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[JCWeb]

Here's the report for the first half of action from May 1929 (some competitive bouts thus far this month).

May 3, 1929: Plenty of fight action for May 1929, starting out with a solid fight card at the Forum in Montreal. The co-main event has two top 10 LHs facing one another, as "Bright Eyes" Jack Delaney takes on Young Tony Marullo. Delaney starts well, and by the end of round two Marullo is sporting a bloody nose as he is nailed by a straight right from Delaney that forces him to cover up. Marullo's left eye starts to swell a couple of rounds later, but Delaney lets him off the hook as he steps off the gas in the later rounds. The bout goes to the scorecards, and the judges rule it a majority draw (96-94 Marullo, 95-95, 95-95) much to the chagrin of the pro-Delaney crowd. Post-fight, Delaney ends up 34-6-2 (21) while Marullo emerges at 24-10-3 (15). Then, in the feature bout, two Canadians battle for the NABF BW crown, as Vic Foley, the reigning Commonwealth champ, takes on Harold Mayberry, the NABF titleholder -- Foley's CBU title is not on the line in this one. Foley holds a prior UD 10 win some five years earlier, but both men have progressed up the ranks since then. Mayberry gains the early edge, and by the end of round three Foley's right eye shows signs of swelling. A big right hook from Foley gets through in round six, rocking Mayberry. The bout is a close one into the final rounds, when Mayberry pulls out a UD 12 win (117-114, 118-113, 117-114) to keep the belt. He moves to 28-10-1 (13) overall, while Foley slips to 27-10-1 (10).

May 4, 1929: Gran Stadium in Havana, Cuba is the scene of the next card, with a World title at stake in the main event. First up is the unbeaten young MW, Freddie Steele, who accepts the challenge of Spaniard Ignacio Ara as he goes for his 15th career win. Steele is the aggressor right from the start, and in the second round he staggers Ara with a big uppercut that causes the Spanish fighter to cover up. Steele follows up with KDs in rounds four and six, and in the final two rounds he coasts to a UD 10 win (100-88, 100-88, 99-89) to run his record to 15-0 (13), good for a top 20 debut spot in the MW rankings. In the main support bout, top 20 German MW Hein "Spider" Domgorgen puts Billy Shade on the deck twice en route to a UD 10 win.
Finally, fans are ready for the main event, which has Panama Al Brown defending his WBA BW crown against Eddie "Cannonball" Martin. Not much action for the first five rounds, as Brown quietly builds a slight points edge (48-47 after five). Martin steps up the pace in the middle rounds, and in round eight he nails Panama Al with a big uppercut that forces the Champ to cover up. However, the challenger suffers a cut over his right eye that becomes more problematic as the bout continues. Brown, the more accurate puncher, takes a points lead into the late rounds. Blood from the cut begins to flow into Martin's eye, interfering with his vision. By round 13, the cut has become too severe to allow the bout to continue. Panama Al Brown retains the title via a TKO 13 on the cuts stoppage. Post-fight, his record is now a stellar 32-3 (14) while Martin is 25-10-2 (14).

May 4, 1929: The action moves to Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis for what is, frankly, a rather pedestrian fight card -- no title bouts, no Top 10 confrontations. Not much too report except for a few quick highlights. Johnny Indrisano battles to a draw with #8 WW Willie Harmon in one of the two main support bouts. In another bout, LW Sammy Fuller pounds out a SD 10 win over aging vet Solly Seeman; Fuller moves to 24-2 (8) with the win but is still a few spots short of a top 10 ranking. In the main event, former LH king Tommy Gibbons, now at the tail-end of his career, takes on Leo Lomski. In round three, Gibbons tumbles to the canvas, the victim of a Lomski hook. Nonetheless, Gibbons manages to last the distance and receives a sympathy vote from one of the judges, dropping a SD 10 to Lomski (94-95 Gibbons, 98-91 and 99-91 Lomski) in what turns out to be the swansong of a 19-year career dating back to 1911. Lomski moves to 22-8-3(6) with the win, while Gibbons closes out his career at 44-21-3 (18).

May 10, 1929: Friday night action is back at the Stadium in Liverpool, England. The fight card has two co-main events, with a title at stake in each. In the main support bout, the crowd gets a chance to see up-and-coming young British FW Nel Tarleton, taking on former WBA Champ Eugene Criqui. Although at the tail end of his career, Criqui puts up a good fight and denies Tarleton the win, taking a UD 10 to the disappointment of the pro-Tarleton crowd. Then, the first of the two title tilts, Johnny Cuthbert is defending the Commonwealth FW crown against former Champ Leo Roy from Canada. Cuthbert gets off to a quick start, flooring Roy with a nice combination in the opening stanza. A head butt near the end of round five causes a mouse to form under Roy's left eye. After that, the bout settles into a rather pedestrian pace, which seems to suit both men. The crowd cheers when the decision is announced, a solid UD 12 win for Cuthbert (118-110, 119-108, 119-111) although the bout seemed a bit closer than the scores would indicate. The win -- in his third successful title defense -- lifts Cuthbert to 23-14-1 (8) while Roy ends up the bout at 26-12-2 (8). Final bout of the evening is the first defense for GBU HW king, "Fainting Phil" Scott, since regaining the title slightly over a year ago. His opponent is a young hopeful, Don Shortland, stepping up to face the challenge of his first title contest much in the same way Tarleton stepped up in the preliminary bout -- but is Shortland in over his head against Scott? After a close opening four rounds, Scott picks up the pace in the middle rounds. The bout goes the distance with no significant events, no cuts, KDs or swelling. In a bit of a surprise, Scott escapes with a SD 12 (116-113, 114-115 Shortland, 116-114) -- this observer thought it was a solid three or four-point win for Scott. Scott improves to 25-16-2 (6) with the win, while the loss is only the second blemish on Shortland's career slate, which now reads 16-2 (5). The win actually improves Scott's PP totals, and there is already talk of a rematch in late July.

May 11, 1929: Atlantic City's Convention Hall is the scene for the next fight card. In one of the preliminary bouts, crowd favorite Jimmy Braddock tries to get his flagging career back on track in a 10-round bout with veteran HW TC Carl Wheeler. Nothing fancy in this one, as the no-nonsense workmanlike Braddock pounds out a UD 10 win to move his career mark to 14-3-1 (6) -- two more bouts and he hits Prime career stage. After several other minor preliminary bouts, it is on to the main event -- a WW non-title affair featuring #4 ranked ex-WBA Champ Young Johnny Thompson against Johnny Adams. Thompson is looking to set up another title contest while Adams, who once briefly held the USBA WW title, has struggled since. It is Thompson who breaks through with a solid hook to deck Adams for the bout's first knockdown in round four. After a lull in round five, the action heats up in round six, as Thompson, battling a cut eye, rallies strongly to stagger Adams with a straight right. Thompson continues to dominate, finishing with a flurry in round nine, scoring two more KDs before the ref calls a halt to save Adams from further punishment. The TKO 9 win moves Thompson to 26-3-4 (16) while Adams is now 27-12-3 (10).

May 11, 1929: Next fight card is at the OIympic Auditorium in Los Angeles. Main event has JWW USBA titleholder Mushy Callahan putting that belt on the line against former WBA JWW and WW king, Pinkey Mitchell. In a preliminary bout, California crowd favorite HW Frankie Campbell floors former top contender Fred Fulton in just one round; the KO win moves Campbell to 24-4-1 (11) and a spot among the top 15 HWs. Then, in the main event, Mitchell -- in his first try for a lesser (non-World title belt) holds his own for the first six rounds against the younger Callahan. Then, in round seven, a cut appears over the right eye of Callahan. Mitchell, who has to battle a swollen left eye late in the bout, starts to target the cut which reopens in round ten. The cut is in a bad spot and proves difficult to control, leading to a stoppage in the final round. Mitchell is declared a TKO 12 winner to take the belt. Post-fight, he moves to 32-13-4 (14) compared to 19-7 (8) for Mushy Callahan.

[JCWeb]

Wrapping up the action for May 1929:

May 17, 1929: Forbes Field in Pittsburgh is the venue for the next Friday night card. Co-main event has long-time LW contender Sammy Mandell matched up with Andy Chaney, who has slipped in the ranks since hitting Post-Prime career stage. Mandell battles a cut and swollen right eye to register a UD 10 victory (98-93, 98-93, 97-94) to move to 30-10 (9) overall. Chaney, who has his best days behind him, is now 37-17-2 (12). Main event has ex-HW Champ Gene Tunney taking on Martin Burke. Both men are at Post-Prime, and Burke simply lacks the skills to compete with Tunney. The Fighting Marine goes on to score a solid UD 10 win (97-94, 99-92, 98-93). Post-fight, Tunney is 43-10-3 (25) while the loss leaves Burke at 32-12-1 (9).

May 18, 1929: A solid fight card in Europe at the Sports Palazzo in Rome. First of all, in one of the preliminary bouts, the "Ambling Alp," Primo Carnera gets his career back on track with a third round TKO win over a TC to move his record to 4-0-1 (3) as he prepares to enter Pre-Prime career stage. No title bouts but there are a couple of interesting 10-round co-main event bouts featuring some top 10 ranked fighters. Chilean Luis Vicentini, angling for a shot at the WBA LW crown, takes on veteran "French Flash" Benny Valgar in the first of the dual main events. Vicentini decks the Frenchman with a nice combination in the bout's opening round but cannot follow up on this early success. The bout is fairly uneventful until round six, when Valgar sustains a cut over his right eye. Valgar also survives aquick hook to the head from Vicentini and hangs on to last the distance. Scorecards show a SD 10 win for Vicentini (95-94, 93-96 Valgar, 96-94) while this observer had the Chilean as the winner by a solid margin. In any event, Vicentini moves to 28-5 (12) after the win, while Valgar drops to 39-14-2 (13). The final bout of the evening has MW Rene DeVos, former EBU Champion and still a top contender, paired with American Billy Angelo, former NABF MW king. Not much action until midway through the fifth round, when DeVos puts Angelo on the deck with a strong shot. By the end of round six, Angelo's right eye starts to swell, and for the rest of the bout he seems to be in survival mode. DeVos thus coasts to a nice UD 10 triumph (99-91, 99-92, 97-93) to maintain his status as a serious MW contender. Post-fight, DeVos is 40-10-2 (17) compared to 23-8-1 (17) for Angelo.

May 24, 1929: Action this day in the Philippines, at the Rizal Arena in Manila. Main event has Ceferino Garcia, the OPBF MW Champion, defending that title for the first time in about 18 months and, lacking any more qualified opponents, his opponent is journeyman Australian Frankie Burns. The two have split two prior bouts, and this time Garcia wastes no time, stunning Burns with a quick hook to the head near the end of round two. Burns is troubled by a cut under the right eye in round five. A round later, although the cut eye has been patched up by Burns' corner, Garcia starts pounding away, leaving a helpless Burns dangling against the ropes. The ref steps in, and the bout goes as a TKO 6 win for Garcia. The Filipino keeps the belt, moving his career marks to 21-5 (16) after the win while Burns winds up the bout at 24-15-1 (17).

May 25, 1929: Action shifts to Earls Court in London, UK. Featured bout on the card is for the Commonwealth LH title, with Len Harvey defending against 39-year old veteran Tom Berry. Harvey is looking to repeat an earlier TKO win back in 1924. From the start, an out-of-shape Berry appears to be totally outclassed by the sharp-boxing Harvey. In round two, Harvey rips open a cut over Berry's right eye and forces the challenger to cover up after nailing him with a nice uppercut near the end of the round. In round five, Harvey puts Berry down for a nine-count. The game challenger picks himself up off the canvas, only to be decked a second time in round seven. Bu this time, Berry is battling a swollen left eye in addition to the cut over the right eye. Mercifully, the end comes a round later when the cut becomes an issue and the ref calls a halt. TKO 8 win for Harvey, who racks up another successful defense to run his record to 32-4-1 (14) while the loss drops Berry to 21-19-2 (9).

May 25, 1929: A rare fight card in Panama City, featuring new WBA FW Champ, Jose Lombardo, who makes his first defense of the World crown against countryman Santiago Zorilla. First, an unbeaten LW prospect, Pedro Amador, takes to the ring in one of the preliminary bouts. This time, however, Amador has his hands full with fellow prospect Lew Kirsch, who pummels the Panamaniam, sending Amador to the deck in round seven and then taking a TKO 9 as a cut forces the late stoppage. Amador, now 15-1, is already at Post-Prime career stage so things are likely to go downhill from here. In one of the main support bouts, a fan favorite, Panama Joe Gans, is matched up in a rematch with Jack McVey, who battled the Panamaniam to a draw in a recent (Dec. 1928) bout in Miami. This bout also goes the distance, and once again it's a draw, despite the fact that Gans scored the bout's only knockdown. Then, it's on to the main event, Lombardo against Zorilla, with a Panamaniam champ and a Panamaniam challenger matched in a WBA title bout for the first time. The Champ gets off to a great start, putting Zorilla to the canvas in the opening round. Zorilla covers up and manages to survive the onslaught, battling back to keep the bout close into the middle rounds. In round seven, Lombardo staggers Zorilla with a nice uppercut. Once again, the challenger manages to survive, covering up to last the round. A solid cross from Zorilla then surprises the Champ, who takes a tumble to the canvas a round later. By the end of round 10, Zorilla is sporting a rapidly swelling right eye. Lombardo, sensing the bout is still a close one, manages to dominate the late action, putting Zorilla on the deck in round 14 and, again in round 15, as the challenger is literally saved by the bell. Nonetheless, it's still a relatively close bout on the cards, with Lombardo sneaking through a SD 15 (142-139, 140-141, 142-139). The win boosts Lombardo's career totals to 27-8-3 (16) while Zorilla closes out the Pre-Prime stage of his career at 17-2-1 (6).

May 31, 1929: Final card of the month is at Philadelphia, also part of the Friday night fight series. Featured bout is for the JLW WBA title, but first up is an interesting encounter involving two young HWs who have combined for 21 knockouts in their first 21 fights. Ad Warren (11-0) takes on the "Baltimore Banger," Herman Weiner. The bout turns out to be, as billed, an action-packed affair. Warren seizes the early initiative, and by the end of round one, Weiner's right eye is already starting to swell. Warren follows up in round two with a nice three-punch combination, causing Weiner to take a trip to the canvas. Weiner takes a six-count and survives the round. Warren scores a second KD in round four, following up with a wild overhand right for another knockdown but again, Weiner sur vives the onslaught. Round five, though, Weiner battles back, putting Warren down. The end comes in round nine when Warren, the fresher of the two men, puts Weiner on the deck twice more (for a total of five knockdowns), finishing well with a powerful uppercut. This time, Weiner does not beat the count. The KO 9 result moves Warren to 12-0 (12) while Weiner is now 10-1 (10).
Hard to top the excitement of this preliminary contest in the main event, where Benny Bass faces the challenge of Frankie Klick for the JLW title. In the early going, Bass appears to be struggling, suffering a split lip and a swollen right eye. In round eight, the Champ finally breaks through when he staggers Klick with a hook to the head. Klick is unable to counter, and Bass dominates the action for the remainder of the round until the ref steps in to call a halt. It goes down as a TKO 8 win for Bass as Klick is defenseless. Bass is now 32-7-3 (12) with another title defense under his belt, while Klick slips to 17-6 (10).

[JCWeb]

Pace has unfortunately slowed a bit in the last week or so, mainly due to all the World Cup action going on, but here are the key bouts from the first half of June, 1929.

June 1, 1929: June action commences on a Saturday at the Ullevi Arena in Gothenburg, Sweden. No titles on the line, but there are some notable top 20 fighters whose talents are on display. One of the main support bouts sees two rated LWs, Chilean Stanislaus Loayza and American Sid Barbarian, lock horns. In a tough battle, Loayza puts Barbarian on the deck in round eight, but Barbarian battles back and secures a draw. Then, it's on to the main event, featuring a young Swedish HW, Harry Persson, matched against a former EBU Champion and long-time top contender, the aging Irish fighter, Bartley Madden. The Swedish fighter gets off to a strong start, and Madden's left eye begins to swell from the impact of repeated blows after just four or five rounds. Persson pounds out a UD 10 win (96-94, 97-93, 97-93) after a gallant effort by Madden. Post-fight records are 23-6 (15) for Persson, while Madden is 46-17-6 (18).

