'Brien, a three-time WBA champ at Light Heavyweight (in addition to holding the HW crown for about a year). WBA Title Fights George Gardner CH (43-10-2) vs Leo Houck #1 (24-5-3) Houck is given a real shot at capturing the WBA crown here, as he is going against an aging champion in Gardner. Their only prior meeting in 1908 was a 10-round draw, back when Gardner was still in his Prime and Houck was much younger and less experienced. Houck moves on top in round 3, staggering the champ with a good straight right hand. Gardner responded by trying to outmuscle the challenger on the inside. Round 7 saw matters get worse for the Champ as he was cut on the forehead. The wiry Houck extended his points advantage by working well on the outside and the inside. The cut was reopened in the 9th and in the 10th it was all Gardner could do to cover up and hang on versus Houck's barrage. It looked like the title belt was about to change hands when Houck was called for a flagrant low blow at the start of round 14 which resulted in his disqualification. A quick check of the cards showed Houck was well ahead on all three. Gardner by WDQ 14. Rematch: G Gardner CH (44-10-2) vs Houck #1 (24-6-3) After the dissatisfying ending to the prior bout, Houck was granted an immediate rematch three months later. This time both men were content to trade blows from long range for the first few rounds, then Gardner moved inside, scoring with a big uppercut in round 5 that stuns Houck. Round 7 saw both men working inside with Houck gradually gaining the upper hand. Gardner then runs out of gas in the later rounds, mirroring the previous bout in which Houck carried the points lead to later rounds. This time there is no foul and no comeback by Gardner. Houck wins Title by UD 15 (145-139, 145-139, 144-140). Leo Houck CH (25-6-3) vs Phila Jack O'Brien #1 (48-5-3) One tune-up win and O'Brien is installed as the #1 contender and strong favorite to regain the LH crown for the fourth time. O'Brien won both prior meetings, but that was before Houck reached the Prime career stage. Both keep their distance early, probing for openings but neither can build a lead. In Round 4, Houck moves inside and O'Brien defends well, but sustains some swelling around his right eye. Houck gets more aggressive in the middle rounds, but O'Brien is content to pile up a points lead by staying on the outside. Round 11 sees the Champ mount a bit of a comeback by targeting O'Brien's right eye to take the round against the ultra-defensive O'Brien. Houck tries hard in the later rounds, but O'Brien thwarts his every effort and wins the title. O'Brien by MD 15 (144-142, 143-143, 145-141) Phila Jack O'Brien CH (49-5-3) vs Fred Cooley #5 (22-9-1) Cooley, a "1" rated boxer, gets a WBA title shot as the newly-crowned USBA champion (see below). This is the first meeting of the two, and it turns out to be as predicted, a one-sided blowout win for O'Brien. Cooley develops swelling after just three rounds and the bout is mercifully halted in the 6th. There were no KDs, however, as Cooley at least managed to stay on his feet the whole time. O'Brien by TKO 6. NABF: Title was vacated by Houck once he secured the WBA belt from Gardner and Jack "Twin" Sullivan and TC Hank Newhart faced off in October for the vacant crown. Newhart had his moments early in the bout (particularly round 4 when he stunned Sullivan with a short hook) but in the end it was a dominant UD 12 win for Sullivan. USBA: Three bouts in 1910 resulted in three different new champs as the belt got passed around a bit. First Jack "Twin" Sullivan defended against Charlie Haghey in their 7th (!) career meeting, and despite a 5-1 career edge for Sullivan, it was time for Haghey to shine as he decked the Twin with a big hook in the 7th and again in the 8th en route to a TKO 10 to take the title. Then Haghey was forced to defend versus John Wille, a fighter with a career 2-0-1 mark versus Haghey. Wille dominated from the start in a good action fight where the two sluggers really mixed it up. Bout ended with a KO 7 result for Wille. Wille then defended against lightly regarded Fred Cooley, who earned his first title shot despite a loss to Jack Dillon earlier in the year. Wille had Cooley down in the second, and stunned him early in the 7th. However, he could not finish the game challenger who then came back to win with a shock knockout blow in the 11th. Cooley by KO 11. CBU: TC Chuck Carrick defended once, visiting Canada to defeat hometown favorite and fellow TC Paul Healey via UD 12. Carrick did not defend his GBU belt in 1910, due to lack of suitable contenders. EBU: After remaining dormant for two years, Irishman George Gardner (having lost his WBA Title earlier in the year) returned to best Carrick winning by a TKO 9 (stoppage on cuts). Jan 1911 Rankings (Perf Pts and change from prior year in parens) Champ Phila Jack O'Brien 50-5-3 (27) (1175) (was #2 in HW) 1. Leo Houck 26-7-3 (10) (895) (NC) 2. George Gardner 46-11-2 (30) (889) (down 2) 3. Jack Sullivan 33-16 (16) (683) (NC) 4. Charlie Haghey 29-17-3 (23) (599) (NC) 5. John Wille 31-9-3 (19) (493) (NC) 6. Fred Cooley 22-10-1 (16) (466) (up 1) 7. Chuck Carrick 25-19-1 (6) (465) (down 2) 8. Jack Dillon 13-1-1 (11) (new) (442) (new) 9. Hank Newhart 10-8 (2) (100) (NC) 10. *Lee Harmon 21-23 (6) (87) (down 2) Comments: O'Brien, who is now riding a four-match win streak, is back on top in the LH division and has one more good year before reaching his retirement year in 1912. Houck had an up and down year, while Gardner lost his title and is in decline (Post-Prime career stage). Cooley -- the big surprise of 1910 by rising to #5 after his upset US title win -- also hits Post-Prime in 1911, as that was his final year IRL. Best bet to succeed O'Brien as champ is Jack "The Giant Killer" Dillon, who is still at Pre-Prime and, despite wins over Cooley and McAllister, had his surge to the top derailed when he could only manage a draw with Haghey. Carrick still remains a force and is the top-rated TC in this still relatively thin division as far as real-life talent is concerned. Dropping out of the Top Ten in 1910 were #6 Jack Root (retired) and TC Clifford Marvine, who went 0-2 on the year and dropped from #10 to #12 (the worst of the rated boxers). Prospects: Fortunately, the newer talent in the division looks quite promising. Frenchman Georges Carpentier is perfect in his 11 bouts thus far (all versus TCs, of course) registering 11 wins and 11 KOs. He looks to be at least a future contender for the EBU crown (in real life he was European title holder in four of the classic eight weight classes, from WW up through HW). Aussie Dave Smith is similarly perfect with a 9-0 (9) mark, and he could be a future CBU title holder down the road. American boxers are also making a mark. Real-life future champ Battling Levinsky is 8-0 (3), whereas Bob McAllister at 9-1 (6) has only lost to Dillon and Howard Morrow at 10-1 (7) has only lost to McAllister. Looking Ahead: Expect to see O'Brien hold off the contenders for another year or two until he reaches Post-Prime. Sullivan is probably in line for a title shot soon, and Dillon needs to move up and at least claim a lesser title before challenging for the World belt. Carpentier, though still very young, may soon be ready to contend for the EBU title as the top-level talent is still very thin in this division. Help will be on the way in 1911, however, as five boxers make a debut, led by Tommy Gibbons, and including Bob "KO" Sweeney and a Brit, Harry Reeve, who might be in a position to end the TC dominance of the GBU title picture. Division Profile: 47 total boxers, 18 real-life and 27 TCs RL by Career Stage: End-0 Post-2 (Gardner and Cooley) Prime-5 (all these guys are in the Top 10) Pre-6 (includes Dillon who is Top 10) Beginner-5 (all 5 newcomers in 1911) Rated: only 13 800+: 3 500+: 5 200+: 9 Retirement: Jack Root (USA) 1897-1910 34-17-1 (25) WBA Champ (briefly in 1905)

