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WW
Division Profile

Total: 153 RL: 110 TC: 43

RL by Career Stage:
End - 3
Post - 26
Prime - 41
Pre - 17
Beginning - 23 (16 New)

Rated: 74
800+: 21
500+: 39
200+ : 65

Jan 1948 Rankings (Perf Points and Changes from Jan. 1947 in Parens):

WBA Champ: Ray Robinson 33-2-1 (24) (1615) (NC)
1. Henry Armstrong 52-10-3 (42) (1675) (NC)
2. Tommy Bell 26-3 (15) (1466) (+5)
3. Marty Servo 35-8-1 (13) (1462) (-1)
4. Joe Legon 35-17-6 (14) (1321) (-1) (LABF)
5. Georgie Crouch 36-14-4 (18) (1283) (+3) (NABF)
6. Norman Rubio 28-8-4 (13) (1257) (-2)
7. Jackie Wilson 37-13-3 (18) (1248) (+2) (USBA)
8 Billy Graham 23-7-1 (10) (1233) (+4)
9. Egisto Peyre 26-5-3 (12) (1159) (+2) (EBU)
10. Cocoa Kid 53-15-5 (13) (1091) (+3)

Other Notables: 11. Izzy Jannazzo 42-15-5 (13) (1061)
15. Ernie Roderick 41-19-6 (8) (980) (+2) (CBU, GBU)
16. Kid Gavilan 18-2-1 (3) (954)
18. Jack McNamee 41-19-2 (23) (930) (-4) (OPBF)
19. Jimmy Sherrer 21-1 (11) (912)
21. Johnny Bratton 17-0-1 (10) (779)

Top Prospects: Jetson Arnold 14-0 (6)
Bobby Lee 13-1 (2)
Eddie Thomas 12-0 (3)
Bobby Dykes 8-0 (2)
Don Williams 4-0 (1)
Vic Cardell 3-0 (0)

Retirements:

Bep Van Klaveren (HOL) 1929-1947 44-25-10 (13) EBU Champ Highest Rank: 6
Jimmy Garrison (USA) 1934-1947 29-17-6 (3) NABF, USBA Champ Highest Rank: 2
Young Kid McCoy (USA) 1938-1947 19-13-7 (9) No Titles Highest Rank: 33
Eddie Dolan (USA) 1931-1947 44-21-6 (15) WBA Champion Highest Rank: 2

Outlook for 1948: With long-time Champ Henry Armstrong nearing retirement, “Sugar” Ray Robinson appears to be set for a long run as WBA WW kingpin. However, at some point, the MW division may beckon, opening up the WW title belt for some new challengers. Like Armstrong, others in the top 10 list (Servo, Legon, Rubio, Wilson and Cocoa Kid) are all on the downside of their respective careers. Bell, who has already held the title briefly, along with Graham and the “Cuban Hawk,” Kid Gavilan, are potential candidates to succeed “Sugar Ray” should he make the move to MW. Johnny Bratton, who is still a few bouts away from Prime career stage, has maintained an unbeaten slate and is set to contend for top 10 contender status soon, along with 21-1 Jimmy Sherrer. Thomas, Dykes, Williams and Cardell appear to be the leading prospects, but 1948 sees a wealth of new talent being added – numbering a total of 16 (!) – same as in the MW ranks. This new group includes such notables as Virgil Akins and Carmen Basilio who, like Robinson, may eventually be graduating to the MW ranks.

LATE EDIT: Not sure where to fit this in, but Italian Diulio Loi (who is listed in the Uni as a JWW, for which there are no current division reports in place) should be mentioned as a new addition as well for 1948; right now, Loi is not listed in any division but will likely be classified either as a WW or a LW once his career gets underway.

[JCWeb]

LW
Division Profile

Total: 158 RL: 103 TC: 55

RL by Career Stage:
End - 8
Post - 15
Prime - 40
Pre - 29
Beginning - 11 (9 New)

Rated: 69
800+: 18
500+: 40
200+ : 62

Jan 1948 Rankings (Perf Points and Changes from Jan. 1947 in Parens):

WBA Champ: Bob Montgomery 37-4-2 (21) (1638) (+1)
1. Ike Williams 31-4-1 (26) (1420) (-1)
2. Vic Patrick 29-5 (21) (1340) (+2)
3. Beau Jack 32-5 (21) (1263) (+2)
4. Sammy Angott 35-11-6 (11) (1110) (+2)
5. Lulu Costantino 30-8-3 (11) (1081) (+3) (NABF)
6. Freddie Dawson 20-1-2 (5) (1060) (+17) (USBA)
7. Joe Brown 27-3 (18) (1059) (-4)
8 Lew Jenkins 33-11-4 (16) (980) (-1)
9. Dave Castilloux 37-20-3 (10) (977) (-1)
10. Santa Bucca 18-3-3 (8) (974) (+7)

Other Notables: 11. Enrique Bolanos 24-3 (19) (969) (+3) (LABF)
13. George LaRover 22-5-1 (13) (936)
14. Aldo Spoldi 49-16-7 (18) (915) (+2) (EBU)
15. Norm Gent 18-3-3 (7) (909) (+24) (CBU, OPBF)
23. Art Aragon 17-1 (12) (759)
29. Wesley Mouzon 15-1-2 (6) (655)
64. Harry Hughes 16-5-1 (8) (191) (-4) (GBU)

Top Prospects: Jimmy Carter 13-0 (6)
Arthur King 11-0-1 (1)
Orlando Zulueta 6-0 (1)
Phil Kim 4-0 (2)

Retirements:

Juan Zurita (MEX) 1932-1947 30-22-4 (5) No Titles Highest Rank: 28
Bruno Bisterzo (ITA) 1938-1947 17-21-3 (4) No Titles Highest Rank: 56
Ray Lunny (USA) 1938-1947 19-18-2 (11) No Titles Highest Rank: 42

Outlook for 1948: Montgomery lost but regained the WBA title during the year, and ex-Champ Ike Williams and Joe “Old Bones” Brown are the two most viable challengers (both being rated as “11”s while Montgomery is a “10’). New regional titleholders Costantino and Dawson, both rising in the ranks in recent years, are looking for WBA title shots as well, and Beau Jack certainly has some Prime years left. Patrick and Castilloux have each hit Post-Prime and are on the downside of their respective careers, as is the long-time EBU titleholder, Aldo Spoldi. Newly crowned GBU LW Champ Harry Hughes is probably the lowest ranked regional titleholder in history, checking in at #64, with a Perf Point level a few points below the 200 he began his career with. Jimmy Carter and Orlando Zulueta are the best among the prospects in the division, and Johnny Gonsalves (a “9”) is the best of the nine newcomers slated to join the LW ranks.

[JCWeb]

FW
Division Profile

Total: 128 RL: 81 TC: 47

RL by Career Stage:
End - 7
Post - 16
Prime - 27
Pre - 23
Beginning - 8 (2 New)

Rated: 59
800+: 11
500+: 31
200+ : 54

Jan 1948 Rankings (Perf Points and Changes from Jan. 1947 in Parens):

WBA Champ: Willie Pep 35-2 (23) (1550) (NC)
1. Diego Sosa 28-6-2 (16) (1224) (+1) (LABF)
2. Baby Arizmendi 60-15-4 (14) (1010) (-1)
3. Sal Bartolo 34-10-4 (10) (1000) (+10) (NABF)
4. Tsuneo Horiguchi 43-15-3 (21) (981) (+1) (OPBF)
5. Ronnie Clayton 26-2 (14) (891) (+5)
6. Sandy Saddler 19-0 (10) (884) (+16) (USBA)
7. Harold Hoshino 39-9-3 (21) (880) (-4)
8 Phil Terranova 25-8 (10) (874) (+1)
9. Jackie Graves 19-3-1 (14) (824) (+16)
10. National Kid 29-12-3 (12) (810) (-3)

Other Notables: 11. Miguel Acevedo 24-8-1 (12) (761)
12. Al Phillips 27-8-1 (12) (761) (-6) (CBU, GBU)
17. Dave Crowley 43-32-1 (17) (712)
19. Eddie Compo 17-0-2 (5) (686)
20. Jim Kelly 39-22-8 (12) (665) (+6) (EBU)
24. Ray Famechon 17-2-1 (4) (607)

Top Prospects: Glen Flanagan 10-0-1 (1)
Harry LaSane 9-0 (5)
Keith Francis 8-0 (6)
Percy Bassett 3-0 (2)

Retirements:

Claude Varner (USA) 1928-1947 41-25-9 (15) No Titles Highest Rank: 22
Vittorio Tamagnini (ITA) 1929-1947 40-21-9 (13) EBU Champ Highest Rank: 25
Everett Rightmire (USA) 1932-1947 43-19-3 (16) WBA Champion 1942-43
Johnny McGrory (UK) 1933-1947 37-18-4 (16) No Titles Highest Rank: 20

Outlook for 1948: Willie Pep, along with Joe Louis and Sugar Ray Robinson, appear to be the top performers in their respective divisions. However, Pep’s real-life protagonist, Sandy Saddler, has remained unbeaten, captured a regional title, and zoomed up the rankings to become a potential title contender, and is now just one bout shy of hitting the Prime stage of his career arc. On the other hand, soon to fade from contention are Baby Arizmendi (now at End career stage), “Homicide Hal” Harold Hoshino (now at Post-Prime) and National Kid (also at Post). The top FW oversea boxers are all Brits, notably “the Aldgate Tiger,” Al Phillips, and Jim Kelly, who picked up the EBU title in 1947, as veteran Brit Dave Crowley, who once held three regional titles at once, has also dropped down the list after having hit Post-Prime career stage. Other than Saddler, not a lot of bright spots among the prospect ranks: Flanagan and Bassett (both “8”s) appear to be the best. Finally, neither of the two new additions (Canadian Frankie Almond and American Rudy Garcia) are expected to have a great impact, as none are rated above a “5.”

[JCWeb]

BW
Division Profile

Total: 89 RL: 52 TC: 37

RL by Career Stage:
End - 4
Post - 10
Prime - 21
Pre - 11
Beginning - 6 (4 New)

Rated: 41
800+: 17
500+: 31
200+ : 39

Jan 1948 Rankings (Perf Points and Changes from Jan. 1947 in Parens):

WBA Champ: Manuel Ortiz 33-8-3 (17) (1271) (+10)
1. David Kui Kong Young 43-4-4 (20) (1514) (-1)
2. Luis Galvani 23-4 (15) (1228) (+1)
3. Lou Alter 22-7-2 (14) (1160) (+10)
4. Benny Goldberg 34-6-3 (14) (1159) (-3)
5. Luis Romero 20-1-2 (8) (1049) (+15)
6. Tony Olivera 32-11-2 (20) (1048) (-4)
7. Norman Lewis 27-8-1 (15) (1008) (+8) (EBU, GBU)
8 Gus Foran 24-6-3 (14) (997) (-2)
9. Fernando Gagnon 24-5 (15) (995) (-1) (CBU)
10. Johnny King 63-14-5 (26) (936) (-6)

Other Notables: 11. Luis Castillo 26-10-1 (11) (+1) (NABF, LABF)
12. Tommy Forte 37-10-3 (12) (921)
13. Ritchie Tanner 26-14-3 (12) (920)
14. Tirso Del Rosario 19-6-2 (4) (863) (-5) (OPBF)
20. Harold Dade 20-7-3 (5) (654)
30. Ronnie Draper 14-1 (1) (500)

Top Prospects: Stan Almond 12-1 (3)
Tsuneo Maruo 11-0-1 (4)
Elley Bennett 7-0 (5)
Danny O’Sullivan 3-0 (2)

Retirements:

Georgie Pace (USA) 1934-1947 31-20-2 (20) WBA Champion 1940-41
Little Pancho (PHI) 1928-1947 50-19-9 (11) OPBF Champ Highest Rank: 2
Hermann Remscheid (GER) 1935-1947 25-27-3 (10) No Titles Highest Rank: 22

Outlook for 1948: 1947 was kind of a transition year for the BW division. Kui Kong Young, who had held the WBA title for over two years, was finally dethroned. Former Champ Pace retired, while other ex-Champs like Goldberg, King and K. O. Morgan are still hanging around, despite being well past their respective Primes. The new crop of contenders included Galvani, who shot up the rankings last year; Alter, who shot up the rankings this year; and Romero, who made a big jump as well – now all three are in the elevated status of top five contenders. Regional Champs like Gagnon and Del Rosario are also high on the list of potential title contenders. Meanwhile, Harold Dade, whose career got off to a rocky start, is still mired in 20th spot although his rating suggests a higher position is merited. Aussie Elley Bennett is the best of a rather thin group of current prospects, and Filipino Leo Espinosa tops the list of four newcomers to the ranks for 1948.

[JCWeb]

FLY
Division Profile

Total: 79 RL: 50 TC: 29

RL by Career Stage:
End - 4
Post - 7
Prime - 18
Pre - 13
Beginning - 8 (5 New)

Rated: 32
800+: 8
500+: 17
200+ : 27

Jan 1948 Rankings (Perf Points and Changes from Jan. 1947 in Parens):

WBA Champ: Yoshio Shirai 22-2 (11) (908) (+9)
1. Jackie Paterson 31-7-2 (19) (1040) (+5) (CBU, GBU)
2. Tom Allen 26-2 (3) (1038) (+1) (EBU)
3. Rinty Monaghan 42-14-1 (12) (997) (-3)
4. Teddy Gardner 28-8-1 (11) (908) (NC)
5. Peter Kane 37-10-1 (13) (907) (-5)
6. Hans Schiffers 27-10-5 (8) (858) (-1)
7. Dado Marino 28-9 (13) (809) (NC) (USBA)
8 Black Pico 17-2-1 (0) (665) (+5) (NABF, LABF)
9. Otilio Galvan 20-8-2 (5) (648) (+15)
10. Mustapha Mustaphaoui 26-7-6 (7) (646) (+5)

Other Notables: 11. Istvan Enekes 48-20-2 (14) (645)
12. Maurice Sandeyron 23-6-2 (5) (625)
13. Jackie Jurich 37-11-1 (19) (574)
16. Luis Fuentes 14-1 (3) (505)
17. Dickie O’Sullivan 14-1-1 (8) (481)

Top Prospects: Taffy Hancock 13-0-1 (10)
Louis Skena 11-1 (7)
Oscar Suarez 7-1 (0)
Speedy Akira 5-0 (1)

Retirement:

Fortunato Ortega (SPA) 1930-1947 33-36-6 (15) WBA Champion Highest Rank: 4

Outlook for 1948: The musical chairs at the top of the division continued in 1947, with Kane, Schiffers, Monaghan and finally Shirai all having lifted the WBA belt. Three Brits (Paterson, Allen and Gardner) also remain near the top of the list of potential title contenders. The rise through the ranks of Black Pico and Otilio Galvan indicate that Latin boxers are a growing presence among the top echelons of the division. Meanwhile, long-time top European Fly contender Istvan Enekes dropped out of the top 10 for the first time in a decade. France’s Louis Skena is the best of the current group of prospects working their way toward Prime career stage, and Filipino Tanny Campo is the best of the five newcomers to the Flyweight ranks.

Soon to Follow: Pound-for-Pound Rankings and Year End Awards

[JCWeb]

1947 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), 2267 (NC) (11) (1936)
2. Marcel Cerdan, MW (WBA Champion), 1799 (+3) (4) (1942)
3. Tony Zale, MW (USBA Champion), 1696 (+6) (6) (1941)
4. Henry Armstrong, WW (#1 contender), 1675 (+6) (8) (1939)
5. Roscoe Toles, HW (NABF Champion), 1668 (-2) (3) (1945)
6. Bob Montgomery, LW (WBA Champion), 1638 (new)
7. Archie Moore, LH (NABF Champion), 1619 (back) (2) (1944)
8. Ray Robinson, WW (WBA Champion), 1615 (-6) (3) (1946)
9. Lloyd Marshall, LH (#2 contender), 1598 (back) (2) (1945)
10. Billy Conn, LH (#3 contender), 1591 (-3) (4) (1943)

Dropped Out from Last Year:

BW David Kui Kong Young (was #4)
MW Charley Burley (was #6)
MW Freddie Apostoli (was #8)

Comments: While Joe Louis continues to the rule to roost (on a record run of 34 successive title defenses), a bump in the career of “Sugar” Ray Robinson dropped him in the standings as he suffered his second career setback before bouncing back to regain the WBA WW belt from Tommy Bell. It will be interesting to see if and when Robinson makes the move to MW with an eye to challenging some of the top guys (like Cerdan, Zale and Burley) for titles in that division. Four of the eight WBA titleholders are represented, but among those missing are Willie “Will O the Wisp” Pep, who just missed out on the PFP list despite 11 successive title defenses; this demonstrates the lack f solid challengers among the top contenders in the FW division in the recent past, something that could change with the arrival in the top 10 of Pep’s real-life rival, one Sandy Saddler. Also missing from the list is Melio Bettina, who is the most recent to wear the WBA LH crown, which has passed from Marshall (who remains in the top 10 PFP list) to Charles to Bivins. In reality, it seems as if Louis, Pep and Robinson are the three dominant performers across all weight classes currently in the Uni, but the Perf Point based PFP numbers do not reflect that.

ANNUAL YEAR-END AWARDS

FIGHTER OF THE YEAR: Joe Louis (HW)
FIGHT OF THE YEAR: Vic Patrick KO 9 Ike Williams (for WBA LW title) (May 16, see post 1521)
TOP NEWCOMER: Sandy Saddler (FW)
UPSET OF THE YEAR: Tommy Bell UD 15 Ray Robinson (for WBA WW title) (Mar. 22, see post 1516)
COMEBACK FIGHTER OF THE YEAR: Manuel Ortiz (BW)

Comments:

Looking at the candidates for Fighter of the year of the year honors, the nod goes for the third time to Joe Louis, who won all four of his 1947 defenses inside the distance, including wins over regional titleholders Roscoe Toles and “Tampa” Tommy Gomez. Also worthy of consideration were Pep and MW Champ Marcel Cerdan, whose three title defenses all ended in stoppage victories. Louis becomes the second three-time FoY award winner, with Tony Canzoneri being the first.

There were three strong contenders for Fight of the Year honors, all three with WBA titles changing hands, and the nod went to the “brawl Down Under” that saw Aussie Vic Patrick take the WBA LW crown from Ike Williams. This action packed see-saw battle saw both fighters on the canvas and several momentum swings before Patrick put Williams down and out for good in the ninth stanza. Another title clash that saw both men on the canvas is the first Robinson-Bell encounter for the WBA WW title that did manage to snag “Upset of the Year” honors. Then, in the final month of action, December saw a shift of titleholders in the Flyweight division, with Yoshio Shirai coming off the deck to take the title from Peter Kane. (see post #1535, Dec.19.

