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[JCWeb]

This report covers fistic action from the first half of December 1945. No WBA title bouts are included in this report, but there will be three WBA title contests later in the month.

Dec. 1, 1945: The month commences with a solid card at Philadelphia. The main event sees three-division former WBA Champ Henry “Homicide Hank” Armstrong facing, for the third time, leading WW contender Izzy Jannazzo. No titles at stake, and Armstrong won both prior bouts; however, this time around, Armstrong is past his Prime while Jannazzo is still at Prime career stage. After a couple of close opening rounds, Armstrong takes up the mantle of aggressor, moving inside to apply pressure on the defensive-minded Jannazzo in round three. Jannazzo is able to hold his own and, by the halfway point of the bout, he has a narrow one-point advantage (49-48) on the unofficial scorer’s card. Armstrong continues his aggressive posture into the second half of the bout, and he does succeed in landing enough blows to cause some puffiness under the right eye of Jannazzo. After a big eighth round, Armstrong steps up the attack, while Jannazzo tightens up his defense, but Armstrong continues to pile up points, making for a close finish. No cuts or knockdowns as the bout goes the full 10, with Armstrong doing just enough to take a MD 10 by the narrowest of margins (97-94, 95-95, 96-95). Armstong runs his career record to 46-9-3 (38) with the win. Tough loss for Jannazzo, who ends the bout at 41-10-5 (13).

Dec. 7, 1945: Next card is a Friday night affair at the Stadium in Liverpool, UK. In the main event, Melio Bettina, a former USBA LH Champ, travels to the UK to face HW Bruce Woodcock, the reigning GBU HW Champion, who is off to an excellent 20-1 career start. No prior meetings, and Bettina is stepping up in weight in this intriguing, 10-round, non-title contest. Trouble for the American in the opening round, as Woodcock hammers Bettina with a sharp shot that drops the American to the deck. Bettina arises quickly, perhaps too quickly, and attempts to cover up, but Woodcock follows up, connecting with a hard cross to put Bettina down a second time. Then, with less than a minute left, Woodcock finishes off his opponent with an overhand round for knockdown number three, and an automatic TKO 1 for Woodcock, who looks impressive in easily handling a veteran opponent like Bettina, who is still in the prime of his career. Post-bout career marks: Woodcock, 21-1 (17); Bettina, 37-10-6 (15).

Dec. 8, 1945: Next card, at Miami, sees the vacant NABF LW title, until recently held by “Bobcat” Bob Montgomery, on the line as Montgomery was able to successfully challenge for the WBA LW title. Sammy “the Clutch” Angott and Allie Stolz are paired for the vacant belt. No prior meetings, so the usual “feeling out” process takes place, meaning the action is slow to develop. Decent start from Stolz, but Angott gets going after moving inside in round three. Midway through the fourth round, a cut is opened over Angott’s left eye, and it may have been the result of a butt. At the midway point, with the cut patched up, the unofficial card has Angott in front (by 58-56). In the second half of the bout, Angott continues grinding away, forcing Stolz to assume a more active role. With a slight stamina edge, Stolz’s more aggressive approach is able to keep the bout close into the final few rounds. Finally, at the outset of round 11, a Stolz cross causing Angott to topple to the canvas. After taking a seven count, Angott regains his footing, and he covers up, only to go down a second time from another cross from Stolz. After this, Angott manages to last the round, although the cut over his eye is once again bleeding. Stolz eases up in the final round, hoping that the two KDs and a likely 10-7 round will be sufficient to earn him the title. The bout goes to decision, and Stolz does emerge as the new NABF Champion by a close but UD 12 (114-112, 115-111, 114-112), improving to 25-5-3 (10) as a result. Tough loss for Angott, now 31-10-6 (11), who was ahead on two of the three cards headed into that disasterous 11th round.

Dec. 14, 1945: Next is the final Friday Night “Down Under” card at Sydney, Australia. In the main event, GBU FW Champ Al Phillips, the “Aldgate Tiger,” has traveled to Aussie-land to take on American veteran FW Georgie Hansford in a 10-round, non-title contest. First meeting of the two, yet Phillips wastes little time, connecting with a barrage of blows that put Hansford on the deck. Hansford arises at the count of eight, and there is insufficient time left in the round for Phillips to follow up. Hansford gradually settles into the bout, landing a few good shots, but Phillips is able to pile up points and is ahead at the midway point (48-46), according to the unofficial card. Seeking to regain ground, Hansford takes a more aggressive approach in the second half of the bout. However, Phillips’ defense remains firm, and Hansford is gradually worn down as the rounds tick off. The bout goes the distance and Phillips takes the win, but only by a surprisingly close SD 10 (95-94, 94-95, 95-94), with the one knockdown making all the difference. Post-bout career marks: 25-6-1 (11) for Phillips; 38-20-3 (11) for Hansford.

Dec. 15, 1945: To Detroit’s Briggs Stadium for the next fistic action, and topping the card is an NABF WW title clash, with “Sugar” Ray Robinson defending that title. His opponent, in their second career meeting, is the “Croat Comet,” Fritzie Zivic, the current USBA WW Champ. In their one prior encounter, Robinson prevailed, taking a UD 12 when he captured the NABF belt for the first time, back in 1943. This time around, the action heats up late in round two, when Robinson tags Zivic with a nasty uppercut, but the bell sounds before “Sugar Ray” can follow up. Robinson dominates most of the action in the first half of the fight and, at the midway point, he has a solid lead (59-55) on the unofficial scorer’s card. An already aggressive-minded Zivic becomes even more so in the second half of the fight, but this simply plays into Robinson’s plans, as he lands repeatedly with some good countershots. From the eighth round on, Zivic and his corner are forced to deal with a rapidly swelling right eye, and then, midway through round eight, “Sugar Ray” rips open a cut over Zivic’s left eye. Battered and bleeding, Zivic is unable to mount a rally, and he goes down under a barrage of punches from Robinson for the bout’s first knockdown, near the end of the ninth round. A weary and frustrated Zivic regains his footing and soldiers on, despite being increasingly vulnerable to Robinson’s accurate counterpunching. A second KD, this from a Robinson combination, puts Zivic down and out with a minute remaining in round 10. Convincing KO 10 for Robinson, running his career record to an impressive 27-1-1 (19), and adding even more credence to his claims for a WBA title shot. For Zivic, now 38-15-6 (16), his best days may be behind him as he is only a bout or two away from Post-Prime career stage.

Dec. 15, 1945: To the West Coast of the USA for the next fight card, which takes place at the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles. Interesting inter-divisional matchup in the main event, as top ranked MW contender Holman Williams, a former WBA MW titleholder, steps up in weight to face LH Harry “Kid” Matthews in a 10-round, non-title bout. After a couple of even first few rounds, with Williams holding a slight early lead in the punches landed stats, Matthews decks the former MW Champion with a big shot in round four. Williams arises at the count of eight, then wisely covers up to last the round and avoid further repercussions. A peek at the unofficial card at the halfway point indicates a close contest, with Matthews up by one (48-47), largely on the strength of the one knockdown in round four. In the later rounds, Williams assumes a more aggressive posture, and he maintains a slight edge in both punches landed and stamina factors. In the final few rounds, it is Matthews, sensing his early edge slipping away, who throws caution to the wind and goes all-out for a knockout. Then, in a dramatic final round, Williams gets careless and absorbs a wicked hook to the head that puts him down and out. KO 10 for Matthews, putting an end to Williams’ tentative foray into the LH ranks. Post-bout career marks: Matthews, 26-5 (18); Williams, 49-11-1 (23). A peek at the judges’ scorecards showed Williams ahead on two, the third being even, headed into the decisive final round. At any rate, a big knockout win over a quality opponent certainly boosts Matthews’ status as top LH contender.

[JCWeb]

This report covers fistic action from the second half of December 1945. Three WBA title bouts are included in this report.

Dec. 21, 1945: The month continues with a huge Friday night card at Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens. Featured is a WBA title tilt preceded by a LH bout matching GBU LH Champ Freddie Mills with former EBU LH Champ Heinz Lazek. Since the two have not met before, it is no surprise that it takes awhile for the action to develop. By the midway point, Mills has begun to assert himself, and he has a healthy points lead (49-46) on the unofficial card; in addition, Lazek is showing the effects, with a rapidly swelling right eye. In the second half of the bout, with the issue still in doubt, both fighters maintain an aggressive posture. After a big round in the seventh, Mills eases up a bit, and he grinds out a comfortable UD 10 win (97-93, 99-91, 98-93) over the hard-hitting Lazek, who is suffering from a lack of confidence after his fourth consecutive loss. Post-bout career marks: Mills, 28-12-1 (14); Lazek, 44-16-1 (25). In the main event, David Kui Kong Young is on hand to make the fourth defense of his WBA BW title; this time around, the challenger is EBU and GBU BW titleholder Ritchie Tanner. The two met for this same title earlier in the year, resulting in a controversial DQ win for Kui Kong Young. In this rematch, both fighters take some time to settle in, and the bout appears relatively even for the first few rounds. However, by the end of round three, the Champ appears to have the upper hand, having ripped open a cut over Tanner’s left eye and caused some initial bruising around the right eye of the challenger as well. A check of the unofficial scorecard after five rounds are in the books reveals Kui Kong Young with a solid points lead (50-47) at this point. However, there is still hope for the British challenger, as Tanner pulls ahead in the punches landed stat after a strong round six. The critical factor that decides the outcome turns out to be the cut over Tanner’s eye, which is reopened in the very next round, and it becomes too severe to allow the bout to continue. Thus, Kui Kong Young retains the belt via a TKO 7 on the cuts stoppage, pushing his career record to 37-3-4 (18) with the win. Tough loss for Tanner, who ends the bout at 25-11-2 (12). A check of the judges’ cards showed Kui Kong Young ahead on all three at the time of the stoppage.

Dec. 22, 1945: Twin feature bouts top the next card, at Gothenburg’s Ullevi Stadium. In the first co-main event, two top WW contenders do battle, as GBU and CBU WW Champ Ernie Roderick faces Gustav Eder, a former EBU WW Champion now on the downside of his career. In one previous meeting, for the EBU WW title back in 1940, Eder took a SD 12, but he has reached Post-Prime career stage since then. In this rematch, a 10-rounder with no titles at stake, Roderick seems content to lay back on the outside, waiting for Eder to punch himself out. By the midway point, Roderick has a comfortable two-to-one advantage in the punches landed stats, and he is also well ahead (49-46) on the unofficial scorecard. More of the same in the second half of the bout, with Eder continuing as the aggressor. Roderick suffers a minor setback in round nine, when Eder manages to open a cut over his right eye. The cut proves not to be an issue, as Roderick goes on to take a MD 10 (99-91, 95-95, 97-96) in a bout that turned out to be much closer than the unofficial card had been predicting. Post-bout, Roderick improves to 35-17-4 (7) with the win; Eder slips to 46-16-10 (9) with the loss. In the second co-feature, two regional Champions do battle, as Marcel Cerdan, the EBU MW titleholder, faces Jose Basora, his LABF counterpart, in a 10-round, non-title bout. First meeting of the two, and, a little more than a minute into the opening round, Cerdan connects with a combination that puts Basora on the deck for a count of seven. The “Casablanca Clouter” is unable to follow up immediately, and the bout settles in with Cerdan forging a solid points lead (49-46) at the midway point. Basora, who is beginning to show the effects with a rapidly swelling left eye, steps up the pace and tries to be more aggressive as the bout heads into the later rounds. Cerdan continue to dominate, and he grinds out a solid UD 10 victory (99-91, 99-90, 98-91) to maintain his status as a top MW contender. Post-bout career marks: Cerdan, 42-7-3 (28); Basora, 27-6 (19).

Dec. 22, 1945: The second WBA title bout of the month takes place at New York City’s Madison Square Garden. In the main supporting bout, MWs take to the ring, as the “Bronx Bull,” Jake LaMotta, faces a veteran opponent in Ralph DeJohn. Solid start from LaMotta, who pulls ahead in the opening rounds, then moves inside in round three, but DeJohn’s defense remains firm. Then, midway through the fifth round, LaMotta connects with a short, clean uppercut that sends DeJohn down, and he is unable to beat the count. Impressive KO 5 for LaMotta, who improves to 23-2 (18) with the win. The loss leaves DeJohn at 28-14-4 (10). In the main event, Jimmy Bivins (“the Cleveland Spider Man”), the newly crowned NABF LH Champion, moves up to challenge Lloyd Marshall for the WBA LH title currently held by Marshall. First meeting of these two, and it’s tough luck for Bivins as he sustains a cut (from a Marshall combination) over his right eye in the opening round. In the ensuing rounds, Marshall targets the cut, but Bivins’ corner has done a good job, plus Bivins is boxing well, keeping Marshall off balance. By the end of round four, Marshall has managed to cause some initial puffiness to appear around the injured eye, but the cut has remained closed. After the first five rounds are in the books, the unofficial scorer at ringside has Bivins with a nice points lead (49-46). In the middle rounds, Bivins continues to grind away, while also mindful of the need to prevent Marshall from reopening the cut over the injured eye. In round eight, Bivins is able to turn the tables on Marshall by opening a cut under the right eye of the Champ. In round nine, a frustrated Marshall is warned for holding and hitting. After ten, Bivins continues to hold the lead (97-93) on the unofficial scorecard. In the final third of the bout, an increasingly frustrated Marshall ramps up the aggression, but by now he is also battling signs of fatigue, while Bivins appears relatively fresh. A minute into round 12, however, Bivins goes down, the result of a Marshall cross. He recovers quickly, then covers up in order to last the round. Marshall continues to apply pressure as the bout enters its final few rounds. By this time, Bivins has landed sufficient blows to cause some initial swelling around Marshall’s right eye. Finally, in round 14, Marshall succeeds in reopening the cut over Bivins’ injured eye. In the final round, with the cut continuing to ooze blood, Marshall pursues Bivins around the ring, but it is Bivins who is able to land the cleaner punches. The final bell rounds, announcing the end of an entertaining bout, and the end result – a draw (142-142 on all three cards) -- seems justified. Post-bout records: Marshall, 31-5-4 (26); Bivins, 25-2-3 (19). There is already talk of a possible rematch in 1946.

Dec. 26, 1945: Next is the traditional Boxing Day fight card at the Olympia in London. Not as spectacular as many prior Boxing Day lineups, with no title fights on the agenda. The main event pits fast rising Flywight contender and hometown fan favorite Terry Allen, who puts his 20-1 career record on the line, facing veteran Austrian Fly Ernst Weiss. No prior meetings of the two, and, in a shocking development, Weiss puts Allen on his back in the opening round. Allen scrambles to his feet after taking a count of eight; with plenty of time left in the round, Allen covers up and remains upright, but Weiss is able to land some more good shots, sufficient to cause some initial puffiness to appear under Allen’s left eye. Allen collects himself, gradually working his way into the fight and, late in round four, he floors Weiss in a barrage of punches; Weiss does recover, regaining his footing and covering up to last the round. By the midway point, Allen has pulled ahead (by a count of 48-45) on the unofficial scorer’s card. With the score at one knockdown apiece, Allen seems to get stronger and stronger as the bout wears on, having overcome the effects of the first round knockdown. In round eight, a couple of sharp jabs from Allen draw blood, opening a cut under the left eye of Weiss. From here, the bout goes the full 10 rounds, and Allen goes on to take a UD 10 (97-91, 95-93, 96-92), running his career record to 21-1 (3). Weiss, who is scheduled to hit Post-Prime with his next bout in 1946 (his real-life retirement year), ends the bout at 34-16-2 (10). Allen, on the other hand, will be looking for another title shot soon (his one loss coming at a failed challenge for the CBU Flyweight belt).