05-28-2006, 03:09 PM	#66
JCWeb Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 2,063	1910-Middleweights Big storyline in the MW Division from 1910 was, as previously chronicled here, the return of Stanley Ketchel as the WBA champ but then there was the emergence of a surprise new champ by year's end. WBA Title Bouts Papke vs Ketchel -- see post #62 above for a description of the bout -- Ketchel by UD 15 to regain Title Stanley Ketchel CH (31-2) vs Hugo Kelly #7 (23-12) Ketchel defends against the Italian, Kelly, against whom (like almost everyone else) he holds a KO win. Ketchel, ever the aggressor, comes out strong but slick defense by the challenger wins round 1. The Michigan Assassin takes round 2 and then lauches an all-out assault for a KO win. Despite a strong uppercut by the Champ near the end of round 3, Kelly remains standing. Kelly is forced to give ground again in round 4 but holds his own. Ketchel shifts tactics to fight outside in the 5th and it works, as a powerful hook floors Kelly just 30 seconds into the round. Ketchel by KO 5. Stanley Ketchel CH (32-2) vs Cyclone Johnny Thompson #3 (26-9) Ketchel enters into this defense with confidence, having thrashed Thompson with KO wins in the first and second in two prior meetings, but Thompson has won six in a row since the last loss and Ketchel of course has hit the Post-Prime career stage. Thompson makes a good start, holding off Ketchel's opening surge in round 1 and winning the 2nd. Bout turns into a classic slugger versus boxer matchup: Ketchel presses forward, stunning Thompson with a strong right near the end of round 4. Ketchel is able to land but not put Thompson away like he did in the earlier two bouts. A key moment occurs in round 7 when Ketchel sustains a cut over his left eye, and Thompson thens targets the cut for much of the rest of the bout. Ketchel, behind on the scorecards as well, digs deep and lands a huge right cross to score the bout's first KD near the end of the 10th. Thompson, battered, shows some swelling developing around his right eye as the bout enters the late rounds. In round 14, the cut above Ketchel's eye is reopened and the bout is stopped. It's a controversial call, as it turns out Ketchel was ahead on 2 of the 3 scorecards after 13. Cyclone Johnny Thompson is the surprise new champion by a TKO 14 (cuts). Cyclone Johnny Thomson CH (27-9) vs Paddy Levin #5 (23-6-1) Despite the loss of his EBU crown, Levin gets a WBA title shot as other higher rated contenders are unavailable. Levin likes his chances, though, having defeated Cyclone Johnny (UD 10) in a previous matchup in 1906. Lots of action in round 1 but neither man takes control. Both work outside in the second, where the action favors the champ. Round three sees Levin move more to the inside, and more good action. In round 5 Levin's blows cause some swelling around the left eye of the champ. Thompson then moves inside in round 6 but Levin is consistenly getting off first. Round 7 also goes the way of the Irish challenger. In round 8, Cyclone Johnny bulls his way forward, Levin's knees are buckled, and the challenger is forced to retreat. A roundhouse punch in round 9 floors Levin for a 7-count, and Paddy must cover up to survive. In round 10, both men are looking for the KO punch and Thompson gets there first, scoring a second KD of Levin, who is pummeled for the rest of the round and sustains a cut above the right eye. Levin is patched up for the 11th but the cut is reopened a round later. A great effort by both men results in a stoppage on cuts win by the champ with just one minute left in the bout. Thompson by TKO 15 (cuts). NABF: Frank Klaus who has held the belt since 1906 starts off with a defense versus Eddie McGoorty (Klaus comes into the bout with 7 wins and a draw since his most recent loss to Ketchel in 1908). Klaus is nailed by a McGoorty hook in round 3 for the bout's first KD, but Klaus recovers to hammer the challenger in the 5th, and swelling about the eye of McGoorty bothers him as Klaus registers a SD 12 win, securing the victory with a strong 12th round effort. Klaus then defends versus Walter Coffey, establishing control early and dominating in later rounds after the challenger was cut above the left eye and visibly tired. Easy UD 12 win for Klaus in his 12th defensive of the NA crown. Then, in a memorable bout, Klaus defended versus ex-WBA champ Billy Papke, who had recovered from his loss to Ketchel earlier in the year. Papke dropped Klaus for a 8-count in the 5th, then Klaus came back to stun Papke in the 7th with a hook, then floored him with a late round barrage of punches. The bout was close and tense into the final rounds when Papke came on strong in the 11th with a second KD of Klaus and finished him near the end of the round. Papke by KO 11. USBA: Title was vacated by Ketchel (who won WBA crown) going into the year and Cyclone Johnny Thompson fought "Wild Bill" Fleming, a relative newcomer, for the vacant crown. Fleming was the early aggressor and looked sharp, stunning Thompson in round 6 and also causing some swelling to occur. But Cyclone Johnny clawed his way back, registered a big round 9 that resulted in a stoppage but there were no KDs. Like Ketchel before him, Thompson went on to claim the WBA belt and another bout for the vacant title was arranged. This time it was Walter Coffey against Joe Thomas, both competing for their first title of any kind. Coffey, who had won the only previous bout, was aggressive early, nailing Thomas with a huge shot in the 3rd and generally dominating until a TKO 8 stoppage to claim the vacant crown. CBU/GBU: Both titles still the province of TCs, as Canadian Will Carney became the Commonwealth champ and defended twice, and Brit Quinton Wade successfully defended the GBU belt once. EBU: Paddy Levin began as European champ but ran into a tough challenger in Kid Locke, a former WBA champ. Levin was cut over the left eye in the 8th, as a high punch count took its toll on both men. Levin launched a comeback in the late rounds but when the cut above his eye reopened in round 11 the bout was stopped and Locke was the new EBU champ. Locke defended against German Frank Mantell (the two had fought to a 10-round draw earlier in 1910). A close bout tipped in the challenger's favor as Mantell caused Locke's eye to start swelling after round 5. Mantell continued to dominate despite a cut above his right eye. Mantell by UD 12 to take the EBU crown. Jan. 1911 Rankings (Perf Pts and Changes from Prior Year in parens): Champ: Cyclone Johnny Thompson 28-9 (20) (879) (up 5) 1. Billy Papke 20-2 (17) (958) (-1) 2. Frank Klaus 26-4-2 (14) (890) (NC) 3. Stanley Ketchel 32-3 (30) (832) (-2) 4. Eddie McGoorty 21-5 (18) (670) (+2) 5. Frank Mantell 18-3-1 (10) (543) (+3) 6. Paddy Levin 23-7-1 (11) (533) (-3) 7. Kid Locke 24-14-3 (6) (519) (+3) 8. Hugo Kelly 23-13-2 (13) (488) (+7) 9. Walter Coffey 19-7 (11) (487) (+5) 10. Sailor Burke 21-7 (13) (470) (+1) Comments: Everyone in the Top 10 is at Prime career stage except for Ketchel, who must labor on in Post-Prime condition which may make it difficult for him to retake the title. Thompson has now won 9 in a row, but the top two contenders (Papke and Klaus) sill have higher Perf Pts numbers. McGoorty is still near the top despite a title by virtue of wins over Fields (KO 5) and Mantell (UD 10). Dropping out of the Top 10 were Kid McCoy (#4 in 1909, retired in 1910); Frank Fields (dropped from #7 to #13 with losses to McGoorty and Kelly); and Billy Kramer (down 2 from #9 to #11 after losses to Coffey and Buffalo Iron Man Al Rogers). Kelly moved up after defeating McCoy in the latter's farewell bout and then held his own in draws with Bob Moha and Locke. Coffey defeated Kramer and vet Frank Craig in addition to annexing the USBA belt. Burke was 3-1 on the year, downing Moha and "Kid" Carter. Top-ranked TCs are the CBU champ, Will Carney, who checks in at #18 at 18-13-1 (5) and 216 pps followed at #19 by the GBU champ, Quinton Wade, at 10-8-5 (1) with 32 pps. Prospects: The MW divison has had perhaps the largest influx of new talent in the past two years compared to any other, so there are prospects-a-plenty. Bill Fleming, who challenged for the USBA crown, is 12-1 (6), with three in a row over Burke, George Chip and Willie "KO" Brennan. Brennan had won his first 11, 10 by KO, before his TKO loss to Fleming. Ditto for Chip, who stands at 11-1 (8). Buffalo Iron Man Al Rogers is now 11-2 (8) after defeating Kramer but losing to Joe Thomas. Mike Gibbons is 11-1 (7), his only loss by MD10 to Kramer but he bounced back with a TKO 1 over previously unbeaten Al McCoy, who now is 10-1 (7). KO Brown was also a perfect 10-0 before losing by TKO to Brennan. Among the more recent crop, Jake Ahearn of UK is 7-0 (5), all versus TCs, as is Jack McCarron, who has a win over Terry Mitchell. Aussie Jeff Smith is 6-0 (5), also versus TCs. Buck Crouse is a perfect 4-0, all by KO. Aussie great Les Darcy has commenced his career with 2-0 KO wins as well. Looking Ahead: The future looks bright, and expect to see the CBU and GBU crowns to be handed off by the TC incumbents to some of these newer MW prospects in the next few years. Ketchel, dominant a few years back, will have trouble holding his own against such a vibrant, youthful group of talented fighters as he continues to age. There will be another 10 newcomers to the division in 1911, all but one (Gus Platts of the UK) of which are US fighters, including Joe Borrwll, Eddie Revoire, George Robinson and Johnny Wilson. . Division Profile: 105 total boxers, 50 real-life and 55 TCs RL by Career Stage: Post-3 (Ketchel, Carter and Craig); Prime-13; Pre-14; Beginner-20 (including 10 New in 1911) Rated: 21 800+: 4 500+: 7 200+: 19 Retirement: Charles (Kid) McCoy (USA) 1891-1910 54-17 (46) four-time WBA Champ