June 1, 1929: Comiskey Park in Chicago is the scene of more fight action, and the main event has Bushy Graham defending his USBA BW crown against veteran Memphis Pal Moore. Memphis Pal starts strongly, and by the end of round three Graham's left eye is already showing signs of swelling. It turns out to be a bruising bout, with a clash of heads in round 11 accentuating the ferocity of the competition. The two battle away until the final bell, and the decision goes to Moore, the challenger, via a UD 12 (118-111, 116-113, 117-112) to capture the belt. The win moves Moore to 49-15-6 (14) while Graham drops to 25-10 (9).

June 7, 1929: First Friday night card of the month takes place at Exhibition Gardens in Vancouver, Canada. One of the "name" fighters on the undercard is long-time top WW Packey McFarland, who takes on the challenge of George Levine. Levine shocks McFarland withen he puts the veteran on the canvas with a perfect combination in round four. A couple of rounds later, McFarland strikes back with a KD of Levine in round six. The bout goes the distance, and McFarland takes a UD 10 (95-93, 95-92, 96-91). Packey, despite being in his final years, registered his 70th win of his long career and is now 70-13-5 (30). Levine dips to 30-16-4 (13). The feature bout is for the NABF FW crown, and ex-WBA Champ Louis Kaplan is challenging Eddie Shea for the belt in a 12-round title affair. Shea appears to be doing well until Kaplan slices open a cut over his right eye. No knockdowns, and Kaplan hangs on to take a MD 12 verdict (115-112, 114-114, 115-114). It is the third time this title has changed hands in the last three title bouts. Kaplan moves to 34-7-1 (10) with the win, while Shea slips to 22-7-1 (10).

June 8, 1929: Friday night action is back at the Stadium in Liverpool, England. The feature bout is for the Commonwealth HW title bout, and the "Gorgeous Gael," Jack Doyle, is set to face the challenge of Canadian Larry Gains. Doyle, the underdog in this bout, comes out swinging from the opening bell, nailing Gains with a nice uppercut that forces the challenger to cover up. However, a cut formed about Doyle's right eye could mean trouble for the Irishman. Gains regroups and keeps pounding away at the cut. The cut is reopened in round three and, when it is reopened a second time in round five, the ref calls in the ring doctor, and both decide to call a halt. Gains by TKO 5 on the cuts stoppage to take the belt. He improves to 24-5 (15) with the win, while Doyle slips to 21-8-2 (15). Gains has now emerged as a leading contender for the WBA title at this point.

June 8, 1929: More fistic action scheduled for Atlantic City's Convention Hall. Before the main event, first up is Jimmy Braddock, seeking to revive his flagging career, in a 10-round HW clash with another HW prospect, Frankie Wine. Midway through the bout Wine suffers a cut eye, and Braddock puts forth his usual workmanlike performance to pull out a UD 10 win (97-93 on all three cards). His career record moves to 15-3-1 (9) with the win, while Wine wraps up his pre-Prime career stage with a 16-4 (9) mark. The main event is for the USBA LW title, and Billy Petrolle is making his second defense against Tommy O'Brien, a fighter he defeated in a UD 10 a year ago. Petrolle quietly builds a nice points lead in the first five rounds, and midway through the bout O'Brien's right eye is starting to swell. The bout comes to an end in round nine, when Petrolle puts O'Brien on the deck with a perfect cross. There is enough time left in the round for Petrolle to finish matters, and he presses his advantage to the fullest, causing the ref to call a halt as O'Brien winds up defenseless against the ropes. The TKO 9 win for Petrolle moves him to 28-3-2 (18) overall, while O'Brien is now 35-15-4 (16).

June 14, 1929: More Friday night fight action down under, this time at the Sydney Stadium in Australia. No titles on the line, and the main event has two US-based HWs, with highly rated Lanky Ralph Smith looking to bounce back from his last bout (a NABF title loss to Young Stribling) by taking on Sully Montgomery, who has become a fan favorite after several fights down under. Smith is the aggressor for much of the early rounds, and by the end of round five Montgomery's right eye shows signs of swelling. In round seven, Lanky Ralph catches an overly-aggressive Montgomery with a big hook. Smith goes on to take a UD 10, despite suffering a late cut that played no part in the outcome. Scores were 98-93, 97-94, 98-93, all for Smith, who moves to 21-7-1 (7) post-fight, compared to 27-9-1 (10) for Montgomery.

[JCWeb]

Correction on header on prior post, it should read 1929, not 1920. Anyway, the second half of the month's bouts are now in the books ...

June 15, 1929: Second half of the month starts with a fight card at the Palazzo del Sport in Rome, Italy. Featured bout is for the EBU HW title, with Italian crowd favorite Erminio Spalla facing the challenge of Dutchman Piet Van Der Veer. The two have split two prior bouts. Spalla lands repeatedly in the opening three rounds to pull ahead on points. Then, suddenly, the bout turns in round four, as the Dutchman nails Spalla with a nice uppercut to put the defending Champ on the canvas. A second KD follows, but Spalla manages to last the round. Van Der Veer continues to apply the pressure, sending the Italian to the canvas for a third time with a big hook in round five. The Italian crowd urges Spalla on, and he gamely battles on until round nine, when a right cross from Van Der Veer ends matters. KO 9 for Van Der Veer to capture the title. Post-fight, Van Der Veer is 32-13-6 (20) while the loss leaves Spalla at 30-12 (21).

June 15, 1929: Another good fight card at Miami Stadium in Florida, leading up to the main event, a 12-rounder with the USBA FW title at stake. Dick Finnegan is defending the belt against challenger and ex-WBA Champ Chick Suggs. Suggs is the aggressor from the early rounds, and he survives a late rally by Finnegan to take a MD 12 (116-114, 115-115.116-114) to lift the belt. Post-fight, Suggs is 33-10-4 (11) compared to 27-10 (8) for Finnegan.

June 21, 1929: Friday night fight action moves to Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis. Good fight card, especially the main support bout which has two unbeaten young HW prospects locking horns -- Elmer ("Kid Violent") Ray and Jimmy Mendes. Mendes surprises Ray with a nice cross right before the bell in round one, leading to the first and only knockdown of the fight. Mendes is unable to follow up, and Ray gradually works his way back into the action. However, in round six, Ray sustains a cut over his right eye. Ray presses forward despite the cut, but he is unable to break down Mendes' defenses. In round nine, Mendes lands a strong shot, forcing Ray to cover up; his right eye puffs up while the cut over the left is reopened as well. The bout goes the distance, and the result is a solid UD 10 for Mendes, dropping Ray to 13-1 (10) after his first loss while Mendes keeps his clean slate at 13-0 (11). All of this leads to the main event, for the USBA JLW crown. Matched up is defending Champ Jack Bernstein and challenger Mike Ballerino. The two have split two prior bouts, and this one goes down to the wire as neither is able to gain a clear upper hand in what turns out to be a defensive struggle. Bernstein prevails by a narrow SD 12 (114-115, 114-113, 114-113) in a bout with few notable highlights. The win moves Bernstein's career totals to 24-14-1 (6) after the win while Ballerino emerges from the bout at 22-10-4 (6).

June 22, 1929: New York's Yankee Stadium, "the House that Ruth Built," is the scene of the next fight card. The co-feature has veteran LH Lou Bogash facing a stiff challenge from Cuban Roleaux Saguero. Bogash battles all the way, but the Cuban wears him down to score two KDs in the last two rounds; these two 10-8 rounds turn out to be the difference in the final scoring, as the KDs are just enough for Saguero to take a UD 10 win (96-93, 95-93, 95-93). Next, it's on to the main event, for the USBA HW crown, with Bearcat Wright defending against an impressive newcomer, Tuffy Griffiths, who is in his first title try shortly after reaching Prime career stage. Griffiths gets off to a strong start, and Wright's right eye is starting to swell by the end of round two as a result. The Bearcat has his moments in the middle rounds, slowing down the younger challenger with a strong right hook in round six and then a jolting uppercut in round seven. As the bout moves into the later rounds, Wright's other eye starts to swell. Late in the final round, Griffiths appears to deliver the coup-de-grace when he nails Wright with a solid cross for the only KD of the bout. Wright picks himself up on the canvas and manages to finish on his feet. The scorecards are read with the result, a draw (114-114, 114-113 Wright, 115-113 Griffiths) as a surprise as this observer, along with most of the fans watching the bout, expected to see Griffiths announced as the winner. Post fight, Wright is now 24-10-3 (15) and Griffiths, 19-2-1 (13). With the outrage expressed at the result, a rematch has been ordered in three months' time.

June 28, 1929: Action shifts to the West Coast for the final Friday night fight action of the month at the Cow Palace in San Francisco. First, the fans are entertained in one of the preliminary bouts by young HW knockout artist Max Baer, who puts away his TC opponent in the first round for his third KO win in three pro bouts. Baer is scheduled to be back in action in July. In another preliminary bout, LH Mike Mandell impresses with a first round KO over previously unbeaten Mexican Rosy Rosales; Mandell is now 19-2 (16). Unbeaten WW prospect Jackie Fields also puts in an appearance, going the distance to take a UD 10 win over veteran Phinney Boyle to run his career mark to 17-0-1 (12). After watching these exciting preliminary bout fighters, the crowd settles in for the main event, with the MW USBA title belt at stake. Defending is Vince Dundee, who faces the challenge of the higher ranked Young Terry. The duo has met three times previously, each with a win, a loss and a draw in those prior bouts. Dundee looks rock solid in the opening rounds, scoring well to build a points lead. Terry comes to life in round seven, rocking Dundee with a sharp combination. Two rounds later, Dundee goes down to a strong shot from the challenger. In the final three rounds, Dundee manages to hang on, doing enough to keep the title via a UD 12 (116-111, 117-110, 116-111), a result that is not particularly well-received by the crowd as Terry certainly seemed the more powerful puncher in the later rounds. The win boosts Dundee's career totals to 24-3-1 (13) while Terry emerges from the bout with a 20-2-3 (9) mark.

June 29, 1929: Final card of the month is at the Earls Court in London, and a series of preliminary bouts leads up to the main event, a WBA title bout for the Flyweight crown held by Elky Clark who takes on Frankie Genaro in a rematch of their title bout that ended in a controversial DQ call earlier in the year. First up, in one of the support bouts, EBU FW Champ, Dom Volante (a Brit) blasts out former WBA Champ Carl Duane in three rounds for an impressive win; Volante is now 21-5-2 (15). Then, in the main event, Genaro gets off to a strong start, outboxing and outworking a lethargic Clark. The Champ just cannot seem to get on track in this one, despite Genaro being called for a low blow in the fifth round which had fans remembering how Clark won the title back in January. Clark tries to step up the pace in the later rounds, to no avail as he begins sporting a swollen left eye by the end of round 11. Not much surprise when the bout goes the distance, and Genaro is declared a UD 15 winner (149-136, 148-137, 149-137). Genaro thus becomes the first four-time WBA Flyweight champion. He moves to 32-9 (15) with the win while Clark slips to 29-8-1 (15).

[JCWeb]

On to the first half of July, including a very memorable World title encounter as well as a non-title bout, each featuring two fistic legends.

July 4, 1929: July starts with a boxing card and fireworks show in Philadelphia. Featured bout has two aging but still highly rated HWs, ex-Champ Harry Wills, the "Black Panther," against Pat Lester. Wills gets off to a strong start, flooring Lester to score the fight's first knockdown in round three. Lester bounces back, but then he tires badly in the later rounds as Wills once again beats him to the punch, firing a nice uppercut for the bout's second KD in round nine, following up later in the round with a wild overhand right. Lester manages to hang on and last the distance, and the cards show Wills the winner by a MD 10 (96-94, 97-93, 97-93). Not sure how the one judge could call it a draw, thought Wills won by a comfortable margin after the late knockdowns. Post-fight records are 50-11-1 (46) for Wills and 24-7 (20) for Lester.

July 5, 1929: Next fight card, resuming the "Friday night fights" series, takes us to the Sportpalast in Berlin, Germany. Even though no titles are on the line tonight, a capacity crowd is on hand to see local HW hero Max Schmeling take on the legendary former Champ, Jack Dempsey. It is their first meeting and Dempsey, although at Post-Prime career stage, is still ranked #6 and a dangerous opponent for Schmeling, who is looking to move into the top ten with a big win. Dempsey rocks Schmeling with a good shot and takes the opening round. Max rebounds quickly, landing repeatedly over the next four rounds before uncorking a crippling right to the head that forces Dempsey to cover up in the fifth. The unofficial scorer has Schmeling up by one (49-48) at the halfway point of this scheduled 10-rounder. In round six, the crowd roars as the "Black Uhlan" connects with a hooik to the head, rocking Dempsey once again. The left eye of the "Manassa Mauler" is starting to puff up by the end of round seven as a result of the repeated effect of Schmeling's punches. Schmeling suffers a cut lip in round nine, but he presses forward, putting Dempsey on the canvas for a seven-count with a strong combination. Battered and bruised, Dempsey lasts the distance, but it is no surprise as the younger man, Schmeling, claims a UD 10 (99-91, 99-91, 98-91) by a fairly substantial margin. The win moves Schmeling to 20-1 (16) and a probable top ten HW ranking, while Dempsey is now 54-10-1 (49).

July 6, 1929: North of the border at Edmonton Gardens in Canada for the next fight card. Featured bout is for the USBA Flyweight crown, with Fidel LaBarba, the USBA titleholder, seeking to move up by challenging Lew Perfetti for this belt. It's a close bout in the early rounds, as both men exhibit strong boxing skills. LaBarba, the higher ranked challenger, gradually gains the upper hand after a strong round five. By the end of round seven, Perfetti's right eye shows signs of swelling. Then, in round eight, LaBarba catches Perfetti with a short, clean hook that decks the Champ. Perfetti struggles to his feet at the count of eight, then covers up to survive the final minute of the round. Perfetti tires in the later rounds but manages to stay on his feet the rest of the way. When the scorecards are read, it is no surprise that LaBarba takes a UD 12 (115-112, 115-112, 117-110) to add the NABF belt to his USBA title. LaBarba moves to 21-2-1 (9) with the win, while Perfetti slips to 21-9-4 (10).

July 12, 1929: Friday night fight card is at the Boston Garden. No title bouts, the main event has up-and-coming LH contender Lou Scozza matched against the legendary Harry Greb, an aging but still dangerous foe. After a couple of rounds of comparatively light sparring, Greb gets aggressive and dominates the action in round three. Scozza bounces back to take rounds four and five, building a slight points lead. The bout turns into the expected slugfest in the later rounds. In round eight, Scozza connects to put Greb down for a nine-count; although he follows up with a second KD later in the round, the veteran "Human Windmill" survives into round nine. Greb goes all out but again gets careless, walking into an uppercut. At the end of the round, his left eye is starting to swell. Sad, really, for even though the bout goes the distance, the former MW and LH king is but a shadow of his former self. Scozza by UD 10 (98-89, 95-92, 96-91) aided considerably by 10-7 and 10-8 counts in the rounds in which he scored the knockdowns. Scozza, now firmly entrenched among the top 10 LHs, improves to 22-1 (17) with the win, while Greb -- who moves from Post-Prime to End career stage after this bout -- is now 49-14-2 (26).

July 13, 1929: More fistic action back in the UK at the Stadium in Liverpool. Again, no titles at stake (there's a real paucity of title bouts this month), and the featured bout has up-and-coming Norwegian HW, Otto Von Porat, matched with "Fainting Phil" Scott, the current GBU titleholder who remains the #1 British HW hopeful at the moment. After a couple of even opening rounds, Scott seizes control in the third round and moves forward to apply the pressure on the inside in round four. He holds a sizable points lead after five rounds (49-46) and nurses the lead into the final stanzas. Scott also battles a cut nose in the final two rounds, finishing off a solid effort for a deserving UD 10 win (99-90, 98-91, 98-91). Scott moves to 26-16-2 (6) compared to 15-2-1 (11) for Von Porat.