Top Newcomer was a tough call between a couple of guys who moved smartly up the ranks to claim regional titles. One of these was LW Freddie Dawson, who won his last six in a row (going back to early 1946) and took the USBA LW belt via a DQ over Joe Brown. However, a DQ win doesn’t signal the kind of potential greatness as does the rise of the other strong candidate who is the recipient of this honor, still unbeaten FW prospect Sandy Saddler, whose four 1947 wins were all inside in the distance, topped by a final round KO of Phil Terranova to capture the USBA FW belt, marking him as a WBA title contender in the near future. Honorable mention should go to BW Luis Romero, who has fashioned an eight bout unbeaten run (six wins and two draws) taking him to the upper echelon of the BW ranks, with one of the wins coming over a regional (OPBF) titleholder in Tirso Del Rosario. However, draws are not as good as wins, and the now 19-0 Saddler gets the nod for this award. .

Next is the Upset of the Year and, this time, it’s a clearcut winner, the Bell-Robinson encounter in which Sugar Ray was defeated for the WBA WW crown, only to bounce back and regain the belt a few months later.

Comeback Fighter of the Year goes to Ortiz, who had fallen from grace (and a #1 contender ranking) after losing the NABF BW title on a technical decision to Luis Galvani, then followed a loss to Del Rosario and a draw with Luis Castillo. However, in May Ortiz took a points win in a key “crossroads” battle with Harold Dade, settling up a WBA title contest in which he managed to dethrone Luis Galvani, conqueror of David Kui Kong Young. Another solid contender for this honor is Melio Bettina, who took the WBA LH title after a few years in the wilderness, but Bettina did not have any notable losses on his ledger coming into 1947, as was the case with Ortiz.

Finally, if there were an “overachiever” or persistence award, it might go to new WBA Fly titleholder Shirai, who worked the system, defending his OPBF title, preserving after a points loss to Champion-in-waiting Rinty Monaghan, then made the most when presented with a WBA title shot later in the year, dethroning Peter Kane.

[JCWeb]

ROLL OF CHAMPIONS

HW

WBA: Joe Louis (Feb. 1939) (33)
NABF: Roscoe Toles (Dec. 1944) (6)
USBA: Tommy Gomez (Sep. 1946) (3)
CBU: Bruce Woodcock (Dec. 1947) (0)
GBU: Bruce Woodcock (Jun. 1945) (1)
EBU: Bruce Woodcock (Jan. 1947) (1)
OPBF: Vacant
LABF: Alberto Santiago Lovell (Dec. 1945) (2)

LH

WBA: Melio Bettina (Dec. 1947) (0)
NABF: Archie Moore (Sep. 1947) (0)
USBA: Vacant (recently held by Bettina)
CBU: Freddie Mills (Jan. 1947) (0)
GBU: Freddie Mills (Jan. 1945) (1)
EBU: Freddie Mills (Jul. 1946) (1)
OPBF: Inactive
LABF: Inactive

MW

WBA: Marcel Cerdan (Sep. 1946) (3)
NABF: Holman Williams (Jun. 1947) (1)
USBA: Tony Zale (Sep. 1947) (1)
CBU: Dave Sands (Nov. 1944) (4)
GBU: Vince Hawkins (Jul. 1945) (2)
EBU: Luc Van Dam (Feb. 1947) (1)
OPBF: Dave Sands (Sep. 1947) (0)
LABF: Raul Rodriguez (Aug. 1947) (0)

WW

WBA: Ray Robinson (Aug. 1947) (1)
NABF: Georgie Crouch (Apr. 1947) (2)
USBA: Jackie Wilson (Dec. 1947) (0)
CBU: Ernie Roderick (Jul. 1946) (1)
GBU: Ernie Roderick (May 1935) (2)
EBU: Egisto Peyre (Mar. 1946) (4)
OPBF: Jack McNamee (Apr. 1945) (2)
LABF: Joe Legon (Aug. 1946) (1)

LW

WBA: Bob Montgomery (Oct. 1947) (1)
NABF: Lulu Costantino (Nov. 1947) (0)
USBA: Freddie Dawson (Oct. 1947) (0)
CBU: Norm Gent (Sep. 1947) (0)
GBU: Harry Hughes (Dec. 1947) (0)
EBU: Aldo Spoldi (Oct. 1941) (4)
OPBF: Norm Gent (Jun. 1947) (0)
LABF: Enrique Bolanos (Sep. 1947) (0)

FW

WBA: Willie Pep (Jan. 1945) (11)
NABF: Sal Bartolo (Oct. 1947) (1)
USBA: Sandy Saddler (Dec. 1947) (0)
CBU: Al Phillips (Aug. 1946) (0)
GBU: Al Phillips (Mar. 1945) (2)
EBU: Jim Kelly (Jul. 1947) (0)
OPBF: Tsuneo Horiguchi (Feb. 1945) (2)
LABF: Diego Sosa (Sep. 1946) (1)

BW

WBA: Manuel Ortiz (Sep. 1947) (1)
NABF: Luis Castillo (Nov. 1947) (0)
USBA: Tommy Forte (Jun. 1947) (0)
CBU: Fernando Gagnon (Jun. 1947) (0)
GBU: Norman Lewis (Oct. 1947) (0)
EBU: Norman Lewis (Aug. 1947) (0)
OPBF: Tirso Del Rosario (Oct. 1945) (1)
LABF: Luis Castillo (Sep. 1947) (0)

FLY

WBA: Yoshio Shirai (Dec. 1947) (0)
NABF: Black Pico (Oct. 1947) (0)
USBA: Dado Marino (Jun. 1943) (0)
CBU: Jackie Paterson (Dec. 1947) (0)
GBU: Jackie Paterson (Jun. 1947) (0)
EBU: Terry Allen (Feb. 1947) (2)
OPBF: Vacant (recently held by Shirai)
LABF: Black Pico (Jul. 1946) (1)

Comments: While Louis has been the longest serving WBA Champ and by far the most active (33 title defenses covering an eight year title reign), the longest serving titleholder is GBU WW Champ Ernie Roderick. While Roderick has held that belt since 1935, he has been called upon to make few title defenses due to the lack of credible challengers (not many British WWs entering the ranks these days). Overall, there remains a high turnover rate, with approximately 60% of the title belts changing hands during the year. The LW and BW titles exhibited the most turnover, with seven of the eight contested belts changing hands.

[JCWeb]

This report includes bouts from the first half of January 1948. One WBA title bout is included in this report.

Jan. 2, 1948: The new year kicks off with the traditional Friday night card in Buffalo. Paired together in the main event are two HW contenders who, for at least most of their careers, have been second tier fighters looking to score a big breakthrough: Pat Comiskey and Curtis “Hatchetman” Sheppard. The two have not met before, but bother enter the contest in Prime condition. While the bout remains close through the opening rounds, Sheppard is able to pull out a slight lead in the punches landed stats. However, all this is erased when the bout comes to a sudden end midway through the fourth round, as Comiskey nails Sheppard with a wild overhand right that lands flush. Sheppard drops to one knee, topples over, and is unable to beat the count. Impressive KO 4 for Comiskey, who runs his career totals to 30-7 (20) as a result. Meanwhile, Sheppard dips to 28-10-1 (18) with the loss.

Jan. 3, 1948: Next card in the new year is at the Stadium in Liverpool, England, and a pair of BW contenders are matched in the featured bout, another non-title clash involving Brit Gus Foran and a visitor coming all the way from Aussieland, Mickey Miller. The two squared off once before, with the Commonwealth BW title at stake, at Sydney in 1943, and Miller came out on top, so Foran is looking for revenge, and this time he will have a supportive crowd on home turf. In this rematch, Miller, a slugger, is the more active of the two in the opening rounds, but he is unable to make much of an impression on Foran. However, the bout comes to a sudden and surprising end early in round four, as Foran lands a blow but then his face contorts in pain as he suffers a severe hand injury – too severe to allow him to continue. Thus, Miller picks up a “gift” win via a TKO 4, and it is a tough loss for Foran who still is hoping for another rematch. Post-bout career marks: Miller, 40-19-2 (21); Foran, 24-7-3 (14).

Jan. 9, 1947: Next, it’s a Friday night card in Buenos Aires’ Luna Park. Former WBA MW Champ Charley Burley is featured in the main event, and he is paired with Argentine MW Raul “Telarana” Rodriguez in a 10-round, non-title contest. No prior meetings, and Burley is able to establish an early edge in terms of the punches landed stats. Rodriguez, for his part, is able to resist any ill effects of Burley’s punches but, in the fourth round, Burley breaks down Rodriguez’s defenses and lands blow after unanswered blow, eventually forcing the ref to step in and declare and early stoppage. Another impressive TKO 4 for Burley, lifting him to 44-4 (30) overall, that puts him back in the picture for another WBA MW title shot. Rodriguez, now 25-9-1 (14), must set his sights lower, with an LABF title try being the best possible outcome in his immediate future plans.

Jan. 10, 1948: To Cannes on the French Riviera for a massive card, with a WBA title clash and two EBU title bouts topping the agenda, and French fighters will be involved in all three title tilts. First up, the first of the two regional title tilts, matching Brit Norman Lewis and France’s Theo Medina for Lewis’ EBU BW title. Medina, the challenger, was undefeated in 1947 (three wins, one draw) and has an earlier MD win over Lewis (who also holds the GBU BW title) on his ledger, while Lewis enters the bout on a five bout winning streak. This time around, it is a rough start for Lewis who suffers a cut on his forehead in the opening stanza. Then, in round two, Lewis returns the favor, ripping open a cut over Medina’s right eye. However, the cut is patched up quickly between the rounds and, in the third round, the battle of the cuts comes to sudden end as the cut on Lewis’ forehead is reopened and blood streams into both eyes, necessitating an immediate stoppage. To the delight of the French fight fans in attendance, Medina, the “Little Prince,” is declared a TKO 3 victor, and he lifts the EBU belt. Post-bout records: Medina, 30-11-5 (8); Lewis, 27-9-1 (15). Then, in the second of the trilogy of title bouts on offer, another French fighter, Maurice Sandeyron, is challenging for a European title, as he takes on Terry Allen for Allen’s EBU Flyweight title belt. Their one prior meeting ended in a points win for Allen. In this rematch, Allen has a slight lead in terms of punches landed in the early going, but Sandeyron is doing well to hold his own. Into the middle rounds, and Allen continues to have the upper hand, and he is ahead by two (58-56) at the halfway point, according to the unofficial scorer’s card. Into the second half of the contest, and Allen continues to outbox Sandeyron, whose corner now has to deal with a mouse that has formed under the French challenger’s right eye. Despite a valiant effort by Sandeyron to mix things up in the later rounds, Allen remains focused, and he is able to grind out a UD 12 (120-108, 118-110, 118-110), running his career record to an excellent 27-2 (30. Meanwhile, the loss leaves Sandeyron at 23-7-2 (5). Then, in the main event, it is the “Casablanca Clouter,” Marcel Cerdan, who takes to the ring to make his fourth defense of the WBA MW title; the challenger this time around is Aussie Dave Sands, the reigning Commonwealth and OPBF MW titleholder, who handed Cerdan a surprise MD loss in their first encounter, back in 1944. Cerdan serves notice when he staggers Sands with a hard hook with just second remaining in the opening round. In the second round, Cerdan is deducted a point for low blows, while Sands is warned both for holding and hitting and also for hitting below the belt. As a result, both fighters seem to be wary of body shots, and both are carrying their hands low in subsequent rounds. Early in round four, Sands scores with a tremendous left; Cerdan, rocked, remains upright and wisely covers up to avoid further damage. Both fighters move forward and mix it up in the fifth round, with Cerdan coming out on top. A check of the unofficial card shows an even bout (47-47) after the first five rounds are in the books. Into the middle rounds, and Sands, the challenger, is the more aggressive of the two, taking the fight to the French Champion. After a good action round in the seventh, Sands begins to show signs of fatigue, and, by the end of round eight, there is noticeable puffiness around his left eye. Sands continues to fire away, connecting with a hook to the body in the ninth round that makes Cerdan wince. At the two thirds point of the bout, Cerdan has edged ahead on the unofficial card (95-94), but Sands is certainly still in with a chance. Both men are tiring badly as the bout heads into the final stages; then, in round 12, Sands hits the deck, but the ref rules it a slip and not a knockdown. The rest of the bout sees a desperate Sands seeking to land a lucky punch, but Cerdan is having none of it. With the Frenchman well on his way to victory, a final surprise awaits in the final round, with Cerdan being called for excessive rabbit punching. In an unpopular decision that is booed by the pro-Cerdan crowd, Cerdan is disqualified as the fouling is ruled to be blatant and excessive. Sands lifts the belt via a controversial DQ-15, and the result leaves him with a career mark of 31-3 (20). The DQ loss leaves Cerdan at 48-8-3 (32). A check of the judges’ cards showed Cerdan well ahead on two, while Sands had a narrow one-point lead on the third. This bout had the potential to be a Fight of the Year candidate, but its status as such as marred by the controversial ending, and there is already talk of a rematch given the final round controversy.

Jan. 10, 1948: Detroit is the venue for the next fistic action, and the card is topped by a WW clash of two former Champions, both now in decline, as Henry Armstrong takes on Marty Servo for the fourth time. In their prior meetings, Armstrong won twice but Servo took a split duke in the third. This time, Armstrong wastes little time, dropping Servo with a sharp combination late in the opening round. Servo arises after taking a five count and is able to continue, having used the cover up strategy to last the round. Servo is gradually able to work his way into the bout, despite Armstrong continuing in an aggressive posture. Midway through round five, an Armstrong hook to the body causes Servo to resort to the cover up strategy a second time. At the midway point of the scheduled 10-rounder, Armstrong is well ahead on points (49-45), according to the unofficial scorer at ringside, plus there is an added benefit in the fact that Servo’s right eye has begun to puff up. As the bout enters the later rounds, Armstrong eases up a bit, relying on his success in the earlier rounds. Servo’s attempts to mount a rally are unsuccessful, and early in round nine, he goes down a second time, this time from an Armstrong uppercut. Servo picks himself up off the deck, but he is dropped three more times in the 10th and final round, so Armstrong, who was well on the way to a lopsided points win, prevails via a TKO 10 (based on the three knockdown rule). Post-bout records: Armstrong, 53-10-3 (43); Servo, 35-9-1 (13).

Jan. 16, 1948: It is time for another Friday night fight “Down Under” card, this time in Sydney, Australia. In the main event, Vic Patrick, recently dethroned as the WBA LW Champion, is on the comeback trail, facing an up-and-coming fighter in Santa Bucca in a 10-round bout with no titles on the line. First meeting of the two, but Patrick wastes little time, dropping Bucca on his back with a big hook inside the opening minute of the first round. Bucca struggles to regain his footing, but he is unable to beat the count. An electric KO 1 for Patrick, sending the Australian fight fans into a frenzy. The win lifts Patrick to 30-5 (22), enhancing his prospects for another WBA title shot. Meanwhile, Bucca slips to 18-4-3 (8) with the loss.

[JCWeb]

This report includes bouts from the second half of January 1948. One WBA title bout is included in this report.

Jan. 17, 1948: Mid-month, and the scene shifts to the Coliseum Arena in New Orleans. Featured in the main event is a USBA LW title clash, and Beau Jack challenges Freddie Dawson, who won the title late last year. The two have not met before, and not much happens in the first few rounds as the two circle each other, probing for openings. Two evenly matched fighters, and there is little to choose between the two as the bout enters its middle stages. Late in round five, blood is seen as a cut is opened over Jack’s left eye; the cut appears to have been caused by an accidental butt. Angered, Jack strikes back early in the sixth round, decking Dawson with a big hook. Dawson recovers and then covers up to last the round but, at the midway point, Jack has pulled ahead (57-56) on the unofficial card, largely due to a 10-8 round with the sixth round KD. Into the second half of the bout, Jack continues in an aggressive manner but is unable to follow up with another decisive blow. The cut is reopened in round seven, and it becomes a target of Dawson, who is looking for a way to hang on to the title belt. Into the later rounds, and both the stamina and punches landed count favor the challenger, Jack. In round 10, Dawson goes down a second time, again recovering while using the cover up approach to last the round. An all-out assault by Dawson to try to reverse the tide in the final two rounds proves unsuccessful, and Jack goes on to take the title via a UD 12 (117-109, 118-109, 116-111). Jack is the fourth different USBA LW Champion to emerge in the last four title bouts, running his career totals to 33-5 (21) as a result. Meanwhile, Dawson slips to 20-2-2 (5) with the loss.

Jan. 23, 1948: Next is an abbreviated card at Manila, and the featured bout is for the OPBF Flyweight title recently vacated by Yoshio Shirai, who recently moved up to win the WBA Fly title belt. Matched for the vacant belt are two former titleholders, long-time rivals Yoichiro Hanada and, now nearing the end of his career, Filipino Little Dado. In three prior encounters, Dado emerged victorious twice, Hanada once. Not much in the way of action in the opening few rounds, but Hanada steadily builds a comfortable lead in the punches landed stats. The action heats up in round six, when a sharp jab from Hanada opens a cut over Dado’s right eye. At the midway point of the contest, it appears Hanada has a firm grip on matters, as he leads (by a count of 59-55) on the unofficial scorer’s card. Late in round nine the cut is reopened, but the bout is allowed to continue after a brief consultation with the physician at ringside. With the cut brought under control between rounds, the bout goes the rest of the way without incident and, to no surprise, Hanada comes away a UD 12 victor (117-111, 118-110, 118-110). Post-bout career marks: Hanada, 40-22-4 (10); Dado, 35-15-1 (13). Stung by the result, Dado announces his retirement immediately after the bout, while Hanada is now just one bout away from hitting Post-Prime career stage – a further changing of the guard in the Flyweight division.

Jan. 24, 1948: Next card takes place at London’s Harringay Arena, and two titles are at stake in just one featured bout, as 26-2 Ronnie Clayton challenges Al “Aldgate Tiger” Phillips for both the Commonwealth FW title as well as the GBU FW title, both currently held by Phillips. The two have not met previously, and Clayton has won his last three, going unbeaten for over 20 months, to set up this, his first title challenge. Some steady boxing by both men, neither yielding much ground, has kept the bout competitive through the opening few rounds. By the end of round four, some effective punching from the challenger has managed to cause some initial puffiness to appear under Phillips’ right eye. Then, in round five, a sharp jab from Phillips, who was crowding his opponent on the inside, has opened a cut on Clayton’s forehead. At the halfway point of the contest, the unofficial scorer has Clayton in front (by a count of 59-56), although the cut remains an issue. In the second half of the bout, Phillips adopts a more aggressive posture, targeting the cut but also drawing the referee’s attention with some repeated fouling. As the bout wears on, both fighters begin to tire and, despite Phillips’ best efforts, Clayton maintains a lead in the punches landed stats. In round nine, Phillips manages to reopen the cut on Clayton’s forehead. The cut continues to be a problem into the later rounds, with the ring doctor being called in late in round 11, but with the fight resuming. Into the final round, with the cut patched up in Clayton’s corner, Phillips’ main thrust is to target the cut, trying to re-open it a third time. However, Clayton’s defense remains firm. The bout goes to decision, and Clayton captures both belts from Phillips via a UD 12 (115-114, 116-113, 116-113). With the win, Clayton moves to 27-2 (14). The loss leaves Phillips at 27-9-1 (12).