05-29-2006, 01:51 PM	#67
JCWeb Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 2,063	1910-Welterweights Storyline here was a continuation of the changing of the guard at the top of the division, with Jack Britton's continued dominance as WBC Champ along with the emergence of Packey McFarland and Waldemar Holberg as likely stars of the future, while the "Old Guard" (guys like Walcott and Gans) are reaching the twilight of their careers. WBA Title Fights Jack Britton CH (21-3) vs Johnny Summers #4 (27-8-2) Britton travels to London to take on the CBU/GBU champ, Summers. The Boxing Marvel took charge early, as his accurate long range bombs caused swelling around the challenger's right eye as early as round 3. A ferocious uppercut by Summers rocked the champ in round 5, but Britton successfully covered up and stayed on his feet. Britton re-established control of the bout in rounds 6 and 7, using superior ring movement. Summers launched an assault in the 8th and 9th but Britton held him off and went on to dominate in a huge 10th round. In the late rounds Summers did not give up, nailing the champ with a strong uppercut in the 11th, but Britton came right back to open a cut over the challenger with another strong round in the 12th. Summers had run out of gas by the late rounds and Britton scored an easy win. No KDs. Britton by UD 15. Jack Britton CH (22-3) vs Kyle Whitney #13 (17-3-1) Britton dips down the ranks of challengers to take on Whitney, a deserving contender on the verge of reaching the top echelon of the division. First meeting of the two. After a close round one, Britton dominates from outside in round 2. Whitney counters by trying to work inside, but great defense by the Boxing Marvel prevents this. The champ's blows staggered Whitney in round 4, and he had a huge points lead already after the first five rounds. By the 7th the sting was already gone from Whitney's punches, and Britton coasted to another easy win in a bout with no knockdowns. Britton by UD 15. Jack Britton CH (23-3) vs Young Peter Jackson #1 (45-9-2) Britton defends against the top-ranked contender, Jackson, winner of his last four bouts, while the Champ was one a 7-bout win streak. Jackson's most recent loss was a TKO loss in his only prior bout with Britton. Jackson charged out to try to work from the inside but ran into a strong Britton cross, round one clearly went the champ's way. Round 2 the tide shifted to the challenger who floored Britton with a strong shot. Jackson continued as the aggressor for the initial rounds, with Britton managing to avoid most of the heavy leather. The two went toe-to-toe for some good action in the 6th, and in round 8 it was Britton who sent Jackson to the canvas as well as causing some swelling about the challenger's left eye. The champ seemed to get stronger and stronger as the bout went on, but the veteran Jackson did not go away, rallying in the bout's final round to drop Britton for the second time as the champ got careless. That late effort secured a draw and possible rematch for the challenger. Britton is fortunate to retain his title by Majority Draw (139-143 for Jackson, 141-141, 141-141). NABF: Mike "Twin" Sullivan tried to shake off several months of ring rust when he defended agains top prospect Packey McFarland, who came into the bout with an excellent 14-0-1 mark. The dangerous McFarland was the aggressor in the early rounds, fighting mostly on the inside but Sullivan used some slick defense to avoid any lasting damage. In round 8 McFarland launched a whirlwind attack which put the Twin on the canvas, and after that Sullivan tired noticeably, and a second KD in the 10th finished him. McFarland took the title by KO 10. Later in the year McFarland showed his mettle by defending against former World Champ Dixie Kid and Packey ended it early when the Kid got careless in round 2. This led to 2 KDs by McFarland in the round, the second of which was lights out for the Kid. McFarland by KO 2 to keep the NABF title and an unbeaten record. USBA: Young Peter Jackson made two defenses during the year, first against Kid Graves where his vastly superior experience overwhelmed the young challenger, resulting in a TKO 6 win. Next up was veteran journeyman Dave Deshler, fighting in his first title bout of any kind, and once again it was an early exit as Jackson won by TKO 3 to set up the title clash with Britton. CBU: Brit Johnny Summers defended once, versus TC Mark Ringell, registering a TKO 3 win in a one-sided bout. GBU: Summers defended versus Young Joseph, earning a UD 12 win in a close, hard-fought bout with no KDs. Summers then vacated the crown in searh of bigger and better things and Joseph met Arthur Evernden for the vacant title. Joseph started well but the younger Evernden rallied to make it close. Joseph by MD 12. EBU: Jimmy Gardner of Ireland, the only EBU WW champ since the belt was first awarded in 1906, made three defenses in 1910. First up was Evernden, the hard-hitting Brit whom Gardner dominated for a UD 12, aided by an early KD. Then it was the Dane, Dick Nelson, who hoped for better than in his TKO 7 loss in 1906 but again it was Gardner who dominated, reigning blow after blow for an 8th round stoppage. Finally, a younger Dane, Waldemar Holberg, was Gardner's next challenger, and surprisingly the more experienced Gardner tired early in a tight bout that Holberg won with a strong final round. Waldemar Holberg becomes the new EBU champion by MD 12 (115-113, 114-114, 115-113). Jan. 1911 Rankings (Perf Pts and changes from 1910 in parens): Champ: Jack Britton 23-3-1 (12) (1045) (NC) 1. Young Peter Jackson 45-9-3 (32) (927) (+1) 2. Packey McFarland 17-0-1 (13) (908) (new) 3. Dixie Kid 35-10-2 (16) (857) (+1) 4. Mike Sullivan 29-11-3 (16) (784) (-3) 5. Willie Lewis 28-13 (17) (778) (+3) 6. Waldemar Holberg 15-1 (9) (757) (new) 7. Johnny Summers 28-11-2 (14) (719) (-4) 8. Honey Mellody 28-10-1 (9) (708) (+4) 9. Dick Nelson 23-8-1 (17) (675) (+1) 10. Joe Walcott 62-21-2 (21) (659) (-4) Comments: Everyone in this group is at Prime except newcomers McFarland and Holberg (both at Pre) and aging vet Walcott (at Post-Prime). Britton is on an 8-bout unbeaten streak, Jackson on a 5-bout unbeaten streak, and negotiations are underway for a title rematch. Top prospects McFarland and Holberg registered huge breakthroughs, each winning a lesser title before hitting the Prime career stage. McFarland has won 6 in a row and Holberg 5, the Dane's only loss coming by way of a DQ against fellow Dane, Dick Nelson. Mellody moved back into the Top 10 with wins over Gardner, Connolly and Queenan. Dropping out of the list from Jan. 1910 were Rube Ferns (former #5), who retired; Joe Gans (former #9), who lost three more in succession to drop all the way to #16 -- Gans has now lost 6 in a row and it has been two years since his last win in Jan. 1910; and dethroned EBU champ Gardner (former #7) who dropped to 11th after losses to Holberg and Mellody. New GBU champ Young Joseph is nowhere near the top group, rated #24 with a record of 27-11-1 (12) and 282 pp. No tomato cans have good enough records to be ranked at this time. Prospects: Doesn't look like any will break out in 1911 the way McFarland and Holberg did in 1910. Tommy Howell had won his first 10 against TCs but then loss to his first "real" opponent, veteran journeyman Cy Flynn. Eddie Shevlin is 9-0 (6) and Brit Matt Wells is 8-0 (1), all versus TCs. Johnny Alberts and Willie Schaeffer fought to a draw after defeating all their TC opponents, Alberts is now 8-0-1 (7) and Schaffer, 6-0-1 (5). Ted Kid Lewis is off to a fine start, 5-0 (2), including a win over Sid Burns. Frenchman Albert Badoud is also unbeaten, at 5-0 (3) Looking Ahead: McFarland and Holberg should continue to surge toward the top, possibly toward an eventual title clash with Britton, who still seems to be the dominant force despite a slight stumble in his last title bout. Fading vets like Gans, Mysterious Billy Smith and Walcott look like their best days are well behind them. It will be awhile before the younger prospects like Wells, Kid Lewis and Badoud will be contending for titles, and this time there will be only one new addition to the division slated for 1911-- Art Magirl. Still, it's a fairly deep and talented division, as judged by the closeness of the rankings and the high number of 500+ rated guys (see stats below). Division Profile: 84 total, 40 RL and 44 TCs. RL by Career Stage: End: 2 (Gans, MB Smith), Post (Walcott, Matty Matthews), Prime-20, Pre-13, Beginner-3 (1 new) Rated: 28 800+: 4 500+: 17 200+: 27 Retirements: 2 in 1910. Career stats for both: Rube Ferns (USA) 1896-1910 41-20 (30) WBA Champ Perry Queenan (USA) 1899-1910 27-23-2 (4) USBA Champ

05-06-2006, 02:05 PM	#61
Lee Global Moderator Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: The Scorched Desert Posts: 4,650	I have to agree with Mike, I really like what you are doing with this Universe. For a project as ambitious as recreating a 100 year plus History it is so much more manageable than what I am doing now......I am seriously thinking of stealing your format for my RCB Universe.

05-14-2006, 06:32 PM	#62
JCWeb Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 2,063	Recent MW Title Bout Result from 1910 Thanks, Lee, for the kind words in the prior post (imitation is the sincerest form of something or other). While I am only about one third of the way through the next year (1910) I am going to deviate from my usual practice of not reporting results until the end of the year due once again to a memorable bout, this one being a Middleweight title bout between two Hall of Famers ... Background: Stanley Ketchel held the WBA Title in my Uni from late 1907 until early 1909 when he lost the title in a huge upset to Charles (Kid) McCoy. McCoy, who then entered End career stage, was dethroned in his next title bout by Billy Papke and, actually, retired after a loss to Ketchel and another loss in early 1910. Papke went on to defend twice in 1909 and had compiled an impressive 19-1 career mark by the end of the year, the only blemish on his record being a TKO loss to Ketchel. Ketchel, of course, was eager to regain the title. However, because Papke had enough bouts under his belt (20) to reach Prime career stage (versus Pre-Prime in the earlier bout) plus the fact that Ketchel was moving from Prime to Post starting in 1910 (his last year of fighting) and throw in the "defending champion" judging bias, everything about this rematch suggested Papke could well do much better than the first time around (a TKO 6 for Ketchel). Nonetheless, the betting public installed Ketchel as a slight favorite. Records: Billy Papke (19-1) CH vs Stanley Ketchel (30-2) #1 Ketchel, as usual, came out full of fight and worked Papke on the inside while the champ tried to keep his distance. Papke then moved inside by round 3, initiating what turned out to be a huge Pier 6 brawl. The all-out war as predicted by many observers heated up in round 4 when a big left hand by Ketchel sent Papke reeling. Ketchel banged away at Papke's head and body, and in round 6 he put Papke down and the champ struggled to last the round. Ketchel remained in control as round 7 saw Papke in full retreat, trying to stay away from Ketchel's punishing blows. But wait, an unpleasant surprise was in store for the ex-Champ as Ketchel ran into a big right hand from Papke and went down. Ketchel was forced to cover up to survive the round. With the outcome now definitely up for grabs, both men came out looking to land a big knockout punch in round 8. The result was a great action round, and the combined weight of Ketchel's blows caused Papke's left eye to swell up. Finally, at the end of the round, Ketchel landed a clean shot that put Papke on the canvas for a 6-count. In round 10 it's all Ketchel as he hammered away from the inside, landing numberous body shots. Round 11 saw both men tiring, with Ketchel gaining the edge and carrying a points lead into the final rounds. Round 12 saw more problems for the champ as Ketchel opened a cut over Papke's right eye. Ketchel kept up the pressure in round 13, and midway through the 14th he had Papke down for the second time in the bout. Stanley Ketchel is not to be denied, as he regains the WBA MW crown with a UD 15 (146-136, 144-139, 145-137). This was a great action bout between two of the legends of the MW division.