July 13, 1929: A very good fight card to wrap up the first half of July action at Comiskey Park in Chicago. One of the preliminary bouts features unbeaten and now ranked MW prospect Freddie Steele, the "Astoria Assassin," who puts it on the line against ex-WBA MW Champ Johnny Wilson. While Wilson is now way past his prime, he still knows his way around the ring so it will be a good test for Steele. Good test or not, the bout is over in just 29 seconds as Steele floors Wilson with a strong right cross, and the aging vet cannot beat the count. Steele's exciting KO 1 win pushes his career totals to 16-0 (14) while Wilson, who announced his retirement after the loss, winds up a 19-year ring career at 40-25-1 (12). In the main support bout, another unbeaten young fighter is not so fortunate; LW Jack Portney suffers his first defeat to fellow prospect Roger Bernard via a MD 10; the win moves Bernard to 13-1 (10) while Portney is now 14-1 (12).
Finally, it's time for the main event, a 15-round WBA WW title bout featuring one all-time great, Benny Leonard against a likely future great, Jimmy '"Baby Face" McLarnin. For this bout, I have Leonard set at LW (suffering a penalty for moving up in weight) but also benefiting from the defending Champion bias. After a couple of quiet opening rounds, the Canadian challenger moves inside, getting aggressive in round three. Leonard battles back to dominate action in the fourth and fifth rounds, piling up a nice points lead on the unofficial card (49-46 after five rounds). McLarnin is able to cut into Leonard's lead with a strong effort in round eight, but Leonard's slick counterpunching and general boxing skills keep him in front (97-93 with five rounds left on the unofficial card). In the late rounds, McLarnin is simply looking to land a big shot and then take advantage of the opportunity. In round 13, the Canadian finds the range with a big cross and puts Leonard on the deck for a seven-count. There's a minute left in the round, and "the Ghetto Wizard" calls on all his defensive skills, covering up and preventing a second KD or further serious damage. Nonetheless, the tide appears to have turned and McLarnin finishes strongly, while Leonard avoids a second trip to the canvas. The scorecards indicate that McLarnin's late surge was just enough to overcome Leonard's early lead, as the belt goes to McLarnin via a very close but UD 15 (144-140, 143-141, 143-141) with the 13th round KD playing a key part in the outcome. Post fight records: McLarnin, 26-2 (18); Leonard, 73-4-1 (41). Leonard's six-bout win streak (all at WW) is snapped. Great fight, and already fans are clamoring for a rematch.

[JCWeb]

On to the reports for the first half of the month of August, 1929.

Aug. 2, 1929: First Friday night fight card in August is at Briggs Stadium in Detroit. Not much noteworthy in any of the preliminary bouts, but the main event is a WBA title clash -- and the 15th title defense for the "Toy Bulldog," Mickey Walker, who takes on the British MW Champ, Frank Moody. First meeting of the two. The "Toy Bulldog" starts well, landing a sharp uppercut to Moody's jaw in the opening seconds and finishing the opening round with a big right that stuns Moody. More of the same in round two, and Moody's left eye is starting to swell as a result. An accidental clash of heads causes a gash to open over Moody's right eye in round three. The cut is patched up in the challenger's corner, but in round four Walker unleashes a barrage of blows that puts the Brit on the canvas. A cautious Moody arises and tries to cover up, but Walker's killer instinct is operating on all cylinders as he tracks down and corners Moody, scoring a second KD with a cross. Moody folds like an accordion and does not arise. Walker by KO at 2:47 of round four. He moves to 41-1 (32) with the win. Moody is 37-18-4 (13) after the loss.

Aug. 3, 1929: It's fight night at the Amor Bahn in Munich, which always seems to draw a capacity crowd. This time, no Max Schmeling, the feature bout has an American and an Italian in a 10-round, non-title bout in the BW division. It's Bud the "Blonde Terror of Terre Haute" Taylor against Kid Francis. It's a fairly uneventful bout, as Taylor survives a cut under his right eye and takes a UD 10 (96-94. 96-93, 96-93) by a fairly comfortable margin. The win moves Taylor to 29-10 (9) while Francis slips to 19-6-2 (13) with the loss. Taylor retains his top 10 BW ranking with the win.

Aug. 3, 1929: North of the border at the Exhibition Gardens in Vancover for the next fight card. One of the key prelim bouts has unbeaten WW prospect Jackie Fields facing 17-1 Cleto Locatelli, a tough, young Swiss fighter. It is a cautious start by both, and the unofficial scorer has the bout even (48-all) after five. Fields starts stepping up the pace and gradually applying more pressure as the bout enters the latter stages. Locatelli appears to make a mistake by remaining on the defensive, allowing Fields to build a winning points lead. The bout lasts the distance, no cuts or knockdowns, and it goes as a UD 10 for Fields ( 96-94, 97-93, 96-94) who keeps his unbeaten record intact, moving to 18-0-1 (12). Locatelli's second career setback leaves him at 17-2 (8). One more both for each before they hit Prime career stage, and both seem destined for top 10 contender status.
Featured bout is for the Commonwealth BW belt, with Candian Vic Foley defending against Johnny Brown. A mandatory defense versus Nipper Pat Daly fell through when Brown defeated Daly for the British title, and thus Brown became the challenger. Foley expects to have little trouble, as Brown is at Post-Prime, plus Foley holds a TKO win in a prior title bout, back in 1928. Foley outboxes Brown from the outset, and by the end of the fourth round the challenger's left eye starts to swell. Brown starts to get more aggressive in the later rounds, but he also begins to tire and is bothered by a cut over his right eye. Foley survives a nick under his right eye and goes on to take a UD 12 (116-110, 116-110, 117-109) and keeps the belt. Foley moves to 28-10-1 (10) with the win, while Brown slips to 25-9-3 (18).

Aug. 9, 1929: Friday night fights returns to the Stadium in Liverpool, UK. Good card here tonight, and one of the preliminary bouts has top 10 LW Sammy Fuller taking on the Commonwealth and British Champ, Harry "Leeds" Mason. Unfortunately, Mason is no match for the young American, who dominates for an easy UD 10 win to move his excellent career record to 25-2 (8). Fuller is still looking for a title shot, either for the WBA or a lesser belt. The main event has two veteran WWs matched for the Commonwealth belt, recently vacated by new WBA Champ Jimmy McLarnin. Current EBU and former CBU Champ Bermondsey Billy Wells is heavily favored as he meets Hamilton Johnny Brown, whom he has bested on four previous occasions. Wells starts well, putting Brown on the deck with a strong shot in round one. Brown is cut over the right eye in round six. Nonetheless, he battles and manages to the last the distance, although the result is, as expected, another UD 12 win for Wells (116-111, 115-112, 116-112) . Wells adds the Commonwealth belt and improves to 45-12-2 (16) with the win, while Hamilton Johnny is now 20-14-5 (9).

Aug. 10, 1929: The scene of the fistic action moves to Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis. A notable debut tonight for highly touted WW Barney Ross, who takes on TC Troy Burnett. Ross establishes his jab at the outset and demonstrates his considerable boxing skills. By round three, Burnett's left eye is bruised and swollen. The bout lasts four rounds and, as expected, Ross takes a UD 4 (39-38, 40-37, 40-37) although I thought the bout was alot more one-sided than the 39-38 card would indicate. The 20-year old Ross will be brought along slowly, with his second bout not taking place until December. After several more preliminary bouts, it's on to the main event, for the USBA Flyweight title. This belt, held by Fidel LaBarba, has been vacated in favored of the NABF crown; Newsboy Brown and Jimmy Russo are matched for the vacant belt. Brown, who holds a prior TKO win over Russo, boxes well to take a points lead in the early rounds. Russo tries to change his style and try to be more aggressive, but to no avail. Turns out to be kind of a mismatch as Brown takes a solid UD 12 win (117-111, 118-112, 117-111) and captures the USBA Fly title for the third time in his career. Brown moves to 31-4-2 (10) compared to 22-11-3 (10) for Russo.

Aug. 16, 1929: Friday night fights goes down under again, this time for Melbourne, Australia. No titles at stake, and the feature bout has the British veteran, WW Ted Kid Lewis, taking on Cuban Manuel Quintero. Quintero is the aggressor throughout much of the bout, and the aging veteran, Lewis, now 36, still exhibits strong boxing skills to keep the bout close. The outcome remains in doubt until the later rounds, and Quintero nails Lewis with a punishing hook in round nine that stuns the former Champ. Quintero goes on to take a MD 10 verdict (97-93, 95-95, 96-94) to score the most impressive win of his young career. Post fight records: Quintero, 20-2-4 (10); Lewis, 52-20-4 (22).

[JCWeb]

Wrapping up the key bouts from August 1929:

Aug. 17, 1929: Next European fight card is at the Ullevi Stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden. Co-main event has former WBA HW Champ Gene Tunney matched with a highly regarded young Swedish HW, Harry Persson. Not much of note happens until round four, when a cut is sliced open over Persson's rigth eye. Tunney takes full advantange of the situation, pummeling the hapless Swede against the ropes until the ref has no choice but to call a halt. TKO 4 for Tunney, who moves to 44-10-3 (26) with the win. Persson, who drops to 23-7 (15), may need to set his sights a bit lower for his next outing. Then, it is on to the main event, for the WBA FW title featuring defending Champion, Jose Lombardo, against the current EBU titleholder, Dom Volante. The bout is fairly close for the first few rounds, but Volante is on the receiving end more often than he would like, and his right eye is starting to swell at the end of round three as a result. Lombardo continues to outhit his opponent, taking an early lead (48-46 according to the unofficial ringside observer) after five. Then, in round six, the Champ unloads with a big hook that causes Volante's knees to buckle. Volante tries to work inside but can't seem to be able to land any telling blows. Lomb ardo's lead is even greater (97-93 on the unofficial card) heading into the last third of the bout. Then, in round 11, he staggers Volante with a strong cross, working over the challenger's now badly swollen eye until the ref steps in to call a halt. It goes as a TKO 11 win for Lombardo, with the swollen eye listed as the cause of the stoppage although Volante appeared to be very much on the defensive as well. Lombardo's second successful defense moves him to 28-8-3 (17) while Volante is now 21-6-2 (15).

Aug. 17, 1929: Mammoth Gardens in Denver is the setting for the next fight card, and the main event sees popular NABF LH Champ "Slapsie Maxie" Rosenbloom defending the belt against rugged Cuban slugger Roleaux Saguero, who has racked up 25 KO wins thus far in his career. From the opening bell, Saguero proves to be a difficult opponent, putting Rosenbloom on the deck with a sharp combination. Maxie arises, and things start looking up in round three when Saguero sustains a severe cut over his left eye. Then, in the following round, Rosenbloom is once again in trouble, as the Cuban goes on the offensive, catching Rosenbloom with a big left and then opening a cut over Maxie's right eye. Rosenbloom tries to cover up but the relentless attack of the Cuban is too much for Maxie; he succumbs to a barrage a blows that cause the ref to call an early halt. Saguero takes a TKO 4, and there is little protest from Rosenbloom supporters. Rosenbloom is stopped inside 10 rounds for the first time in his career. Post-fight, Saguero moves to 28-10-1 (26) compared to 22-3-4 (10) for Rosenbloom.

Aug. 23, 1929: Next fight card in the Friday night series is at Atlantic City's Convention Hall. Featured bout is for the USBA JWW title, currently held by the long-time WBA Champion, Pinkey Mitchell who faces the challenge of Spug Myers. On paper, it should not be that tough a test for Mitchell, who took a UD 15 from Myers for the WBA title belt, but several years have passed and aging effects have begun to take their toll on Mitchell. Myers battles a split lip from the very early stages of the bout. In round seven, however, he springs to life, nailing Mitchell with a strong hook. Mitchell arises and covers up, lasting the round. A second cut, this time over his left eye, adds to Myers' difficulties. He continues to battle, however, and some swelling appears under the Champion's right eye as a result of the accumulated blows. Nonetheless, when the scorecards are read, it is Mitchell who takes a narrow but UD 12 (115-113, 114-113, 115-113) to retain the belt. The win moves Mitchell's career totals to 33-13-4 (14) after the win while Myers emerges from the bout at 23-19-4 (9).

Aug. 24, 1929: Back to the Olympia in London, UK, for the next series of bouts; the six feature bouts are billed as a "US versus UK" although, in one case, one of the fighters is claiming dual citizenship in order to contend for a European title belt. The US fighters start off well, with Jimmy Dundee takes a UD 10 from former GBU LW Champ Ernie Rice. Then, a cuts stoppage leads to a TKO 6 win for Flyweight Emil Paluso over former WBC Champ Kid Socks. Then, it is three in a row for the US contigent as aging vet, former WBA BW king Joe Lynch holds off Nat Pincus for a SD 10 win; after the bout, Lynch announces that he will retire after his next bout, later in 1929. Then, FW Petey Sarron makes it four in a row for the US fighters, taking a UD 10 from ex-WBA Champ Young Johnny Brown. Then, the tide begins to turn as #1 ranked BW, USBA Champ Memphis Pal Moore, struggles against Nipper Pat Daly, the former GBU BW Champ, who puts in the performance of his life to score a huge upset, taking a MD 12 verdict (96-94, 95-95, 96-94). Daly emerges from the bout at 23-9-2 (11) compared to 49-16-6 (14) for the much more experienced Moore.
Finally, it's on to thee main event, which sees LH Len Harvey taking on Mike McTigue for the EBU LH crown. Though historically a US-based fighter, matchmakers seize on McTigue's Irish heritage to claim a tenous dual citizenship which allows the bout to be sanctioned as a European title contest. None of this seems to matter much to Harvey, who methodically goes to work and piles up a solid points lead in the first half of the bout. McTigue tries to get more aggressive in the later rounds, but Harvey's defenses are just too strong. No KDs, cuts or swelling, as the bout goes the distance -- and it's a lopsided UD 12 win for Harvey (120-108, 119-109, 119-108) who emerges with a 33-4-1 (14) career record and a solid #1 ranking that makes him a likely challenger for Tommy Loughran's WBA title. The loss leaves McTigue at 36-22-5 (22).

Aug. 30, 1929: Final Friday night card is at the Uline Arena in Washington, DC. No titles on the line, and only one featured bout of note -- top 10 LH Ad Stone takes on "Cuban" Bobby Brown. Stone won all three of their prior meetings, but now both men are at Post-Prime career stage. Action right from the start in the opening round, as Brown is cut over the right eye, and Stone takes advantage, nailing him with a hard cross right before the bell. In round two, Stone is cut over his right eye. The third round sees Stone continuing to press home the attack, clocking Brown with a big left that forces "the Cuban" to cover up. The bout goes to round four, and Stone continues to find the range, putting Brown on the deck for a nine-count with a wicked hook to the head before finishing matters later in the round with another hook. Brown takes his second trip to the canvas and, after arising, he takes more punishment that causes the ref to call a halt. The TKO 4 for Stone runs his career totals to 31-4 (20) while Brown drops to 23-12-1 (18) with the loss.

Aug. 31, 1929: Final card of the month is at the Boston Garden, where former WBA HW Champ Jack Sharkey is on the comeback trail, taking on Commonwealth Champ Larry Gains in his first bout since losing his title earlier in the year. Preamble to the main event is an interesting battle between two unbeaten LH prospects, Tiger Jack Fox and Joe Knight; each man enters the bout with 10 wins in 10 bouts and a combined total of 18 KOs (10 for Fox and 8 for Knight). After a bruising opening round of action that sees Fox emerge with a cut over his right eye and Knight with a swollen left eye, the bout settles into a pattern and goes the distance, with Fox taking a UD 10 to run his record to 11-0 (10). In the main event, the hometown crowd fires up an early explosion from Sharkey, who lands a big hook that forces Gains to cover up in round one. More action in round two, as Sharkey uses his jab to put the Canadian on the defensive. Just when it looks like Sharkey is running away with the bout, his right eye starts to puff up, leaving him vulnerable to a straight right from Gains in round four. Sharkey struggles to survive, but Gains relies on his killer instinct to land blow after blow. Over a strong protest from Sharkey's corner, the action is halted four seconds from the end of round four, going into the books as a TKO 4 win for Gains. The victory moves Gains' career mark to 25-5 (16) while Sharkey dips to 21-4 (19).