Jan. 24, 1948: To New York City and Madison Square Garden for the next fight card, and a WBA title clash tops the agenda, preceded by a couple of interesting 10-round, non-title bouts. In the first of the two main supporting bouts, Billy Conn, the “Pittsburgh Kid,” a former WBA and NABF LH Champ, is coming off a loss to Archie Moore, takes on another former WBA LH Champ, Gus Lesnevich. The two have met only once before, back in 1944 when Conn was WBA Champion, and Conn prevailed via a cuts stoppage. In this, their second meeting, both men are at Post-Prime, and it is a slow, cautious approach taken by both through the opening rounds of the contest. The bout is an extremely close one through the opening rounds and, at the halfway point, the unofficial scorer at ringside has it even (48-48). More of the same in the second half of the bout, with Lesnevich working his way inside in round seven, while the stamina factor seems to favor Conn. Then, in round eight, a cut appears over the left eye of Lesnevich – apparently from the impact of a sharp Conn jab. Lesnevich’s corner goes to work on the cut between rounds, but it is still bleeding as the ninth round commences. The bout goes the distance, and a strong second half has secured the points win for Conn, albeit via a razor-thin SD 10 (96-95, 95-96, 98-93), as one judge had Lesnevich as the winner. Post-bout records: Conn, 43-9-4 (16); Lesnevich, 39-19-3 (16). In the second main support, MWs take to the ring, as the “Bronx Bull,” Jake LaMotta faces a visitor from Holland in the form of EBU MW Champ Luc Van Dam. First meeting of these two, and Van Dam is riding a three bout winning streak while LaMotta is seeking to bounce back from the loss of his USBA MW title to Tony Zale. LaMotta goes right to work in the opening round, catching Van Dam with a hook to the head that opens a cut over the Dutchman’s left eye. By the end of the opening stanza, there is also noticeable puffiness around both eyes of Van Dam, and the crowd erupts in cheers for LaMotta’s early success. LaMotta continues with an effective two-fisted attack through most of the early going, keeping Van Dam on the defensive. In round five, the cut over Van Dam’s eye is reopened and, despite the cut, Van Dam has managed to overcome LaMotta’s early surge to slice the points differential to just one (48-47) at the midway point, according to the unofficial scorer’s card. In the second half of the bout, the stamina factor comes into play, and the rugged LaMotta seeks to wear down the Dutchman. Then, in round seven, the cut is reopened a second time and, after a consultation with the ring doctor, it is deemed too risky to allow the bout to continue. Thus, LaMotta is declared a TKO 7 victor, improving to 29-4 (20), while the loss leaves Van Dam at 28-10-1 (12). After this, the ring is cleared for the main event, as Joe Louis, the “Brown Bomber,” makes another WBA HW title defense, this against a credible challenger in Ezzard Charles, the “Cincinnati Cobra.” The two met once before, in 1945, when Charles was the WBA LH Champ, and Louis came off the deck that time to record a stoppage win; thus, Charles has hopes of dethroning the long-time HW Champ. Not much happens in the opening few rounds, as Louis gets off to an uncharacteristically slow start. However, Louis soon finds his comfort zone with a strong round in the third, rocking Charles with some good shots while dominating the action. In the final minute of round four, a straight right from Louis rocks the challenger, who covers up and remains upright to finish the round. It is more of the same in round five, the third successive dominant round for Louis, and, with Charles nearly out on his feet, the ref (as in their first fight) calls a halt to save Charles from further punishment. TKO 5 for Louis, who is 59-1-1 (57) with the win. Post-bout, Charles dips to 25-5 (21); after suffering his third straight loss, Charles may be forced to reconsider his move up to HW.

Jan. 30, 1948: Next is a Friday night card at the Cow Palace in San Francisco. In the main event, the USBA LH title (recently vacated by Melio Bettina who captured the WBA LH title belt) is on the line, with Oakland Billy Smith being given his first title opportunity, but he faces a formidable foe in former WBA LH Champ Lloyd Marshall. First meeting of the two and Marshall, the more experienced and skilled of the two, takes an early lead in the punches landed stats. Some accurate punching by Marshall has resulted in a mouse under Smith’s left eye that is visible from the end of the third round. Late in round four, Marshall catches Smith with a clean shot that puts the challenger on the canvas; Smith is saved by the bell just as the ref gets the count underway. At the midway point of the bout, Marshall’s superiority is evident, as he has compiled a wide lead (60-54) on the unofficial scorer’s card. In the second half of the bout, Marshall eases up, while Smith, battling the swollen left eye, takes a more aggressive posture into the final rounds. However, in round 10, Smith runs into a hard shot from Marshall and drops to the deck and cannot beat the count. KO 10 for Marshall, who captures the belt. Post-bout records: Marshall, 36-6-5 (30); Smith, 24-7-4 (19).

Jan. 31, 1948: The month wraps up with a card south of the border, at the Mexico City Arena. Featured in the main event are two Flyweights, with USBA Flyweight titleholder taking on Mexico’s Otilio Galvan in a 10-round, non-title affair. No prior meetings of the two, and Marino is on target early, working on the outside with an effective jab. Galvan battles back to work his way into the bout; in round five, the Mexican connects with a sharp combination that rips open a cut over Marino’s right eye. At the same time, there is a trace of swelling under Marino’s other (left) eye. At the halfway point, Marino has a narrow one-point edge (48-47) on the unofficial scorecard. In the second half of the contest, Marino shakes off the impact of the cuts and swelling, taking an aggressive approach, pressing the action. Into the later rounds, the bout remains a close one as both fighters show signs of fatigue. In round eight, Galvan is able to reopen the cut over Marino’s eye. Despite the cut and the swollen eye, Marino does enough to eke out a points win via a UD 10 (96-94, 96-95, 98-94) to run his record to 29-9 (13). The loss leaves Galvan at 20-9-2 (5).

[JCWeb]

This report includes bouts from the first half of February 1948. No WBA title bouts are included in this report.

Feb. 6, 1948: A Friday night card at Johannesburg, South Africa kicks off the month’s fistic activity. Two Flyweight contenders do battle in the main event, as Hans Schiffers, a former WBA Fly titleholder, faces Cuba’s Black Pico in a 10-rounder. No titles are at stake, and it is the first meeting of these two. Not much to choose in the early going, but the edge in the punches landed stats goes to Pico after the first four rounds are in the books. At the halfway point of the contest, the unofficial scorer at ringside has Pico with a healthy points lead (49-46). In round six, Pico rocks Schiffers with a three-punch combo, forcing the former Champ to cover up. Into the later rounds, and Schiffers attempts to claw his way back into the bout, but he lacks the firepower to seriously trouble Pico, whose defense remains solid. By round nine, for all this troubles, Schiffers is left with a puffy left eye, the result of some accurate counterpunching by his Cuban opponent. The bout goes the distance and Pico, who has yet to record a single win inside the distance, emerges as a UD 10 victor (97-93, 98-92, 98-92), running his career record to 18-2-1 (0) as a result. Meanwhile, Schiffers dips to 27-11-5 (8) with the loss.

Feb. 7, 1948: Next is a solid fight card at the Forum in Montreal. Featured is an NABF title clash, preceded by a supporting bout matching a pair of top 10 LW contenders: Joe “Old Bones” Brown and Canada’s Dave Castilloux. It is the first meeting of the two, and Castilloux, while on home turf, has the disadvantage of being on the downside of his career arc. Within the first minute of the opening round, Brown unleashes a barrage of blows that put Castilloux on the deck. The Canadian LW arises after taking a five count, and he uses the cover up approach to survive the round. Brown continues to press the attack in the early rounds, compiling a huge early lead in the punches landed category. Brown’s two fisted assault wears down Castilloux, who offers little in response, and this leads to an early stoppage in the fourth round. TKO 4 for Brown, who improves to 28-3 (19). On the other hand, a very lopsided loss for Castilloux, now 37-21-3 (10). In the main event, another Canadian fighter, Commonwealth BW titleholder Fernando Gagnon, challenges Luis Castillo for Castillo’s NABF BW title. Another first meeting, and Castillo’s LABF BW title is not at stake in this contest. Solid start from Gagnon, who carries the fight to Castillo in the opening rounds. After taking a beating over the first three rounds, Castillo moves inside and tries to reverse the trend in round four. However, early in round five, Gagnon clocks Castillo with a big hook, and Castillo staggers backward, recovering enough to cover up and survive the round. At the halfway point, the unofficial scorecard has Gagnon with a solid points lead (60-55). Castillo takes a more active approach to the second half of the bout, and the Mexican fighter manages to open a cut on the lip of Gagnon. It is not until midway through the ninth round that Castillo manages to hurt Gagnon, connecting with a sharp combination that forces Gagnon to cover up. Castillo manages to reopen the cut on Gagnon’s mouth in round 11 but, otherwise, the Canadian’s defense holds firm. Then, in the final round, Gagnon puts Castillo on the deck, and the bout goes the rest of the way, resulting in a solid UD 12 for Gagnon (117-110, 115-112, 116-112). Thus, Gagnon adds the NABF title belt to his CBU belt. Post-bout career marks: Gagnon, 25-5 (15); Castillo, 26-11-1 (11).

Feb. 7, 1948: Next card takes place at Miami. Topping the agenda is a matchup of two FW contenders, as the “Austin Atom,” Jackie Graves, is paired with Carlos Chavez. The bout is a rematch of their 1947 encounter, for the NABF title, which resulted in a points win for Graves. This time, with no titles at stake, Graves wastes little time, stunning Chavez with a hook to the head. While Chavez attempts to cover up and fend off the blows, Graves’s killer instinct kicks in, and he is able to finish off Chavez with a perfect uppercut that puts Chavez down and out inside the opening stanza. Impressive KO 1 for Graves, building his credentials for another title shot, while improving his record to 20-3-1 (15). Meanwhile, Chavez drops to 28-10-1 (1) with the loss.

Feb. 13, 1948: To the Stadium in Liverpool for a Friday night card. Main event is in the Flyweight division, and it’s a rematch as Jackie Paterson, holder of the Commonwealth and GBU Fly belts, faces Mustapha Mustaphaoui for the second time. Their first encounter, also in Liverpool back in 1945, ended in a draw, and both fighters enter the ring on three bout winning streaks. In this rematch, a non-title bout scheduled for 10 rounds, Paterson starts well, firing away from all angles, and he manages to cause some swelling to appear around Mustaphaoui’s left eye by the end of round one. After a rough start, Mustaphaoui gradually settles into the bout, which becomes a close, double-edged contest through the first five rounds. At the midway point, the unofficial card has Paterson with a slim one-point lead (48-47), so the issue remains very much in doubt headed into the second half of the contest. With Paterson having edged ahead on points, Mustaphaoui ramps up the pressure, taking a more aggressive approach as the bout heads into the later rounds. The bout goes the distance, and a late surge by the Algerian falls just short, and Paterson takes a MD 10 (96-94, 95-95, 97-94). Post-bout career marks: Paterson, 32-7-2 (19); Mustaphaoui, 27-8-6 (7).

Feb. 14, 1948: Two EBU title bouts top the next card at the Ullevi Stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden. In the first co-feature, Hirsch Demsitz challenges Aldo Spoldi for Spoldi’s EBU LW title. Spoldi won on points in both prior meetings; this time around, both are at Post-Prime and both get off to a slow start, with very little action through the opening rounds. The action picks up in round four, with Spoldi pulling ahead to a slight lead in the punches landed stats. Spoldi has the best of the inside exchanges in round five and, at the halfway point, Spoldi has fashioned a points lead as well (59-56), according to the unofficial scorer’s card. More of the same in the second half of the contest, and, by the end of the eighth round, Spoldi’s two-fisted assault has managed to cause swelling under both eyes of the challenger. As the bout enters its final stages, Demsitz tries to mount a rally, but some smothering defense from Spoldi prevents him from making any progress. A cut appears under Demsitz’s right eye in round 11, further hampering his efforts. Spoldi is able to coast to a fairly comfortable UD 12 (117-110, 116-111, 116-111) to retain the belt once again, in his fifth successive title defense. Post-bout records: Spoldi, 50-16-7 (18); Demsitz, 38-21-6 (7). In the second co-feature, another Italian fighter, Egisto Peyre, is on hand to defend his EBU WW title against a familiar foe in challenger and ex-Champ Ernie Roderick. These two have met twice before, with Peyre prevailing once, while the duo battled to a draw in their most recent encounter, in Rome last December. This time, Roderick looks to shake things up, attempting to pressure Peyre on the inside in the early going. Despite being warned for hitting low, Roderick manages to make some progress and, in round five, he manages to rip open a cut over Peyre’s right eye. At the halfway point, Roderick, who has seized the initiative, is rewarded with a nice points lead (59-56) on the unofficial scorecard. A major shift in tactics in the second half of the bout as Peyre, concerned about losing his title, reverses course and becomes the more active of the two. Peyre manages to battle his way back into the bout, tightening up the scoring headed into the final few rounds. By round 10, Peyre’s surge has paid dividends, notably some swelling under the right eye of Roderick. In the end, a close bout in which the issue remains in doubt until the very end, and the winner is – Roderick, via a MD 12 (115-113, 114-114, 115-113), sealing the win by taking the final round on all three cards. With the win, Roderick is EBU Champ for the second time in his career, improving his record to 39-21-6 (8). Peyre drops to 26-6-3 (12) with the loss.

Feb. 14, 1948: To Chicago for the next fight card. In the main event, veteran MW Charley Burley looks to get his career back on track as he faces Ossie Harris, who has fashioned a three bout winning streak to move into range of a spot in the top 10 rankings, which will be his if he can upset Burley. No prior meetings of the two in my Uni, but just checked, and the two did meet in real life, in 1941, and Burley registered a stoppage win. Here, after a couple of pedestrian opening rounds, Burley moves inside to do some damage in round three. From this point on, Harris struggles to make much of an impression on Burley, who is the superior talent in this contest. At the midway point, Burley has a slim points lead (48-47), according to the unofficial scorecard. At the end of round six, Burley decks Harris with a sharp combination; Harris is able to beat the count, and the bell sounds before Burley can inflict further damage. The bout then continues until the ninth round, when Burley decks Harris for a second time and, this time, Harris is unable to beat the count. KO 9 for Burley, running his record to 45-4 (31). The loss leaves Harris at 26-10-2 (7).

[JCWeb]

This report includes bouts from the second half of February 1948. One WBA title bout is included in this report.

Feb. 20, 1948: The Friday night fights “Down Under” series resumes with a card at Sydney. Aussie MW Ron Toohey steps up to main event status, despite still being at Pre-Prime career stage, and he faces British MW Tommy Davies in a title encounter, the reward being the Commonwealth MW title until recently held by Dave Sands, who relinquished the belt after his win over Marcel Cerdan to capture the WBA MW title. First meeting of these two, and neither fighter appears eager to seize the initiative in the early rounds. Toohey works his way inside in round four, which turns out to be a good action round, but also an even round. In round five, both men battle away on the inside, and Toohey emerges as winning most of those exchanges. By the midway point, however, it is Davies with the points lead (58-56) on the unofficial card, although the punches landed stats indicate a much closer contest. Starting in the seventh round, Toohey adopts a much more aggressive posture, continuing the work inside and apply maximum pressure in an effort to break down Davies’ defenses. Some clinching and roughhouse tactics near the end of the eighth round result in some puffiness under Toohey’s left eye. Meanwhile, Davies is content to keep his distance on the outside, allowing Toohey to initiate most of the action. Into the later rounds, and Toohey continues to press the action, finishing with an all-out assault in the final round. With time running out, a hard shot from Toohey manages to put Davies down, this with seconds before the final bell. The bell sounds, saving Davies, but the late KD is bound to have some impact on the judges. After a long delay, the judges’ cards are read, and in a decision that is roundly booed by the pro-Toohey crowd, Davies takes a SD 12 (115-112, 114-116, 114-113), winning the belt despite the last round knockdown. With the win, Davies runs his career record to 24-9-4 (8). Toohey slips to 13-4 (5) with the loss.

Feb. 21, 1948: To New Orleans’ Coliseum Arena for the next fight card, and the main event showcases a USBA WW title contest, with 21-1 Jimmy Sherrer challenging veteran Jackie Wilson for the title belt. The two have not met previously, Wilson has just hit Post-Prime career stage, and this is Sherrer’s first try at winning a title of any kind. Sherrer gets off to a strong start, and in round two, he rocks Wilson with a hook to the head that opens up a cut over Wilson’s right eye. Even while battling the cut, Wilson is able to bounce back and land sufficient leather to cause some puffiness around the right eye of the challenger. Then, in round four, Sherrer puts Wilson on the deck, connecting with a strong combination. Wilson resumes after taking a count of five, but he is forced to cover up and, meanwhile, the cut over his eye has worsened. More trouble for Wilson, who goes down again in round five, and this time there is noticeable swelling under his left eye while the cut over the right eye is still a problem as well. In round six, it is Sherrer who sustains a cut over his right eye, but he perseveres and, with just seconds remaining in the round, he forces Wilson into submission, and the ref steps in to call a halt. TKO 6 for Sherrer, who is the new USBA WW Champion. Post-bout career marks: Sherrer, 22-1 (12); Wilson, 37-14-3 (18).