05-30-2006, 03:42 PM	#68
JCWeb Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 2,063	1910-Lightweights Another division with a change of titleholders at the top, and a two-time champion (also a champ now in two divisions) who never held either World title belt in real life ... WBA Title Bouts Battling Nelson CH (49-8) vs Freddie Welsh #4 (17-3-1) This was the first meeting of the two, and the first title defense for the Durable Dane against the British champ. After some good action in the opening stanza, both men fired away from the outside in round 2. The Welshman moved inside in round 4, opening a cut over the Dane's right eyebrow. Nelson came back to drop Welsh early in round 6, and the Welsh Wizard was forced to hang on. In round 7, Welsh was in full retreat as the Champ pressed forward, looking for a KO. Welsh recovered enough by the 9th to launch a counterattack, reopening the cut about Nelson's eye, but near the end of the round Nelson tagged Welsh, opening a cut over the challenger's right eye. Going into the final rounds, the champ was ahead on the scorecards but those dangerous cuts were re-opened on both men in the 11th. A sharp left by the Dane reopened Welsh's cut, and in the 13th Welsh was cut again, this time leading to a stoppage. Nelson by TKO 13 (cuts). Battling Nelson CH (50-8) vs Jem Driscoll #1 (36-6) Driscoll, who lost the title to Nelson in late 1909 via MD 15, gets a rematch as he tries to reverse a 0-3 lifetime record against the Durable Dane. The start of the bout does not look promising for the British ex-champ as he sustains a cut over the right eye in round 2. However, Nelson is cut over his left eye in the 3rd to return the favor. Driscoll aggressively moves forward in the 4th, causing the cut over Nelson's eye to worsen. The Driscoll onslaught continues in the 5th, and the Dane's eye becomes a bloody mess. Round 6 is another big round for the Brit, and the Champ is forced to cover up. Driscoll continues to target the Dane's cut eye in the middle rounds until the ref steps in and rules the cut is too severe for the bout to continue. Driscoll by TKO 10 (cut) to regain the WBA Title. Jem Driscoll CH (37-6) vs Jewey Cooke #3 (59-11-1) The American vet (winner of his last 6 bouts) earns another WBA Title shot, the 5th of his career. No prior meetings, and Driscoll is installed as the betting favorite. Driscoll moves inside in round 3 to establish early control against the defense-oriented Cooke. This enables the champ to build an early points lead, so Cooke tries moving inside in round 6. Cooke can't make much impression and Driscoll scores the bout's only KD when he drops Cooke in the 10th with a wicked right. Cooke makes a huge comeback effort in the late rounds which falls just a little short. Driscoll by MD 15 (146-140, 143-143, 145-141). Jem Driscoll CH (38-6) vs Matty Baldwin #8 (25-9-2) "Peerless Jim" defends against Baldwin, whom he TKO'd in a non-title clash in 1908 -- it is Baldwin's third shot at the WBA crown, having loss previously to Gans and Blackburn. Driscoll looks sharp early, drilling Baldwin from both an inside and outside position. The challenger's left eye starts to swell, and the rest of the bout is fairly one-sided as at least Baldwin is able to make it the distance. Driscoll by UD 15 (146-140, 145-140, 145-141). NABF: Jack Blackburn is quite active during the year, making five defenses of the NABF crown. First up was Young Otto, where early aggression by Blackburn paid off as he opened a cut over Otto's right eye in round one and this led to an early stoppage--Blackburn by TKO 6. Then it was rugged Harlem Tommy Murphy who waged an all-out war and Blackburn was lucky to escape with a MD 12 win. Then the previously unbeaten Charley White (17-0 coming in) proved no match for the wily ring vet as two KDs in the 10th by Blackburn proved decisive in a UD 12 win. Then USBA champ Young Erne tried for Blackburn's belt, but again Jack dominated for another UD12 verdict. Finally, Blackburn finished the year with a stern test versus CBU champ Fighting Dick Hyland, winning by opening an early cut on the challenger, whom he held off for a close UD 12 win. USBA: Young Erne was much less active than Blackburn, defending once against Young Donahue, and the champ proved equal to the task, converting an early points lead to a routine UD 12 win. CBU: Fighting Dick Hyland started the year as champ, then took on Driscoll who pummeled him, scoring a KD in the 8th en route to a UD 12 verdict. After Driscoll annexed the WBA crown (thereby vacating the CBU title), Hyland got another shot when he took on aging an obviously shot Mike Ward (a fellow Canadian at the end of his career) and one clean shot in the 3rd was all it took to regain the belt. Hyland by KO 3. GBU: Freddie Welsh had not defended at all in 1909, and in 1910 it was just one defense, an easy affair with TC Stan Nash whom he TKO'd in 4. EBU: Driscoll began the year as EBU champ but vacated the title after defeating Nelson for the WBA crown. Frank Erne and German Rudy Unholz were paired together for the vacant title, and the underdog Unholz turned in the performance of the lifetime against the Swiss vet, winning via SD 12. Unholz's reign was destined to be short-lived, as he traveled to London for his first defense versus the Welsh Wizard, and Welsh bloodied the German's nose early on, and dominated before a TKO 10 (cuts) stoppage so the year ended with Welsh holding the EBU belt as well as the GBU title. Jan. 1911 Rankings (Perf Pts and change from Jan 1910 in parens): Champ: Jem Driscoll 39-6 (29) (1254) (+1) 1. Battling Nelson 51-9 (28) (1183) (-1) 2. Jack Blackburn 39-5-1 (17) (1132) (+2) 3. Jewey Cooke 59-12-1 (28) (1005) (-1) 4. Freddie Welsh 19-4-1 (12) (893) (-1) 5. Lockport Jimmy Duffy 17-0 (10) (863) (new) 6. Young Otto 25-7-2 (12) (782) (-1) 7. Young Erne 32-13-3 (12) (642) (+1) 8. Matty Baldwin 25-10-2 (17) (631) (+4) 9. Fighting Dick Hyland 22-10-3 (15) (622) (-2) 10. Willie Ritchie 18-3-1 (8) (621) (+1) Comments: Everyone listed here is at Prime except Duffy who is Pre-Prime for three more fights. Driscoll is riding a 5-bout win streak, bouncing back after losing his title in 1909 to Nelson. Nelson recovered from the WBA title loss with a MD10 win over Otto to remain a top contender. Blackburn went 6-0 in 1910 and is contemplating a WBA title shot in 1911. Welsh added the EBU title to his GBU belt. Prospect Duffy continued his unbeated run into the Top 10, with wins over Leach Cross, Paul Koehler, Charley White and Harlem Tommy Murphy. Baldwin moved up with wins over Ritchie and Cross. Ritchie made the Top 10 by beating Unholz and Jack Curley while posting a 4-1 mark for the year. Notable Top 10 dropout was White, who ran up a 17-0 mark only to then lose three in a row to Blackburn, Duffy and Otto, dropping 5 spots to #11. Tommy Murphy fell 2 from #10 to #12 by losing two of three during the year. But Ray Bronson slid all the way from #9 to #21, losing all three bouts, a SD loss to Donahue along with KO defeats by Parker and Kid Black. Brit Stan Nash is the only ranked TC at LW, all the way down at #36 with a 8-8-1 (1) mark and 5 pps. Prospects: Some of the prospects ran into trouble when first paired with name opponents in the talent-rich LW division. Terry Brooks split a pair of bouts with fellow prospect Willie Beecher and loss to vet Jimmy Britt to end the year at 9-2 (6). Beecher is 9-1 (2). Aussie Herb McCoy is unbeaten at 9-0 (5), all versus TCs. Also fed a steady diet of TCs to start off unbeatend are Phil Cross at 7-0 (5) and Mexican Joe Rivers at 5-0 (3). Looking Ahead: Welsh might be positioning himself to earn a third belt, the CBU crown, to go with his GBU and EBU titles. Lockport Jimmy Duffy is probably going to be tested with a top-ranked opponent, possibly for a title belt. Making debuts in 1911 are all-time great Benny Leonard, along with another real-life LW champ, Rocky Kansas. Frenchman Louis de Ponthieu and Canadian Gilbert Gallant will join the LW ranks as well. Division Profile: 106 total, 53 real-life and 53 TCs. RL distribution: End-2 (F Erne, Fredericks); Post-Prime: 4; Prime: 25; Pre-Prime: 12. Beginning: 10 (including 7 New in 1911) Rated: 38 800+: 6 500+: 16 200+: 34 Retirement: Mike Ward (CAN) 1900-1910 28-15-1 (18) CBU Champ

05-30-2006, 10:04 PM	#69
JCWeb Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 2,063	1910-Featherweights Storyline here was the continued dominance of Abe Attell, as well as the parity among the remaining fighters in the division as former greats such as Terry McGovern, Harry Lyons and Young Corbett continue to age. WBA Title Fights Abe Attell CH (41-2-1) vs Young Corbett #2 (34-14-1) Attell's 8th successive defense is against ex-WBA champ and current NABF title-holder Corbett, whom Abe defeated via SD in their only prior encounter. Corbett, however, is no longer at Prime, and that proves to be a factor as Attell starts out strong, taking round 1 and thwarting Corbett's efforts when the latter tries to take the initiative. The bout ends quickly when Abe connects with a right cross in the 5th to fell Corbett for the count. Attell by KO 5. Abe Attell CH (42-2-1) vs Billy Snailham #4 (24-13-2) Attell has a prior win versus Snailham, who is fighting for the WBA belt for the first time. Both men are cautious in the early rounds, and some swelling around the eye of the Lil Champ by the end of round 2 gave Snailham a boost of confidence. Snailham works inside in the next few rounds, doing well until Attell nailed him with a combination late in round 4. Attell continues with a strong 5th and 6th, and by round 7 it is Snailham's right eye that needs some ice. A big hook by Attell puts Snailham down near the end of round 8. In round 9, a last-gasp effort by the tiring challenger is met with a cross by Attell for the bout's second KD and then Abe ends it with a barrage late in the round. (NOTE: The point-tracker had Attell at 40 when Snailham was counted out.) Attell by KO 9. Abe Attell CH (43-2-1) vs Brooklyn Tommy Sullivan #1 (37-12-2) Attell holds a 2-1 career mark versus Sullivan, the most recent being a TKO win two years prior to the bout. Attell gets off first, tagging Tommy in the 3rd with a right cross for the bout's first KD. Good ring movement and counterpunching keep Attell on top, but Brooklyn Tommy keeps it close when he stunds the champ in the 7th with a strong cross. Attell's right eye then starts swelling, as this time the Champ is in for a battle. Abe comes back with a hard left hook to stun Sullivan in round 9, and there is noticeable swelling under the left eye of Brooklyn Tommy after a huge round for Attell. Attell takes a points lead into the late rounds but a game Sullivan sticks around to make the final count surprisingly close. Attell by UDS 15 (143-142 on all three cards). Abe Attell CH (44-2-1) vs Percy Cove #3 (22-9-2) Abe comes in having won 12 in a row for his first meeting with the Canadian who holds the CBU title belt. Cove is able to land some meaningful blows early, but it is once again Attell who manages to keep the challenger off balance while scoring well. Cove's lip is split in round 10 and Abe turns in another masterful performance to register an easy UD 15 win. NABF: Corbett defends versus another aging veteran, Bernstein, against whom he is 3-1 lifetime. Corbett puts Joe down with a nice uppercut in round 2 but Joe recovers well, and "The Pride of the Bowery" takes the NABF title when a severe cut opens over Corbett's eye, forcing a stoppage. Bernstein by TKO 10 (cut). Bernstein then defends against the ex-USBA champ, Jimmy Walsh, and rips open an early cut over the challenger's right eye in the initial round -- the cut proves decisive as it is reopened and gradually worsens to cause a late round stoppage event though Walsh had Bernstein on the canvas. Bernstein by TKO 11 (cuts). USBA: Walsh defends the USBA title against a very tough foe in the youthful Johnny Kilbane. Kilbane's long-range bombs find their target and result in swelling about Walsh's right eye after the first four rounds. The bout is fairly close, with plenty of sharp exchanges, and a late 12th round KD by Kilbane proves decisive as he wins a 12-round split decision. Kilbane elects to defend against Brooklyn Tommy Sullivan, and another close bout ensues. Sullivan starts well, forcing Kilbane to cover up in round 1. Kilbane does well in the middle rounds but is forced to battle a gradually swelling right eye. A late rally by Brooklyn Tommy is enough to win a MD 12 verdict. CBU: Canadian Percy Cove defended against previously unbeaten Aussie prospect, Jimmy Hill, who clearly lacked the experience or ring savvy to stay with Cove. Hill was cut early and Cove went on to a TKO 7 win. GBU: Veteran Brit Owen Moran had a challenger for the first time since 1908 when he took on previously-unbeaten prospect Billy Elliott. Moran built an early points lead when the challenger stunned him in the 6th. In the later rounds, though, it was all Moran as Elliott tired. Moran by UD 12. EBU: Italian Patsy Kline and Britain's Billy Elliott fight for the inaugural EBU FW belt. Elliott had KO'd Kline in a prior bout but a recent win over aging vet Benny Soloman gave Kline some confidence coming into the clash. After several close early rounds Elliott pulled ahead by establishing his jab in round 5. Kline tired early, and Elliott stepped up the pace to take a UD12 win and a new title. Jan. 1911 Rankings (Perf Pts and changes from 1910 in parens): Champ: Abe Attell 45-2-1 (19) (1456) (NC) 1. Brooklyn Tommy Sullivan 37-13-2 (22) (842) (+2) 2. Johnny Kilbane 17-2-1 (10) (763) (+6) 3. Eddie O'Keefe 17-1 (12) (762) (new) 4. Percy Cove 22-10-2 (8) (741) (NC) 5. Grover Hayes 28-7 (20) (710) (+1) 6. Harry Lyons 51-15-2 (26) (709) (-5) 7. Jimmy Walsh 21-8-1 (6) (659) (+4) 8. Billy Snailham 24-15-2 (11) (639) (-3) 9. Owen Moran 31-11 (15) (636) (-2) 10. Joe Bernstein 35-22-2 (16) (635) (+4) Comments: The gap between Attell and everyone else is probably as great as any time since I have been tracking the Perf Pts data. O'Keefe makes an impressive debut after a very busy year in which he foguht 9 times, ringing up wins over Love, Moran, Crowe, Decker, Snailham and Lyons before his first loss, a SD10 verdict against Kilbane. Walsh reached the top 10 with wins over Moran, Santry and Lyons but stumbled in losses to Kilbane and Bernstein. A resurgent Bernstein claimed the NABF belt and won three in a row versus Santry, Corbett and Walsh before a setback SD 10 loss to Moran. Dropping out of the top group for the first time in a long while were Terry McGovern, who fell from #9 to #11, losing to Lyons; Corbett, whose 0-3 record in 1910 meant a tumble from #2 to #12; and Herrera, whose TKO loss to McGovern placed him at #13, down from #10 last year. Checking in at #14 was the newly-crowned EBU titleholder, Billy Elliott, with a 11-1 (6) mark and 521 pp. (Elliott is the major exception to the 15 bouts to get rated rule.) No TCs had good enough records to merit a ranking. Prospects: Aside from Elliott, who claimed a title in his 12th bout, there is Aussie Jimmy Hill, who sports a 12-2 (1) mark after suffering his second loss to Kid Julian (the first one being to Cove in the CBU Title tilt). Julian has come back with 6 wins in a row to run his record to 10-1-1 (4), and he may be a future EBU title contender. Aussie Joe Russell is now 8-0 (4), all versus TCs. Patsy Brannigan is 7-0-1 (4), the only blemish being a draw with Julian. Ty Cobb is 8-3 (4). Topping the list of the newer guys is George KO Chaney with 4 wins, all by KO, and Johnny Dundee, who is also 4-0 with 2 KOs. Tommy Dixon recovered from two earlier draws to remain unbeaten at 4-0-2 (1). Enrique Criqui, a real-life FW champ, started out at 3-0 (2). Looking Ahead: Kilbane, now that he has 20 bouts under his belt, is at Prime and perhaps the logical guy to perhaps take the title from Attell. O'Keefe has done well , much better than expected, but has yet to face the pressure cooker of a real tough title fight. Julian may challenge for the EBU belt and Hill may make another try at the CBU crown. Two slated to debut in 1911 are Battling Reddy and Steve Sullivan. Division Profile: 69 total boxers, 34 real-life and 35 TCs RL by Career Stage: End-3 (McGovern, Santry and Soloman); Post-7; Prime-8 (all in Top 10); Pre-9; Beginning-7 (2-newcomers) Rated: 21 800+: 2 500+: 15 200+: 20 Retirement: Jimmy Devine (USA) 1897-1910 25-27-3 (19) No Titles