Dec. 29, 1945: Twin LABF title bouts top the next fight card, at Buenos Aires’ Luna Park. In the first of these co-features, Luis Galvani takes on Ernesto Aguilar for Aguilar’s LABF BW title. The two have not met before, yet Galvani goes on the offensive in the bout’s opening round, with a two-fisted assault that causes some initial swelling to appear under the left eye of Aguilar. After another impressive round in round three, Galvani eases up a bit, allowing Aguilar to attempt to seize the initiative in round four. Undeterred, Galvani keeps swinging away, and the swelling around Aguilar’s eye gets worse and worse. The one-sided affair is suddenly brought to an end late in the sixth round and, after consulting with the ring physician, the ref calls a halt as Aguilar’s eye is practically closed. Galvani prevails via a TKO 6, moving to 18-2 (11) as a result, while Aguilar slips to 15-9-1 (6). In the second co-feature, it is the LABF HW title that is at stake, as Chile’s Arturo Godoy defends versus challenger Alberto Santiago Lovell, who has the advantage of performing in front of an appreciative hometown crowd. The two have met twice before, with each man winning once, the most recent being Godoy’s taking this title via a split decision in 1944. In this rematch, Lovell has the early edge in the punches landed stat, and, in round four, he opens a cut over the right eye of Godoy. By the midway point, Lovell has a solid points lead on the unofficial card (60-56), plus there is noticeable redness under the other (left) eye of Godoy. More trouble for Godoy in round seven, as the cut over his eye is reopened. Midway through round eight, Lovell rocks Godoy with a straight right; the Chilean covers up, but Lovell presses forward, forcing an early submission as the ref steps in to save Godoy from further punishment. The bout goes into the books as a TKO 8 for Lovell. Post-bout records: Lovell, 35-17 (28); Godoy, 37-19 (15).

Dec. 31, 1945: The final card of the year is a New Year’s Eve affair, taking place in Havana, Cuba, and a WBA title clash tops the agenda. FWs are featured in not only the main event, but also in the main supporting bout, which sees two Cuban fighters do battle, as Diego Sosa, “El Tigre Del Cerro,” defends the LABF FW title versus National Kid, whose NABF FW title is not at stake in this matchup. This is the third meeting of the two, with Sosa having won twice before, both in 1944 bouts for this same LABF title belt. After a solid opening round from Sosa, the bout settles into a fairly even encounter, but Kid serves notice by landing a stiff uppercut early in the fifth round, rocking Sosa who covers up to avert further difficulty. At the halfway point, with six rounds in the books, Sosa clings to a narrow one point advantage (58-57) on the unofficial scorer’s card. As the bout wears on, Sosa continues to grind away, although fatigue begins to set in for both men. By the end of round eight, Kid begins to show signs of swelling under his right eye. In round nine, Sosa connects with an overhand right, toppling Kid to the canvas; Kid arises slowly after taking an eight count, and he covers up in order to last the round. Kid attempts to mount a rally in the final rounds of the bout, despite being low on energy. After going the distance, the bout ends up in the hands of the judges, and Sosa takes a UD 12 (116-111, 116-111, 115-112) to retain the title. Post-bout career marks: Sosa, 25-4-2 (14); Kid, 26-8-3 (11). After this, in the main event, the WBA FW title is at stake, as popular Champion Willie “Will O the Wisp” Pep remains active, making the fourth title defense versus the #5 ranked contender, Leo Rodak. First meeting of the two and, for Rodak, it is his first try at a WBA title after two unsuccessful attempts to winner the lesser USBA FW belt. After a cautious start by both men, Pepe begins to dominate from long range with a highly effective jab and some impressive ring movement. Rodak attempted to move inside in round three but instead ended up with a welt under his left eye that became a target for Pep. After the first five rounds are in the books, it is no surprise that Pep has a large lead (49-46) on the unofficial scorecard. Into the middle rounds, and Pep continues to pile up points, while Rodak struggles with his timing. Rodak fades badly in the second half of the bout, while Pep seems to get stronger and stronger. Meanwhile, Rodak’s eye worsens and worsens, and it is almost swollen shut when the ref steps in to call a halt to the one-sided contest, midway through the ninth round. Thus, it goes into the books as a TKO 9 for Pep, who improves to 28-2 (18) with the win. Rodak, who will hit Post-Prime with his next outing, finishes the bout at 34-17-1 (8).

[JCWeb]

With another year in the books, it's time for a year-end review, starting with, of course, the heavyweight division.

HW
Division Profile

Total: 172 RL: 94 TC: 78

RL by Career Stage:
End - 5
Post - 17
Prime - 38
Pre - 15
Beginning - 19 (15 New)

Rated: 63
800+: 17
500+: 33
200+ : 56

Jan 1946 Rankings (Perf Points and Changes from Jan. 1945 in Parens):

WBA Champ: Joe Louis 52-1-1 (50) (2183) (NC)
1. Roscoe Toles 41-14-6 (7) (1644) (+2) (NABF)
2. Tommy Gomez 28-4-1 (26) (1367) (+3)
3. Max Schmeling 69-9-1 (45) (1327) (-1)
4. Lee Q. Murray 28-6-1 (23) (1326) (1326) (+9) (USBA)
5. Jersey Joe Walcott 52-10 (31) (1325) (-4)
6. Pat Comiskey 25-5 (16) (1285) (+2)
7. Alberto Santiago Lovell 35-17-1 (28) (1117) (-1) (LABF)
8. Bruce Woodcock 21-1 (17) (1053) (+17) (GBU)
9. Jack Trammell 38-17-1 (18) (1002) (+2)
10. Lou Nova 31-15-1 (24) (953) (-6)

Other Notables: 11. Abe Simon 32-11-2 (23) (947)
12. Arturo Godoy 37-19 (15) (866)
13. Walter Neusel 35-19-3 (23) (860) (EBU)
14. Connie Norden 23-5-1 (14) (844)
20. Nino Valdes 17-2-2 (14) (657)
24. Freddie Beshore 16-1 (2) (576)

Top Prospects: Colion Chaney 12-0-1 (6)
Kid Riviera 8-0 (5)
Piet Wilde 7-0 (2)
Bob Satterfield 4-0 (3)

Retirements:

Tommy Martin (UK) 1933-1945 30-18-3 (18) CBU, GBU Champ Highest Rank: 4
Sal Ruggirello (ITA) 1926-1945 39-24-4 (28) No Titles Highest Rank: 35
Buddy Baer (USA) 1934-1945 21-19-1 (16) No Titles Highest Rank: 24
Tommy Farr (UK) 1926-1945 53-23-4 (16) CBU, GBU, EBU Champ Highest Rank: 1
Primo Carnera (ITA) 1928-1945 36-26-3 (27) EBU Champ Highest Rank: 21
Patsy Perroni (USA) 1927-1945 41-28-3 (7) USBA Champ Highest Rank: 8
Junior Munsell (USA) 1935-1945 28-12 (21) No Titles Highest Rank: 15
Bob Pastor (USA) 1935-1944 30-12-3 (13) No Titles Highest Rank: 12

Outlook for 1946: Louis continued his dominant reign as unchallenged HW Champ, shattering all Perf Point ceilings. On the other hand, his potential successor, Jersey Joe Walcott, regressed after losing the USBA title to Murray. The current top contenders, guys like Toles, Gomez and Murray, simply lack the skills and firepower to seriously trouble Louis, while an aging Max Schmeling’s skills have declined to the point he is no longer a safe bet to prevail over lesser fighters in prime condition. Thus, it may take a guy like Ezzard Charles (who did give Louis a decent bout in his most recent foray from the LH ranks), or it may take more time, until Rocky Marciano joins the ranks in a few years, to see Louis seriously challenged and possibly dethroned. It should be noted that the Commonwealth title is now vacant after the retirement of Tommy Farr; with Farr and another top British HW, Tommy Martin, new blood in the form of Bruce Woodcock has emerged to contend for EBU and possibly WBA honors from Britain. Now that he is at Prime career stage, look for the hard-hitting Cuban, Nino Valdes, to contend for the LABF HW belt, possibly the NABF belt, and knock on the door of the top 10 rankings. Despite the HW ranks swelling by 15 (!) in the first post-war year, none is rated above an “5” (Cesar Brion and Don Cockell). Frankly, though, it won’t be until 1947, when Marciano and LaStarza are set to debut, that there will be the kind of talent added to the division that could be expected to challenge even an aging Joe Louis for top honors. retirements.

At this point, I’d to take a moment to look back at the two non-winning efforts in Joe Louis’ career thus far. One, in an April 1942 title defense versus Tommy Farr (documented above in post #1328), the bout ended in a three-round technical draw after Farr was cut (via an accidental butt) early in the fight. Similarly, in his one “loss” to Max Schmeling in October 1938 (documented above in post #1195), it was Schmeling who was cut and, at the time of the stoppage, Max held a slim one-point lead on all three cards, and thus was declared the winner via a unanimous technical decision, although Louis had the momentum after recovering from a slow start. Thus, in these two “technical” decisions where the stoppage was due to accidental cuts, in both cases the cut fighter was Louis’ opponent, so in reality, Louis has yet to lose a fight via a decision after going the full distance or from being stopped or knocked out.

[JCWeb]

LHW
Division Profile

Total: 115 RL: 69 TC: 46

RL by Career Stage:
End - 2
Post - 7
Prime - 32
Pre - 10
Beginning - 18 (14 New)

Rated: 44
800+: 14
500+: 29
200+ : 41

Jan 1946 Rankings (Perf Points and Changes from Jan. 1945 in Parens):

WBA Champ: Lloyd Marshall 31-5-4 (26) (1583) (+2)
1. Billy Conn 35-8-3 (15) (1478) (-1)
2. Harry Matthews 26-5 (18) (1446) (+4)
3. Archie Moore 35-4-4 (25) (1284) (-2) (USBA)
4. Eddie Booker 30-8-3 (17) (1066) (+4)
5. Ezzard Charles 21-2 (18) (1063) (NC)
6. Melio Bettina 37-10-6 (15) (1052) (+1)
7. Danny Devlin 40-20-8 (17) (1022) (+2)
8. Young Joe Louis 29-12-1 (14) (1004) (+2)
9. Tiger Jack Fox 59-13-1 (42) (1003) (-5)
10. Jimmy Bivins 25-2-3 (19) (990) (+13) (NABF)

Other Notables: 11. Gus Lesnevich 36-14-3 (16) (959)
12. Anton Christoforidis 29-13-3 (13) (874) (EBU)
13. Jack A. Johnson 23-8 (18) (853) (CBU)
14. Freddie Mills 28-12-1 (14) (789) (GBU)
15. Heinz Lazek 44-16-1 (25) (744)
20. Tommy Yarosz 19-3-2 (9) (673)
35. Joey Maxim 14-5-2 (5) (355)

Top Prospects: Billy Fox 13-0-1 (11)
Prentiss Hall 11-1 (6)
Tony Elizondo 7-0 (5)
Bob Murphy 5-0 (5)
Bob Amos 3-0 (1)

Retirement:

Al Gainer (USA) 1930-1945 31-19-2 (20) USBA Champ Highest Rank: 7

Outlook for 1946: Unlike the HW division, which has been dominated by one fighter for the past five or six years, the LH has been highly competitive, with a number of different fighters reaching the top. Lloyd Marshall is the most recent LH Champ, with Billy Conn, Archie Moore, Eddie Booker, Tiger Jack Fox and Gus Lesnevich all having (however briefly) had some time at the top. Another observation is the predominance of USA boxers, whom occupy all the top 10 contenders spots; highest ranked non-USA fighter is the Greek EBU titleholder, Anton Christoforidis, who thus far has failed to match his real-life career progress. Also struggling a bit has been Freddie Mills, who at least has regained his status as GBU Champion. Aussie Jack Johnson continues his reign as Commonwealth Champion, and two titles (OPBF and LABF) are inactive due to lack eligible participants from these regions. Looking further down the list, a couple of higher rated guys who have yet to make their mark are Tommy Yarosz and Joey Maxim, who has struggled through the Pre-Prime stage of his career but is perhaps poised to make a run up the rankings now that he has reached Prime career stage. Checking in on the newer prospects, Billy Fox has remained unbeaten, and a large throng of newcomers to the division include one “10” rated guy, Harold Johnson. Two guys in the top 10 (Archie Moore and Ezzard Charles) are both rated at HW, and two others (Billy Conn and newly crowned NABF titleholder Jimmy Bivins) have also shown interest in moving up to challenge in the HW ranks (with Moore, Charles and Conn already have tested the HW waters).

[JCWeb]

MW
Division Profile

Total: 160 RL: 100 TC: 60

RL by Career Stage:
End - 6
Post - 9
Prime - 41
Pre - 25
Beginning - 19 (14 New)

Rated: 61
800+: 18
500+: 41
200+ : 56

Jan 1946 Rankings (Perf Points and Changes from Jan. 1945 in Parens):

WBA Champ: Charley Burley 38-2 (26) (1715) (+2)
1. Tony Zale 41-6-2 (25) (1737) (+3) (NABF)
2. Freddie Apostoli 36-13-2 (24) (1509) (+1) (USBA)
3. Holman Williams 49-11-1 (23) (1445) (-2)
4. Al Hostak 41-10-3 (31) (1367) (-4)
5. Marcel Cerdan 42-7-3 (28) (1363) (+1) (EBU)
6. Steve Belloise 27-6-1 (13) (1262) (+4)
7. Dave Sands 23-2 (15) (1253) (-2) (CBU)
8. Jose Basora 27-6 (19) (1233) (NC) (LABF)
9. Antonio Fernandez 39-21-4 (13) (1178) (-2)
10. George Abrams 27-9-2 (10) (1053) (+2)

Other Notables: 11. Jake LaMotta 23-2 (18) (994)
12. Ben Brown 35-11-3 (21) (954)
13. Ken Overlin 42-1-75 (14) (907)
24. Dick Turpin 26-8 (11) (742)
25. Tommy Sullivan 18-1 (12) (740)
28. Vince Hawkins 18-7-3 (7) (721) (GBU)
43. Rocky Graziano 14-4 (13) (416)

Top Prospects: Laurent Dauthuille 13-1 (5)
Bert Lytell 13-0 (4)
Rocky Castellani 10-0 (2)
Robert Villemain 10-0 (2)
Mark Hart 6-0 (5)
Artie Towne 6-0 (2)
Carl Olson 5-0 (2)

Retirements:

Jack Casey (UK) 1926-1945 37-25-5 (22) No Titles Highest Rank: 19
Ignacio Ara (SPA) 1926-1945 40-30-4 (30) No Titles Highest Rank: 31
Shorty Hogue (USA) 1939-1945 17-11-1 (12) No Titles Highest Rank: 41
Billy Soose (USA) 1938-1945 19-15-3 (12) USBA Champ Highest Rank: 28

Outlook for 1946: Like the LH division, there has been a steady parade of competent fighters who have held the WBA MW title in recent times, with Charley Burley starting his second stint at the top, succeeding Belloise, Hostak, Apostoli, Cerdan, Williams and Zale, all of whom remain active as top 10 contenders still in the Prime of their respective careers. Knocking on the door and eager for a title shot is “the Bronx Bull,” Jake LaMotta. Vince Hawkins ended the long reign of Jock McAvoy as GBU MW Champ, but there are other talented British MWs, notably Dick Turpin, who is higher rated. Pardon the pun, but it’s been a rocky start to the career of one Rocky Graziano, who is still a couple of bouts away from Prime. Lots of talent prospects, including Bert Lytell (a “10”-rated boxer), who remains unbeaten and is a future title contender. As in the HW and LHW divisions, the first post-war year will see a large influx of new talent, paced by Brit Randy Turpin (a “9”).