Feb. 21, 1948: Next card takes place at Los Angeles’ Olympic Auditorium, and a twin bill of title bouts tops the agenda. In the first co-feature, two Post-Prime BWs, Benny Goldberg and Tony Olivera, are matched for the USBA BW title that was vacated after Tommy Forte moved up and captured the NABF BW title. The belt has been vacant for over six months, as there was a dearth of young talent in the BW division to take up the challenge, thus two guys on the downside of their respective careers have been tapped to vie for the vacant belt. In just one prior meeting, back in 1941, Goldberg emerged as a MD 10 winner. This time around, it is a rather cautious start by both men, neither of whom wants to allow any opportunity for an opening for their opponent in the early rounds. By the end of round four, Goldberg seems to be getting the better of Olivera, who retreats to his corner sporting a rapidly swelling left eye. Midway through the fifth round, Goldberg stuns Olivera which a quick hook to the head, and Olivera covers up in order to avert further damage. By the halfway point of the contest, Goldberg has pulled ahead (59-56) on the unofficial scorecard. After staying on the outside for most of the first half of the bout, Olivera takes a more aggressive posture in the second half, applying pressure in an effort to reverse the trend that has Goldberg winning. The bout comes to a sudden end in round nine, however, when Goldberg is called for some blatant low blows, and the ref steps in and Olivera is awarded the title via a DQ-9 win. Controversial end, with Olivera taking the belt, improving his career 33-11-2 (20). Goldberg drops to 34-7-3 (14) with the loss and, due to the controversial end to the bout, a rematch in two months’ time has been order. Then, in the second co-main event, the NABF LW title is on the line, with former WBA LW Champ Ike Williams challenging Lulu Costantino, who captured the vacant belt in late 1947. No prior meetings and, after a couple of uneventful opening rounds, Williams moves inside to apply some pressure in round three. The bout remains close, as Costantino is able to hold his own versus the ex-Champion. By the midway point of the contest, Costantino has edged in front (58-57) on the unofficial scorecard. Then, midway through round seven, Costantino suffers a cut lip, the result of a quick one-two combination from Williams. With Costantino occupied by the cut, Williams comes out swinging in round eight, decking Costantino with another combination for the bout’s first knockdown. Costantino struggles to his feet at the count of eight, then struggles to his feet. Williams continues, with his killer instinct having kicked in, and he drops Costantino a second time just before the bell. After taking a breather in round nine, a Williams hook in round 10 causes Costantino to tumble to the canvas for a third time. Two more KDs follow in round 11, and finally, in the waning seconds of the round, the ref steps in to call a halt, saving Costantino from further punishment. Impressive TKO 11 for Williams, who lifts the title and puts himself back in the conversation for a WBA title shot. Post-bout career marks: Williams, 32-4-1 (27); Costantino, 30-9-3 (11).

Feb. 27, 1948: Next is an attractive Friday night card at Havana’s Gran Stadium, featuring an LABF title clash preceded by a couple of attractive supporting bouts. In the first of these, WWs take to the ring as LABF WW kingpin Joe Legon faces Johnny “Honey Boy” Bratton in face of the pro-Legon Cuban fight crowd. The two have not met before, and Bratton, while undefeated, is still a couple of bouts away from Prime career stage. On the other hand, Legon is at Post-Prime, but he comes off a controversial DQ win to retain the LABF belt over another up-and-coming young fighter, fellow Cuban Kid Gavilan. The early edge in punches landed goes to Bratton, who asserts himself by moving inside in round three, crowding his opponent and landing some effective punches. Not to be outdone, Legon gets the home fans exciting by doing some good work on the inside himself in round four. By the midway point, the issue is very much in doubt, with Legon leading on the unofficial card (48-47), while the punches landed stats continue to favor Bratton. In the second half of the bout, it is Legon who feels things slipping away, hence he takes a more aggressive posture as the later rounds approach. Both fighters appear to be exhausted for the final few rounds, and Legon continues to press until the very end. However, to the disappointment of the pro-Legon fight fans in attendance, the UD 10 goes to Bratton, and by a fairly wide margin (98-93, 100-91, 98-93). Bratton, now just one bout away from Prime, remains unbeaten, now 18-0-1 (10); Legon finishes the bout at 25-18-6 (14). In the second of two main supporting bouts, popular Cuban HW Nino Valdes faces Swede Olle Tandberg, in a tough crossroads bout for both men. No prior meetings, and Tandberg is putting a six bout winning streak on the line against the hard hitting Cuban slugger. The Swede, Tandberg, gets off to a solid start and, after the first three rounds, there is a noticeable patch of redness around the left eye of Valdes. Valdes battles back, staggering Tandberg with a hard cross near the end of the fifth round; Tandberg is able to cover up and last the round, but there is some noticeable puffiness under his left eye as he returns to his corner. At the halfway point of this 10-rounder, it is Tandberg clinging to a narrow one-point lead (48-47) on the unofficial scorer’s card. Cheered on by an appreciative hometown crowd, Valdes seizes the initiative, taking the fight to Tandberg in the second half of the bout. However, the Swede survived the worst of it, all while retaining a nice lead in the punches landed stats. In round nine, a right from Tandberg gets through, opening a cut over Valdes’ right eye. The cut is quickly patched up, but Valdes’ punches lack steam, so the bout goes the distance, and Tandberg scoops up a solid UD 10 (98-93, 98-94, 99-93) over a dangerous opponent for his seventh win in a row, further boosting his standing in the HW ranks. Post-bout records: Tandberg, 28-6-3 (9); Valdes, 20-7-2 (16). Then, in the main event, topping a card filled with Cuban fighters, two Cuban FWs take to the ring, as National Kid seeks to take away the LABF FW title from his countryman, Diego Sosa. It is the fourth meeting of the two, all for this same LABF title, with Sosa prevailing in all three prior meetings, all points wins, the closest being a MD 12 back in late 1944. This time around, with Kid at Post-Prime career stage, a huge second round for Sosa puts him ahead in the early going. Kid is able to gradually work his way into the bout, and in round five, he connects with a hard uppercut that rips open a cut over Sosa’s left eye. The cut is patched up between rounds and, at the halfway point, the unofficial card has Sosa bouncing back to lead by two (58-56) at the midway point. In the second half of the bout, Kid is forced to abandon a more passive approach in an effort to pose more problems for Sosa by moving inside and targeting the cut eye. In round seven, a short, clean hook from Sosa stops Kid in his tracks, dropping the challenger for a three count. A second KD follows a round later, and Kid now seems defeated and unable to bounce back. In the final two rounds, Kid shows signs of weariness, perhaps also the effect of the two knockdowns, plus he is suffering from a rapidly swelling left eye. The bout goes the rest of the way without further incident, and Sosa goes on to take a lopsided UD 12 (118-109, 118-109, 117-111) to retain the title and run his career totals to 29-6-2 (16). The loss leaves Kid at 29-13-3 (12).

Feb. 28, 1948: The Earls Court in London is the venue for the next fight card. Only one bout of note, and this is the main event, for the GBU MW title, with Vince Hawkins defending versus a credible challenger in Dick Turpin. In fact, in 1944, in their one prior meeting, Turpin came away a UD 10 winner. Turpin gets off to a solid start, and he gradually builds a lead in the punches landed stats while preventing Hawkins from landing any telling blows in the early rounds. However, a strong fifth round puts Hawkins back into contention, plus he has managed to cause some initial puffiness around the right eye of the challenger. At the halfway point, Turpin maintains the edge in points (58-56), according to the unofficial scorer at ringside. Undeterred, Hawkins works his way inside in round seven, doing some major damage, then unleashing a powerful uppercut that rips open a sizable gash over the left eye of Turpin. Blood spurts forth, and the cut is adjudged too dangerous to allow the bout to continue. In an upset, Hawkins retains his GBU title via a TKO 7. Post-bout records: Hawkins, 21-12-4 (8); Turpin, 20-10-2 (11).

Feb. 28, 1948: The month ends with a big card in New York City, topped by a WBA title clash. In the main supporting bout, unbeaten FW prospect Sandy Saddler, who has already captured his first title (the USBA FW belt), takes on Sal “the Pride of East Boston” Bartolo for Bartolo’s NABF FW title. Bartolo starts well, with a strong opening round. Saddler gradually works his way into the bout, but he runs into some stubborn resistance from his more experienced opponent. Into the middle rounds, and Bartolo retains the upper hand in terms of the punches landed stats. At the halfway point, the unofficial scorer has Bartolo nursing a two-point advantage (58-56), with Saddler poised to go on the offensive as the bout headed into its later stages. While Saddler is launching a furious assault on the inside, Bartolo is content to stay outside, fending off most of the blows. However, midway through round eight, Saddler manages to break through, dropping Bartolo for an eight count with a barrage of punches. With Bartolo attempting to cover up, Saddler is unable to finish the job, but he does manage to open a nasty looking cut over Bartolo’s right eye just before the bell. Bartolo battles back, recovering and making it a close fight right until the final few rounds. The cut turns out not to be an issue, as the bout goes the distance. In the end, the one 10-8 round in the eighth makes all the difference, so Saddler takes a close but UD 12 (114-112 on all three cards) to prevail, adding the NABF title belt to his collection, all while running his record to 20-0 (16) – could a matchup with WBA FW Champ Willie Pep be next? Meanwhile, a tough loss for Bartolo, who slips to 34-11-4 (10). Then, in the finale, the WBA LH title is on the line, with Melio Bettina, who won the belt in late 1947, facing “Fearless” Freddie Mills, who currently holds all three regional titles he is eligible for (those being the British, Commonwealth and European titles). In three prior meetings, however, the best Mills has managed has been a draw but, with Bettina now at Post-Prime career stage, Mills hopes for a better outcome in this, his first ever WBA title shot. Mills starts strongly, grinding his way to an early edge in the punches landed stats after a solid second round. Moving inside, Mills runs into a Bettina uppercut that manages to draw blood, opening a cut over Mills’ left eye. In the ensuing rounds, Bettina presses forward, moving inside and targeting the cut. Belatedly, Mills’ corner is able to close the cut and, near the end of round five, Mills connects with a big hook that forces Bettina to cover up. After the first five, Bettina’s left eye shows signs of swelling and, according to the unofficial card, the title is very much up for grabs, with Bettina up by just one (48-47) at this point. Into the middle rounds, both fighters are ready to mix it up on the inside, with Bettina still looking to reopen the cut over Mills’ eye. In round seven, Bettina’s approach bears fruit. First, he opens a new cut over Mills’ right eye; then, the original cut over the left eye is reopened, and this time, the ref steps in and calls a halt. TKO 7 on the cuts stoppage enables Bettina to retain the WBA title. Post-bout career marks: 43-10-7 (18); Mills, 32-17-2 (15).

[JCWeb]

This report includes bouts from the first half of March 1948. One WBA title bout is included in this report.

Mar. 5, 1948: The month commences with a Friday night card at the War Memorial Auditorium in Syracuse, New York. The main event matches two top five WW contenders, as former WBA WW titleholder Tommy Bell faces Norman Rubio. One prior meeting, for the NABF WW title in early 1947, resulted in a points win for Bell, who then went on to upset Ray Robinson for the WBA title. In this rematch, the early edge in the punches landed stats goes to Bell, who punctuates his superiority when, early in round four, he catches Rubio with a perfect uppercut that sends the latter tumbling to the canvas. Rubio arises quickly, at the count of two, and resumes, wisely adopting the cover up to last the round. By the midway point, Rubio is sporting a rapidly swelling right eye, and Bell has a commanding points lead (50-44) on the unofficial card. Undeterred, Rubio goes on the offensive in the second half of the bout, but his punches lack sting as he shows signs of fatigue from the sixth round onward. Bell is content to sit on his early, staying outside and maintaining a respectful distance, content to allow Rubio to try to force the action. In round eight, Rubio goes down a second time, but once again, he is able to resume and successfully covers up. From here on, no more knockdowns as the bout goes the distance and, to no surprise, it is a lopsided UD 10 for Bell (99-89, 100-88, 100-88) who runs his career record to 27-3 (15) with the in. The loss leaves Rubio at 28-9-4 (13).

Mar. 6, 1948: A 10-round, non-title bout serves as the main event for the next fight card, this at the Forum in Montreal, as Sammy “Clutch” Angott faces another LW contender in “his Satanic Majesty,” Lefty Satan Flynn. In one prior encounter, back in 1941, Flynn took a points win. This time around, nothing much happens until round three, when a sharp jab from Flynn opens up a cut over Angott’s right eye. In the ensuing action, Flynn target the cut, but it seems Angott’s corner has done a good job in patching it up. By the midway point of the contest, a check of the unofficial card shows a large points advantage for Angott (50-45). In the second half of the bout, Flynn continues to push forward on the inside, looking to land a telling blow or reopen the cut, while Angott patiently bides his time, staying on the outside. In round seven, Flynn succeeds in reopening the cut, and this time it has proven to be more difficult for Angott’s corner to bring under control. The action heats up late in round eight, with blood still flowing from his cut eye, Angott is able to drop Flynn with a solid combination, and Flynn is unable to beat the count. KO 8 for Angott. Post-bout career marks: Angott, 36-11-6 (12); Flynn, 38-18-4 (19).

Mar. 6, 1948: Next card takes place at Miami, and an NABF title bout is the headliner, preceded by a non-title clash matching two regional HW Champions: USBA HW titleholder “Tampa” Tommy Gomez and LABF HW Champ Alberto Santiago Lovell. The two have not met previously, and both are entering the bout with some confidence, with Gomez having won his last two ring encounters, Lovell his last seven. Not much happens in the opening few rounds, as Gomez seems to struggle, getting off to a sluggish start. Into the middle rounds and, something you would not expect from two fighters with a combined total of 60 knockouts on their ledgers, neither seems willing to open things up. At the halfway point, the unofficial card has Lovell up by a single point (48-47). Gomez comes to life late in round six, staggering Lovell with a strong hook and, by the end of the round, Lovell returns to his corner with a welt under his left eye. With the issue very much in doubt, both fighters are willing to take some risks and go on the offensive, making for a more interesting second half of the contest. However, in round seven, Gomez builds on his success in the prior round, decking Lovell with a big hook and, with Lovell stumbling after regaining his feet, Gomez lands a few more good shots before the ref steps in to save the Argentinian fighter from further punishment. Impressive TKO 7 for Gomez, lifting him to 34-6-1 (31). The loss leaves Lovell at 41-18-1 (30). After this, LHs take to the ring as Archie Moore is defending his NABF LH title against a first time challenger, Joey Maxim. The two have not before and Maxim, who struggled in the early years of his career, has fashioned a four-bout winning streak to set up this, his first title shot, but against a formidable opponent in Moore. (In real life, these two met three times, with Moore winning all three.) Here, Moore looks sharp from the opening bell as he builds an early lead in the punches landed stats. Maxim gradually works his way into the bout but, in round four, Moore finds the range with a hard shot, and Maxim finds himself on the canvas, taking a six count before resuming. At the halfway point, Moore has an impressive points lead (59-54) on the unofficial card, and he seems to have little difficulty in handling Maxim. By round nine, there is noticeable swelling around Maxim’s right eye, and this is further evidence of Moore’s superiority. Maxim goes down two more times in the 10th, but Moore is unable to put him away. Late in round 11, a Moore hook puts Maxim on the deck a fourth time; once again, Maxim beats the count, and there is not enough time remaining for Moore to finish him off. In the end, it’s a dominant performance by Moore, who completely outclassed Maxim to take a well deserved, lopsided UD 12 (119-104, 117-107, 117-106). Post-bout career marks: Moore, 42-4-5 (29); Maxim, 21-7-4 (5).

Mar. 12, 1948: Next up is another Friday night “Down Under” card at Melbourne, Australia. The main event matches two top five LWs in a non-title tilt, as former WBA LW Champ Vic Patrick faces Joe Brown, who has held both regional belts (NABF and USBA) in recent years. No prior meetings, but Patrick has slipped into Post-Prime career stage. Solid start from Brown, but Patrick gradually works his way into the bout with a strong second round, then the Aussie fighter moves inside in round three. However, Brown is able to offer some stiff resistance, then the American seizes the initiative in rounds four and five. Early in round five, Brown uncorks a cross that puts Patrick on the deck. Patrick arises slowly, after taking an eight count, then covers up in an effort to survive the round. However, Brown’s killer instinct has kicked in, and he decks Patrick a second time, rips open a cut under the right eye, then a third KD late in the round leads to an automatic stoppage. TKO 5 for Brown, who improves to 29-3 (20) with the win. The loss leaves Patrick at 30-6 (22).

Mar. 13, 1948: Boston is the venue for the next card, and it’s a rematch of the Billy Conn vs Gus Lesnevich LH bout from a few months ago that tops the card, a bout that ended in a split decision in favor of Conn. Both fighters will be at Post-Prime career stage for this bout. In this rematch, Lesnevich, who also tasted defeat in an earlier (1944) title match versus Conn, is hoping to improve and that the third time is a charm. After a close opening round, Conn takes control of the bout in round two, boxing beautifully on the outside. However, Lesnevich is able to disrupt Conn’s rhythm by moving inside in round three, taking charge and also causing some initial swelling to appear around Conn’s right eye. By the halfway point, Lesnevich has managed to eke out a small advantage in the punches landed stats and, according to the unofficial scorer at ringside, this translates to a slight points edge (49-48), although several rounds have been very close. The issue remains in doubt into the final two rounds, and here Lesnevich takes a more aggressive approach, while Conn seeks to rely on his guile and boxing ability. Late in round nine, Conn suffers a split lip, indicate of the fact that Lesnevich’s approach is having an impact. The bout goes the rest of the way, and a late surge, taking the final two rounds, puts Lesnevich on top, via a UD 10 verdict (98-95, 98-94, 98-95), avenging the two prior defeats. Post-bout records: Lesnevich, 40-19-3 (16); Conn, 43-10-4 (16).

Mar. 13, 1948: The scene shifts to the West Coast for an exciting mid-month card in Los Angeles. Topping the agenda is a WBA title tilt, preceded by a matchup for the NABF HW title. In the first title bout, it is Roscoe Toles making the seventh defense of the belt he first won in late 1944. Challenging Toles is Turkey Thompson, who has fashioned a six bout winning streak to earn this, his first title shot. The two have not met before, and this is another intriguing boxer vs slugger matchup, with Thompson (who has 21 KOs to his credit) clearly in the slugger camp. In round three, Thompson doubles up on his jab, the second punch finding the mark and drawing blood from a cut over Toles’ right eye. However, Toles bounces back quickly, and Thompson loses a point for excessive rabbit punching in round five; this enables Toles to pull out to a nice points lead (58-55) by the midway point of the contest. In the second half of the bout, the onus is on Thompson to alter the pattern, and he aggressively pushes forward and, in round nine, he manages to reopen the cut over Toles’ eye. The cut is patched up in the corner once again but, in round 11, Thompson is able to open up a second cut, this over the other eye. Toles manages to persevere, finishing the bout but, in the eyes of the judges, a strong second half by Thompson was enough to secure the title belt, with Thompson taking a UD 12 (115-113, 115-113, 115-112) after winning the last four rounds from all three judges. With the win, Thompson runs his career totals to 28-8-2 (21). Toles, who had already hit Post-Prime prior to this title defense, ended the bout at 45-16-6 (8). Then, in the main event, Manuel Ortiz is facing challenger Luis Romero for the WBA BW title, won by Ortiz last year. The two have not met before, and each is riding a three bout winning streak heading into this title encounter. Ortiz looks sharp early, building up a nice cushion in terms of the punches landed stats in the early going. By the end of the third round, there is a trace of swelling under the right eye of Romero, who appears to be taking a real beating up to this point. Near the end of the fifth round, a hard shot from Ortiz puts Romero on the deck; Romero scrambles to his feet at the count of three, and then the bell sounds before Ortiz can do further damage. After the first five rounds are in the books, Ortiz is in front by a wide margin (50-45) on the unofficial scorer’s card. Romero fares only slightly better in the middle rounds, maintaining his posture but ending up on the short end of the unofficial card (by a count of 100-91) at the two thirds mark. Romero continues plugging away and, in round 11, he has his best round of the fight, landing enough punches to cause some puffiness under the right eye of Ortiz. However, from here on out, Romero begins to tire badly, and his punches lack sting. Thus, the bout goes the rest of the way without incident, and Ortiz retains the title via a UD 15 by a comfortable margin (147-137, 147-138, 148-137). Post-bout career marks: Ortiz, 34-8-3 (17); Romero, 20-2-2 (8).