05-31-2006, 01:22 AM	#70
JCWeb Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 2,063	1910-Bantamweights In the BW division, a bizarre twist in a championship fight led to a surprise new champion by the end of the year. WBA Title Bouts Johnny Coulon CH (23-2) vs Frankie Conley #7 (17-4) First meeting of the two and first WBA title shot for Conley, the reigning USBA champion. Conley surprised the champ with a flash knockdown in the second, but Coulon came back strong, staggering Frankie with an uppercut in the 5th. Conley did well in the 6th, a good action round where the challenger came on at the end. In the middle rounds Coulon re-established control as Conley started to show signs of fatigue. Conley 's left eye showed signs of puffiness and Coulon was cut late in the bout. The result was a solid UD 15 verdict for Coulon. Johnny Coulon CH (24-2) vs Harry Harris #1 (46-7-2) Coulon puts it on the line against the aging but skilled Harris, still a threat at 38. Coulon established an early lead as Harris' timing was off. Harry finally started connecting in round 4, the result being some redness around Coulon's left eye. Coulon presses home the attack and dominates the middle rounds. Harris' left eye shows noticeable swelling and both boxers battle hard, with Coulon coasting to another UD 15 win. (146-139 on all three cards in favor of Coulon.) Johnny Coulon CH (25-2) vs Phila. Pal Moore #3 (15-0-2) This is the first title shot of any kind for the unbeaten 19-year old Moore, who is thought by many to be moving up too soon. The Chicago Spider is more effective in the early rounds, but Moore does enough to keep the bout close. Round 7 sees some swelling start around Moore's right eye. In round 9, a huge surprise -- Coulon badly injures his hand and cannot continue. The title thus goes to Moore by TKO 9. (A huge upset as Coulon was comfortably ahead on all 3 cards.) NABF: Hugh McGovern defends the title twice in 1910, first against the higher-ranked Kid Murphy against whom McGovern is 2-0 in prior meetings. A crushing uppercut from the champ forces the Kid to cover up in round one. After several uneventful rounds, Murphy decides to go for broke in the 5th but McGovern gets there first, repeatedly drilling the hapless challenger. A late surge by Murphy falls short and it's a UD 12 win for McGovern. Next up is Biz Mackey, and on paper this one doesn't look good for the champ who is 0-3 lifetime versus Mackey. McGovern keeps it close in the early rounds and a strong fifth has Mackey gasping for air and with puffiness under the left eye. Biz comes back strong in two good action rounds, 7 and 8, opening a cut above McGovern's left eye. Mackey works the cut, but McGovern's defense is solid as he registers another UD12 win. USBA: Frankie Conley took on Kid Beebe in an effort to repeat his earlier KO win. This time Conley built up an early points lead and was content with a UD12 win. Next Conley defended against Frankie Neil in a rematch of the 1909 bout in which Conley won the USBA title on a controversial foul call. Each had moments in the early going, and then Conley forged a lead by working inside to the head and body in the 5th. Conley went on to prevail by a MD12, the scorecards had the bout surprisingly close. Conley rounded out 1910 by taking on Al Delmont, an ex-USBA champ seeking to establish his credentials for a WBA title shot. Conley worked both inside and outside to establish an early lead after four rounds. In round 5, Delmont was cut under the left eye. Delmont rallied in the late rounds and the decision was another close one that went for Conley by SD12 (116-112, 113-115, 116-112) CBU: Joe Bowker did not defend the belt in 1910. GBU: Digger Stanley defended once, and once again for the sixth time he took on Pedlar Palmer, with whom he was 3-2 lifetime, Stanley having won the last three. Palmer manages to keep the bout close for four rounds, but then Stanley works well from both outside and inside to take command. Despite a cut over one eye, Stanley drops Palmer in the 11th and takes an easy UD 12 win. EBU: No defenses of the EBU crown by Stanley in 1910. Jan 1911 Rankings (Perf Pts and Changes from 1910 in parens): Champ: Phila. Pal Moore 16-0-2 (8) (846) (new) 1. Johnny Coulon 25-3 (13) (845) (-1) 2. Harry Harris 47-8-2 (30) (791) (NC) 3. Hugh McGovern 27-9-1 (12) (717) (+3) 4. Biz Mackey 30-9-3 (12) (696) (-3) 5. Frankie Conley 20-5 (12) (691) (+3) 6. Kid Murphy 22-9-1 (16) (661) (-3) 7. Al Delmont 27-10-1 (14) (542) (NC) 8. Frankie Burns 12-2-1 (6) (526) (new) 9. Tommy Feltz 27-16-1 (17) (522) (+2) 10. Digger Stanley 24-15-2 (8) (522) (-6) Comments: All at Prime except for Moore and Burns (still at Pre) and Harris and Feltz (both at Post). New champ Moore paced the newcomers, moving from prospect to contender with wins over Goldman and Beebe (both SDs) and a draw with Bowker to set up the title bout with Coulon. Coulon had won five in a row until the controversial loss to Moore. Another former prospect, Frankie Burns, reached the top 10 despite losses to Neil and M. Attell by defeating Phil McGovern and Harry Forbes. Feltz rebounded with wins over Attell and P. McGovern but his progress was thwarted when he suffered a loss to Harris. Dropping out of the top 10 from 1910 were Neil (down from #5 to #11), who lost three straight to Conley, Forbes and Delmont; Harry Forbes (down from #9 to #12), who lost to Bowker and Burns; and Monte Attell (down from #10 to #13), whose career stalled with two losses to Mackey and Feltz. Joe Bowker, the CBU champ, checks in at 28-13-4 (14), good for 14th spot with 441 pp. Stanley, who managed to stay in the Top 10 at #10, is the top-ranked non-American. No TCs grace this year's rankings list for the BW division. Prospects: All four in the prospects category are undefeated, all versus TCs. Charles Ledoux is a perfect 10-0, all by KO. Young Oliver is 6-0 (4), while Eddie Campi and Kid Williams sport identical 5-0 (4) marks. Looking Ahead: There is already a great clamoring for a Coulon-Moore rematch, but others are seeking a shot as well. NABF champ McGovern would like to succeed and take a World BW crown, something his brother Terry could not accomplish. Charles Goldman and "Louisiana" are still at Pre-Prime and could make a move at the Top 10 soon. Ledoux could well contend for the EBU belt in a year or two. Jack Kid Wolfe and Brit Joe Fox will join the BW ranks in 1911. Division Profile: 59 total boxers, 25 real-life, 34 TCs RL by career stage: End-0 Post-4 (Feltz, Forbes, Harris, Neil) Prime-11 Pre-8 Beginning-2 (both newcomers) Ranked - 19 800+: 2 500+: 11 200+: 19 Retirements: Two boxers in the BW ranks called it quits in 1910. Their career stats: Thomas Pedlar Palmer (UK) 1891-1910 31-32-3 (20) EBU, CBU, GBU Champ Morris Rauch (USA) 1897-1910 25-22-2 (10) USBA Champ

05-31-2006, 02:00 AM	#71
Romdawg88 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Belle Glade, FL Posts: 4,182	Ha, thats the second boxer today I've seen lose a title fight by breaking their hand in a fight they were winning, the other being George Dixon in Mike's LBA funnliy enough it was to Johnny Coulon funny how karma works even in a game. __________________ Romy "Iceman" Alvarez First TBCB Forum Tournament Champion, 10-6 (5). IBL: 13 - 4 (7) Henry Armstrong > You.