[JCWeb]

WW
Division Profile

Total: 133 RL: 90 TC: 43

RL by Career Stage:
End - 1
Post - 16
Prime - 42
Pre - 21
Beginning - 10 (7 New)

Rated: 67
800+: 25
500+: 38
200+ : 61

Jan 1946 Rankings (Perf Points and Changes from Jan. 1945 in Parens):

WBA Champ: Marty Servo 30-5-1 (11) (1644) (+3)
1. Ray Robinson 27-1-1 (19) (1565) (+1) (NABF)
2. Henry Armstrong 46-9-3 (38) (1389) (-2)
3. Cocoa Kid 50-11-5 (13) (1343) (+1) (LABF)
4. Joe Legon 31-14-6 (14) (1286) (+12)
5. Fritzie Zivic 38-15-6 (16) (1273) (NC) (USBA)
6. Izzy Jannazzo 41-10-5 (13) (1239) (-5)
7. Michele Palermo 40-13-9 (10) (1219) (+8) (EBU)
8. Bep Van Klaveren 43-20-10 (13) (1218) (-2)
9. Ernie Roderick 35-17-4 (7) (1186) (-1) (GBU, CBU)
10. Eddie Dolan 42-5-6 (15) (1166) (-1)

Other Notables: 11. Billy Graham 20-4 (10) (1153)
13. Georgie Crouch 30-12-4 (16) (1069)
18. Jack McNamee 36-14-2 (23) (859) (OPBF)
21. Tommy Bell 20-2 (14) (822)
22. Jimmy Doyle 19-2 (7) (812)
31. Bernard Docusen 15-0 (4) (645)

Top Prospects: Charley Fusari 12-2 (7)
Jimmy Sherrer 12-0 (8)
Kid Gavilan 9-0-1 (1)
Johnny Bratton 9-0 (7)
Charley Salas 6-0 (5)

Retirements:

Steve Halaiko (USA) 1928-1945 34-26-4 (11) No Titles Highest Rank: 21
Milt Aron (USA) 1934-1945 27-16-1 (21) No Titles Highest Rank: 27
Vittorio Venturi (ITA) 1924-1945 48-28-11 (15) WBA Champion 1937-38
Leonard Del Genio (USA) 1933-1945 21-19-5 (13) No Titles Highest Rank: 32
Mike Kaplan (USA) 1936-1945 23-19-2 (8) No Titles Highest Rank: 35
Wildcat O’Connor (USA) 1934-1945 34-28-2 (22) No Titles Highest Rank: 13
Lew Feldman (USA) 1927-1945 39-26-7 (14) No Titles Highest Rank: 26 (2 as JWW)
Frankie Britt (USA) 1929-1945 33-24-8 (12) No Titles Highest Rank: 26
Kenny LaSalle (USA) 1929-1945 34-17-7 (16) No Titles Highest Rank: 30

Outlook for 1946: The division became more competitive after Henry Armstrong hit Post-Prime, but new WBA Champ Marty Servo is likely to be overshadowed by the Champion-in-waiting, Sugar Ray Robinson, who split two bouts with Servo and is itching for a WBA title shot to prove his superiority. In addition, there is excitement about an inter-generational matchup of Robinson with Armstrong. At any rate, Billy Graham, on his way to becoming a top contender, saw his career derailed with a pair of consecutive losses, to an aging Freddie Cochrane and then to Zivic when challenging for the USBA title. Winner of his last four and off to a 20-2 career start, Tommy Bell seems poised to move into the upper echelon of WW contenders as well. Quite a bit of interest in Europe with guys like Van Klaveren, Roderick and now Palermo passing the EBU title back and forth, although Van Klaveren is now at Post-Prime. Jimmy Sherer, Kid Gavilan and Johnny Bratton are some very solid prospects on the way up. Bobby Dykes (an “8”) is the best of the new blood set to join the division in 1946.

[JCWeb]

LW
Division Profile

Total: 153 RL: 98 TC: 55

RL by Career Stage:
End - 5
Post - 13
Prime - 36
Pre - 26
Beginning - 18 (14 New)

Rated: 64
800+: 21
500+: 37
200+ : 59

Jan 1946 Rankings (Perf Points and Changes from Jan. 1945 in Parens):

WBA Champ: Bob Montgomery 28-3-2 (16) (1403) (+2)
1. Lefty Satan Flynn 35-14-3 (18) (1402) (+11)
2. Vic Patrick 24-2 (18) (1247) (+14) (OPBF)
3. Aldo Spoldi 47-13-6 (17) (1246) (NC) (EBU)
4. Chester Rico 25-8-5 (12) (1238) (+9) (USBA)
5. Laurie Stevens 36-14-1 (21) (1106) (-1) (CBU)
6. Jack Kid Berg 55-23-5 (19) (1165) (-5) (GBU)
7. Tony Chavez 40-15-4 (15) (1115) (-2)
8. Ike Williams 25-2-1 (21) (1086) (+7)
9. Lew Jenkins 31-8-4 (15) (1053) (+5)
10. Lulu Costantino 24-5-2 (10) (1025) (-2)

Other Notables: 11. Joe Brown 21-1 (15) (1021)
12. Beau Jack 26-4 (18) (1020)
13. Dave Castilloux 34-16-3 (9) (1018)
14. Allie Stolz 25-5-3 (10) (948) (NABF)
16. Enrique Bolanos 20-0 (18) (898)
24. Humberto Sierra 18-2-3 (7) (646) (LABF)
25. Santa Bucca 14-0-2 (7) (634)
31. Freddie Dawson 14-1-1 (3) (564)

Top Prospects: Harry Hughes 13-0-1 (7)
Mario Trigo 11-0 (4)
Wesley Mouzon 8-0 (4)
Art Aragon 7-0 (4)
Tommy Campbell 4-0 (3)

Retirements:

Norment Quarles (USA) 1934-1945 28-17-4 (13) No Titles Highest Rank: 25
Lou Ambers (USA) 1932-1945 40-13-2 (14) NABF, USBA Champ Highest Rank: 1
George Zengaras (USA) 1936-1945 36-14-3 (11) No Titles Highest Rank: 35

Outlook for 1946: After a few years as a top contender, Bob Montgomery became the new WBA Champion in 1945, in a topsy-turvy year that saw Lefty Satan Flynn rise from outside the top 10 to claim a WBA title, and OPBF Champ Vic Patrick, winner of his last six, zoomed up the rankings as well, while aging veterans like Spoldi, Berg, Stevens and Chavez have all seen better days and are likely to make room for a new crop of LW contenders. (Two division Champ Baby Arizmendi announced a return to the FW division and is ranked there.) Chester Rico, Ike Williams, Joe Brown and Beau Jack are among those well positioned to fill the void, not to mention newly crowned NABF Champion Allie Stolz who is shooting for a top 10 contender spot. Mexican Enrique Bolanos is an exciting new face, going unbeaten in his Pre-Prime days and now looking to challenge for the LABF belt now held by Humberto Sierra. Looking even further ahead, Wesley Mouzon and Art Aragon are working their way through the early Pre-Prime stages of their respective careers, with unblemished records thus far. Cuba’s Orlando Zulueta (a “10”) and Jimmy Carter (a “9”) top the list of newcomers slated to join the LW ranks in 1946.

[JCWeb]

FW
Division Profile

Total: 131 RL: 84 TC: 47

RL by Career Stage:
End - 9
Post - 13
Prime - 28
Pre - 21
Beginning - 13 (8 New)

Rated: 52
800+: 12
500+: 32
200+ : 47

Jan 1946 Rankings (Perf Points and Changes from Jan. 1945 in Parens):

WBA Champ: Willie Pep 28-2 (18) (1309) (+2)
1. Baby Arizmendi 54-12-4 (13) (1237) (-1 at LW)
2. Harold Hoshino 34-5-3 (18) (1130) (-2)
3. Diego Sosa 25-4-2 (14) (1090) (+2) (LABF)
4. National Kid 26-8-3 (11) (935) (+12) (NABF)
5. Everett Rightmire 40-15-3 (16) (930) (-4)
6. Leo Rodak 34-17-1 (8) (898) (+4)
7. Dave Crowley 41-28-1 (17) (887) (NC) (CBU, EBU)
8. Tsuneo Horiguchi 38-12-3 (20) (886) (-4) (OPBF)
9. Simon Chavez 38-24-4 (9) (866) (-1)
10. Carlos Chavez 25-5-1 (9) (850) (-4)

Other Notables: 11. Chalky Wright 42-18-6 (15) (848)
13. Mike Belloise 34-17-8 (11) (769)
14. Ronnie Clayton 22-1 (13) (757)
15. Al Phillips 25-6-1 (11) (750) (GBU)
17. Jackie McCoy 18-1-1 (2) (749)
18. Sal Bartolo 28-9-4 (7) (674) (USBA)
20. Simon Vergara 13-0-2 (4) (605)
21. Chico Rosa 15-1-1 (5) (598)

Top Prospects: Jackie Graves 13-1 (10)
Eddie Compo 9-0-1 (3)
Sandy Saddler 9-0 (8)
Luther Burgess 6-0-1 (4)

Retirements:

Freddie Miller (USA) 1927-1945 46-19-3 (15) NABF, USBA Champ Highest Rank: 1
Al Reid (USA) 1935-1945 27-21 (9) No Titles Highest Rank: 29
Enrique Chafferdet (VEN) 1926-1945 39-33-10 (10) LABF Champ Highest Rank: 6
Petey Scalzo (USA) 1936-1945 26-10-2 (15) WBA Champion 1942 Highest Rank: 1

Outlook for 1946: After a couple of minor setbacks (two DQ losses), Willie Pep finally ascended to his rightful spot atop the FW division. With an aging Arizmendi as the top challenger, for the time being Pep’s position (absent a huge surprise, such as another DQ loss) seems secure. Ex-Champ Hoshino and two Cuban fighters – Sosa and Kid – remain as the best of the current crop of top contenders, but expect Sandy Saddler to emerge as a title threat once he reaches Prime career stage in a couple of years. Brit Dave Crowley is past his Prime, so major titles in Europe and the Commonwealth will be up for grabs, with Ronnie Clayton and “the Aldgate Tiger,” Al Phillips, among the top candidates to take advantage of the situation. Other than Saddler and an “8” ranked prospect (Eddie Campo), the future crop of prospects seems thin, quality-wise. The best of the new additions to the division are two US fighters, Glen Flanagan (an “8”) and Harry Sane (a “7”). Top debuting foreigners are Finn Elis Ask and Aussie Keith Francis (both of whom are “6”s).

[JCWeb]

BW
Division Profile

Total: 90 RL: 53 TC: 37

RL by Career Stage:
End - 6
Post - 10
Prime - 20
Pre - 12
Beginning - 5 (3 (8 New)

Rated: 40
800+: 12
500+: 25
200+ : 38

Jan 1946 Rankings (Perf Points and Changes from Jan. 1945 in Parens):

WBA Champ: David Kui Kong Young 37-3-4 (18) (1596) (+1)
1. Manuel Ortiz 29-6-2 (16) (1471) (+2) (NABF)
2. Johnny King 62-10-4 (26) (1379) (-2)
3. Tommy Forte 34-7-2 (12) (1315) (-1) (USBA)
4. Benny Goldberg 30-5-2 (13) (1311) (+4)
5. Ritchie Tanner 25-11-2 (12) (1073) (+1) (EBU, GBU)
6. Lou Salica 34-15-4 (13) (1033) (+6)
7. Tony Olivera 27-8-1 (17) (1007) (+3)
8 Georgie Pace 31-17-2 (20) (983) (-4)
9. Fernando Gagnon 21-1 (15) (964) (+8)
10. Norman Lewis 22-5-1 (14) (935) (-1) (CBU)

Other Notables: 11. Mickey Miller 35-16-2 (19) (824)
12. Luis Castillo 22-7 (11) (794)
13. Kenny Lindsay 18-7 (10) (771)
15. Tirso Del Rosario 15-2 (4) (738) (OPBF)
19. Luis Galvani 18-2 (11) (698) (LABF)
24. Luis Romero 14-1 (8) (545)
25. Harold Dade 15-3-2 (5) (455)

Top Prospects: Frankie Williams 12-0 (9)
Manny Ortega 10-0 (7)
Armando Puentes Pi 5-0 (2)
Ronnie Draper 5-0

Retirements:

Speedy Dado (PHI) 1926-1945 43-27-7 (17) WBA Champion 1932-32
Henry Hook (USA) 1931-1945 31-21-3 (11) USBA Champ Highest Rank: 15
Panama Al Brown (PAN) 1926-1945 74-19-2 (26) WBA Champion 1927-30, 1932, 1939-40, 1941, 1942-43
Pablo Dano (PHI) 1926-1945 44-23-7 (18) WBA Champion 1931, 1932-33

Outlook for 1946: 1945 definitely signaled a changing of the guard at the upper echelon of the BW division, with the retirement of three former Champs (Panama Al Brown, Speedy Dado and Pablo Dano) and the toppling of an aging Johnny King by an upstart challenger in David Kui Kong Young. NABF Champ Manuel Ortiz is well positioned as a likely challenger for the WBA title, while some new faces, notably Canadian Fernando Gagnon, Cuban Luis Galvani, the new LABF Champ, are on hand to spice up the competition. Newly crowned OPBF BW titleholder Tirso Del Rosario, along with American Harold Dade and Spaniard Luis Romero (all “8” rated guys) certainly have the potential to move up and possibly challenge for a top 1o ranking in the next year or so. Looking further ahead, Ronnie Draper, who is the best of the young prospects, is only rated a “6,” and none of the three newcomers expected to be added to the division in 1946 is rated above a “4.”