[JCWeb]

On to action from September, 1929 ...

Sep. 6, 1929: September action kicks off with a Friday night fight card in War Memorial Auditorium in Syracuse, New York. Tonight's main event is for the USBA HW title, now held by Bearcat Wright, who defends against Floyd "the Auburn Bulldog" Johnson, a top 10 HW while Wright is mired just outside the top 20. Johnson starts well, peppering Wright from the outside and causing the Champ's right eye to start swelling a bit by the end of the second stanza. However, Johnson gets careless in round five and Wright takes advantage, landing a nice combination. Johnson slumps to the canvas and cannot beat the count. The KO 5 win for Wright lifts his overall record to 25-10-3 (16) and moves him up the rankings. Johnson is 27-8-1 (21) after the loss.

Sep. 7, 1929: Another big fight card in Germany, this time at the Sportpalast in Berlin. Featured is a German fan favorite, the "Black Uhlan," HW Max Schmeling, now ranked among the top 10 HWs in the world. Tonight, Max's opponent is the Belgian, Pierre Charles. Charles proves to be a very dangerous opponent, as right out of the gate he uses his jab to open a cut over Schmeling's right eye and then follows with a hook that puts Max down on the canvas briefly in round one. Charles targets the cut, while Schmeling takes the second round to regroup and clear his head. By the end of round four Max has bounced back, repeatedly landing and causing Charles' left eye to start puffing up. Then, in round six, Schmeling breaks through, putting Charles on the canvas for a three-count. When the cut over Schmeling's eye is reopened in round seven, there is a sense of urgency in Max's corner. Accordingly, the "Black Uhlan" takes charge in round eight, nailing Charles with a wicked cross to the head to register the bout's second knockdown. Later in the round, he swarms over the hapless Belgian, putting him down with a sharp combination that signals an end to the bout as Charles does not arise. KO 8 for Schmeling, and the crowd here at the Sportpalast goes home happy after some troublesome moments early in the fight. The win moves Schmeling to 21-1 (17) while Charles drops to 24-10 (16) with the loss.

Sep. 7, 1929: Toronto's Maple Leaf Gardens in the scene of the next fight card. Co-feature is a LH bout that sees Paul Berlenbach, bounce back from some recent setbacks with a one-round demolition of George Nichols. The KO 1 result moves Berlenbach to 22-5 (17). Then, it's on to the main event, which sees Tiger Flowers, the "Georgia Deacon," defending his NABF MW title belt for the first time in 1929, facing newly-crowned USBA MW king Vince Dundee. Dundee likes his chances here tonight, as Flowers is at Post-Prime career stage. Dundee sets up Flowers for a huge shot to score the bout's first knockdown in the third round. Flowers gamely regains his footing and takes the bout into the later rounds. However, a tired and frustrated Flowers, after repeated warnings from the referee, is eventually called for flagrant holding and hitting in round 10, leading to a DQ 10 win for Dundee. Seeing as how Dundee had a comfortable lead on all three cards, there is little for Flowers' backers to complain about. Post-fight, Dundee moves to 25-3-1 (13), while Flowers slips to 36-14-1 (17).

Sep. 13, 1929: Friday night fights is once again "Down Under" at Sydney Stadium in Australia. Co-feature bout matches up two top five Flyweights, as former Champ Elky Clark takes on Johnny "the Midget Organ Grinder" Vacca. Clark, now reduced to the role of an aging former Champ, starts well and causes some swelling around Vacca's right eye by the end of the second round, but as the bout wears on, the Italian's superior boxing skills prove dominant. The ex-Champ simply can't find the range and goes down meekly as it turns out to be a fairly lopsided UD 10 win for Vacca (99-92, 99-92, 98-93) to move him to 21-2 (11) while Clark is now 29-9-1 (15). Next up is the main event, as OPBF HW king Tom Heeney puts that belt on the line versus popular Aussie George Thompson, a one-time Commonwealth HW titleholder who is making his first try for the OPBF belt. Thompson gets off to a strong start, and Heeney's right eye is starting to swell before the end of round two. In round two, a cut lip slows the Aussie challenger. Undeterred, Thompson quietly builds an early points lead. Heeney gradually gets more aggressive, and he tries to launch a comeback in the later rounds. In the final round, Thompson drops Heeney briefly with a nice, short clean hook. He goes on to lift the belt, taking a UD 12 (117-110, 116-111, 116-111) by a fairly comfortable margin. Thompson emerges from the bout with a 23-4-1 (13) career mark, compared to 28-13-1 (8) for Heeney whose career prospects seem to have stalled at the moment.

Sep. 14, 1929: It's another fight card at the Stadium in Liverpool. Key bout is the main event, for the Commonwealth MW title. Australian Alf Stewart has journeyed to defend the belt against Len Johnson, top 10 ranked EBU MW Champion. Johnson in seeking to add the Commonwealth belt to his collection of titles, having previously won the GBU title in addition to the EBU belt. He fights very conservatively, spending most of his time on the outside, cleverly picking his spots and generally outboxing and outpointing his less talented opponent. Finally, in round 11, a frustrated and tired Stewart leaves himself vulnerable to a powerful uppercut from Johnson, which leaves the Aussie on the canvas. Back up at a six-count, Stewart tries to cover up but Johnson is able to dish out some more punishment, bloodying Stewart's nose. The bout goes the distance, and Johnson takes a UD 12 (115-112, 117-110, 115-112) to add the Commonwealth belt to his other successes. The win moves Johnson to 24-9-1 (15) overall, compared to 22-14-3 (17) for Stewart.

Sep. 14, 1929: Action for the first half of September concludes with a big fight card is back in the USA, at the Convention Hall in Atlantic City. One of the preliminary bouts sees a locval favorite, HW Jimmy Braddock, continues to resurrect his flagging career, taking on James Jackson, who can best be described as a "journeyman"-type opponent. Braddock, who has won his last two and is now firmly on the comeback trail, starts well, using his slow, methodical approach of wearing down his opponent. By the end of round five, Jackson's left eye is beginning to puff up. However, right before the bell in round seven, Jackson clocks Braddock with a big uppercut right before the bell. Fortunately, Braddock has plenty of time to recover and the rest of the bout goes without incident. Braddock takes a UD 10 verdict (96-94, 97-93, 96-94). Post fight records: Braddock, 16-3-1 (6); Jackson, 15-12 (11). Braddock will move into the Prime of his career with his next bout, not expected until early 1930 as he takes a four-month layoff.
The main event for the Jersey crowd here tonight is for the LH WBA Championship, held for over three years by the popular Philadelphia area fighter, master boxing ace Tommy Loughran. Loughran's challenger this time will be the newly-crowned USBA LH Champion, Young Firpo, aka "the Wild Bull of the Pampas from Idaho." As expected, Loughran sets up shop on the outside and gradually builds a huge points lead, demonstrating his clever boxing skills. Firpo is bothered throughout the bout with a swollen left eye that gradually worsens from the accumulated impact of Loughran's blows. In round 12, Firpo starts bleeding from a cut on his nose. The cut is reopened in round 14, but the ref (after consulting the ring physician) allows the bout to continue. Firpo is unable to last the distance, however, as more bleeding causes the bout to be halted midway throught the final round. TKO 15 for Loughran, who has now won 12 successive title defenses and moves to 38-4-2 (14) overall; Firpo is now 19-3-2 (14). A real boxing clinic by Loughran here tonight.

[JCWeb]

Wrapping up the fight action from Sept. 1929:

Sep. 20, 1929: Friday night fight card at Gran Stadium in Havana, Cuba before a large crowd to witness a WBA title clash plus several top Cuban fighters in the preliminary bouts. One of the main support bouts has unbeaten FW prospect Kid Chocolate, who has won all 10 of his prior bouts inside the distance, taking on another top young prospect, Baby Arizmendi from Mexico. The action in the early rounds favors the Mexican (Arizmendi). Kid Chocolate starts to pick up the pace in round three, and the Cuban crowd cheers him on. The bout turns into a real see-saw battle heading into the middle rounds, as both men slug away, impressing the knowledgeable fight fans here. The bout goes the distance, and the judges' cards result in a draw (95-95, 94-96 Arizmendi, 96-94 Chocolate) which is sufficient to keep Kid Chocolate unbeaten at 10-0-1 (10) compared to 12-1-1 (7) post-fight for Arizmendi. Then, on to the main event, as WBA LW king Luis Vicentini defends his crown against "the Fargo Express," Billy Petrolle, who enters on a four-bout win streak including the capture of the NABF LW crown. Petrolle seems ready to step up to the next level when -- just one minute into the fight -- he uncorks a big uppercut that puts the Champ down for an eight-count; Vicentini is forced to cover up to survive. By the end of round three, Vicentini's left eye is starting to balloon up. The game Chilean battles back, dominating the action in round four. In round 10, Petrolle lets Vicentini know he means business, nailing the Champ with another uppercut. The bout enters the final round, and this time Vicentini comes back, stunning Petrolle with a big uppercut of his own. No knockdowns, and it goes to the scorecards -- with Petrolle taking a UD 15 (143-140, 145-138, 143-140). The "Fargo Express" takes the WBA belt and moves to 29-3-2 (18) with the win. Vicentini drops to 29-6 (12).

Sep. 21, 1929: More fight action back in the UK, this time at the venerable Harringay Arena in London. Main support bout features two "hot" young MW prospects, unbeaten Jock McAvoy, the "Rochdale Thunderbolt" and Roy "Showboat" McQuillan, who is coming across the pond for his first outing on British soil. There's a surprisingly quick finish to this one, as McAvoy flattens McQuillan just one minute into the first round. McAvoy remains unbeaten, moving to 13-0-2 (11) and enhancing his growing reputation. It's McQuillan's second KO loss -- the other one coming at the expense of another top young MW, Freddie Steele, leaving him at 11-2 (9) overall. The main event is for the WBA HW crown, and it's the first WBA HW title bout in Great Britain in almost nine years. George Godfrey is defending against Young Stribling, whom he defeated in a UD 12 in 1928. Stribling gets off to a strong start and compiles an early points lead over the defending Champ. Godfrey starts to press on the inside, taking punishment in the form of a rapidly swelling left eye for his efforts. His aggressiveness does not pay off, however, as Stribling reasserts himself in the later rounds. In round 12, he stuns Godfrey with a hook to the head and, later in the round, Godfrey goes down in a barrage of punches. A second KD in round 14 helps to seal his fate. Stribling goes on to take a UD 15 by a fairly large margin (146-137, 145-138, 146-137) to regain the title he held twice before, in 1926 and 1927. Post-fight, Stribling moves to 32-5-1 (18) compared to 38-9-1 (27) for Godfrey.

Sep. 21, 1929: Back to the Cow Palace in San Francisco for some more exciting fight action. Featured bout is for the WBA JLW title, and the protagonists are defending Champion Benny Bass and his challenger, former Champ Johnny Dundee, the "Scotch Wop." After alot of posturing and feinting for the first five rounds, the two men are even (48-all), according to the unofficial scorer. Bass steps up the pace in the middle rounds, and Dundee suffers a cut under his left eye in round seven. However, it is an inspired performance by the former Champ who pulls ahead to a narrow lead (96-95) after ten. Another strong round from Dundee in round 11, and Bass' left eye starts to swell as a result of the impact of the repeated blows. Then, in round 12, the cut over Dundee's eye is reopened. The bout goes to the final round then, all of a sudden, Bass is called for a blatant foul and DQ'd. His corner protests, but to no avail. The DQ 15 result means Dundee regains the crown he held for five years, from 1921 to 1926. Dundee had a narrow lead on two of the three scorecards heading into the final round. He moves to 53-20-2 (15) as a result while Bass emerges from the bout at 32-8-3 (12).

Sep. 27, 1929: Next Friday night fight card is at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. Key bout, the main event, has Ray Miller defending his USBA LW crown against veteran Jimmy Goodrich. The bout appears to be faily close through the first four rounds, but then the veteran Goodrich steps up the pace and does well in rounds five and six. Behind, Miller flails around the ring, unable to connect with any kind of frequency and struggles for the rest of the bout. Nonetheless, it goes the distance and Goodrich takes a very close MD 12 (115-115, 116-113, 116-113) to take the title. He moves to 41-11-1 (10) overall while Miller slips to 27-5 (13).

Sep. 28, 1929: Next fight card at Rizal Arena in Manila sees a pair of OPBF title contests to whet the appetites of the fight fans gathered here. First up is a second successive matchup for the vacant OPBF BW title, with the bout in July having resulted in a draw. Once again, former WBA Champ Pete Sarmiento is involved, this time his opponent is another up-and-comer, Speedy Dado, who is 14-4 but still at Pre-Prime career stage. Action is slow to develop, but Dado steps up in the pace in round five and six, with Sarmiento's right eye showing signs of swelling as a result. Dado's lack of experience then begins to slow, as Sarmiento works his way inside and lands a sharp blow that causes a cut to open under Dado's left eye in round seven. A late surge by Sarmiento, who also has to battle a cut eye in the final round, is enough for him to regain the belt -- by a narrow margin that was growing in the later rounds. UD 12 for Sarmiento (115-113, 115-113, 116-112). He moves to 30-10-6 (20) while Dado is 14-5 (10).
The second of the co-main event title affairs is a rematch for the OPBF WW title, with Irineo Flores taking on former Champ Lope Tenorio -- with Flores having won the belt in April Tenorio via a UD 12. In round three, Tenorio suffers a cut over his left eye. Flores targets the cut and tries to put his opponent on the defensive. Tenorio, on the other hand, sets up shop on the outside and, with the help of his corner, avoids having the cut become a bigger problem. No knockdowns as the bout goes the distance, and Tenorio takes a UD 12 (117-112, 116-113, 115-114) to regain the belt. Post-fight records: Tenorio, 23-5-5 (6); Flores, 29-11-2 (17).

Sep. 28, 1929: Final fight card of the month is at Yankee Stadium in New York City. Featured is a rematch of a WBA title contest from earlier in the year, involving two top JWWs, defending Champ Jack Kid Berg and Tony "the Roman Warrior" Canzoneri. This is the second meeting in what could develop into a keen rivalry between these two. For this bout, Canzoneri has graduated to Prime career stage for the first time. After an even round one, Berg has a slight edge in round two. Even round three, edge to Canzoneri in round four. The two battle away on the inside in the fifth, another close round. At this point, the unofficial ringside observer has the bout even (48-all). Berg becomes the aggressor in rounds six and seven, while Canzoneri battles a cut over his right eye. The US challenger, who has plenty of crowd support, mounts a surge throughout the middle rounds. The cut is reopened in round nine. Canzoneri clings to a narrow lead on the unofficial card (96-95) headed into the final five rounds. Berg steps up the pace in rounds 11 and 12, and Canzoneri tries to set up a nice counter with an uppercut. However, the cut over his eye has become a huge problem, leading to a late stoppage. With the crowd howling in protest, the bout is declared a TKO 12 win for Berg -- same result as the earlier title bout in London. Berg's record is now 22-1-2 (12) overall compared to 18-3 (11) for Canzoneri.

Will be taking a bit of a hiatus for a week or so before resuming with fight cards starting in October 1929 (the month of the Stock Market crash).

[JCWeb]

After a much longer delay than I would have liked, it's on to fight action from the first half of October, 1929.