05-31-2006, 08:41 PM	#72
JCWeb Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 2,063	1910-Flyweights and Pound-For-Pound Lists Not much to report on the Flyweight Division as there is so far only one active title (the British GBU belt) and a paucity of fighters although that will be changing in the next few years of the sim. Bill Ladbury went into 1910 holding the GBU belt which he successfully defended against Trial Horse/TC Joe Wilson winning via TKO 9. Then next up was a rematch with Sid Smith, the other top real-life boxer in the division, against whom Ladbury had split their two prior bouts. Ladbury had to be somewhat apprehensive about the rematch with Smith and lacking confidence, as he came off a loss to veteran BW journeyman Kid Beebe. The first round was all Sid Smith as he caused swelling under Ladbury's right eye -- Smith went on from this good start to establish a big points lead while Ladbury gradually tired. The swelling about the eye got worse and it finally resulted in a late round stoppage. Sid Smith by TKO 11 (swelling). Then Smith took on TC Wilson for the GBU belt and successfully defended, opening a gash above Wilson's left eye that led to an eventual stoppage. The stoppage occurred right when the bout was getting interesting, as Smith had just suffered a flash knockdown by Wilson earlier in the 9th round. Smith by TKO 9 (cuts). Jan. 1911 Flyweight Rankings (Perf Pts in parens): 1. Sid Smith 16-2 (9) (519) 2. Bill Ladbury 13-3-1 (6) (269) Comments: Not much to analyze here. Smith bounced back from a subpar 1909 to go 4-0 and take over the top spot. Ladbury lost to Smith and Kid Beebe and slipped in the rankings as a result. Both took care of all the TCs (BW or FLY) which they have faced. Smith and Ladbury have traded the GBU belt back and forth and will likely do the same with the WBA title in a few year's time. Prospects: Frankie Mason is 6-1 (5), all versus TCs, and he has posted four wins since losing to a TC in his third bout due to a foul. Jimmy Wilde won his first bout by KO late in the year. Looking Ahead: Three more join the FLY ranks in 1911 -- Percy Jones, Tancy Lee and Joe Symonds. In a couple of years there may be enough real-life boxers to start with some meaningful title bouts. Division Profile: 18 total boxers, 7 real-life, 11 TCs RL by Career Stage: Pre-3 Beginning-4 (3 new) Rated: 2 800+: 0 500+: 1 200+: 2 And last but not least, the pound-for-pound ratings for 1910 (the fourth annual such ratings): 1. Abe Attell, FW (WBA Champ) 1456 (NC) 2. Jem Driscoll, LW (WBA Champ) 1254 (+3) 3. Sam Langford, HW (WBA Champ) 1217 (+6) 4. Jack Johnson, HW (ex-Champ) 1216 (-2) 5. Battling Nelson, LW (ex-Champ) 1183 (-1) 6. Phila Jack O'Brien, LH (WBA Champ) 1175 (NC) 7. Joe Jeannette, HW (NABF Champ) 1174 (NC) 8. Jack Blackburn, LW (NABF Champ) 1132 (new) 9. Jack Britton, WW (WBA Champ) 1045 (new) 10. Sam McVey, HW (USBA Champ) 1039 (new) Dropping out of the Top 10: James Jeffries, HW (was #3) Tommy Burns, HW (was #8) Jewey Cooke, LW (was #10) Comments: Subject to checking, this seems like the most WBA champs (5 of 7) in the list at any one time. (Only MW champ Cyclone Thompson and new BW champ Pal Moore are missing from the list.) Also, there seems to be a bit of ratings inflation or creep or whatever you want to call it as this is the first time there have been over 10 boxers with ratings at 1000 or higher. Of the three "newcomers" to the list, Blackburn is not really new, having been on the first two lists for 1907 and 1908. Attell's 1456 is probably the highest rating ever under the new ratings system--can he push it above 1500? This will probably be the last report for awhile. This month the press of other events (including watching a few soccer games starting late next week) will likely cause me to take a bit of a hiatus, but expect to see 1911 results posted here, I'm just not able to predict the time frame just yet.

07-11-2006, 01:41 PM	#73
JCWeb Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 2,063	1911-Heavyweights Part I Well it took a bit longer than anticipated, but the bouts for 1911 are in the books and this time I will break the reports into two parts, at least for the more active divisions (i.e. Heavyweights). First part of each report will lead off with the title bouts from 1911. WBA Title Bouts Sam Langford CH (34-5-1) vs Bob Armstrong #7 (40-21-2) Langford starts off 1911 with a defense vs veteran warhorse Armstrong--the bout should be a routine win but Sam is looking to avenge a KO loss to Armstrong earlier in his career, back in 1906. Now 38, Armstrong is not expected to put up much resistance this time around. Langford starts off well in round 1, causing puffiness around the right eye of the challenger. Langford goes on to dominate the early action, landing a devastating hook to put the challenger on the canvas in round 5. A second KD occurs later in the round and Armstrong barely survives. In round 6, more of the same as Armstrong is down again. Bob battles on for a few more rounds before another lightning strike ends it in the 9th. Langford by KO 9. Sam Langford CH (35-5-1) vs Joe Jeannette #2 (30-1) A long awaited title bout for Jeannette, who beat Langford (UD 10) in their only previous encounter. Both come into the fight with long unbeaten streaks: Langford has won 7 in a row and is unbeaten in his last 12, while Jeannette has won 13 in succession. The challenger gets off to a good start in round 1 as both men are probing for openings. A big uppercut and piston-like jab score for the champ in the third, and swelling about the right eye of Jeannette is noticeable as he returns to his corner. A big overhand right in the next round connects for Langford, and Jeannette is on the canvas. Langford gets more aggressive, stalking his opponent, while Joe stays on the outside. More pressure from Langford leads to a strong round in the 6th. The challenger suffers a cut lip in the 7th. Round 9 Jeannette recovers by trying to outhit the champ, but Langford stays outside to avoid the more serious blows. Round 10 sees a slick Langford combination floor Jeannette, and Sam follows up with a second KD late in the round, which leads to a stoppage. Langford by TKO 10. Sam Langford CH (36-5-1) vs Jack Johnson #1 (63-5-3) A rematch of last year's title bout where Langford upset Johnson to win the crown. 2-1 lifetime edge for Johnson, who is a slight favorite to regain the crown. Langford is the aggressor in early rounds, asserting himself to take the 3rd after two close opening stanzas. Both are content to stay outside as the bout enters the middle rounds. Johnson tries to be more aggressive in round 7 but Langford minimizes the damage. The Galveston Giant works the jab to take the 8th. In the 10th, it is Langford looking to land the heavy blows while Johnson shows signs of fatigue. The final rounds are close, but the Champ does well, remaining aggressive throughout. This is Johnson's last bout at prime. Langford retains Title by SD 15 (141-144, 144-140, 146-142). Sam Langford CH (37-5-1) vs James Jeffries #3 (51-8-3) Langford is back against ex-Champ Jeffries, who lost to Sam (UD 10) in a prior bout. Jeffries is at Post-Prime, so this makes Langford the clearcut favorite. Langford is sharp from the opening bell, and Jeff looks vulnerable in the early going. Jeff works the inside, but Langford is able to land more punches that lead to swelling under the challenger's left eye by the end of the third. Jeffries struggles with his timing while Langford seems able to move and score at will. Heavy shots from the Champ force Jeff to cover up to survive in round 8. More heavy blows are landed in the 9th but a game Jeffries remains upright. Jeffries' eye is worse by the end of the 10th and Langford, who could coast the final rounds, elects not to, landing a vicious cross to put Jeffries down midway through round 11. A second KD late in the round ends it for Jeffries. Langford by KO 11. Sam Langford CH (38-5-1) vs Jeff Clarke #7 (18-2-1) Langford wraps up a busy 1911 with his fifth defense of the year against up and coming young Jeff "The Joplin Ghost" Clarke. Clarke has successive wins over Haines, Grim and Moir to earn the title shot after losing a bid for Jeannette's NABF crown in late 1910. Both men start working from inside, and Langford staggers Clarke with an overhand right in an otherwise very close opening round. Both retreat to the outside for round two, and the champ lands a big left late in the round to force Clarke to cover up. Rounds 3 and 4 see Langford backing the challenger up, scoring well but no KDs. Langford looks confident as he coasts through the middle rounds, and Clarke is frustrated by his inability to land a big shot on the inside. Round 6 sees a cut opening over Langford's left eye, but some good corner work closes it. Round 7, Clarke targets the cut, but Langford targets Clarke. The cut is reopened in a good round for the challenger. Round 8 though sees Clarke walk into a Langford left hook, putting him down for a 7-count, and then Langford wastes no time in putting Clarke down twice more to wrap up the fight. Langford by TKO 8. NABF: Only one defense by Jeannette, against the previously unbeaten Gunboat Smith, winner of 15 in a row at the start of his career. Jeannette wastes no time going to work in the opening round, and there is redness around Smith's right eye at the end of the round. Smith scores with a big hook in the fourth but otherwise it is the veteran Jeannette who schools the younger fighter, scoring two KDs in the 10th to end it. (KO 10) USBA: Sam McVey defends versus ex-Champ Jack Johnson, who nails McVey with a flash KD in round one and goes on to dominate, opening a cut over McVey's right eye that leads to a late round stoppage (TKO 11). Johnson defends versus White Hope Frank Moran later in the year, dominating the bout with a strong jab where a game Moran has a few good moments, including a KD of Lil Arthur in the 7th. Jack comes back with a strong final two rounds to secure the UD 12 victory. CBU: Tommy Burns claims the belt (vacated by Langford after he ascended to the WBA throne) with a TKO 6 over Aussie Bill Lang, scoring with a big overhand right that led to Lang's early demise. Burns then took on Brit William (Iron) Hague, scoring two KDs in the third for another early stoppage win (TKO 3). Finally, it was young Colin Bell of Australia, aka "The Moree Mountain," who was able to last the distance with Tommy but lacked the experience to do much more. Burns by UD 12. GBU: Hague started off the year with the belt, but he lost it to Gunner Moir, who avenged a loss by DQ in late 1910 with a TKO 8 win as Hague as but early in the bout after having Moir down early. Moir then defended twice, versus Victor McLaglen, against whom he eked out a SD 12 verdict and then had a much easier time of it with a KO 8 win over TC Ray Farquahr.