[JCWeb]

FLY
Division Profile

Total: 72 RL: 43 TC: 29

RL by Career Stage:
End - 2
Post - 7
Prime - 20
Pre - 6
Beginning - 8 (5 New)

Rated: 29
800+: 6
500+: 17
200+ : 24

Jan 1946 Rankings (Perf Points and Changes from Jan. 1945 in Parens):

WBA Champ: Jackie Jurich 33-2-1 (19) (1123) (+5)
1. Rinty Monaghan 38-11-1 (12) (1093) (-1)
2. Jackie Paterson 26-5-2 (17) (1087) (+1)
3. Peter Kane 32-7-1 (13) (1014) (-2)
4. Istvan Enekes 46-15-2 (13) (887) (-2)
5. Terry Allen 21-1 (3) (802) (+6)
6. Teddy Gardner 24-6-1 (10) (776) (NC) (CBU)
7. Jimmy Gill 37-15-4 (12) (724) (+3) (GBU)
8 Yoichiro Hanada 35-17-4 (9) (705) (+10) (OPBF)
9. Hans Schiffers 24-7-5 (8) (704) (NC) (EBU)
10. Dado Marino 22-6 (13) (703) (-6) (USBA)

Other Notables: 11. Little Dado 33-9-1 (13) (657)
12. Ernst Weiss 34-16-2 (10) (628)
13. Maurice Sandeyron 18-4-1 (4) (595)
16. Yoshio Shirai 14-1 (9) (510)
23. Otilio Galvan 15-4-2 (5) (331)

Top Prospects: Black Pico 12-1-1
Nazareno Gianelli 10-0 (2)
Dickie O’Sullivan 6-0 (4)
Louis Skena 3-0 (1)

Retirement:

Enrico Urbinati (ITA) 1939-1945 21-20-2 (10) No Titles Highest Rank: 17

Outlook for 1946: Since the end of the long title reign of Midget Wolgast in 1940, there has been a steady parade of WBA title claimants, with Jackie Jurich, who held the title the longest (from 1941 to 1943), emerging on top once again, in 1945. Monaghan, Paterson and Kane, all of whom had brief title reigns, remain the top contenders. Starting in 1946, Jurich will be at Post-Prime, and thus vulnerable to an effective title challenge. The two highest rated guys in the top 10 still at Prime career stage are current CBU Champ Teddy Gardner and fellow Brit Terry Allen, who has compiled an impressive 21-1 career record thus far; it is Allen who is certainly in line for some kind of a title shot, if only a regional GBU or CBU belt. Hans Schiffers succeeded aging Istvan Enekes as EBU titleholder, but he suffered a TKO loss to another new reginal Champ, Yoichiro Hanada, in his most recent outing. Cuban Black Pico and Frenchman Louis Skena are the top rated prospects (both “7”s), and look for Pico to lock horns with Mexican Otilio Galvan for the newly instituted LABF Flyweight title. Meanwhile, both the NABF and USBA Flyweight titles have been largely dormant for the past several years, due to a lack of qualified candidates, but that could change, particularly for the USBA belt, with some Cuban boxers entering the picture. One of these, Oscar Suarez (a “6”) tops the list of five newcomers set to join the Flyweight ranks in 1946.

[JCWeb]

ROLL OF CHAMPIONS

HW

WBA: Joe Louis (Feb. 1939) (27)
NABF: Roscoe Toles (Dec. 1944) (3)
USBA: Lee Q. Murray (Nov. 1945) (0)
CBU: Vacant
GBU: Bruce Woodcock (June 1945) (0)
EBU: Walter Neusel (Jun. 1944) (1)
OPBF: Vacant
LABF: Alberto Santiago Lovell (Dec. 1945) (0)

LH

WBA: Lloyd Marshall (Sep. 1945) (1)
NABF: Jimmy Bivins (Oct. 1945) (0)
USBA: Archie Moore (Jun. 1943) (7)
CBU: Jack A. Johnson (Jul. 1941) (4)
GBU: Freddie Mills (Jan. 1945) (0)
EBU: Anton Christoforidis (Oct. 1945) (0)
OPBF: Inactive
LABF: Inactive

MW

WBA: Charley Burley (Jul. 1945) (0)
NABF: Tony Zale (June 1945) (3)
USBA: Freddie Apostoli (Nov. 1945) (0)
CBU: Dave Sands (Nov. 1944) (0)
GBU: Vince Hawkins (Jul. 1945) (0)
EBU: Marcel Cerdan (May 1944) (2)
OPBF: Vacant
LABF: Jose Basora (Jun. 1945) (1)

WW

WBA: Marty Servo (Mar. 1945) (2)
NABF: Ray Robinson (Oct. 1944) (4)
USBA: Fritzie Zivic (Apr. 1945) (1)
CBU: Ernie Roderick (Sep. 1941) (3)
GBU: Ernie Roderick (May 1935) (2)
EBU: Michele Palermo (Aug. 1935) (1)
OPBF: Jack McNamee (Apr. 1945) (0)
LABF: Cocoa Kid (Aug. 1944) (1)

LW

WBA: Bob Montgomery (Nov. 1945) (0)
NABF: Allie Stolz (Dec. 1945) (0)
USBA: Chester Rico (June 1945) (0)
CBU: Laurie Stevens (Nov. 1945) (0)
GBU: Jack Kid Berg (Feb. 1945) (0)
EBU: Aldo Spoldi (Oct. 1941) (3)
OPBF: Vic Patrick (Jun. 1944) (0)
LABF: Humberto Sierra (Nov. 1944) (1)

FW

WBA: Willie Pep (Jan. 1945) (4)
NABF: National Kid (Feb. 1945) (1)
USBA: Sal Bartolo (Feb. 1945) (0)
CBU: Dave Crowley (Oct. 1941) (1)
GBU: Al Phillips (Mar. 1945) (0)
EBU: Dave Crowley (Apr. 1943) (0)
OPBF: Tsuneo Horiguchi (Feb. 1945) (0)
LABF: Diego Sosa (Aug. 1943) (6)

BW

WBA: David Kui Kong Young (Mar. 1945) (4)
NABF: Manuel Ortiz (Apr. 1945) (2)
USBA: Tommy Forte (Jul. 1945) (0)
CBU: Norman Lewis (May 1944) (1)
GBU: Ritchie Tanner (Sep. 1943) (1)
EBU: Norman Lewis (Oct. 1944) (0)
OPBF: Tirsio Del Rosario (Oct. 1945) (0)
LABF: Luis Galvani (Dec. 1945) (0)

FLY

WBA: Jackie Jurich (Jul. 1945) (2)
NABF: Vacant
USBA: Dado Marino (Jun. 1943) (0)
CBU: Teddy Gardner (June 1945) (0)
GBU: Jimmy Gill (Jan. 1944) (2)
EBU: Hans Schiffers (Aug. 1945) (0)
OPBF: Yoichiro Hanada (Mar. 1945) (1)
LABF: Inactive

Comments: With the defeat of Jock McAvoy, who had held the GBU MW title for about 15 years, the longest serving titleholder at present is another GBU Champ, Ernie Roderick, in the WW division. However, Roderick’s defenses have been few and far between, compared to an active Champ like Joe Louis, whose 27 successive title defenses are just one shy of the all-time record (28) in the MW division by NP Jack Dempsey, who held the WBA MW title for 12 years, from 1885 to 1897. This year, there are 28 new titleholders, meaning slightly less than half of the available titles changed hands during 1945.

[JCWeb]

One final post to wrap up the year-end reports, namely the PFP and year end awards, which follows, then it's on to 1946.

1945 YEAR-END PFP RANKINGS (based on Perf Points, with change from last year, number of years on list, first year on list in parens)

1. Joe Louis, HW (WBA Champion), 2183 (NC) (9) (1936)
2. Tony Zale, MW (NABF Champion), 1737 (new) (4) (1940)
3. Charley Burley, MW (WBA Champion), 1715 (+4) (4) (1942)
4. Roscoe Toles, HW (NABF Champion), 1644 (new to list)
5. Marty Servo, WW (WBA Champion), 1644 (new to list)
6. David Kui Kong Young, BW (WBA Champion), 1596 (new to list)
7. Lloyd Marshall, LH (WBA Champion), 1583 (new to list)
8. Ray Robinson, WW (NABF Champion), 1565 (new to list)
9. Freddie Apostoli, MW (USBA Champion), 1509 (new) (2) (1943)
10. Billy Conn, LH, 1478 (new) (2) (1943t)

Dropped Out from Last Year:

WW Henry Armstrong (was #2)
MW Holman Williams (was #3)
HW Jersey Joe Walcott (was #4)
WW Izzy Jannazzo (was #5)
LH Archie Moore (was #6)
FW-LW Baby Arizmendi (was #8)
HW Max Schmeling (was #9)
MW Al Hostak (was #10)

Comments: Wholesale changes to this list, but Louis remains on top for the fifth straight year, upping his all-time record high Perf Point total to 2183, while the gap to #2 grew to around 450 points. Only Charley Burley, who regained the WBA MW title, remains on the list from last year, moving up from #7 to the #3 spot. Zale, Apostoli, and Conn return to the top 10 after a year’s absence, while the other five are on the list for the first time – three of whom (Servo, Kui Kong Young and Marshall) are first-time WBA titleholders.. Of the eight dropouts from last year, it seems likely that at least two of them (Walcott and Moore) are likely to return, while others may be slipping down the ranks due to aging as well as more talent in their respective divisions. This time around, five of the eight active divisions are represented (all except LW, FW and Flyweight), and it is the MW division (with three representatives) that has the most. Former WBA LH Champ Billy Conn is the only guy on the list without a current title.

ANNUAL YEAR-END AWARDS

FIGHTER OF THE YEAR: Willie Pep
FIGHT OF THE YEAR: Lloyd Marshall UD 15 Billy Conn (for WBA LH title) (Sep. 22, see post 1456)
TOP NEWCOMER: Jimmy Bivins (LH)
UPSET OF THE YEAR: Tommy Davies UD 10 Coley Welch UD 10 (MW non-title bout) (Sep. 1, see post 1455)
COMEBACK FIGHTER OF THE YEAR: Charley Burley

Comments:

Once again, Joe Louis has to be considered for Fighter of the year of the year honors, but in 1945 he only made three defenses and had some struggles in his bouts with Lovell and Charles. A bunch of new Champs were crowned at LH, WW, LW, FW and BW, and, of these, Willie Pep gets the nod, as he went 5-0 versus some top flight competition, albeit in a somewhat weak division. LH Champ Lloyd Marshall was under consideration until his December title defense (a draw) versus Jimmy Bivins. Similarly, Marty Servo had a draw with Izzy Jannazzo, and Bob Montgomery actually lost once to Baby Arizmendi during the year. That left both Pep and Kui Kong Young, and Pep was adjudged more dominant in his five 1945 wins than the latter, who had to go the distance in three bouts, and the other two which didn’t finish were against somewhat inferior opposition in Ritchie Tanner. On the other hand, starting in January with his five-round demolition of Harold Hoshino to take the title and continuing with all four successful defenses, Pep was heads and shoulders above anyone else in his division and, were it not for a low Perf Point total coming into the season, he would likely have made the PFP list as well.

Fight of the Year was another tough call, and the award went to an important WBA title clash that featured some final round drama in which the title changed hands after a 15th round knockdown, as happened in Lloyd Marshall’s UD 15 over Billy Conn for the WBA LH title (Sep. 22, chronicled above at post #1456). By way of comparison, other candidates that were considered: Arizmendi TKO 14 Stevens, WBA LW title (Jan. 27, post #1437); Servo SD 15 Armstrong for the WBA WW title (Mar. 24, post #1441); Servo UD 15 Zivic, also for the WBA WW title (June 29, post #1451); and finally, a drawn bout between Tony Zale and Al Hostak for the NANF MW title (Nov. 10, post #1459).

Three strong contenders for Top Newcomer were HW Bruce Woodcock, now 21-1 and the new GBU HW Champ; LH Jimmy Bivins, now the NABF LH titleholder; and LW Vic Patrick, who had already won the OPBF LW title but zoomed up the LW ranks with some impressive wins over Beau Jack, Dave Castilloux and EBU Champ Aldo Spoldi. In the end, though, it was his performance in battling to a draw in a WBA title confrontation late in the year that gave the nod to Bivins, who had gone 5-0 in his other 1945 bouts in rising to the top 10 of the very competitive LH division after a few indifferent results early in his career.

Next up is the Upset of the Year which, for 1945 at least, there was no clearcut winner. I reviewed the reports from the year and came up with four candidates, but three of them (Lefty Satan Flynn UD 15 Baby Arizmendi, July 14, post #1451; Joe Legon KO 10 Henry Armstrong, July 14, post #1451; and Hans Schiffers UD 12 Istvan Enekes, Aug. 4, post #1453) involved situations where the higher ranked fighter had begun to decline to Post-Prime or even End career stage. Thus, with these three bouts eliminated, the one remaining (Davies defeating Welch) became the default selection.

For Comeback Fighter of the Year, I decided to go with Charley Burley, who recovered from a tough title loss in 1944 with successive wins over Antonio Fernandez and last year’s top newcomer, Dave Sands, to earn a shot at regaining the WBA MW crown, which he did in impressive fashion with an eight round KO of Steve Belloise. The only other fighter in contention for this honor was Jackie Jurich, who was similarly able to regain the WBA title in the Flyweight division, but Jurich’s comeback had been stalled by a loss on a cuts stoppage in 1944, so his rise back to the top was less of a surprise as opposed to a return to normalcy in the division and, as such, was discounted a bit.

[JCWeb]

1946 action is underway ... and this report covers fistic action from the first half of January 1946. No WBA title bouts are included in this report.

Jan. 4, 1946: The year kicks off with a traditional Friday night card in snowy Buffalo. In the main event, FWs do battle as “Homicide Hal,” Harold Hoshino faces Mike Belloise, “the Bronx Spider.” Hoshino, still on the comeback trail after losing his WBA title plus a rematch to Willie Pep, faces another ex-WBA Champ in Belloise. The two met once before, back in 1940, with Hoshino taking a UD 10 only to see Belloise get a WBA shot, which he took advantage of by dethroning Kid Chocolate. However, Belloise’s title reign was short as he lost to Baby Arizmendi in his first defense, and since then he has struggled to regain his Championship-winning form, except for a brief spell as NABF FW Champion in the 1942-43 time frame. In this rematch, the action picks up early in the second round, when Hoshino connects with a big uppercut that causes Belloise to cover up – a wise decision as it enables him to last the round. More trouble for Belloise in round five, as Hoshino’s two-fisted attack rips open a cut over Belloise’s right eye, as well as causing some initial puffiness to appear under the left eye. The unofficial scorer at ringside has Hoshino well in front (49-46) at the halfway point. Late in round seven, Hoshino connects with a vicious combination and Belloise goes down, taking an eight count before resuming. Into the final few rounds, and Belloise, who is trailing badly, tries to become more aggressive, but Hoshino is alert and remains active, reopening the cut over Belloise’s eye in round nine, and the cut is reopened again in the final round, leading to a late stoppage. Although Hoshino was well ahead on points in any event, the TKO 10 on the cuts stoppage to improve to 35-5-3 (19) with the win. The loss leaves Belloise at 34-18-1 (11).

Jan. 5, 1946: Topping the next card at Rome’s Palazzo del Sport is an EBU WW title bout, with Michele “Kid” Palermo making his second defense of the belt; the challenger is his countryman, Egisto “Il B ombardiere della Marca” Peyre. This is the second meeting of these two, with Peyre having prevailed via a SD 10 in their one previous encounter. In this rematch, Peyre, the slugger, is the aggressor through much of the early going, while Palermo, the boxer, prefers to stay outside, waiting for his opportunities while letting Peyre force the action. As a result, Palermo is able to gradually build a lead in the punches landed stats and, at the halfway point, the unofficial card has him up by three (59-56). In the second half of the bout, Peyre continues to apply pressure on the inside, and he begins to have some success, closing the gap in the punches landed stats, plus Palermo is beginning to show signs of fatigue as early as round nine. Heading into the final few rounds, the bout is a close one, with Peyre’s aggressiveness troubling Palermo, who decides to switch tactics and go headhunting in the final round. No cuts or knockdowns as the bout comes to a very indecisive conclusion, with the judges split (one for Palermo, one for Peyre, a third calling it even), with the end result a draw (114-114, 116-112 Palermo, 112-116 Peyre), so Palermo, now 40-13-10 (10) keeps the title, while Peyre, now 22-4-1 (12) is already angling for a rematch in a couple of months’ time. A peek at the cards showed Palermo winning the final round from all three judges to keep the title, at least for the time being.