Oct. 4, 1929: October action kicks off with a Friday night fight card at Philadelphia Stadium. No titles at stake, but tonight's feature match is between two former WBA Champions, two all-time ring greats, Jack Dempsey and Gene Tunney, who meet in a rubber match as each has won once in two prior meetings. Both are at Post-Prime career stage, but tonight's fight draws a capacity crowd. The action is fast and furious, starting midway through the second round when Dempsey lands a strong shot, dropping Tunney for an eight count. The "Fighting Marine" scrambles back to his feet, successfully managing to last the round by covering up. Tunney is in trouble again in round three, and his left eye starts to puff up as a result of the repeated blows from the fists of the "Manassa Mauler." In round four, Dempsey connects with a strong combination to register the second knockdown of the fight. Dempsey holds a 49-45 lead on the unofficial card at the bout's halfway point. Tunney mounts a strong comeback in the later rounds, outboxing Dempsey and causing Jack's right eye to start swelling by the end of round seven. Dempsey, going for his 50th career KO, cannot put Tunney away. He suffers a cut lip in the final round as the bout goes the distance. The two KDs were decisive in the scoring, as Dempsey hangs on to take a narrow MD 10 (95-94, 94-94, 95-94). The win lifts Dempsey to 55-10-1 (49) while Tunney is 44-11-3 (26) after the loss.

Oct. 5, 1929: More fight action at the Stadium in Liverpool, England. In tonight's feature bout, Bermondsey Billy Wells makes his first defense of his long-dormant EBU title bout since December 1927. His opponent is another Brit, Alf Mancini. Wells, who won their only prior encounter, has a bit of an indifferent start when he walks into a well-timed combination from the challenger in round two. By round four, however, he battles back and stuns Mancini with a quick hook to the head that forces the challenger to cover up. Mancini has his moments, but Wells grinds out a narrow SD 12 win (112-115, 117-110, 116-111), doing enough to keep the title. The win moves Wells to 46-12-2 (16) while Mancini drops to 26-11-2 (10) with the loss.

Oct. 5, 1929: Chicago's Comiskey Park is the scene of the next fight card. Featured bout is for the NABF WW crown, pitting Joe Dundee defending against Young Corbett III. The two have had some close bouts, one ending in a draw and the other, a split duke for Dundee. The tenstion in this one builds slowly, as Corbett is active early on, causing Dundee's left eye to start swelling by the end of round four. Dundee, however, starts to turn things around a couple of rounds later, and Corbett must battle a cut over his right eye and some swelling under both eyes. It's a close bout into the later rounds, with Corbett becoming more and more aggressive. No KDs, this one goes the distance, and Dundee keeps his title via a close MD 12 (115-113, 114-114, 116-112). Post-fight, Dundee moves to 31-8-4 (12), while Corbett slips to 30-7-3 (12).

Oct. 11, 1929: Friday night fights moves to Miami Stadium. Fetured bout is for the vacant NABF LW crown. Sammy Fuller and Sammy Mandell are matched up for the title previously held by Billy Petrolle, now the WBA LW kingpin. Fuller won a prior encounter, back in 1928, via a split technical decision. The bout turns out to be a defensive struggle between two boxers. Not much in the way of action until round 10, when a controversial call by the ref results in Mandell's being disqualified. Up to that point it had been an even bout. The DQ 10 win moves Fuller to 26-2 (8) compared to 30-11 (9) for Mandell. The controversial decision leads to calls for an immediate rematch, which may take place as early as next month.

Oct. 12, 1929: Next card is at the Palais du Sport in Cannes, France. Featured on this card is the farewell bout of a former WBA Champ, and an EBU title defense by a former WBA Champ; both of the featured performers are French fighters, drawing a huge crowd. First up, former WBA BW king Charles "Little Apache" Ledoux, who held the EBU title for an eigh-year span from 1912 through 1920, makes his final ring appearance against former EBU Champ, Kid Francis of Italy. Ledoux gives a good account of himself, battling all the way to the end but coming out on the short end of a SD 10. He finishes out a 21-year ring career at 53-24-2 (37). After a few more preliminary bouts, it's time for the main event, matching the "French Flash," Benny Valgar, in his first EBU LW title defense in over a year. His opponent, Belgian Francois Sybille, is perhaps overmatched in his first title contest of any time. After a slow start, Valgar begins to dominate the action in the middle rounds. By the end of round six, Sybille's left eye is starting to swell. Sybille is floored once, in round 10, the victim of a Valgar combination. The bout goes the distance and it goes down as a UD 12 win for Valgar (118-108, 115-112, 116-110) although a three-point margin seemed overly generous to the challenger. Valgar moves to 40-14-3 (13) with the win, compared to 16-6-1 (7) for Sybille.

Oct. 12, 1929: Next fight card is at the Exhibition Gardens in Vancouver, Canada, and featured is Canadian HW Larry Gains who defends his Commonwealth title against a former titleholder, Ireland's Bartley Madden, who is now near the tail-end of his long career. Less than a minute into the bout, Gains asserts his superiority when he drops Madden with a sharp cross. Not much in the way of additional action until round four, when Gains delivers a devastating hook for the bout's second KD. By the midway point, both the challenger's eyes are starting to swell up. Madden is game, but he starts carrying his hands low and is vulnerable to another strong shot from the Canadian. Gains ends it with a third knockdown, KO 7 for Gains who looked very impressive in this one. Gains' career totals are now 26-5 (17) compared to 46-18-6 (18) for the well-traveled Madden.

[JCWeb]

Taking us through the end of October 1929, now into post-Crash, recession era boxing.

Oct. 18, 1929: Friday night fights down under once again at Melbourne, Australia, with a solid fight card featuring some British and American fighters traveling to Aussie-land to entertain the eager fight fans in Melbourne. No titles on offer, but featured is a 10-round WW clash between former Champ Ted Kid Lewis and American Johnny Indrisano. Prior to the main event, two US veteran LWs do battle as Lew Tendler pounds out at solid UD 10 win (96-94 on all cards) over Rocky Kansas; both of these are at Post-Prime career stage. Then, OPBF MW Champ Ceferino Garcia takes on Gorilla Jones. Turns out to be a bit of an upset as Jones wins a tense battle, another UD 10 (96-94, 97-93, 99-93) over the higher-ranked Garcia although the 99-93 scoreline seemed way too generous to Jones. Then, on to the main event. Lewis, now nearing the end of his long career, appeared slow and out of shape, allowing the younger man (Indrisano) to take charge from early on. Midway through the bout, Lewis is bothered by a rapidly swelling left eye that further damages his chances. Indrisano coasts through the later rounds to a lopsided UD 10 win (99-93, 99-93, 100-92) to move to 19-3-3 (9) with the win. Lewis, whose best days are definitely behind him, drops to 52-21-4 (22).

Oct. 19, 1929: Back to Rome, Italy for another fight card at the Palazzo. Italian HW hopeful Primo "the Ambling Alp" is on the undercard on this one, and he disposes of TC Dale Horne in two despite suffering a cut over his right eye. Carnera is now 5-0-1 (4) with the KO 2 win. The featured bout is for the EBU HW crown, and it features two Dutchmen (Piet Van Der Veer and Jack DeMave) who are facing off for the first time. Late in round one, DeMave goes down after a barrage of blows from the Champion find their mark. The veteran DeMave, who holds a TKO win over Max Schmeling (Schmeling's only ring defeat thus far), battles back and, by round six, both eyes of VanDerVeer are showing signs of swelling. VanDerVeer, whose early lead seems to be slipping away, rallies in the ninth round when he staggers DeMave with a hook to the head -- this is enough to seal a UD 12 win for VanDerVeer (116-110, 116-112, 116-110), who keeps the crown, at least until the next fight. Post-fight, VanDerVeer moves to 33-13-6 (20) compared to 21-6-2 (11) for DeMave.

Oct. 19, 1929: Back to the Cow Palace in San Francisco for some more exciting fight action. On the undercard is the exciting young HW, Max Baer, "the Livermore Larupper," who has yet to have an opponent last more than three rounds in 4 KO wins. His opponent, another TC, shows greater resiliance, lasting the six-round distance despite two trips to the canvas, courtesy of some devastating punches from Baer. Max takes a UD 6 (57-55, 59-53, 59-53) although the narrow two-point margin on one judge's card seems way out of whack. Max, now 5-0 (4), plans to rest a bit before resuming his career in early 1930. Featured bout on tonight's card is for the USBA MW title belt that was recently vacated when Vince Dundee moved up and captured the NABF crown. "Trenton Terror" Young Terry and local area favorite "Oakland Shadow" Oakland Jimmy Duffy are matched for the vacant belt. Duffy quietly builds an early points lead throughout the first half of the bout. Midway through, however, Young Terry mounts an impressive comeback, culminating in a big hook to the head that decks Duffy in the 11th round. The bout goes the distance, and Young Terry takes the belt via a UD 12 (115-111, 114-112, 114-112) much to the chagrin of the pro-Duffy crowd. Terry moves to 22-2-3 (9) with the win, while Duffy emerges from the bout at 39-19-6 (8).

Oct. 25, 1929: Next Friday night fight card is at Madison Square Garden in New York City. After several preliminary bouts featuring several young fighters, the main event pits Jack Bernstein against Sid Barbarian for the USBA JLW crown currently held by Bernstein. Barbarian, dropping back down to JLW after two years at LW, is 2-0 over Bernstein in prior encounters. Barbarian starts well, and by the end of the fourth round there is visible swelling under Bernstein's right eye. In round five, Bernstein bounces back, landing a sharp combination that drops Barbarian to the deck for an eight-count. By the end of round six, the left eye of the challenger is starting to swell up. Barbarian tries to pick up the pace in the later rounds, but it is to no avail as Bernstein coasts to a UD 12 victory (117-110, 119-109, 116-113) to keep the title. Bernstein moves to 26-14-1 (6) overall while Barbarian slips to 29-12-2 (14).

Oct. 26, 1929: Next fight card at Harringay Arena in London attracts a nice crowd, as several preliminary bouts featuring home-grown fighters versus Yanks lead up to a WBA Flyweight title tilt. First up is veteran Flyweight Emil Paluso, who has traveled here to take on up-and-comer and Commonwealth flyweight Champ Jackie Brown. After just four rounds, Brown appears to be overmatched as his right eye starts to swell. He gamely battles on, and the bout goes the distance, being scored as a MD 10 for Paluso (96-95, 95-95, 99-92), who had a huge lead in punches landed and deserved better than what appeared to be a closer than needed decision by two hometown judges. At any rate, Paluso moves to 23-10-1 (7) while Brown closes out the Pre-Prime stage of his career at 16-3-1 (8). Next up, crowd favorite Nipper Pat Daly takes only highly-rated BW Bud Taylor. In a close battle, Daly suffers a cut over his right eye and a swollen right eye. Nonetheless, it's another close decision, with the MD 10 going to Taylor (96-94, 95-95, 98-92) who is now 30-10 (9) while Nipper Pat slips to 23-10-2 (11). Then, current GBU FW Champ Al Foreman is matched with another higher rated Yank, Dick Finnegan. This time, the home crowd has something to cheer about, as Foreman nails Finnegan with a big left in round five and then follows with a huge shot that leads to a quick stoppage. The TKO 5 win moves Foreman to 25-13 (21) while Finnegan's post-fight record is 27-11 (8). Then, Frankie Genaro defends the WBA belt won in London earlier, taking on fellow American, Newsboy Brown. Genaro is looking to avenge two earlier losses (one, via a SD and the other, via a DQ) in this bout. Brown suffers a cut over his left eye in the opening round, and it continues to bother him throughout the remainder of the bout. Genaro is able to pile up an early points lead and, meanwhile, the cut is reopened twice and gradually worsens, leading to a stoppage. TKO 8 for Genaro, who avenges the earlier losses and retains the WBC crown. Genaro's post-fight record is 33-9 (16) while the loss drops the Newsboy to 31-5-2 (10).

Oct. 26, 1929: Final fight card of the month is at the Gran Stadium in Havana, Cuba. Lots of Cuban and other Hispanic boxers featured on this card. The main event is a NABF title contest, with two sluggers going at it: Cuban LH Roleaux Saguero defendst the belt against the hard-hitting former USBA Champion, Paul Berlenbach. The Cuban Champion gets off to a strong start, landing repeatedly in the opening round to the point where Berlenbach experiences some swelling under his right eye. Berlenbach then suffers a cut over the same right eye in round six. He continues in his own aggressive style but is unable to trouble Saguero. A big hook to the head sets up the Cuban Champion for a strong follow-up shot that sends Berlenbach to the deck for a seven-count in round seven. The cut over Berlenbach's eye, which had been patched up in between rounds, is re-opened and leads to an immediate stoppage in the middle of round nine. It goes down as a TKO 9 win for Saguero, over howls of protest from Berlenbach's corner. Saguero is now 29-10-1 (27) overall compared to 22-6 (17) for Berlenbach.

[JCWeb]

Action now moves into the month of November, 1929.

Nov. 1, 1929: Friday night action, the first post-Crash fight card, takes place at Sicks Stadium in Seattle. Unbeaten MW Freddie Steele, the "Tacoma Assassin," is the main attraction in the feature bout. But first up is another rapidly rising young star, WW Jackie Fields, who puts his unbeaten skein on the line in a bout with veteran George Levine, at one time a top ten WW. The veteran is repeatedly beaten to the punch by the younger man, and midway through the bout he is sporting a swollen left eye for his troubles. Levine remains upright throughout the bout but lacks the firepower to mount a rally. It goes the distance, a UD 10 for Fields (98-92, 97-95, 97-94) that closes out the Pre-Prime stage of his career with a very impressive 19-0-1 (12) record; Levine's career totals are 30-17-4 (13) after the bout. Then, after a couple of more bouts, it's on to the main event with the unbeaten Steele matched against veteran Tiger Johnny Cline in a 10-round non-title affair. Steele seizes the initiative right away, staggering Cline with a straight right in the opening round. Cline appears totally outclassed by Steele, and midway through the fight he is bothered by a rapidly swelling left eye. The bout comes to an abrupt end midway through the sixth when Steele unloads with a perfect hook that puts Cline down and out -- KO 6 for Steele. The KO win, Steele's 15th in just 17 pro bouts, moves him into the top 15 with a 17-0 (15) career mark while Cline is 27-11-8 (13) after the loss.

Nov. 2, 1929: Next fight action is north of the border at the Forum in Montreal (aka Molson Arena in the game). The feature here tonight is a WBA title bout featuring Jimmy "Baby Face" McLarnin, the Canadian WW Champion, who takes on former WBC Champ Young Jack Thompson. McLarnin, who has won his last six, is well on his way to a Hall of Fame career, and he meets Thompson for the first time. Action heats up in round three when McLarnin nails Thompson with a vicious cross that puts the challenger on the deck. Thompson covers up and manages to last the round. McLarnin has a solid lead (49-46) on the unofficial card after five. Thompson tries to mount a rally. Thompson staggers McLarnin with a big left in round seven, probably his best punch of the fight. Just after the bell sounds for round nine, McLarnin sends Thompson to the canvas with a quick flash knockdown. McLarnin follows with a nice combination to score his third KD of the bout a round later. Thompson scrambles back to his feet, but he is defenseless against a further onslaught by the Champ. The ref wisely calls a halt to the action to save Thompson from further punishment. The TKO 10 win for McLarnin, his seventh in a row, moves him to 27-2 (19) while Thompson drops to 27-5-4 (17) with the loss.

Nov. 2, 1929: Uline Arena in Washington, D. C. is the scene of the next fight card. Featured bout is for the NABF Flyweight crown, pitting Fidel LaBarba (the defender) against Cuba's Black Bill (the challenger and former Champion). Three other Cuban fighters appear on the undercard, with very mixed success, winning just one out of three (a TKO win by FW Kid Chocolate over a US-based TC). LaBarba quietly builds an early points lead. Midway through the bout, Black Bill is cut over the right eye and also suffers a bruised lip. The Cuban battles with these problems, particularly the cut eye, throughout the second half of the fight. It goes the distance, and LaBarba takes a UD 12 (115-113, 115-113, 118-110). Post-fight, LaBarba moves to 22-2-1 (9), while Black Bill dips to 22-10-5 (9).