07-11-2006, 02:26 PM	#74
mh2365 Banned Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: louisville Posts: 14,941 Infractions: 0/2 (101)	good to see you back at it JC

07-11-2006, 02:52 PM	#76
JCWeb Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 2,063	1911-Heavyweights Part II Division Profile: Total Boxers: 136 Real-Life: 73 Tomato Can: 63 RL by Career Stage: Beginning: 17 (11 new for 1912) Pre: 30 Prime: 18 Post: 5 End: 3 Rated: 34 800+: 7 500+: 10 200+: 28 A word about what these numbers mean: "Rated" now refers to any boxer (RL or TC) with 15 or more bouts and a non-negative numerical rating in performance points (0 or greater). The career stage numbers refer only to real-life fighters whom I am obviously more interested in tracking than TCs. Jan 1912 Top Ten Ratings (Perf Pts and changes from 1911 in parens): Champ: Sam Langford 39-5-1 (30) (1437) (NC) 1. Jack Johnson 64-6-3 (50) (1269) (NC) 2. Joe Jeannette 31-2 (23) (1158) (NC) 3. Tommy Burns 36-7-3 (27) (1104) (+1) 4. Sam McVey 31-8-2 (21) (1036) (-1) 5. James Jeffries 51-9-3 (45) (997) (NC) 6. Denver Ed Martin 29-17-2 (24) (877) (+5) 7. Jeff Clarke 18-3-1 (15) (659) (+1) 8. Gunboat Smith 15-1 (10) (649) (new) 9. Frank Moran 17-5 (10) (594) (-3) 10. Al Kaufmann 24-8-1 (15) (470) (NC) Comments: Everyone listed here at Prime except for Johnson and Jeffries who are at Post and Gunboat who is still at Pre. Langford has emerged as a dominant champ, defending five times in 1911 and piling up a very impressive performance points total. He has met and defeated about all the top contenders (except for Tommy Burns whom he lost to by DQ) and has not been defeated since 1908. Jeannette is probably is the second best right now, giving that aging is likely to take its toll on Johnson. Burns is still a factor, not having lost in his last 7 bouts (which include a draw with McVey). McVey has stumbled a bit, 1-1-1 in just three bouts in 1911. Denver Ed Martin's rollercoaster career continued on a upnote, as he won all three bouts including a win over LH champ O'Brien to move back into the Top 10. Clarke was overmatched with Langford but may be a strong contender for a lesser title. Smith needs more seasoning against better second-tier opposition. Moran's career suffered some setbacks with losses to Johnson and O'Brien. Kaufmann rebounded after an early year loss to McLaughlin to retain his Top 10 status. Dropping out of the Top 10 from 1911 were Bob Armstrong, 0-3 for the year (losses to Langford, Kaufmann and McVey) and, now at End career stage, he's unlikely to bounce back, and Aussie Bill Squires, who took a big nose dive all the way to #23 after losses to Tony Ross and Mike Schreck. Other Notables: GBU Champ Gunner Moir checks in at #16 with a 20-12-3 (10) mark and 360 pp -- his only setback in 1911 was a UD 10 loss to Clarke. Joe Grim lurks outside the Top 10 at #11, coming off a close SD10 win over youngster Charley Miller. Miller is at #13, one spot below the fading Armstrong. Newcomer Jim Savage is at #14, having held Kaufmann to a draw. Aussie Colin Bell is 13-2 and rated #15 despite his loss to Burns for the CBU belt. Aging vet Marvin Hart is still mired well outside the top group at #22 and only 299 perf pts. Prospects: Quite a few around, but none have distinguished themselves. Perhaps the top new guy to watch is Canadian Arthur Pelkey, who is 11-0 (6) but mostly versus TCs. Tom McMahon is 11-1-2 (4), his only loss to Soldier Kearns. Aussie Ern Waddy was 9-2 but then lost to Willie Meehan, another prospect. Still unbeaten at 9-0 (6) is Carl Morris, surviving a SD 8 win over Charles Horn, now he prepares to start 10-round bouts. Tom Cowler 7-0 (5) handed fellow Brit "Bandsman" Rice his only defeat. Harry Wills at 7-0 (6) may well be the best long-term prospect, having already secured wins over Al Benedict and Sailor Jack Carroll. Al Palzer is 7-0 (4) but all wins were versus TCs. Best of the remaining 1911 debutants was Irishman Jim Coffey at 5-0 (3), while Jess Willard got off to a 3-0 (2) start, but Luther McCarty won his first three all by KO, as did Germany's Otto Flint. Retirements: John "Klondyke" Haines, a former Top 10 boxer, hung it up in 1911. His career numbers: 1899-1911 25-21-3 (12) No Titles highest rank: #7 (Jan 1907) Looking Ahead: More quantity than quality among the division's newcomers for 1912, as Ireland's Bartley Madden and USA's Charley Weinert appear to be the best of the bunch. Look for a possible Langford-Burns WBA title match. The initial EBU heavyweight bout is probably a couple of years off, as possible contenders (like Otto Flint) need a couple of more years to develop and hone their skills. Last edited by JCWeb; 07-11-2006 at 02:54 PM.

07-11-2006, 07:55 PM	#77
JCWeb Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 2,063	1911-Light Heavyweights Part I LH Title Bouts in 1911 WBA: Phila Jack O'Brien CH (50-5-3) vs George Gardner #2 (46-11-2) This would be the 6th meeting of these two early century LH warriors; O'Brien has a 3-2 career edge, and a 3-1 edge in WBA title bouts. Most recent (1907) was a UD 15 for O'Brien. A strong start by a in-form O'Brien as his clever defense and sharp counters prove too much for the aging Irish veteran, Gardner. By the start of round 5, there is significant swelling around Gardner's left eye as O'Brien's stinging blows are taking their toll. A frustrated Gardner goes for the quick KO in the 7th, only to be pummeled even further by the Champ. Gardner is starting to tire by the 10th and his swollen eye has become nothing more than a slit. A dominating win for O'Brien in what may prove to be Gardner's final shot at the World title belt. O'Brien by UD 15. Phila Jack O'Brien (51-5-3) vs Jack Sullivan #4 (33-17) O'Brien won (UD 12) in their only previous encounter. O'Brien is on a 5-bout win streak, four of those since returning to the LH division. "Twin" Sullivan is coming off a loss to Houck for the NABF title. Close for the first couple of rounds, then the superior boxing skills of O'Brien begin to show, enabling the champ to build up a huge points lead. Swelling about the left eye further hampers the challenger. O'Brien evades an all-out attack by Sullivan in the 11th and hammers out a lopsided victory. O'Brien by UD 15. (After this bout, O'Brien moves up to HW for his next two tilts as once again the competition in the LH division is not challenging enough for the long-time LH champ.) NABF: Jack "Twin" Sullivan began the year as the titleholder, but lost it when he defended against Leo Houck. Sporadic fits of good action, Houck suffers swelling around right eye, but came on strong in middle and late rounds to take the crown via UD 12 (115-113 on all three cards). Houck defended against Fred Cooley and was dominating the bout when called for a flagrant foul (rabbit punching) in round 8 and Cooley was awarded the belt by a controversial win by DQ. Cooley then defended versus Jack "The Giant Killer" Dillon, the fighter who had just won Cooley's vacated USBA crown. Dillon followed in Cooley's footsteps, this time with far less controversy, scoring two KDs en route to a UD 12 in about where he survived a cut over the left eye. Dillon then took on Houck later in the year in a very. close exciting fight where Dillon was cut earlier, had the cut reopened, and Houck was called for foul that in the end cost him a point. Final result: a majority draw (114-114 on two cards, 115-113 Houck on the third) and Dillon barely hangs on to the belt. USBA: John Wille and Jack Dillon square off for the belt vacated by Cooley when he took the NABF title from Houck. Dillon established the jab early to take the points lead, but Wille stunned the younger fighter with a big hook in round 5. Dillon tired noticeably, but battled to the end, putting Wille down in the last round to seal the victory (SD 12 for Dillon, by scores of 115-113, 116-113, 114-115) with a strong final two rounds. Dillon vacated the crown, leading to a matchup of veteran Charlie Haghey and young Bob McAllister for the vacant title. McAllister does well, seeking to reverse an earlier loss to Haghey, but in the 9th round he gets careless and Haghey nails him with a clean hook for the bout's only knockdown. Haghey goes on to win a close decision by MD 12 (114-112 on two cards, 113 all on the third). CBU, GBU: TC Chuck Carrick continues to hold both these crowns, but only defends the GBU belt in 1911, which he retains with a KO 5 over fellow veteran TC Clifford Marvine. EBU: George Gardner defended once, versus TC Carrick, and stepped up the pace after a slow start to put Carrick on the canvas twice in the 6th round, the second time for good. Gardner by KO 6.