Jan. 5, 1946: Next, a post-Prime Cocoa Kid is featured in the main event in front of an appreciative crowd at the Escobar Stadium in San Juan. His opponent, in a 10-round, non-title affair, is fellow WW Norman Rubio. In one prior bout, back in 1943, also in San Juan, Kid eked out a MD 10 win. In this rematch, not much happens for the first few rounds as the bout evolves into a tactical struggle between the two boxers. In round three, trying his luck on the inside, Rubio comes away with a cut under his right eye. Into the middle rounds, and it remains a close bout, with both guys grinding away. At the midway point, to the surprise of many, the unofficial scorer’s card shows Rubio with a nice points lead (50-46). In round six, Rubio gets his hands free and blasts home a hook that rips open a cut over Kid’s left eye. Kid, sensing things beginning to slip away, presses forward with a more aggressive posture as the bout heads into the later rounds. The stamina factor, which strongly favors Rubio, begins to have an effect, although Kid is able to rally and win the eighth and ninth rounds. The bout goes the distance and, to the disappointment of the Puerto Rican fight fans, Rubio walks away a UD 10 winner by razor thin margins on all three cards (96-95, 96-95, 96-95). Post-bout records: Rubio, 24-6-3 (12); Kid, 50-12-5 (13).

Jan. 11, 1946: Next, the popular Aussie “Friday Night Fights Down Under” series is renewed with a solid card at Melbourne, topped by a Commonwealth title bout. In the preliminary co-feature, OPBF WW Champ Jack McNamee takes to the ring to face American Vic Dellicurti. No prior meetings of these two, each of whom is in Prime condition and looking to move up in the WW rankings. After a couple of fairly uneventful and close opening rounds, McNamee decides to try his luck by moving inside in round three, and he has some degree of success, backing up Dellicurti and gaining a slight edge in the punches landed stat. However, Dellicurti rebounds with a strong round four and five and is thus holds a slight edge in points (48-47) on the unofficial scorecard at the halfway point of the bout. In the second half of the bout, McNamee becomes more aggressive, seeking to apply pressure on his opponent and perhaps break through by landing a telling blow. Dellicurti, for his part, exhibits some solid defensive technique and, even though his right eye has begun to puff up, he has withstood McNamee’s efforts to complicate matters. The bout goes to decision, and, perhaps with the help of some hometown judging, McNamee edges out Dellicurti to take a SD 10 (97-94, 94-97, 96-95), moving to 37-14-2 (23) as a result. Dellicurti, the unlucky loser, slips to 27-8 (13). Then, in the finale, popular young MW Dave Sands makes his first defense of the CBU MW title, facing newly crowned GBU MW Champ Vince Hawkins. No prior meetings, but both men have one thing in common: having defeated veteran British MW Jock McAvoy to win their respective title belts. After a couple of indifferent opening rounds, Sands moves forward to mix it up on the inside at the start of round three. Some solid boxing and defense from Hawkins keep the Australian Champion from piling up an early points lead. In round six, a sharp uppercut from Sands rips open a cut over the right eye of Hawkins. By the midway point, Sands has pulled in front (by a count of 59-56) on the unofficial scorer’s card. The cut over Hawkins’ eye is closed with some good cornerwork, but he is struggling to offer Sands some meaningful opposition. Sands gradually wears down Hawkins, who tires badly as the bout enters the final rounds. Then, in round 10, with Hawkins’ right eye beginning to puff up after the cut is reopened, Sands decks Hawkins with a hard shot. While Hawkins is able to regain his footing, he is unable to fend off an energized Sands, who forces the ref to call a halt, after the cut has become too serious to allow the bout to continue. Thus, it goes into the books as a TKO 10 for Sands, who retains his CBU MW belt, while Hawkins retains the GBU MW belt which was not at stake. Post-bout career records: Sands, 24-2 (16); Hawkins, 18-8-3 (7).

Jan. 12, 1946: The scene shifts to New Orleans, specifically the Coliseum Arena for the next fight card. The main event pits two LH contenders meeting for the first time, as Young Joe Louis faces OPBF LH Champ Jack A. Johnson who has come all the way from Australia for this main event versus Louis, whose rapid rise over the past few years has earned him a top 10 ranking. In this non-title bout, Louis, a clever boxer, gets off the mark early, and he shows great patience, allowing Johnson to take the initiative in the early going. In round four, Louis nails Johnson with a cross that opens a cut over the right eyebrow. In round five, Johnson, with the cut still bleeding, tumbles to the deck, the result of a wicked combination thrown by Louis. Johnson regains his footing and covers up to last the round, but the unofficial card has Louis up by a wide margin (50-45) at the halfway point. It takes several between round treatments to halt the bleeding before Johnson is free to go on the offensive as the bout heads into the later rounds. However, the cut is reopened in round nine, and Johnson’s efforts to alter the course of the bout prove to be futile, so Louis records an impressive, lopsided UD 10 (99-90, 100-89, 98-91) over a regional Champion, running his career totals to 30-12-1 (14) as a result. The loss leaves Johnson at 23-9 (18).

Jan. 12, 1946: To Panama City for the next fistic action. Two BWs are featured in the main event, as Mexico’s Luis Castillo squares off against Canadian Kenny Lindsay in a 10-round, non-title affair. First meeting of the two sees Castillo get off to a strong start; as early as round two, he has landed sufficient leather to cause some initial puffiness to appear under the left eye of Lindsay. By the midway point of the bout, Castillo is ahead on points (48-46) according to the unofficial scorecard, and there is puffiness under the other, right eye of Lindsay. Near the end of round six, Lindsay strikes back, stunning Castillo with a hard cross. As the bout enters its final stages, it is Lindsay who is pressing the action, but he is unable to follow up on his success in round six. The bout goes the distance without further incident, and Castillo is able to grind out a UD 10 (96-93, 95-94) although Lindsay managed to keep the bout close on a couple of cards. Post-bout career marks: Castillo, 23-7 (11); Lindsay, 18-8 (10).

[JCWeb]

This report covers fistic action from the second half of January 1946. Two WBA title bouts are included in this report.

Jan. 18, 1946: Next up is a Friday night card at Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens. In the main event, the Commonwealth BW title is at stake, with Canada’s Fernando Gagnon challenging Brit Norman Lewis for the belt. The two have not met before, and this represents the second title challenge in recent months for the 21-1 Gagnon, who came up a bit short in his prior challenge (resulting in his only career setback to date), the resulted in a MD 12 loss to NABF BW titleholder Manuel Ortiz. For Lewis, it is his first defense in over a year. After a couple of rounds of tactical fencing, with Gagnon beginning to assert himself with a dominant round three. Gagnon goes on to continue to outhit his opponent and, by the midway point of the bout, the Canadian challenger has built a huge points lead (60-54) on the unofficial scorecard. In the second half of the bout, it is incumbent upon Lewis to adopt a more aggressive approach. However, as the bout wears on, Gagnon’s stamina advantage is telling, and he goes on to a fairly comfortable UD 12 (118-108, 118-108, 117-109) to lift the belt, improving to 22-1 (15) with the win. The loss leaves Lewis at 22-6-1 (14). No cuts or knockdowns in this one, just a solid, one-sided triumph for the challenger.

Jan. 19, 1946: WBA title bout action is on the agenda at the next card, which takes place at the Boston Garden. First up, though, in the main preliminary bout, two BWs take to the ring, as newly crowned OPBF BW kingpin Tirso Del Rosario makes the long trip from the Philippines to square off against Romania’s Aurel Toma. Being from different parts of the globe, it is no surprise that the two have not met before. Both boxers (as opposed to sluggers) means a tactical battle, as neither are prepared to take large risks, at least in the early stages. With a couple of strong rounds in the third and the fourth, Toma edges ahead in the punches landed stat. By the midway point of the bout, the unofficial card has Toma up by just one (48-47). In the second half of the bout, both men are content to work from the outside, again eschewing unnecessary risks. This tends to make for a rather drab encounter, with neither man seizing control of the bout. Feeling the bout slipping away from him, Del Rosario decides to ramp up the pressure in the final two rounds, but it is all to no avail as Toma goes on to rack up a UD 10 win (97-93, 97-93, 98-92) in a bout that was void of any exciting moments. Post-bout career marks: Toma, 34-19-1 (13); Del Rosario, 15-3 (4). Then, in the main event, it is a rematch of a 1945 WBA title bout as Marty Servo faces ex-Champ Henry “Homicide Hank” for Servo’s WBA WW title belt. Two prior meetings, both for a WBA title, each man having one once makes this the rubber match. Both fighters get off to decent starts, and it is Armstrong who takes the initiative by working his way inside in round three. Armstrong has limited success, however, and he has to come to grips with the fact that, now at Post-Prime, his skills have diminished. After the first five rounds are in the books, the unofficial scorer has Armstrong with a narrow one-point lead (49-48), but several rounds were close and could have gone either way. In round seven, the two battle away on the inside, and Servo manages to hurt Armstrong, backing up the former Champion, plus Armstrong’s left eye begins to puff up – an added bonus. In the next round, the eighth, Armstrong connects with a hard cross, and it is Servo who is on the defensive, covering up to avoid further damage and, despite plenty of time remaining in the round, “Homicide Hank” is unable to follow up. In rounds nine and 10, Armstrong continues to wing away, forcing Servo to back up and absorb some blows. At the two-thirds mark, Armstrong’s aggressiveness has paid off as he has forged a narrow lead (97-94) on the unofficial card. In the final third of the bout, Armstrong eases off a bit, but remains aggressive while fighting outside. Servo attempts a more active approach, and both fighters are showing signs of fatigue at this point. Armstrong continues to hold the upper hand, thwarting Servo’s efforts as the bout heads into the final two rounds. Finally, in the 14th, with Servo going for a knockout, Armstrong connects with a perfect hook, putting Servo down and out. KO 14 for Armstrong, who regains the title, improving his career stats to 47-9-3 (39). The loss drops Servo, who was actually ahead on two of the judges’ cards, to 30-6-1 (11). Early Fight-of-the Year candidate and, with Armstrong regaining the crown, fight fans are clamoring for a matchup between Armstrong and “Sugar” Ray Robinson, the NABF WW Champ and a fast-rising star.

Jan. 19, 1946: The scene shifts to the West Coast, specifically Los Angeles, for the next fight card at the Olympic Auditorium there. No titles at stake, but an exciting main event tops the card, as unbeaten Mexican LW Enrique Bolanos, “the Durango Dropper, in his initial bout at Prime career stage, faces veteran Johnny Bellus. First meeting of the two, and Bellus is handicapped by the fact that he is past his Prime. Solid start from Bolanos, who takes charge from the opening bell, putting the cautious Bellus on his back heel. By the end of round three, Bolanos is swarming all over Bellus, who appears to be suffering from a broken jaw; just before the bell, however, Bellus connects with a strong combination that sends Bolanos to the canvas, but time runs out before the ref can complete his count, so Bolanos is able to recover between rounds. Early in round five, Bolanos stuns Bellus with a quick hook to the head, and Bellus covers up and stays out of trouble for the rest of the round. Despite being down once, Bolanos has a slight points lead (48-47) on the unofficial card at the halfway point of the bout. Bolanos continues with an active, aggressive posture into the second half of the bout. By the end of round seven, there is a welt under Bellus’ left eye. The two continue to battle away until the final round, and Bolanos is able to squeeze out a UD 10 by a fairly comfortable margin (96-93, 97-92, 95-94) to keep his unbeaten record intact. Post-bout records: Bolanos, 21-0 (18); Bellus, 39-21-7 (14).

Jan. 25, 1946: Next up is a Friday night card at the Rand Stadium in Johannesburg, and a WBA title clash tops the agenda. First up, in the main supporting bout, former WBA HW Champ Max Schmeling, reeling from a series of recent setbacks (having loss three of his last four), takes on the newly crowned USBA HW Champion, Lee Q. Murray. Murray serves notice in the opening stanza, when he connects with a wicked hook to the head that sends Max tumbling to the deck. After taking a three count, Max arises and covers up to last the round. Murray continues hammering away and, by the end of round two, there is a trace of swelling under Schmeling’s left eye. In round three, Schmeling goes down, courtesy of a Murray combination, and this time, he takes an eight count. By the midway point of the bout, Murray has a large edge (49-45) on the unofficial scorecard. Two more knockdowns follow in the second half of the bout, then Murray eases up, allowing Schmeling to press the action while remaining alert to opportunities to launch a counterstrike. Schmeling’s other eye begins to puff up, and Max is unable to overcome the effects of aging (not to mention the four knockdowns), so Murray takes a one-sided UD 10 (96-90, 97-89, 97-89) to move to 29-6-1 (23) overall. The Post-Prime Schmeling, now in his 23rd year as a ring professional, is now 69-10-1 (45). After this, the ring is cleared for the main event, as South African fight fans have turned out to see countryman Laurie Stevens, a former WBA Champ and the current Commonwealth LW titleholder, attempt to regain the WBA LW title from Bob Montgomery, who captured the belt in November 1945 and is making his first title defense. No prior meetings of the two, and it is Montgomery who is on target often in the opening round, landing enough blows to cause some puffiness to appear under Stevens’ right eye. Montgomery continues to have the upper hand through the first five rounds and, after five, he has a large lead (50-45) on the unofficial card. In the middle rounds, it is just more of the same, with Montgomery easing up as Stevens, trailing and further hampered by the fact that he is at Post-Prime career stage, is forced to become more aggressive. After another five rounds, the situation has not changed, with Montgomery still way ahead (100-90) on the unofficial scorecard. Early in round 11, Montgomery rocks Stevens with a hard shot, forcing the South African challenger to cover up. Trailing badly and tiring badly, Stevens continues to battle on to the final few rounds. In the final seconds of round 13, Montgomery connects with with a devastating hook to the head, and Stevens barely beats the count, arising just before the bell sounds to end the round. The bout goes the distance, and Montgomery retains the belt via a lopsided UD 15 (148-135, 148-136, 149-136). Post-bout career records: Montgomery, 29-3-2 (16); Stevens, 36-15-1 (21).

Jan. 26, 1946: Next up is a full card at London’s Earls Court. In spite of the large number of bouts on the agenda, no titles were on the line, and the main event features reigning GBU Flyweight Jimmy Gill, the Fighting Jockey,” who faces, for the third time, his OPBF counterpart, Yoichiro Hanada from Japan. Both prior meetings in Manila resulted in points wins for Gill. This time around, in front of an appreciative hometown crowd, Gill starts slowly, allowing Hanada to build an early edge in terms of the punches landed stat. Hanada continues to hold the upper hand through the first half of the bout, and the Japanese fighter is rewarded with a nice points lead (50-46) after five rounds are in the books. Recovering from his slow start, Gill finally gets going with a strong round six, and he manages to cause some initial swelling around the left eye of Hanada as well. Gill moves inside to do more damage in round seven, and, by round eight, both fighters are beginning to show signs of fatigue. With Hanada electing to adopt a rearguard, safety-first approach, Gill is able to pull back the earlier deficit in the punches landed stat and, in a bout going the distance with no cuts or knockdowns, Gill manages to convince one judge, but the other two go for Hanada, who hangs on to take a close SD 10 (95-96, 97-94, 97-96) by winning the final round on two judges’ cards to give him the upset win. The surprise win by Hanada lifts him to 36-17-4 (9), while the loss leaves Gill at 37-16-4 (12).