Nov. 8, 1929: Friday night fights moves to the Stadium in Liverpool, UK. Featured bout is for the Commonwealth LW crown, and it is a rematch of a bout held earlier in the year in Australia where Brit Harry Mason captured the title belt from Aussie Billy Grime. This time, Grime turns the table, putting Mason on the deck with a nice shot. Mason's right eye starts to swell as a result of Grime's aggressive attack. The Brit battles back in the later rounds, but Grime outlasts him in an endurance contest, regaining the belt with a solid UD 12 decision (116-110, 115-111, 116-110). The win moves Grime to 23-12-2 (4) compared to 26-12-2 (14) for Mason.

Nov. 9, 1929: Next card is at the Ullevi Stadium in Sweden. Couple of interesting bouts on the undercard leading up to a WBC title contest. The Basque Woodchopper, Paulino Uzcudan, runs his career mark to 25-4-1 (11) with a solid UD 10 win over American HW Jim Maloney. Then, in a battle of ranked MWs, Jock Malone battles one of Europe's best, German Hein Domgorgen. Malone battles back after being the victim of an unintential butt cut in round one. Malone battles back after being the victim of an unintential butt cut in round one. He stuns Domgorgen in round two with a hard hook. It turns out to be a close bout as the German tries hard to take advantage of the cut. The cut does lead to a late stoppage, but when the bout goes to the scorecards it's a win for Malone, not Domgorgen, via a UTD 8 (77-75, 77-75, 78-74). Then, it's on to the main event, as Panama Al Brown puts his WBA BW title on the line against challenger Harold Smith. It's Brown's 11th defense of his title which he won in early 1927. The two split two prior bouts, although the one win for Smith was via a controversial DQ result. As expected, Panama Al sets up shop outside, adopting a solid defensive posture that proves difficult for Smith to overcome. However, in round five, there is a huge shock as Panama Al walks into a Smith cross and is down for a six-count. After this, Brown is even more careful, but also looking for his opportunities. He builds a solid points lead through the middle rounds and then turns back a spirited challenge from Smith in the later rounds. Both of Smith's eyes puff up as a result of constant pressure from Brown's counter-shots. He finally drops to the deck in round 13 but scrambles to his feet and gamely lasts the distance. As expected, it's another UD 15 win for Brown (147-135 on all three cards) to keep the title. Panama Al moves to 34-3 (14) with the win, compared to 29-10-4 (14) for Smith.


Nov. 9, 1929: More fight action in the US, this time at the Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis. To be honest, it's a fairly weak fight card. The headliner is for the NABF BW crown, with Canadian Howard Mayberry defending for the seventh time against Abe Goldstein. Goldstein, a veteran of the ring wars by now, lost to Mayberry back in 1927 and is now on the definite downside of his career. Not much action until round five, when Goldstein starts bleeding from his nose. Mayberry continues to press forward, targeting the cut. This strategy pays off when the bout is halted a few rounds later, and Mayberry is awarded a TKO 8 win due to a cuts stoppage. Mayberry moves to 29-11-1 (14) with the win, while Goldstein finishes the bout at 37-13-3 (11).

[JCWeb]

Concluding with a summary of the key action for November of 1929.

Nov. 15, 1929: Friday night fights heads West to Denver's Mammoth Gardens. This time, it's a packed card, no title bouts, headlined by all-time great Benny Leonard. The co-feature matches the top two ranked MW contenders, veterans Panama Joe Gans and Bryan Downey, both of whom are at Post-Prime career stage. This is the fifth career meeting for these two ring warriors, and Gans has won three of the previous four encounters. This time, he lands the more telling blows to build a comfortable points lead over Downey by the midway point (49-46 on the unofficial scorecard). Downey steps up the pace, closing the gap in the later rounds despite suffering a cut nose and, late in the bout, some minour swelling under his right eye. The bout goes to the judges and it's a UD 10 win for Panama Joe Gans (97-93, 96-94, 98-92), moving the Panamanian to 52-12-3 (19) while Downey slips to 47-19-4 (21) overall. Then, Benny Leonard looks to rebound from his WBA WW title loss to Jimmy McLarnin, taking on rugged Pete Latzo, the former NABF WW Champion who is also coming off a loss. Leonard looks to be the more effective boxer in the early rounds, repeatedly beating Latzo to the punch. Then, suddenly, a clash of heads and the nature of the bout is changed as Leonard emerges with a gash over his left eye as a result. Latzo presses forward while Leonard takes a much more cautious approach. The crowd senses a possible upset when, in the middle of round seven, a sudden halt is called as the cut becomes too severe for Leonard to continue. Since it was the result of an accidental butt, the bout reverts to the scorecards after round six. Leonard takes a controversial STD 7 (59-56, 56-59, 58-57) even though the post-fight stats show the two were even on punches landed, with Latzo landing a much higher percentage. In any event, the win moves Leonard to 74-4-1 (41) compared to 30-12-1 (11) post-fight for Latzo. Any talk of a possible rematch will have to be postponed until Leonard's eye has time to heal. .

Nov. 16, 1929: Back to Rome, Italy for another fight card at the Palazzo. This time, it's a relatively weak undercard leading to a WBA title clash matching Jose Lombardo, the reigning FW king, with former Champ, Louis Kaplan. Only notable bout on the undercard sees Italian HW contender Erminio Spalla bolster his status with a TKO 5 pummeling of aging Pat Lester; it was the 22nd premature stoppage registered by Spalla who is now 31-12 and looking for another shot at the EBU title. On to the WBC title fight, with Kaplan -- the loser to Lombardo in a controversial DQ call earlier in the year -- getting a long-awaited rematch, but not before Lombardo had defended the WBA belt twice since. Lombardo looks to work his way inside and seems to be effectively early, as Kaplan's left eye begins to puff up as early as round four. Kaplan is able to withstand the pressure, firing back with a jab that proves to be an obstacle to Lombardo's progress. In round eight, however, Lombardo catches Kaplan with a short, clean hook that puts the challenger down for a count of seven. The Champ, however, can't finish the job, and a defensive-minded Kaplan settles in as the bout lasts the distance. In a close one, Kaplan regains the title with a MD 15 (146-139, 143-143, 145-141) as the one knockdown clearly did not carry sway with two of the judges. Post-fight, Kaplan moves to 35-7-1 (10) compared to 28-9-3 (17) for Lombardo.

Nov. 16, 1929: Next fight card is at the Briggs Stadium in Detroit. Sully Montgomery and Joe Sekyra and matched for the vacant NABF title belt. It is the first meeting of the two, neither of whom is ranked in the top 20, but the higher ranked guys were either ineligible, not interested, or not available at the time the sanctioning body wished to stage this title bout. Not much action until round four, when Montgomery nails Sekyra with a strong shot that puts Joe on the deck for a six-count. A round later, the pendulum swings the other way as Montgomery suffers a cut over his right eye. The cut is reopened in round seven. In round eight, it's Sekyra's turn as he suffers a similar cut over his right eye. Once again, in round nine, the cut over Montgomery's eye is reopened once again. The cut becomes a problem, and in round 11 it is serious enough to cause a premature end. Because the cut was ruled the result of an unintentional butt, it goes to the scorecards after the 10th round. Montgomery, who will move to Post-Prime in 1930, takes a UTD 11 (98-91, 97-92, 98-91) despite the problems with the cut. Montgomery moves to 29-9-1 (10) with the win, while Sekyra still sports impressive career totals of 18-4 (14).

Nov. 22, 1929: It's back "Down Under" for Friday night fights, this time at Sydney, Australia. It's a big event, topped by a WBA HW title contest. Main support has two top WWs, each looking to move up the rankings; it's Filipino and former OPBF Champ Irineo Flores against the hard-hitting Cuban, Manuel Quintero. Things look up for Flores until Quintero breaks through with a big shot that puts the Filipino down for an eight-count in round five. Quintero continues to move forward but Flores quickly recovers, flicking his jab that eventually results in a badly swollen right eye for the Cuban. A strong counterpuncher, Flores rocks Quintero with a hard uppercut, turning the bout around in his favor. It goes the distance, and despite the knockdown, it's a solid UD 10 win for Flores (98-92, 96-93, 98-92) to move the Filipino to 30-11-2 (17) while Quintero slips to 20-3-4 (10). Then, it's on to the WBA HW title fight, with Young Stribling taking on George Thompson, who becomes the first Aussie to challenge for the WBA HW belt since Colin Bell back in 1916. Both men are in great shape, with Stribling having won his last six while Thompson is 3-0 for the year, inlcuding a OPBF title win over Tom Heeney. Stribling starts well, building a solid lead after five (49-46) on the unofficial card. Thompson is clearly bothered by a rapidly swelling right eye. It turns out to be an easy defense for the "King of the Canebrakes," who maintains control for the rest of the bout. The UD 15 win for Stribling (by an identical 147-138 on all three cards) moves him to 33-5-1 (18) overall in his third stint as WBA HW king, while Thompson is now 23-5-1 (13).

Nov. 23, 1929: Next fight card at Atlantic City's Convention Hall features some up-and-coming young fighters, but no title bouts. In one co-main event, it is two unbeaten LHs, Tiger Jack Fox and Willard Dix, while the other co-main event is a rematch between MWs Ben Jeby and Tony Tozzo, who battled to a draw last time out. Before the youngsters take to the ring, veteran HW Luis Firpo, the "Wild Bull of the Pampas," is matched with another veteran HW, Jack Dorval, in a 10-rounder that is action-packed. Firpo lands a nice combination to deck Dorval in round five, but Dorval battles back, putting Firpo down twice, once in round eight and then for good in the final stanza as the Argentinian just seemed to run out of gas near the end. KO 10 for Dorval, who is now 20-10 (14) compared to 30-17-2 (24) for the well-traveled Firpo. Then the unbeaten LHs take to the ring; the action heats up right away as Fox catches Dix with a nice cross for the bout's first KD. Less than a minute later, Dix is down again, the result of a nice combination from Tiger Jack. Still plenty of time left to finish the job, which Fox does with an overhand right -- the three knockdown rule being in effect, it goes down as a TKO 1 for Fox, who improved to 12-0 (11) with the win, while Dix's first setback leaves him at 11-1 (7). Then, Tozzo and Jeby square off in a rematch of their last bout, which ended in a draw. Jeby is on target early, and by the end of the first round, there is noticeable swelling under the right eye of Tozzo. Tozzo battles back, putting Jeby down briefly in round five. Jeby comes back to even the score at one KD apiece when he connects with a nice combination a round later. The see-saw affair remains in doubt right until the later rounds, when Jeby is cut over the right eye and also falls victim to a Tozzo cross to take a second trip to the canvas in round nine. Still, it's a fairly close one that goes to the scorecards, with Tozzo getting the nod via a MD 10 (95-93, 94-94, 95-93) in an action-packed co-main event. The win lifts Tozzo to 12-1-1 (9) compared to 10-1-1 (7) for Jeby.

Nov. 29, 1929: Back to the UK and the Earl's Court for the final Friday night card of November. Two title bouts are on the menu, including one WBA title clash. First, in the co-feature, sees Brit Johnny Cuthbert in action, defending his Commonwealth FW crown against South Africa's Willie Smith. Cuthbert gets off quickly, catching Smith with a quick combination to score the bout's first knockdown in the opening round. Smith recovers well, scrambling back to his feet and making a contest of the bout through the middle rounds. Finally, in round 11, Cuthbert delivers the clincher when he nails Smith with a nice uppercut for the bout's second and final KD. Smith, to his credit, manages to the last the distance but the two KDs lift Cuthbert to a UD 12 win (115-111, 116-111, 116-111) to move his career mark to 24-15-1 (8) while Smith is 18-4 (5) after the loss.
The final bout on the card features the "Whitechapel Whirlwind," Jack Kid Berg, defending his WBA JWW crown against the man he took it from, former Champ Pinkey Mitchell. Berg is making his fourth title defense since the belt changed hands via his TKO of Mitchell in early 1928; these two are the only WBA JWW Champions in the brief history of the division (which dates back to 1923). This time, Mitchell looks sharp early, taking advantage of a lethargic looking Berg. By the end of five, there is noticeable swelling under Berg's right eye. Urged on by his corner and the fans, Berg picks up the pace in the middle rounds. He gradually begins to wear down Mitchell, who tires badly and looks increasingly desperate in the later rounds. Berg goes on to retain the title via a UD 15 (146-139, 146-139, 144-141) to move his career totals to an excellent 23-1-2 (12), the one loss coming when he stepped up to WW class and lost to Joe Dundee. Mitchell, who made a valiant effor but fell short, is 33-14-4 (14) post-fight.

Nov. 30, 1929: Final fight card of the month at New York's Madison Square Garden also has double-barreled title bout action that tops a strong card to wrap up the month. Both title bouts are in the LW division, one for the WBA title but the main support is a rematch for the NABF LW crown, essentially a replay of a contest in early October that ended in a controversial DQ call. It's the two Sammys, Fuller and Mandell, vying for the belt now held by Sammy Fuller who has two prior wins versus Mandell. There is not much to choose between the two in the opening rounds, but in round three Mandell is cut over the right eye. Undeterred, the "Rockford Sheik" bounces back with a strong round five, then he has Fuller in big trouble late in round seven when a sharp combination rocks the Champ. Fuller does not seems to recover, and Mandell does enough to claim the belt via a UD 12 (116-113, 116-113, 117-113) in a bout that was relatively uneventful compared to their October encounter. The win lifts Mandell to 30-11 (9) while it's just the third setback for Fuller, now 26-3 (8).
The main event has Billy Petrolle making his first defense less than two months after taking the WBA title in September 1929. His opponent is veteran Sid Terris, who gets off quickly in the opening round, leaving Petrolle with signs of swelling under his right eye. The "Fargo Express" takes awhile to get rolling, finally picking up the pace in the middle rounds, landing repeatedly and causing some swelling around Terris' left eye. In round 10, Petrolle connects with a solid uppercut that causes Terris to cover up. Terris seems to put defense first, hoping to get the nod from the judges. In the later rounds, both men tire badly, and then -- in the final stanza -- Terris repeatedly begins hitting on the break, leading to his disqualification after a couple of warnings from ref Abe Goldstein. Tough decision, but Petrolle had seized control and had a narrow one or two point lead on all three cards when the action was halted. Nonetheless, it goes down as a DQ 15 win for Petrolle who is now 30-3-2 (18) compared to 23-8-3 (7) for Terris.

[JCWeb]

After a bit of a hiatus, on to the first half of December 1929 action.

Dec. 6, 1929: First fight card for December is more Friday night action, this time coming from the Coliseum Arena in New Orleans. Featured bout matches up two BWs for the USBA title. Veteran Memphis Pal Moore defends versus Eddie "Cannonball" Martin. Moore starts well, outboxing Martin in the first couple of rounds and causing some swelling under the Cannonball's right eye. Then, Martin steps up the pace, and in round four he slices open a cut over Moore's left eye. Martin stats to target the cut and, as the bout wears on, Moore becomes more and more tentative, worried about the cut instead of focusing on his opponent. In the final few rounds, the cut becomes even more of a problem, worsening until ref Harry Ertle is forced to call a halt. The title changes hands as a result, going to Martin via a TKO 11 on the cuts stoppage. Martin is now 27-10-3 (15), while Moore, who will hit Post-Prime with his next bout, is 49-17-6 (14).

Dec. 7, 1929: Next fight action is in Munich, at the Amor Bahn. In the main event, EBU MW king Len Johnson defends the belt against hometown favorite, Ernst Grimm of Germany. Johnson outboxes the German challenger in the first half of the bout. In round six, Johnson suffers a nick under the right eye. At the outset of round eight, the action suddenly heats up as Grimm lands a big uppercut but then leaves himself open to a counter from the British Champion that puts Grimm down for a seven-count. The wind then seems to go out of Grimm's sails, and he also suffers from an increasingly swollen left eye from round nine to the end of the bout. The result is an undisputed UD 12 win for Johnson (116-111, 116-111, 117-110). The win moves Johnson to 25-9-1 (15) while Grimm is now 26-13-3 (13).