[JCWeb]

This report includes bouts from the second half of March 1948. One WBA title bout is included in this report.

Mar. 19, 1948: Next is a Friday night card at Havana’s Gran Stadium. Intriguing matchup in the main event, as former two division WBA Champ Baby Arizmendi is paired with another top 10 FW contender, Ciro Morasen, a rapidly rising Cuban star. The two have not met before, and Morasen, who has won his last three, hopes to add a big scalp in the aging ex-Champ to his list of conquests, aided by a boisterous hometown crowd. Solid start from Arizmendi, who gradually builds an early lead in the punches landed category through the opening few rounds. Morasen manages to keep the bout relatively close and, in the fifth round, he manages to open a cut under Arizmendi’s right eye. At the halfway point of the bout, the unofficial card has Arizmendi with a two-point edge (49-47). In the second half of the bout, Arizmendi is comfortable remaining on the outside, sitting on his early lead. However, a determined Morasen remains persistent, buoyed by the support of the Cuban fight fans, and he rallies to take a UD 10 (96-94, 98-92, 98-93) and runs his career record to 20-3-3 (3) with the win. Arizmendi, now another step closer to retirement, ends the bout at 60-16-4 (14).

Mar. 20, 1948: It is back to Europe for the next card at the Ullevi Stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden. In the main event, the “Casablanca Clouter,” Marcel Cerdan, still smarting after his reign as WBA MW Champion recently came to a controversial end via a DQ loss, restarts his career on the comeback trail, facing, for the second time, George Abrams, another veteran MW contender. The two met once before, in Montreal back in 1944, and Cerdan prevailed via a 10th round KO. This time, after a couple of close opening rounds, Cerdan moves inside in round three, seeking to take charge of the bout. From here on, Cerdan dominates most of the action, as Abrams struggles to remain in the bout. Late in round five, a Cerdan combination drops Abrams, who manages to recover enough to beat the count. At the halfway point, the unofficial card shows a large points lead for Cerdan (50-44). Not much changes in the second half of the bout, except Cerdan eases up as the bout enters the later stages, and Abrams simply becomes more and more exhausted. Despite going down a second time in the final round, Abrams is able to the last the distance, but there is little doubt of the eventual outcome, and Cerdan takes a one-sided UD 10 (99-98, 97-91, 97-91). Post-bout career marks: Cerdan, 49-8-3 (32); Abrams, 31-12-4 (11).

Mar. 20, 1948: Next card takes place at Detroit, and it’s a big fight night with a WBA title clash topping the menu, preceded by a NABF title bout as the main support. In the co-feature, Holman Williams is defending his NABF MW title; the challenger is Steve “Spider” Belloise. The two have met twice before, with Williams winning both, but this time, there is a title on the line, and Williams has slipped to Post-Prime career stage. In this rematch, Belloise signals that the outcome may be different, dropping Williams with a cross early in the second round. Williams scrambles to his feet, but he goes down a second time, also from a Belloise cross, later in the round, but somehow manages to cover up and last the round. Williams is able to recover in between rounds, and he rebounds with a solid round in round three, landing sufficient blows to cause a trace of swelling under the right eye of Belloise. By the middle rounds, Williams has worked his way into the bout and, in fact, pulled ahead in the punches landed stat. In round six, Williams is able to reopen a cut over the left eye of Belloise. At the midway point, despite a 10-8 round for Belloise in the second, Williams has moved ahead (by a count of 58-56) on the unofficial scorecard. In round eight, a more aggressive minded Belloise strikes back, ripping open a cut under Williams’ left eye; when both fighters return to their respective corners, there is work to be done closing cuts in both cases. The bout comes down to the final few rounds, with both boxers tiring badly, but with Williams still enjoying an edge in the punches landed stats. In round 10, Williams manages to reopen the cut over Belloise’s eye a second time. In the end, Williams’ superior boxing skills prove to be just enough for him to prevail in a close but UD 12 (115-113 on all three cards). Post-bout, Williams improves to 55-14-1 (24), compared to a post-bout mark of 31-9-2 (15) for Belloise. Then, in the main event, the WBA WW title is up for grabs, with “Sugar” Ray Robinson defending against challenger Billy Graham. First meeting of the two and Graham, who has fallen short in two prior attempts to win the lesser USBA WW title, has scored recent wins over Jackie Wilson and Izzy Jannazzo to set up this title shot. Full of confidence, Robinson takes charge after scoring well with a big round in round three. After the first five, Robinson has pulled out to a significant lead in points (50-46), according to the unofficial scorer’s card. The middle rounds see Graham opening up, taking more risks, as he takes the fight to Robinson, but with little effect. “Sugar” Ray decks Graham with a hook to the head in round seven, and Graham is able to resume after taking an eight count. Robinson continues with a steady, solid approach, forcing Graham to initiate most of the action. At the two thirds mark, with Graham’s left eye exhibiting the initial telltale signs of swelling, Robinson has built an even larger lead (99-91) on the unofficial card. More trouble for Graham in round 11, as he goes down a second time, courtesy of an overhand right from Robinson. Once again, Graham is able to beat the count and cover up to last the round. A weary looking Graham launches an all-out offensive in the final few rounds of the bout, but his punches lack sting and are easily parried by Robinson. With seconds remaining in the 13th round, a Robinson uppercut puts Graham down for good. Impressive KO 13 for Robinson, who may now be tempted to test the waters in the much more competitive MW ranks. Post-bout career marks: Robinson, 34-2-1 (25); Graham, 23-8-1 (10).

Mar. 26, 1948: Next up is a Friday night card at Manila’s Rizal Arena. Featured in the headliner are two Flyweight contenders, both of whom are regional titleholders: EBU Fly Champ Terry Allen and his OPBF counterpart, Yoichiro Hanada. The two have not met before, and this non-title bout is scheduled for 10. Not much happens in the first few rounds, then Allen pulls ahead in the punches landed category after successfully moving to the inside in round three. In round four, Hanada starts to turn things around, moving inside himself, and managing to cause some puffiness to appear under Allen’s right eye after connecting with a few solid shots. At the halfway point of the contest, the unofficial scorer has Allen up by two (49-47). In the second half, Hanada, trailing on both points and punches landed, is forced to try to generate some offense and pose more problems for Allen. Despite Hanada’s best efforts to close the gap, Allen’s defense remains firm, and he appears to be well on his way to a routine points win when, as the final 30 seconds are ticking down, Hanada catches Allen with a short, clean hook that puts the British fighter down and out. Surprise final round KO 10 for Hanada, who was trailing on two of the three judges’ cards heading into the crucial final round. The win lifts Hanada to 41-22-4 (10), while the loss drops Allen to 27-3 (3). Unfortunately for Hanada, he has used up sufficient retirement points that he will be at Post-Prime with his next outing.

Mar. 27, 1948: The Earls Court in London is the venue for the next card, and, in the featured main event, unbeaten Austrian HW prospect Joe Weiden challenges EBU and GBU HW Champion Bruce Woodcock for Woodcock’s EBU HW title. This is the first meeting of the two, and many observers feel that the 15-0 Weiden, who is still at Pre-Prime career stage, is no match for the vastly more experienced Woodcock. However, it is Weiden who pulls ahead in the early going, as Woodcock gets off to a really slow start. By the end of round three, a minor upset is brewing as there is a mouse forming under Woodcock’s right eye, credit to some accurate punching by the challenger. It is not until round four when Woodcocck begins to assert himself, taking charge by moving inside to take the round. Then, by round five, Woodcock is a commanding presence, staggering Weiden with an uppercut, then following up with an a big hook that leaves the challenger leaning helplessly against the ropes. At this point, the ref has seen enough and orders an immediate halt, so it is a TKO 5 for Woodcock. Post-bout records: Woodcock, 29-2 (24); Weiden, 15-1 (8). Impressive recovery after a woeful start by Woodcock, who was trailing on all three cards after the opening four rounds; this win, along with other recent successes, has elevated Woodcock to the status of a top contender for Joe Louis’ WBA HW crown.

Mar. 27, 1948: The month concludes with a card at Pittsburgh’s Forbes Field, and there are a couple of bouts of interest. First, in the main supporting bout, a Post-Prime Jersey Joe Walcott looks to revitalize his flagging career, as he takes on an up-and-coming HW, Freddie Beshore. The two have not met before and thus, the expected feeling out process consumes much of the opening few rounds. Walcott, who has struggled recently, with only one win in his last eight outings, manages to seize the upper hand by moving inside and taking the fight to his opponent in round three. By the midway point of the scheduled 10-rounder, Walcott has pulled out to a nice points lead (49-46) on the unofficial scorer’s card. In the later round, with both fighters beginning to tire, it is Beshore who is forcing the action, while Walcott is content to simply hang on to his early lead. In the end, not a particularly exciting encounter, and Walcott manages to maintain his points advantage to the end, taking a rather uninspiring UD 10 (97-93, 98-94, 97-93) to run his career mark to 54-15 (31). The loss leaves Beshore at 21-3-2 (2). Then, in the main event, the “Man of Steel,” Tony Zale, defends his USBA MW title against another top rated MW contender, Charley Burley who, like Zale, is a former WBA Champion. One prior meeting, back in 1946 when Zale was challenging Burley for the WBA title, resulted in a stoppage win for Burley who, with Zale now at Post-Prime, hopes to repeat that favorable outcome. In this rematch, Burley seems to have the early edge in terms of the punches landed stat. By the end of the fourth round, some accurate punching by Burley has managed to cause a mouse to form under Zale’s right eye. By the halfway point, Burley’s smooth boxing style has propelled him to a solid points lead (60-55 on the unofficial card), plus there is now puffiness around Zale’s other eye. Zale tries to put more pressure, working his way inside, but in round eight, he leaves himself open and is felled by a Burley uppercut that puts him down and out. KO 8 for Burley who, having regained a regional title belt, now is prepared to set his sights on regaining the WBA MW crown. Post-bout career records: Burley, 46-4 (32); Zale, 46-9-2 (27).

[JCWeb]

This report includes bouts from the first half of April 1948. One WBA title bout is included in this report.

Apr. 2, 1948: The month commences with a Friday night card at Atlantic City. Two MW contenders are matched in the main event, as Artie Levine faces Coley “the Fighting Iceman” Welch. The two have not faced each other before, and both are in Prime condition for this 10-round, non-title bout. After a couple of nondescript opening rounds, Levine moves inside to apply some pressure on his opponent in round three. However, Levine runs into some stiff resistance from Welch, and the bout remains extremely close as it heads into the middle rounds. At the halfway point, the unofficial scorecard gives the nod to Levine by a slight margin (48-47). In the second half of the bout, Levine’s superior stamina begins to tell, and he gradually wears down Welch. Welch is able to bounce back with a strong second half, and the outcome remains in doubt right until the final bell, and Levine hangs on to snag a SD 10 (96-94, 95-96, 96-94) to run his career record to 25-8-1 (15) with the win. The loss leaves Welch at 34-14-4 (15).

Apr. 3, 1948: Two top five BW contenders do battle in the main event at the next fight card, at Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens. Taking to the ring is the recently dethroned WBA BW Champion, Luis Galvani; his opponent is Tony Olivera, the reigning USBA BW titleholder. The two are meeting for the first time, and the bout is scheduled for 10 rounds. Solid start by the Cuban ex-Champion, Galvani, who has the early edge in the punches landed stats. Olivera finally gets going with a strong round four but, at the midway point of the contest, the unofficial scorecard has Galvani well ahead on points (49-46). In the second half of the bout, the onus is on Olivera to change the state of affairs, and he adopts a much more aggressive posture, despite the fact he is running low on energy. Olivera battles all the way to the end, winning a couple of the later rounds, but, in the end, it is not enough to overcome Galvani’s early lead, so Galvani takes a UD 10 (96-95, 97-93, 97-93) to put himself back in the BW title picture. Post-bout career marks: Galvani, 24-4 (15); Olivera, 33-12-2 (20).

Apr. 9, 1948: Next up is the Friday night fight “Down Under” card, this time at Melbourne. Some doubleheader action tops the agenda, and the first co-feature matches top five LW contender Joe “Old Bones” Brown with Aussie Norm Gent, the reigning Commonwealth and OPBF LW titleholder, in a 10-round, non-title affair. Action is slow to develop, as the two are facing each other for the first time. By the end of round three, Brown has pulled ahead to a wide lead in the punches landed category, while Gent is still trying to work his way into the bout. Into the middle rounds, and Brown does not let up; he decks Gent with a hard shot near the end of the fifth round. A shaken Gent scrambles to his feet after taking an eight count, but there is not enough time left for Brown to finish matters. At the halfway point, Brown is well ahead (50-44) on the unofficial card, so it would take a near miracle for Gent to turn things around. However, Gent does battle back with a strong showing in round six, and Brown returns to his corner with a mouse forming under his right eye. Then, in round seven, a Gent hook draws blood, opening a cut over Brown’s other (left) eye. With Brown concerned about protecting the cut, Gent goes on the attack as the bout enters the later rounds. Gent manages to reopen the cut over Brown’s eye in round nine but, otherwise, Brown’s early lead holds up, and he puts Gent down a second time in the 10th and final round. Thus, to no surprise, Brown goes on to record a solid UD 10 victory (99-90, 98-91, 99-90) to run his career record to 30-3 (20). Gent ends the bout at 18-4-3 (7). Then, in the finale, the OPBF FW title is on the line, with two familiar foes battling for the belt, as Tsuneo Horiguchi, the defender, faces Aussie Eddie Miller, the challenger, for the seventh (!) time. Horiguchi, who is coming off a points loss to Willie Pep in a WBA title clash, holds a 4-2 edge in their six prior meetings. Horiguchi takes charge early, connecting with a big hook in the opening stanza. Then, in round three, Horiguchi moves inside, banging away with a two-fisted attack that lands sufficient leather to cause of trace of swelling to appear under Miller’s right eye. Undeterred, Miller bounces back quickly, keeping the bout close as it heads into the middle rounds. In round six, Miller is caught hitting below the belt, and a point is deducted from his score. Checking in with the unofficial scorer at ringside, that one point is the difference, as Horiguchi holds a narrow lead (57-56) at the midway point. By the end of round seven, Miller has pulled ahead in the punches landed count. A minute into round eight, with both fighters battling away on the inside, Horiguchi lands a short hook, and Miller drops to the deck, taking a knee before resuming after taking a four count. Miller battle back and, in an exciting conclusion, he connects with a big shot early in round 10, putting Horiguchi down and out. KO 10 for Miller, who regains the OPBF belt he held once before, to the delight of the Australian fight fans in attendance. Post-bout, Miller improves to 31-13-2 (12); Horiguchi drops to 43-16-3 (21) with the loss. A tension-filled bout with multiple momentum swings and, thus, an early contender for Fight of the Year.

Apr. 10, 1948: Next card takes place in Chicago. In the main event, Phil Terranova and “the Austin Atom,” Jackie Graves are paired together in a contest for the USBA FW title, with the title having been recently vacated by the fast rising Sandy Saddler, who stepped up and won the NABF FW title. It is the first meeting of these two, and the early edge in punches landed goes to Graves, who is the more active of the two. A minute into the fourth round, Graves lands a hard shot, sending Terranova tumbling to the canvas. Terranova is back on his feet as the count reaches four, and he covers up but still manages to take a beating, although Graves is unable to finish him off. At this point, there is noticeable puffiness under the left eye of Terranova. Midway through the fifth round, Graves staggers Terranova with a big hook but, again, Graves is unable to follow up. Then, with seconds remaining in the round, Terranova lands a three-punch combo that puts Graves on the deck. The count reaches ten, and Graves is unable to beat the count. Surprising KO 5 for Terranova, who got off the deck to take the USBA title in his third attempt to win the belt. Post-bout records: Terranova, 26-8 (11); Graves, 20-4-1 (15).

Apr. 10, 1948: Los Angeles sets the scene for the next card, and, in the featured main event, the USBA Flyweight title is revived after some nine years of inactivity. Dado Marino, who was awarded the belt in 1943, is making his first official defense, taking on “the Rose of Santa Rosa,” former WBA Flyweight Champ Jackie Jurich. In three prior meetings, Jurich won twice but, this time, Jurich is on the downside of his career arc, so there is some reason to favor Marino in this rematch. With two boxers doing battle, the bout devolves into a tense, defensive struggle; thus, neither fighter is able to break through and dominate the action. However, in the middle rounds, Marino begins to pull ahead and, at the halfway point of the contest, he has forged a nice points lead (60-55), according to the unofficial scorer’s card. More trouble for Jurich in round seven, as Marino’s punches begin to tell, causing noticeable swelling under and around both eyes of Jurich. As the bout progresses, Jurich becomes more aggressive, moving inside and attempting to apply more pressure on Marino. Marino’s defense holds up, and a frustrated Jurich finds his punches lack steam as he tires badly in the final rounds. The bout goes to the judges and, to no surprise, Marino retains the title via a comfortable UD 12 (116-112, 117-111, 117-111) to run his career record to 30-9 (13). The loss leaves Jurich at 38-12-1 (19).

Apr. 16, 1948: Next is a big fight night at Manila’s Rizal Arena. The Friday night card is topped by a WBA title encounter, but in the main preliminary bout, OPBF BW Champ Tirso Del Rosario takes on a veteran BW from the States in Benny Goldberg, a former WBA BW titleholder. The two have met twice before, with Goldberg registering a win and a draw in those two prior encounters. This time around, with Goldberg now at Post-Prime, Del Rosario hopes for a better result before a favorable hometown audience here in Manila. With two boxers doing battle, the bout devolves into a tactical contest, and it is Goldberg who is able to pull out an early lead in terms of the punches landed stats. At the midway point, this translates into a slight edge in favor of Goldberg (49-47) on the unofficial scorer’s card. In the second half, Rosario, trailing, seeks to mix things up by taking a more active role in an effort to apply more pressure on his opponent. In the end, though, it is not enough, as Goldberg hangs on to record a solid UD 10 (99-92, 99-92, 96-95) although Del Rosario rallied to make it close on one of the cards. The win enables Goldberg to run his record to 35-7-3 (14). The loss leaves Del Rosario at 19-7-2 (4). Then, in the main event, Yoshio Shirai defends the WBA Flyweight title belt, facing former Champ Rinty Monaghan, who has held the bout on three prior occasions. In one prior encounter, with no title on the line, Monaghan took a UD 10, also in Manila. Not much happens until round four, when Monaghan rocks Shirai with a solid cross. After the first five rounds are the in the books, Monaghan has a wide lead in points (50-46), according to the unofficial card. Rather than resting on his laurels, Monaghan continues to press forward in the middle rounds. Shirai fires back, turning from boxer to slugger in round eight, and he manages to land sufficient leather to cause some initial swelling under the left eye of the challenger. A strong rally in the middle rounds enables Shirai to erase an early deficit and, at the two thirds point of the bout, he has pulled in front (96-95) on the unofficial card. Thus, the issue is very much in doubt as the bout heads into the final few rounds. The two battle right down to the wire, with both fighters swinging away. The drama carries forward to the final round, when Monaghan decks Shirai with a big hook. Although Shirai manages to beat the count, the damage has been done, and it is just enough to swing the close UD 15 to Monaghan (143-141, 143-142, 143-141). Post-bout career records: Monaghan, 43-14-2 (12); Shirai, 22-3 (11). A definite Fight of Year contender given the dramatic final round.