Jan. 26, 1946: The month’s fistic activity concludes with a card at New York City. No titles at stake and, in the main event, USBA LH Champ Archie Moore returns to the LH division after a brief but unsuccessful foray into the HW ranks. His opponent is Greek Anton Christoforidis, who recently won the EBU LH crown. In this, the first meeting of these two, and the two trade blows through a few relatively even early rounds. Then, late in round four, Moore lands a big hook flush on Christoforidis’ chin, staggering the EBU Champ, and, fortunately for Christoforidis, there is not enough time left in the round for Moore to follow up. Moore keeps plugging away and, midway through round five, he drops Christoforidis with a nice combination. At the midway point, the unofficial scorer has Archie up by two (48-46) after having awarded two of the first three rounds to Christoforidis. In the second half of the bout, Christoforidis becomes more aggressive, but he is unable to make much of an impression on Moore, who carries on with his otherwise steady performance to post a UD 10 win (95-94, 97-92, 98-91). Post-bout career marks: Moore, 36-4-4 (25); Christoforidis, 29-14-3 (13).

[JCWeb]

This report covers fistic action from the first half of February 1946. One WBA title bout is included in this report.

Feb. 1, 1946: The month kicks off with a Friday night card at the War Memorial Auditorium in Syracuse, New York. The main event matches Allie Stolz and veteran Tony Chavez for Stolz’s NABF LW title. The two have not met before, and thus there is a long feeling-out process that lasts through the opening few rounds. A confident Stolz, who has won his last three coming into this bout, is the sharper of the two, while Chavez, who has not fought since losing a bid for the WBA title last year, seems ring weary, having also hit Post-Prime career stage recently. Chavez is the more aggressive of the two, as he attempts to recover from a relatively poor start. Even after a couple of good rounds for Chavez, Stolz is still up at the halfway point (by a count of 58-56) on the unofficial card. In the second half of the bout, Chavez tries to work his way inside but, due to a large stamina deficit, he is largely unsuccessful. As Chavez gradually wears down, a patient Stolz continues to pile up points, extending his lead. Consequently, the bout goes the distance without incident, and Stolz takes a lopsided UD 12 (12 (118-110, 117-111, 118-110) to retain the belt. Stolz improves to 26-5-3 (10) with the win. The loss leaves Chavez at 40-16-4 (15).

Feb. 2, 1946: Next card takes place at the Stadium in Liverpool in the UK. No titles on the line, and the main event features GBU LH Champ Freddie Mills, who faces American LH Jimmy Reeves in a non-title bout. No prior meetings of the two, and the action picks up late in round two when Reeves, who had just been warned for low blows, lands a hard shot that rips open a cut on Mills’ mouth. Mills’ corner quickly and effectively closes the cut, and, in round four, he moves inside and begins to dominate his opponent. At the midway point, Mills has compiled a solid points lead (49-46) on the unofficial card. Reeves battles back and, late in round six, he manages to reopen the cut on Mills’ lip. Reeves targets the cut, which continues to ooze blood until it is closed for good in between the seventh and eighth rounds. In round nine, Mills decks Reeves with a solid hook; Reeves arises after taking a count of three and survives the round, despite a partially swollen left eye. Mills stays out of trouble for the remainder of the fight, and he goes on to take a UD 10 (99-90, 97-91, 99-89), a result that is well received by the British fight fans but also not unexpected given the fact that Reeves had just hit Post-Prime career stage. Post-bout career marks: Mills, 29-12-1 (14); Reeves, 22-8-1 (14).

Feb. 2, 1946: No title bouts are on the next fight card, held in Miami. In the main event, two fighters who have worked their way into the top 10 in the LH ranks – Harry “Kid” Matthews and Young Joe Louis – meet for the first time in another of those proverbial “crossroads” matchups. The action picks up in the opening round, when Matthews connects with a right that draws blood in the form of a cut under Louis’ right eye. Taking an aggressive approach in the opening rounds, Matthews manages to set the tone and pull ahead in the critical punches landed stat. By round five, Louis has begun to win some inside exchanges to close the gap and, at the halfway point¸the unofficial scorecard showed Matthews holding a slim one-point lead (48-47). Matthews fires back with a strong round six, then Louis goes back to work on the inside in the seventh. Then, early in round eight, with Louis pressing, Matthews connects with a sharp uppercut, and Louis tumbles to the deck. After arising after taking a four count, Louis wisely covers up and manages to last the round, avoiding further damage. Sensing victory, Matthews eases up and stays on the outside, while a tired and haggard looking Louis goes on the offensive, desperate to score a knockout. Matthews’ defense holds up, and he goes on to take a convincing UD 10 (98-92, 97-92, 98-91). With his third win in succession, Matthews improves to 27-5 (18) overall, solidifying his position as a possible LH title contender. The setback drops Louis to 30-13-1 (14), snapping a two-bout winning streak.

Feb. 8, 1946: Next up is the first of two (!) Friday night fights “Down Under” during the month of February, this one taking place at Sydney. In the main event, Aussie Commonwealth MW Champ Dave Sands faces a tough test as he takes on “the Savage Slav,” former WBA MW Champion Al Hostak. It is the first meeting of these two, and there is plenty of action the bout’s opening rounds, most of it favoring the veteran Hostak. Sands comes alive by connecting with a hard hook at the end of round four and, at the midway point, after more than a couple of close rounds, the unofficial scorecard shows a close bout, with Hostak up by just one (48-47). After six, with both fighters still swinging away, both need to draw on some reserves as the stamina bars for both have been reduced to zero. A strong round by Sands in round eight brings the Aussie fight fans to their feet. Into the final two rounds, and both fighters are swinging away; midway through round nine, Sands breaks through, flooring Hostak with a big shot. A second KD follows, but then Hostak is saved by the bell. Hostak recovers between rounds and presses the action in round 10, only to be dropped for a third time by a Sands combination. The bout goes the distance, but the damage done by the three late KDs is sufficient to carry Sands to a UD 10 (96-91 on all three cards), breaking open a fairly close bout. Post-bout records: Sands, 25-2 (16); Hostak, 41-11-3 (31).

Feb. 9, 1946: Back to Europe for a big card at the Palazzo des Sports in Rome, Italy. An EBU title bout is on the agenda, but in this case, it’s just a preliminary to a WBA title matchup. The EBU HW title is at stake, as an aging Walter “der Blonde” Neusel faces off against rising star Bruce Woodcock, the recently crowned GUB HW titleholder, successor to Tommy Farr as the next great British HW hopeful. No prior meetings, but Woodcock wastes little time in slashing his way through Neusel’s rather timid defense, forcing an early submission with just seconds remaining in the opening round. Impressive TKO 1 for Woodcock, who improves to 22-1 (18) with his sixth successive win, while the post-Prime Neusel is clearly on the decline, having lost his fifth in a row to end up the bout at 35-20-3 (23). Swede Olle Tandberg, who handed Woodcock his only career loss, was a victor in another HW matchup on the undercard, and he immediately challenged the winner (Woodcock) to a rematch for the EBU belt. Then, in the main event, Jackie Jurich faces veteran Istvan Enekes for Jurich’s WBA Flyweight title. No prior meetings of the two, and it is Jurich’s third title defense in his second stint as WBA Champion. Both guys are at Post-Prime for this bout and, for Enekes, is only his second try for the WBA title, the first coming eight years before, this despite his having been a four-time EBU Flyweight Champ. After an indifferent couple of opening rounds, Enekes moves inside with some effectiveness to take round three. After another good round in the fifth where both fighters mix it up on the inside, Enekes is ahead (by a count of 48-46) on the unofficial card. Into the middle rounds, and some solid boxing gets Jurich back on track. By the midway point, with a close bout and Jurich comfortable staying on the outside, it is up to the challenger, Enekes, to initiate most of the action. Even though Jurich has been able to neutralize Enekes’ power, at the two-thirds mark, the unofficial scorer still has Enekes in front (96-93). Into the final rounds, and Enekes seems to tire from his earlier exertions, so the stamina factor definitely favors Jurich, who is also ahead in the punches landed stat – a definite contrast to what is seen on the unofficial scorer’s card. In the final few rounds, Jurich does not abandon his defense-first posture, staying almost exclusive on the outside, while Enekes continues digging away on the inside, but not risking much by going all-out for a knockout. The result is a bout that goes to decision without incident, with no cuts or knockdowns, and both fighters claiming victory. In the end, the judges disagree on the outcome, with Jurich retaining the belt via a narrow SD 15 (143-142, 140-144, 143-141) to improve to 34-7-1 (19) overall. The result is a bitter blow for Enekes, now 46-16-2 (13), and the result was not well received by the fight fans when in Rome when the judges’ scores were read.

Feb. 9, 1946: Next up is a card on the U. S. West Coast, specifically at the Cow Palace in San Francisco. The main event sees Roscoe Toles squaring off against “Tampa” Tommy Gomez for Toles’ NABF HW title. For Toles, it is the fourth defense of the title he won in late 1944; for Gomez, it is only his second title shot after a spirited effort versus Joe Louis for the WBA crown in early 1945. Since that loss, three straight wins – all inside the distance – against the likes of Max Schmeling, Walter Neusel and Lou Nova, have further burnished the reputation of Gomez as top flight HW contender. Despite this being the first meeting of the two, the action heat up early, as Toles is quickly off to the mark, dominating the action in round one, landing some sharp blows that cause Gomez to drop his guard and carry his hands lower. However, in round two, it is Gomez who connects with a strong hook, sending Toles toppling to the canvas. Toles recovers quickly, then covers up to last the round. Toles is fortunate to have some time between rounds to shake off the effects of the knockdown, while is corner must treat a rapidly swelling left eye. The topsy turvy start to the bout continues in round three, another good round for Toles, and this time it is Gomez’s corner that has to deal with some swelling, this under the right eye of the challenger. By the midway point of the bout, Toles has pulled ahead on points (58-56) on the unofficial card, despite losing a 10-8 round due to the knockdown in the second. As the bout wears on, Toles is content to box on the outside whereas Gomez, dealing with a stamina deficit as well as a worsening right eye, is forced to adopt a more aggressive but riskier approach. By the end of round 10, the swelling around Gomez’s eye has become too severe that it has become partially closed and attracted a visit from the ring physician in attendance. Finally, less than a minute into the final round, the ref (after another consultation with the ring doctor) has ordered a halt, and Toles is declared a TKO 12 victor as Gomez’s swollen eye is practically closed. Not much protest from Gomez’s corner, given Toles was well ahead on points on all three cards. Post-bout records: Toles, 42-14-6 (8); Gomez, 28-5-1 (26). Possible FoY candidate, since Toles came off the canvas to force the late stoppage.

[JCWeb]

This report covers fistic action from the second half of February 1946. A total of three WBA title bouts are included in this report.

Feb. 15, 1946: Next, for the second straight Friday night card “Down Under,” the scene shifts to Melbourne, Australia. In the main event, Aussie WW Jack McNamee, the current OPBF WW Champion, faces veteran American WW Freddie Cochrane in a 10-round, non-title affair. The two have met twice before, with each winning once, but McNamee has the edge, both in terms of the hometown advantage, as well as the fact that Cochrane has recently hit Post-Prime career stage. McNamee, who is on target in the opening few rounds, builds an early lead in the punches landed category. This situation prevails through the midway point of the bout, which sees McNamee rewarded with a nice (50-46) points lead on the unofficial scorer’s card. In the second half of the bout, Cochrane becomes more aggressive, but he also begins to tire from his exertions. In the final round, Cochrane gets careless and walks into a McNamee cross and goes down, but he regains his footing and manages to last the remaining few seconds. To no surprise, McNamee takes a UD 10 (96-93, 97-92, 96-93) although the scores on a couple of the cards were a bit closer than anticipated. At any rate, McNamee improves to 38-14-2 (23) with the win. The loss leaves Cochrane at 33-14-5 (9).

Feb. 16, 1946: A WBA BW title clash tops the card at Havana’s Gran Stadium, as David Kui Kong Young makes his fifth title defense. Challenging Kui Kong Young is Cuba’s Luis Galvani, who recently wrapped up a 18-2 start to his career by winning the LABF BW title. First meeting of the two, as well as it being Galvani’s first bout at Prime career stage. The bout is relatively close through the first five rounds, with the challenger holding his own against the heavily favored Kui Kong Young. After five rounds are in the books, Galvani is trailing by just one (48-47) on the unofficial scorecard. Galvani has his best moment near the end of the seventh round, when he rocks Kui Kong Young with a hard uppercut. Galvani pulled ahead on the punches landed stat and seems to have a slight edge in stamina, but yet the unofficial card has Kui Kong Young on top (96-94) after 10 rounds are in the books. Kui Kong Young’s defense stiffens as his corner has to deal with a mouse that has formed under his right eye. Galvani takes advantage, dominating with a strong round in the 11th. Kui Kong Young bounces back with a strong round in the 12th, and the two continue battling into the final few rounds. In round 14, Kui Kong Young sustains a cut over his injured right eye. The bout goes the full 15 and, after a long delay, the judges’ cards are read, revealing that Kui Kong Young keeps his belt via a close but UD 15 (144-141, 144-142, 144-141). A tough loss for Galvani, who enjoyed some strong support from the Cuban fight fans in attendance. Post-bout career marks: Kui Kong Young, 38-3-4 (18); Galvani, 18-3 (11).

Feb. 16, 1946: Next up is a solid card at Detroit’s Briggs Stadium. Featured in the main event is “Sugar” Ray Robinson who, unable to arrange a WBA title fight, is back in the ring to defend his NABF WW title for the fifth time, facing challenger Georgie Crouch. The two have not met before, and Robinson takes advantage of a sluggish start by Crouch to build a solid early lead in the punches landed stat. In round three, Robinson gets aggressive and, late in the round, he rocks Crouch with a quick hook to the head; after covering up, Crouch is able to last the round. Sugar Ray keeps up the pressure as the bout heads into the middle rounds, and, at the halfway point, the unofficial scorecard has Robinson with a large points lead (60-54); additionally, Crouch is showing the effects from the impact of Robinson’s accurate punching, in the form of a rapidly swelling right eye. Late in round seven, with Robinson landing punch after punch and, with Crouch barely hanging on, the ref steps in to save the hapless challenger from further punishment. Thus, the bout goes into the books as a TKO 7 for Robinson, who retains his top contender status and 28-1-1 (20) overall. The loss leaves Crouch at 30-13-4 (16), snapping a three-bout winning streak.

Feb. 22, 1946: Next card takes place at New Orleans’ Coliseum Arena. This time, there are no titles on the line, and the main event is a non-title contest matching two top 10 ranked LWs: Ike Williams and Joe Brown. First meeting of the two, who have collectively tasted defeat in just three of a combined total of 50 bouts. Brown looks sharp early, and it is Williams who moves inside, putting on pressure as early as round three. Brown continues to pile up an early lead until, at the outset of round five, Williams nails him with a quick hook to the head that forces Brown to cover up. At the midway point, the unofficial scorecard has Brown with a nice lead (49-46), but Williams has the momentum, having landed some heavy leather in round five, causing some redness to appear around the Brown’s left eye. After another good round in the sixth, Williams takes an even more aggressive posture, hoping to regain some lost ground. Late in round seven, another Williams hook finds its way through Brown’s defenses, and once again Brown covers up after remaining upright. The bout goes the rest of the way without incident and, despite a strong second half from Williams, Brown edges Williams in a SD 10 (94-96, 96-94, 97-93). Post-bout records: Brown, 22-1 (15); Williams, 25-3-1 (21).