07-11-2006, 08:18 PM	#78
JCWeb Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 2,063	1911-Light Heavyweights Part II Division Profile Total Boxers: 52 Real-Life: 22 Tomato Cans: 30 RL By Career Stage: Beginner: 8 (4 New in 1912) Pre: 6 Prime: 3 Post: 4 End: 1 Rated: 15 800+: 2 500+: 9 200+: 14 Jan 1912 Rankings (Perf Pts and Changes from 1911 in Parens) Champ: Phila Jack O'Brien 53-6-3 (27) (876) (NC) 1. George Gardner 49-12-2 (32) (916) (+1) 2. Leo Houck 28-8-4 (10) (741) (-1) 3. Jack Dillon 17-1-2 (13) (660) (+5) 4. Fred Cooley 24-11-1 (16) (651) (+2) 5. Georges Carpentier 15-0 (14) (644) (new) 6. Jack Sullivan 34-19 (17) (581) (-3) 7. Charlie Haghey 31-19-3 (23) (566) (-3) 8. Battling Levinsky 14-1 (9) (525) (new) 9. Bob McAllister 14-3 (10) (489) (new) 10. John Wille 34-11-3 (22) (487) (-5) Comments: New talent arrives to replace three TCs in the top ten: CBU and GBU Champ Carrick, who drops 4 spots to #11, is now 26-21-1 (7) with 387 pp. TCs Newhart and Harmon drops four spots also to the #13 and #14 slots, respectively. O'Brien, who had 7 bouts in a row without a loss, moved up to take on two HWs, beating Frank Moran but losing to Denver Ed Martin which accounts for his big drop in the perf pts numbers. Gardner, who is at the End career stage, has won three in a row (versus Sullivan and 2 TCs) after losing his last title bout with O'Brien. Houck recovered from his upset loss to Cooley by defeating Haghey and drawing with Dillon for the NABF title. Dillon remains the top young talent, now at Prime at 20 bouts, with 9 wins and 2 draws since his sole loss back in 1909. Cooley, 2-1 for the year, remains high up in the ranks despite hitting Post-Prime career stage. In fact, of the Top list, only three (Houck, Dillon and Sullivan) will be at Prime heading into 1912, as O'Brien (likely to return to LH after his latest foray into the HW ranks proved unsuccessful) hits his retirement year. Haghey and Wille also hit Post-Prime in 1912 as well, so despite the new blood, the division is showing its age. Carpentier, top hope to succeed Gardner as EBU champ, won 14 in a row all by KO versus TC before stepping up to Wille, who took him the distance (UD in 10 rounds) for the first time. Levinsky's only loss was to McAllister, who seemed overmatched in his USBA title shot versus Haghey. Other Notables: Howard Morrow debuts at #12, with a 12-3 (9) record, with losses to McAllister, Levinsky and TC Newhart via a DQ). Prospects: Dave Smith of Australia has now won 14 straight, 13 by KO, to remain undefeated, and is a likely challenger for Carrick's CBU title in early 1912. From there he is expected to test the waters against some real-life fighters. Looking down the road, Brit Harry Reeve, 5-0 (3) all versus TCs, may have his eye on Carrick's GBU belt. Tommy Gibbons is off to a 4-0 (2) start, and Bob Sweeney is 3-0 (2). Retirements: None in 1911. Gardner is expected to hang up the gloves some time in 1912. Looking Ahead: Four new boxers enter the ranks in 1912, led by Battling Siki, a Senegalese who will fight in the European ranks.

07-11-2006, 10:57 PM	#79
JCWeb Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 2,063	1911-Middleweights Part I Title Bouts for 1911 WBA Title Bouts Cyclone Johnny Thompson CH (28-9) vs Billy Papke #1 (20-2-1) Thompson puts his crown on the line against Papke, who beat him (KO 1) in their only prior bout. Papke, the NABF champ, is still ranked #1 despite being held to a draw by Frank Mantell in his last outing. Papke is a huge favorite. Not much between the two in the opening salvos; Papke tries to crowd his opponent in rounds two and three, but the fight is still fairly close. Bout really opens up in round 4 and midway through Papke gets in a combination of blows which floors the Champ, and an overhand right scores a second KD but Papke can't finish. In round 5, Papke looks for the KO, staggering Thompson and an accumulation of blows leads to a stoppage late in the round. The Illinois Thunderbolt is once again the MW king. Papke by TKO 5. Billy Papke CH (21-2-1) vs Hugo Kelly #6 (25-13-2) Kelly, the European Champ, has an awkward style which chould pose problems for Papke -- both men are cautious in the early rounds, where there is alot of feinting but not much action. Papke works the inside, finally finding the range with a strong hook to domination action in the 4th. Papke tries to put away a stubborn Kelly in the 5th, but the Italian perserves despite some swelling around the left eye. In the middle rounds, Papke continues as the aggressor but Kelly's strong defensive showing is keeping the bout close. More sharp exchanges in the 11th and 12th, after which Papke is clearly running out of steam. Kelly makes a strong showing in the final two rounds to register an upset win. Kelly by MD 15 (144-143, 143-143, 144-143). Hugo Kelly CH (26-13-2) vs Kid Locke #15 (25-15-4) Kelly defends against his countryman, former WBA champ, Kid Locke. In three prior meetings, it's a win, draw and a loss for each. Kelly starts out aggressive from the start, while Locke prefers a more laid back approach. The champ asserts himself to take the early lead with a strong third round. Locke comes back to move inside and take round 4. Kelly opens a cut above the left eye of the challenger in the 7th, but Locke retuns the favor, putting the leather to Kelly in round 8, after which Kelly's right eye starts swelling. The cut over Locke's eye is reopened in round 10, and Kelly clings to a slim lead in the final rounds. It's Hugo Kelly's last bout at Prime as he hangs on despite a valiant effort by Locke in the last three rounds. Kelly by UD 15 (142-141, 143-140, 143-140). NABF: Papke vacated the belt after winning the WBA crown, and Bob Moha and Joe Thomas are matched up, Thomas having beaten Moha (UD 10) back in 1907. This time it is Moha who takes the early lead and hangs on for a SD 12 verdict. Moha then defends versus Sailor Burke, who is on target early, cutting Moha above the left eye, and the cut eventually leads to a stoppage. No KDs as Burke takes the crown via TKO 11 (cuts). USBA: Walter Coffey begins 1911 with the belt which he risks against Wild Bill Fleming, who lands some big shots in round five en route to a MD 12 victory. Fleming defends versus Sailor Burke, whom he dominates with a knockdown in the 4th before putting the Sailor down for the count in round 7. Fleming gives Eddie McGoorty a shot at the belt, and McGoorty overcomes an early cut to dominate as Fleming has nothing left in the later rounds. McGoorty by TKO 9 (McGoorty was 0-5 in previous title fights coming in). CBU: Canadian TC Will Carney starts out as Champ but loses the belt to Brit and fellow TC Quinton Wade via UD 12, and Wade prevails in a rematch later in the year. GBU: Rick Rolfe continues the succession of TCs to wear this belt by downing Wade (TKO 1) and defending versus ex-champ, TC Arthur Nyland (UD 12). EBU: German Frank Mantell started the year with the EBU belt, and took on Hugo Kelly (whom he defeated previously) in front of the hometown fans at the Ernst Merck Halle in Hamburg. Mantell started well, but Kelly gradually outboxed him, and a confused Mantell was unable to come from behind, being put on the canvas late in the bout. A lopsided UD 12 win for Kelly. Kelly vacated the belt after winning the WBA title, and Mantell stepped into the breach, easily dominating TC Rolfe (the new GBU beltholder), with a dominating UD 12 win, to regain the EBU Title.

07-11-2006, 11:27 PM	#80
JCWeb Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 2,063	1911-Middleweights Part II Division Profile Total Boxers: 115 Real Life: 55 Tomato Can: 60 RL by Career Stage: Beginning: 10 (5 New) Pre: 27 Prime: 14 Post: 2 End: 2 Rated: 27 800+: 5 500+: 13 200+: 23 Jan 1912 Rankings (Perf Pts and changes from 1911 in parens) Champ: Hugo Kelly 27-13-2 (14) (824) (+8) 1. Frank Klaus 27-4-3 (14) (948) (+1) 2. Cyclone Johnny Thompson 29-10 (20) (891) (-2) 3. Billy Papke 22-3-1 (19) (823) (-2) 4. Stanley Ketchel 33-4-2 (30) (807) (-1) 5. Mike Gibbons 14-2-1 (7) (617) (new) 6. Al McCoy 14-2 (9) (610) (new) 7. George Brown 14-2 (11) (575) (new) 8. Eddie McGoorty 23-6 (20) (565) (-4) 9. Joe Thomas 17-8 (10) (559) (+3) 10. Bill Fleming 14-3-1 (7) (557) (new) Comments: Quite a changing of the guard, as four new contenders emerge to claim spots in the Top 10. All four newcomers are at Pre, and Kelly (whose retirement year was 1912) will join Ketchel at Post while everyone else listed is at Prime. Kelly moved to the title despite not having the highest rating and has won four in a row, six in succession without a loss, with wins overs Mantell, Papke and Locke. Klaus registered a draw with Ketchel and remains highest rated despite no title bout in 1911. Cyclone Johnny bounced back from his title loss to Papke by downing Ketchel (UD 10). Ketchel's age is beginning to show, as he won only once in four outings (with two draws), that being a SD 10 over Billy Kramer. Gibbons lost to Klaus after wins over Carter, Rogers and Brennan propelled him to Top 10 status. McCoy's only loss of the year in five outings was to Joe Thomas, and he scored a big TKO 8 over Willie (KO) Brennan. George (KO) Brown also won 4 of 5, losing to Thomas while beating George Chip, Frank Craig, Buffalo Iron Man Al Rogers, and Frank Fields. McGoorty dropped in the ranks because of a TKO loss to Bob Moha, but he captured the USBA belt so things are looking up. Fleming had an up and down year, barely holding on to a Top 10 spot. Other Notables: NABF Champ Sailor Burke dropped out of the Top 10 after a loss to Fleming, his record is now 25-8 (17) with 534 pps. EBU Champ Mantell dropped from #5 to #13 after being TKO'd in 8 by Papke, his record is at 19-5-3 (10) with 488 pp. Ireland's Paddy Levin, #6 last year, fell to #12. Billy Kramer, who defeated both Chip brothers (George and Joe) is ranked #14. Bob Moha is #15. George Chip debuts at #19, Al Rogers at #20. CBU Champ Quinton Wade is #24 with a 13-9-5 (1) mark and 156 pps. GBU Champ Rolfe (another TC) has negative pps and a 8-9-2 (1) mark and thus is not rated. Prospects: Quite a few, but most remain untested. Jeff Smith is 12-0 (9), all versus TCs. Ditto for Jake Ahearn, at 11-0 (8). Albert "Buck" Crouse has been very impressive, with 9 wins in 9 bouts, all by KO, including wins versus three real-life boxers (Tommy Gavigan, Terry Mitchell, and Sailor Ed Petroskey). Aussie Les Darcy has won all seven of his bouts inside the distance. Joe Borrell has impressed, winning 6 bouts all by KO and all in four rounds or less. Willie KO Brennan was doing fine at 11-0 until he lost his last three, to Fleming, Gibbons, and McCoy, all now ranked in the Top 10. Retirements: None in 1911 -- Frank Craig and Kid Carter are at End career stage and likely to hang up the gloves soon. Looking Ahead: Look for Kelly to be severely tested in his next title bout, and for Jake Ahearn to eventually challenge for the GBU belt, and for Les Darcy to take over the CBU title from the TCs. It will be real interesting to see who among the four new Top 10 guys will succeed in winning title fights in the upcoming year. Top debutants in 1912 will be Happy Littleton of the USA and Australia's Mick King.