[JCWeb]

This report includes bouts from the first half of April 1948. One WBA title bout is included in this report.

Apr. 2, 1948: The month commences with a Friday night card at Atlantic City. Two MW contenders are matched in the main event, as Artie Levine faces Coley “the Fighting Iceman” Welch. The two have not faced each other before, and both are in Prime condition for this 10-round, non-title bout. After a couple of nondescript opening rounds, Levine moves inside to apply some pressure on his opponent in round three. However, Levine runs into some stiff resistance from Welch, and the bout remains extremely close as it heads into the middle rounds. At the halfway point, the unofficial scorecard gives the nod to Levine by a slight margin (48-47). In the second half of the bout, Levine’s superior stamina begins to tell, and he gradually wears down Welch. Welch is able to bounce back with a strong second half, and the outcome remains in doubt right until the final bell, and Levine hangs on to snag a SD 10 (96-94, 95-96, 96-94) to run his career record to 25-8-1 (15) with the win. The loss leaves Welch at 34-14-4 (15).

Apr. 3, 1948: Two top five BW contenders do battle in the main event at the next fight card, at Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens. Taking to the ring is the recently dethroned WBA BW Champion, Luis Galvani; his opponent is Tony Olivera, the reigning USBA BW titleholder. The two are meeting for the first time, and the bout is scheduled for 10 rounds. Solid start by the Cuban ex-Champion, Galvani, who has the early edge in the punches landed stats. Olivera finally gets going with a strong round four but, at the midway point of the contest, the unofficial scorecard has Galvani well ahead on points (49-46). In the second half of the bout, the onus is on Olivera to change the state of affairs, and he adopts a much more aggressive posture, despite the fact he is running low on energy. Olivera battles all the way to the end, winning a couple of the later rounds, but, in the end, it is not enough to overcome Galvani’s early lead, so Galvani takes a UD 10 (96-95, 97-93, 97-93) to put himself back in the BW title picture. Post-bout career marks: Galvani, 24-4 (15); Olivera, 33-12-2 (20).

Apr. 9, 1948: Next up is the Friday night fight “Down Under” card, this time at Melbourne. Some doubleheader action tops the agenda, and the first co-feature matches top five LW contender Joe “Old Bones” Brown with Aussie Norm Gent, the reigning Commonwealth and OPBF LW titleholder, in a 10-round, non-title affair. Action is slow to develop, as the two are facing each other for the first time. By the end of round three, Brown has pulled ahead to a wide lead in the punches landed category, while Gent is still trying to work his way into the bout. Into the middle rounds, and Brown does not let up; he decks Gent with a hard shot near the end of the fifth round. A shaken Gent scrambles to his feet after taking an eight count, but there is not enough time left for Brown to finish matters. At the halfway point, Brown is well ahead (50-44) on the unofficial card, so it would take a near miracle for Gent to turn things around. However, Gent does battle back with a strong showing in round six, and Brown returns to his corner with a mouse forming under his right eye. Then, in round seven, a Gent hook draws blood, opening a cut over Brown’s other (left) eye. With Brown concerned about protecting the cut, Gent goes on the attack as the bout enters the later rounds. Gent manages to reopen the cut over Brown’s eye in round nine but, otherwise, Brown’s early lead holds up, and he puts Gent down a second time in the 10th and final round. Thus, to no surprise, Brown goes on to record a solid UD 10 victory (99-90, 98-91, 99-90) to run his career record to 30-3 (20). Gent ends the bout at 18-4-3 (7). Then, in the finale, the OPBF FW title is on the line, with two familiar foes battling for the belt, as Tsuneo Horiguchi, the defender, faces Aussie Eddie Miller, the challenger, for the seventh (!) time. Horiguchi, who is coming off a points loss to Willie Pep in a WBA title clash, holds a 4-2 edge in their six prior meetings. Horiguchi takes charge early, connecting with a big hook in the opening stanza. Then, in round three, Horiguchi moves inside, banging away with a two-fisted attack that lands sufficient leather to cause of trace of swelling to appear under Miller’s right eye. Undeterred, Miller bounces back quickly, keeping the bout close as it heads into the middle rounds. In round six, Miller is caught hitting below the belt, and a point is deducted from his score. Checking in with the unofficial scorer at ringside, that one point is the difference, as Horiguchi holds a narrow lead (57-56) at the midway point. By the end of round seven, Miller has pulled ahead in the punches landed count. A minute into round eight, with both fighters battling away on the inside, Horiguchi lands a short hook, and Miller drops to the deck, taking a knee before resuming after taking a four count. Miller battle back and, in an exciting conclusion, he connects with a big shot early in round 10, putting Horiguchi down and out. KO 10 for Miller, who regains the OPBF belt he held once before, to the delight of the Australian fight fans in attendance. Post-bout, Miller improves to 31-13-2 (12); Horiguchi drops to 43-16-3 (21) with the loss. A tension-filled bout with multiple momentum swings and, thus, an early contender for Fight of the Year.

Apr. 10, 1948: Next card takes place in Chicago. In the main event, Phil Terranova and “the Austin Atom,” Jackie Graves are paired together in a contest for the USBA FW title, with the title having been recently vacated by the fast rising Sandy Saddler, who stepped up and won the NABF FW title. It is the first meeting of these two, and the early edge in punches landed goes to Graves, who is the more active of the two. A minute into the fourth round, Graves lands a hard shot, sending Terranova tumbling to the canvas. Terranova is back on his feet as the count reaches four, and he covers up but still manages to take a beating, although Graves is unable to finish him off. At this point, there is noticeable puffiness under the left eye of Terranova. Midway through the fifth round, Graves staggers Terranova with a big hook but, again, Graves is unable to follow up. Then, with seconds remaining in the round, Terranova lands a three-punch combo that puts Graves on the deck. The count reaches ten, and Graves is unable to beat the count. Surprising KO 5 for Terranova, who got off the deck to take the USBA title in his third attempt to win the belt. Post-bout records: Terranova, 26-8 (11); Graves, 20-4-1 (15).

Apr. 10, 1948: Los Angeles sets the scene for the next card, and, in the featured main event, the USBA Flyweight title is revived after some nine years of inactivity. Dado Marino, who was awarded the belt in 1943, is making his first official defense, taking on “the Rose of Santa Rosa,” former WBA Flyweight Champ Jackie Jurich. In three prior meetings, Jurich won twice but, this time, Jurich is on the downside of his career arc, so there is some reason to favor Marino in this rematch. With two boxers doing battle, the bout devolves into a tense, defensive struggle; thus, neither fighter is able to break through and dominate the action. However, in the middle rounds, Marino begins to pull ahead and, at the halfway point of the contest, he has forged a nice points lead (60-55), according to the unofficial scorer’s card. More trouble for Jurich in round seven, as Marino’s punches begin to tell, causing noticeable swelling under and around both eyes of Jurich. As the bout progresses, Jurich becomes more aggressive, moving inside and attempting to apply more pressure on Marino. Marino’s defense holds up, and a frustrated Jurich finds his punches lack steam as he tires badly in the final rounds. The bout goes to the judges and, to no surprise, Marino retains the title via a comfortable UD 12 (116-112, 117-111, 117-111) to run his career record to 30-9 (13). The loss leaves Jurich at 38-12-1 (19).

Apr. 16, 1948: Next is a big fight night at Manila’s Rizal Arena. The Friday night card is topped by a WBA title encounter, but in the main preliminary bout, OPBF BW Champ Tirso Del Rosario takes on a veteran BW from the States in Benny Goldberg, a former WBA BW titleholder. The two have met twice before, with Goldberg registering a win and a draw in those two prior encounters. This time around, with Goldberg now at Post-Prime, Del Rosario hopes for a better result before a favorable hometown audience here in Manila. With two boxers doing battle, the bout devolves into a tactical contest, and it is Goldberg who is able to pull out an early lead in terms of the punches landed stats. At the midway point, this translates into a slight edge in favor of Goldberg (49-47) on the unofficial scorer’s card. In the second half, Rosario, trailing, seeks to mix things up by taking a more active role in an effort to apply more pressure on his opponent. In the end, though, it is not enough, as Goldberg hangs on to record a solid UD 10 (99-92, 99-92, 96-95) although Del Rosario rallied to make it close on one of the cards. The win enables Goldberg to run his record to 35-7-3 (14). The loss leaves Del Rosario at 19-7-2 (4). Then, in the main event, Yoshio Shirai defends the WBA Flyweight title belt, facing former Champ Rinty Monaghan, who has held the bout on three prior occasions. In one prior encounter, with no title on the line, Monaghan took a UD 10, also in Manila. Not much happens until round four, when Monaghan rocks Shirai with a solid cross. After the first five rounds are the in the books, Monaghan has a wide lead in points (50-46), according to the unofficial card. Rather than resting on his laurels, Monaghan continues to press forward in the middle rounds. Shirai fires back, turning from boxer to slugger in round eight, and he manages to land sufficient leather to cause some initial swelling under the left eye of the challenger. A strong rally in the middle rounds enables Shirai to erase an early deficit and, at the two thirds point of the bout, he has pulled in front (96-95) on the unofficial card. Thus, the issue is very much in doubt as the bout heads into the final few rounds. The two battle right down to the wire, with both fighters swinging away. The drama carries forward to the final round, when Monaghan decks Shirai with a big hook. Although Shirai manages to beat the count, the damage has been done, and it is just enough to swing the close UD 15 to Monaghan (143-141, 143-142, 143-141). Post-bout career records: Monaghan, 43-14-2 (12); Shirai, 22-3 (11). A definite Fight of Year contender given the dramatic final round.

[JCWeb]

This report includes bouts from the second half of April 1948. One WBA title bout is included in this report.

Apr. 17, 1948: Back to Europe and Gothenburg, Sweden for the next fight card. One bout of note, and it is the main event, which sees Italian Michele Palermo challenging Ernie Roderick for Roderick’s EBU WW title. It is the third meeting of the two, and both prior matchups produced some really close outcomes: one draw, and one split duke that went for Palermo. With Roderick at Post-Prime, Palermo takes advantage, and he compiles an early lead in terms of the punches landed stats. However, Roderick responds with a solid round in the second, and he also gains an added benefit in the form of some initial swelling around the right eye of Palermo. Roderick continues with a surprisingly strong performance, taking most of the opening rounds on the unofficial card; at the halfway point, even after losing the sixth round to Palermo, Roderick has a narrow one point lead (57-56). Palermo then goes on to dominate the action, pulling ahead after winning most of the middle rounds. Roderick, trailing after leading earlier in the bout, tries to turn the tide by going on the offensive in the final two rounds of the contest. The bout goes the rest of the way without incident and, in another close one, Palermo takes the title via another SD 12 (116-112, 112-116, 115-113), running his career record to 47-16-10 (12) with the win. The loss leaves Roderick at 39-22-6 (8).

Apr. 17, 1948: New Orleans hosts the next fight card, and an intriguing doubleheader tops the agenda. In the first co-feature, two former WBA WW Champs square off, as Henry Armstrong faces Tommy Bell in a 10-round, non-title contest. The two have not met before, and Bell’s best hope lies in the fact that Armstrong is at Post-Prime career stage. Both fighters are not afraid to mix it up, yet neither is able to land a decisive blow in the opening rounds. Starting in round four, Bell seizes the initiative and has the upper hand, gradually piling up an early edge in the punches landed stats. However, late in round five, a sharp blow from Armstrong connects, causing Bell to drop to his knees, recovering enough to regain his feet as the count reaches three. Not enough time left in the round for Armstrong to follow up but, at the midway point, the 10-8 round for Armstrong evens the count (to 47-47) on the unofficial scorer’s card. In the second half of the bout, Bell rebounds, doing enough to cause some initial puffiness to appear under Armstrong’s left eye as early as round six. The bout enters the later stages and Armstrong, looking to repeat his earlier success, is the aggressor but, by this time, his punches lack steam. The bout goes the full 10 rounds and, despite the one knockdown, Bell goes on to take a UD 10 (95-94, 97-92, 97-92). Post-bout career marks: Bell, 28-3 (15); Armstrong, 52-11-3 (43). This loss puts Armstrong, who faded badly in the second half of the bout, one step closer to retirement. In the second co-feature, LWs take to the ring as newly crowned USBA LW Champ Beau Jack challenges Ike Williams for Williams’ NABF LW title. The two have met twice before, with each winning once. Shapes up to be an intriguing contest, as both guys have power (a combined 48 KOs) and impressive career marks up to this point. In round three, Jack tries to work his way inside, but Williams catches him with a short, clean cross, sending the challenger tumbling to the deck. Jack recovers quickly, arising at the count of three, then wisely covers up to last the round. As Jack retreats to his corner between rounds, he is sporting a rapidly swelling right eye. Despite Jack’s best efforts, by the halfway point, Williams has amassed a wide points lead (60-53), according to the unofficial scorer at ringside. Williams eases up in the second half, while Jack tries to spark a rally. By round seven, a mouse has formed under Williams’ right eye, indicating that Jack has had some success in finding the range with his punches. Jack tries to step up the pace, applying more pressure, but in round nine, he is felled a second time, once again the victim of a Williams cross. This time, there is plenty of time remaining in the round, and Williams follows up with another knockdown, and Jack barely beats the count; he is fortunate to survive into the next round. More trouble for Jack in round 11, as Williams manages to open a cut over his right eye; then, late in the round, with Williams continuing to dominate, the ref has seen enough and calls a halt. TKO 11 for Williams, who improves to 33-4-1 (28) with the win. Jack slips to 33-6 (21) with the loss. Another impressive outing for Williams, who seems primed for another shot at the WBA crown with an impressive string of KO wins since his title loss to Vic Patrick in what was later determined to be the “Fight of the Year” for 1947.

Apr. 23, 1948: Next up is a Friday night card at Havana. Topping the agenda is a double feature of main events, both involving fighters in the WW division. In the first co-feature, it is a rematch as OPBF WW Champ Jack McNamee faces the “Cuban Hawk,” Kid Gavilan. The two met once before, in Sydney in 1947, and Gavilan registered a MD 10 win. This time around, Gavilan gets on top early, piling up a solid lead in the punches landed stats and, by the end of round four, he is dominating the action, backing McNamee up and causing some swelling to appear under his left eye. At the halfway point, Gavilan, who is totally outboxing his veteran Aussie opponent, has a wide lead (50-45) on the unofficial card. A desperate looking McNamee tries to alter the course of the bout in the second half, but Gavilan denies him any openings and grinds out a solid UD 10 (100-90, 100-90, 99-91) to run his career totals to 19-2-1 (3). McNamee ends the bout at 41-20-2 (23). Then, in the second co-feature, the NABF WW title is on the line, as Georgie Crouch defends against another Cuban fan favorite, veteran Joe Legon. The two have not met before, and the action is slow to develop as both fighters seem reluctant to press the action in the early going. At the midway point, with several close rounds going to Crouch on the unofficial card, the unofficial scorer has Crouch well ahead (60-54) on points. In round eight, Crouch traps Legon in the corner of the ring, and drops the Cuban challenger with a hard shot. Legon bounces up quickly, then covers up to last the round. For the remainder of the bout, Crouch is content to remain on the outside, while Legon flails away with little success. In the final seconds of the final round, Legon is dropped a second time, ending the bout on his back as he is saved by the bell. Then end result is a lopsided UD 12 for Crouch (118-107, 117-108, 118-108), who easily prevails over the post-Prime Legon. Post-bout career marks: Crouch, 37-14-14 (18); Legon, 35-19-6 (14).

Apr. 24, 1948: Another big doubleheader tops the action on the next card, at the Earls Court in London. Two fasting rising FW contenders lock horns in the first co-feature, a battle of two regional Champs as NABF FW Champ Sandy Saddler faces Brit Ronnie Clayton, who recently captured the GBU FW title belt. The duo, who sport a combined 47-2 record (with Saddler completing the Pre-Prime phase of his career with a perfect 20-0 record) are meeting for the first time. The action is just beginning to heat up when, a couple of minutes into the second round, Saddler decks Clayton with a big shot. Clayton is able to resume, and he wisely covers up to last the round. In round four, Clayton goes down a second time, this the result of a Saddler uppercut; this time, Clayton takes some time to regain his footing, arising at the count of eight. Plenty of time left in the round, and Saddler expertly finishes matters with an overhand right that puts Clayton down and out. Impressive KO 5 for Saddler over another regional Champion. Post-bout records: Saddler, 21-0 (17); Clayton, 27-3 (14). Many observers view this result as proof that Saddler is ready for a shot at WBA FW titleholder Willie Pep. In the second co-feature, the EBU BW title is at stake, with Theo Medina defending versus veteran challenger Johnny King, a multiple titleholder of the WBA BW belt along with many others. It is the first meeting of the two, as Medina locks horns with a fighter six years his senior. The action takes awhile to develop as there is a predictably long feeling out process at the outset. After the opening few rounds are in the books, Medina emerges with a solid 2-to-1 advantage in the punches landed count. By the midway point of the contest, Medina has built a solid points lead (59-55) on the unofficial scorecard. Furthermore, there is blood on King’s face: first, from a cut lip and, later in round six, a cut over his left eye that appears to have been caused by an accidental butt. Medina takes a more cautious approach to the second half of the bout, while King, after some good cornerwork has patched up both cuts, takes a more aggressive approach, taking risks in an effort to land a telling blow. Finally, in round nine, King connects with a powerful uppercut, enough to cause Medina to retreat and cover up, but the Frenchman remains upright and manages to survive the round. In round 10, the cut over King’s eye is reopened, while the split lip remains untouched. With the cut still bleeding late in round 11, King unleashes a combination of blows that send Medina crashing to the canvas. Medina survives, and he covers up once again to reach the final round. There, the two continue to battle until the end. The judges’ cards are reviewed and, in the end, the late KD enabled King to snatch a close but UD 12 (115-113 on all cards) to take the EBU BW crown in another possible “Fight of the Year” given the dramatic turnaround with the 11th round knockdown. The win enables King to run his career totals to 64-14-5 (26). The loss leaves Medina at 30-12-5 (8).