Feb. 23, 1946: Back to the UK, and another WBA title clash tops the card, at the Olympia in London. First up, in the co-feature, recently dethroned WBA Flyweight Champ Peter Kane is on the comeback trail, facing what should be a relatively easy opponent in Belgian Raoul DeGryse. Facing each other for the first time, both fighters take awhile to settle into the bout. Then, midway through the third, a solid cross from Kane drops DeGryse onto his back; after barely beating the count, DeGryse covers up and manages to survive the round. After a rather cautious and timid start, Kane is firmly in control as the bout hits the midway point; the unofficial scorer at ringside has him well ahead (49-45) on points. In the second half of the bout, and Kane is content to stay on the outside while DeGryse, facing a stamina deficit, punches himself out, finding Kane to be an elusive target. Kane goes on to take a comfortable UD 10 (97-92, 97-92, 98-91) to run his career record to 33-7-1 (13), re-establishing his position as a top tier title contender. The loss leaves DeGryse at 26-13-4 (14). Then, in the main event, the WBA FW title is on the line, as “Will o the Wisp” Willie Pep, who has been an active Champion, makes his fifth title defense, facing, for the first time, veteran British FW Dave Crowley, the current Commonwealth and EBU FW titleholder. Pep looks sharp early, doubling up on a jab and ripping open a cut over Crowley’s left eye. In round three, Pep is able to reopen the cut, then he follows up with a wicked uppercut to the head that puts Crowley down and out. Impressive KO 3 for Pep, now 29-2 (19). Meanwhile, Crowley dips to 41-29-1 (17) with the loss.

Feb. 23, 1946: The month wraps up with another big card at New York City’s Madison Square Garden, and another WBA title clash tops the agenda. First up, however, in the main supporting bout, some BW action as former WBA BW Champ Benny Goldberg faces the current OPBF BW Champ, Filipino Tirso Del Rosario. The two have not met before, and Goldberg is at Post-Prime for this bout, while Del Rosario is still at Pre-Prime. Two boxers, so the bout devolves into a tactical battle, and neither man gains a significant advantage. At the halfway point, the unofficial score has the bout as even (48-48). In the second half of the bout, it is Goldberg, frustrated at his ability to break down Del Rosario’s defenses, who steps up the pace and becomes more and more aggressive. Meanwhile, the Filipino sticks to his strategy of staying on the outside which has served him well since the early stages of the bout. In the end, with no cuts or knockdowns, the bout goes the distance, and Goldberg ekes out a SD 10 win (98-92, 94-97, 97-93), as there was a wide divergence in the judges’ scores. Post-bout, Goldberg improves to 31-5-2 (13), while Del Rosario drops to 15-4 (4). Finally, wrapping up the card and the month’s fistic activity is a long-awaited WBA MW title bout, with Charley Burley defending against the #1 contender and former WBA Champ, “the Man of Steel,” none other than Tony Zale. After trading blows for the first couple of rounds on the outside, Zale is the first to move inside in round three. Zale has some success, and then he lays back as Burley tries his luck on the inside in round four. After the two trade blows on the inside in the fifth, the unofficial scorecard shows a close contest (48-48) after the first five rounds are in the books. Midway through round six, Burley delivers a crunching cross that causes Zale’s knees to buckle; the challenger covers up and manages to finish the round, although his left eye shows signs of puffiness at the end of the round. After a couple of great rounds in the sixth and the seventh, Burley eases up, allowing Zale to set the pace while conserving energy for the final rounds. In round nine, Zale gets careless and is felled by a combination of blows from Burley; he manages to regain his footing but Burley’s killer instinct has kicked in, and he quickly finishes Zale off with two more KDs for a TKO 9 win based on the three knockdown rule. Impressive win for Burley against a former Champ and tough challenger. Post-bout career marks: Burley, 39-2 (27); Zale, 41-7-2 (25).

[JCWeb]

This report covers fistic action from the first half of March 1946. One WBA title bout is included in this report.

Mar. 1, 1946: The month’s fistic action commences with a Friday night card at Pittsburgh. No titles on the line, but top 10 WW and former WBA Champ “Irish” Eddie Dolan faces Norman Rubio in a 10-round, non-title bout. No prior meetings, and Rubio is looking to move up the rankings, replacing an aging Dolan in the top 10. After a few close rounds in the early stages, Rubio pulls ahead with a big round in the fourth. At the midway point, Rubio has pulled out a two point lead (49-47) on the unofficial scorer’s card. In the second half of the bout, Dolan, a boxer, is forced to take a more aggressive posture, but he is unable to make much of an impression on Rubio, who cruises to take a solid UD 10 (99-91, 98-93, 98-92) to improve his career totals to 25-6-3 (12) with the win. The loss leaves Dolan at 43-16-6 (15).

Mar. 2, 1946: To Europe for the next card, at the Palazzo des Sports in Rome, Italy. Two Italian boxers take to the ring in the main event, in a rematch for the EBU WW title, with Michele Palermo defending against Egisto Peyre. The two battled to a draw in their most recent meeting, also for the EBU belt, in January, plus Peyre took a SD 10 in an earlier matchup. This time around, Peyre gets off to a decent start and works his way inside to do more damage in round three. Not much changes as the bout heads into the middle stages and, at the halfway point, Peyre is well ahead (60-54) on the unofficial scorecard. Trailing, and seeing his title slipping away, Palermo becomes the more active of the two in the second half of the bout. Palermo rallies, winning the eighth and ninth rounds to close the points gap. After another good round for Palermo in round 10, concern in Peyre’s corner is heightened by a rapidly swelling right eye. Then, in round 11, with both fighters swinging away, a sharp combination from Peyre puts Palermo on his back. Regaining his footing after taking a three count, Palermo covers up and lasts the round, but the damage has been done. The one KD solidifies Peyre’s earlier points advantage, and he goes on to take a UD 12 (117-110, 117-110, 116-111) to capture the EBU WW belt on his fourth attempt (two prior title losses to German Gustav Eder preceded his January 1946 title challenge). Post-bout career marks: Peyre, 23-4-1 (12); Palermo, 40-14-10 (10).

Mar. 8, 1946: To South Africa for the next fight card, a Friday night affair at Johannesburg’s Rand Stadium. The main event matchup sees two regional Champions square off: EBU LW Champ Aldo Spoldi and his LABF counterpart, Cuba’s Humberto Sierra. No prior meetings, and thus a long feeling out process takes place during the early stages of the contest. After the first three rounds, Sierra has the edge in punches landed, taking advantage of the fact that Spoldi is now at Post-Prime, and there is a welt forming under the Italian’s left eye. Early in round five, Sierra presses his advantage, landing a short, clean uppercut that drops Spoldi to the canvas. Spoldi bounces to his feet after taking a three count, and he wisely covers up to last the rest of the round. At the halfway point, Sierra has a narrow lead (58-57), according to the unofficial scorecard. Slight stamina edge for Sierra as the bout heads into its later stages. In round eight, Spoldi’s aggressiveness is rewarded, as he rips open a cut over Sierra’s right eye. However, the cut ends up having little effect, and Sierra goes on to take a UD 10 (97-92 on all three cards) to run his career record to 19-2-3 (7) overall. The loss leaves Spoldi at 47-14-6 (17).

Mar. 9, 1946: Next card is at the Forum in Montreal. A NABF title clash tops the agenda, and the main supporting bout, billed as a co-feature, matches the NABF BW Champ, Manuel Ortiz, with the Commonwealth BW Champ, Brit Norman Lewis, in a 10-round, non-title affair. First meeting of the two, and the bout is close through the opening two rounds. Lewis, the more aggressive of the two, moves inside in round three but finds Ortiz to be a tough nut to crack. Late in round four, however, it is Lewis who catches Ortiz with a cross that puts the NABF Champion on the deck, but Ortiz is saved by the bell. After a minute to recover, Ortiz is willing to mix it up on the inside, and late in the fifth round he rocks Lewis with a straight right; Lewis remains upright and attempts to cover up. Ortiz, however, follows up with a sharp uppercut, and this time Lewis tumbles to the deck and is unable to beat the count. KO 5 for Ortiz, who improves to 30-6-2 (17) with his fifth win in succession, putting himself in contention for a WBA title shot soon. The loss leaves Lewis at 22-7-1 (14). Next up, in the main event, the NABF FW title is at stake, as USBA FW Champ Sal Bartolo challenges National Kid for Kid’s NABF title belt. The two have not met before, and both are coming off recent losses at the hands of WBA FW kingpin Willie Pep and LABF FW titleholder Diego Sosa. Kid looks sharp early and, by the end of the second round, there is a red blotch under Bartolo’s right eye. By the midway point, Kid is well ahead (by a count of 59-56) on the unofficial scorecard. In the second half of the bout, Bartolo tries to become more active, but he begins to suffer from fatigue from the seventh round onward. Late in round eight, Kid counters with a strong shot that drops Bartolo to the deck; Bartolo barely manages to beat the count, then the bell sounds before Kid can follow up. Kid continues to keep grinding away, and an increasingly desperate Bartolo is unable to mount a sustained rally. Thus, Kid prevails, retaining the title via a UD 12 (116-112, 116-112, 117-111). Post-bout records: Kid, 27-8-3 (11); Bartolo, 28-10-4 (7).

Mar. 9, 1946: To Chicago for the next fight card, and Joe Louis is on hand to make yet another defense of his WBA HW crown. First up, in the co-feature, two MW contenders take to the ring, with Georgie Abrams matched with Artie Levine. After an as expected long feeling out process, and not much in the way of action, Abrams, the boxer, gradually pulls ahead and, in round five, he takes charge, hammering away at a defenseless Levine, forcing the ref to call an early halt. TKO 5 for Abrams, re-establishing his credentials as a top MW contender after some indifferent results in recent bouts. Post-bout records: 28-9-2 (11) for Abrams; 21-1 (14) for Levine. Then, in the feature, Joe Louis is making the 28th defense of the WBA HW title; his challenger, Abe Simon, is making his second try for the WBA title, trying to erase the memory of a first round stoppage at the hands of Louis in his one previous attempt. As in their prior encounter, Louis wastes little time, decking Simon for a five count in the first minute of the opening round. After struggling to his feet, Simon attempts to cover up but, once again, Louis’ killer instinct is too powerful to overcome. Joe follows up, catching Simon in the corner where he puts the challenger down and out with a powerful overhand right. The KO 1 win lifts Louis to 53-1-1 (51) overall. A disappointed Simon slips to 32-12-2 (23) with the loss, and he announces his retirement from the ring shortly after the bout.

Mar. 15, 1946: Time for another Friday Night fights “Down Under,” held at the Sydney Stadium. Topping the card is an OPBF title clash, and the main supporting bout is a rematch of two LW contenders, with Aussie fan favorite, reigning OPBF LW titleholder Vic Patrick taking on Canadian Dave Castilloux, a former WBA WW Champ. The two met a year earlier, and Patrick prevailed via a fifth round knockout. This time around, the bout is a close one through the opening few rounds. Patrick begins to assert control with a big round four, and a peek at the unofficial scorer’s card at the halfway point shows the Aussie with a slim edge in points (48-47). Into the second half of the bout, and Castilloux continues to hold his own, forcing Patrick to become more and more aggressive as the rounds tick off. A minute into round seven, Patrick finally breaks through Castilloux’s defenses, putting the Canadian on the canvas for a six count. Castilloux survives the round by covering up, but he is suffering from a rapidly swelling left eye as he returns to his corner between rounds. After another good round in the eighth, Patrick eases up, but Castilloux rocks him with a cross early in round nine, putting Patrick on the defensive, but the Aussie wisely covers up and averts further damage. Despite the one scare, Patrick goes on to record a UD 10 win (98-91, 96-93, 96-93), improving to 25-2 (18) overall. With the loss, Castilloux drops to 34-17-3 (9). Then, in the main event, meeting for the fourth time are Aussies Jack McNamee and Alan Westbury. At stake is McNamee’s OPBF WW title, with Westbury, who won only once in three prior meetings, having the further disadvantage of just hitting Post-Prime career stage. Great start from McNamee in this rematch, and his two-fisted attack leaves Westbury with some initial puffiness under both eyes even before the bell sounds to end the opening round. McNamee follows up his excellent start by moving inside in round three, where he dishes out even more punishment. Late in round five, Westbury finally gets in his best shot, a cross, but McNamee is well ahead (59-55) at the halfway point of the bout. In round seven, a McNamee hook sends Westbury toppling to the canvas. By round eight, Westbury has begun to tire, plus the swelling under both his eyes has worsened considerably. A second KD, this from a McNamee hook, takes place in round nine, but Westbury is able to regain his footing and continue. From here, McNamee is content to coast to a lopsided UD 12 victory (119-107 on all three cards). Post-bout career marks: McNamee, 39-14-2 (23); Westbury, 28-13-3 (15).

[JCWeb]

This report covers fistic action from the second half of March 1946. No WBA title bouts are included in this report.

Mar. 16, 1946: Next is a card at the Dodge Theater in Phoenix. Featured is a USBA LW title match, and Chester Rico, who won the title in 1945 with a surprising win over Willie Joyce, faces his first mandatory defense of the belt, and he is paired with a tough challenger, Lulu Costantino, who stopped Rico in six in their one prior meeting. This time around, with a title on the line, Costantino wastes little time, putting in a huge effort in round one, landing repeatedly and causing some initial puffiness to appear around Rico’s right eye. Costantino maintains the pressure through the first half of the bout, while Rico struggles with his timing as he attempts to turn things around. By the midway point, Costantino has a nice points lead (59-56) on the unofficial scorer’s card. In the second half of the bout, Rico is suffering from a stamina deficit in addition to facing a determined challenger. Punishing body shots have forced Rico to carry his hands low, and additionally, his corner has been unable to reduce the swelling under his right eye. Rico’s efforts to take the fight to Costantino come to naught and, in round 10, the bout comes to a halt as the swelling around Rico’s eye is too serious to allow further punishment. Costantino, in his first title challenge, wins the USBA belt via a TKO 10, improving his career totals to 25-5-2 (11) with the win. The loss leaves Rico at 25-9-5 (12).

Mar. 22, 1946: To Havana’s Gran Stadium for the next card, a Friday night affair, and returning to the FW division is former two division (FW and LW) WBA Champ Baby Arizmendi, and he is here to challenge Cuban FW Diego Sosa for Sosa’s LABF FW title. The two have not met before, and Sosa’s prospects are enhanced by the fact that Arizmendi is now at Post-Prime career stage. After a sluggish start, Sosa elects to move inside in round three, but he finds an in-shape and alert Arizmendi up to the task. Sosa continues to struggle to find the range with his punches and, at the midway point, the unofficial card has Arizmendi with a nice points lead (59-56). Sosa is the more active of the two heading into the second half of the bout, but Arizmendi is on target with some nice counterpunching, so much so that a mouse has been formed under Sosa’s left eye. Sensing his title slipping away, Sosa becomes even more aggressive as the bout enters its later stages; meanwhile, Arizmendi is content to stay out of range, looking for counterchances but taking no risks. The bout goes the full 12 without any cuts or knockdowns, and Arizmendi ends up lifting the belt he held over a decade earlier en route to his first WBA FW title, taking a solid UD 12 (118-110, 117-111, 118-110). Post-bout career marks: Arizmendi, 55-12-4 (13); Sosa, 25-5-2 (14).