Dec. 7, 1929: A big fight card in Boston is headlined by a HW twin bill. First up, in his second pro bout, is young Barney Ross. Ross overcomes a cut to register his second consecutive UD 4 win, demonstrating some impressive boxing skills in the process. Then, on the co-main events. First up is Floyd Johnson, now at top 10 HW, who faces former WBA Champ Marty Burke in a 10-round, non-title affair. The bout is over quickly, in round four, after Johnson lands a big cross that puts Burke down and out. The KO 4 win lifts Johnson to 23-8-1 (22) while Burke drops to 32-14-1 (9). The second HW clash matches two former Champs, the still young Jack Sharkey, the "Boston Gob" against the aging vet, Harry Wills, aka "the Black Panther." Wills looks sharp early, and by the end of round two, there is noticebale swelling under Sharkey's left eye. Sharkey is bleeding from a cut nose a round later. Then, in round five, Sharkey outmanuevers Wills and lands a haymaker to put the Black Panther down for a count of seven. In the later rounds, Wills appears to be overly cautious -- emboldening Sharkey. After an action-packed round seven, Sharkey presses the attack in round eight, but Wills holds him off. Then, in round nine, the cut on Sharkey's nose is reopened, and blood from the cut drips to the canvas. With the crowd hooting and hollering, the ref calls a halt. It goes down as TKO 9 for Wills on the cuts stoppage -- a controversial call. Post-fight, Wills is 61-11-1 (47), while Sharkey dips to 21-5 (14).

Dec. 13, 1929: Friday night fights heads to Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, Canada. Featured is a 10-round HW non-title bout, matching Canadian Commonwealth Champ Larry Gains with EBU titleholder Piet Van Der Veer. This one turns out to be a bit of a mismatch, as Gains takes charge early. At the end of the opening stanza, he stuns his Dutch opponent with a soild cross. By the end of round six, Van Der Veer's left eye is starting to puff up as a result of the impact of repeated blows landed by Gains. By round eight, the other eye is starting to swell. A combination from Gains puts Van Der Veer on the deck in round nine, but the Dutchman manages to regain his feet and last the distance. Not much of a surprise, this one is a lopsided UD 10 win for Gains (99-90. 99-90, 99-91). The win moves Gains to 27-5 (17) compared to 33-14-6 (20) for Van Der Veer.

Dec. 14, 1929: Back to Liverpool in the UK for the next fight card. Featured bout matches two Flyweights, and two titles are on the line in the bout between former Champ Kid Socks and Jackie Brown: Socks' GBU title and Brown's Commonwealth belt. Early in the bout, Brown is cut over his left eye; Socks suffers a swollen left eye. Not much in the way of action, but it is a solid boxing exhibition by the younger Brown, who takes a UD 12 (116-113. 116-113, 114-113) to add the GBU title to his resume. (Socks' EBU title was not on the line in the feature bout.) Brown moves to 17-3-1 (8) with the win, compared to 29-11-1 (8) for Socks.

Dec. 14, 1929: Another strong card at the Cow Palace in San Francisco is headlined by a rematch for the USBA title, as Chick Suggs defends against Danny Kramer, whom he TKO'd in an earlier contest. This one is much closer, and Suggs has to battle a swollen left eye from the third round on. Then, in round nine, Suggs' other eye starts to swell. The issue remains in doubt until the final rounds, and the end result is an extremely close but UD 12 win for Suggs (115-113, 116-112, 115-113). Suggs moves to 35-10-4 (11) with the win, while Kramer, who hits Post-Prime in 1930, finishes the bout at 29-13-4 (9).

[JCWeb]

Huge delay due to other matters as well as some major computer issues, hopefully resolved. On to the final fight summaries for 1929.

Dec. 20, 1929: Friday night fights heads to the Far East, at Rizal Arena in Manila. Main event has Filipino Ceferino Garcia putting his OPBF MW title on the line against Aussie Alf Stewart. It is Garcia's third defense of the title he won back in 1927. In round four, things look grim as the Champ suffers a cut over his left eye. The overmatched Stewart targets the cut, as it appears to be his only chance to win the belt, and it's a slim chance at best. In round five, Stewart's right eye starts to swell. After this, Garcia begins to dominate the action. A couple of rounds later, the over-aggressive Stewart leaves himself open for a huge uppercut that lands flush. Stewart crumples to the canvas and is counted out. Garcia by KO 7 to keep the belt. The win moves him to 23-6 (17) compared to 22-15-3 (17) post-fight for Stewart.

Dec. 21, 1929: Huge fight card at Madison Square Garden in New York City. To unbeaten MW prospects on the undercard, as the Harlem Thunderbolt, Harry Smith, battles Tait Littman. Smith applies the pressure from the opening bell, following up a strong opening round with another one in the second, causing Littman's left eye to start swelling. In round three, Littman is dropped for a seven-count. More punishment is dished out in round four, as Littman's other eye starts to swell as well. Two more KDs follow in round five before the ref calls a halt. It's a TKO 5 win for Smith, his 11th consecutive stoppage win since the start of his career. Littman's initial loss drops him to 9-0 (8). Then, in the main event, the always popular Toy Bulldog, Mickey Walker, puts his WBA MW crown on the line against Young Terry, the recently crowned USBA Champion. Those expecting a serious challenge to Walker would be severely disappointed -- the bout doesn't even last one, as Walker gets off the mark early, finishing the job wiht a solid combination to put the challenger down and out at 2:51 of the opening stanza. The KO 1 win is Walker's 33rd stoppage inside the distance, as his overall record of 42-1 (33) is probably the best in the fight game right now. Terry slips to 22-3-3 (9) after the loss.

Dec. 21, 1929: Next fight card is at the Olympia Stadium in Panama City, Panama. The co-feature has top 10 rated LW Stanislaus Loayza battling against the recetnly dethroned JLW king, Benny Bass, who is looking to rebound after a tough DQ loss in September that cost him his crown. I turns out to be a close, tense battle that goes down to the wire as Loayza is able to overcome a slightly swollen right eye to take a close UD 10 (96-94, 97-94, 96-94) to push his record to 22-9-3 (10) compared to 32-9-3 (12) for the "Little Fish," as Bass is known. The main event has Mike Dundee battling local favorite Santiago Zorilla for the NABF FW title vacated by Louis Kaplan who recently regained the WBA belt. Dundee is cut over the right eye in round three, as Zorilla connects in a series of sharp exchanges between the two. Dundee soldiers on, building a solid points lead in the middle rounds while his corner keeps the cut under control. Some late aggression by Zorilla is not able to pull back the margin, and the title goes to Dundee via a UD 12 (116-113, 116-113, 115-113). Dundee moves to 37-13-3 (20) with the win, while Zorilla slips to 18-3-1(6).

Dec. 26, 1929: Boxing Day and a big fight card at London's venerable Harringay Arena. No titles on the line, but a couple of notable bouts. One of the preliminary fights matches an up-and-coming young British BW, Alf Pattenden, in his first real test against former WBA Champ Joe Lynch, in what will be Lynch's final career bout. Pattenden impresses, and Lynch is fortunate to last the distance in his swansong, having gone down once. Pattenden takes a UD 10 (99-90 on all three cards) to move the young Brit to 14-3 (12) while Lynch closes out his 15-year ring career at 37-20-3 (16). Then, it's on to the main event, featuring the reigning Commonwealth and European Champion, LH Len Harvey, who faces the hard-hitting Cuban, Roleaux Saguero, in a 10 round, non-title bout. It is a rugged battle, and both men are cut over the left eye in the early going. Harvey battles through the cut and a swollen left eye and is on his way to an apparent points win, when the Cuban mounts a late rally. Turns out this is enough for Saguero to secure a majority draw (95-95, 95-95, 94-96 Saguero) to the dismay of the pro-Harvey crowd. The result leaves Harvey at 33-4-2 (14) while the Cuban slugger maintains a 29-10-2 (27) slate.

Dec. 27, 1929: Last Friday night fight card of 1929 takes place at Pittsburgh's Forbes Field (in an indoor stadium set up especially for this event). Not a great card, no title fights, but an interesting main event tilt matches up two top 20 WWs, Johnny Indrisano and Baby Joe Gans. Indrisano takes charge early, repeatedly punishing Gans with a strong body attack before moving upstairs. Baby Joe is cut over his left eye in round six, and a round later his right eye starts to swell. Indrisano is in control for most of the rest of the way, taking a lopsided UD 10 (99-91, 99-92, 100-90). The win lifts Indrisano to 20-3-3 (9) compared to 24-9 (12) post-fight for Gans.

Dec. 28, 1929: Final fight card of the year takes place at the Miami Stadium. Featured is the legendary HW great, the Manassa Mauler himself, Jack Dempsey, who is well past his Prime and facing a much younger man in Tuffy Griffith. A win could boost Griffith upward in the HW rankings. Dempsey looks sluggish in the first couple of rounds, as he seems to be unable to cope with Griffith's quicker hand speed and ring movement. In round four, a series of blows from Griffith are on target, ripping open a cut under the former Champ's right eye; the eye is also starting to swell. Then, in round five, a barrage of blows sends Dempsey to the canvas. This time, the former Champ can't beat the count. The KO 5 win for Griffith lifts his record to 21-2-1 (14) overall while Dempsey, still in search of that elusive 50th KO win, is winding down his illustrious career, standing at 55-11-1 (49).

[Infinity]

Good to see you back.....

[JCWeb]

Infinity, I really haven't been away THAT LONG. A couple of things have happened at once: (1) This time every year, I am involved in a major project, running a face-to-face boardgame convention in MD called EuroQuest that takes up a good bit of my time; and (2) the double-whammy this year was the fact that my computer went down (again), and this time it took about a week to repair, and as a result, I wound up with a new hard drive. Fortunately, I had my TB license number handy, got re-registered, and it looks like all the TB stuff is still there.

So, right now, I am in the process of preparing to post the year-end 1929 reports, which you should expect to commence in the next day or so.

But thanks for caring.

[JCWeb]

And, here's the first of the year-end reports for 1929.

Titles and Title Bouts

WBA: The title changed hands twice in three title bouts. First, George Godfrey took the belt from Jack Sharkey (KO 3). Then, Young Stribling regained the title via a UD 15 win over Godfrey. He then defended against George Thompson (UD 15).

NABF: Lanky Ralph Smith began the year with this belt, but lost it in his first defense to Young Stribling (UD 12). The title was vacated after Stribling captured the WBA crown. Sully Montgomery took the vacant title with a UTD 11 win over Joe Sekyra.

USBA: Bearcat Wright dethroned Pat Lester (KO 5), then defended twice, against Tuffy Griffiths (D 12) and Floyd Johnson (KO 5).

CBU: Jack Doyle defended against Tom Heeney (DQ 11) but then lost the belt to Larry Gains (TKO 5). Gains then defended versus Bartley Madden (KO 7).

GBU: “Fainting” Phil Scott defended once, versus Don Shortland (SD 12).

EBU: The EBU belt changed hands twice during 1929. Erminio Spalla took the title from Paulino Uzcudan (UD 12). Then, Dutchman Piet VanDerVeer took the title from Spalla (KO 9) then defended versus Jack DeMave (UD 12).

OPBF: Aussie George Thompson defeated Tom Heeney (UD 12) to capture this title.

HW Division Profile

Total: 215 RL: 135 TC: 80

RL by Career Stage:
End - 8
Post - 19
Prime - 60
Pre - 35
Beginning - 13 (10 New)

Rated: 94
800+: 18
500+: 44
200+ : 84

Jan, 1930 Rankings (Perf Points and Changes from Jan. 1929 in Parens):

Champ: Young Stribling 33-5-1 (18) (1678) (+1)
1. Larry Gains 27-5 (17) (1504) (+1) (CBU Champ)
2. Harry Wills 61-11-1 (47) (1326) (+2)
3. George Godfrey 38-9-1 (27) (1224) (+3)
4. Jack Sharkey 21-5 (14) (1157) (-4)
5. Lanky Ralph Smith 21-7-2 (7) (1149) (NC)
6. Gene Tunney 44-11-3 (26) (1070) (+2)
7. Max Schmeling 21-1 (17) (1017) (+9)
8. Floyd Johnson 28-8-1 (22) (979) (-5)
9. Tuffy Griffith 21-1-2 (14) (938) (+15)
10. Jack Dempsey 55-11-1 (49) (937) (-1)

Others: 11. Bearcat Wright 25-10-3 (16) (932) (+27) (USBA Champ)
13. Piet Van Der Veer 33-14-6 (20) (874) (+13) (EBU Champ)
17. George Thompson 23-5-1 (13) (816) (+5) (OPBF Champ)
20. Sully Montgomery 29-9-1 (10) (744) (+9) (NABF Champ)
29. Phil Scott 27-16-2 (17) (639) (+11) (GBU Champ)

Top Ten: Heading into 1930, all the above at Prime except for Wills (now at End), Dempsey (also at End), Smith and Tunney (both at Post). Stribling started the year with a UD 10 over Gains, now the #! Contender, then won three title bouts to extend his winning streak to seven. Gains recovered from the early-year loss to post four straight wins, including a stoppage of ex-Champ Sharkey and a UD 10 over the EBU titleholder, VanDerVeer. The aging vet, Harry Wills, went unbeaten during the year, with wins over DeMave (UD 10), Pat Lester (MD 10) and Sharkey (TKO 9) – surprised to see him still ranked this high. Godfrey split two WBA title bouts and was otherwise inactive during the year. Sharkey had a really down year, losing the title then compounding the situation with consecutive TKO losses to Gains and Wills. Smith lost the NABF title, then scored a UD win over Montgomery, but was held to a draw by the lowly-regarded Quinton Romero Rojas. Tunney impressed in a TKO win over up-and-coming Harry Persson, but the MD 10 loss to old rival Jack Dempsey has stalled his career. New to the top 10 is the “Black Uhlan,” Max Schmeling, by virtue of his UD 10 over Dempsey; Max has now won five in a row since his only career defeat to Jack DeMave. Johnson went 2-2 in 1929, losing to higher-rated guys in title tilts, while registering wins over Frankie Campbell (UD 10) and Martin Burke (KO 4). Tuffy Griffith moves into the top 10 with his surprise KO win over Dempsey late in the year. Dempsey, the aging veteran, struggled after KO wins over Firpo and Johnson, losing to Schmeling and Griffith, but pulling off a surprising MD 10 over Tunney to move to 2-1 in career bouts with the “Fighting Marine.”

Other Notables: Wright maintained his USBA title and kept intact a five-bout unbeaten streak but did not face any other top contenders (other than Griffith, who battled him to a draw before defeating Dempsey). Former EBU Champ Erminio Spalla bounced back with a TKO win over Pat Lester to end up the year at #12, two spots lower than last year. His successor, VanDerVeer, ended up a spot lower after suffering a late-year UD loss to Gains. Another ex-EBU Champ, Spaniard Paulino Uzcudan, bounced back with two wins (a split duke versus Firpo and a TKO over Maloney) to finish the year at #14. Frankie Campbell, who had a five-bout win streak going until his loss to Floyd Johnson, wound up at #15 with a KO over Jack Gross. DeMave, who beat Schmeling and Tunney in back-to-back efforts in 1928, was winless in three 1929 outings to slip from #7 all the way down to #16. Thompson had a three-bout winning streak snapped when he lost the WBA title clash with Stribling. Montgomery won four of five during the year, capturing the NABF title previously held by Smith and Stribling. Top newcomer is unbeaten Ad Warren, who had to go the distance in two 1929 bouts but kept his slate clean, at 15-0 (13), debuting at #26. Other newcomers to the rankings include Elmer Ray, #22 with a 14-1 (10) mark, despite suffering his first defeat (a UD) at the hands of Jimmy Mendes, and “Bingo” Joe Banovic, who went 4-0 during 1929 (including a stoppage of Lou Barba) to finish at 15-2 (6), good for 38^th spot. British titleholder Phil Scott recovered from a UD loss to Schmeling with three successive wins, among them a UD over Otto Von Porat and a TKO win over George Cook).