Apr. 24, 1948: Miami sets the scene for the next card, and, in the featured main event, the USBA HW title is on the line, with “Tampa” Tommy Gomez defending versus a veteran challenger in Nathan Mann. Gomez took a TKO win in their one earlier contest, and he is confident of a repeat win since Mann is at Post-Prime career stage for this second encounter. A little more than two minutes into the opening stanza, Gomez connects with a huge hook and causes Mann to cover up in order to avert further damage. However, Gomez’s killer instinct kicks in, and he delivers a flurry of unanswered blows. Finally, with seconds remaining in a round that seemed much longer than the normal three minutes, the ref steps in to save Mann from further punishment. Thus, it goes into the books as an impressive TKO 1 for “Tampa Tommy”, and Gomez runs his career record to 35-6-1 (32). The loss leaves Mann at 34-18-3 (23).

Apr. 30, 1948: The month ends with a big fight night at New York’s Madison Square Garden. A WBA title clash tops the agenda, but first up, an intriguing non-title bout in the MW division, as Jake LaMotta, the “Bronx Bull,” faces Brit Tommy Davies. The two have not met before; LaMotta is on the comeback trail after losing the USBA MW title to Tony Zale, while Davies is fresh off the capture of the vacant Commonwealth MW title. LaMotta, clearly the more skilled of the two, takes an early lead in the punches landed stats. By the midway point of the contest, LaMotta has a huge points lead (50-45) on the unofficial scorer’s card. By the end of round six, it is clear that Davies has been taking a beating, as indicated by his swollen and puffy right eye. A steady but not spectacular performance by LaMotta, who grinds his way to a lopsided UD 10 (100-90, 100-90, 98-92) over the outclassed Brit. Post-bout career marks: LaMotta, 30-4 (20); Davies, 24-10-4 (3). Then, in the main event, Willie Pep defends his WBA FW title against the top ranked contender, LABF FW titleholder Diego Sosa. The two have met three tiems previously, with Pep winning twice (including one title defense in 1947), and Sosa taking a DQ on a controversial foul call that handed Pep his second career defeat back in 1944 – and both Pep’s losses were DQs due to fouls. This time around, Sosa shakes things up when he connects with a sweet uppercut late in round one, causing Pep to cover up in order to last the round. Pep battles back with a strong round two, and he manages to land sufficient leather to cause a trace of swelling to appear under Sosa’s right eye. By round three, Pep is in control of the situation, compiling a two-to-one lead in the punches landed stats. After the first five rounds are in the books, Pep has pulled ahead on the unofficial card (48-46), although he did lose a point in one round for excessive fouling. In the middle rounds, Sosa tries to work his way inside and put some pressure on Pep, but to little or no avail. Sosa does connect with a solid right to the jaw in round eight, but once again, Pep is able to cover up to avert further damage. In round 10, Pep loses another point for low blows but he maintains a solid points lead (96-92) on the unofficial card. Sosa tries to become more aggressive, but his swollen right eye limits his ability to mount a credible rally. The bout goes the rest of the way without incident and Pep, who wisely refrains from other fouling incidents, goes on to scoop up a comfortable UD 15 (146-136, 145-137, 146-136) to retain the title in this, his 12th successful defense. With the win, Pep is now 36-2 (23); the loss leaves Sosa at 29-7-2 (16).

[JCWeb]

This report includes bouts from the first half of May 1948. One WBA title bout is included in this report.

May 1, 1948: The month kicks off with a card at Atlantic City’s Convention Hall. Art “Golden Boy” Aragon is in his first bout as a main event fighter, and he faces fellow LW Santa Bucca. The two have not before, so it is a conservative start by both men. Bucca scores with a big round two to grab an early edge in the punches landed stats. Aragon gets going with a strong round four after recovering from the rather slow start. At the halfway point of the bout, Bucca has a narrow lead (48-47) on the unofficial scorecard. In the second half of the bout, Aragon seizes the initiative and takes a more active approach, but some solid defense from Bucca prevents him from making much progress. The bout goes down to the wire, with Bucca maintaining a healthy lead in the punches landed stats, and the end result reflects how evenly matched the two were, with the SD 10 going to Bucca (95-96, 96-95, 96-95), who held on to win despite a late surge by Aragon, who won the last two rounds on all three cards. With the win, Bucca improves to 19-4-3 (8). For Aragon, it is his second career loss as he wraps up the Pre-Prime stage of his career at 18-2 (12).

May 7, 1948: Next card is a Friday night affair at Vancouver’s Exhibition Gardens. While there are a few Canadian fighters on the undercard, the main event matches two HW contenders from the States in one of those proverbial crossroads bouts, as Ezzard Charles faces Roscoe Toles. While Toles is on the downside of his lengthy career, Charles is still looking to establish his credentials in the HW ranks after a brief reign as the WBA LH Champion. It is the first meeting of the two, and Charles goes to work in the opening stanza, firing away with some accurate punching, enough to cause some initial swelling under the right eye of Toles. Charles is quickly able to establish a large early lead in terms of the punches landed stats. Late in round three, Charles rocks Toles with a powerful hook that causes Toles to cover up. At this point, Charles’ killer instinct kicks in and, with Toles literally out on his feet, the ref steps into save him from further punishment. Impressive TKO 3 for Charles, once again elevating his status as a future HW title contender. Post-bout career marks: Charles, 26-5 (22); Toles, 45-17-6 (8).

May 8, 1948: Next up is a nice card at the Stadium in Liverpool. Two top 10 ranked British Flyweights, past regional Champs and one, a two-time former WBA titleholder, clash in their fourth meeting, as Teddy Gardner faces Peter Kane in a 10-round, non-title affair. In three prior meetings, Kane has prevailed all three times but, this time around, Gardner is the higher ranked of two leading into the bout. The bout is a close one through the opening few rounds but, by the end of the fourth round, Gardner’s accurate punches has caused a mouse to form under the left eye of Kane. At the midway point, after a strong round five, Kane has pulled ahead to a slight lead (48-47on the unofficial card. The bout remains close into the final few rounds, as the two appear to be evenly matched. Kane comes through with a big round nine and, by this point, there is noticeable swelling under Gardner’s right eye as well. No cuts or knockdowns, and Kane finishes strongly (winning the last two rounds on two of the three cards) to take a UD 10 (97-93, 96-94, 96-94), repeating his earlier success over Gardner. Post-bout career marks: Kane, 39-10-1 (14); Gardner, 29-9-2 (11).

May 8, 1948: Chicago is the venue for the next fight card, and Joe Louis is on hand to defend his WBA HW title in Comiskey Park against none other than #4 ranked HW Pat Comiskey. For Comiskey, it is his second meeting with Louis and his second title try, having taken a TKO 5 loss to Louis in a 1943 title clash in Detroit. In this rematch, Louis once again dominates from the opening bell, taking the opening round and, in round two, he manages to connect with a hard shot on the top of Comiskey’s head that causes the challenger to cover up. With a minute left in the round, Louis’ killer instinct kicks in, but Comiskey manages to survive without further damage. Then, it is all Louis in round three as he gradually wears down Comiskey, then putting him down and out with seconds remaining in the round. Another big KO win for Louis, this time a KO 3, who registers his 60th career win in 62 total bouts; Louis now has an impressive career total of 60-1-1 (58), plus he crosses the 2300 perf point plateau, the first boxer in this Uni to do so. The loss drops Comiskey to 30-8 (21).

May 14, 1948: Two Cuban FWs face each other in the main event topping the next card, a Friday night affair at Havana’s Gran Stadium. The two protagonists are fast rising Ciro Morasen and National Kid, who is on the downside of his career arc after having held the NABF and LABF FW titles in past years. This “crossroads” fight represents the first meeting of the two. It is the first meeting of the two. Morasen takes charge in the second round, dominating most of the action and, by the end of the round, Kid is sporting a welt under his right eye. By the midway point of the bout, Morasen holds a wide lead (49-46) on the unofficial card, but Kid rallied to win most of the inside exchanges to take round five. In the second half of the contest, Kid is poised to take a more aggressive approach, but fatigue sets in, preventing him from making much progress. Meanwhile, Morasen, boxing conservatively, goes on to record a UD 10 by a wide margin (98-92, 99-91, 98-92). Post-bout career totals: Morasen, 21-3-3 (3); Kid, 29-14-3 (12).

May 15, 1948: A doubleheader tops the next card on the French Rivier at Cannes. In the first co-feature, former WBA MW Champ Marcel Cerdan, the “Casablanca Clouter,” will have the support of the French fans as he takes on Argentinian MW Raul Rodriguez, , who is the current LABF MW titleholder, The two have not met before, but that doesn’t prevent Cerdan from clocking his opponent with a straight right in the opening stanza. Rodriguez remains upright and wisely elects to cover up, but he ends the round with a puffy right eye as Cerdan’s accurate punching has a decisive impact. After the opening round fireworks, things settle down as Cerdan continues to grind away, carrying a two-point lead to the midway point (48-46), according the unofficial card. Late in round seven, Rodriguez gets in his first good punch, an uppercut that causes Cerdan to cover up. Inspired by this success, Rodriguez takes a more aggressive approach in the final few rounds, while Cerdan seems to be limiting his exposure and resting on his early points lead. In the final round, Rodriguez overextends himself, and Cerdan takes charge with a four-punch combo, then he puts Rodriguez down and out with an overhand right. KO 10 for Cerdan, who reaches the 50-win plateau, ending the bout at 50-8-3 (33). The loss leaves Rodriguez at 25-10-1 (14). The second co-feature is the only title bout on the card, as Brit Jim Kelly defends the EBU FW title versus Spaniard Luis de Santiago. No prior meetings, and de Santiago, while still in the Pre-Prime stage of his career, has compiled a perfect 15-0 career mark thus far. In this title clash, Kelly, despite being at Post-Prime, manages to inflict enough damage to cause a welt to appear under the right eye of the challenger. In round four, de Santiago manages to open a cut over Kelly’s left eye. In an action-packed round five, Kelly lands a jab that causes a cut to appear over de Santiago’s left eye. Despite blood coming from the cut, deSantiago is able to retaliate, dropping Kelly with a nice uppercut. Kelly regains his footing, but the is floored a second time, courtesy of a deSantiago cross – so it ends up being a huge round for the challenger. In the sixth round, with the cut over his eye now closed, deSantiago seeks to finish matters, and he does by reopening the cut over Kelly’s left eye – and this time a stoppage is ordered as the cut is deemed to serious to allow the bout to continue. TKO 6 for deSantiago, who captures the EBU FW belt before reaching the Prime of his career. Post-bout records: DeSantiago, 16-0 (11); Kelly, 39-23-9 (12).

[JCWeb]

This report includes bouts from the second half of May 1948. Three WBA title bouts are included in this report.

May 15, 1948: Next card takes place in Pittsburgh. In the main event, Al Hostak, the “Savage Slav,” challenges Charley Burley for Burley’s USBA MW title. The two are squaring off for the second time; in one prior encounter, back in 1941, Burley took the NABF MW title from Hostak. Burley lands punches in bunches in the opening round, and, as a result, Hostak returns to his corner with a trace of swelling under his left eye. As the bout wears on, Burley continues to grind, adding to his early lead almost every round. At the halfway point of the bout, Burley maintains a two-point edge (58-56) on the unofficial scorecard, but Hostak has been able to work his way into the bout, making it a competitive contest. In round seven, Hostak tries to seize the initiative by working his way inside, but he only opens himself up for target practice by Burley. Late in the round, Burley connects with a straight right hand that sends Hostak reeling against the ropes. Hostak remains upright, attempts to cover up, but Burley does not relent, and he forces the ref to call an early halt with seconds remaining in round seven. Impressive TKO 7 for Burley, who retains the title and improves his career stats to 47-4 (33). Hostak falls to 46-15- 3 (33) with the loss.

May 21, 1948: At the next card, a Friday night affair at Manila, Filipino fan favorite Tirso Del Rosario is on hand to make his second defense (and first in over a year) of the OPBF BW title he has held since 1945. Del Rosario’s opponent is the Japanese boxer, Hiroshi Horiguchi. The two met once before, with no title at stake, back in 1945 when both were at Pre-Prime, and Del Rosario took a UD on his way to rising up the ranks and capturing the OPBF title. The opening rounds see Del Rosario boxing comfortably, and compiling an early edge in the punches landed stats at a steady pace. In the middle rounds, Horiguchi works his way into the bout, but there are few openings for him to exploit and, at the midway point, Del Rosario has a solid points lead (60-55) on the unofficial scorer’s card. Into the second half of the bout, and Horiguchi is the more active of the two, chipping away at Del Rosario’s early lead in the punches landed category. By round 11, Horiguchi has managed to land enough accurate blows to cause some initial puffiness under the right eye of Del Rosario. The late surge and strong second half by Horiguchi (who won the last four rounds from all three judges) is sufficient to carry him to a surprise victory, taking the title via a close but UD 12 (115-113, 115-113, 116-112). Filipino fight fans are stunned in disbelief by this result and, given that Horiguchi is rated a “4” versus an “8” for Del Rosario, this bout has to be a strong contender for the Upset of the Year. Post-bout career marks: Horiguchi, 17-3-4 (4); Del Rosario, 19-8-2 (4).

May 22, 1948: A pair of LH title contests top the next card at New York City. In the first co-feature, Lloyd Marshall is challenged by Harry “Kid” Matthews for the USBA LH title that Marshall, a former WBA LH titleholder, has held since early 1948. The two met once before, in 1947, and Marshall prevailed via a fifth round knockout. By the end of round three, Marshall appears to be making progress, and there is a trace of swelling under the right eye of the challenger. Marshall continues to dominate in the middle rounds and, by the midway point, Marshall has pulled in front on the unofficial scorer’s card (by a count of 58-56). Matthews tries to battle back, but Marshall gradually wears him down and, late in round 10, he decks Matthews with a barrage of blows. Matthews barely beats the count, then covers up to last the round. Marshall puts Matthews on the deck a second time in round 11, and, again, a third time, in round 12. This seals a lopsided UD 12 for Marshall (118-106, 118-109, 118-108), who retains the title, running his career stats to 37-6-5 (30). The loss leaves Matthews at 31-9 (21). With five wins in his last five outings, Marshall has re-established his credentials a potential challenger for the WBA LH title. In the second co-main event, that WBA LH title is on the line, as NABF LH Champ Archie Moore challenges Melio Bettina for the title belt. Moore, who briefly held the WBA LH title once before (in the 1941-42 time frame), has waited a long time for another WBA title shot, and, in Bettina, he is facing an opponent he has bested twice before. This time, with the WBA title at stake, Moore gets off to a strong start, putting Bettina on the defensive from the opening bell. It is not until midway through the fourth round that Bettina gets on track, stunning Moore with a strong shot. Another strong round for Bettina in the fifth cuts Moore’s early lead to just one (48-47), according to the unofficial card at the one-third mark of the bout. Into the middle rounds, and the two sluggers hammer away at each other. In round seven, Bettina walks into a Moore uppercut, and he goes down, taking an eight count. Moore takes full advantage of a vulnerable opponent, forcing Bettina into submission to regain the WBA title in impressive fashion, and the bout goes into the books as a TKO 7 for Moore. Post-bout career marks: Moore, 43-4-5 (30); Bettina, 43-11-7 (18).

May 22, 1948: To the West Coast, where another WBA title contest tops the agenda. First up are two main supporting bouts. In the first of these, former WBA BW Champ David Kui Kong Young continues of the comeback trail, facing the “Pocket Battleship,” aka Luis Castillo, who is the reigning LABF BW Champ. Back in 1943, Kui Kong Young prevailed in a clash for the NABF BW title belt; this time, no titles are at stake in this 10-rounder. Kui Kong Young wastes little time going to work in the opening rounds, building a solid early lead in the punches landed stats. At the midway point, it appears that the unofficial scorer has given a couple of close rounds to Castillo, so the narrow one point lead for Kui Kong Young (48-47) has the bout as much closer than the punches landed count. With Castillo appearing to have made some inroads in the middle rounds, Kui Kong Young steps up the pace, applying pressure on the inside in the seventh and eighth rounds. However, Castillo is offering up some stout resistance, and he has narrowed the gap in the punches landed stat to virtually nil as the bout enters its later stages. With Castillo holding his own, the two battle right down to the final round, and, with a minute left in the bout, Kui Kong Young decks Castillo with a big uppercut. Castillo picks himself up off the canvas after taking a six count. The bout goes to decision, and the final round knockdown is sufficient for Kui Kong Young to eke out a narrow SD 10 verdict (94-96, 95-93, 95-94) to run his career record to 44-4-4 (20). Tough loss for Castillo, who ends the bout at 26-12-1 (11). In the second main support, the NABF WW title is on the line, with “the Cuban Hawk,” Kid Gavilan challenging Georgie Crouch for Crouch’s title belt. The two have not met before, and Gavilan starts well, taking charge from the second round onward. In round four, Gavilan connects with a sharp uppercut that draws blood from a cut over Crouch’s right eye. By the middle rounds, Crouch has begun to recover from a poor start and is working his way into the bout. At the midway point, Gavilan is up by two (58-56) on the unofficial scorer’s card. In round eight, the cut over Crouch’s eye is reopened, while Gavilan continues to expand his lead. Then, when the cut is reopened a second time, in the 10th round, an immediate stoppage is ordered, so Gavilan takes a TKO 10. Post-bout records: Gavilan, 20-2-1 (4); Crouch, 37-15-4 (18). Finally, in the main event, “Bobcat” Bob Montgomery, who has been inactive since December 1947, defends the WBA LW title against Maxie “Little Duke” Docusen, a boxer who just wrapped up the Pre-Prime stage of his career, having barely nudged his way into the top 20 in the LW rankings. No prior meetings. After a couple of non-descript opening rounds, Montgomery moves inside, applying some pressure to his somewhat inexperienced opponent. However, Docusen is able to withstand the pressure and bounces back with a strong round in the fourth. After the first five rounds are in the books, the unofficial scorer has Montgomery well ahead (49-46), with Docusen credited with winning just one round (the fourth). Into the middle rounds, and Docusen, surprisingly, pulls ahead in the punches landed count. Montgomery tries hard to force the action on the inside, while Docusen, boxing beautifully, stays on the outside. However, at the two thirds mark, it appears that Docusen has yet to make major inroads, at least according to the unofficial scorecard, which has Montgomery still holding a solid points lead (98-94). In round 11, Docusen manages to launch a two-fisted assault that causes some puffiness to appear under Montgomery’s left eye. Fearing his title slipping away, Montgomery remains active until the very end, but by the final few rounds, both fighters appear exhausted as they drag themselves to the finish line. The bout goes the full 15 and, with a strong final third, Montgomery is able to retain the title via a UD 15 (145-140, 144-141, 144-141), running his career record to 38-4-2 (21) as a result. For Docusen, it is only his second career loss, leaving him at 17-2-2 (1).