Mar. 23, 1946: To London for a packed card at the Harringay Arena. After a plethora of preliminary bouts of less interest, the main event matches two top British Flyweights, as Jackie Paterson, a former WBA Flyweight Champ, faces up-and-comer Terry Allen, who is off to a terrific 21-1 career start. First meeting of the two, and Allen’s only loss came in an unsuccessful try for the Commonwealth Flyweight title when he was still at Pre-Prime. In this meeting, with no titles at stake, it is a cautious start by both men, with Paterson, the slugger, initiating most of the action. However, late in round four, Paterson gets careless, and he tumbles to the deck for a six count after Allen lands a strong shot. The hard hitting Paterson recovers with a strong round in the fifth, landing some serious blows that cause a welt to form under Allen’s right eye. Not to be outdone, Allen is able to cause some puffiness to appear under Paterson’s left eye. At the midway point, the unofficial scorer has Allen ahead (48-46), largely on the strength of the one knockdown in round four. Paterson continues in the role of aggressor as the bout moves into the later stages, and he makes some progress in closing the gap in terms of the punches landed stats. Meanwhile, Allen, boxing on the outside, does enough to stay out of trouble and he goes on to take a close but UD 10 (95-94 on all three cards), marking himself as a future title contender, while running his career record to 22-1 (3) overall. The loss leaves Paterson at 26-6-2 (17).

Mar. 23, 1946: Next up is card at Madison Square Garden. No titles at stake, but HWs feature in the main event as Jersey Joe Walcott, on the comeback trail after recent losses to Roscoe Toles and Lee Q. Murray, faces a dangerous foe in the form of Cuban knockout artist Nino Valdes. First meeting of the two, and not much is happening until, late in the opening round, a Valdes right hook sends Walcott reeling. Jersey Joe does not go down, however, and he steadies himself after covering up, lasting the round and avoiding even worse trouble. Then, early in round two, a short hook to the head by Walcott draws blood, opening a cut over the left eye of Valdez. The cut is in a bad spot, and it takes awhile for Valdez’s cornermen to bring it under control. Walcott targets the cut, which is reopened in round four but patched up in the corner before the start of round five. At the halfway point, the bout is a close one, with the unofficial scorer at ringside having a slim lead for Valdez (48-47). Into the later rounds and both fighters appear willing to mix it up, despite the fact that both are running low on energy from the seventh round onward. Two minutes into the eighth round, a sharp combination from Walcott rocks the Cuban, and Valdes is forced to cover up to avoid further damage. Undeterred, Valdes takes an aggressive approach to the final stages of the fight, and he is rewarded in round nine, when he connects with a vicious combination that sends Walcott tumbling to the deck. Jersey Joe tries to arise at the count of seven, but he cannot find his footing and slumps back down to the canvas to be counted out. A devastating loss for Walcott, and an impressive KO 9 win for Valdes, who improves to 18-2-2 (15) with the win. The loss, the third in succession for Walcott, drops him to 52-11 (31).

Mar. 29, 1946: To the West Coast, specifically Los Angeles’ Olympic Auditorium, for a Friday night card, several bouts leading up to the main event, which sees Tony Olivera challenging Tommy Forte for Forte’s USBA BW title. The two met once before, back in 1939 when both were at Pre-Prime, and Forte ended up taking a SD 10 in that bout. This time around, there is not much to choose between the two in the early going. After a couple of more rounds of action, Olivera begins to suffer from a split lip. At the midway point, the unofficial scorer has the challenger, Oliver, up by a point (58-57). In the second half of the bout, Forte becomes more aggressive, grinding away on the inside. While Forte is able to neutralize his opponent, he does not land enough punches to alter the punches landed stats to any significant degree. Thus, Olivera wins the belt via a MD 12 (117-112, 114-114, 117-112), with one judge calling the bout even. Post-bout records: 29-8-1 (18) for Olivera; 34-8-2 (12) for Forte. This marks the third time in the last three bouts that this title has changed hands.

Mar. 30, 1946: The month wraps up with a Saturday card at Miami Arena. No titles at stake, but a couple of celebrated LHs do battle in the main event as Billy Conn (a three-time WBA LH Champ) and Anton Christoforidis (a two-time and current EBU LH titleholder) face off for the second time. In their one prior encounter, nearly a decade earlier when both were at Pre-Prime, Conn prevailed via a UD 10. This time, nothing much happens until midway through the second round, when a Conn uppercut finds its target, ripping open a gash over the left eye of Christoforidis. Some good cornerwork patches up the cut between rounds, but Conn is able to pull ahead in the punches landed count and, at the halfway point, he has a slight lead on the unofficial scorer’s card (48-47). More significantly, the cut over Christoforidis’ eye was reopened in round five. In round six, with his Greek opponent still struggling with his timing, Conn is warned for hitting below the belt. Christoforidis works inside in rounds seven and eight, but he is unable to make much progress as Conn’s defense remains solid. Christoforidis remains active in the final few rounds, despite having the cut over his eye reopened a second time, but he is frustrated by Conn’s superior defense and general boxing skills. The bout goes the full 10, and Conn walks away a solid UD 10 winner (99-91, 98-92, 98-92), rebounding after a recent WBA title loss with a strong performance to boost his career record to 36-8-3 (15) overall. With the loss, his second in succession, Christoforidis drops to 29-15-3 (13).

[JCWeb]

This report covers fistic action from the first half of April 1946. No WBA title bouts are included in this report (but there will be three in the second half of the month).

Apr. 5, 1946: The month’s fistic action commences with a Friday night card at a long dormant venue, the Palais des Sports in Cannes, France. Two familiar foes square off in the main event, as the “Casablanca Clouter,” Marcel Cerdan, EBU and former WBA MW Champion, is matched with Holman Williams, another former WBA MW Champ. In three prior meetings, Holman won all three, two inside the distance and once, going the distance, the two battled for 15 rounds for the WBA title, with the American MW coming out on top. This time, with a favorable hometown crowd behind him, Cerdan is determined to reverse these results. To this end, Cerdan wastes little time, doing on the attack late in round one, decking Williams with a hard shot just before the bell, which sounds as the count has barely started. After being saved by the bell, Williams adopts a more defensive posture, and he gradually works his way into the bout with a couple of decent rounds in the third and the fourth. At the midway point in the bout, the early knockdown still weighs heavily, as Cerdan clings to a narrow one-point edge (48-47) on the unofficial scorecard. In the second half of what appears to be a very close bout, both fighters are willing to work away on the inside, seeking to score with a telling blow. The bout comes down to the final few seconds on the final round, when an offensive minded Cerdan takes charge, connecting with a straight right and a couple of uppercuts to win the final round. This, plus the early KD in round one, is enough to secure a close but UD 10 for Cerdan (96-94 on all three cards). Post-bout career marks: Cerdan, 43-7-3 (28); Williams, 49-12-1 (23). Important win for the Frenchman, who is itching for another WBA title shot.

Apr. 6, 1946: Twin title bout action, both in the Flyweight division, headline the next card, at the Stadium in Liverpool, UK. In the first co-feature, Teddy Gardner and Rinty Monaghan do battle, with Gardner’s Commonwealth Flyweight title at stake. Third meeting of these two, each having won once. In round two, a right hand from Gardner gets through, ripping open a cut over Monaghan’s right eye. It takes awhile for the cut to be closed, but, a round later, there is more work for Monaghan’s corner, as his other (left) eye has begun to puff up from the accumulated impact of some accurate punching by Gardner. The bout doesn’t last much longer, as the cut is reopened by Gardner in round four, and this time, it leads to an immediate stoppage. TKO 4 for Gardner on the cuts stoppage, and he retains the CBU title and improves to 25-6-1 (11) as a result. Tough loss for Monaghan, now 38-12-1 (12). In the second co-feature, the GBU Flyweight title is contested by Jimmy Gill, the “Fighting Jockey,” who is making his fourth defense versus a tough challenger in Peter Kane, a former WBA Flyweight Champ who hopes to use the GBU title as a stepping stone to a return to another WBA title shot in the near future. The two met once before, back in 1939, which saw Gill prevail in a UD 12. After a slow start, Kane moves inside in round three, looking to apply some pressure on Gill. Late in round four, Kane snakes a jab through Gill’s defenses, then follows up with a hard shot that sends Gill tumbling to the deck. Gill is saved by the bell, but the KD will no doubt have a big impact on the judges. By the end of round five, a mouse has formed under Gill’s right eye. In round six, Kane is caught hitting below the belt and penalized a point; at the halfway point, the unofficial scorer (after the deducting the point from Kane’s total), has the bout as even (56-56). In the second half of the bout, it is Kane seeking to control things as he continues to press the action on the inside. Taking advantage of a slight edge in terms of remaining stamina, Kane continues to press in an aggressive manner as the bout heads into the final stages. The bout goes the distance, and Kane’s aggressiveness in the second part of the bout is rewarded by two of the three judges, as he goes on to take a MD 12 (114-113, 113-114, 114-113) to capture the belt. Post-bout career marks: Kane, 34-7-1 (13); Gill, 37-17-4 (12).

Apr. 6, 1946: Next card takes place in Detroit. Lee Q. Murray, the new NABF HW Champion and now the #2 ranked HW, takes on his LABF counterpart, Argentina’s Alberto Santiago Lovell, in the main event. One prior meeting, in late 1942, ended in a third round knockout for Murray. Lovell, looking to avenge this earlier defeat, is off to a solid start, launching a two-fisted assault in the opening round that results in some puffiness under both eyes of Murray. Murray battles back, and after a couple of more rounds, it is Lovell’s corner that has to deal with some swelling, this under the right eye of the Argentinian. Then, in round four, Murray connects with a straight right that causes Lovell’s knees to buckle; Lovell manages to adopt a cover up tactic but he returns to the corner with a cut under his already badly swollen right eye. After some inside exchanges in round five, Murray comes away with a cut under his right eye as well. At the midway point, the unofficial scorer has Murray up by just one point (48-47). In round six, Lovell is warned by the ref for hitting low. Then, midway through round seven, Lovell breaks through, dropping Murray for a seven count with a barrage of unanswered punches. After the effects of the knockdown wear off, Murray assumes the role of aggressor headed into the final rounds of the bout. However, things only go from bad to worse as Lovell connects with an uppercut in the ninth to score the bout’s second knockdown. The bout goes the rest of the way without incident, and Lovell, on the strength of the two knockdowns, takes a UD 10 (96-92, 95-93, 96-92), moving to 36-17-1 (28) overall. The loss leaves Murray at 29-7-1 (23). Big win for Lovell, boosting his prospects for a third challenge to WBA HW Champ Joe Louis.

Apr. 12, 1946: Next, it is around the globe for a Friday night card at Manila’s Rizal Arena. In the main event, two Japanese fighters battle for the OPBF Flyweight title, currently held by Yoichiro Hanada. Hanada’s second defense is versus countryman Yoshio Shirai. First meeting of the two and Shirai, who is still at Pre-Prime career stage, takes an aggressive approach to the bout and is quite willing to mix it up in the inside in the early rounds. Hanada struggles with his timing, and he is slow to adjust to Shirai’s style. Into the middle rounds, the bout remains a close one, with the challenger having a slight edge in the punches landed stat. According to the unofficial scorer at ringside, Shirai is ahead (by 58-56) at the midway point of the bout. In round seven, with both boxers battling away on the inside, an accidental clash of heads leaves Hanada bleeding from a cut over his right eye, and Shirai goes on to take the round by a wide margin. Sensing victory, Shirai eases up in the final few rounds, while Hanada, despite the cut, becomes more and more aggressive. In the end, the bout goes the full 12 rounds, and Shirai takes a UD 12 by a fairly comfortable margin (116-112, 118-110, 117-111) to become the new OPBF Flyweight Champion. Post-bout career marks: Shirai, 16-1 (9); Hanada, 36-18-4 (9). There is already talk of a rematch in a couple of months’ time.

Apr. 13, 1946: North of the border, to Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens, for the next fistic action. Twin feature bouts top the card, but no titles at stake. In the first co-feature, BWs take to the ring as veteran K. O. Morgan, a former WBA BW Champion now approaching the end of his career, faces Canadian Lou Alter. Alter looks sharp early, hoping to pull off an upset of his more highly regarded opponent. Morgan, after a slow start, gradually settles into the bout and is the aggressor through much of the early going. At the midway point, Alter has a narrow lead (48-47), according to the unofficial scorer at ringside. By round seven, Morgan is beginning to gain the upper hand, and there is some puffiness under Alter’s left eye, illustrating the effectiveness of Morgan’s accurate punching. The outcome remains in doubt until the final round, and it is Morgan’s aggressiveness that is recognized by the judges, who award him a close but UD 10 (96-94 on all three cards). Post-bout records: 41-19-10 (19) for Morgan; 19-4-2 (13) for Alter. In the second co-feature, MWs do battle as LABF MW Champ Jose Basora faces “Belter” Ben Brown. As in the prior bout, this is the first meeting of the two. Late in the opening round, Basora is bleeding from a cut over his left eye; the cut is adjudged to be the result of an accidental butt. Surprisingly, Brown does not immediately try to take advantage of the situation, and this allows Basora to seize the initiative in rounds two and three. In round four, the cut over Basora’s eye is reopened, but it is quickly patched up in the corner between rounds. Meanwhile, Brown has come on strongly, winning rounds four and five to take a slim one-point lead (48-47) on the unofficial card. After a strong round in the sixth, Basora backs off, and it is Brown who is the aggressor as the bout heads into its later stages. However, Brown leaves himself open for a Basora hook that connects early in round seven, forcing Brown to cover up. More trouble for the overly aggressive Brown in round eight, as he is decked by a Basora hook, plus Basora has opened up a cut under his right eye. To top it all off, a second KD from a straight right takes place, and Brown is barely able to beat the count and manage to last the round. By the end of round nine, both boxers are bleeding from their respective cuts. Not much happens in the final round, however, and Basora is able to scoop up a UD 10 (96-92, 95-93, 97-91), with the two late KDs sealing the win. Post-bout marks: Basora, 28-6 (19); Brown, 35-12-3 (21).

Apr. 13, 1946: Next is a big fight card at the Polo Grounds in New York City. In the featured bout, the talents of two young MW contenders are on display, as Aussie Dave Sands, the reigning Commonwealth MW Champion, has come all the way from his homeland to face local fan favorite Jake LaMotta, the “Bronx Bull.” No prior meetings, but the two have a combined record of 48-4 with 34 KOs in 52 career outings thus far. The bout is a close one, and some hard hitting by LaMotta has caused a mouse to fomr under Sands’ right eye by the end of the second round. LaMotta moves inside to do more damage in round three, but Sands is able to ward off most of the blows. In round four, an ambitious Sands runs into trouble as he gets overly aggressive and is punished by LaMotta, who wins the round decisively. The two do battle on the inside in round five, a good action round with neither man giving any quarter. At the midway point of the bout, the unofficial scorer has LaMotta on top (50-46) but a couple of rounds were close and could have gone either way. In the second half of the bout, Sands begins to work inside, and he has a few good moments in rounds seven and eight. However, with the support of a boisterous home crowd, LaMotta remains in control and is able to keep the dangerous Aussie fighter at bay. In the final few rounds, an exhausted and exasperated Sands is left winging away, desperate to land a big shot to turn things around. That does not happen, and the bout goes to decision, with LaMotta taking a MD 10 (97-93, 95-95, 96-95) although most of the fans thought LaMotta should have won by a much wider margin. Post-bout career marks: LaMotta, 24-2 (18); Sands, 25-3 (16). The win lifts LaMotta to a top 10 spot in the MW ranks, so a title shot of some kind (NABF or USBA) could be in the offing in the near future.

[American_Ernesider]

Thanks as always for sharing. I do not know how you keep track of it all.