Prospects: Patsy Perroni remained unbeaten, ending the year at 12-0 (2) after taking decisions from Charley Retzlaff (UD 10) and Charley Boyette (MD 10); the loss was Boyette’s first, and he wound up 1929 at 12-1 (7). Young Swedish ace Johnny Widd has now won five straight, including four by KO, to move to 12-1 (10); his latest victim being Hans Schonrath, a top young German prospect. His countryman, Nils Ramm, remained unbeaten, finishing the year at 10-0-2 (5). Hard-hitting Herman Weiner continued to mow down his opponents, the only blemish in his 11-1 (11) career start a KO loss coming at the hands of Ad Warren. Maintaining unblemished records were Natie Brown (9-0, 4 KO); Al McCoy (9-0, 4 KO); South African Don McCorkindale (9-0, 6 KO); “Two Ton” Tony Galento (8-0, 7 KO); King Levinsky (8-0, 4 KO); and the talented Max Baer (5-0, 4 KO).

Retirements: There were no less than eight retirements in the HW ranks in 1929, career records follow.

Frank Goddard (UK) 1914-29 28-27-4 (10) GBU Champ Highest Rank: 41
Chet McIntyre (USA) 1914-29 32-27-5 (12) No Titles Highest Rank: 33
John Lester Johnson (USA) 1912-29 39-27 (19) No Titles Highest Rank: 15
Jack Burke (USA) 1920-29 21-16-4 (13) No Titles Highest Rank: 66
Charley Weinert (USA) 1912-29 40-24-1 (21) No Titles Highest Rank: 10
Ralph Brooks (USA) 1921-29 20-14-4 (5) No Titles Highest Rank: 47
Homer Smith (USA) 1914-29 35-28-2 (15) USBA Champ 1925-26
Emil Andreasen (DEN) 1921-29 18-17-3 (8) No Titles Highest Rank: 39

Looking Ahead: Stribling is back on top, but it remains to be seen for how long. Sharkey is still a potential contender, but probably the most feared guy right now is Schmeling, who has just hit Prime and also the top 10 for the first time. Look for Max to be angling for a shot at the EBU belt before launching a bid for the WBA crown. It remains to be seen if Griffith’s surprise KO win over Dempsey can be repeated against seasoned, in shape (i.e. Prime) competitors. Uzcudan and Heeney (who has dropped all the way to #31 in the year-end rankings) have thus far under-performed and will be looking to gain top 10 status as guys like Wills, Tunney and Dempsey fade from the limelight. Jersey Joe Walcott tops a talented list of 10 newcomers to the division; others set to debut in 1930 include Steve Hamas, Art Lasky, Walter Neusel and Lee Ramage.

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LH

Titles and Title Bouts

WBA: Tommy Loughran defended the title three times during the year, besting “Slapsie Maxie” Rosenbloom (TKO 13), Paul Berlenbach (UD 15) and Young Firpo (TKO 15).

NABF: Cuban Roleaux Saguero emerged as the unlikely titleholder with a controversial stoppage win over Maxie Rosenbloom (TKO 4). He then defended the belt versus Paul Berlenbach (TKO 9).

USBA: Ad Stone defended the belt against Leo Lomski (TKO 9) but then lost it to Young Firpo (MD 12).

CBU: Len Harvey remained active, defending this title over Tom Berry (TKO 7).

GBU: No title defenses by Gypsy Daniels for the second straight year.

EBU: Harvey defended twice, downing Battling Siki (TKO 5) and Mike McTigue (UD 12).

OPBF: No title bouts arranged yet.

LH Division Profile

Total: 133 RL: 87 TC: 46

RL by Career Stage:
End - 5
Post - 16
Prime - 39
Pre - 17
Beginning - 10 (6 New)

Rated: 59
800+: 14
500+: 31
200+ : 49

Jan 1930 Rankings (Perf Points and Changes from Jan. 1929 in Parens):

Champ: Tommy Loughran 38-4-2 (14) (1715) (NC)
1. Len Harvey 33-4-2 (14) (1233) (+3) (EBU, CBU Champ)
2. Jack Delaney 35-6-2 (21) (1198) (+1)
3. Young Firpo 19-3-2 (14) (1068) (+6) (USBA Champ)
4. Roleaux Saguero 29-10-2 (27) (1045) (+19) (NABF Champ)
5. Maxie Rosenbloom 22-3-4 (10) (972) (-3)
6. Harry Greb 50-15-2 (27) (912) (+4)
7. Ad Stone 31-5 (20) (911) (-6)
8. Young Tony Marullo 25-10-4 (15) (906) (+4)
9. Lou Scozza 22-2 (17) (893) (+2)
10. Paul Berlenbach 22-6 (17) (891) (-3)

Others: 43. Gypsy Daniels 25-15-2 (16) (254) (-7) (GBU Champ)

Top Ten: Everyone listed above at Prime except for Greb (now at End) and Saguero, who joins Stone at Post after surging into the top 10. Loughran is a dominant Champion, having gone undefeated in his last 15 bouts spanning a four-year-plus time frame. Harvey had a busy year, defending both titles, taking a UD 10 from Greb before being held to a draw by Saguero to snap a five-bout winning streak. “Bright Eyes” Jack Delaney did not contend for any belts during the year, winning once (a UTD over Scozza) and drawing with Marullo. Young Firpo shot up the ranks with his upset win over Stone for the USBA belt, but proved way overmatched when taking on Loughran. Saguero had compiled an impressive 10-bout winning streak before the draw with Harvey, taking the NABF title belt; a UD 10 over Lou Bogash set him up for his title shot. Successive losses to Loughran and Saguero caused Rosenbloom’s stock to plummet. Greb rebounded from four straight losses with a TKO win over Stone, who slipped to #7 after going 2-2 for the year. Marullo had a strong year, with two wins and two draws, but no 1929 wins against notable top contenders. Scozza reached the top 10 with a KO over George Nichols and a UD over Greb, but slipped a bit with a recent loss to Delaney. Rounding out the top group is Berlenbach, who impressed with a one-round blowout of Nichols but struggled against Loughran and Saguero.

Other Notables: Despite winning two of three during the year, Lou Bogash slipped five spots to finish just outside the top 10 at #11. An upset loss to Tiger Jack Payne derailed Jimmy Slattery’s hopes as he dropped from #5 all the way to #13. Jack Reeves, a TKO victim to previously unheralded George Manley in his most recent outing, dropped seven spots to #15. Canada’s Charley Belanger went undefeated in 1929 to move into the top 20, at #20 spot, with a 20-5 (12) career mark and enters 1930 on a five-bout win streak. Top newcomer to the list this year is Fred Lenhart, who checks in at #26 with a 15-2 (13) record thus far; he impressed with a KO win over Martin Perez to follow up on solid UD wins over fellow prospects Clyde Chastain and Benny Miller. Mike Mandell has now won his last eight to improve to 21-2 (17) which is good for the #27 spot in the rankings. Chastain recovered from losses to Lenhart (UD 10) and Pete Cerkan (MD 10) to end at 15-2 (13), debuting at #30. Rosy Rosales enters the ranks at #37, sporting a 14-3-1 (8). On the other hand, GBU Champ Gypsy Daniels has struggled, going 0-5 since his last successful title defense in 1927, slipping further and further down the ranks.

Prospects: The “Powerful Pole,” Pete Cerkan, had won his first 13 in a row before faltering in his most recent outing, dropping a UD 10 to Willard Dix. Dix, in turn, was ripped to shreds by Tiger Jack Fox succumbing in just one round to end the year at 11-1 (7); Cerkan is 13-1 (11). Fox, on the other hand, finishes the year at 12-0, 11 KO to emerge as the division’s top prospect. Joe Knight, the only man to last the distance with Fox (in a UD 10 loss) recovered to post a UD win over Bob Godwin to end up the year at 11-1 (8); Godwin is now 10-1 (5). Bob Olin (9-0-1, 5); Battling Bozo (9-0, 5); Tony Shucco (8-0, 5); Billy Jones (6-0, 6); and Germany’s Adolf Heuser (6-0, 4) looked good mowing down TC opposition.

Retirements: There were six retirements in the LH ranks in 1929, including three former WBA Champs.

Jack Bloomfield (UK) 1918-29 28-19-1 (13) EBU, CBU and GBU Champ Highest Rank: 10
Kid Norfolk (USA) 1914-29 38-18-2 (19) WBA Champ 1918, 1922 Highest Rank: 1
Ted Jamieson (USA) 1917-29 28-22-2 (6) No Titles Highest Rank: 12
Tommy Gibbons (USA) 1911-29 44-21-3 (18) WBA Champ 1915-16
Battling Siki (SEN) 1912-29 32-25-3 (18) WBA Champ 1921
Albert Lloyd (AUS) 1912-29 28-30-4 (15) CBU Champ Highest Rank: 15

Looking Ahead: Tommy Loughran remains at the top of his game, and while guys like Harvey, Delaney, Rosenbloom and Berlenbach are around, none seem to have been able to challenge his mastery of the division. Firpo and Saguero made impressive moves up through the ranks in 1929, but Saguero is no longer at Prime and Firpo has yet to prove his mettle against top-caliber opposition. Gypsy Daniels will likely face a mandatory defense or be forced to forfeit his GBU title in 1930, although right now there is a paucity of credible opponents. Tiger Jack Fox seems to be the best of the young prospects in the division right now, while John Henry Lewis and Al Gainer are the cream of the crop of six newcomers to the division in 1930.

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Titles and Title Bouts

WBA: The “Toy Bulldog,” Mickey Walker, continued to rule the roost in the MW division, making four successful defenses of the WBA crown he has worn since April 1925, and all four of his challengers did not last the distance. His victims, in chronological order, were Len Johnson (TKO 13), Tiger Flowers (TKO 9), Frank Moody (KO 4) and Young Terry (KO 1).

NABF: Only one title clash for this belt, when veteran Tiger Flowers was dethroned by Vince Dundee (DQ 10).

USBA: Dundee won this title in early 1929 after Flowers (then the newly-crowned NABF titleholder) had relinquished it. He stopped Larry Estridge (TKO 10) to capture the belt and defended once versus Young Terry (UD 12) before moving up to claim Flowers’ NABF title. Then, Terry stepped up to win the USBA belt vacated by Dundee with a UD 12 win over Oakland Jimmy Duffy.

CBU: Aussie Alf Stewart took the title from Frank Moody (KO 11) on home turf in Sydney, only to lose it later in the year to Brit Len Johnson (UD 12).

GBU: Frank Moody retained this belt, despite making no title defenses in 1929.

EBU: Len Johnson defended twice, besting Rene DeVos (TKO 10) and Ernst Grimm (UD 12).

OPBF: Ceferino Garcia continued to keep the title he has held since 1927, winning two title defenses inside the distance in 1929 (TKO 6 over Frankie Burns; KO 7 over Alf Stewart).

MW Division Profile

Total: 168 RL: 104 TC: 64

RL by Career Stage:
End - 8
Post - 17
Prime - 40
Pre - 28
Beginning - 11 (3 New)

Rated: 73
800+: 18
500+: 37
200+ : 69

Jan 1930 Rankings (Perf Points and Changes from Jan. 1929 in Parens):

Champ: Mickey Walker 42-1 (33) (1887) (NC)
1. Panama Joe Gans 52-12-3 (19) (1245) (+5)
2. Len Johnson 25-9-1 (15) (1149) (+5) (CBU, EBU Champ)
3. Jock Malone 33-15-3 (13) (1109) (+2)
4. Rene DeVos 41-11-2 (17) (1090) (+7)
5. Bryan Downey 47-19-4 (21) (1090) (-1)
6. Jack McVey 29-10-2 (16) (1032) (-4)
7. Young Terry 22-3-3 (9) (977) (+3) (USBA Champ)
8. Vince Dundee 25-3-1 (13) (968) (+8) (NABF Champ)
9. Frankie Schoell 34-12-1 (11) (961) (-8)
10. Tiger Flowers 36-14-1 (17) (946) (-2)

Others: 16. Ceferino Garcia 23-16 (17) (838) (+11) (OPBF Champ)
30. Frank Moody 37-18-4 (13) (571) (-16) (GBU Champ)

Top Ten: Everyone listed above at Prime except for Panama Joe, Downey and Schoell (all three now at Post) and Flowers (now at End career stage). Walker has now won his last 19 in a row, including 17 straight WBA title bouts. Gans remained unbeaten in 1929 to move into the top contender slot, taking a pair of UD 10 wins from Dave Shade and Brian Downey after a draw with McVey. Len Johnson moved up with three title defenses after falling short when challenging Walker for the WBA crown. Malone snapped a five-bout winless skein, stopping Mike O’Dowd and Billy Angelo, taking a UD from Gorilla Jones and, more recently, a UTD win over German Hein Domgorgen. DeVos fell short in his bid to regain the EBU title from Johnson, but he succeeded in posting UD wins over three top MWs (McVey, Downey and Angelo). Downey kept on plugging away, going 2-2 in 1929, enough to maintain a top five ranking. McVey slipped badly, going winless during the year. Young Terry continued to improve, but could not handle more experienced guys like Walker (who could?) and Dundee. The vagaries of the ranking system still had Dundee one rung below Terry despite a head-to-head win as part of a 4-0 campaign during the year. Schoell took a UTD from Dave Shade but dropped by a UD to Garcia. Flowers managed to cling to the #10 spot despite losing both of his 1929 encounters.

Other Notables: Mike O’Dowd, #3 last year, retired from the ring. Dave Shade slipped five spots to #14 after successive losses to Gans (UD 10) and Gorilla Jones (MD 10). It was a good year for Garcia, the OPBF Champ, who went 3-1 for the year, losing only to Jones after a UD 10 win over Schoell. The aforementioned Jones finished the year at #13, beating both Shades (Dave and Billy) to end 1929 at 22-5-1 (14). Top newcomer to the list, still unbeaten at 17-0 (15) is Freddie Steele, the “Tacoma Assassin,” who checks in at #17. Other top debutants are Johnny Romero, #23 who sports a 16-2 (14) record. Jock McAvoy, a hot prospect from the UK, is still unbeaten and ranked #16, after compiling a 13-0-2 (12) career mark thus far. British Champ Moody did not have his title belt at stake when losing two bouts during the year, sliding further down the list.

Prospects: Brit Jack Casey, who battled McAvoy to a draw, is still unbeaten at 13-0-1 (8). Puerto Rico’s Angel Cliville is off to a 12-0 (8) start, but he has yet to be tested. Ad Zachow, now 13-1 (11), suffered his first career defeat (a UD loss to Pete Horton) but recovered with wins over Henry Firpo and veteran Augie Ratner. Tony Tozzo, who lost earlier in his career to Steele, escaped with a draw against Ben Jeby and then won a rematch; he is now 12-1-1 (9). Jeby wound up the year at 10-1-1 (7). Still perfect, both at 11-0 (11), are Harry Smith, the “Harlem Thunderbolt,” and Aussie Ron Richards. Solly Krieger (9-0, 7 KO) and Paul Pirrone (9-0, 7 KO) remained unbeaten against TC opposition. Lou Brouillard (6-1, 5 KO) suffered a DQ loss to a TC for his first career loss. Teddy Yarosz (7-0, 6 KO) and Frank Battaglia (6-0, 5 KO) look to continue improving next year.

Retirements: Two former WBA Champs were among the four retirees in 1929.

Eddie Palmer (USA) 1911-29 32-33-6 (12) No Titles Highest Rank: 19
George Robinson (USA) 1911-29 37-29-8 (7) No Titles Highest Rank: 10
Mike O’Dowd (USA) 1913-29 42-15-2 (16) WBA Champ 1919-22
Johnny Wilson (USA) 1911-29 40-25-1 (12) WBA Champ 1924-25

Looking Ahead: Walker still appears to be an unmovable force at the top of the division. Gans, Downey, McVey, Schoell and Flowers appear to be headed out of the top group, leaving room for talented young fighters like the still unbeaten Freddie Steele. In Europe, guys like Domgorgen, McAvoy and the Italian, Fiermonte, appear to be poised to challenge for the EBU title at least. Harry Smith, the Harlem Thunderbolt, is a hot prospect for the future. Not much hope for the 1930 class of MW newcomers, as none is highly rated enough to be on a future Champions watch list.