May 28, 1948: Next is a rare Friday night card at London’s Harringay Arena. In the main event, Ritchie Tanner seeks to regain the GBU BW title as he challenges Norman Lewis for the belt that held previously for three years from 1943 to 1946. This represents the fourth meeting of the two; in their prior encounters, Lewis has won twice, and Tanner, once. This time around, a really strong start by a determined Tanner puts him well ahead in the punches landed stats after the opening three rounds, plus he has done enough damage to cause an initial trace of swelling to appear under the right eye of Lewis. Into the middle rounds, and Tanner continues to dominate much of the action. At the midway point, Tanner has the edge (58-56) on the unofficial scorer’s card, meaning that a couple of the closely contested rounds were awarded to Lewis. However, in round eight, any thought of a rally by Lewis to retain the belt is squashed, after the cut over Lewis’ eye is reopened and begins to bleed profusely. After consulting with the ring physician, the ref calls a halt, and Tanner regains the GBU title via a TKO 8 on the cuts stoppage. Post-bout records: Tanner, 27-15-3 (13); Lewis, 27-10-1 (15).

May 29, 1948: The month wraps up with a card in New Orleans, and with another WBA title bout topping the agenda. First up is the main supporting bout, matching MWs Coley “the Fighting Iceman” Welch with Tony Janiro. First meeting of the two and, with no titles at stake, the bout is scheduled for 10 rounds. Some solid boxing in the opening few rounds gives Welch an early edge in the punches landed stats. After a sluggish start, Janiro moves inside in round four and finds the range with some accurate punching. The two mix it up on the inside in round five and, at the halfway point, Welch holds a narrow lead (48-47), according the unofficial card. In the second half of the bout, it is Welch who is the aggressor, seeking the force the action while Janiro is more comfortable setting up shop on the outside. By the end of round seven, there is noticeable swelling under Welch’s right eye as he has paid a price for attempting to work his way inside. By this time, Janiro has pulled ahead in the punch count but it remains to be seen whether or not that translates into a points win with the judges. There are no cuts or knockdowns as the bout goes the distance, and Janiro scoops up a UD 10 (97-93, 96-94, 97-93), advancing his career totals to 20-1-2 (2) compared to 34-15-4 (15) post-bout for Welch. Then, in the main event, newly crowned USBA WW Champion Jimmy Sherrer, who is off to an excellent 22-1 career start, challenges “Sugar” Ray Robinson for Robinson’s WBA WW title. It is the first meeting of the two, and this is Robinson’s third defense after regaining the WBA title in August of 1947. After a pedestrian start in the first couple of rounds, Robinson moves inside in round three, but it is Sherrer who connects with a strong combination that sends “Sugar Ray” tumbling to the canvas. Robinson beats the count, arising at the count of eight, and covers up to last the round. The bout remains close and, even with a 10-8 round for Sherrer in the third, the unofficial scorer has it even (47-47) at the one-third point of the bout. The issue remains very much in doubt in the middle rounds, with Robinson taking a more active role and compiling an ever increasing lead in the punches landed count. In round 10, a Robinson uppercut gets through, opening a cut on Sherrer’s upper lip. After 10 rounds, the bout remains a close one – with Robinson up by just a point (95-94) on the unofficial card. Robinson does not let up, and, by the end of the 11th round, there is a trace of swelling that has formed around Sherrer’s right eye. Despite a strong stamina advantage that puts him on the path to a points win, Robinson then has a point deducted for excessive head butting in round 14. The bout goes the distance without further incident, and Robinson pulls out a UD 15 (144-139, 144-139, 143-140) that was a bit more competitive than he would have liked. Post-bout career marks: Robinson, 35-2-1 (25); Sherrer, 22-2 (12). Could be a Fight of the Year contender, given that Robinson came off the deck to win, but there are likely to be other bouts that are more likely to get the nod.

[JCWeb]

This report includes bouts from the first half of June 1948. No WBA title bouts are included in this report.

June 4, 1948: The month’s fistic action kicks off with a Friday night card at Syracuse’s War Memorial Auditorium. The main event matches veteran WW contender Izzy Jannazzo with unbeaten prospect Johnny “Honey Boy” Bratton, who is seeking to wrap up the pre-Prime stage of his career with a win over a formidable but aging adversary in Jannazzo. First meeting of the two and, as expected, the action, what little there is, is slow to develop through the opening few rounds. Bratton manages to forge an early lead but, by the halfway point, the wily veteran Jannazzo has worked his way into the bout, so the unofficial scorer has Bratton up by just one (48-47) after the first five rounds are in the books. In round six, however, Bratton springs to life, decking Jannazzo with a big hook. Jannazzo manages to struggle to one knee, but falls back to the canvas and is counted out. Impressive KO 6 for Bratton, who wraps up the Pre-Prime stage of his career with an impressive 19-0-1 (11) career start. Jannazzo, who has definitely seen better days, ends the bout at 42-16-5 (13). With the win, Bratton moves into the top 10 in the WW rankings, setting himself up as a future title contender.

June 5, 1948: North of the Border for the next card, this at Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens. In the featured bout, Fernando Gagnon, Canadian BW holder of two regional titles (the Commonwealth and NABF belts), faces Luis Galvani, the Cuban who has held both the NABF and LABF BW titles before capturing the WBA BW belt. Now, having lost the title belt, Galvani is on the comeback trail, and in this bout, he is the challenger for Gagnon’s NABF BW title. The two have met three times previously, with Gagnon winning twice, Galvani once. In this highly awaited rematch, some effective punching by Gagnon in the early going causes some puffiness to appear under Galvani’s right eye as early as round two. Later in the second round, a sharp jab rips open a cut over Galvani’s injured eye. The cut over Galvani’s eye is patched up between rounds but, after another sharp exchange, the cut is reopened in round five. The cut and swollen eye have a definite impact on Galvani, whose defensive skills are greatly diminished as a result. Gagnon takes advantage, applying more and more pressure and, with his opponent literally out on his feet, he forces an early stoppage with just seconds remaining in the round. Thus, it goes in the books as a TKO 5 for Gagnon, who retains the NABF title belt as well as the CBU belt that was not at stake in this contest. Post-bout career marks: Gagnon, 26-5 (16); Galvani, 24-5 (15).

June 5, 1948: Next card in St. Louis pits two FWs against each other, as aging veteran Chalky Wright faces a much younger counterpart in Chico Rosa in a 10-round, non-title contest that serves as the main event. It is the first meeting of the two, and Rosa, who is 12 years Wright’s junior, is still in Prime shape while Wright, now 36, is nearing the end of a 20-year career. A solid start by Rosa gives him the early edge in the punches landed count. By the middle rounds, Wright has recovered from a poor start, but the stamina factor appears to weigh heavily in favor of the younger man. At the midway point, the unofficial scorer has Rosa with a slim one-point advantage (48-47). By the end of round seven, both fighters are showing the effects as both have puffiness around their left eyes as a result of the impact of some accurate punching by both. Wright, trailing, is the aggressor in the later rounds, but his punches lack sting. The bout goes the distance with no cuts or knockdowns, and Rosa walks away a UD 10 winner (98-94, 97-94, 98-94) to run his career record to 21-13-4 (6). For Wright, it is the end of the line after a long career dating back to 1928; he ends up with a final career mark of 47-25-7 (16).

June 11, 1948: Next up is a Friday night card at Havana’s Gran Stadium. In the main event, Dado Marino, current USBA Flyweight titleholder, challenges Cuba’s Black Pico for Pico’s NABF Flyweight title. In one earlier encounter, in Havana back in 1946, Marino prevailed via a MD 10, so Pico is looking to avenge that loss as well as defend the NABF title belt he won in October 1947. Lots of feinting and probing, circling each other for the opening few rounds, but very little in the way of exciting action. By the end of round four, however, Marino has seized the initiative, gaining the upper hand and connecting with enough solid blows to cause some initial puffiness to appear under the left eye of Pico. More trouble for the Cuban fighter in round five, when he sustains a nasty cut over his right eye. In round six, the Cuban fight fans finally have something to cheer about as Pico digs a left hook to the body that causes Marino to back up, and the challenger covers up to last the round. At the midway point of the contest, the unofficial scorer has the bout scored as even (57-57). However, both the punches land count and stamina factors favor Marino by a wide margin. Late in round eight, the cut over Pico’s eye is reopened, but it does not seem severe enough to cause a stoppage at this point. Pico takes up the mantle of aggressor as the bout enters the later rounds, By the end of the 10th round, the cut over Pico’s eye is bleeding again but, in between rounds, it is patched up by his cornermen. However, when the cut is reopened a third time early in round 11, the ref has seen enough and, over the protests of the crowd and Pico’s corner, a halt is ordered. Marino is then declared a TKO 11 victor via the cuts stoppage. Tough loss for Pico, but all three of the judges had Marino ahead at the time of the stoppage. Post-bout career marks: Marino, 31-9 (14); Pico, 18-3-1 (0).

June 12, 1948: Next card takes place at the Palazzo del Sport in Rome, Italy. On tap in the main event is a rematch among two well-worn WWs who are meeting for the fourth time, with Michelle “Kid” Palermo defending the EBU WW title against Brit Ernie Roderick, whom he defeated twice in previous encounters, with their third bout ending in a draw. This time around, the action heats up late in the second round when, after a clash of heads, Palermo ends up with a cut over his right eye. After the first four rounds, Palermo has compiled a solid early lead in the punches landed category. At the halfway point, this translates into a fairly sizable points lead (59-56) for Palermo, according to the unofficial scorer’s card. In round eight, the cut over Palermo’s eye is reopened; Roderick tries to take advantage of the situation, but he is ultimately unsuccessful as Palermo’s defense stiffens, while an awkward and tired looking Roderick is unable to pack much sting into his punches. The bout goes the full 12, with Palermo grinding his way to a UD 12 (117-111, 116-112, 116-112) to defeat Roderick for the third time and successfully retain the title. Post-bout records: Palermo, 48-16-10 (12); Roderick, 39-23-6 (8).

June 12, 1948: Chicago sets the scene for the next card, and the NABF LW title is on the line, with Ike Williams defending the belt versus challenger Sammy “the Clutch” Angott, a two-time former USBA LW Champion. The two met once before, in 1944, and they battled to a 10-round draw on that occasion. In this rematch, Williams takes advantage of a sluggish start from Angott to amass an early lead in the punches landed stats. Into the middle rounds, and Angott continues to struggle, battling a rapidly swelling left eye as well as some impressive boxing by Williams. In round six, Williams opens a cut over Angott’s other eye and then, with seconds remaining in the round, he decks Angott with a powerful uppercut. Angott is counted out right before the bell sounds. Impressive KO 6 for Williams, lifting him to 34-4-1 (29) as a result. The loss leaves Angott at 36-12-6 (12).

[JCWeb]

This report includes bouts from the second half of June 1948. One WBA title bout is included in this report.

June 18, 1948: The next card, a Friday night affair, takes place at Johannesburg’s Rand Stadium in South Africa. Featured in the main event is a non-title, 10-round bout pairing EBU LW Champ Aldo Spoldi with Freddie Dawson, who briefly held the USBA LW title. Dawson gets off to a solid start, and he builds an early lead in the punches landed category. By the end of round four, Dawson’s punches have had an impact, as there is some puffiness showing under the left eye of Spoldi. At the midway point, the unofficial scorecard has Dawson with a solid points lead (49-46). Sensing that things are slipping away, Spoldi begins swinging away more freely in the second half of the contest. However, Dawson keeps himself out of serious trouble and coasts to a fairly routine UD 10 win (98-92, 96-94, 98-92) to run his career record to 21-2-3 (5), while Spoldi, who was already at Post-Prime career stage, ends the bout at 50-17-7 (8).

June 19, 1948: To Pittsburgh for the next fight card, hometown of former WBA LH Champ Billy Conn, aka “the Pittsburgh Kid,” who is featured in the main event, as he takes on another top 10 LH contender in Young Joe Louis. The two are meeting for the first time, and this is a non-title affair, scheduled for 10 rounds and furthermore, both guys are at Post-Prime. Both fighters adopt a safety first approach to the opening few rounds, with Conn pulling out to a slight early edge in the punches landed stats. By the midway point of the bout, Conn has forged a solid points lead (49-46), according to the unofficial scorer’s card. Into the second half of the bout, and Conn continues to box effectively, mostly from the outside, thereby forcing Louis to initiate most of the action. Louis comes alive with a big round in the seventh, and Conn retreats to his corner with a welt forming under his right eye. Conn battles back, neutralizing the situation, causing some puffiness to appear under Louis’ left eye. The bout goes the distance with no cuts or knockdowns, and Conn emerges as a MD 10 winner (98-92, 95-95, 97-93), as one judge called the bout as even. Post-bout career marks: Conn, 44-10-4 (16); Louis, 31-18-1 (14).

June 19, 1948: Next card takes place in San Francisco, and, in the main event, with Archie Moore having captured the WBA HW title, the NABF LH title is now up for grabs, and Oakland Billy Smith and Dolph Quijano are matched for the vacant belt. The two have not met before, and neither man is able to gain a huge advantage in the early rounds. As the bout proceeds into its middle stages, it is Quijano who gradually builds a solid edge in the punches landed stats. However, early in round six, Smith connects with a hard shot to the top of the head, causing Quijano to cover up. At the midway point, the unofficial card has Quijano up by two (58-56). Smith remains determined and, late in the eighth round, he breaks down Quijano’s defenses, connecting with a huge uppercut that puts Quijano down and out. The KO 8 for Smith enables him to pick up his first title, running his career stats to 26-7-4 (20). Quijano, who was ahead on all three cards heading into the eighth round, finishes the bout at 24-8-1 (19).

June 25, 1948: Next is a Friday night card at Manila’s Rizal Arena. Featured, in his 13th title defense, is Willie Pep, who faces former Champ Baby Arizmendi for the WBA FW title that Pep has held for the past three years. The two have not met before and Arizmendi, who has held titles in two divisions is, unfortunately, near the end of his distinguished career. Pep seems to have little trouble in building an early lead in the punches landed category. Arizmendi struggles to keep pace, but Pep dominates the action and, with seconds remaining in the fourth round, he rips a hook to the body, then follows with a cross to the head that drops Arizmendi who is then counted out. KO 4 for Pep, another impressive win versus the aging former Champion. Post-bout career marks: Pep, 37-2 (24); Arizmendi, 60-17-4 (14). Pep, along with “Sugar” Ray Robinson and Joe Louis, appear to be the most dominating Champions on the scene right now.

June 26, 1948: Next card takes place at the Earls Court in London. Twin bill title bout action tops the agenda, and both bouts are for EBU title belts featuring British fighters. In the first co-feature, Vince Hawkins, reigning GBU MW Champion, challenges Luc Van Dam for Van Dam’s EBU MW title. The two met once before, back in 1941 when both were at Pre-Prime, and Van Dam took a points win. In this rematch, after a couple of non-descript opening rounds, Van Dam takes the initiative and presses forward. In round five, Van Dam uncorks a devastating hook that forces Hawkins to cover up. By the midway point, Van Dam has forged a two-point lead (58-56) on the unofficial card, which suggests that Hawkins is still in striking distance. By the end of round seven, Van Dam has landed sufficient leather to cause a trace of swelling to appear under Hawkins’ right eye. A big uppercut from Van Dam rocks Hawkins early in round seven, then Hawkins goes down as Van Dam’s killer instinct has kicked in. Hawkins takes a count of eight before arising, and he manages to last the round although the damage was done. After this, Hawkins offers only token resistance and is unable to mount a rally as Van Dam goes on to record a solid UD 12 win (117-110, 117-110, 118-110) to improve his career stats to 29-10-1 (12) as a result. Hawkins slips to 21-13-4 (8) with the loss. In the finale, Bruce Woodcock makes his third defense of the EBU HW title he won in early 1947. The challenger, Sweden’s Olle Tandberg, has recorded two previous wins over Woodcock, both via TKO stoppages, including once in a prior EBU title matchup. This time around, both fighters start cautiously and, after the early round action is concluded, Tandberg holds a slight edge in the punches landed stats. In round eight, Woodcock rocks Tandberg with a hard uppercut and, with Tandberg on the defensive, Woodcock takes charge. He lands sufficient leather to cause some puffiness to appear under Tandberg’s right eye. With Woodcock landing blow after unanswered blow, the ref steps in to call a halt, saving Tandberg from further punishment. Impressive TKO 5 for Woodcock, avenging the prior losses. Post-bout records: Woodcock, 30-2 (25); Tandberg, 28-7-3 (9).

June 26, 1948: The month concludes with a final card in New York’s Yankee Stadium. In the main event, Jersey Joe Walcott, despite being in the Post-Prime stage of his career, has another opportunity to redeem himself after some recent poor showings, as he challenges Turkey Thompson for the NABF HW title that Walcott held from 1940 through 1944. The two met a year ago, in a non-title contest, and Thompson took a MD 10 that propelled him on a run at the title, and he enters this bout on a seven bout winning streak, compared to a dismal showing of just two wins and seven loss for Walcott in all bouts going back to his 1944 NABF title loss. This time around, Thompson wastes little time, hammering a cross to the head that puts Walcott on the deck in the final minute of the opening stanza. A dazed Walcott is back on his feet as the count reaches three, but there is not enough time left in the round for Thompson to follow up. In the ensuing rounds, Thompson is unable to capitalize on his early success, while the crafty Walcott is able to confuse his opponent by shifting back and forth from boxer to slugger and vice versa. Walcott appears to be well on his way to working himself in the bout when, in a flurry of activity, Thompson has a big round in the fifth as he manages to open a cut under Walcott’s right eye; meanwhile, some bruising is apparent around the challenger’s left eye as well. At the midway point if the contest, the unofficial card shows Thompson with a narrow points lead (58-57), while Walcott is in front in the punches landed stats. By the eighth round, both fighters are running low on energy; After a strong round nine for Walcott, Thompson is sporting a puffy right eye as he returns to his corner. With the issue very much in doubt headed into the both men are throwing caution to the wind, swinging away freely. In the action packed final round, Walcott sustains a cut lip, but he responds by decking Thompson with a short, clean uppercut. Thompson arises at the count of six, eschews the cover up strategy, but Walcott is unable to follow up. The bout then goes to the judges, who award the title to Walcott via a SD 12 with a wide range in the scoring (116-112 Walcott, 113-114 Thompson, 117-110 Walcott). Walcott, whose comeback is now in full steam, ends the bout at 55-15 (31). The loss leaves Thompson at 28-9-2 (21). Given the swings in momentum, the importance of the bout to each fighter’s career, and the fact that both men spent time on the canvas, this is a definite Fight of the Year contender.